Landscape Tips
Help keep Regina beautiful by landscaping your front and side yard.
Effective January 29, 2019, new one- and two-unit residential front yards and side yards that abut a public street or a public pathway must be landscaped within two years of the issuance of an occupancy permit. There are many different options for soft landscaping such as grass, ornamental plants, shrubs, trees, turf, gardens, and other permeable groundcovers. Soft landscaping can also be supplemented with some elements of hard landscaping such as concrete and brick pavers however, it is important that most of the landscaping be soft permeable landscaping.
For information on Landscape Regulations, reference the Zoning Bylaw.
Landscaping includes a variety of options like plants, trees, grass or rocks available at your local home and garden center. Your chosen material must allow water to easily flow through. Using concrete to make your driveway larger is not allowed.
Boulevard Care
By maintaining the side boulevards, you are helping to keep your neighbourhood looking beautiful.
A Boulevard is the strip of land between the curb and the sidewalk and between the sidewalk and the property line or, where there is no sidewalk, the strip of land between the curb and the property line.
The portion between the curb and sidewalk is often referred to as a separated or side boulevard, as it is on the side of the street and separated from the property by the sidewalk. It is typically planted with grass and trees and may be located at the front or side of a property. The portion of boulevard back of the sidewalk is also called part of the boulevard.
Opens in new windowSeparated Boulevard Care
Some properties in Regina have a separated boulevard. We appreciate it when property owners take care of the boulevard in front of, and at the side of their homes as part of their regular yard maintenance.
During the development of a subdivision, the developer typically plants the grass and trees and then maintains the boulevards until complete. After home completion, the City may allow the property owner to change the landscape of their front or side yard boulevard to match their landscaping, or to a low maintenance landscape instead. The owner will be required to enter into a maintenance agreement with the City as a condition of being permitted to change the landscaping on the separated boulevard.
Property owners can quickly create a low maintenance space with mulch or aggregate; or create a more lavish landscape with zone appropriate perennials, herbs, vegetables and native grasses.
Follow the Boulevard Landscape GuidelinesOpens in new window and fill out the Boulevard Landscapes Agreement to transform your space.
Boulevard Planting Tips
Use these helpful tips to help you landscape your boulevard.
Lawn Care
A healthy lawn will help prevent weed establishment and growth. Lawns require regular mowing, watering and fertilizing. To help water reach your grass roots, you should aerate your lawn and remove thatch.
Aerating benefits your lawn by allowing water, oxygen, and nutrients to reach your lawn's root system. It is best to aerate your lawn in the spring or fall if your lawn seems compacted, or before fertilizing to help nutrients seep into the soil. One of the best ways to fertilize your lawn and help the environment is to leave your grass clippings on your lawn.
Provide two to three cm of water every seven to ten days to grow healthy lawns with deep roots. Water in the morning or evening when there is less wind and heat. Set your lawn mower wheel height at 7.5 cm. Mowing at a higher height promotes vigorous grass growth with deep root systems, which in turn, discourages weeds and insects.
Overgrown Vegetation on Private Property
The Community Standards Bylaw applies to private property and regulates the maintenance of properties and structures in Regina. Property owners must not allow their property to become overgrown with grass or vegetation taller than 15 centimetres (6 inches). Intentionally planted vegetation such as shrubs, perennials or a vegetable garden are not considered a violation, even if the height exceeds 15cm.
Overgrown Grass Complaints
Before you make a complaint, consider if the vegetation is over 15 centimetres (six inches) high or not intentionally planted, such as a vegetable or perennial garden.
If you believe there is a problem with overgrown grass or vegetation at a property, submit a Service Request online. The complaint will be forwarded to Bylaw Enforcement and assigned to an officer for investigation.
If the officer determines that a property owner is in violation of the Community Standards Bylaw, the owner will be issued an Order to Comply requesting that the overgrown grass be cut. Failure to comply with the Order may result in a violation ticket being issued or the overgrown grass being cut by the City and the costs being applied to the property owner’s taxes.
Weed Control Act
The Weed Control ActOpens in new window is a specialized regime concerned with managing prohibited, noxious and nuisance weeds that may threaten humans, livestock, crops or the environment. Unlike the Community Standards Bylaw, the Act is not concerned with aesthetics.
Prohibited and noxious weeds are those specific species considered to be a threat to agriculture, human health, or the environment due to their invasive nature or toxic properties. Nuisance weeds are those species targeted because of their aggressive behaviour over native species.
Regina’s Good Neighbour Guide provides an overview of Regina’s municipal bylaws that govern city neighbourhoods and best practices for being a good neighbour.
