Front yards beautify our community and give character to our towns. Your own front yard must be gorgeous. I moved into a 55-and-up community with an HOA a couple of years ago. A drive through our community seems ideal. However, I feel constrained by the limits our HOA puts on us to conform to a list of approved plants we can have in our front yards, the number of plants we're allowed to have, and the rule that we must submit a "plan" for approval by a board before making any change whatsoever to our front yard. Meanwhile, my 20-year old bushes and shrubs are now overblown and elderly. Their roots are massive, so digging the soil around them is nearly impossible. I dream of having a picture-perfect yard, but fear the wrath of the HOA. I want masses of blooming flowers instead of the sedate, boring clumps of green that our neighborhood HOA has determined that we all should restrict ourselves to. I use potted color bowls to get around the rules, but hope one day to have a blooming front yard that really makes me happy. Thank you for all your encouraging and helpful gardening thoughts in your column that make me eager to work in my back yard where I can be more creative.
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