Every gardener knows the disappointment of having a plant die while working. But when that plant dies because of a stubborn, destructive herbicide and a less than careful neighbor, it is extremely annoying and frustrating.
A home gardener recently took to Reddit to vent his frustration over the nightmarish landscaping problems his neighbor had caused. The Redditor wrote that they grew a beautiful plant with the flower color “Blue Mist” that thrived despite this summer’s unprecedented heat. But things took a turn when the gardener’s neighbor used a powerful herbicide to kill weeds.
“Apparently my neighbor sprayed Roundup or some other herbicide on the weeds in the alley between our houses and removed them with a brush cutter,” the Reddit user wrote. “Now my plant is completely wilted and dried out, as are some of their own plants along the property line.”
The original author added that purchasing and using herbicides is actually illegal in his city unless you are a professional landscaper.
While some herbicides are banned at the federal level because they harm agriculture and the environment, others are banned at the state or city level. Because restrictions vary so widely, it’s easy to run into problems with herbicides anywhere, especially with products that are so readily available online.
Herbicides not only kill plants, but also threaten native wildlife, including insects that rely heavily on plants. Herbicides have even been linked to liver, kidney, and reproductive health problems, as well as certain types of cancer.
“Ugh, my neighbor did the same thing a few months ago,” wrote one commenter. “It killed plants within 3-4 feet of my yard.”
Several other commenters also confirmed this and said they had experienced similar plant-killing effects.
Difficult neighbors can often be a barrier for homeowners seeking climate-friendly solutions for their homes, including those who want to keep chemicals out of their gardens. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for managing conflicts with neighbors, but several commenters suggested that the first step for the gardener should be to calmly discuss their concerns.
“I went through the same thing with my neighbor,” one commenter wrote in response to the post. “Open communication without getting too angry helped me. I told her what plants I was growing and why I was doing it, and explained to her that they were not weeds and killing my plants was unacceptable.”
Fortunately, the author writes that his neighbor is “generally great” and “very responsible,” which prompts him to talk to him about being more careful in the future.
“I suspect he may have paid a local casual worker to clear the weeds in the alley (it’s a small area) and they were less careful,” the poster wrote. “My neighbor always did the weeding on his back fence by hand. Luckily my neighbor is definitely someone I can talk to.”
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