Georgia Petrus dreams of a home-grown castle with shrubbery pruned and shaped to form a 10- to 12-foot-tall wall, complete with turrets. To realize her dream, though, she must overcome Blawnox Borough Council's decision to cut down her vision for showcasing her garden supply business. Borough officials said her idea would set a dangerous precedent and are seeking $8,000 from her for ignoring limits on shrubbery rules. On March 20th, Senior District Justice Frank Comunale is scheduled to hear a civil case filed against Petrus and her husband, Donald, by Blawnox for violation of the borough's zoning ordinance. Elissa Lang, secretary at the Sharpsburg district justice office, said the lawsuit seeks a judgment of $8,000 — $300 per day for the ongoing violation through parts of November and December. A borough ordinance limits hedge height to 6 feet. Georgia Petrus had planned to grow the shrubs 12 to 14 feet in height and then prune them back to form a 10- to 12-foot tall castle wall. The wall was to have surrounded the yard outside her business — Beyond the Garden Gate — located at 334 Freeport Road for the last eight years. Georgia Petrus said the courtyard created by the wall would serve as a perfect showroom for the high-end garden accessories she sells, and she is surprised officials so strongly resisted her attempts to do something that would beautify the neighborhood and perhaps help draw shoppers to the borough. "This is really, really ridiculous," she said. "They're putting an awful lot of time and borough money into preventing me from doing something that will help the borough." Georgia Petrus said the battle with the borough has been going on since she first started growing the shrubs beyond 6 feet about a year and a half ago. Borough Manager Sherry Kordas said officials began issuing citations under a "nuisance" ordinance because neighbors were complaining. "That's the main thing we had to respond to," she said. "Our goal is to always work out something with people in an amicable way, but we've been unable to reach a good solution." The council decided in an executive session last month not to grant an exception to the borough ordinance limiting shrubbery height. Georgia Petrus said she had hoped the situation would be favorably resolved after a Feb. 28 appearance before the borough council, where she presented a drawing of the proposed topiary. But council President Samuel McNaughton Jr. said making exceptions to the 6-foot limit could set a dangerous precedent. "It's a borough ordinance, the same as the 25-mile-an-hour speed limit," he said. "You're asking us to make an almost landmark decision … on our borough ordinances." Mayor Thomas Smith also worried that others would seek exceptions if the garden supply business received one. Attorney Jonathan Robison, who is representing Georgia and Donald Petrus, said the topiary would be more of a benefit to the borough than blight. "This is in no way injurious to neighbors or to public safety," he said. Robison said the ordinance applies to hedges. "This is a vegetative protective structure, not a mere hedge," he said. Georgia Petrus said she worries that the tall hedge might obstruct visibility and cause a traffic hazard are unfounded because the shop is in the middle of the block, and the topiary work would be at the rear and side of the property. Jack Cambest, borough solicitor, said the hedge plan was rejected primarily because the council had asked Georgia Petrus to submit a drawing of what the topiary would look like and how it would affect sight lines for people driving in the alley behind the business. He said the drawing that was submitted "was hand-drawn and crayon-colored," and the board's decision not to approve it was "based upon the lack of having a professional drawing showing the true dimensions." Georgia Petrus said if she loses the civil case before the district justice, she will appeal the decision. She said she already has spent $800 on legal expenses arising form the issue, something she never expected when she started the project. "I didn't realize it would be such a big issue," Georgia Petrus said. "This is very wearing, and it's so frustrating when you're trying to do something good, something pretty."

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