Designing an outdoor space is an important part of transforming a house into a home, but if you want an outdoor space that is both beautiful and functional, it’s important to educate yourself on the best landscaping practices. Otherwise, you could end up in a similar situation to this homeowner who lost a once healthy and thriving tree after making costly landscaping decisions.

In a post on the Reddit subreddit r/arborists, the homeowner shared pictures of a black walnut tree that had fallen in his backyard after a heavy rainstorm. The images show the fallen tree surrounded by large puddles of water and thick mud, as well as a perfectly manicured green lawn that covers every other inch of the yard.

“Can anyone tell me what happened here?” the homeowner asked in his post.

It quickly became clear to users that the homeowner’s monoculture lawn was the most likely reason the tree had fallen.

“Apart from that tree, your yard has no deep root system to draw rainwater into the soil,” was the most popular response. “The roots of the lawn do nothing to retain water.”

Another chimed in: “Yes, this tree probably had shallow roots because all the water collected on the surface where it evaporated or seeped away. It had no incentive to grow deep roots because there was no water stored deep down.”

You may think that a lawn is the most aesthetic choice for your outdoor space, but that doesn’t mean it’s also the best fit for the shape and features of your garden, the climate of your region, and the native flora and fauna that are also native to that area.

Instead of a lawn, users in the comments suggested ripping everything up and creating a rain garden with native plants. This is the perfect solution to flooding and erosion, as the growth of deep roots holds the soil together and absorbs excess water.

Another benefit of a rain garden with native plants is the native fauna it inevitably attracts. Native flowers attract pollinators, which are essential to the health of ecosystems and food crops that may also grow in your garden.

While it’s too late to prevent the homeowner’s fallen tree, it’s not too late for you to check out The Cool Down’s guide to renaturalizing your yard and converting to natural grass for more tips.

“I did not expect such a reaction,” wrote the homeowner. “We have learned our lesson.”

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