The truth about weed laws: naturalistic landscapes are still falling victim to these outdated laws

摘要

Picture this: Your mailman arrives and drops off the usual batch of bills, supermarket flyers, and mail-order catalogs. But what's this? Something from the city! It looks important--even ominous. When you road the official epistle you're so stunned you have to sit down. It informs you: Your neighbors have lodged a complaint against your home. It has been determined that your home is painted in a color that does not conform to neighborhood standards. You have 10 days from receipt of this notice to repaint your home with one of the three shades of white deemed acceptable by your neighbors. If this is not done, the city will paint it for you, at your expense. If this sounds like something out of Orwell or Kafka, consider this: Every year, all over the country, hundreds of homeowners receive similar notices from their city governments. The difference is that these complaints are not about the color these people selected for their homes but rather the plants they selected for their landscapes. Accused of growing "weeds," these homeowners are often prosecuted by their municipalities and persecuted by their neighbors.