Tomatoes turfed, gardener ordered to rip out flowers, veggies

A Wolseley resident says she has been told she can't plant vegetables on her boulevard anymore.

Dino Martin said city employees also told her to rip out the flowers she planted.

Martin has been growing beets, peppers and other plants for the past few years on a small patch of the boulevard in front of her Wolseley home.

But someone complained, and city officials dropped by with some information.

"That 'it's city property' and I'm not supposed to have anything on it," she said.

She also said the city employee told her all the flowers on her own lawn had to go as well.

Now all that's left of her vegetable garden is mud.

She said the city told her to grow grass instead.

"It was either 'you get rid of them' or they will come and get rid of them," she said.

There are dozens of boulevard gardens in Wolseley.

Martin is at a loss to understand why she is any different from other Wolseley residents who have replaced the grass on their boulevards with gardens.

Martin's story comes just days after a Winnipeg man went to court in a dispute over mowing the boulevard next to his home.

Martin's neighbour, Daniel Plourde, said the city's heavy hand is ridiculous.

"There are blocks here where they don't even have boulevard, they just have flowers," he said.

The city says when someone complains it contacts the homeowner to remove illegal foliage.

The city confirmed they recieved a complaint about Martin's boulevard garden, but denies they told her to remove the plants  in her own yard.