extreme or fair??

Did any of you happen to see this article?? 

http://realestate.aol.com/article/_a/birmingham-woman-to-be-arrested-for/20081106110909990001?ncid=AOLCOMMre00dynlsec0003&icid=200100397x1212550285x1200809722

Apparently the homeowner is being fined (downgraded from arrested) for taking her environmentally friendly, drought tolerant yard too far.  Is there such a thing?  The city of Birmingham is willing to compromise with her if she trims everything back to within 4".  Now, I know even in my yard, that would be a horrible compromise.  I also understand not everybody is into gardening, native plants, etc., so if there is a line, where do you draw it??

And just because I can't post without a photo, here's a pink mum from the garden for your viewing enjoyment:

 

Happy Friday everyone!

Comments

[Beth]

I wish they included a photo in the article to get a better idea of the yard. Sounds like it might be a mess if she's growing ragweed. But getting arrested? Too far!

[Racquel]

I agree with Beth, it would be nice to see a photo so we could see what all the hoopla was about. I would think having a drought tolerant garden is beneficial to the city too! Nice picture of your pink mum, pretty!

[gail]

Kathleen, A photo would help...on the other hand, she has a long list of awards and past presidencies that lead me to believe she was not growing ragweed.

I find myself wanting to rant about lawn mowing laws, water shortages in the Southastern part of the USA, excessive gas consumption and gov'ts that are disconnected to this new reality.

Gail

[Robin]

The article did say she had ragweed that affected the people who live around her. It also covers the sidewalk. This leads me to believe that she isn't maintaining it properly.

Many cities and communities have ordinances that prohibit this type of front yard growth. Right or wrong, it is an ordinance of the city and she should comply or be prepared to face the proper penalties.

[Anna]

I tend to agree with the city ordinance because not everyone knows how to grow native. Some use it as an excuse to let the lawn go. Most cities do not want to take anything that far unless it was extreme. There is too much money involved with this case to think they just picked on her for no reason. Your home's landscaping can bring down the value of other's if it is out of taste.

[Marnie]

I would be willing to bet she does not have ragweed. Some ignorant neighbor doesn't know ragweed from native goldenrod. There is nothing more environmentally unfriendly than grass, however neighborhoods are conditioned to expanses of grass. They won't tolerate anyone elses ideas of eco-friendly or even unusual landscaping. She needs to move.
Marnie

[Frances]

Hi Kathleen, I am flabberghasted that the city would do this, it did state that she had won recognition from conservation groups, so it wasn't just a bunch of weeds. I happen to feel very strongly about people being able to do whatever they want with their own property as long as it doesn't cause a problem for neightbors, and I'm not talking about property values here, all are going down right now, no matter what is planted in the yard. I agree with Marnie, she needs to move.
Frances

[Amy]

Yes, I too wish I could see a photo. While I'm sympathic to the cause and a big supporter of drought tolerant plantings, it's also important to have a good relationship with your neighbors :)

[Cinj]

I too think that it would be nice to have a picture but I guess I'll have to just babble as usual.

I would say if plants are overgrowing the sidewalk there would be a problem, but a city shouldn't tell people they can't grow certain plants. I can't see why reasonable neighbors couldn't just figure it out among themselves though. What is this world coming to anyway?

I guess if a person wants a native yard they have to live out in the country.

[Shady Gardener]

I have seen some nasty lawns... and if I was neighbor to one of those, I might wish for a way to have it controlled. Yep, it would have been good to have a photo. BUT, having said that, I Really Liked Your Photo! :-)

[Kathleen]

Thank you all for taking the time to comment on this post. I enjoyed reading each of your perspectives and now that I've done so, I thought I would weigh in as well. I fall somewhere in the middle, like I often do but I tend to agree that the homeowner wasn't growing weeds since the article stated she was a botanist and had won many conservation awards. Also her reference to having many rare & endangered wildflowers that were indigenous to her area speaks to knowledge expertise beyond simply letting the yard get overgrown. In my area where water conservation is an issue, we are encouraged to landscape with drought tolerant plantings but many people have no idea what this means or how to implement such an approach. I applaud her environmentally friendly gardening style because I refuse to use chemicals and pesticides in my garden too. However, having said all that, she has to factor in what kind of neighborhood she lives in. Some of the newer neighborhoods have stict covenants, and it's obvious they are wanting to maintain a specific "look" for their community. If your idea of beauty and the neighborhoods doesn't match, it might be best to buy elsewhere?? I agree with Amy that getting along with ones neighbors is important and conducive to a happy home life. If I were in her situation, I'd probably try to modify my vision to fit in. It's a tricky line tho....

[Gail]

kathleen,

Very well said...I am glad you did weigh in on the matter!

Gail

[Kathleen]

oh, thank you Gail. I didn't know anyone would read my opinion! I doubted anyone came back to check on comments (besides me) but now I know they do!! I appreciate that!

[Robin]

I came back to read the comments too. It is an interesting topic and I like your common sense approach, Kathleen.