Even without lush greenery, they created a flourishing space with the help of succulents and flowers.
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Redditor Letsrolltroll shared the home transformation in a viral post.
They proudly showed off their front porch, rich with yellow flowers and large spiky succulents.
The greenery worked for their California climate, which is prone to periods without rain.
“My slice of heaven. Oakland, CA,” they said.
“All [are] drought tolerant, emphasis on natives and pollinator-friendly perennials.”
While they were happy with their selection of plants, if given a second chance to redo their yard, they explained they would’ve left out a “violent” plant.
“Ooooo!!!! I love so much about it: the color combinations, that big agave, the design, the tiny agaves, and oh, that orange…” praised one impressed commenter.
“Thank you! The aloes are the first to put out their long orange torches, the first sign of spring,” the Redditor replied.
“The agaves are violent; in hindsight, I might choose another variety that isn’t so dagger-y.”
“What are the green, spiky, large-sized plants?” asked another.
“Are those aloe or yarrow? If so, do you know which variety? I really like those and would love to plant some in my yard. BTW — love, love, love your garden!”
“Thank you! The big pokies are blue glow agaves,” the Redditor replied.
“In all honestly, I would probably choose a different variety like foxtail,” they added.
“The blue glow are so so sharp, it makes navigating/weeding around them pretty treacherous.”
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Others were curious how they decided on the right plants and species to use.
“How did you decide on which plants to use? Is there a local nursery in the East Bay you’d recommend?” asked one commenter.
The Redditor revealed that they’d come up with a rough design and did considerable research first before purchasing all the plants.
“When I first started, I walked around a nursery and picked [around] 8 species that all differed in size, texture, and color, and looked good together, and referred back to the design to know how many of each to get,” they explained.
“The right side of the yard gets more sun than the left side, so also be aware of which species need more light.
“I also checked watering requirements for each to make sure they were all fairly low. I’ve found Pinterest boards can actually be a great way to visualize to see if plants look good together.”
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