On Fri, 30 May 2003 10:03:27 GMT, "Cereoid-UR12yo"
wrote:

So were these cops master gardeners too?

God help anyone who grows ornamental grasses!! You could get a life
sentence!!!!

If the cops had too much free time on their hands, they should have been
spending it trying to track down real criminals instead of trying to force
their sterile sense of aesthetics on the neighborhood. Then again, gardeners
rarely shoot at them (unless they get them really ****ed off!!). Probably
next you will hear some story about a cop that shot and killed someone who
was coming toward them with a weed wacker and claiming it was self
defense!!!! You can never be to careful when dealing with these criminal
masterminds!!!


The "weed police" in my town are part of the "codes & compliance"
department, not actual cops. I doubt many are master gardeners, and
the mistake about daylily foliage is a funny story. Most municiple
codes relating to plant life are meant to prevent/reduce rampant
overgrowth of weeds and plants that are a recognized nuisance to
others. I very much doubt a carefully maintained landscape that
included ornamental grasses would arouse any complaint. In fact,
whether the basis is fire danger or aesthetics, local ordinances here
ban uncontrolled weed/grass growth over 8 or 12" tall, which means one
might possibly be perfectly safe in maintaining a "lawn" of
dandelions! Not popular, to be sure, but not illegal.

Beware, however, the term "eyesore." My goodness, there are a lot of
people with sensitive eyes. From clotheslines to large (US) flags to
trucks on the street, some are offended by anything that doesn't match
their decor. I had a *real* cop come to my door one day about my
harboring a "derelict" car in my driveway. I hope my licensed,
inspected, registered, insured, and daily-driven elderly VW didn't
hear this canard.