Gardening can be a fun, peaceful way to get fresh air, beautify your property, and grow your own food. It can also be a tremendous amount of work if you don't take the time to learn what plants should and should not be in your space.
Instagram gardener Grant Minkhorst (@thegardeninggrant) recently shared a cautionary tale about starting his own garden.
The video details how Minkhorst started his garden on top of an array of invasive plant species without realizing it. This resulted in a near-endless headache that he's now begging his followers to avoid.
"Before you start a garden, please learn from my BIGGEST mistake," the caption reads. "Because I didn't understand the invasive plants that were in my garden, I just planted on top of them. Because of this, I am now working 5x as hard trying to remove the invasive plants from my garden without harming the many native plants that I have been growing."
Invasive plants disrupt natural ecosystems by displacing native species, taking up resources, and altering habitats. Since they don't have natural competition, they can outgrow and overthrow your garden in a hurry. That's why Minkhorst wants you to be very careful when planting yours.
"Do a thorough garden audit before you even stick one plant in the ground," he suggests. "Make sure your soil is healthy. Ensure there are no invasive plants present in the space. Check for things like water lines and gas lines before digging. ASSESS THE SPACE. Call an experienced gardener to help you. It will save you thousands of labor hours in the long run."
Avoiding this issue is easier when you upgrade to a natural lawn. Natural lawns contain native plants that require less water, less maintenance, and fewer lawn care products. They also boost ecosystems, provide habitats to local wildlife, and help protect food-creating pollinators. Oh, and they're gorgeous, too.
Commenters on the post shared their own experiences with invasive plants.
"I pulled out 3 butterfly bushes two years ago and I'm still pulling new plants up this spring! Crazy!" one says.
"Lemon balm, the biggest regret of my gardening life," another shares.
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"Yesterday I spent the whole day removing lily of the valley and creeping bellflower from my garden beds!" another adds. "Complete torture! That s*** is the devil!"
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