A Missouri man has been ordered to remove a sunflower garden he planted in memory of his late wife, following a years-long legal battle with city officials who say the flowers violate local ordinances.
Chris Bank, of St. Peters, a suburb of St. Louis, has grown sunflowers outside his home for four summers. The city initially cited him for violating a rule that prohibits covering more than 50 percent of his yard's grass. This year, the city amended the rule to classify sunflowers as a crop, reducing the allowable coverage to just 10 percent.
Bank argues that the flowers are not a crop, as he does not harvest or sell them. 'They're a flower. I plant them like any other flower, but I don't harvest seeds or sell,' he told Fox 2. He started the garden to honour his cousin Jenny, who loved sunflowers.
During a court hearing on Tuesday, a judge ruled in favour of the city, agreeing that the sunflowers are a crop and cover more than 10 percent of Bank's yard. The city also counts the grassy space between flower rows as part of the 'planting area,' which Bank says makes no sense.
Neighbours have complained about the flowers, with one saying they were 'getting ridiculous to look at.' However, some neighbours support Bank, including one who said the city is targeting him. Bank believes the dispute stems from a previous property disagreement with his homeowners' association.
Bank plans to appeal to St. Charles County, where he hopes for an unbiased hearing. 'If they say, 'Yeah, Mr. Bank, we side with the city,' then I will never grow a sunflower again,' he said.
