One desperate homeowner turned to Reddit to save their fledgling garden from an impatient landlord.
Sadly, landlords across the country have come out against gardens and other healthy, eco-friendly home upgrades. While some owners are totally reasonable about allowing them, others have gotten controlling or even downright destructive.
In one memorable case, a landlord who had previously given tenants permission to plant a garden came back later to tear it up with a pickax.
This Redditor said their landlord had threatened to do something similar. "I planted this flower bed, and my landlord says she'll mow it if I don't 'clean it up,'" the tenant said.
They attached a photo of the garden in question. At a glance, the young plants might appear to be weeds — but that's just because it takes time for buds and flowers to come in. The garden itself seems lovely, with organized planters and a clear border.
"Lots of people are saying they look like weeds," one commenter said. "Most wildflowers do look like weeds before they start blooming. It's going to be beautiful and low-maintenance next season. It's just in the awkward pre-teen phase right now."
That wasn't enough for the landlord, though. "Any suggestions on how to make this look neater?" the original poster asked.
The r/gardening community had plenty to say. "Weed around the outside of the border," one user said. "That dandelion in the front right should go for sure." They also suggested adding a few annuals that are already in flower and a sign explaining that it's a butterfly garden to help change how people perceive the patch.
"A little mulch to hide the bare dirt might look good too," another user said.
Aside from changing the flower bed, there's also the option to try changing the landlord's mind about the rules. Many are open to a reasonable discussion. Here are a few tips for opening a dialogue; while they're designed for dealing with HOAs, many of the same tactics work with landlords, too.
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