A large share of Verandah’s charm and appeal stems from its attention to landscaping. Beyond normal maintenance activities, the VCA provides $42,500 annually for landscape replacement. The need for replacements can be due to plant failure and disease, aged-out plant beds, car strikes, and hurricanes, like Helene, Milton, and other calamities.
River Village Way at Verandah Boulevard was a top priority refurbishment project for this year, as this is the most visible intersection in the community.
The Club granted this area to the VCA at turnover. Some existing healthy plants were kept, similar irrigation needs and light requirements, and sightline issues were all considered in designing this garden. Florida native plants, like Coontie, Florida- friendly and tried and true plants were chosen. The plant list includes Croton Mammy, Coontie, Arboricola Dazzle, Jatropha Compacta, Podocarpus (existing), Duranta (existing) and Dwarf Ixora; Viburnum and Simpson’s Stopper hedges were installed to screen utility boxes.
BEFORE
AFTER
LANDSCAPE PROJECTS
The VCA Landscape Committee is identifying, evaluating and prioritizing next projects.
- Safety Issue Remediation ○ Line of sight (blind spots) problems both on the sidewalks and on the roadways. ○ Sidewalk encroachment, where shrubs grow out and over the sidewalk squeezing foot and bicycle traffic.
- Aged-out landscape beds will be replaced with plants that better fit the space, minimizing hard trimming along road and sidewalks, and have similar irrigation requirements. Native plants will be given preference.
- Opening up vistas to lake and golf course views wherever possible.
- Dog Park Parking Area Renovation – providing a replacement hedge to screen parked cars.
PLEASE HELP US OUT
The VCA would greatly appreciate your assistance in identifying safety concerns on our common areas. If you see anything that you’d like us to take a look at, please contact [email protected] to report the problem. Try to be specific as to the location and issue.
