Gardening can bring a lot of joy. However, we can't control how our neighbors react to our own yards, and they can cause irreparable damage, as one YouTuber found.
In a YouTube video, Home Inspector Dan (@homeinspectordan) shared footage of his neighbor trying to secretly spray weed killer on his native garden. "Just a few minutes after we left," Dan explains, "I caught him on my camera spraying in our garden. Those are wildflowers, they're not vegetables or anything, but what the hell is he doing?"
The video shows the neighbor with a weed killer backpack spraying them over a concrete wall in between their yards. "While he's doing this, his kid is running around in the front yard," Dan says. "He has two little kids running around in the street."
The neighbor continues spraying Dan's bushes and lawn. Dan explains he turned on his irrigation system to try to drown out the weed killer. The video shows the neighbor also spraying another neighbor's yard across the street. "I'm just building up ammo for this lawsuit," the caption reads.
"This is the part that broke my heart," Dan says as the video shows the neighbor's kid come over on his scooter. "Look at his kid come over and look at his face, 'cause he knows what he is doing is wrong."
"At least his kid learned something from him," one commenter said, even if it was learning what not to do.
Pesticides can significantly harm wildlife when they eat plants or around trees sprayed with pesticides. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, pesticides can also be harmful to humans, causing health issues, including hormonal problems, endocrine damage, nervous system failure, and even cancer.
In this case, it could be expensive for Dan to save or replace his plants and bushes with the extra water and care it will take to regrow, which can take up to three to five years, according to Nature and Sustainability.
Wildflowers and native plants require less water to maintain, attract more pollinators, provide food for animals and insects, and reduce air pollution.
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Unfortunately, other homeowners have had problems dealing with their neighbors using pesticides and destroying trees.
One way to deal with neighbors who destroy native plant shrubs on your property is by calling the police or collecting evidence for small claims court. In the video, Dan explains how he called the police, who charged his neighbor with misdemeanor criminal mischief. If you live in a homeowners association, another way to overcome difficult neighbors is to consult your bylaws or consult with a lawyer.
"If the plants die … take him to court," one commenter agreed. "He will then quickly find out exactly how expensive it can be to replace adult shrubs and plants."
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