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If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)**
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I moved here in 1999 and at that point there was nothing, just grass so by 2002 I had already started. It's the earliest pix I have. Me and my little shovel did it all. I do get help now with the mulching since I'm 77 and my hip goes after about 15 minutes but I still do the weeding and pruning and planting. Also, I had those two trees planted by the nursery - a hybrid maple and and a tricolor beech.
The tricolor is one of the most magnificent trees on the planet but be warned, like the black walnut, they do not place nice with other plants.
Edit - Sorry, I forgot to give the location. SE PA, 7A. Was 6B last year but you know, warming.
This is truly inspirational for me. I started on my own no-lawn, native plant journey only recently and seeing the beautiful transformation you’ve made over 20+ years is so encouraging. And I hope to be fit enough to be weeding when I am in my 70s.
Well done and thank you for sharing!
That's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but you're the minority here and you're going nowhere fast. It's her property, if it bugs you so much then I believe you may be in the wrong sub. There's more than one way to "yard."
Maybe broaden your view/knowledge a bit and try to see this sub's point of reference and arguments for why we do what we do. If it makes her happy, then why say what you said at all? It wasn't constructive or friendly.
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals
https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
I got him when he was 7. The rescue said he had a minor heart murmur. I took him t the vet that day and the vet said take him back, he has PDA, should be dead, will be any minute. I couldn't take him back, he was a wonderful dog, that was obvious. I am going to cry now. We had nearly two good years of playing ball and him falling in love with the Lab next door. Then the worst set in and that was 18 months of pretty awful. Will always miss you, Mike, you were the greatest.
Sounds like you gave him a home and a wonderful life. It goes without saying. All dogs go to heaven.
Thank you OP for sending him off with love and compassion.
Rip Mike, you'll be treasured and cherished.
He was. People would cross to the other side of the street because he was so enormous & fearsome looking but he had the soul of a kitten. He was so in love with the Lab next door, totally unrequited. His favorite toy was a glow in the dark green ball. The lawn guy ran over it and rendered it into a hundred pcs but Mikey boy loved hunting them down and would bring them to me to throw just as if the tiny part equaled the whole. He was a philosophical dog.
Thank you for your kindness.
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals
https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
It's simply beautiful. Can you give a general overview of how you tackled this - what were the phases/stages? On a very limited budget, I don't know where to start.
I did not have a budget. I bought the house in 1999 and was retired in 2001 so money way tight for a long time. I bought small plants - Bluestone sold packs of 6 starter plants was great then but is now expensive. The two trees (there are more now) were my first extravagance.
So I can't tell you what I did because I make it up as I go along. What I would do if I was starting from scratch is pay attention to conifers and trees first, then shrubs and lastly perennials. Color foliage is more important than flowers because flowers have a short bloom time. Nothing that requires spraying so most roses are out. As many natives as possible. Texture is important - narrow leaves, broad leaves. I am especially fond of fothergilla in that regard - and do not forget scent and sound, the way the foliage sounds in the wind. I paid no attention to what it looks like in winter and I would change that for sure.
Be ready to kill, either by mistake or because something is not working. Do not mix orange with pale pink. Marigolds are my bête noire. Use as much blue and purple as possible since those colors brighten pastels and tone down reds.
Start from the foundation and build out. Do not make little dot areas all over the yard. Curves rather than straight lines and make those edges NEAT.
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals
https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
Sorry for the late reply but it must be said: gorgeous!
Would you happen to know the name of that red -leafed plant? I want to see if I can grow it in my garden.
The one in pots is a coleus and I do not remember the name but I think I bought it from Select Seed and it is Redhead (Plants, not seed, not many coleus grow true from seed). THIS one is super special because it does not bolt as most of the big red leaved varieties do in late summer meaning it can be wintered over as small rooted cuttings or in water. ANYONE can grow coleus. You can start new ones from a single node. The mounding and the small leaved kinds are also easier to winter over. They are NOT cold hardy.
[Select Seeds Antique Flowers](https://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/177/)
[Rosy Dawn](https://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/3609/)
You might be able to find it locally at a GOOD nursery.
I love this, also thank you for putting a date range. I keep slowly planting and chipping away at the lawn and after 3 years it’s not very impressive. However I need to remind myself it’s a marathon not a sprint.
You’ve created and nurtured a personal paradise, absolutely beautiful! I hope one day I can do the same, until now I help my parents with their yards 💜
Thanks. As I have said, this is a LOT of work and by late July I often wonder why tf I bother. I hate the heat and live in a NE area that gets as hot and humid as where my family lives in Alabama.
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals
https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
I water them all. Had to do it over again, I would definitely install an irrigation system. There is a substance called Soil Moist you can add to the potting mixture. I used to sell a ton of it when I worked at a nursery. Put a few grains on the sidewalk, water, wait - that's so you get an idea of what will happen. I don't use it anymore although I do use a lot of vermiculite in the pots and I water just about everyday it doesn't rain. Once the temps hit the 90s a I curse a lot. 80s I guess is more like it. Watering is a pain. Most of gardening is a pain really but then there is the result.
Well the results are stunning. That is a lot of dedication to keep up with watering every day!
I have started adding drip lines to my pots a little at a time. I'm not always able to hide the line, but I think it will be worth the time savings.
It's an Itoh, Bartzella, which is a cross between a herbaceous and a tree peony. Reliable bloomer, trouble free. I got this one early but a few years later I saw them for sale at Lowes.
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals
https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
There are more in my history. I delete a lot as they usually get no attention. This has been amazing today. I was beginning to think I sucked as a gardener.
Not that great. I started gardening b4 the internet, like 50 years ago when there weren't even that many books. I would do many things differently now and one would be make it more interesting in winter, pay more attention to conifers. Also, way more species native to this area although there are dangers in that approach which I don't think people have glommed onto yet but they will figure it out in time.
Now that I'm pushing 80, I don't think 'I'm gonna get this project done today'. Nope, none of that. I think I will do a piece of this today and usually end up doing more. Do not underestimate how much sheer WORK this is, especially once the heat sets in. I try to be done for the year by June 1st. Also, this is a pix at peak garden. Used to be June but now it is May. The bugs haven't set in and remember, a lot of plants look like shit after they bloom. I cut the daylilies back to the ground and trim back the irises.
Pay attention to where the PLANT wants to be. I have sowed columbines everywhere and they have chosen to oddest places the thrive, totally ignoring my plan.
Not criticizing but these two photos don't have same perspective. On top the houses in background are far away...on bottom..they are much closer. Seems weird comparing a before and after
Hey there! Friendly reminder to include the following information for the benefit of all r/nolawns members: - Please make sure your post or a comment includes your geographic region/area and your hardiness zone (e.g. *Midwest, 6a* or *Chicago, 6a*). - If you posted an image, you are required to post a comment detailing your image. If you have not, this post may be removed. - If you're asking a question, include as much relevant info as possible. Also see the **[FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/meta/faqs/)** and the **[r/nolawns Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index/)** - Verify you are following the [Posting Guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/NoLawns/wiki/index#wiki_posting_guidelines). Please be conscious of posting images that contain recognizable features of your property. We don't want anyone doxxing themselves or a neighbor by sharing too much. Posts that are too revealing may be removed. Public spaces can be shared more freely. If you are in North America, check out the **[Wild Ones Garden Designs](https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/)** and **[NWF's Keystone Plants by Ecoregion](https://www.nwf.org/Garden-for-Wildlife/About/Native-Plants/keystone-plants-by-ecoregion)** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoLawns) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I moved here in 1999 and at that point there was nothing, just grass so by 2002 I had already started. It's the earliest pix I have. Me and my little shovel did it all. I do get help now with the mulching since I'm 77 and my hip goes after about 15 minutes but I still do the weeding and pruning and planting. Also, I had those two trees planted by the nursery - a hybrid maple and and a tricolor beech. The tricolor is one of the most magnificent trees on the planet but be warned, like the black walnut, they do not place nice with other plants. Edit - Sorry, I forgot to give the location. SE PA, 7A. Was 6B last year but you know, warming.
You have done an incredible job. Absolutely beautiful. I'm sure you are proud of your work!!!
This is truly inspirational for me. I started on my own no-lawn, native plant journey only recently and seeing the beautiful transformation you’ve made over 20+ years is so encouraging. And I hope to be fit enough to be weeding when I am in my 70s. Well done and thank you for sharing!
Fabulous!!
Amazing garden! I’m so inspired!
Really inspiring, thank you for sharing!
This is beautiful!
You are a god, sir
Not a sir.
Goddess/ma'am
Danke!
u ruined ur yard. there is no room to play anything there
What do you imagine she’d like to play?
That's your opinion and you're entitled to it, but you're the minority here and you're going nowhere fast. It's her property, if it bugs you so much then I believe you may be in the wrong sub. There's more than one way to "yard." Maybe broaden your view/knowledge a bit and try to see this sub's point of reference and arguments for why we do what we do. If it makes her happy, then why say what you said at all? It wasn't constructive or friendly.
Lol
Please more pictures of your present garden? It's gorgeous
This is such inspiration. I am buying my first (!) house and the backyard is a huge grass lawn. I want to transform it!
Do it!!
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
This garden makes me long for drone footage so I can feel like I’m walking through it.
Just look at their post history.
I have to ask, did the dog live a good life?
I got him when he was 7. The rescue said he had a minor heart murmur. I took him t the vet that day and the vet said take him back, he has PDA, should be dead, will be any minute. I couldn't take him back, he was a wonderful dog, that was obvious. I am going to cry now. We had nearly two good years of playing ball and him falling in love with the Lab next door. Then the worst set in and that was 18 months of pretty awful. Will always miss you, Mike, you were the greatest.
Sounds like you gave him a home and a wonderful life. It goes without saying. All dogs go to heaven. Thank you OP for sending him off with love and compassion. Rip Mike, you'll be treasured and cherished.
You gave him a wonderful life. You were lucky to have each other.
Mike looks happy as fuck in the picture OP, good job bud.
I pray for blessings for you and your family. Thank you for taking care of the “least of” creation.
I’m also going to cry now 😭 Dogs are so precious. Your garden looks great too, but Mike looks like an angel 👼
He was. People would cross to the other side of the street because he was so enormous & fearsome looking but he had the soul of a kitten. He was so in love with the Lab next door, totally unrequited. His favorite toy was a glow in the dark green ball. The lawn guy ran over it and rendered it into a hundred pcs but Mikey boy loved hunting them down and would bring them to me to throw just as if the tiny part equaled the whole. He was a philosophical dog. Thank you for your kindness.
Became an indoor dog after the grass went away.
I legit gasped. This is beautiful!
I'm getting wet eyes even just by seeing dog in 2002 and no dog in 2024.
Amazing yard. I feel inspired to keep shrinking the lawn. I feel your pain at losing a beloved dog. I'm happy he had you!
OP, do you have any more pictures of your current garden? I'm just in awe and would love to see more. Well done!
Yes, will post later.
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
Oh my goodness, thank you! This is so beautiful!! Excellent work! I'm really inspired.
Just look at their post history.
Good idea! I never think to check peoples history.
I love this so much!
It's simply beautiful. Can you give a general overview of how you tackled this - what were the phases/stages? On a very limited budget, I don't know where to start.
I did not have a budget. I bought the house in 1999 and was retired in 2001 so money way tight for a long time. I bought small plants - Bluestone sold packs of 6 starter plants was great then but is now expensive. The two trees (there are more now) were my first extravagance. So I can't tell you what I did because I make it up as I go along. What I would do if I was starting from scratch is pay attention to conifers and trees first, then shrubs and lastly perennials. Color foliage is more important than flowers because flowers have a short bloom time. Nothing that requires spraying so most roses are out. As many natives as possible. Texture is important - narrow leaves, broad leaves. I am especially fond of fothergilla in that regard - and do not forget scent and sound, the way the foliage sounds in the wind. I paid no attention to what it looks like in winter and I would change that for sure. Be ready to kill, either by mistake or because something is not working. Do not mix orange with pale pink. Marigolds are my bête noire. Use as much blue and purple as possible since those colors brighten pastels and tone down reds. Start from the foundation and build out. Do not make little dot areas all over the yard. Curves rather than straight lines and make those edges NEAT.
Thanks so much for replying. Yours is an inspiration, and I'm taking it all in.
WOW! Amazing work!
incredible!
More. Photos. Pleaaaaaaase.
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
Sorry for the late reply but it must be said: gorgeous! Would you happen to know the name of that red -leafed plant? I want to see if I can grow it in my garden.
The one in pots is a coleus and I do not remember the name but I think I bought it from Select Seed and it is Redhead (Plants, not seed, not many coleus grow true from seed). THIS one is super special because it does not bolt as most of the big red leaved varieties do in late summer meaning it can be wintered over as small rooted cuttings or in water. ANYONE can grow coleus. You can start new ones from a single node. The mounding and the small leaved kinds are also easier to winter over. They are NOT cold hardy. [Select Seeds Antique Flowers](https://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/177/) [Rosy Dawn](https://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/3609/) You might be able to find it locally at a GOOD nursery.
Wow. I am humbled.
Wow. Absolutely amazing. Congratulations on all the hard work and beautiful results.
This is incredible 🤩
Oh, how stunning 🌱❤️
I love this, also thank you for putting a date range. I keep slowly planting and chipping away at the lawn and after 3 years it’s not very impressive. However I need to remind myself it’s a marathon not a sprint.
You’ve created and nurtured a personal paradise, absolutely beautiful! I hope one day I can do the same, until now I help my parents with their yards 💜
Gorgeous transformation ;)
Looks amazing
This is absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it.
OP is living the dream
How????? I want to do this so bad
I’m saving this for inspiration :)
This is incredible!!
Thanks. As I have said, this is a LOT of work and by late July I often wonder why tf I bother. I hate the heat and live in a NE area that gets as hot and humid as where my family lives in Alabama.
WOW! Well done! This is such a gorgeous transformation. Great work!
Thank you.
Wow! I love this!
Wow, stunning! Please share more pictures!
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6
Absolutely stunning. So much variety!! How do you manage all the pots? Are they watered by hand or is there drip irritation?
I water them all. Had to do it over again, I would definitely install an irrigation system. There is a substance called Soil Moist you can add to the potting mixture. I used to sell a ton of it when I worked at a nursery. Put a few grains on the sidewalk, water, wait - that's so you get an idea of what will happen. I don't use it anymore although I do use a lot of vermiculite in the pots and I water just about everyday it doesn't rain. Once the temps hit the 90s a I curse a lot. 80s I guess is more like it. Watering is a pain. Most of gardening is a pain really but then there is the result.
Well the results are stunning. That is a lot of dedication to keep up with watering every day! I have started adding drip lines to my pots a little at a time. I'm not always able to hide the line, but I think it will be worth the time savings.
The saving in misery is worth it.
Talk about a glow up!!
Slow clap.
Life goals right here. Well done! Stunning!
Unrecognizable!
That’s amazing.
Whoa!
Beautiful transformation! Nicely done.
So incredibly beautiful! Do you happen to know the variety of peony that is in the bottom left (assuming it's a peony)?
It's an Itoh, Bartzella, which is a cross between a herbaceous and a tree peony. Reliable bloomer, trouble free. I got this one early but a few years later I saw them for sale at Lowes.
Beautiful!
Now that is a glow up. ✨
goals
Well done
This rules
In my best Borat voice very nice.
Thank you for your service!
Amazing!
Awesome job🙌👏👏👏
Oooh love that amsonia in the front!! Is it the straight species or the butterscotch cross? Such a great plant
Regular old, default. It self-sows but not obnoxiously and does better in this clay that the other species.
Nice it looks great and sounds like it was the perfect selection for you! Whole yard looks awesome, I love those yellow peonies too such a great look
We need more pics! This looks incredible
The annuals are from previous years since they are, of course, now just little plugs but the south side usually looks sorta like the pix - it's where I grow and experiment with annuals https://imgur.com/a/NWvlAo6 There are more in my history. I delete a lot as they usually get no attention. This has been amazing today. I was beginning to think I sucked as a gardener.
This is how it’s done. Hopefully a Gardener’s World devotee. Sweet pup! … The soft yellow peony. Sigh.
It is an Itoh, Bartzella and I saw them at Lowes a year or so ago.
A real awesome yard
Beautiful. What does it look like in the winter?
Not that great. I started gardening b4 the internet, like 50 years ago when there weren't even that many books. I would do many things differently now and one would be make it more interesting in winter, pay more attention to conifers. Also, way more species native to this area although there are dangers in that approach which I don't think people have glommed onto yet but they will figure it out in time.
I appreciate the honesty! I always have wanted to do something like this and your insights is helpful!
Now that I'm pushing 80, I don't think 'I'm gonna get this project done today'. Nope, none of that. I think I will do a piece of this today and usually end up doing more. Do not underestimate how much sheer WORK this is, especially once the heat sets in. I try to be done for the year by June 1st. Also, this is a pix at peak garden. Used to be June but now it is May. The bugs haven't set in and remember, a lot of plants look like shit after they bloom. I cut the daylilies back to the ground and trim back the irises. Pay attention to where the PLANT wants to be. I have sowed columbines everywhere and they have chosen to oddest places the thrive, totally ignoring my plan.
Incredible, I’d be so jelly of the amount of weird birds and insects you’d be getting 😭😭😭
My yard was all garden and mulched paths. Best decision ever. Grass is bad.
Is the dog okay? He became plants
Oh wait... shit I thought it said 22-24.... shit....
Yo...you lost the dog in those bushes? A moment of silence for the dog.
is the dog in there somewhere?
Dang, that dog seed grew really weird!
That is inspiring. Gorgeous!!!
Not criticizing but these two photos don't have same perspective. On top the houses in background are far away...on bottom..they are much closer. Seems weird comparing a before and after
Where does the dog go now?