A user recently sparked debate in an anti-lawn subreddit by sharing photos of the gorgeous flowers that sprang up when they stopped mowing — including one controversial bloom.
Compared to many other types of landscaping, grass lawns are hard to maintain and bad for the environment. They require lots of water, fertilizer, and pesticide, which is expensive and polluting. Regular mowing takes time many homeowners would rather spend on something more enjoyable. Meanwhile, grass doesn't offer food or shelter for local wildlife.
That's why many homeowners are turning away from traditional lawns and growing native plants instead, like this Redditor who simply stopped mowing to give local plants a chance to spring up.
"This is what happens when you don't touch the lawn mower for 3 years," said the user, attaching a photo of a wild tangle of flowers in their yard.
"See what happens?" joked one commenter, in a reference to "The Big Lebowski." "Do you see what happens, Larry, when you leave a mower in the garage?"
The orange, blue, pink, and white blossoms are beautiful, but one white blossom in the foreground jumped out to several commenters.
"Did you also eradicate any unwanted species, or just look for three years?" asked a skeptical user.
"Looks like they just looked for three years," said a second commenter. "They have bindweed in there."
The original poster replied that they had left the bindweed on purpose, which prompted several users to pile on.
"[Bindweed] has pretty white flowers but is really bad about taking over and extremely difficult to get rid of once it takes hold," said the second commenter.
Another user added, "Obviously it's very pretty, but bindweed spreads seeds extremely easily and can decimate your neighbors' yards. Please consider at the very least pinching off the flowers."
"I just moved into a house with a bindweed infestation," said another commenter. "It's a terrible plant and you should really do something about it."
"Please control the bindweed for the sake of the ecosystem and your sanity," said another Redditor.
To avoid issues like this, some homeowners take a more active approach to native plant landscaping with the help of experienced companies like Yardzen. The company can help create a balanced garden that won't be taken over by one aggressive species.
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