Landscape Committee

By Mary Sapp, Chair 

The Landscape Committee met earlier this month to decide on upcoming projects for the year. The highest priority is removing the small dead/dying holly bushes in the verge (the area between Lakeport Way and the RA path) next to the brick wall between 1985 and 1989 Lakeport Way. This area is what landscapers call a “hellstrip” due to the limited space, heat and drought stress from poor drainage, poor soil and compaction, impact of snow removal, foot traffic and car doors, and dog pee. These conditions have made finding a solution challenging, but after researching a variety of potential options on the internet and consulting with two landscape designers, we have decided to install liriope and boulders, similar to what is in the verge on the other side of the large willow oak there—the liriope survives in virtually any conditions and we can get a warranty for the boulders for 100 years😊. We will also experiment with adding a few other plants away from where car doors open (three possibilities are being discussed) and will postpone the project installation until the fall to avoid the challenge of summer heat and drought.

Another project will be to landscape the narrow strip between the RA path and the iron railing behind 1959 Lakeport Way. Conditions there are similar to the verge. We plan to install Sedum Autumn Joy (there is already some at the end of the downhill side that seems to be doing well there) but supplement with a ground cover (two possibilities are being discussed).  This project will also be done in the fall.

In addition, we plan to do two small projects near the dock: The first is to remove a huge invasive Chinese fountain grass to the left of the pollinator garden (saving as many of the daffodil bulbs it overgrew as possible) and transplant three Agastache ”Blue Fortune” shrubs from the pollinator garden in its place (this pollinator did so well last summer that it crowded out and killed two adjacent plants; it will have more room in the new location). The second project is to plant three St. John’s wort bushes between the pollinator garden and where the fountain grass is currently located. This will not only block two paths that the geese have made up the hill but provide another pollinator next to the existing pollinator garden. In addition, we will have fabric barriers installed next to the Kids’ Garden and also near the fence to the South Lakes dock to contain the spread of liriope spicata from adjacent verges.

Two arborists have visited Lakeport to look at our trees. We received preliminary proposals from both and an updated proposal from one (adding dead trees the other arborist found). Once we have a revised proposal from the second arborist (removing some trees if he agrees the work isn’t critical now), we’ll announce the opportunity for owners to contact the arborist doing the work if they want to get proposals for tree work on their own property (presumably for a reduced price because the crew will already be at Lakeport). 

Earlier, the Landscape Committee met with the project manager for Complete Landscape Service (Lakeport’s landscape maintenance contractor) at the end of March to walk the property and discuss services scheduled in our contract and some other landscape issues. As mentioned in an email to the community, Complete has been unable to hire the workers they normally would (they hire only legal workers) because although they submitted paperwork and paid fees for H-1B visas for workers they have used in the past, they still had not received government approval by May 1. They ended up switching to other sources of workers, but that has also been challenging because some legal workers are afraid to go to locations that ICE agents are known to visit, and some citizens either don’t come back after one day or have to be let go for lack of effort. We also learned that Meadows Farms is having exactly the same problems with labor. Fortunately, Complete is now getting enough crew members to finish spring clean-up, mowing, and trimming, and last week they treated for grubs at the entrance and roses, put down mulch, and reset the steppingstones to benches in Triangle Park. This week they will finish the mulching, fertilize ginkgos, and fertilize our grass and treat it for weeds.

Not surprisingly, Winter took a toll on some of our plants. Three Wildberry heucheras were planted in Triangle Park to fill in where others had died, and Complete Landscape replaced warrantied plants that died in the entrance beds, at the bottom of the entrance hill, and in the pollinator garden.