The Village of New Hyde Park has dismissed a case against what it said was an unkempt front yard after the resident argued she had converted it into a native garden.
New Hyde Park resident Xilin Zhang said she transformed her front yard into a native planting ground after learning of their benefits a couple of years ago. Since establishing it, she said she noticed it flourish.
“I see so many bees and butterflies and it’s full of life,” Zhang said.
Planting native plants can improve air, soil, and water quality, diminish the use of toxins and promote pollinators, which Zhang said increases the value of the entire community.
The transition to landscaping with native plants has been an initiative across the Town of North Hempstead. The town currently offers funding to homeowners who establish native gardens.
But in August, Zhang was handed a summons for failing to maintain her property.
New Hyde Park Mayor Christopher Devane said the village was not informed that it was being maintained, just not as a manicured lawn.
“You drive down the block and you see this, which appears to be overgrown weeds because we don’t know,” Devane said. “No one told us [beforehand], so we responded like we would on any other house in the village.”
Zhang, whose case was dismissed by the village without any fines in May, said she does maintain her yard daily, including weeding out invasive species and pruning growth.
“Maintain to me means keep it in a good condition. Keep it healthy,” Zhang said. “But maintain a lawn versus maintain a garden has different meanings.”
Zhang and the village in May reached a compromise, agreeing to dismiss her case provided that she keeps her front yard plants under four feet tall.
“From the village’s perspective, the case has been resolved,” Devane said. “…There’s no pressure being put on her, I’m not picketing outside her house. I have no interest in doing that. We’ve moved on.”
Zhang said the process felt unnecessary, calling for the village to redefine yard maintenance beyond mowing the lawn.
Devane said he wished the homeowner had approached the village prior to establishing the native garden to collaborate and avoid the issue. He said he advises other residents to reach out to the village if they are seeking to establish a native yard.
“If someone wants to do something to their front yard, I’m not trying to encroach on anyone’s privacy, but if this is a really good cause, which potentially it is, I’m open to ideas and suggestions and we can work together to promote it,” he said.
While Devane said the home’s native landscaping was not his “cup of tea,” calling it “hideous,” he said he would be interested in bringing native plants to village hall.
Zhang said she hopes more people seek out establishing native gardens at their homes, advising them to research what plants work best for their yard’s terrain.
