This is the time of year that all of us get the green thumb to enhance our landscapes. Your Cross Creek board of directors first priority is to make every effort to help everyone realize the importance of keeping our home looking the best that they can, especially in these times of down turn. It is also important to think of your neighbors as each home effects the value of all homes in our community. Our landscape maintenance contractor, Tampa Lawn Salon Inc. has been working above and beyond there obligation to make this communities landscape better looking then it has been in years and will continue to work hard for all of you. We are hoping that you will all join us and do your part by improving your home for the benefit of our community. Listed below are easy ways to improve the curb appeal of your home this season.

   

Pruning - Now is the time to prune back all the frost damage. Visually inspect the plant for signs of new growth (i.e. green buds) and trim away the damaged stems up to the area where the new buds are forming. Established shrubs can be cut back and shaped without fear of harming the shrubs. Most shrubs should not exceed 4 feet in height but if the height does exceed 4 feet, typically foliage will be lost near the bottom. Reshaping will need to be done slowly over several months allowing for some recovery between each trim.

 

Weeding - Pesky weeds popping up in your plant bed? It’s best to spray a weed control (i.e. Round Up or Othro weed killer) throughout the plant bed and then pull the weeds once they have browned out. This will prevent the spreading of its seeds during pulling. Weed control prevents new weed growth for up to 2 months. It is a good idea to keep some weed control on hand through out the year so you can treat the weeds as they pop up. If you treat the weeds at first sight managing your weed problem will become less and less as the spread of seeds will decrease. If all neighbors work on this together weed problems will decrease even more and become less work for everyone.

 

Mulch, Rock, Synthetics - Once the weeds are pulled and a weed control is applied, next thing is the mulch. Adding 2 to 3 inches of mulch to your landscape helps prevent weed growth and also helps retain moisture for the plants, plus it improves the look of the landscape. There are also alternatives to mulch such as rock and synthetic mulch look alike materials that can be used. The addition of edging will also improve the look of your plant bed and make your life easier by give a quick and easy guide for grass cutting and edging tools, as well as keeping your landscaping material in it’s intended place and not out in your yard or driveway.

 

Tree Trimming - Hurricane season is coming and now is a great time to trim trees and palms. As a good rule of thumb and in the best interest of your personal safety... if you need a ladder to reach a limb or the job requires the use of a chain saw - it's best to call in a professional. All of the trees in our community are now well established and most are in need of proper trimming for aesthetic and safety reasons. The larger our trees get with out proper trimming the more risk is gained for failure during high winds or hurricane conditions. View this link for more trimming information: http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/pruning/