One homeowner found a better use for their front yard than just a boring lawn — even though their neighbor wasn't happy.
"My neighbor says it's an eyesore," said the homeowner in their post on r/gardening. "I couldn't have been happier."
The photo attached to the thread shows the front yard. There is a strip of grass around the edges — but most of the former lawn is taken up by one big mulch bed full of sky-high sunflowers. The yellow blossoms are clearly thriving, with a few smaller plants growing more slowly in the foreground.
Growing flowers is a much better use of yard space than maintaining a turf grass lawn. Not only are they cheerful and full of personality, but many plants — sunflowers included — use less water than grass, which means savings for the gardener. If they're growing these flowers to eat the seeds, that's even more savings — and the garden bed doesn't need to be mowed regularly, unlike the grass, saving money and effort.
Meanwhile, just a few flowers can make a surprising impact on the environment. Besides cutting out the air pollution from a gas-powered lawn mower, the original poster is also providing food for pollinators. If they don't eat the sunflower seeds, then those become food for birds. The whole ecosystem will be better off thanks to this homeowner's landscaping decision.
If you'd like to do something similar, you can — and you can even save additional water and time by growing native plants. As this homeowner demonstrated, you don't have to rewild your whole yard to get the benefits.
Commenters loved the fun and attractive flower choice, with one user bluntly dismissing the neighbor's opinion and affirming, "Your space is beautiful, and it is yours."
The original poster replied, "I told her to move somewhere with a HOA if she doesn't like it, because it's here to stay."
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