this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025
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A Burlington homeowner is fighting charges over her “naturalized garden” of native plants in her front and back yards. The city is taking Karen Barnes to Provincial Offences Court, seeking up to $400,000 in fines for violating a bylaw order to cut it down.

Barnes is challenging the case on constitutional grounds, arguing her right to freedom of expression through gardening is protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

She says her garden supports pollinators, biodiversity and wildlife, reflecting her environmental and spiritual beliefs. She appeared for a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday and is scheduled for a two-day trial in November, according to her lawyer, Vilko Zbogar.

Zbogar says the case is about more than the fine. “Courts have recognized since at least 1996 that freedom of expression under the Charter protects natural gardens as expressions of profound environmental values,” he said. “For Karen, it’s also a spiritual exercise — tied to her creed and beliefs. This falls under Sections 2(a) and 2(b) of the Charter: freedom of conscience and religion and freedom of expression.”

Experts say naturalized gardens and meadows can attract far more pollinators than regularly mown lawns, while also using less water and improving soil health.

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[–] k_rol@lemmy.ca 138 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (3 children)

Damn I hope they win against the city. The typical law has to die, it's ridiculously useless and detrimental to biodiversity.

Why should we have to maintain one type of plant which has problems surviving without lots of upkeep?

[–] 9488fcea02a9@sh.itjust.works 47 points 6 days ago (4 children)

The term "weed" is stupid. Arbitrarily deciding that certain native plants are undesirable is such a colonizer mindset

[–] Binzy_Boi@piefed.ca 13 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I think the term is fine if you approach it from an "invasive species" mindset rather than an "undesirable" mindset.

I don't know if it was intentionally done by my teachers, but that's the impression I always got about the term since it was usually brought up in the context of introduced species of plants causing harm to native species. Stuff like dandelions and such.

[–] Wolf@lemmy.today 6 points 5 days ago

I understand what you are saying, but growing up the term 'weed' was always used in the 'undesirable plants' sense and the term 'invasive species' is more accurate when you are discussing them specifically. When I first started gardening, the guy who trained me defined weeds as 'any plant the client doesn't want growing on their property'.

Stuff like dandelions and such.

Dandelions are a complex topic. While some consider them "Noxious Weeds", other people recognize their value as important sources of food for insects, they attract pollinators, and they also release ethylene which is a gas that encourages fruit setting and fruit ripening, so they are sometimes grown as 'companion plants'.

Dandelions are only weeds if you don't want them there, like any other 'weed'.

[–] DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

This is the real problem. Where the fuck did you find a plant only native in South America?

[–] nyan@lemmy.cafe 12 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Mmh, I'd describe it more as self-centered in general, since there are plants the world over that get called weeds. "We don't see any value in this, therefore it should be eradicated in favour of things we can use."

[–] SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It’s also, in the simplest way, incompetent.

All those weeds provide some ecological service in some way. If you look at my yard and note it's covered in tall straggly white flowers, you could say weedy, and be right. I would clarify that wild carrots are helping convert our heavy clay soil into good tilth, and supporting a massive number of pollinators and pest predators.

And why would we put up with yellow dock going to seed everywhere? It’s the most nutritious chicken fodder, and it also gives tilth to heavy clay.

Don’t get me started about dandelion!!

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 5 days ago

there is even non-native plants that naturalized, but not invasive.

[–] HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

In favour of things which we have no use for as a status symbol.

[–] nyan@lemmy.cafe 5 points 6 days ago

Displaying a status symbol is a use—just a very poor one.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Your only comparing it to grass doesn’t help.

[–] Lemmyoutofhere@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 days ago (2 children)
[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 4 points 5 days ago

kudzu, ivy, and any vine plants. although kudzu is now being combatted with the weevil.

[–] ryan213@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

F yeah, allergy brother/sister!

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 5 days ago

they usually use the term noxious weeds

[–] AlexLost@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago (2 children)

HOAs in general and all the bs that goes with it like this "law" are a thing of the past and don't reflect the current world we live in. Pristine manicured yards have caused problems across the globe for the underlying systems that keep the earth healthy and vibrant. We need to relearn how to live in the environments we find ourselves in, not cater them to our own self deluding fantasies of perfection.

[–] DerisionConsulting@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

HOAs aren't really a thing in Canada, she is being taken to court by the city.

[–] AlexLost@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

I am aware, I was alluding to the whole idea of it, which the city has taken the role of in this case. I believe it is ridiculous beyond maintaining house size for sanity sake. I get there is building code for things, why is there garden code? Stay out of my yard!!

[–] Wolf@lemmy.today 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

HOAs are the invasive species

[–] DerisionConsulting@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago

It sounds like they are, but thankfully they haven't taken root in Canada.

[–] Mpatch@lemmy.world -4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Yes but also no. I agree but there is a big grain of salt to be had here. Yards like also help pests thrive too. Particularly ticks and rodents come to mind. Lots of hiding areas that are safe for rodents to avoid seen / caught. Easy safe pathways for skunks, raccoons, possums etc. Ticks are gona love the tall plants and moist conditions. Earwigs are gona be all up in almost everything that is there. If there is anything that grows fruit, well you vet your ass theres gona be way more paper wasps/balshead hornets/ yellow jackets etc. Is the increased pollen going to now cause more allergies for 8 year old Timmy next door? When winter rolls around all those wonderfull bugs and critters 100% gona want to cozy up in your 2000sqft home. From attic, basment, or kitchen Cupboard.

Eveyone seems to miss the fact that a diverse environment doesn't only just attract bees and Butterflies. It wouldn't be "diverse " if it did.

The big reason we grow grass and keep it short is for pest control.

[–] BussyGyatt@feddit.org 11 points 5 days ago (3 children)

ignoring the obvious fact that you're effectively declaring entire clades of sentient animals to be basically biological waste because i know im going to make exactly zero headway with a human supremacist in this comment; if the primary consideration were pests, wouldn't stones or pavement be a more ideal solution than grass with all the maintenance and upkeep that requires being baked into the law?

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 days ago (1 children)

What the fuck. Really human supremist now.

[–] BussyGyatt@feddit.org 2 points 5 days ago

be proud. get it on a t-shirt. let the whole world know. start a movement. keep killing animals in your basement. die an ironic death.

[–] Mpatch@lemmy.world -2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Grass seed is significantly cheaper and faster than stones and pavement. Grass also provides some water retention during rain, helping reduce demand on storm drains.

Yes you will not make headway with this human supremacist for the fact that I have zero interest in paying thousands of dollars in repairs. Because some coon decided to live in my crawl space and fuck my shit up. Or worse yet, have a rat chew up wires and burn my house down. Fun fact, rats love the texture of Romex wire on their teeth.

[–] BussyGyatt@feddit.org 0 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

this human supremacist

i take it back. i made a very small amount of headway with a human supremacist

edit: "coon" tasteful, bud. fun fact, humans love the texture of gunmetal in their hands. hey have you considered maybe its your fault for living in a house that's not built to resist invasion? modern materials and construction techniques work wonders in allowing humans to pretend the natural world they're raping for resources doesn't exist. but no, it must be the animals seeking shelter, they must be murdered for their inconvenient audacity of wanting to be fucking alive. because you have zero interest in paying for any alternative solutions. it's not in your interest to have empathy for other living creatures. empathy is a sin. you didnt rape all those resources just to spend them on anything or anyone else. those resources are for you. that's why god put those animals there and you in charge of them, because you know best.

i hope you seek shelter and are murdered for the attempt by someone who looks at you the same way you look at a rat.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

i feel comfortable declaring centipedes, you know those ones that look like eyelashes? those are biological waste because they freak me the fuck out. every time i see one i have nightmares for a week i'm going to wake up with beautiful gorgeous long eyelashes, but they'll turn out to just be centipedes with a thing for my eye juices. if they have any other purpose in the universe than giving me eye juice nightmares i don't want to hear it

[–] CalPal@lemmy.ca 9 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Oh, are you talking about House Centipedes? Great for controlling other insects in your house!

And also, at my current phase in my life, the closest thing I'll have to some creature cuddling me at night.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

i use wolf spiders for house insect control. currently Gary is on duty

[–] Tribblehappy@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That's funny, my kids named the basement spider "Terry" and they take pictures whenever he shows up.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago (1 children)

i fucking hate ants (hyperope, can't see them til they bite my ass), and Gary does a good job of patrolling the spots they enter and eating them. he's a cool dude.

[–] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

they also eat Gary and he's pretty cool