A homeowner has shared photos of a beautiful rewilded area near their house — but online commenters have noted that the wildflower garden might not be up to snuff with local policies.
In a post on the r/gardening subreddit, a user uploaded several lovely photos showing off a wide variety of flowers they planted near their sidewalk.
"We dug up the grass between the sidewalk and street last year for a pollinator garden," the user wrote. "I threw a bunch of seeds out and just let it grow! I have a bird feeder on one end so the birds planted the sunflowers for me."
While users were impressed by the bountiful garden, some also noted that the removal of the grass might go against neighborhood policies.
"Before anyone else gets ideas about doing the same — make sure you check with your local government," one user wrote. "This little strip of grass is often called a 'right of way' where the utilities and local government have easements and rules about what you can and cannot do. You might plant a beautiful garden only to be told by your City or County you need to tear it out and put the grass back (or they do it for you and charge you for it)."
That user later clarified that they had experienced a similar situation, as they witnessed a resident of their town get in trouble with the city for neglecting to get permission for a similar project.
The original user also discussed the popularity of grass lawns. "I think it's just a pride thing to have the perfect grass," they said in a follow-up comment. "I don't understand it either! Especially where I live where it's usually so hot and dry. I would much rather labor over flowers than boring green grass."
If it's permitted in your area, rewilding your yard can be a major boon for your water bills and local ecosystems. Native plants typically utilize less water than traditional grass lawns, and increasing biodiversity on your property can help attract vital pollinators to your local ecosystem.
🗣️ If you have a lawn, what aspect of it do you value most?
🔘 The way it looks 🤩
🔘 The way my family uses it 👪
🔘 It's enjoyable to mow 😎
🔘 It's cheap to maintain 💰
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
It's important for the livelihood of your garden to check if local policies allow you to replace your "hellstrip" with better native plants. However, some gardeners have also taken matters into their own hands, defying local policies to transform these areas with guerrilla gardening.
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