In seven years, one homeowner claimed they took their yard from a totally barren wasteland to a flowering Utopia — complete with shockingly well-developed trees.
They shared their story in r/gardening, a community of both experienced and amateur gardeners. It quickly picked up traction, largely because many commenters couldn't believe the incredible progress of the trees the original poster planted.
"You grew that tree in seven years?" asked one skeptical commenter.
The tree in question is completely missing in the "before" photo, which shows nothing in the yard but bare, dry dirt.
The "after" shot is taken from the same angle, but this time, it's full of greenery. Surrounding a flagstone path, in beds ringed with natural stone, lush plants and flowers almost block out the dry desert soil. Huge, flowering vines coat the wall of the home. In the foreground of the photo, a branching tree with distinctive grass-green bark dominates, with the path forming a wide circle around it.
"Where did that tree come from? Did that grow in seven years?" asked another bewildered commenter.
"It was about seven feet tall when we planted it," the original poster replied. "All the palo verdes on our property grew to over 30 feet quite quickly."
The palo verde is a desert tree native to the southwestern United States, Britannica reports. Because it's so well adapted to the desert climate of the original poster's home, it was able to thrive with the most basic care.
In fact, according to the original poster, it would have done badly if it had been overwatered. "If you water too frequently, the roots will stay shallow and you risk the tree falling over after it gets bigger," they said in a comment.
That hands-off, low-water treatment is one of the major benefits of native plants, which do quite well in the conditions they've evolved to handle without any need for human interference. You can save time and money growing them — and local wildlife love them.
"Amazing transformation," said one commenter. "I love seeing stuff like this; hard work, but d*** it feels good when you step back and admire all your progress."
The best part is almost anyone can do it, as another gardener in Australia recently achieved a similar transformation from barren ground to beautiful garden.
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