Homeowners and pollinators are enjoying the benefits of “right to garden” laws, which states are increasingly passing across the U.S.
Illinois passed its “right to garden” legislation in 2021, which protects homeowners’ right to cultivate vegetables, herbs, pollinator plants, flowers, and leafy greens on their own property.
One Chicago neighborhood has met with particular approval from the r/NoLawns subreddit, where a Redditor shared this picture of three wild gardens all growing in a row.
What was once lawns are now side-by-side meadow gardens, where plants like monarda (red bee balm), hosta, and hydrangeas are flourishing.
At the moment, Illinois is just one of a handful of states that has implemented such a law.
Maryland did so when a young couple fought back after being told by their homeowners association (HOA) to replant their wild garden with lawns. They won. Thus, making Maryland the first state to limit homeowner association control over eco-friendly yards.
Crucially, this legislation protects homeowners in an association, which have been known to dictate what gardeners can and can’t plant - with some being hostile to less orderly-looking wild gardens. It means that homeowners can replace their manicured lawns with more plants that require less water - a gardening trend that is becoming increasingly prudent. Clover lawns - with their rather special superpowers - are also becoming increasing popular as an alternative to traditional lawns.
The water departments in Colorado, Utah, and Los Angeles have all offered grants to help citizens strip out their grass lawns in recent years in an attempt to reduce water-intensive gardening.
An estimated 30 percent of an American household’s water use goes on their gardens, with half of that being dispensed on lawns alone. Protecting homeowners’ ability to experiment with gardens that require less water is one small but essential step toward mitigating the impact of water waste and, importantly, boosting habitats for insects and much-needed pollinators.