that can be used as a background and supplement to the short published report on :
"PRESERVING THE ORIGINAL PC LANDSCAPE"
Examples of the original, lush, free-flowing, green Pelican Cove landscaping
Examples of the original, lush, free-flowing, green Pelican Cove landscaping
A PLAN FOR PRESERVING PELICAN COVE’S
UNIQUE, ORIGINAL LANDSCAPING
We are a group of long-time residents of Pelican Cove (Friends of PC Original Landscaping) who believe that the unique semi-tropical beauty of the landscaping is being severely diminished due to several ill-advised landscaping decisions made by the Grounds Committee and Grounds Manager over the past 2-3 years.
We also believe that most of these problems would have never occurred if a qualified landscape designer had been called in. This is one of the changes we are asking for. It is critical because we expect that the ongoing removal of invasive plants will make additional re-landscaping necessary in many areas of Pelican Cove.
We will not only lose the unique beauty and restorative energy of our landscaping but our property values will suffer as well.
Those of you who have lived here for longer than 3 years know how dismal many of the changes have been to our tree canopy and our beautiful, lush landscaping.
For the past year, we (and many others) have tried to make our views known to the Grounds Manager but have been completely ignored.
Instead, the Grounds Manager has continued to act on his own without notifying residents of the affected areas. In addition, he has implemented a mechanical design of his own that clashes violently with the lush, semi-tropical landscaping we inherited. We believe this was done in violation of the spirit and intent of the bylaws.
The Grounds Manager was hired to maintain our grounds and trees and he has done a good job. That does not mean he is free to ignore the original design and implement his own so as to forever change our landscape.
We are circulating this report among all residents of PC in order to gain the support necessary to petition the Grounds Committee to stop this degradation of our landscape.
The Grounds Manager has made the claim that the new landscaping is the result of water-saving recommendations made by the Board, but that is a half-truth. There are plenty of native, hardy, drought-resistant shrubs that complement the original landscaping that he has chosen not to use.
A trip to
The truth of the matter is that the small shrub, mechanical landscaping implemented by the Grounds Manager is the result of his own design skills, which are limited and completely at odds with the original landscaping design.
An example of the mechanical, small shrub landscaping introduced by the Grounds Manager.
An experienced landscape designer should have been called in.
We want to make it clear we are not talking about the maintenance of the grounds, which has been by and large a good effort. By maintenance we mean the trimming, fertilizing and general husbandry of plants, ground cover and trees as well as the routine replacement of plants and trees destroyed by frost or storms.
In addition, the Grounds Committee and Manager is to be commended for bringing homeowners attention to the critical need for a massive tree planting program for replacing our aging stock.
The procedure for Tree Replacement and communication of replacement to the residents, however, remains faulty in places. If it is not corrected, it could result in the premature removal of parts of our canopy that will take 50 years to correct.
What remains, however, is much larger problem. It is not as dramatic as the tree replacement/canopy problem, but it is equally important. That is the unwarranted introduction by the Grounds Manager of an inferior landscaping scheme that has already affected the look of large areas of Pelican Cove.
The damaged areas are:
1. the Entrance to PC ( Bird Sanctuary),
2.the entire parking area of Boathouse Circle
3.the general Brookhouse area (but in particular in front of unit 1687 along Vamo Road)
4. the Grovehouse area behind unit 1628.
The original semi-tropical landscaping created by Robert Morris and a skilled landscape designer from The Cornell School of Landscape Architecture has long been recognized (in Sarasota and elsewhere) as the equal of many renowned botanical gardens, including our own Selby Gardens. Anyone who came here 30 years ago, as many of us did, can attest to the spectacular beauty of the original PC landscaping.
Some Questions and Answers You need to Know
Who is
I am a prize-winning artist, poet and video-maker who moved here 30 years ago at the age of 39. I didn’t move here to retire. I moved here because Pelican Cove had one of the most beautiful landscapes I had ever encountered, public or private.
I live at Grovehouse 201, 1620 boathouse Circle. I have never been involved in the politics of Pelican cove until now, nor do I know many residents. I have initiated this report because I believe we are about to lose this magnificent, one of a kind landscape. You can think of me as the canary in the mine, and I am beginning to sing..
Soon after moving to Pelican Cove, I founded a well known
I am also an accomplished gardener and devotee of our great botanical gardens. I have a very good eye for color and for design. If you want evidence of this, here is a link to my unit in PC which I designed and decorated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v65IWkiPLoQ
That eye for sdesign and color can also be seen in my home in
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYFlPqmtdHo
Here is a link to the gardens I created for my
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0txk7aOYeRE
If you view all these videos I think you’ll see that I know something about gardening, color and design.
I also want to make it clear that what follows is not an attack on Mike O'Byrne, the Grounds Manager. I like Mike. He is superior to most of our previous grounds managers. What's more he is extremely organized and hardworking, and has done a very good job maintaining the grounds.
It is however a direct criticism of his decision, on his own, to change the nature of our magnificent landscape. His job description is to maintain and preserve the landsacpe. "Preserve" is not the same as "CHANGE."
It is also a direct criticism of his persistent habit of changing the landscape without notifying the residents affected. This has happened over and over. I am not talking here about the normal wear and tear replacement of trees and shrubs. That does not require notifying the residents. But changing the landscape does.
Both of these activities have to stop. Now.
What is happening to the Landscape?
The magnificent landscape we acquired in 1978 remained essentially undisturbed for 26 years except for replacement of plants and trees damaged by age, disease or storms.
All of the previous Grounds Managers understood that their job was to PRESERVE that landscaping, not CHANGE it with designs of their own.
For his own reasons, Mike O'Byrne, our Current Grounds Manager, re-interpreted preserve to mean CHANGE.
I believe this was done with the best of intentions on the Grounds Manager’s part, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We are living with the unintended consequences.
Here is a short history as to how it all began:
Four Years ago, our new Grounds Manager began to change the original beautiful design by implementing an entirely new landscape of his own on Boathouse Circle. Two years later, after it was evident that the new stunted, stringy landscaping was not going to grow in because it was unfit for shady areas, the residents petitioned for a re-landscaping. As of the end of March, 2009, that fight is still going on.
However, as a result of a recent conversation with Kevin Richards, the General Manager, I hope the residents of Boathouse will finally get the landscaping they want and deserve. For details on this ongoing struggle, click on the link below:
.
More to the point, the Grounds Manager has since gone on to implement that same inferior landscaping in several other areas of Pelican Cove, much to the outrage of residents. This report contains all the facts and pictures you’ll need to see what is happening and why our magnificent landscape is slowly being downgraded.
Why did the Grounds Manager re-interpret his job description?
The Grounds Manager is a good landscape MAINTENANCE manager with many good ideas. He is ambitious and wants to promote these ideas. That’s all to the good for Pelican Cove.
Unfortunately, some of his ideas are not that good and he has refused to modify them in any way. They are detailed in this report, because they are affecting the quality of our once magnificent landscape.
One of the major problems is that the Grounds Manager sees himself as an experienced, accomplished landscape designer.
It is clear, however, by examination of the areas he has re-landscaped, that he has VERY LIMITED design talent, one that is clearly not up to complementing the original, sophisticated design.
The Grounds Manager' new landscaping
The proof is in the pudding. One has only to look at the redesigned areas to see he has a limited sense of color and a very limited sense of good spatial design. It is also clear that he was ignorant of the classic design principles that guided the original, lush design and had no idea he was clashing with it.
One of the Grounds Manager's redesigned landscapes at the entrance to PC
How was the Grounds Manager able to do this? Aren’t there checks and balances in our system?
It is general knowledge that the previous General Manager, Bob Malan, had prevented the Grounds Manager from implementing his design plans out of an awareness that his design ideas would conflict with the original landscaping.
Four years ago, around 2005, for reasons that aren’t clear, the Grounds Manager was able to implement the first of his own landscape ideas and designs. This was occasioned when the residents of
When it was granted, they expected a green lush landscaping along the lines of the original. They had no idea that the Grounds Manager was going to implement a completely different plan of his own.
The Grounds Manager, on his own, basically rejected the idea of preserving the original landscaping and advanced his own designs.
Like much of what he has done over the past 5 years, there was no prior detailed communication of his plans to the residents.
This habit of acting without consultation of those affected continues today despite the objections of residents. It is also against the spirit of our bylaws.
I believe this irresponsible manner of working was responsible for the checks and balances not working. By this we mean that like the residents, neither Bob Malan nor the Grounds Committee had any detailed idea just how radical the design of Boathouse would be.
The design foisted upon
To sum it up, I feel that while the Grounds Manager is an excellent at maintenance, he is unskilled at the landscape design level required by PC. This is reflected in all of his re-landscapings, which have now gone far beyond
What is the resident’s recourse?
The Grounds Manager’s persistent habit of designing and planting first without any prior detailed notification is a management technique that leaves residents little recourse.
It ensures his ideas will be implemented with no review or suggestions and that it will be very expensive to undo the damage done.
This has been standard operating procedure for the Grounds Manager. Many residents will attest to this..
Let me use
First of all, it is very costly. It is also difficult because the Grounds Manager refuses to admit he has made a mistake about anything.
Again,
Two years ago, when residents again complained of the disastrous re-landscaping, the Grounds Manager told us the plantings were fine and that they were designed to provide color and reduce water and maintenance expenses, but the fact of the matter is the design is horrible and that the Grounds Manager didn’t even know enough about the plants to know they wouldn’t grow in the shady Boathouse Circle environment.
The disastrous landscaping on Boathouse Circle
Thus, over the past two years, I and the residents of
When the Grounds Manager presented his new, second design, it contained many of the same faults, i.e., the same small, colored plant/ mechanical landscaping.
It in no way answered the resident's requests for a landscaping similar to the original lush, green landscaping, the kind of landscaping that would draw the eye away from the INCREDIBLY DENSE parking garages of Boathouse Circle.
The original lush Pelican Cove landscaping
The Grounds Manager has since attempted to take refuge under the guise that the new landscaping rules determined the design, in that the original plants weren’t indigenous, naturally occurring plants.
This is complete nonsense: the major original plants were green ferns, green grasses and shade resistant palms and the like. All occur naturally, have low maintenance and water needs, and are perfect for shady
The real problem is that the Grounds Manager
wants his OWN design, not the original.
Unfortunately it is inferior and clashes with the original, magnificent landscaping.
What are the factors involved in this sudden spurt of re-landscaping?
1. One factor was a change in General Manager. When Kevin Richards took over 3 years ago as the new GM, Kevin gave Mike a free hand. I believe this was probably due to the fact he was faced with pressing financial matters and perhaps also because he lacked the landscape experience of a someone like such as Bob Malan, who was a horticulturist.
I believe that Kevin currently has a much clearer picture of the effect of the Grounds Manager's way of working on the landscaping. However, since Boathouse Circle, several additional large areas have been completely and disastrously re-landscaped. They are also the subject of this report. The pictures speak for themselves.
2. The second factor is the Grounds Manager's mistaken belief that he is the kind of sophisticated eye and training required to create a landscape that will blend with the original sophisticated design of PC.
3. The third factor is the introduction of grants which gave the PC Grounds staff monies to remove invasive plants. Because the Grounds Manager has chosen to remove everything, not just the invasive plants, a complete re-landscaping has been required, such as the Bird Sanctuary at the entrance to PC, and the Vamo end of
It is the feeling of many that this invasive plant removal should be reexamined, as these plants pose no danger to PC.
What the grants do provide is a source of money that in turn leads PC to having to match the money. This then leads to the removal of entire areas so as to require a whole new landscaping, which in turn leads to the degrading of our landscape with all its attendant problems.
The tail is wagging the dog, don’t you think?
What can we do about this mess?
It is our feeling that Kevin Richards, the Grounds Committee and the Board have to act NOW to stop all of the Grounds Manager’s landscape redesign activities until the Board and Grounds Committee resume in the fall and can make an informed decision.
If that doesn’t occur, our landscaping is going to continue to be degraded, and for no good reason. If the Grounds Manager continues to act on his own during the summer, the situation is going to be worse and more expensive to correct.
The only exception we would make to this general stoppage would be the various tree replacement and vaccination programs that have been approved by the various boards, committees and, most importantly, the residents involved.
For a lasting solution, I feel the following has to be implemented by management and the board as soon as they reconvene in the fall:
.:
- Create a Landscape Design Committee to pass on any new landscaping design. This capability is completely lacking in the current Grounds Committee.
- Limit the Grounds Manager activities solely to maintenance of existing landscape.
.
More Background
Parallels Between Original PC Landscaping and Central Park
that we should consider
and that might help us.
In addition, both landscaping schemes were highly sophisticated in the sense that although massive earth movement and plantings were done, the final result looked completely natural. In other words, you couldn’t see the hand of the designer.
In addition, from the beginning, both of these landscapes were recognized as uniquely beautiful and it was understood they should be maintained according to the initial design criteria.
This is reflected in the PC Condominium rules (which need tightening and expansion) and I presume in the NYC Dept park rules. (See Appendix 3)
In other words, if we take Central Park as an example, its Groundskeeper works under the understanding that he is to maintain the original beauty of Olmsted's design: the Sheep Meadow is to remain an open grassy area and the Rambles is to remain a wild, dense, overgrown bird and small animal preserve, etc. The Rambles is highly valued by ecological organizations. See Appendix 2 for info on Rambles.
Similarly, the Central park Grounds keeper understands that the types of trees and shrubs utilized by Frederick Olmstead were to remain constant. This principle has been honored for over 150 years in Central Park.
This same principle was honored for some 26 years in Pelican Cove. That principle was set aside, however, some 2-3 years ago for reasons that aren’t completely clear and without the consent of the majority of the homeowners as is the intended purpose of the rules. ( see appendix 3)
Instead of maintaining the original landscape, the Grounds Manager introduced a new type of rudimentary, mechanical landscaping that clashes violently with the original semi-tropical landscape.
The new landscaping is the kind one would immediately associate with a shopping mall or military base. It is a rudimentary one that is severe, un-natural, overly neat, and features small rows of shrubbery, often luridly colored.
It had been actively implemented throughout the landscape, so that the originally lush landscaping has already been severely degraded.
An example of the over-neatness of the New Landscaping that doesn't work.
The original bed surrounding the newly planted tree in picture on left was originally 2 feet longer on each side. If it had been kept, it would have allowed the planting of large ferns that would have further contributed to the beauty of the planting. The bed was reduced for no good reason except the Grounds Managers preference for being overly neat. Beauty is the last thing considered, if at all.
Another example of how the New Rudimentary Landscaping Doesn't Work.
Let me give you a very clear example of the damage done by the new landscaping by elaborating on the changes made to the Bird Sanctuary at the Entrance to Pelican Cove .
The wild, dense small wildlife and bird sanctuary (which is our counterpart to the Central Park Rambles) has been torn down for the sole reason that grants were obtained for removal of the invasive plants.
It is clear that grant money was the driving force in this landscape change, and that little thought was given to its continued use as a valuable wildlife sanctuary
We question the wisdom of removing such plants, as they actually enhanced the site's use as a bird sanctuary . We also see no visible damage done by the "invasive" plants to the rest of the PC landscape over the past thirty years.
It seems to us that invasive plants must be shown to be doing real harm to the landscaping before they are removed.
All that aside, the fact remains that the replacement landscaping is a disaster. It has none of the natural flowing beauty of the original PC landscaping.
The replacement landscaping is a mechanical, rudimentary, severe, shopping mall landscape that clashes with the original surrounding semi-tropical landscaping.
There was no reason for this kind of implementation. It went completely against the intent of the original lush, semi-tropical PC design.
Absolutely nothing was gained but a small park bench where no one will ever sit, while areas in Pelican Cove that truly needed maintenance, such as Boathouse Circle were ignored.
The original lush landscaping
What we have today is a hodge-podge and it is getting worse. Undoubtedly, it was done with the best intentions, but we are suffering from the unintended consequences.
We believe the only way to correct this situation is to create a small landscaping committee of homeowners skilled in design and color and gardening.
This design capability is completely missing today in the Grounds Committee.
This Landscape Design Committee would be a sub-committee or extension of the existing Grounds Committee, and would have full voting rights on the Grounds Committee. Its members would be residents with demonstrated abilities in gardening and design.
Provision would have to be made for hiring a sophisticated landscape designer (on a part-time, consulting basis) to draw up plans whenever a non-routine planting of trees, ground cover, or shrubbery is anticipated by the Grounds Committee.
The cost of the designer would come out of the grant monies for removal of invasive plants, which is the reason huge areas are being re-landscaped.
This non-routine landscaping work should amount to no more than 1-2 % of the total grounds work unless the tearing down of invasive plants and the like continues at its current pace.
but maintain it
It is our intention to limit the Grounds Manager to his original, intended function: maintenance of the original landscaping.
By that we mean any change to the landscape (of any size or kind) that does not involve a strict one-to-one replacement of an existing type of shrub, ground cover, or tree by an identical type has to be approved by the Landscaping Design Committee.
Landscape design is a highly sophisticated art. We shouldn’t expect our Grounds Managers or Grounds Committee as a whole to be skilled at it.
The evidence over the past two years indicates a marked absence of this skill among Committee members.
Thus, the Grounds Manager would not initiate new designs, but maintain the originals, just as is done by Central Park Grounds Managers.
We should work in the same manner Central Park does. It should be our model.
It is one that works.
Here is a short list of new landscaping schemes that have already affected the beauty of the original PC landscape design:
1. Problem: HAPHAZARD REPLACEMENT OF AGING TREES.
In replacing old trees, there has been a continued tendency to remove large numbers of trees before they actually have to be removed. Many are still in good shape with 5, 10, 15 years worth of life in them despite their “old tree” tags.
A CASE IN POINT: The unannounced, planned removal of almost half the trees on Boathouse Circle in Nov 2008 was one recent example of a plan that would have completely destroyed the look of Boathouse Circle with its majestic 75-90’ trees. Fortunately this was blocked by Boathouse Circle homeowners.
The Grounds Manager’s rationale was that the neighborhood would look better with all the trees being the same 25 foot height.
A good landscape designer would tell you exactly the opposite, that it would look far worse. Again, the landscaping would suffer because of the Grounds Manager’s preference for mechanical, over-neatness over beauty. This preference can be seen throughout the new landscaping.
A. The general principle on cutting down these existing old trees should be in the classic way all botanical gardens are maintained. It goes as follows:
Old trees should only be removed when they are truly old to the eye, and not merely because they have been tagged as “old.” Once a 75 foot tree has been cut down, it will take 50 years for the new one to reach that height again to replace the shade and canopy we now enjoy. Old trees should never be removed for grounds keeping convenience or because we may not have money to remove them in future years.
If we have extra tree planting money left over in a given year, we should use the money to plant seedlings to replace future aging trees, i.e., middle-aged trees that have not yet been tagged. This is the accepted landscaping practice, where new saplings are planted 10-35 years ahead of time so as to provide replacement trees down the road.
This practice should also be undertaken here now. It is not only smarter but cheaper. A sapling is a fraction of the cost of a $3000 25’ tree.
B.. A foolproof plan should be put in place for red labeling any tree that is to be removed along with a good, solid communication procedure to allow the homeowners in the neighborhood time to examine the trees and comment on the proposed removal.
Although a plan was implemented some time ago that kept track of the tagged trees and their locations, the masive tree removal incident at Boat House Circle incident at pelican Cove shows that blindly obeying the "Tag" scheme can be disastrous, as the tagging is only a general indication of the health of a tree.
As far as we know, and as evidenced by the continued confusion at the recent February 19 Harbor Club meeting on TREE REMOVAL, no concrete plan for sensible removal exists at this time. The grounds committee should draw one up for inspection and approval and then distribute it to all homeowners before ANY MORE TREES ARE REMOVED.
C. The UNWARRANTED REMOVAL OF FLOWERING TREES MUST STOP
Th Grounds Managers preference for over neatness beauty has led him in the past to cut down flower bearing trees ( without notification) because he felt they were messy, dropping blossoms on the ground. We know of 2 occasions where the Grounds Manager was blocked from doing so by alert homeowners .
The Grounds Manager has told us that residents complain of the dropped blossoms, but we doubt this. We also know, for sure, that no one ever complained about the two trees he attempted to remove but was prevented from doing so by homeowners.
These are examples of the Chinese Orchid trees that The Grounds Manager has tried to remove because the dropped blossoms were messy.
A good landscape designer would never remove these trees and would tell a complaining resident ( if there ever was one) that fallen blossoms are the SMALL price we have to pay for the beauty of Pelican Cove.
2. PROBLEM:The massive introduction of colored shrubbery. If the original designers of PC were to see these plants, they would be appalled. The problem with colored shrubbery is that the lurid, unpleasant colors prevent the eye from focusing on the green shrubs.
In other words, they block the ability of the green shrubbery to refresh and restore our sensibilities, which is why colored shrubbery is not used in any distinguished botanical garden. You won’t see it at Selby Gardens or Casey Key. You won’t see it at the Hyatt but you will see it at the low cost motels and strip malls throughout Sarasota.
The effect of these lurid colors on the eye's ability to absorb the healing, refreshing effect of green foliage is a subtle one and not at all obvious to many, especially if they are not color sensitive.
But these lurid colors have a deleterious effect upon our senses, and will in the end destroy that ability of our GREEN landscape to inspire and refresh us.
If you have any doubt about the long term effect of these colored plants, we suggest a careful reading of Appendix 4, which explains the effect of these plants on the unconscious and our sensory apparatus.
These lurid, mishapen shrubs contain no green leaves, and no flowers.
See Appendix 4 at end of this report detailing the disastrous long term effects of such colored shrubs.
Compare their lurid colors to the delicate flowers on the green leaved shrubs (below) that were a part of the original landscaping.
2. PROBLEM: The introduction of a rudimentary, mechanical, compact shrub landscaping. This rudimentary landscaping is nothing like the original lush, free-flowing landscaping.
The new landscaping is reminiscent of the landscaping you’d see at a military base, or hospital, or shopping mall, where the premium is on neatness, not beauty.
This rudimentary landscaping looks forced and unnatural and has none of the grace and flowing, tropical look of the original landscaping, which utilized intermixed plantings of various ferns, grasses, spaths, elephant ears and small palms and the like to achieve its relaxed, tropical look.
Examples of new, rudimentary, small, compact shrub landscaping that uses small, shrubs in rectangular arrays and is directly opposed to original lush landscaping.
The Three Areas Damaged by the New Landscaping
BOATHOUSE CIRCLE
Boathouse Circle was replanted several years ago with the sparse, stumpy plants typical of the new landscaping introduced by the Grounds Manager. It looks like a NYC parking lot. The proposed new 2009 landscaping plan has many of the same faults. See the report
Damaged Area 2
The Bird Sanctuary at Entrance to Pelican Cove.
The new, mechanical landscaping that replaced the bird sanctuary at the entrance to Pelican Cove.
It features small, neat rows of shrubbery. It is mechanical in nature and directly opposed to the original, lush, semi-tropical landscaping surrounding it.
( see picture below)
Damaged Area 3
BROOKHOUSE CIRCLE
An example of the mechanical, small shrub landscaping at VAMO end of Brookhouse Circle that replaced the beautiful, overgrown wild Plum tree area
Examples of the heavy ugly, planting of colored shrubbery throughout Brookhouse Area and the rest of Pelican Cove..
Other Damaged Areas
Smaller re-landscaped areas around units (which were once paid for and designed by owners) have been forbidden by the Grounds Manager, who insists that the designs be of his making even though the unit owner pays for them. Many homeowners have refused to submit to his design sense, and for good reason.
The photos below are examples of the relandscaping done on the land in back of Karen Mcgrath's Grovehouse which once hosted a grove of trees. It is bare , unsophisticated and so rudimentray as to be painful.
Relandscaping done on the land in back of Karen McGrath's Grovehouse which once hosted a grove of trees.
This has caused an uproar among homeowners who know something about design. There are many beautiful examples throughout PC where homeowners have taken up and extended the beauty of the original landscaping. Just a casual inspection of such units clearly indicates their design eye was far superior to that of the Grounds Manager.
This is the kind of thing, i.e., the approval/rejection of a homeowners design, that should be handled by the Landscaping Committee, not the Grounds Manager, whose design abilities are clearly limited.
"The wholesale removal of all trees and shrubs behind building 1628 in the summer of 2007 is yet another example of the ground manager’s utilitarian approach to landscaping, sacrificing beauty over ease of maintenance. In 2007, after a tree fell, two large gardens (each containing 20 plants and trees) were completely eradicated.
The garden behind G.R.-124/G.R.-224 had ten mature saddle philodendron, a dozen ti, two bottlebrush trees with asparagus ferns around their bases. This garden (which was also eradicated) was not damaged by the tree that fell to the east."
"The new landscaping consists of three swales or depressions surrounded by grass to drain water. This new bleak look allows Pelican Cove to easily maintain the area with simple mowing and watering of grass.
However, this has been a depressing outcome for residents who used to enjoy a view of a lush tropical garden from their lanais. The area could have been more attractively landscaped with a natural look with native shrubs (acclimated to both wet and dry conditions) planted in or around the swales."
Appendix:
1. Boathouse Circle re-landscaping should be postponed until a new landscaping designer is available. The proposed plan suffers from the same inadequacies as the previous landscaping plan that was been implemented. In addition it fails to address the special landscaping required due to the parking density of Boathouse Circle.
A report detailing those special needs and inability of the Grounds Manager to recognize them is contained in my 2008 report on the dismal condition of Boathouse Circle Landscaping. You can access it by going to beginning of this blog.
2. Appendix on Rambles in Central Park from Wikipedia:
"These 38-acres of wilderness called the Ramble are one of the true inspirations
of Olmsted and Vaux, the creators of Central Park....
Olmsted called his creation a "wild garden". With its countless trees, shrubs, meadows,
rocky cliffs and a winding stream it truly lives up to that distinction. This magical forest is truly remarkable and a tribute to the genius of the men who turned their dreams into a treasure for
millions of visitors and residents of New York. The Ramble is a sanctuary for as many as
250 species of birds that find it a perfect transitory stopover in their yearly migrating
pattern."
Appendix 3.PC Condo Rules: the intention of GROUNDS rules has not been honored.
“Plantings (are) …. For the maximum benefit of the entire community. Major changes will not be made without consideration of those most affected.”
The bylaws need to be amended to specificaly outline responsibilities of Grounds Manager, Grounds Committee, and proposed Landscape Design Committee.
Appendix 4. A report on the effect of Colored shrubs on the beauty of the original landscaping at PC
(previously printed in PC Newsletter)
We are in the process of losing the treasure we were given in 1979.
When I moved here in 1979, the PC landscape was clearly the equal of the gardens of the great English estates, the magnificent estates of the Hudson Valley, Fairchild Gardens in Miami, Bok Towers Garden in Central Florida and our own Selby Gardens. Like those great gardens, our landscaping was planted along the same rules that have governed the creation of serious landscaped gardens for hundreds of years.
This was no accident. The creator of our landscaping (and first grounds manager) was a highly skilled woman, a graduate of the Cornell school for Landscape Architecture, the Harvard of landscaping. I believe she would be appalled by what has happened to out landscaping. Here’s why:
The rules she followed are known to all serious landscape designers:
1) Beauty is achieved by the creating a collage of differing shades and shapes of green foliage. This rule is critical because green is the color that we subconsciously react to in the most positive way. We feel renewed, reborn, refreshed simply by looking at green foliage. It is in our genes.
2) Additional color is introduced by the natural flowers belonging to that green foliage, e.g., roses, hibiscus, oleander, penta, alamanda, Mexican petunia, orchid trees, jacaranda tree, and magnolia tree to name just a few. The beautiful colors and shapes of these flowers reflects centuries of natural and human selection.. Like the green foliage, they refresh, delight and renew
There is no good reason for these rules to have been ignored by planting an inferior form of shrub, and in particular I mean the large orange/yellow/black shrubs, the squiggly red/yellow/black shrubs, and the tall muddy red/purple shrubs that are increasingly a part of our landscape.
I am sure the grounds manager thought it was a good idea when he came up with it: why not supply color by using colored shrubs. Many of these colored shrubs require less maintenance and water, which also makes them financially attractive.
Unfortunately the color combinations of their leaves have exactly the opposite effect of green foliage: they are the colors of depression, illness, irritation, dying. Their colors are not the simple, bright colors of naturally flowering shrubs
In fact, their colored leaves have exactly the opposite effect, because their color combinations are those associated with dying (red/orange/black) disease (red/yellow/ black) and bruises (muddy red/purple). If you have any doubt about their power, I suggest you Google the disturbing work of the great English painter Francis Bacon, who uses these same palettes.
The ability of these palettes to irritate, disturb and depress is immediately evident to the practiced color eye of those of us who are artists and painters and photographers. To others it may not be immediately apparent, but like the canary in the mine, I can assure you if these colored shrubs aren’t terminated, the botanical masterpiece we inherited 30 ears ago will no longer refresh and renew us. In some sections of PC, where the ratio of these plants to the green foliage is already 30% or more, the ability of these unbecoming shrubs to visually block out the surrounding green and deliver their own disturbing message is more than evident.
This is the reason why you won’t see any of these horrid colored shrubs in Selby gardens, or in any of the landscaping on Casey Key, where the homeowners religiously follow the same design principles.
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If these shrubs aren’t evident in your section of PC, I suggest you take a walk around the other sections to see how prevalent they have become. My estimate is that if we continue planting them at the current rate, we will reach a point of no return in less than 5 years.
What will happen then —these effects by the way are very subtle but after time they have their way—is that our landscaping will begin to irritate and depress us on a subconscious level. We won’t like looking at it and will tend to look away. We will want to go inside.
I suggest that those who have a practiced eye for color make their feelings known in writing to the Kevin Richards, the general manager. If we don’t stop the proliferation of these plants now, we are going to regret it..
THE WHOLESALE REMOVAL OF TREES.
The replacement of older trees is a good idea. It should have been planned for long ago. It is done in every serious landscape. What I am calling into question is the grounds manager’s practice of removing the older trees before planting the new ones. This dubious practice was adopted by the grounds manager for his own reasons of uniformity. It is a serious mistake. This is never done in landscapes such as ours. Never. The new trees are always planted 5-25 years ahead of time and the older trees brought down when they are in the terminal stages of decay.
This time-honored practice would preserve the magnificent beauty afforded by our 50-75’ trees until their replacements grow up. REMEMBER, ONCE THESE TALL TREES ARE CUT DOWN, THERE IS NO GOING BACK. If you want to see what the wholesale removal of trees does to make a neighborhood look barren, I suggest you go to the eastern section of the Brookhouses where 41 and Vamo meet. Talk to the residents. See what they think about the wholesale removal of their tall trees.
It is not a part of the report on preserving the Original PC landscaping.
The plantings for Boathouse Circle proposed by the Grounds Manager in 2008 are by and large not suitable. It should be redesigned to be more in line with the original landscaping of Pelican Cove.
Here are the specific objections. The details follow:
1. Ixora 'Nora Grant' is a bad choice for tips of parking islands. It is a boxy hedge that does nothing to offset the dense garages. Something flowing and luxuriant like ferns are required. Also it is not suitable for the shady Boathouse Circle area, and the flowers will not appear. Here are the gardening instructions ( in blue) backing up my observations:
“Almost all ixoras do best in full sun, acid soil, free from nematodes, a moist organic mix that is also well drained. Ixora can endure some salt spray on the wind. Planted in shady areas or with excess water on leaves, sooty mold usually sets in. ..... typical hedge pruning cuts off most of the stem tips from which flowers emerge."
2. The Gold Mound plants introduce more colored foliage, in this case yellow leaves. It is a small hedgy plant. We need tall, green flowing plants Also it is not suitable for the shady Boathouse Circle area. Here are the gardening instructions backing up my observation:
Ornamental Characteristics
Foliage Color Yellow
height 12-24" (Medium)
Exposure
Sun or partial sun
3. Beautyberry is a good choice because it does well in shade and it is a flowing green plant with small flowers and red berries. If the plant indicated in the Grounds managers BluePrint is the one that grows 6-8 feet it will be excellent.
We need taller plants like this, not small, dumpy ones. Here are the gardening instructions in blue backing up my observation.
About This Plant
Fast-growing deciduous shrubs, beautyberries grow 4 to 8 feet tall and wide. Plant them in a natural woodland setting under tall shade trees or as an informal hedge along the perimeter of a property. Beautyberries have small, lavender-pink, lilac-like flowers in spring, followed by vivid purple or white berries in fall. The berries attract birds, as well as provide winter color. Although the berries are edible, they aren't the most desired food of birds and often hang on the bush into late winter. The foliage turns an attractive yellow in fall.4.Variegated Arbicola. This plant is essentially another yellow plant. Yellow is the color of distress. We need green plants. It is used everywhere in PC. We need much better variety.
the size, light and watering needs are fine but its color is offensive. The blue gardening instructions back up my observations.
Schefflera arbicola 'Gold Capella'
Variegated Hawaiian Elf Schefflera
Araliaceae
Schefflera arbicola 'Gold Capella', or Variegated Hawaiian Elf Schefflera, is a cultivar of Schefflera arbicola with shiny green with golden yellow variegation. Leaves are palmately compound with 7-9 leaflets. Plants may reach a height of 10 feet (3 m) in height with an equal spread.
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6.. The proposed island cut back (1 ½ -2 feet) of the existing islands between garages will not allow the plants on the tips to combat the boxy rectangular garage frames. The plants will be hidden by cars. See picture below. The entire enlarged planter area would be lost:
Again, beauty is sacrificed for neatness. The plants on tips of islands are critical in drawing the eye away from the boxy, dense garages.
The proposed new landscaping for Bathouse Crcle suffers from the same faults as all of the new landscaping done by the Grounds Manager. It is a hodgepodge of boxy plants, rudimentary in design and completely at odds with the original landscaping
Finally no provision has been made for placing ground cover in the bare lot opposite over half the units on Boathouse Circle. This is an eyesore and contributes to the depressing look of Boathouse Circle. It should have been done years ago rather than the plum tree replacement and bird sanctuary replacements which serve no purpose.
The bare lot facing half the houses on Boathouse Circle is a disgrace. any talented landscape designer would have planted gorundcover as part of the Boathouse Circle landscaping.
Wedelia would make an excellent groundcover for the bare lot and is used in similar areas of PC ( see picture above of wedelia behind Wilbanks in similar shady area.) It is cheap and durable. Strips planted today wil cover the entire area within 2 years. The wedelia would dramatically increase the beauty of the lot and thus diminish the harsh, visual impact of the dense parking garages.
prepared by justin spring email: springjustin@yahoo.com 306 1119
1620 Boathouse Circle gr201
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