Homeowners in one state banded together to protect native plants and gardens as local politicians moved to restrict homeowners associations from banning natural vegetation.
In July, the state of Illinois passed and enacted the Homeowners' Native Landscaping Act, also known as the DNR-MONARCH Act. The adoption of the law came weeks after one homeowner took to Reddit to urge locals to sign a petition asking Gov. JB Pritzker to sign the bill.
"The IL MONARCH Act (HB5296) would ensure that HOAs cannot prohibit native plant gardens. It is currently sitting at the governor's desk," the homeowner wrote in the r/NativePlantGardening subreddit.
"You can voice your support for him signing it into law here," they continued, sharing a link to send a message directly to the governor's office. "Hopefully we can get it through the last push!"
Native plants offer up a variety of benefits for homeowners' gardens and wallets.
Many plants that are native to your state or region are known for having deep root systems. This helps the vegetation to store water well, requiring less watering and maintenance from fertilizer and pesticides and leading to hundreds of dollars in savings every year.
The plants are also a key part of your local ecosystem, as they support pollinators such as bees and butterflies that go on to protect our food.
However, some homeowners have faced roadblocks, with their HOAs restricting what can be planted in their yards. These organizations across the country have been found to prevent homeowners and renters from making eco-friendly and money-saving changes to their properties.
Now in Illinois, HOAs are no longer able to when it comes to native plants such as trees, shrubs, vines, ferns, flowers, grasses, and more.
The new law specifically prohibits HOAs from banning residents from planting these native species as long as the gardens remain free of weeds, trash, and invasive species and do not stretch into public or common spaces.
Before it passed, other homeowners rushed to support the bill, with several saying they sent a message to the governor.
"Done! Thank you for posting!" one Reddit user said.
"Looks like a good foundation for native plant protection, I hope it passes!" another wrote.
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