Site wide pruning scheduled to start in January

In January the landscape crew will be pruning shrubs throughout the grounds. We are working on getting away from the sheared rectangular hedges and rounded balls and transitioning to allowing the shrubs to have a natural shape. Unfortunately, most of the shrubs we have were planted without regard for their mature size and  in many cases must be pruned once or twice a year to keep them contained in a space to small for their mature size. 

Kathy and I have been researching pruning techniques. We are inspired by the practices of Cass Turnbull who founded PlantAmnesty., an organization that works to "end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs".    We will be working with our landscape company to determine which shrubs we can allow to get bigger and which shrubs should be removed simply because they really do not fit in the space they were planted in.  The goal is to reduce the amount of time spent pruning so that landscape maintenance efforts can be more effective.

BLB Board Approves Drip Irrigation

At the October Board Meeting, the Board of Directors approved installation of drip irrigation system in the common area. Don't know timing yet of installation.

Tree Inventory To Be Updated

This year's tree maintenance triggered a recognition of the need to get the Brittany Landing Bay Tree Inventory updated.  Ten trees were removed in October from various parts of the association and we are behind in replacing previously removed trees.  The first step is to update the inventory so that we know what trees we have and can more easily monitor their condition and plan for the future.  This is not an as easy job as there are about 300 trees.  We'll know exactly how many trees after we have systematically gone through the property and tagged trees  and updated the tree listing. The last tagging was done about 15 years ago and a lot has changed since then.

In selecting replacement trees we will be working to develop a tree palette that consists of trees that are drought tolerant and whose mature size fits the area it is planted in with width and height.  This is a challenge as we have many narrow spaces.

BLB Board approves Plant and Landscape Design Criteria!

At Tuesday's Board meeting, the Board members approved the Landscape Steering Committee's proposed Plant and Landscape Design Criteria.  These criteria provide a basis for phasing in implementation of a cohesive landscape design.  The next step is to use the Plant Criteria to refine the BLB Plant Palette.

Brittany Landing Bay Landscape Steering Committee Formed

The Board has approved the formation of a steering committee composed of Eddy Lehrer and Kathy Fricke. The primary purpose of this committee is to provide info so that our Board can make informed decisions regarding landscape care and improvements. Approval of the BLB Landscape Steering Committee was based on the following Mission Statement:

1.   Define landscape plant and design criteria (for example, use only drought tolerant plants, spacing from buildings, longevity of plants, mature plant size, minimize pruning, consider function, appropriate scale, color scheme,)
2.   Adopt Plant Palette based on the criteria defined in #1. Modify Serpico’s current plant palette – delete and add plants.
3.  Review landscape proposals prior to Board approval. Provide Board with comments and recommendations.
4. Work with Serpico and Elyce to develop a strategy for improvement of entire property that fits within budget constraints for recommendation to the Board.
5.  Keep the association members informed and allow for feedback from members.
6.  Work with Elyce and arborist on tree plan.
7.  Provide recommendations for maintenance of plants and trees.

Our first task will be to develop a plant and design criteria that will form the basis for future plant selections and landscape designs. Stay tuned for further developments!