plants and policy?

I heard this NPR story on the way to work yesterday. It was about one suburb of Milwaukee and their town policy against planting in the public strip between the street and sidewalk. No veggies allowed. In fact, no plants over four inches allowed?!

This is a shame for a lot of reasons. I love seeing folks take over public spaces and front yards for a garden. Sometimes you just need to make use of the best sun you have. And sometimes you need to personalize a garden with more than grass, nandina shrubs, or mulch. If you drive around some of the older neighborhoods in Durham you will see some pretty cool front yard gardens. The Tuscaloosa-Lakewood neighborhood is always a good place to hunt for examples. On my way between James and Kent streets, I've seen corn stalks and canteloupe vines near several front walks and mailboxes. Brave, smart, efficient, however you want to describe their green thumb decisions-- those gardeners have made it easy for me to drive slow by their house.