NOVA HOAs acceptance of native gardening, clover lawns, etc.

[Anonymous]

Will be moving somewhere in NOVA next year, not quite sure where yet, perhaps Burke, Springfield, Annandale, or Fairfax areas. I know sometimes homes in these areas are in HOAs.

I'm super eager to be able to create a garden with native plants in my backyard along a fenceline and wherever else makes sense, along with a vegetable garden.

I also am interested in lawn replacements with clover or alternative groundcovers in the front. Or, at a minimum, letting my lawn be short, but pesticide free, so more weedy (i.e. "no mow may" and let clovers infiltrate grass)

What are people's experiences with HOA acceptance of these concepts? Understand there can be variability depending on the area. What about neighbors?

[Anonymous]

If you do a clover lawn well, no one will care. If by native your mean a field of dandelions, neighbors will not be happy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you do a clover lawn well, no one will care. If by native your mean a field of dandelions, neighbors will not be happy

That is not what it means. Stop perpetuating that stereotype.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a clover lawn well, no one will care. If by native your mean a field of dandelions, neighbors will not be happy

That is not what it means. Stop perpetuating that stereotype.

It's not what people intend, but if you don't use herbicides and you aren't serious about weeding on a regular basis, it's what happens

[Anonymous]

I'm in Burke Centre, so under the Burke Conservancy HOA which is no doubt a little high strung about some things. But weeds in the lawn isn't really something they care about as long as you mow it. Whether the neighbors care is probably a street or block by block situation, since there are some streets where it seems like every single house has a perfectly edged golf course for their front lawn and the mowers are there every other day, and then there are other streets (like mine) where we prefer to let things go more natural. We reseed with clover and always choose native plants; the HOA would start getting cranky if I, for example, planted a huge vegetable garden in the middle of my front yard.

[Anonymous]

When you plant clover lawn what happens in the winter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a clover lawn well, no one will care. If by native your mean a field of dandelions, neighbors will not be happy

That is not what it means. Stop perpetuating that stereotype.

It's not what people intend, but if you don't use herbicides and you aren't serious about weeding on a regular basis, it's what happens

Look, I'm well into the Native Plant thing. And No, it's not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm in Burke Centre, so under the Burke Conservancy HOA which is no doubt a little high strung about some things. But weeds in the lawn isn't really something they care about as long as you mow it. Whether the neighbors care is probably a street or block by block situation, since there are some streets where it seems like every single house has a perfectly edged golf course for their front lawn and the mowers are there every other day, and then there are other streets (like mine) where we prefer to let things go more natural. We reseed with clover and always choose native plants; the HOA would start getting cranky if I, for example, planted a huge vegetable garden in the middle of my front yard.

Thank you! This is helpful! Do you need permission if you add or extend gardens in the front yard? For instance, I will want to add garden alongside any front walkway if there isn't already, around trees. I'd keep perennials short there, but was also wondering about if I can do a small pollinator garden at all in a front yard. I intend to keep things sectioned off and tidy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you plant clover lawn what happens in the winter?

Muddy mess- it's best to plant a mix of fescue and clover, or if you're set against fescue, at least mix the clover with something else that will provide some cover in the winter.

Agree with the PPs that the important thing is to keep your lawn mowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm in Burke Centre, so under the Burke Conservancy HOA which is no doubt a little high strung about some things. But weeds in the lawn isn't really something they care about as long as you mow it. Whether the neighbors care is probably a street or block by block situation, since there are some streets where it seems like every single house has a perfectly edged golf course for their front lawn and the mowers are there every other day, and then there are other streets (like mine) where we prefer to let things go more natural. We reseed with clover and always choose native plants; the HOA would start getting cranky if I, for example, planted a huge vegetable garden in the middle of my front yard.

Thank you! This is helpful! Do you need permission if you add or extend gardens in the front yard? For instance, I will want to add garden alongside any front walkway if there isn't already, around trees. I'd keep perennials short there, but was also wondering about if I can do a small pollinator garden at all in a front yard. I intend to keep things sectioned off and tidy.

No, you wouldn’t need to get permission for that. They don’t care as long as what you’re changing isn’t a significant portion of the property, I think it’s something like 25-50% of the total square footage.

[Anonymous]

Why just move into a neighborhood with no HOA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you do a clover lawn well, no one will care. If by native your mean a field of dandelions, neighbors will not be happy

That is not what it means. Stop perpetuating that stereotype.

It's not what people intend, but if you don't use herbicides and you aren't serious about weeding on a regular basis, it's what happens

Yes growing a lawn in very labor and chemical intensive. It extremely time consuming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why just move into a neighborhood with no HOA?

+100
Your life will be so much more peaceful.

[Anonymous]

Sheesh. Please leave us be in our hoas. Move anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

I live in a non-HOA area between Annandale and Falls Church, and it's lovely! We have a mixed clover/fescue lawn with some shady sections of moss groundcover (lots of mature trees in the backyard). Half the homes on our block, including ours, have large vegetable gardens. We have several pollinator beds with milkweed and other natives. Birds, bees and butterflies all love our yard.

Neighbor opinions will of course vary, but I've found that people who move to non-HOA neighborhoods tend to be a little more open to alternative landscaping. Haven't had any issues with ours.