Environmentally conscious homeowners across the country are increasingly finding themselves at odds with homeowners associations over their right to grow gardens on their own property. Cases are constantly emerging where HOAs restrict or even attempt to remove native trees, vegetable gardens, and natural lawns — even on properties not technically under HOA governance.
One Georgia homeowner recently woke to find workers in their backyard, hired by a neighbor and allegedly supported by the HOA, attempting to cut down a healthy sweet gum tree. The tree, which straddled a property line, had never been the subject of a complaint. Yet, without notice or consent, the crew pruned it severely, leaving it damaged and potentially dangerous.
The homeowner explained, “I repeatedly told them to get off of my property and to stop messing with the tree. I had to call the cops to make them stop cutting at the tree. They cut the branches all the way back to the trunk but left the very top and bottom of the branches. Now it looks like s*** and has dead, broken and cut branches just hanging from it. I’ve called a few lawyers but they’ve not been able to help me at all.”
The Reddit community chimed in with some advice about this homeowner’s rights.
“You likely have a nice [lawsuit] against your neighbor and the tree company,” said one comment.
“This is definitely civil suit worthy,” another said.
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Situations like this raise critical concerns not only about property rights but also about how aesthetic, and sometimes illogical, preferences enforced by HOAs can undermine personal rights and climate-friendly choices.
Gardens with native flowers and vegetables might not be the picture-perfect landscaping that HOAs imagine, but they offer significant benefits. Native plants and natural lawns improve the biodiversity of the area by inviting necessary pollinators like birds, butterflies, and bees to the yard.
Additionally, homeowners reduce water usage and spend less time on maintenance compared to conventional lawns. With vegetable gardens, homeowners save hundreds of dollars on groceries.
When HOAs impose outdated, homogenized lawn standards or act without consent, they risk damaging not just property and personal rights, but also their tenants’ freedom to live more sustainably.
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The good news is that many homeowners have been able to fight back, changing bylaws in favor of more eco-friendly practices that allow gardeners to develop the biodiverse, natural yards and native gardens of their dreams.
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