Through the City of Springfield’s Yard Ethic program, native plants and native gardens are encouraged in the city! Native plants are beneficial to local wildlife, but also for local water resources, soaking in and filtering runoff, reducing soil erosion, stabilizing streambanks, and more. Add natives to your yard to see the benefits! There are city ordinances to follow with any type of yard maintenance, but there is nothing stopping you from converting part of your lawn to native plants.
Things to know about Springfield city ordinances:
Rank Vegetation
Weeds, brush, and rank vegetation are considered a hazard, but the ordinance lists exclusions: shade trees, ornamental shrubs, fruit trees, domesticated berry bushes and vines, cover crops, and domestic grains. (Sec. 74.401.) Where do native plants fall? Since there is currently nothing defining native plants in the code, we reached out to City of Springfield employees. Brad Musick, Assistant Director of Building Development Services, said reports are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. According to Musick, it’s an issue when there are obvious signs of neglect leading to overgrowth, including brush, tall weeds, and volunteer trees. While a native garden can look a little “wild”, problems come when noticeable weeds are taking over. Musick mentioned Johnson grass is usually the problem.
Clarrisa Hatley, who coordinates the Yard Ethic program, uses “cultivated” and “domesticated” interchangeably, clarifying that the city encourages native plants that are intentionally cultivated for planting, differing from plants that are volunteering and sprouting up in the lawn without being sown or planted.
Ronda Burnett, Community Conservation Planner with the Missouri Department of Conservation and Chair of the Missouri Prairie Foundation’s Grow Native! committee, has a great way of differentiating between native plants and weeds:
“As a member of the natural resource conservation community as well as the native plant promotion community, I use the word cultivation as a way to differentiate from wild or naturally occurring. On the surface, this seems simple; however, there is some nuance.
A cultivated landscape bed is typically one where the plants were purchased, planted, and are actively maintained or stewarded. It is not a bed that contains plants that grew on their own from the soil’s seed bank and are allowed to grow without any management. This can be confusing since some common names of native plants contain the word “wild” as in wild ginger. In this instance, the naming practice developed as a way to differentiate ginger plants that grow in a natural community from cultivated ginger plants that are grown in an agricultural setting for human consumption. There may also be some instances where a native plant is purchased, planted, and then naturally multiplies and spreads into a larger area of a yard. If the new plants are maintained properly, they would be considered part of a cultivated landscape bed; however, if they are allowed to run rampant and invade the turf lawn or neighboring properties, they would be considered weeds that need to be controlled.”
In summary, we do not want to discourage you from planting natives, the city even encourages it through Yard Ethic, Blooming Boulevards, the pollinator garden grant, and other programs for homeowners.
Weeds
City code states that weeds cannot be taller than 7 inches in height. (Sec. 74.404) What constitutes a weed? We’re back to the “brush, weeds, and rank vegetation” definition above. Community members have shared their personal experiences, they found that making a garden look intentional, perhaps with edging or signage, makes it less likely to be seen as nuisance weeds. But if you have areas that are still typical grass lawns, keep it under 7 inches.
Keep Vegetation Back
Don’t let your plantings become an accessibility issue! All sidewalks need to stay clear of growing or fallen vegetation. If your plantings go to the end of your property, keep them trimmed back, or opt for shorter growing plants on the perimeter. Trees also must be trimmed so branches are at least 9 feet above sidewalks and 12 feet above streets. (Sec. 114-31.) The city does reserve the right to trim trees or shrubs that may interfere with wires and cables. (Sec. 70-482)
Vegetation can’t block visibility at intersections. (Sec. 106-32.) If you decide to landscape near a driveway or street intersection, it is recommended to plant groundcover plants that don’t exceed 18 inches in height. If a tree is already growing in these areas, the limbs must be trimmed up to 8 feet.
Mindfully Leave the Leaves
According to city code, rubbish must be removed from the property, and listed as rubbish examples are yard clippings, leaves, and wood. (Sec. 74-382.) Like anything, moderation is key. If the leaves are thick and becoming a safety issue for nearby sidewalks and roads, it might become a problem. While leaving the leaves is good for a multitude of reasons (see more here), only about 10-20% of leaves need to be left on the ground, others can be raked into compost piles, garden beds, or mulched into smaller pieces. Homeowners also need to be careful to not pile leaves around stormwater infrastructure, because they can clog the stormwater drainage systems.
For yard clippings, we often encourage folks to leave them on their lawns to help boost organic matter levels, but again, in moderation. If your yard clippings look like a freshly mowed hayfield, it could be a problem, but clippings from a standard mow will not be an issue.
Learn more about disposing yard waste in Springfield here.
Call (or Click) Before You Dig
Missouri law requires that anyone planting a tree (or completing other large projects) must call Missouri 811 before you begin digging. This is a FREE service, and it’s easy to do over the phone or online. Within days your yard can be marked for any buried utility lines. It is recommended to call or click 3 working days before you plan to dig. Call 811 or visit missouri-811.org
See the City of Springfield ordinances here: https://library.municode.com/mo/springfield
This blog was created as the first in a series to educate Springfield homeowners about the Yard Ethic program. Learn more at yardethic.com
