Homeowner outraged after discovering neighbor's deliberate, destructive act: 'That's disgusting'

This homeowner has a nightmare of a neighbor.

YouTuber and gardener Joel Ashton (@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton) spent years growing a native wildlife garden, only to have his neighbor trespass and spray a harsh chemical pesticide everywhere. The neighbor downplayed the damage, but Ashton documented extensive evidence in his video.

The garden featured native flowers, trees, shrubs, and even a small pond. It sheltered and supported all kinds of critters, like foxes, bees, butterflies, and bats. Its destruction is not only a loss for Ashton, but for the local wildlife, too.

"Imagine my absolute heartache when I discovered just a few days ago, as I say, that this space has been deliberately poisoned by a neighbor," Ashton said.

While Ashton was away, his neighbor cut back the shrubbery and sprayed their bordering fence with pesticides. Everything along the fence is completely dead, cut, and dried up.

Natural lawns like Joel's are fantastic ways to support pollinators, shelter wildlife, and protect the planet. They're relatively low-maintenance compared to traditional grass lawns, and boost biodiversity as well.

Rewilding your yard can even save you money on maintenance costs like weeding, watering, and mowing. Many homeowners save hundreds of dollars on their annual water bills after ditching monoculture grass lawns.

Despite the many benefits of a native plant lawn, some neighbors dislike the wild look and take it upon themselves to destroy it. No-good neighbors are often caught trespassing, spraying pesticides, and even cutting down entire trees.

Commenters couldn't believe the neighbor's audacity, and many recommended legal action.

"That's disgusting. 'I don't have chemicals, I just used weed killer.' Well what do you think that is?" one user asked.

Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden? Yes 💯 Only if it impacts your neighbors 🏘️ Depends on what you're growing 🌼 Heck no 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Pro gardener here, I would never, repeat never, cut a neighbour's plants back in this way," another wrote. "Cutting the tops off of young trees is particularly horrifying. And the weedkiller was probably applied with a pressure sprayer, repeatedly, to cause that much damage. This is beyond ignorance and into malice, in my opinion. Heartbreaking."

"Law student here, if she was on your property, that is trespassing, which is a tort, spraying and killing your plants is criminal damage, if you have the receipts and can prove how much you spent on the garden you have a case to pursue her for damages," a third commenter suggested.

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