A South Carolina Man Planted a Garden in His Yard—Now His Town Is Taking Him to Court

Rich Ashford, an arborist and relative newcomer to the town of Cowpens, SC, is going to court over his garden. The conflict stems from a dispute about the height of what Ashford is growing in his front yard. Town ordinances say that the yard is overgrown, while Ashford contends that his garden qualifies for an exception for “cultivated gardens.” He says his property is a state-recognized natural wildlife habitat. Though the town ordinance is clear, legal experts think Ashford has a pretty good chance to beat the case—or that the town will need to change how it polices this issue.A native solution to a landscaping headacheAshford originally had no plans to become a homeowner in the town of Cowpens, but the Ohio native bought a house on the town’s main street back in 2020. “I got tricked by this big, beautiful Victorian home,” he tells Realtor.com®. “I got a smoking deal on this old Victorian house that was in really, really bad condition and had been neglected for 30-plus years.”Ashford, in his telling, has become a well-known part of the community in the small town over the past few years. He left his career in banking soon after arriving in the town to pursue arborist work full ti...