One homeowner is happily embracing some native plants flourishing in their yard, but their homeowners association wants them gone.
On the r/AustinGardening subreddit, a user shared a question to the forum about keeping the horseherb growing on their front lawn.
"My front yard is full of horseherb and I think it's super cute," they wrote. "My HOA is saying I need to mow it, but it's flowering and there are butterflies everywhere. I heard there are laws that allow xeriscaping that override HOA laws. Would horseherb count as a xeriscaping plant?"
According to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, horseherb is native to Texas and has become a popular ground cover option for those interested in switching to a native plant lawn, thanks to its shade tolerance, easy maintenance, ability to stand up to moderate foot traffic, and little yellow flowers that draw pollinators, like the butterflies the Reddit user has been enjoying.
Since it's a native plant, letting the horseherb grow on its own generally falls into the definition of xeriscaping, meaning landscaping designed to require little to no additional watering.
And the HOA's demand that they mow down the horseherb does go against newer legislation found in Texas Property Code Section 202.007, which gives homeowners the right to implement xeriscaping plans without facing heavy-duty HOA regulations.
It's just one of many states pushing back against HOAs preventing eco-friendly upgrades in neighborhoods, like solar panels and native plant lawns, across the country. One of the latest is Illinois, which passed the Homeowners' Native Landscaping Act earlier this year, making it illegal for homeowners associations to prohibit residents or owners from planting or growing plant species that are native to Illinois on the residents' or owners' land.
If you want to work to change your HOA's regulations and allow for greener options, check out The Cool Down's advice on making changes in your neighborhood.
People in the comments supported the original poster, advising that they can mow the horseherb without losing all its benefits.
"You can still keep the flowers (mostly) if you mow FREQUENTLY and never take more than an inch off the top. Maybe set mower to just skim the top of what you have to 'even' it out," one person suggested. They added: "I've noticed that it will regrow flowers pretty quickly, though still less then naturally."
Another guided them to the Texas Property Code, writing: "I mow my horseherb and it's thriving, but I don't really pay attention to what the height is because I don't live in a HOA so I haven't had to think about that part of it. It doesn't seem to mind it all that much."
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