It’s been almost 25 years of xeriscapery, though passive at first…lazily letting whatever would grow flourish. I had finally stopped paying rent and moved into my own little house with plenty of yard space in front and back. I took pictures of the lush growth in my enclosed back yard. My green reverie was soon desiccated -- I received a citation from the city! My verdant grasses and tall plants were in violation of the city code. If I didn’t comply within a certain time limit there would be a hefty fine to pay.
For several years I would wait for the notice and then retreat over the city code line that my natural vegetation had again criminally crossed and trim the luscious growths back to a code-acceptable height and width.
It seemed that someone in my neighborhood didn’t like my yard style and would regularly make complaints. I don’t think there is enough staff to patrol all our streets in search of weedophiles (it would be runcophile if I used the Latin word or hierbaphile if I used the Spanish) – there had to be some self-appointed monitors who would call in the official weed-killers.
About ten years ago I decided to become an active xeriscapist. I researched catalogues and other online sources and found Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, Texas -- exactly what I was searching for: offering seed mixes for this region and also for special purposes, e.g., attracting butterflies. I bought seeds by the pound and randomly strewed them in my front yard.
I was getting mixed results but every year I would have more beautiful flowers that were natural to the region and needed very little care and watering. I am not a dedicated gardener – my hobbies lie elsewhere.
I continued getting periodic visits from our code compliance friends from the Development Services Department – Field Services Division – Code Enforcement Section of our venerable City of San Antonio.
One winter friends helped clear my front yard, turn the soil and plant about $200.00 of Texas native wildflowers. I had included a variety of sunflowers that grew to be huge golden borders. I was very new to all this so I had many smaller flowering plants that were hidden by the large sunflower plants.
After that I increased
the varieties of seeds and was more organized where I scattered them. I made sure to cover with a bit of
topsoil so that the birds wouldn’t have a feast at my expense. I no longer planted the big sunflowers with
the edible seeds: birds, bugs and ants just love them and I won’t use
pesticides. The wild sunflowers, quite common to this region do quite well on
our roadsides, empty lots and my front yard.
And still I would get the
code-enforcer visits. One year I was actually at home (I usually got the
message from a form tacked to my front door). I tried dialoguing with the lady
about my garden which was in full bloom that early summer day. She was adamant
that I had to chop every green thing down to a height of one foot regardless of
what the plant was because everything in my front yard was considered a weed or
noxious plant. I contacted my city council office and talked to some young intern who seemed perplexed by my situation. I emailed pictures of my yard and a kind civil note. (Which took some effort because diplomacy is not my strong suit.) A week later I got a note from a supervisor from the city department that has taken such an interest in my yard. He had driven by and saw the flowers and told me to chop them down when the yard was finally dry and flowerless.
The last two years had
been uneventful until I got a Notice of Violation tacked to my door on this
June 25, 2014.
This year I planted my
seeds very late and so everything didn’t start coming up until late April. It
wasn’t until late May and early June that I had a decent variety of flowers but
no Bluebonnets and few Indian Blankets. Right now, aided by some rainy days,
there’s a color riot dominated by the Zinnias and wild sunflowers (not the
edible kind). A thick growth of a plant with a tiny yellow flower (a weed I
didn’t plant) covered some sections of the yard and actually choked out some of
my seeds. I assumed that was the noxious plant referred to. I had put
fertilizer in the soil because I was planting so late and so I have a lush
growth, mostly of plants I like and want.
What I didn’t do was trim the ‘weeds’ (plants I didn’t want) because I didn’t want to cut the flowers that are now blooming profusely.
What I didn’t do was trim the ‘weeds’ (plants I didn’t want) because I didn’t want to cut the flowers that are now blooming profusely.
Several years ago I started encouraging plants
that die in the winter but become nice bushes in the spring and that had just
appeared in my yard with no formal invitation or planting.
One is a reed-like
plant that spreads easily and blooms with pleasant (to me) wheat-like spikes.
Another is a dark green leafy plant with daily purple blossoms that die in the
evening. The reed-like plant, located at the intersection of the public
sidewalk and the one leading to my front door, this year is huge! I love it but
I think it is one of the main code-criminals. We trimmed it and left a few tall
spikes.
So -- We went out
there and trimmed more of the edges (from 1 foot wide to 2). We lawn-mowered
through some of the thicker sections of the unwanted plants but there were too
many floral casualties with that approach.
Because the soil was moist from a recent shower I was able to pull out
almost each unwanted plant (weed to the City of San Antonio).
I hope I made my horticultural
design intentions clear: the plants that remain are “… cultivated flowers and
gardens, or native grasses, perennials and annual plants installed as part of a
landscaping design.” Maybe I should give the whole subsection as given in the
San Antonio Property Maintenance Code – Notice of Violation – In Person/Posted.
302.4 Weeds All
improved premises and exterior property shall be maintained free from weed or
plant growth in excess of 12 inches in height. All noxious weeds shall be
prohibited. Weeds shall be defined as all grasses, annual plants and
vegetation, other than trees and shrubs provided; however this term shall not
include cultivated flowers and gardens, or native grasses, perennials and
annual plants installed as part of a landscaping design.
I’m old enough to remember my youthful appreciation of Lady Bird
Johnson’s campaign for the bountiful natural variety of things that grow
natively to Texas. I fully induct myself
in that horticultural order, culture and practice.
Maybe I have neighbors with time to spare and
go around as amateur code-enforcement cops. I assume their concern is ‘property
value’ and what is deemed proper for a middle-class neighborhood. They seem to
prefer the ugly, un-ecological water-gorging regularly-trimmed lawns -- they
need to see an order and design that fits within very narrow perimeters. Some of my neighbors were stopped from erecting
some really elegant iron fences. We are now a historical area and the codes are
even stricter. (Forget that many ugly cyclone fences were left in place and
grandfathered when the new codes were established.)
The only thorns along my xeriscaped floral path
are the San Antonio Property Maintenance Codes! But in the Lady Bird Johnson
tradition I will continue to let my Texas wildflowers grow.
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