Re: Assistance dealing with localcodesadversely impactinggardening

**"Anne Phelan" a*@earthlink.net**

Most books on gardening with disability suggest growing plants in
containers as one way to continue gardening. Perhaps you could make
some photocopies of some relevant pages. Google turned up a number
of Web sites with information on gardening in containers for senior
citizens and people with disabilities. For example:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG6757.html
http://www.mdausa.org/publications/Quest/q31garden.html
http://www.hort.vt.edu/human/pub426020d.html
http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/envirohort/factsheets2/landsnurs/
aug93pr5.html

Perhaps a horticulture therapist or occupational therapist would
write a letter for you.  The bureaucrat might not know anything
about gardening, but he or she should understand the concept of
making a home and yard adaptable for a person with disabilities.

Anne (who is usually quiet on the list)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Claude Sweet" <hortventures@cox.net>
To: <gardenwriter@mindspring.com>; "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The
Garden Writers Forum" <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2003 1:11 PM
Subject: Re: [GWL] Assistance dealing with local codesadversely
impactinggardening

> I believe the major thrust of the problem is that this bureaucrat
does
> not understand gardening and the concept of growing plants in
containers
> is foreign to her.  I believe there are no references in the san
Diego
> City land development Code that prohibits the concept of growing
plants
> in containers for the purpose of a landscape display.
>
> As in any gardening undertaking, the efforts of one individual
may have
> some who find the affect pleasing and others who disagree to
various
> levels. The right to garden seems to be a universally accepted
principle
> that should apply equally to property owners and renters without
> disenfranchising or favoring either group.
>
> The assertion that growing plants in containers is a form of
storage
> seem to me to be farfetched and absurd even for a bureaucrat
> representing the interests of "Neighborhood Municipal Code
Compliance.
>
> My wife and I are the original owners of the home next to my
mother's
> rental house. Over 30 years ago I removed all of the front and
rear lawn
> areas and concentrated the remaining space for trees, vines,
flowers,
> and vegetables. Keeping in mind that this is a small 60 foot wide
by 90
> foot deep residential lot that was developed using the cut and
fill
> method of building common in Southern California.
>
> The lack of top soil caused me to bring in over 500 yards of
landscape
> soil mix which was used to establish raised beds and produce an
idea
> growing medium 2.5 to 5 feet deep. I planted various tropical,
> subtropical, and temperate fruiting trees, vines, and shrubs.  I
grow
> banana, mango, cherimoya, macadamia, white sapote, black sapote,
feijoa,
> guava, avocado, carambola, coffee, fig, nectarines, apple, and
some citrus.
>
> Over the years some were not adapted to our climate and struggled
to
> grow or thrived to the extent they had to be removed.  Much of my
> experience in personally growing these plants was incorporated
into the
> Ortho book "All About Citrus and Subtropical Fruits" which I
coauthored.
>
> I also lectured about the production and marketing of specialty
crops
> for the University of California Extension at Riverside and
taught the
> same courses at MiraCosta College in Oceanside before I retired
to take
> care of my aging parents about 12 years ago.
>
> I have been collecting and growing various warm climate bulbs,
that are
> evergreen, or deciduous in the summer of winter - clivia, oxalis,
> crinum, etc., which are grown as under story plants in the
filtered
> light of the fruit trees.  I also grow an assortment of orchids,
> gesneriads, and begonias so I can take flowering pots for my
mother to
> enjoy in her room.
>
> Over the past months there have been discussions as to the
participation
> of people in gardening and an attempt to classify people.  It is
obvious
> to me from the observation of the services performed by the local
> businesses that perform lawn and garden care for a fee, they mow,
prune
> with hedge shears, and clean up with blowers. The general lack of
> horticultural skill of the employees represents the willingness
of the
> public to spend the money (or their own time and energy) to
become
> involved in horticulture/gardening.
>
> It has been my experience that growing old should not mean that a
person
> stops growing plants from seed because it takes 7 years for them
to
> flower from seed. It is the delight and wonder that each day
brings in
> observing what changes have occurred in the garden that keeps a
person
> alive and vibrant upon retirement, even when they may be
experiencing
> health problems.
>
> I'll attempt to post additional information as this situation
develops.
> The suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated. This was
not a
> fight I need to undertake as I must close up my mother's house
and
> convert personal property into cash to help pay for her care.
But
> having no other choice, I must rise to the challenge.
>
> Claude Sweet
> San Diego, CA
>
> Carol Wallace, Ph.D. wrote:
>
> >I've never thought of container gardening as storage.
> >
> >But the city could potentially turn to those weed laws (if you
have any) to
> >make sure your mother has to get rid of her containers. I know
of at least
> >one case where the city came in and bulldozed a woman's backyard
(that's
> >right - the BACK yard) because she refused to comply. She won
her fight
> >before they did the same to the front.
> >
> >Thomas Olenio is right - I'd go to the media. They will
undoubtedly grasp
> >the absurdity of a city trying to tell a woman that she can't
landscape
> >unless she gets down and digs in the soil - especially at the
age of  85
> >and with Parkinsons. Some of us here would also be glad to write
about this
> >and perhaps get some feedback and input for you.
> >Carol Wallace
> >
> >Virtually Gardening
> >http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/virtually_gardening
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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