One Redditor is raking in (pun intended) the compliments after transforming a rundown yard into a stunning native plant haven.
A Reddit user shared before-and-after photos of a once-neglected yard that they turned into a lush and well-manicured outdoor oasis. The before photo shows a bland lawn of turf and a nearly naked veggie garden area. The after photos display a beautiful landscape with strategically placed native plants strewn throughout gravel and stone walkways.
The original poster explains the transformation in the caption, stating "Previously turf and a neglected veggie garden, now on its way to a nice xeriscape. Pollinator palooza. This year I am editing out several non natives to replace with drought tolerant natives including more Artemisia and little bluestem grass."
Reddit users praised the beauty of the garden, but landscape transformations like these offer more than just aesthetic benefits. The "xeriscape" the green-thumbed Redditor speaks of describes a landscape with "slow-growing, drought tolerant plants to conserve water and reduce yard trimmings," according to Cal Recycle.
Opting for drought-resistant plants benefits people and the environment. For homeowners, choosing this type of landscape means a lower water bill, along with less work managing an irrigation schedule.
As for the planet, the perks are many. First, landscape irrigation accounts for approximately one-third of residential water use. So choosing plants that don't need much water means a chance to conserve this natural resource.
Additionally, drought-resistant as well as native plants are good at conserving the limited water they do receive. Their root systems are great at sucking water in from the surface and directing it deep into the ground so groundwater recharge can occur. Groundwater recharge is essentially the Earth's method for saving water for later, like for a drought.
As for the "pollinator palooza" the Redditor mentions, this refers to plants that provide shelter and sustenance (like nectar) for pollinator bugs — on which our ecosystem and crops rely heavily.
Redditors are loving the transformed landscape in the photo.
"I literally gasped when I saw the transformation. It's beautiful!" one Redditor commented.
"Can obviously tell the amount of critical thought and design that went into this project. Such a fabulous transformation man," raved another Reddit user.
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