One family that finally has freedom from a homeowners association is dreaming up ambitious plans for a native plant garden.
Hoping to cover a septic field in their yard, they sought advice from the r/NoLawns community on Reddit. They explain, "We have a large area that has full western exposure and very little shade." While this area gets plenty of sun, there are some contingencies to consider. "The system will be buried three feet in depth."
This means that not every plant will be an option, but the homeowner has ideas. One of which is, "short-rooted trees that won't reach the septic system but can partially obscure the significant steps to the front porch." The OP included a photo showing the large slope they have to work with.
Getting the freedom to choose any plants you want is an exciting part of homeownership, but there is a lot to learn. The U.S. Forest Service wrote about the benefits of growing plants well adapted to their ecosystem. It explained, "Native plants require less water than lawns and help prevent erosion," and "Native plants promote biodiversity and stewardship of our natural heritage."
Choosing local flora will make your yard maintenance easier and support your local ecosystem. Not only that, but a natural lawn can save you $225 per year on water and $100 on lawncare products like fertilizer and pesticides.
This query started an interesting discussion in the comments, with lots of folks chiming in with advice and ideas.
"There are NO trees shallow-rooted enough to put on a septic field. Short bushes at the top of the slope will hide more than taller ones at the bottom," suggested one person.
Someone else pointed out, "For ground cover, you can't go wrong with Frogfruit (Phyla Nodiflora and Phyla Lanceolata). It's a very short ground cover that sprouts tons of tiny white/milky violet flowers that bees and butterflies will love."
Another commenter added a link to a septic-safe seed mix, "I don't see the attached photos but something like this sounds perfect for that area."
🗣️ Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?
🔘 Absolutely not 💯
🔘 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝
🔘 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️
🔘 We should ban HOAs 🚫
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