One Redditor with a gorgeous wildflower bed was devastated to learn that they were going to have to remove it all, thanks to their homeowners association.
They shared a photo of the beautiful landscaping on r/NativePlantGardening.
"After some neighbors complained to our new HOA management company I found out today I'm being forced to remove all of my native plants in the parking strip," they said. "The management company is using a vague county ordinance and threatening fines to force me to remove the plants."
Their photo shows a long strip between the sidewalk and the road in front of the original poster's home filled with a mulch bed and dotted with numerous flowers, bunch grasses, and saplings.
This space is often called a "hellstrip" because of how difficult it is to grow anything there. The pavement on either side can absorb heat from the sun and overheat the soil while also funneling runoff — contaminated with chemicals and road salt — into the space. Turning it into such a beautiful garden is an impressive feat and beneficial to the environment, as it supports pollinators.
The original poster detailed how their efforts had benefited their neighborhood and nature at the same time.
"I've had so many compliments and even the HOA president loved the plants," they said. "I'm so sad that I'm losing all of this after all the work I put into it. I'm sad for all the 100 species of insects I've seen on these plants. This was what the strip looked like last year and I was excited to see it in its third year this year."
But the HOA had no respect for their work, as is often the case with HOAs and native plants. Many homeowners have to change their HOAs' rules or even bring legal challenges against their local associations to be allowed to grow the native plants they want.
"Check on yard registration in your state," suggested one commenter. "Many states have programs to register your yard as a pollinators refuge, natural habitat, [sanctuary] etc to preserve wildlife, including pollinators and native plant sanctuaries. Once this is done your yard is protected by laws. Because you are a [sanctuary] or habitat to native plants animals and important pollinators."
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Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden?
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