Park Trace HOA Tree Project Completed, March 2019
Green Topps Tree Service just completed tree work and clean up throughout the Park Trace Estates common areas. The work began at the end of November. They were delayed by Mother Nature with unusual winter rain making the ground too soggy for the heavy equipment to pass through. Trees were trimmed, which included 31 Live Oaks and 92 Sabal (Cabbage) Palms. Invasive Brazilian Pepper trees and Carrotwood trees were removed. Seed pods from the 2 entrance palms were removed to prevent the palm fruit from making a mess of the roads below.
Green Topps also cleared out the dead brush along the back side of Pond L5 near the Legacy Trail and Oscar Scherer State Park. The brush was put through a chipper and returned to its natural wooded setting. The Oscar Scherer State Park Manager, Tony Clements kindly allowed the work trucks and chipper access through their park to reach Park Trace Estates. Oscar Scherer Park Ranger Dan Nelson guided the trucks to their destination. We are grateful to have the state park as good neighbors who worked with us on this project and always offers us assistance if needed.
The numerous mature trees throughout our community are spectacular works of nature. They clean the air we breathe, cool us off, buffer the noise and feed the human soul. The Park Trace HOA Board is committed to the planting and proper care of our trees, as well as ongoing improvements to make our community a great place to live.
Maintenance Schedule for Common Areas, Dec 2018: click here
Landscape Committee Report, Dec 2018: click here
Landscape Committee report, May 17th 2018: click here
Landscape Review of Progress to Date
May, 2018
- 4 new gardens were installed in front of the PT monuments
- 2 new gardens were installed in the entrance islands
- Irrigation system was repaired and fine tuned and is checked monthly
- Irrigation pump repaired
- Sylvester palm trees in island entrances cleaned up and fertilized
- Fertilization program of trees, shrubs and plants implemented
- Sidewalks along Bay Street were repaired and some parts replaced
- Overgrown grass on Bay St. Pond cleared and now maintained
- Plant holiday annuals in the monuments gardens
- Clean up of overgrowth on most eastern pond on Legacy Trail
- Trim overhanging tree branches in formal common areas on Bay St. Pond
Current Projects
- Establish a low maintenance buffer zone along the pond’s edge to prevent erosion and filter runoff before entering ponds
- Work with Oscar Scherer State Park to remove the invasive species along our shared property line on the most eastern pond. Coordinate with Park officials and volunteers from Park Trace for a clean up day (on Park Trace side).
How You Can Help
Keep grass clippings out of all ponds and away from street drains. If you use a landscape company, please be sure they follow this practice.
Fertilize only when the grass is actively growing. Grass is dormant in winter, therefore fertilizer is not necessary. Do not apply any fertilizer near bodies of water. Leave a 10 foot no-pesticide zone from the water’s edge.
Summary
The HOA Board and Landscape Committee are dedicated to improving the overall appearance of Park Trace common areas and ponds. In doing so, we can enhance property values as well as ensuring a beautiful, healthy and natural environment. We welcome your feedback and look forward to serving Park Trace in 2018.
New Welcome Gardens
On October 11, 2017, the island Welcome Gardens at the East and West entrances to Park Trace Estates were planted with colorful shrubs and plants to highlight our majestic Sylvester palm trees.
The plantings for each garden are adorned with 12 Mammy crotons and 18 foxtail ferns. The Mammy croton is an easy-to-for-care shrub with bright red, yellow and green leaves that will provide year-round, tropical style color. Mammy crotons are slow growers that will be maintained at a height of 2 to 2-1/2 feet. These jazzy-colored crotons partner well with the lemon-lime color of the foxtail ferns surrounding the island perimeter. The foxtail fern is amazingly tough, and adds textural contrast and color to our Welcome Gardens.
A very special thanks to Helen Statz, Bill Statz and Bob Ungemach, our volunteers, for all their hard work planting the beautiful gardens that say “Welcome” to Park Trace Estates.
Margaret Monti
Park Trace Landscape Committee
Park Trace Has New Entrance Gardens!
On June 23, 2017 four new garden beds were installed at the monuments on the East and West entrances to Park Trace Estates.
The new plantings include 44 native coontie Zamia floridana. The coontie shrub is a beautiful, amazingly tough dark green fern-like shrub that can handle dry and wet Florida seasons. With time and some patience, the shrubs will grow and fill in nicely without demanding high maintenance or toxic chemicals. The coontie was used to make Arrowroot starch and is the sole larval food plant for the atala hair-streak butterfly.
The 96 Carolyn Whorton caladiums add attractive foliage color in shades of red, pink, green and white. The caladiums will grow larger and more vibrant in color with time. It is considered a perennial but takes a break in the late fall when the leaves die back and return in the springtime. In their absence, Poinsettias will be planted for the holiday season adding a red burst of festive color.
The established podocarpus hedge anchors the bed from the upper deck and highlights the beautiful monument walls with the green Park Trace name.
The two island beds with the graceful Sylvester palm trees and roses are a work in progress. The palm trees are scheduled to be trimmed of their old fronds and seed pods. This will address the untidiness of mashed fruit on the road below. The trees will also be treated with the appropriate palm fertilizer to make them healthy again.
The rose bushes in the island beds have been treated to weekly fertilizing for five weeks so far. They are showing signs of improvement but have been put on probation. They are fussy plants requiring frequent fertilizing, pruning and dead heading. We aim to please our residents and will consider replacements if the two beds don’t shape up.
All the garden beds have been mulched with pine bark mulch for a beautiful finished look. Mulch keeps the weeds under control while keeping moisture in the soil. The drip irrigation hose system is concealed under the mulch and reaches the roots of all the plantings in the most efficient manner possible. The beds are being checked regularly as the new plantings become established.
Please know that we have other landscaping projects pending. With this in mind, we’re in need of volunteers. If you are so inclined to get your thumbs green, please contact me. You’ll have lots of fun. We hope you enjoy the new gardens. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Margaret Monti
Park Trace Landscape Committee