Neighbor trespassing to pick dandelions - would you be annoyed?

[Anonymous]

I'd be kind of annoyed because by her picking the flowers and not pulling them up by the roots, she is actually contributing to you having more dandelions.

I don't believe in using chemicals on my lawn. it's not good for the ground water, neighborhood pets or healthy insects. I do a sweep of my yard every week before I mow and pull up any dandelions (and other annoying weeds) by the roots. I also will do the ones on my neighbor's lawn immediately bordering my yard because they don't do it and don't care if I do it.

[Anonymous]

I love dandelions, and understand that they are highly invasive and difficult to uproot. Thankfully my immediate neighbors don't mind our wild lawn.

I would do exactly nothing, OP. Let her come and do her ineffectual cropping if she wants - she's elderly, and in my opinion, all due respect should be given to the little vagaries of age. However I would not apologize in anyway. You did nothing wrong. You are just letting her on your property out of the goodness of your heart, and generously ignoring her rude little note.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh dear god. People are insane.

I like dandelions and would be pissed if someone was picking through my yard.

+1

This obsessions with manicured lawns is sick. Let nature be nature, you may like it.

Amen! I love our dandelions, wild violets, and clover.

She is so far out of line, OP. I would totally ignore the note.

Yes! I love all of those. We used to make clover flower chain necklaces as kids, make wishes on the dandelion seeds, buttercups under our chins to see "if we like butter, and even shooting dandelion blooms saying "Momma had a baby and her head popped off."

Summer was the best.

[Anonymous]

I grew up across the street from two sisters who never married; they had a series of little black dogs all named Brunhilda; and one of them made all of the clothes the two of them wore. They always wore dainty little church-going hats, and they made delicious and exotic (to me) Armenian food.

They were self-appointed dandelion pickers and animal caretakers for the neighbohood. They always wore aprons outside with tool in the pocket for ripping out dandelions. And they had house keys for nearly every house with a pet in it (including ours), and they'd walk pets during the day when their owners were at work.

They were retired and seemed old to me when I was ten; they were still there and definitely very old when I bought my parents' house at 30. Still picking dandelions and walking dogs.

I thought they were great. Never occurred to me to be offended.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read every post in this thread, but there is no obligation to pick, pull, or kill lawn weeds. Some lawns in my neighborhood are pristine (lawn service), and some are covered in clover and dandelions (like ours.) Nobody has ever left a note and it's extremely rude (some would say passive-aggressive) for her to complain to you that she had to pluck your weeds. I'd ignore her completely. You do not have to feel obligated to weed your yard every day to appease a nutty neighbor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh dear god. People are insane.

I like dandelions and would be pissed if someone was picking through my yard.

+1

Do people who choose not to use weed killer really try to pull out all the dandelions? We don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I love dandelions, and understand that they are highly invasive and difficult to uproot. Thankfully my immediate neighbors don't mind our wild lawn.

I would do exactly nothing, OP. Let her come and do her ineffectual cropping if she wants - she's elderly, and in my opinion, all due respect should be given to the little vagaries of age. However I would not apologize in anyway. You did nothing wrong. You are just letting her on your property out of the goodness of your heart, and generously ignoring her rude little note.

+1

I do this with any rude neighbor. Thankfully there are more nice people with fulfilled lives, than not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read every post in this thread, but there is no obligation to pick, pull, or kill lawn weeds. Some lawns in my neighborhood are pristine (lawn service), and some are covered in clover and dandelions (like ours.) Nobody has ever left a note and it's extremely rude (some would say passive-aggressive) for her to complain to you that she had to pluck your weeds. I'd ignore her completely. You do not have to feel obligated to weed your yard every day to appease a nutty neighbor.[/quote]

THIS.

....or do anything to appease a nutty neighbor; because believe me, there will always be something for the nutty neighbor to dream up to gripe about!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read every post in this thread, but there is no obligation to pick, pull, or kill lawn weeds. Some lawns in my neighborhood are pristine (lawn service), and some are covered in clover and dandelions (like ours.) Nobody has ever left a note and it's extremely rude (some would say passive-aggressive) for her to complain to you that she had to pluck your weeds. I'd ignore her completely. You do not have to feel obligated to weed your yard every day to appease a nutty neighbor.[/quote]

THIS.

....or do anything to appease a nutty neighbor; because believe me, there will always be something for the nutty neighbor to dream up to gripe about!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read every post in this thread, but there is no obligation to pick, pull, or kill lawn weeds. Some lawns in my neighborhood are pristine (lawn service), and some are covered in clover and dandelions (like ours.) Nobody has ever left a note and it's extremely rude (some would say passive-aggressive) for her to complain to you that she had to pluck your weeds. I'd ignore her completely. You do not have to feel obligated to weed your yard every day to appease a nutty neighbor.[/quote]

THIS.

....or do anything to appease a nutty neighbor; because believe me, there will always be something for the nutty neighbor to dream up to gripe about!

[Anonymous]

I would try and ignore it, but if she keeps at it then I'd let her know the police will be called if she trespasses again. I could see myself finding a spot in my yard with a bunch of dandelions and sticking a no trespassing sign right in the middle of it too.

[Anonymous]

I'd be annoyed by someone else pulling weeds on my property especially if they were in the lawn and not in a flower bed. That said, I think you are both kind of psycho because it would never occur to me to go around pulling weeds out of the grass like that...unless they were in a flower bed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd only be annoyed that she's not truly helping, but spreading the problem by dropping the head. It will go to seed and a jillion more will spring up. If she wants to read, I'd tell her to do it the right way.

TIME OUT! What? Do you have a source for this, a link we can read about this? I'm under the impression the flower dies before it can set seed. If I'm wrong, I want to know! (I'm not OP but I'm sure most of us reading this thread would want to have the correct facts regarding this)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would try and ignore it, but if she keeps at it then I'd let her know the police will be called if she trespasses again. I could see myself finding a spot in my yard with a bunch of dandelions and sticking a no trespassing sign right in the middle of it too.

Allowing the authorities to handle this is the right call.

Also, as a legal matter, some jurisdictions require the posting of conspicuous "NO TRESSPASSING" signs around the entire perimeter - there may also be requirements as to the legal distance between signs.

It may be advisable to retain legal counsel in advance of her next anticipated trespass.

Also, a lawyer may be able to assist you with drafting a "cease and desist" letter to send her; this step might be important for any future litigation against the trespasser.

[Anonymous]

i am happy to see at least a few other posters think that a lawn w/ yellow dandelions & bright green clover looks nice rather than "full of weeds". I love to see the dandelions in spring- it means winter's done!! I honestly do not get why people hate them - sure they are weeds but they make cheery little flowers in a pretty yellow color. What's so bad about that.