Below are new guidelines for landscaping in our limited common areas. This is taken from the Sept-Oct 2015 Newsletter
Landscaping Guidelines:
1) The most important elements of these guidelines are:
- They apply to limited common areas.
- Consult with and respect your neighbors. If you plant something that your neighbors find objectionable, you may be asked by the Trustees to remove that plant.
2) Major plantings (trees, shrubs, tall and medium ornamental grasses) should not be added or removed without submission of a Landscaping Modification Form and approval of the Board of Trustees. Shrubs that are sickly, dead, or overcrowded may be removed at your own discretion and may be replaced with comparable material at your own expense.
3) Shrubs and trees may be pruned at your own discretion. If you feel that a shrub needs pruning and are unsure how to prune, feel free to consult with the Landscape Coordinator.
4) Unit owners may remove the short ornamental grasses at their own discretion without Board of Trustee approval.
5) Unit owners may plant bulbs, perennials, and annuals at their discretion. All such plantings must be properly maintained. This includes weeding, deadheading and removal of annuals at the end of the season.
6) Unit owners are encouraged to remove and trim invasive growth around the perimeter of our property if present near their units. Generally, it is preferable to dig up such invasive growth which may be placed out of sight in the woods near your unit.
The Landscape Committee and the Board of Trustees feel that by giving homeowners more latitude to plant and prune we can improve that appearance and contain costs.
Here is some information about our contract with Evergreen Landscaping Company. We have a three year contract and goes through 2017. It includes 26 mowings per year, 13 edgings, blowing areas clean after mowing, periodic weed control and fertilization, once yearly bark mulching, spring and fall clean up, maintenance of the irrigation system (irrigation water quality is a different contract), very limited trimming of shrubs, twice yearly mowing of the leach field and once yearly mowing around the pond. We pay $36,130.00 annually. The Board of Trustees together with our Management Company is working with Evergreen Landscaping to make adjustments in services without increasing the contract amount.
Rob Stuart of Evergreen Landscaping has completed the annual mowing of the pond area. The plan for next year is to have the pond area mowed three times to improve the appearance, accessibility, and health of that area.
Please email all maintenance requests to . If it can be accomplished by neighbors, it will be. If we need Butler, we will forward the request to JBM.
Trustees: Julie Hull, Philip Jackey, and Emma Herbison