For the first time, a prairie-style native plant gardener got the City of Chicago to back off a $600 fine for “uncut weeds”.
The violation was issued in September of last year, and the fine withdrawn by a city hearing officer in December. The background story, by Margaret Tazioli, appeared recently in the online journal Block Clubs Chicago.
The gardeners in question, retirees Pete and Noreen Czosnyka, were growing prairie plants with big personalities on their tiny city lot, including Cup Plant (Silphium perfoliatum), Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), and Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii).
Ironically, the Czosnykas were given their native plants free by the Chicago Department of Environment. (What’s that about the left hand not knowing about the right?)
Prevailing in court required considerable effort by the Czosnykas. They had to get an attorney. They had to pay for documentation showing that their garden was not infested with rats. (Why do so many people think that prairie-style gardens are full of rats? The city inspector simply made this assumption without seeing any actual rodents of any kind.)
Also, they demonstrated that prairie plants have value in the sense that people pay actual money for them. Finally, the Czosnykas testified that their garden was carefully maintained – cut back, deadheaded, weeded, etc.
Let’s hope that the City of Chicago inspectors will learn a lesson from this, and that other gardeners will not require a day in court to save their native plants. It’s ironic, isn’t it, that Chicago’s official motto is Urbs in Horto – city in a garden.
gardeninacity 
Your front yard’s beautiful, and officials can be denser than a bed filled with flowers. Hooray for the Czosnykas, and for you all!
Pete Czosnyka told me he thought the citation might have been retaliation for supporting the wrong candidate in a local election.
We believe that there is an element of political retaliation involved. When we were in administrative law court, all of the other tickets had addresses from the south and west sides of the city. The south and west sides in the segregated Chicago are relatively poor and predominantly minority, so a ticket on the northwest side was odd. There are many private gardens and the City Dept of Transportation has started planting natives on street improvements including a street two blocks from home. third, the inspector who issued the ticket has a documented record of being involved in political retaliation schemes.
Thank goodness sense prevailed eventually, you must all be very thankful to the Czosnykas. Your garden is such a good example of planting in the front garden being far more interesting than just boring grass!
I agree that there are many of us who owe a debt of gratitude to this gardening couple.
It is wonderful when you get a couple, people the Czosnykas, who are prepared to go to such lengths to save their native plants..
Your front garden looks great in the photo… don’t change a thing.
You always have to admire people who stand up for their rights.
Your garden is exceptional. It should be an example for people who want to do this and don’t have anything in the normal scale to see for inspiration. Hooray for the Czosnykas.
Hooray indeed.
I do love your crack about the left hand and right hand. The city motto raises this whole story to a case study in irony. As folks say, you can’t make this stuff up.
The City Department of Water Management tells the federal government in an annual storm water permit that they are teaching citizens about the benefits of native plantings while the Department of Streets and Sanitation give out the tickets based on training prepared by the Law Department which doesn’t even mention native plant gardens.
That is way too much like “who’s on first?”
There was a change in administration in the meantime, which may have had something to do with it.
Hope someone (you?) will forward a copy of this blog post to the appropriate Chicago officials, from the mayor on down! A lot of irony in this whole situation. Thanks for writing about it.
There is a group of people working to change Chicago’s weed ordinance. Fines were raised to $600 in Rahm Emanuel’s administration. When we were in court, we heard the Administrative Law court official read off addresses, predominantly on the less well off south and west sides of the City. no one showed up for those tickets, the fines were assessed and the owners would also be liable for accrued interest and penalties for non-payment. Some say this is a way to force poor people out of single family homes in the City. We are fighting that, too.
I didn’t know that the fine had been increased under Rahm, but somehow I am not surprised. Does the group you’re working with have a facebook page, newsletter, etc? I’d like to follow what they are doing and maybe help out if possible.
No Facebook page just people who were already involved when the story of my ticket came up. People like Kathy Cummings who got an award for Best Native Planting Garden from Mayor Daley and then a $600 ticket for the same garden from Mayor Rahm.
There are a number of people working on that.
Good for them for fighting the fight for native plants and habitat gardens. It is mind blowing how a perfectly manicured garden is the standard and a natural garden is not allowed. I see field mice in our meadows but they are food for birds of prey and part of the circle of life in the garden.
We definitely need people like these who will do what it takes to make a point.
Well, this was interesting. Fortunately sense prevailed… it doesn’t happen always.
Your front yard looks fabulous.
Happy gardening – stay safe and healthy!
PS Thank you for your witty comment. The topic is tragic though…
That is not our front yard in the photo. We have a 30 foot wide lot on Chicago’s Northwest Side, only 1200 feet from the Cook county Forest Preserved district and another 300 feet to the north Branch of the Chicago River.
Our yard is pictured in this story by Margaret Jean Tazioli referred to by the gardeninacity story:
https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/03/09/the-city-slapped-a-native-plant-gardener-with-a-600-fine-but-he-fought-back-and-won/
Hi Pete! Yes, I tried to make it clear that the picture was of our front garden, not yours. I did that because I didn’t want to use a photograph of your place without permission in case it was copyrighted. I like to visit gardens like your own and write about them for my blog. Maybe this spring or summer I could come over and take my own photos? Anyway, thank you for winning a big victory for all of us gardeners.
Looking forward to your visit. You have a wonderful garden.
You too, Sara!
That’s government for you. And I should know. I worked for two of them here in Michigan.
Although the HOAs can be even worse.
It blows my mind that anyone, from neighbors to officials, should think they have a right to interfere with a gardener. I’m happy to learn of their success, but it makes me uneasy about my own garden. I know there is a squad of middle aged nosey parkers that prowl my neighborhood, keeping an eye on grass height and paint condition on garages. Hmph.
Your garden is a shining example for all of us. It is beautiful.
Yeah, I’m sometimes surprised that no one has reported my yard for violating some ordinance. Though we live in a pretty tolerant community.
I do as well, surprisingly enough. In a block over there are quite a few wild gardens and the local politicians live here too, and are on our side.
I know some of your local politicians. Melinda Bush for example, very pro-environment.
Yes, we’re lucky to have her.
That story definitely deserves a “What the heck!” What the heck! There’s a new saying popping around the Internet, and it applies to various people, especially those at the very top: Even duct tape can’t cure stupid. However, sounds like stupid got a punch in the gut. May those prairie plants grow tall and high.
Though you could use the duct tape to cover the mouths of the stupid people, which would keep them quiet.
How I would love to see that!
Illinois State Senator Scott Bennett along with co-sponsors has proposed an Illinois Right-to-Garden Act in the legislature. Maybe overzealous local officials can be reigned in if this bill gains traction.
https://www.billtrack50.com/BillDetail/1204666
Yes! I wrote about that bill. I hope it doesn’t get stalled with the legislature cancelling session days due to the coronavirus.
Lawyers on this subject told me that putting a bench and a path or a bird bath in a native front yard garden is visual indication to neighbors that it is a garden. They can’t tell from the plants etc. but everyone understands a bench.
We have a path and a bird bath in the garden. We think the combination of a vague ordinance and political retaliation was the cause of the ticket. First planted in 2011 and there was never a problem until the Alderman currently in office showed up.
We really need to get over our fixation with lawns.
Agreed!
Gads! I remember this. It made me so angry. I got complaints from a neighbor that my vegetable garden was feeding rats too. It was weird. I mean, it was really weird. I have enough to be concerned about in my own garden without looking over the fence to see what my neighbors are up to.
Some people apparently don’t have enough to do with their time.
It seems that some enjoy causing problems for others. That is something I encounter while working with the homeless here. The person who complains the most, and lies about the homeless to get others to fear them, has SO many problems of her own that she should be tending to. There is a page on Facebook for posting mugshots of people arrested around the County. She does not miss any of them, and regularly makes creepy and mean comments about them, as if they don’t have enough problems already. However, she will not even acknowledge her daughter’s mugshot. She was arrested for DUI, which is a pretty serious crime. She put a lot of work into creating an elaborate page on Facebook about how much she hates me. It is named after my other blog and former Facebook page ‘Felton League’, if you would like to take a look. It is quite disturbing.
Frightening how malicious some people can be. It
Frightening how malicious some people can be. It’s often the ones who have serious problems of their own.
Yes, to the extreme!
Sad state of affairs when you have to incur legal fees to grow flowers. Having lived in cities, suburbs, and farms throughout my life I think I can safely say rats aren’t looking for Joe Pye Weed to survive and call home.
Great! I hope this will encourage more people to give native planting a go! Your front garden looks wonderful!
I’m very glad the Czosnykas won as it helps set a precedent and demonstrates that common sense can prevail, sometimes. The whole issue looks to be part “jobsworth”, dated rules and part a horticultural training issue. Perhaps the city department should hire them to deal with the latter?
That would be poetic justice!
This is fascinating! Wonderful outcome. xxx
Agreed!
They should call their garden the Local Victory Garden now. Sad they had to go through so much to win their right.
At least they beat city hall in the end.