Resident Nathan Anderson, left centre, addresses council at this week's meeting. (Angela Brown/BattlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

beauty in the eye of the beholder

Natural garden or bylaw infraction? Council discusses local yard

Jun 21, 2023 | 8:46 AM

A Battleford resident with a predilection for a long uncultivated front lawn questioned the Town of Battleford about an order he received to cut his grass at council’s meeting Monday.

Nathan Anderson appeared at council saying he is opposed to a nuisance abatement bylaw order he received from the town’s bylaw officer.

Noting “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Anderson said he finds his unmanicured lawn aesthetically pleasing. He added his neighbours also have no issues with the appearance of his long grass.

The resident asked to have the order rescinded he received from the town’s bylaw officer, directing him to cut his grass by July 4.

“Ross [MacAngus] and I have a different view of my front yard,” Anderson said. “Ross thinks I have an overgrown yard. By one definition in the bylaw, I do have an overgrown yard. I do have grass in my front yard that’s probably 70 centimetres high. And the definition in the bylaw of overgrown is 20 centimetres. So, it’s well beyond that.”

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But Anderson told council the grass growing in his front yard is actually a “tall grass garden.”

“Some people have shrubs and flower beds; some people have rock gardens. I have a grass garden in my front yard,” he said. “It is deliberate, intentional. It is not neglect – this tall grass I have in my yard.”

The lawn has a border around it, with a 60 cm. perimeter, that has been mowed.

Anderson described what he has as a “natural garden,” deliberately grown.

He added he eventually hopes to have some shrubs growing among the grass, and wildflowers.

The resident noted when he had this type of garden elsewhere, he was advised he only had to make sure no invasive plants were growing there.

Coun. David George said the long grass doesn’t look natural to him while Coun. Doug Laing remarked there might be reason “to take a second look” at the issue.

Anderson said the whole area in the town used to be covered in this “native grass” at one time.

However, Mayor Ames Leslie, who works in the agricultural industry, spoke up advising Anderson the grass on his front lawn is actually a weed.

“What we have growing here is not native, natural grass,” he said, adding that this type of grass is called quackgrass.

By definition, Leslie said, the overgrown grass, contravenes the bylaw order.

“It’s in the grass class, but it’s considered a weed in the spectrum,” he added.

Following the meeting, Leslie noted council can’t make any decisions on the matter until its next meeting.

“Unfortunately, he [Anderson] came as a delegation tonight, so a decision can’t be made based off of his delegation,” he said. “At the earliest, a decision will be made July 17.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow