NEWTON COUNTY -- Residents of a Newton County subdivision are reading the fine print of their homeowners association agreements these days. One woman says a neighbor tore up her front yard by pulling out all of her silk flowers!

Carolyn Freeman planted silk flowers in her front yard to save water and money. She also thought they made her house look nice. But Freeman said apparently her neighbor and the homeowners association didn’t think so – so she says her neighbor came over and pulled them out.

"To me they're beautiful. Maybe to somebody else's eyes they're not, but to me they were beautiful and I liked them in my yard," says Freeman.

In the various colors of Spring, the silk flowers Carolyn Freeman once took great pride in are now in a garbage bag instead of her front yard.

She says her neighbor, Penny Boker, who is also co-captain of the Ellington Homeowners Association, ripped them out and tore up her front yard because the flowers were detrimental to the property's value.

Freeman says she was told she violated the homeowners association covenant.

"I just don't think it's fair that I can't come home to my yard and decorate it the way I want as long as I follow the covenant. This is the covenant, I went throught it and I couldn't find it," says Freeman.

"I'm not absolutely sure what the restrictions are," says resident Bakia Weaver.

Freeman says she never got a warning about her flowers. She's even more upset that some of her neighbors still have their silk flowers in their front yards.

"I'm taking it extremely personal because their silk flowers are still there and mine are not there," Freeman says.

The president of the community management company tells Channel 2 that although nothing about silk flowers is written in the covenant, the homeowners association has aesthetic rights which are implied rights to maintain their property value.

He also says that they did send three notices to Ms. Freeman as well as the other homeowners with silk flowers.

As far as the actions of Penny Boker, he says they do not condone the removal of the flowers.

They are also planning a meeting between Freeman and Boker to resolve the issue. He adds the new board of directors will decide any further action.

Ms. Boker was arrested for criminal trespass in this incident but was released on bond.