Wild violets often get a bad rap because they spread prolifically and are considered weeds by some people. However, as one homeowner in northern Alabama demonstrated, one person's weeds are another's flowers.
After transforming their grass lawn into a native lawn filled with wild violets, they shared a progress photo of the major upgrade in the r/NoLawns subreddit.
In the post, the OP explained that it was their third spring with the gorgeous wildflowers blooming in their yard but that the beauty didn't last long.
"These few weeks are the prettiest it gets, the rest of the summer is low-growth greenery," they said in the caption.
They gave more details in the comments, noting that they'd converted about 60% of their grass to native wild violets.
"These were already present on the property, and we used the plugs method to spread them throughout the yard. They propagate through underground root spread. The pollinators love them!" the OP explained, saying that even though the ground cover was low maintenance, they still had to occasionally mow the interspersed grasses and clover.
As the homeowner pointed out, native lawns are a great way to reduce the need for maintenance. Rewilding your yard with native plants or switching to a natural lawn filled with clover or buffalo grass can save you roughly $300 to $400 per year on water, fertilizers, pesticides, and weed control.
You'll also help the planet by conserving 150,000 to 175,000 gallons of sprinkler water annually and attracting pollinators to your yard since they thrive in biodiversity-rich areas.
Bees and butterflies also support humans, pollinating many of the food crops we rely on to survive, such as apples, bananas, chocolate, and coffee. (OK, maybe we don't need the last two, but it's hard to imagine a world without them.)
Even if you don't replace your entire lawn with native plants, you'll still see the benefits of low-maintenance options such as wild violet and clover, or you can xeriscape.
If you plant wild violets, you should avoid planting anything else nearby since they have vigorous root systems and will easily outcompete other plants. However, wild violets are a great option if you want something to replace your turf lawn.
"You did a great job, this looks like a dream lawn I always wanted to have, I love wild violets so much," one commenter said.
"Nice, I would love to do this. I have a few on my yard but would love for them to spread," another shared.
"I love it, it's like a fairytale," someone else wrote.
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