Greens at Crooked Tree
Landscape Specifications
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this document is to maintain or improve our property values by informing
neighbors of the scope of yard maintenance required in all the lots of our community.
It aims to offer helpful gardening hints which, if observed, will reward you by making your garden
more attractive.
AREAS COVERED BY THESE SPECIFICATIONS
The areas covered by this document are the front, sides and backs of your home in The Greens.
All areas need to be equally maintained. It isn’t enough just to take care of the front yard.
SCHEDULE OF YARD WORK
MOWING
You should aim to mow all accessible lawn areas as often as necessary to maintain a height of
no more than three inches on flat areas and no more than three-and-a-half inches on steep
inclines, berms or hillsides (the specified heights). Of course you can mow shorter than that –
provided your grass is of a type to accommodate this.
This could mean you have to mow once every nine or so days during periods of rapid growth.
During dry spells you may only need to mow once every twelve or so days. Whichever, please
keep the height of the grass in all areas of your lot to three inches or less.
Real enthusiasts use a reel mower with a collector but you can to a very good job with a
standard mulching mower.
Be sure to mow the front, side and rear of your home. Long grass quickly goes to seed and this
can cause allergic reactions – as can pollen from flowering weeds.
Remove all debris such as paper and edgings at the time of mowing and trim grass adjacent to
foundations, trees, shrubs, mulch beds, fences, lamp/posts and signs to the specified heights.
You can leave grass cuttings on turf unless they cause yellowing. If so, they must be raked up
and removed. It’s a good idea to have a mulch pile to receive such organic waste. Remove
grass cuttings from patios, footpaths, drives, streets, drains, other paved areas and mulch beds
after each mowing. Do not blow your clippings into a neighbor’s yard, onto a public footpath, or
on to the pavement.
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It’s never a good idea to mow during or directly after a rain because this can cause deep tire
marks and ruts.
Where possible, turn your irrigation system off the day before you plan to mow. Otherwise allow
several hours to elapse between turning off and mowing.
On the other hand, mowing on an overly dry lawn can cause yellow tire marks.
Finally, try as far as is possible to do your noisy landscape operations later during the mornings
and earlier on in the evenings
EDGING
Edge all sidewalks, sidewalks, curbs, and driveways during March each year using an edger set
at 2-inch depth. Edge around your trees during April and perhaps later in the year to keep the
beds looking good.
This makes your beds look so much neater!
WEEDING
Pull out weeds growing in beds until none are obvious. Don’t use a weed eater in mulched
areas!
Either pull up or apply Roundup or an analogous herbicide to any grass or weeds growing
through cracks and seams in the pavement and around a/c units.
MULCHING
Put down around two inches of new mulch during dry spells in March or April. You can either
leave the old mulch in place, or remove it. Don’t let the mulch go above the foundation line of
your homes because this can lead to stained masonry and issues with damp.
There are lots of inexpensive dark mulches that retain their color throughout the growing
season. These are typically dyed.
Keep your beds looking fresh by turning the mulch in July and October.
It’s a good idea to put down a pre-emergent weedkiller before applying new mulch because this
reduces the amount of weeding you will subsequently have to do.
TREE/SHRUB PLANTING
Well maintained trees and shrubs add value to your home and to the community in general.
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That is why you are encouraged to have at least one tree planted in the front of your lot. It is not
necessary to plant a very large new specimen. Smaller nursery stock establishes more quickly.
Choose a beautiful tree – such as a silver birch – as your central point of attention. Use conifers
such as Norwegian Spruces to give you privacy. Does your lot have any large damp areas? If
so, a golden weeping willow can be a good solution.
The best time to plant a new tree or shrub is during the Fall. Otherwise plant during the early
Spring. Safeguard your investment by ensuring it has sufficient water. Water bags take much of
the effort out of doing this.
TREE/SHRUB REMOVAL
Nothing looks as bad as dead or damaged trees/shrubs in the clear public view (that includes
your neighbors over the back fence!). So be sure to prune out the dead branches and quickly
remove any dead tree/shrubs.
PLANTINGS
You are encouraged to plant fresh annuals in your mulch beds each year, removing them
promptly when they stop flowering. Flowering perennials deliver color each year but give some
thought to how they look with dead flower heads!
Whatever you decide to plant in your yard, do please make sure you maintain it afterwards.
GROUND COVERS
Maintain and encourage your ground covers through periodic trimming, to prevent them from
encroaching on paved areas. Ground covers are a great way to suppress weeds, while requiring
little attention.
BED CARE
Maintain all bed areas in a neat, clean and vital condition with a weekly tidy-up where needed.
Nothing looks worse than a prominent bed full of weeds and dead plants.
TREE AND SHRUB PRUNING
Different species of shrubs need to be pruned at different times, so check with your supplier, or
a garden center. For example, prune lilac early in the Spring and you can end up removing most
of your future flowers for that year!
Prune and trim your specimen shrubs only with hand/hedge shears. Aim to maintain their
pleasing shape by taking out branches growing the wrong direction. Use motorized shears only
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on your dense-growing shrubs – such as Taxus, Buxus, etc.
Begin your pruning program in March by cutting back tree branches and shrubs that overhang
your paths, patios or home. At the same time prune back branches and shrubs that show winter
dieback.
Typically you’ll want to prune again between June and August 14, before a final pre-winter pruning
between early October and the third week in November. This gets your plants in shape for next
year.
You can perform touch-up prunings at any time so as to maintain a pleasing appearance.
Maintain your personal curbside tree by removing suckers that grow up from the roots and rob
the main axis of food. Prune the branches so that they don’t impede the delivery of mail or get in
the way of traffic.
LAWN, TREE & SHRUB CARE
LAWN CARE
It’s a very good idea to make an application of pre-emergent herbicide for control of weeds in
your lawn during March or April. This is very effective at ensuring you don’t suffer an earlyseason explosion of dandelions and other broad-leaved weeds. Include an early season fertilizer
to get your grass off to a vigorous start.
Fertilizing agents are not toxic and contain natural ingredients based on nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium. Though of relatively low toxicity, herbicides must be used with care because
certain family pets may have a susceptibility to them. Make sure you read the directions
carefully before applying them. Alternatively, buy your products from a company such as
Marvin’s Organic Garden.
If you are opposed to using chemicals on your lawn, then mow more frequently with the blades
set slightly lower, the object being to keep non-grass species from becoming obvious. There is
a slight advantage to this in that clover is kept under control whilst releasing free nitrogen into
the soil to nourish the grass.
Otherwise, arrange to treat your lawn with a seasonal mix of fertilizer and broadleaf herbicide
during late April and mid June. Lawns in the neighborhood suffer from root damage caused by
grub activity, so treat for this by applications when necessary during June through August.
Apply a complete fertilizer during late August, followed by a second treatment (if necessary) for
broadleaf weeds.
Prepare your lawn for winter by applying a complete fertilizer.
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Otherwise, apply spot treatments as and when necessary to maintain the beauty that is your
yard.
TREE & SHRUB CARE
At the end of March you should think about applying dormant oil to all trees and shrubs in your
yard that happen to be susceptible to spider mite, aphid, tent caterpillar, bagworm and scale
insect infestations. Follow this with a complete fertilizer applied to all trees and shrubs by end
April.
Be prepared to apply fungicides and insecticides to all susceptible trees and shrubs during early
May, mid- to end June and August.
Apply a complete fertilizer to the root system of trees and shrubs by end September to prepare
them for winter.
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