All 62 townhomes front on a single lane which is lined with 88 mature silver linden trees that flower and drop a lot of debris in July. We use a leaf truck with a leaf vacuum to clean up the abundant dropped flowers. The overarching linden branches are often damaged by delivery and moving trucks, so the trees are inspected for damage during our weekly visits.

The site contains 730 trees including evergreens, ornamentals, and shade trees, an average of more than 11 trees per home. A comprehensive tree PHC program provides the extra support the trees need to thrive despite the limited space for their root zones. PHC includes weekly inspections during high-risk time periods to ensure the timely application of preventive fungicides and insecticide treatments.

A limestone-edged pond featuring a lively fountain welcomes residents as they arrive home. The pond is inspected biweekly and treated for algae as needed. The fountain is removed for the winter. More false spirea, dogwoods, and hosta have been added recently to replace shrubs that can’t tolerate the site’s heavy clay soils and excessive moisture.

Because trees are such an important element of the neighborhood’s aesthetic, every tree’s condition, health, and treatments are tracked using a detailed tree inventory. Tree care includes structural pruning, deep root feeding, and inspection and removal of girdling roots.

Uplighting on the linden trees is buried in groundcover beds along the main drive. Pachysandra, euonymus, and English ivy are the primary groundcovers. Groundcover around lighting fixtures is pruned four times a year to maintain adequate light levels.

Beds are weeded and detailed during weekly site visits. Perennials include day lilies, hostas, peony, bell flower, spring columbine and ornamental grasses. Perennials are deadheaded weekly.

Boxwoods line all the courtyards between the buildings and planting beds in front of the townhomes. All shrubs including boxwoods are hand-pruned to achieve the natural look preferred by the HOA’s landscape committee.

The site is extremely compact with narrow streets, so maneuvering equipment and parking trucks and trailers is always a challenge. Townhomes have detached garages that are accessed from narrow alleys that run parallel to the main street. We keep our service day consistent so residents know when to expect our crew onsite, and they avoid blocking access to service areas. Our crew parks at the far west end of the community near the pumphouse, then walks to the work areas.

The only turf is a large common lawn area at the west end of the property and a smaller stormwater detention area at the front entrance. Turf is mowed weekly and throughout the season receives three fertilizations, two weed control applications, and a spring pre-emergent treatment. The brick building in this view is the pumphouse for the on-site well that supplies water for all the residences. The silo holds softener salt. When salt is spilled during delivery, the contaminated turf and soil must be replaced.

Perennials are deadheaded during weekly site visits. Once a year all beds receive an application of granular slow-release fertilizer. Every other year hostas and daylilies are divided and transplanted in the tree line along the outside perimeter of the property.

Regular maintenance work is performed during weekly visits, but crews make additional visits for watering and supplemental services. Our enhancement crews provided extra support for the self-managed HOA by managing maintenance tasks such as sidewalk repair, power washing, painting site furnishings, and fence repair.

Layered shrubs, perennials, ornamental trees, evergreens, and deciduous trees are hand-pruned to create a lush, multi-textured landscape in soothing tone-on-tone greens. The site is fully irrigated but because of the clay soils, we monitor moisture levels closely to avoid over-watering.

The only annual display is planted in this 2’ by 6’ bed at the entry where fresh cut evergreens and embellishments are placed for the holiday season. Groundcover, hydrangea blossoms, perennials, and ornamental grasses provide additional winter interest. Snow is hauled offsite when a moderate or larger snow event occurs, since there’s no space to pile it onsite. Salt products can be used on the roadways if necessary, but only sand is permitted on the sidewalks for de-icing.

Naturalized aquatic grasses soften the pond edge. Tri-color beech, gingko, elm, and blue spruce are a few of the 730 trees that create this densely wooded sanctuary within walking distance of shopping and businesses. An arborist and horticulturist provide PHC support to help the landscape thrive in the urban environment.