Verandah is known and loved for its natural beauty. The mission of the Landscape Committee is to preserve and maintain that beauty for our enjoyment and to show visitors why we are proud to call this magnificent place home.
The Landscape Committee was established at turnover in 2022, with Wally Watson serving as Board Liaison. The committee’s initial work focused on gathering key information throughout the community about the landscape we would be maintaining, including tree identification and counts, condition assessments, and ideas for future improvements.
Logan Campbell currently serves as our Board Liaison. Linda Lach, former Board Liaison, chairs the committee. Committee members include Barbara Watson, Florida Master Gardener; Deloris Donnelly, Florida Master Gardener; Bernie Bonessa, journalist and avid gardener; and Donna Murphy, floral designer. VCA General Manager James Tanigawa, with his strong interest in and deep knowledge of landscaping, is also an important contributor to the committee’s work.
Much of Verandah’s landscaping is more than twenty years old. After years of severe pruning and exposure to Florida’s challenging climate, many of our plantings are showing their age. As we replace and renovate plantings, we favor native varieties whenever possible, taking into account sun exposure and our knowledge of plants that have proven to be the gold standard for endurance. We work closely with our VCA landscapers to optimize irrigation in renovated beds. At the recommendation of Chris Rivera, Vision Customer Support Manager, we have approved hard cutbacks on aging hedges where lower branches are bare and foliage is sparse. This practice has worked very well in most cases and has reduced both the need for plant replacement and related costs. We remain committed to the principle of putting the right plant in the right place.
The committee has completed more than fifty projects and some are included in the before-and-after examples shown here. We prioritized projects based on need and visibility. Renovations at the River Village Way and the Oak Bend/Verandah Boulevard intersections were among the first because both areas needed significant attention and are among Verandah’s most visible intersections. In addition to replacing plants, we have opened views throughout the community. A notable example is the stretch along Verandah Boulevard between the Dog Park and Mossy Oak, where the lake view is now open and beautifully framed.
Lighting the Live Oaks at both entrances was also a Landscape Committee concept. To reduce walkway encroachment, we have replaced overgrown shrubs with sod or pine straw, creating a “jump-off” area when the walkway becomes crowded. We’re always on the lookout for line of sight issues.
Last year, we introduced the “Let’s Grow Verandah” gardening series to offer residents engaging topics related to gardening and landscaping. Deloris Donnelly, who has many contacts in the local landscape community, spearheads this initiative.
Our tentative presentations for this year are:
Orchid Basics – November 2026
Butterfly Gardening – January 2027
Florida Wildlife Corridor, Part 2 – February 2027
Palm Identification – March 2027
We welcome your suggestions for future presentations.
