LANDSCAPING COMMITTEE

Sept. 8th, 2008		The one-year-old riprap field during the Hannah overflow is subjected to the overwhelming force of the water's flow.	panorama of the destruction	Even these heavy boulders were tumbled downstream and piled in heaps revealing the ag-cloth below.
Sept. 15th Board Presentation		The high maintenance riprap field which will require rebuilding every year should be replaced with a "green" overflow which is quite successful in similar situations..		The overflow would be designed with such a width that the water is only 3 inches deep at any point, preventing any erosion.
		Looking towards the pond.  The overflow would be widened to carry it away from the foot of the dam.		Looking towards Huntingridge Rd. the overflow would be excavated to 37 ft wide and the soil moved to the downhill side, thus leveling it.
		Good sod would be stripped from the uphill side and be applied to the overflow later.  Red fescue is the best grass for this application, drought and shade tolerant.		The project could be done by our Southern Seasons maintenance crew at a more reasonable price than any hardscape work such as concrete or stone.
November 2, 2005		Camellia Sasanqua blooms profusely late in the season as my neighbor at 10 Bayswater Place found out.  Certainly is a lovely plant but give it lots of room.  Camellias are more like trees and will need to be pruned a lot.		If you want a source for this wonderful shrub visit Camellia Forest's website.  They are just 7 miles, other side of Carrboro.  Tell Kai Mei or David Parks that I sent you and they will give you a tour.

For those of you who would like to do some gardening on your own and have a small plot of ground in your courtyard or in front of your courtyard walls, we welcome your efforts.  A list of plants which are slow growing, evergreen, with dramatic blossoms some of which are fragrant is available.

We recommend that you do not go to Home Depot or Lowes since most of the materials there are fast growing and will only provide headaches to the facilities crew in the future.  We do not like elephant legs with a bristle of leaves sprouting from the top.  The plants in the plant list will grow to the ultimate height shown in the table.  The tallest of them may reach 10 feet in 15 years and will remain narrow throughout their life.  Pay attention to the conditions that the plant prefers.  Some will do well in full sun, others will do better in shade.

For wall maintenance, we require that you plant permanent plants (shrubs and perennials) more than 3 feet away from the wall.  The diminutive beds we have will not allow more than a few shrubs in any event.  Do not overcrowd the plants since that will eventually lead to their demise upon maturity.  Keep it simple.  Plant taller materials in the back of the bed and near the courtyard gate, smaller plants in front of that and annuals or ground covers near the sidewalk.

We do not encourage containers in front of courtyard walls.  Plant in the ground and take the pots into your courtyard or deck where they belong.  English ivy is also discouraged since it will scar the walls with rootlets that are almost impossible to remove.  If ivy is allowed to climb up trees, it will eventually kill the tree.  Remember that the areas in front of your courtyard are common areas and we all will have to endure poor choices in plants and placement.  Happy gardening!

The extended drought continues.  A complaint of dead shrubs at 26 Bloomsbury Court is just another example of this effect.  If you want your shrubs to look healthy and happy, you must water them during these dry periods.  There may be yet another round of shrub removals next year.

In October of 2005, the FHA completed the removal of dead or unhealthy shrubs.  You may have seen these activities taking place.  This required the use of a small Caterpillar tractor.  It certainly looks better for the neighborhood to have only the healthy shrubs showing.  Hopefully, next year we will be able to plant shrubs in some of the vacant beds in front of your courtyards.  If you choose to plant your favorite shrub, please make sure that it is a slow growing one and make sure that you plant with at least 3 feet of clearance in front of the wall.  This will allow for future re-painting projects.

If you are looking for plant materials to replace those removed may I recommend that you consider my personal favorite, Daphne from http://www.waysidegardens.com.  It is a slow growing shrub which is evergreen and hardy in Durham and produces fragrant blooms in the spring.  For other shrubs which are quite suited to our weather conditions visit the Fantastic Plants website and search for the keyword slow.  They are in Tennessee and shipping will be minimal.  Don't forget to plant shrubs at least 3 feet from any walls that need painting periodically.

Imagine the stately appearance of your courtyard gate flanked by two spire-like shrubs which grow only a few inches a year.  At Camellia Forest you can find just the shrub.  Choose from the Boxwood 'Graham Blandy', the Juniper 'Suecica Nana', Juniper 'Sparkle' or the Yew 'Beanpole' which will all remain 1 or 2 feet wide throughout their lives.  These will ultimately approach 6 feet in height except for the latter two shrubs which will be 10 feet high.  It may take these shrubs 18 or 20 years to get to these heights.  Prices range from $6 to $16.  A very reasonable price for such a long lasting, formal entryway.  I chose two 'Skyrocket' Junipers from Wayside Gardens and they are about chest high after one years growth, another good choice for slow growth and low maintenance.  You can combine these with other slow-growing shrubs with globe-like shapes.  Choose from the Cryptomeria 'Ryokugyoku', the Cryptomeria 'Yokohama', or the Dwarf Holly 'Rock Garden' all available from Camellia Forest.  Happy hunting!

There are a number of perennials available to those of you who are interested.  I can supply you with shasta daisy, iris, gaillardia, black-eyed susan, single chrysanthemum, nandina, butterfly bush.  Another lovely plant which survives here is the Ginger Lily.  You may have seen the tropical-looking 4-foot-high plant topped with profuse white blossoms which waft their fragrance yards away.  The tuber looks just like the ginger that you use for cooking but it isn't very tasty.  I have plenty growing in my beds and would gladly give you a few.  Many of the flower beds are overgrown and need to be thinned out.  Just give me a call or visit my address.

During one of the hottest days of Summer the Power Mulch Systems trucks pulled into town.  The application of mulch to the common areas including mail boxes and entrances to the streets was carried out quickly and efficiently.  You may have seen these trucks on the morning of the 27th.  They apply just what is needed and only charge for that amount of mulch.  Thanks to George Cunningham and Ed Foy of http://powermulchsystems.com for getting this job done almost before noon.

July 27th, 2005

It only took two men per truck to apply the mulch.

The landscape committee of one (Dave Suwala) was planting 50 narcissus bulbs in the borders of the beds at the Huntingridge Road entrance in the cool hours of the morning on July 1st.  The heat was building and I was forced to go inside with the AC to cool off and drink a fizzie water.  When I returned there was Charles Cain of Thorncroft Place with his bow saw in hand volunteering to cut down the dead tree that was jutting out of the woods on the left side of the road.  I often see these things go unattended for weeks not having the strength to deal with them myself.  Thanks Charles for going that one step further.

Here is sweat equity in action!  Pat Coke, vice president of FHA, Jim Seitzer and his wife B.J. are working hard to spruce up the entrance beds at Paddington and Wellesley Places just off Brookhollow Lane.  Thanks to Pat's son for volunteering to rototill the beds.  The rototilling is difficult in the hardened Durham soil laced with roots.  Some of these plants may not have had oxygen in their roots for decades.  Excellent job!  Later you'll see pictures of the finished beds so come on back.

May 28th, 2005

Rototilling is the tough job.

Pulling out the roots is next.

Here are Pat Coke, her son and Jim Seitzer.

Jim, Pat, B.J. trying to pour water in Dave's boot while he hams it up

Landscaping Committee Chairman, David Suwala