By Louise Caudle, Chair

 

As announced at the homeowners association board meeting Jan. 12, our landscaping contractor, Boyco, expected to begin spreading premium hardwood mulch in the yards of 156 homes the week of Jan. 28, weather permitting. Five homeowners opted to continue to maintain their own pine bark or other mulch.

 

We have contracted with Boyco to spread the mulch generally in the areas of the original beds installed by Epcon at the front of our homes. The crews also are spreading mulch between houses that have a decorative front fence but no back fence.

 

Boyco is not spreading new mulch in landscaping beds installed by homeowners because homeowners remain fully responsible for all landscaping they install, whether within fenced-in areas or outside fenced-in areas.

 

As part of this project, the landscapers will spread mulch in the common areas, except in common areas with a significant slope, where the crews will spread pine straw.

 

Boyco continues to work regularly in the neighborhood throughout the winter months. Its winter work includes leaf blowing, string trimming where needed, minor reshaping of plants, winter weed removal in landscaping beds and grass, and any other touch-up work that might be needed to keep our landscaping looking well-maintained. Boyco also refreshes the five dog waste stations within our neighborhood each time they are here.

 

In addition to the routine work Boyco does for us during the growing season — such as mowing, edging, string trimming, weeding and blowing grass clippings — it is responsible for the following services:

• Late winter/early spring — Cut back liriope and ornamental grasses

• March — Apply pre-emergent weed killer to all grass

• Early spring — Aerate grass, with cores left to degrade naturally

• April — Apply 19-0-3 and 5-0-10 fertilizer to all grass; apply 14-14-14 fertilizer with iron to all trees and shrubs, with MethEx coating for extended feeding

• May — Apply 18-12-10 fertilizer to all grass

• June — Spread granular fungicide to all grass as needed, if/when dollar spot and brown patch occur

• June/July — Prune and shape all shrubbery up to nine feet tall

• September — Apply 18-12-10 fertilizer to all grass; apply post-emergent weed killer to kill summer weeds that emerge when pre-emergent runs its course

• October-December — Prune and shape all shrubbery up to nine feet tall

• December — Apply lime to all turf

• As needed — Spot treat for fire ants; trim all tree limbs that are hanging below nine feet and affecting walkway and driveway clearance

 

If you have any questions about this report, please send them to the landscaping email address: landscape.cyasp@gmail.com

 

Landscaping Committee members are Debbie Bell, Kathleen Cirillo, MaryKay Doane, Leigh Garmhausen, Bob Williams and me.