Vermont Couple Drop Mowing to Create Field of Wildflowers

Inspiration comes from the most unlikely of places, and for one American couple, it came from a conscious decision to never again mow their lawn.

Jonathan Yacko and Natalie Gilliard from Chittenden, Vermont, weren’t always blessed with green thumbs, but when their employment situations started to look dire due to the coronavirus pandemic, they changed one daily chore of mowing their five-and-a-half acre property into a passion project of planting.

The two former Long Islanders happened to work for American Meadows, a company that specialises in wildflower seeds; soon, the pair were digging up an acre of the property to clean out obstacles and till the land. Eventually, they emptied out a 22-kilogram bag containing 27 different varieties of wildflower seeds across their efforts, then allowed Mother Nature to do her thing.

Switching from grass to a flowery meadow not only meant no more back-breaking mowing and trimming, but opened up a whole new world of gardening and landscaping possibilities for the couple.

Their efforts also drew the attention of the nearby community, which got people interacting and developed friendships among neighbours.

Talking to a local newspaper, Yacko said: “We started this as not wanting to mow grass, never expecting it would become what it has. Now we’re helping the bees, we’re adding beauty to the landscape and we’re making the community happy.”

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