A gardener in eastern Upstate New York is inspiring gardeners with a progress update on their yard.
The before-and-after photos posted to r/NativePlantGardening are creating quite a buzz in the Reddit community.
Two photos show a two-year transformation of what was once a dead strip of land now flourishing with wildflowers and pollinators.
All it took was some cardboard, compost, and a seed mix, which is detailed in the third photo.
"These days it's buzzing with activity 24/7!" the original poster wrote. "If you're a lazy gardener like me, I can't recommend this method highly enough."
It just goes to show you how rewarding gardening can be, not just visibly but mentally. Studies have proved that gardening relieves stress and makes you happier.
While gardening can be hard, it doesn't have to be. Rewilding your yard with native plants is an excellent way to make your life easier and save money. Natural lawns require less water, maintenance, fertilizer, and pesticides.
Switching from traditional grass lawns to native yards creates a much healthier ecosystem for pollinators – the protectors of our food supply. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 100 American-grown crops rely on pollinators, whose contributions to crop production revenue are valued at $18 billion.
Even rewilding a small part of your yard with clover, vegetable gardens, wildflowers, or xeriscaping will still bring you all of the benefits.
If you don't know where to start, check out the National Audubon Society's Native Plants Database for details on which plants are native to your area and what kinds of wildlife they attract.
The transformation was seen as something to aspire to.
"Gorgeous! I want to do this in the fall," a Redditor commented.
A second wrote: "This is inspiring! I'm just starting to plan how to get rid of my terrible turf grass."
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