Onno (not his real name) has enjoyed his garden for years. Until suddenly weeds and plants appear that overgrow his beautiful flower beds. Not just a few stray shoots, but bramble bushes, bamboo, and other greenery. Where does it come from? From the municipal green strip next to his garden. It invades his garden. Above ground. Below ground. It grows faster than he can keep up with.

Onno prunes, digs out, and uproots roots. Yet it keeps coming back. Especially the bamboo keeps reappearing among his plants. His entire joy in gardening is gone.

Invasive greenery

He reports the problem several times to the municipality. There he is told that the greenery is pruned twice a year according to policy. That should keep it manageable. In practice, Onno does not see that. It is not pruned twice a year. And the invasion does not stop. Onno asks if the municipality can look for a solution together with him. Just on site. Because then they can see for themselves how bad the problem is. But the municipality does not respond to that proposal.

Ongoing nuisance

Then Onno files an official complaint. He writes that no action is taken against the invasive plants and weeds. And that the municipality does not want to talk to him about a good solution. He only receives an acknowledgment of receipt. Then it remains silent. So Onno contacts the National Ombudsman. His complaint is not only about the greenery. It is also about the fact that the municipality simply does not respond. We contact the municipality by phone and ask them to respond to the complaint. And then action finally follows.

Solution

The municipal green maintenance department makes an appointment with Onno and goes to look in the garden. And they find a solution, namely actively removing the bamboo roots and continuing to do so throughout the year to exhaust the plant. The bramble bushes and other weeds are also removed. Onno will report new shoots as soon as possible so that the municipality can tackle them immediately. Onno is satisfied with how the municipality ultimately handles it.

Contact pays off

I often see that a problem grows bigger due to silence. Not because the issue is complicated, but because there is no real contact. As a municipality, you can also visit and see with your own eyes what is going on. With decisiveness, citizens feel heard by the government.

 

This column appeared in De Telegraaf on March 7, 2026. The person in the photo is not the person in the text.