These Aussie gardeners offer free garden makeovers for one reason—find out!
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In a world where nothing comes without a cost or the expectation of something in return, stories of people performing acts of selflessness strike a powerful chord.
These narratives are especially moving when they happen on home soil and help people like seniors unable to tend to their lawns due to time constraints or physical limitations.
Nathan Stafford has become a gardening sensation online, capturing the hearts of viewers in Australia and beyond with his garden clean-up videos.
In his time-lapse videos, Stafford turns chaotic, suburban lawns into orderly masterpieces, drawing millions of global viewers.
Stafford's journey to online fame began as a humble gardener, handling ‘ordinary paid work all over Sydney’ and managing his business, Nathan's Lawns and Garden, for the past 15 years.
Garden clean-up videos, which first became popular in the US, caught Stafford's attention a few years ago, prompting him to experiment with creating his own.
Yet, it wasn't until last March when a video of him tackling a messy lawn became ‘famous’ that he decided to pivot the majority of his business towards content creation.
‘The video went really big and it was just of me doing a standard job—cleaning up a yard that was a complete mess,’ said Stafford.
‘In the first 10 minutes, it got about 200,000 views—it was insane!’
‘When you get a lot of views, your social media accounts shut down because they can't handle all the traffic. It's really crazy,’ he continued.
Today, about 75 per cent of Stafford's work is dedicated to content creation.
However, what he finds particularly satisfying is the ability to assist community members by providing his services for free.
Stafford shared, ‘I like to go around and knock on people's doors and just help people, really.’
‘It's a situation where everyone wins. People get help with their gardens, the audience gets to watch the videos, and I can make money from the videos that pay for my costs,’ he added.
Video source: TikTok/@nathans.lawnsandgardens
Yet, not everyone readily accepts the offer of a free lawn makeover. Stafford has encountered scepticism, sometimes leading to hostile reactions.
‘A lot of them think this is a scam, because who helps other people for free these days?’ he recalled.
‘I've had some very different reactions, some of them are extreme. I've had people chase me out of the place.’
However, he persists in his mission, often helping the elderly or residents in public housing whose lawns have become overwhelming.
‘But then you get a lot of people who are just like, 'Oh my God, thank you so much.’
‘I do a lot of housing commission homes,’ said Stafford. ‘I had a bit of a rough childhood when I was younger...I can sort of relate to these people because I have an understanding; I don't judge.’
In a comparable situation, Tim Parker, a full-time firefighter known as ‘Tim the Lawnmower Man’ has also found success in the garden clean-up content scene.
Three years ago, seeking extra income by mowing lawns, Parker stumbled into creating garden clean-up videos for social media and now boasts nearly five million followers.
Parker also offers his services for free on ‘Free Mow Fridays’ and holds a non-discriminatory approach to whose grass he cuts.
His videos often feature properties with new and modern homes, challenging stereotypes about the appearance of neglected lawns.
‘I just see grass and I cut grass. I'm of the mindset that everyone deserves a nice surprise,’ explained Parker.
‘A lot of these houses look new, and people assume that the people living there are extremely well off, but I live in a new area of Western Sydney where many people are struggling to pay their mortgages.’
Video source: TikTok/@timthelawnmowerman
Parker mentioned that those with neglected lawns in his area were frequently first-time homebuyers who had previously resided in a unit.
‘Sometimes they don't understand what to do with a garden, or how often you've got to do it,’ shared Parker.
‘Others just don't have an interest in it, so they don't really think about it.’
Parker expressed that he continued to struggle with predicting which of his videos would gain popularity on social media, but there was no denying that this type of content ‘satisfies a mental craving’.
‘I think it plays to our inner control freak,’ added Parker.
‘Anything to do with lawn edges always does really well. Really an overgrown edge is probably a lot more attractive than a straight, carved edge - but our brain just is satisfied by these straight, tidy lines.’
Stafford and Parker are not only fixing gardens; they are making a community happy by turning messy gardens into neat ones. They are doing something very helpful for free!
Members, have you watched any videos from Stafford or Parker? What do you think about their yard makeovers? Share your views in the comments below!
These narratives are especially moving when they happen on home soil and help people like seniors unable to tend to their lawns due to time constraints or physical limitations.
Nathan Stafford has become a gardening sensation online, capturing the hearts of viewers in Australia and beyond with his garden clean-up videos.
In his time-lapse videos, Stafford turns chaotic, suburban lawns into orderly masterpieces, drawing millions of global viewers.
Stafford's journey to online fame began as a humble gardener, handling ‘ordinary paid work all over Sydney’ and managing his business, Nathan's Lawns and Garden, for the past 15 years.
Nathan Stafford's videos, where he transforms suburban gardens, have gained immense popularity. Image source: TikTok/@nathans.lawnsandgardens
Garden clean-up videos, which first became popular in the US, caught Stafford's attention a few years ago, prompting him to experiment with creating his own.
Yet, it wasn't until last March when a video of him tackling a messy lawn became ‘famous’ that he decided to pivot the majority of his business towards content creation.
‘The video went really big and it was just of me doing a standard job—cleaning up a yard that was a complete mess,’ said Stafford.
‘In the first 10 minutes, it got about 200,000 views—it was insane!’
‘When you get a lot of views, your social media accounts shut down because they can't handle all the traffic. It's really crazy,’ he continued.
Today, about 75 per cent of Stafford's work is dedicated to content creation.
However, what he finds particularly satisfying is the ability to assist community members by providing his services for free.
Stafford shared, ‘I like to go around and knock on people's doors and just help people, really.’
‘It's a situation where everyone wins. People get help with their gardens, the audience gets to watch the videos, and I can make money from the videos that pay for my costs,’ he added.
Video source: TikTok/@nathans.lawnsandgardens
Yet, not everyone readily accepts the offer of a free lawn makeover. Stafford has encountered scepticism, sometimes leading to hostile reactions.
‘A lot of them think this is a scam, because who helps other people for free these days?’ he recalled.
‘I've had some very different reactions, some of them are extreme. I've had people chase me out of the place.’
However, he persists in his mission, often helping the elderly or residents in public housing whose lawns have become overwhelming.
‘But then you get a lot of people who are just like, 'Oh my God, thank you so much.’
‘I do a lot of housing commission homes,’ said Stafford. ‘I had a bit of a rough childhood when I was younger...I can sort of relate to these people because I have an understanding; I don't judge.’
Tim Parker lends a hand to a resident with an overgrown lawn during ‘Free Mow Friday’.Image source: TikTok/@timthelawnmowerman
In a comparable situation, Tim Parker, a full-time firefighter known as ‘Tim the Lawnmower Man’ has also found success in the garden clean-up content scene.
Three years ago, seeking extra income by mowing lawns, Parker stumbled into creating garden clean-up videos for social media and now boasts nearly five million followers.
Parker also offers his services for free on ‘Free Mow Fridays’ and holds a non-discriminatory approach to whose grass he cuts.
His videos often feature properties with new and modern homes, challenging stereotypes about the appearance of neglected lawns.
‘I just see grass and I cut grass. I'm of the mindset that everyone deserves a nice surprise,’ explained Parker.
‘A lot of these houses look new, and people assume that the people living there are extremely well off, but I live in a new area of Western Sydney where many people are struggling to pay their mortgages.’
Video source: TikTok/@timthelawnmowerman
Parker mentioned that those with neglected lawns in his area were frequently first-time homebuyers who had previously resided in a unit.
‘Sometimes they don't understand what to do with a garden, or how often you've got to do it,’ shared Parker.
‘Others just don't have an interest in it, so they don't really think about it.’
Parker expressed that he continued to struggle with predicting which of his videos would gain popularity on social media, but there was no denying that this type of content ‘satisfies a mental craving’.
‘I think it plays to our inner control freak,’ added Parker.
‘Anything to do with lawn edges always does really well. Really an overgrown edge is probably a lot more attractive than a straight, carved edge - but our brain just is satisfied by these straight, tidy lines.’
Stafford and Parker are not only fixing gardens; they are making a community happy by turning messy gardens into neat ones. They are doing something very helpful for free!
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