Thats good. Some of those Home owners associations are ridiculous. I wouldnt live with someone telling me what to do in my yard since I know I would be on their complaint list every month, lol. I always have something half finished in my yard. Too many projects not enough manpower, lol.

I agree. Often the HOA's will also tell you how much of your front yard should be dedicated lawn area versus planting beds. Doesn't sound very water-wise to me to have so much lawn, but am glad this law is in place.

Here, in The Woodlands (master-planned community, soon to be it's own town, north of Houston) our HOA requires us to have a MAXIMUN 60% lawn in the front yard. . . .some of us are going less than that (we're in the process of going to NO lawn!) WOO-HOOO! FANTASTIC to hear about the state laws! Thanks for the info.

Last time I lived in an area where there was an HOA, I got a citation for planting an 'unauthorized rose' in front of my porch. One rose, and it was a David Austin, it was gorgeous and the HOA letter told me that if I didn't get the rose approved by them in the next 30 days they would send a crew out to dig up the rose and remove it from my property.

I sent them a very cordial response, cordial under the circumstances, but probably less cordial than they were accustomed to. My letter stated that I pay HOA dues and as such the HOA committee works for the good of the neighborhood, of which I am a part. Further the HOA has 30 days to approve this rose and any other roses I choose to grace the neighborhood with, or I will be forced to take legal action against the HOA for neglect and malfeasance. Lastly, if anyone from the HOA has the balls to come into my yard and destroy my property I would have them arrested and prosecuted, whether or not I filled their pants with buckshot before law enforcement officers arrived.

Our HOA was full of lawyers so I'm surprised they never got back to me about that letter, the rose or any of the others that I planted later.

But I hope I never live where there is an HOA again. You've got to admit though, what the heck kind of gestapo HOA goes around the neighborhood counting how many and what kind of plants people have in their yards? Cheryl

I live in an HOA town and though it's not a tough one I still don't like being told what I can and not do on my own land but I read many years ago even though you buy and pay for the land you still don't own it out right. Our lovely Government. can come in and do as they please even if it means condemning the house when the house is in good condition.
Like if they want the land for a road or whatever. This happened to a lady in her 70's last year. Keller is putting in a new division and they wanted her land for the sewer. They forced her out of her home where she'd lived for 30 plus years and I'm sure she didn't want to move.

I'm on the market for a house. I won't even look at a home with an HOA of any kind attached to it. That's bad for the owners looking to sell in a depressed market.
HOA homes show up on the market and sit there for a long,long time. I guess people don't like to be told they must get approval to plant a shrub(rolling eyes) or do normal,everyday things people do with thier own homes.
I'm grateful for the law. I believe we're long past pretending there isn't a conservation issue that needs to be addressed over a "perfect" lawn. PJ

I just watched a feature on TV this morning I think it was in Richardson Tx This man invented a system to collect water from the gutters that would save thousands of gal of water a year but Richardson has outlawed any outdoor water conservation barrels etc I'm sure it was in Texas. They won't let him implement it unless he pays a fine or something'

I should have checked first maybe it is a Richardson some place else.

Yes it is Richardson. I saw that on the local news

Well, Richardson is such a gorgeous, historic place that I can see why they wouldn't want any such eyesore. Do you suppose it's the plastic or the conservation factor that has them up in arms? Or perhaps it's that the barrels just mess up the uniformity of the look?

Little to do with gardening, but...In Ohio several years back a HOA had a 84 yr old woman arrested because she painted a window box the wrong color. Apparently that particular color didn't exist back in the 1800's.. Funny, but having been an artist in my other life I seem to remember that every color known to humans has always existed. Did someone invent a new color spectrum when the HOA's weren't looking?

Thanks ronij 7 for verifying that it was on TV I've done a google and can't find anything on it. I might have seen the report on the Tx 24/7 news channel that our cable co carries.

Blue and yellow LOL! They'd paint a house any color they could get ahold of back then. Didn't people have to make/pigment their own paint? PJ

I am stuck in just such a HOA in Tyler. Curtains must be pure white sheers and white blinds. No gardens except the pre-planned 3x5' junk gardens. No this, No that. They water Every Day! and charge us thru the whazoo...... Run by a lawyer/politician.... Can't sneeze here and you're right, no one wants to buy into here now and with our small fixed income, we can't leave here now.... 55 & over, just another old floks home waiting to happen. Can't catch rainwater or any of that, because all the rules are already in place.....

I know, not to do with gardening.... I hope others get to make new rules, so people can help with water consumption...... This HOA doesn't give a fiying flip about conservation...

Found the story online about the guy in Richardson...terrible. He wants to go green, and the city won't let him do it at his own expense without a $1500 fee. That is just crazy. I looked it up because I want to do the same here...my HOA is ridiculous, but they can't do anyhting about my back yard...

Here is a link that might be useful: Richardson, TX rainwater catch story

Thanks for posting dahlia!!

I'd LOVE a rebate! PJ

These HOA are getting ridiculous. Two have been on the news lately for disallowing the display of the American Flag on their property. Their complaint to get around the legalities was that it was the flag pole, not the flag, that was against their HOA rules. Good grief!

connie

Oh, that is great news! My husband and I aren't in a home with an HOA now, and are looking to buy another house in the near future. One major stipulation is NO HOA. All y'alls' horror stories are exactly why we won't join one!

I'm so glad we're not in an HOA and very glad that we didn't buy a house in Richardson. The house had a lovely garden but I'd hate to be watering now without my rain barrels.

I wonder how much of the issue is related to how cities here are charged for usage. The water district projects how much water a city will use and the city has to pay for all of it even when it's not used. Works for growing cities but not the established ones. It's always struck me as a reason for cities to discourage conservation.

I agree with you Ann. They talk one(conserve) and do another to make more $$$ off folks. My rain barrels have been fantastic for better water for my plants as well as saving money.PJ

Say what you want, but there are times when HOA's are good to have around. The house next to me is a rental. The renters are not good neighbors (long story). The HOA helps me keep the landlord and the renters on their toes including police involvement and city leadership so my property value (and the property of my other neighbors) is not negatively impacted. Like anything and anyone HOA's are not perfect. The HOA in our neighbor has it's good and bad points, but I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the good overides the bad. Yadda out.

Yadda is right. Sometimes HOA is good to have as long as they do not abuse their power or go nuts over dumb stuff. I just want HOA to make people AT LEAST DO BASIC LAWN MAINTAINCE on regular basis which some of my neighbors don't do at all. Some don't even have trees which I'm not very happy about. My HOA isn't much help for the most part.

The city will enforce basic lawn care. I understand that HOAs do protect property values but I'd personally rather take my chances! PJ

I'd dearly love for my neighbor to be made to clean up their yard. WEEDS all over, no grass out front just a bunch of weeds weeds and bushes that have vines or small trees growing up through the bush.

They don't have to plant anything pretty and colorful just clean it up :(
The way my house sits I get all the trash such as leaves and any other plant shedding debris in my driveway so I'm always having to clean up after neighbors debris that the rain or wind blows my ways. Their driveway looks awful and if it wasn't for my plants hiding the tall weeds at the back of the front yard it be even worse.

When DH and I decide to move I fear our neighbor will bring our house down making it hard to sell.
The lady of the house never comes outside and the man of the house has a HOT HEAD and is not pleasant to deal with. Once the postman came to our door and asked us to trim the tree away from the mail box. We told the postman that it's not our tree, So he left a note for the neighbor to trim his tree back away from the mail box and this made him very mad. He got out there like a mad man trimming all the trees and in his fit of rage he broke their bird bath top. Then to top it off he left the trimming in the front yard piled 5 feet high for months and we do live in a HOA so much for it working in my area.

Did any of you hear on the news last week about a woman getting a 144.00 dollar fine for having a WEED in the crack of her sidewalk? OMG I'd be in the poor house if they went that far here. Guess they don't care if you use poison or pull it up just so long as you have no weeds. I have some weeds and I try to keep up with pulling them but you know how it is. One day it's not there next day your asking where it came from.

Barb that sucks! You have an HOA that just sits there. I hope you don't pay too much in fees. Your garden is so gorgeous(what I saw a couple years back it's matured even more by now) it's a shame his is so torn up. I have an idea if you want to try it.
Throw a TON of wildflower seeds in his yard(when he's not looking! eeek!). It will have pretty flowers in spring and fall mixed in with the weeds! PJ

Good idea PJ Thanks. I do have some salvia that creeped over in his bed...but the weeds get taller and crowd out the salvia :(

HOA's are evil and full of amateur politicians IMO! I'd never buy a house with one either! Earlier this year some local HOA tried to make some homeowners remove their satellite dish from their roof. Too bad the homeowner was a lawyer. She sic'ced the Fed's on them. It's a federal crime to impede television broadcasts! ha!

But sadly, the HOA's are the least of our worries when it comes to implementing water-wise policies. The DH works for a water supplier here in Central Texas in a rapidly growing area. They have had several developers who wanted their help applying for permits to install 'purple pipe' throughout their planned communities. This is common in AZ...a type of gray water system. The Texas govt won't allow purple pipe. So there goes another million gallons of water down the drain.

I think it's ridiculous how the media is constantly running stories on how the average person can buy all these gadgets and contraptions to 'go green' when the govt and corporate america has more resources to apply to the problem. Why does it always come down to the middle class to shoulder the entire problem? I don't mind doing my share, but geez when is it going to become easier to do the right thing?

Can't argue with you Maden! No residential gray water in CA in the middle of the freakin Mojave desert in a drought! PJ

We don't have a HOA in my hood. But I have a neighbor. Yesterday she complained about the mulch we put down in the alley to kill the weeds, which were a couple of feet tall. Now, mind you,it's been there for about 2-3 months now. She complained we were "taking up too much space", "it's a fire hazard" and "when the rains come it will all wash down into the gutters & cause a flood". This is in the alley BEHIND our house, it is a dead end alley, it is lower than the rest of the alley so the water flows back there and pools, it doesn't go down the street and into the storm drains...
HOA, crazy old ladies, renters, crackhouses, it's always something.
Tally HO!

HOA's, by and large, are run by Commie-wannabe's. There are, so I am told, that are actually worth a tinker's you-know-what. However, it has notyet been my good fortune to personally come into contact with any of the good sort of HOA. Might just be tall tales, in any event. Seriously, no one, no one, is going to tell me what to do with my land, the land I bought with my money that I worked to earn, the land I sweat over and work my heart out on. Not gonna happen without serious resistance from me. Now, as far as doing what you want on your own property, I figure folks ought to at least think through any plans they might come up with. I am not a Wiccan, but the old Rede rings true, "An ye harm none, do as you will." I do think it is the part about harming none that is important. Of course, if your neighbor is just a windbag with snotty pretensions, well, he or she is gonna squall no matter what you do, so forget the neighbor and get on with it! Heck, it is your land, ain't it?

Richardson water tank issue:

I think that man was planning to build *one* very large collection tank that would have to ben installed underground. I don't think he was talking about a couple of barrels at this corner or that.

That puts it in the realm of building a pool, that requires excavation, permits of all sorts, and has to be done in compliance with existing laws and avoiding utilities, etc. I'm sure most towns don't have codes on the books for that, so the city's excessive response (mtgs, etc) wasn't quite as disproportionate as the news segment made it sound.