A new homeowner recently turned to Reddit for advice after running into trouble with their HOA just for trying to grow a more natural, low-maintenance yard.
In a post shared in r/NativePlantGardening, the user explained that they had just moved into a house in Alaska and were slowly planting native species instead of grass. Their goal? A yard that's better for the environment and easier to care for.
The issue with this? Well, their homeowners association wasn't on board.
"I'd love to let it run wild, but my HOA is strict and sends out monthly messages about 'managing weeds,'" they wrote. On top of that, the HOA requires approval for even small changes to the outside of houses (yes, including garden beds).
Despite the red tape, the homeowner was taking things one step at a time. "I do it slowly and deliberately," they added.
In the comments, other gardeners chimed in with helpful tips.
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"I think intentional design is one of the big ones for most HOAs," one user shared. "A lot of people think native garden = meadow. In actuality, you can design it like any other landscape project but then just only use native species for your planting."
Another touted the practice, writing: "This is basically my method. I do it slowly and deliberately so the change isn't dramatic every year. I also focus on what most people should focus on for a native plant garden at home: a range of succession levels seral community. … You can and probably will maintain it in a seral stage forever."
For many people, switching to native plants is a way to cut back on mowing, save water, skip chemicals, and help local wildlife such as bees and butterflies. But that's not it; it's also a lot cheaper in the long run.
Still, HOAs have been known to push back, even when changes are small or eco-friendly. If you're in a similar situation, you can look for friendlier alternatives that don't push any HOA requirements or try to work toward changing how your HOA manages things.
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With some planning and patience, creating a native garden is possible. And yes, this is true even in HOA neighborhoods.
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