As spring flowers begin to bloom and many start to plant fresh flowers in their gardens, one man is being taken to court for his choice of a potted plant, according to Knox News from Tennessee.
William Terry of Oak Ridge decided to use a toilet bowl to display his plants in his home's front yard, and neighbors are complaining. City officials are now in court examining pictures of Terry's choice of flower pot in order to determine if it constitutes a violation of the city's codes against rubbish.
"It's not about my flower pot. It's about my right to display what I want in my yard," said Terry about the toilet.
Terry has used the dirt-filled toilet bowl as a planter underneath his porch for a number of years. He describes it as an antique.
The defendant also argued with city officials about the exact definition of "rubbish" and "toilets."
The presiding judge, Bob McNees, considers the case "interesting" and says that the central question at hand is that "one person's art may be another person's rubbish," according to the news source.
Potted plants have been in the news before. Last summer, a man in New York City robbed a Manhattan bank using a potted plant. The same man took money from a second bank using a bouquet of flowers.
The suspect handed over the plant and flowers with a note demanding money, as well as a warning to the teller: "Don't be a hero."
The man - nicknamed the "Bouquet Bandit" - was seen on video and caught after about two weeks, according to the New York Times.
If one wishes to do something special with their spring flowers, there are still ways to be unique without ending up in court or jail.
The Northumberland Today recommends using a flower basket as a hanging display for flowers. This kind of hanging basket could double as a bird's nest, depending on how one decorates it.
The procedure for making a bird's nest hanging flower is quite easy, according to the news source. One would need some grapevines, Boston ivy or Virginia creepers and some soil, grass or moss. The trick is to criss-cross the vines to make a wreath and basket to hold the soil.
If one is unskilled with basket-making, it is likely that a ready-made basket can be bought and decorated with vines around the outside for a similar effect.