One Florida homeowner became frustrated when their homeowners association's landscaping company applied herbicide to their flower beds — twice.
"HOA killed my plants with herbicide," they said in a post on r/treelaw. "Noticed that the plants in front of my house were looking rough, despite daily waterings. Then my Ring notification showed them coming into the flower bed and spraying inside of our flower beds recklessly."
Herbicides are an iffy choice at best. Even when applied only to weeds, they can contaminate the soil and enter local water sources. They're dangerous for humans as well as various plants and animals in the environment.
What's worse is when they're carelessly applied to wanted plants, causing property damage along with all the other harms. This can make growing a productive garden difficult, meaning owners lose the money they spent on plants and the money they could have saved by growing their own produce.
"I have probably spent > $200 replacing dead plants," said the original poster. "On top of that I've noticed my backyard plants curl after they leave. … I asked the HOA board to note that, and asked the Landscaping company directly not to come to my house. They didn't for a few weeks, but came again today and sprayed. … How do I proceed?"
One option to prevent these incidents in the future is to change the HOA's bylaws to prohibit herbicide use. Natural alternatives — such as using hot water or physically removing weeds — are much safer.
Commenters also had suggestions. "I run a landscaping business and if this happened to me I would offer to replace the plants. No brainer," said one user. "Get loud on their social media/Google reviews and if they keep it up time to pursue a civil lawsuit."
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Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden?
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Yes 💯 
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