Rebecca DePasquale stands on her eco-friendly lawn. / Photo by Ruth Zschomler

When Rebecca DePasquale moved into her West Camas home two years ago, her lawn was typical of suburban America: a small green monoculture requiring constant care. When the grass became patchy in spots, as new lawns are prone to do, she and her husband took the earth-friendly approach and over seeded with an eco-lawn mix formulated specifically for the Pacific Northwest. DePasquale knew she was helping the environment and therefore the community.

What she didn’t know was the trouble she was getting into.

DePasquale chose the lawn mix known as Fleur-de-Lawn developed by researcher Tom Cook at Oregon State University. The blend requires less water consumption, no chemical fertilizers and needs less frequent mowing. This means less time and money spent on lawn care even as it stays lush and green. Something most people would appreciate.
But not the local homeowner’s association (HOA).

Out of a total of 331 homes in the association, more than 100, including DePasquale, received letters this summer from the HOA informing people their lawns weren’t up to code. The letter states the yard doesn’t live up to community standards, but doesn’t specify what the standards are. In fact, they are still working on defining those standards: “The Board of Directors is working with legal counsel on finalizing written landscape and architectural guidelines…. These guidelines will better outline the landscape standards and expectations for the community.” The guidelines are not expected to be distributed until the end of the year.

The DePasquale’s were told they must request approval from the seven-member HOA board in order to change the variety of grass seed from the original. After making a specific request to use eco-friendly lawn mix as they asked, DePasquale was still turned down. According to DePasquale, “the HOA is restricting our ability to be environmentally friendly when it comes to lawn coverings.” She asked the association’s name not be printed due to legal stipulations and out of respect for her neighbors.

This summer, as her neighbor’s lawns leaned toward a brownish tint despite frequently watering, DePasquale’s stayed green. This was due to the mixture’s variety of drought tolerant plants. She also has found less moss since using the eco-lawn mix.

So why is her neighborhood association demanding she rip out the expensive eco-lawn and threatening to fine her $125 on top of that? Because the mix includes clover and other low-growing foliage plants, and the association requires “grass only” lawns according to its covenants.

While traditional turf yards require frequent watering and heavy doses of synthetic fertilizers throughout the warmer seasons to stay green, eco-lawns do not.

DePasquale argues that her lawn is attractive, sustainable and beneficial to the community, but the association doesn’t buy it. They believe having clover in the lawn reduces home values.

The HOA demands DePasquale and others to remove plants like clover even if it means spraying with chemicals. When she asked the HOA for recommendations on how to remove the clover without using popular synthetic herbicides, they didn’t have an answer for her.

DePasquale has children and pets that use the yard to play in, and she is concerned how the chemicals will affect their health. The United States Department of Agriculture associates pesticide/herbicide use with potential human health, wildlife, and environmental risks.

According to the Department of Ecology, herbicides and pesticides kill beneficial insects and micro-organisms needed for healthy soil. Using clover as a natural nitrogen fixer — a “green manure” — eliminates the need for excessive chemical fertilizers.

The DOE says over-fertilizing creates toxic runoff to storm drains which lead directly into the rivers harming fish and causing over-growth of algae blooms.

When the DePasquale’s moved to Vancouver from Sacramento because of a job, they chose their Camas neighborhood for the schools. They chose the house because it backed up to a green belt – an area they expected would be kept natural.

Looking out the window across the Columbia River to Portland, a city that prides itself on being “green,” DePasquale wonders why the HOA cares so much about what’s in the lawn as long as it’s short and green.

Any time they want to make changes in the yard — even to plant a tree or shrub — they have to submit a request to the board. “We don’t know why they need to be that controlling about it.”

Ruth Zschomler is a contributor to The Voice.