The front yard captured in a 2022 Google map photo.
There’s a red brick house behind all the vegetation, and it’s one of the 1,600 units in my co-op. The owners (actually, we’re “members” since don’t own our units; we just buy the right to live in them) had spent years creating all that screening for privacy, wildlife, and the family’s enjoyment of their front yard.
Then the yearly yard inspection (ironically called the “Beautification Program”) was done by the co-op staff and for reasons we still haven’t figured out, they did this to the property. With no knowledge or consent of the owners.
Now it gives me no pleasure to criticize my (generally well run and certainly fiscally responsible) co-op publicly but this is TOO GOOD an example of the need for training. (And in our case, maybe also a staff change or two.)
The plants destroyed are a large magnolia in front, an old cherry tree, a large Japanese maple near the house, and a hedge of old hollies between this house and the one next door.
Alerted to this disaster by a horrified fellow member, I snapped pictures that I posted to the co-op’s unofficial Facebook group, which resulted in a huge hue and cry and the end of the yard inspection program until it can be fixed for next year, if there is one.
And you thought HOAs were scary!
Co-ops are like HOAs, only with lots more power. But as scary as this overjealous “clean-up” is to gardeners and passersby alike, what I find even scarier are the assessments levied against so many condo members. Today I read about one in Florida where, after the collapse of a multi-story condo in 2021, owners are being assessed about $224,000 each to bring their building up to improved safety standards, per the New York Times (gift link.) I’d call that “Now I HAVE to move” scary!
As a professional gardener I am often horrified to see the lack of training or basic horticultural knowledge in landscaping companies or city services. A friend of mine hired a landscaper (who came highly recommended!) to weed her flower beds when she was too sick to do it, and they pulled out nearly all of her perennials and discarded them. Hundreds of dollars’ worth of plants, and she had to pay them for their “work.” She didn’t complain (agauin, too sick) but I was livid on her behalf.
I too am a gardener – landscape designer and was hired 3 years ago to landscape a man’s yard in honor of his spouse who had just died. I went above and beyond my contract because she had been a dear friend. I spent many hours making sure that everything was what he wanted. I assured him that in 3 years he would really see a profound difference. When he went on vacation, I watered and weeded. When Spring came, I made sure everything was doing well and then he asked his 5 grandsons to come over and weed for him. They pulled out every plant and hacked down every shrub. I almost cry just writing about this.
This is appalling not only for the occupants of the house but for all who live nearby. I hope there will be a restitution of the previous planting scheme asap!
How can people be so callous! It is bad enough when the homeowners do this themselves, let alone someone else. In California, pressure to make our homes fire safe and insurable, often leads to removal of native oaks and other lovely landscaping. The sound of a chainsaw fills me with dread.
The lack of training for pesticide applicators is even worse because it is more dangerous. The California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) sent more than 300 survey questionnaires to “practitioners” who had registered for Continuing Education credits for Cal-IPC classes and “land manager staff of organization throughout California.” Most of these “practitioners” are employees of government agencies.
40% of respondents are not calibrating their herbicide use. “Calibration is the process of adjusting and measuring the amount of pesticide that a piece of equipment will apply to a target area. It’s an important step in the pesticide application process to ensure that the equipment is applying the correct amount of pesticide at the right rate and in a uniform manner.” (Google search)
28% of respondents had never received calibration training. 20% of respondents said they did not calibrate their herbicide application because “they did not know how.” Cal-IPC often claims that herbicides are being applied “judiciously.” If you don’t know how to apply herbicides, you are unlikely to apply them “judiciously.”
Many pesticide applicators are not properly trained or they are not following legally mandated instructions for pesticide applications on product labels. They are hurting themselves when they don’t wear legally required personal protection equipment. They are hurting the environment and everyone who lives in it when they use too much pesticide because they have not calibrated their applications as required by the product label. When they don’t post pesticide application notices in advance of their applications, they deprive the public of the opportunity to protect themselves by avoiding the area. Even when they do, such signs would not be helpful to wildlife.
There is an enormous gap between policy and practice, in general, as well as specifically in horticulture.
Unfortunate that this grounds crew was so murderous, especially in Greenbelt. They should be called back to finish the job and dig out the decapitated shrubs. At least there’s now a blank canvas for some new landscaping.
And they should have to plant NEW trees, at their expense. What about the environment, fgs?
This is just short of criminal.
Why anyone would choose to live under such totalitarian regimes as co-ops or HOAs is beyond me, I’m afraid.
So sorry for those home owners!
That is a decade of growth!
Someone needs to be held criminally liable! And those need to be replaced! What piece of human garbage does that!?! There is no way that can be described as simple pruning.
I have told friends many times “I can plant all the cute little 3 gallons I want. But I can’t replace 30 years of growth. “
How sad this is to witness, Susan. Beware of township ordinances as well. Our former town in New Jersey would issue warning letters threatening legal court orders for properties having too much plant growth in the front and side yards. We got letters about a hedge arch I was growing over the front walkway. We spent forth of July weekend trimming it. A friend ignored the letters. They sent a township crew in and leveled her property destroying shrubbery, perennials and removing a rock garden. They served her with an outrageous bill and a warning that if she ignored further letters there would be legal court action taken. This all in the name of keeping the town “beautiful.” It’s more like keeping the town looking like a moon scape. Who votes for these laws in our democratic society after all? I’m appalled at the blatant rape of this once lush property. This undoubtably the property served the need of birds, insects and small animals for their survival. Once again the selfish gene takes over.
Kathleen,
Sounds like weed abatement efforts ended up being landscape destruction. It would be interesting to see that township’s landscape guidelines and rules.
Condo fees are scary. But one has no choice to defer maintainence for a condo because one hasn’t enough money to pay for it. If you don’t have the cash flow to keep paying for the upkeep eventually you will lose the condo to foreclosure by the condo association. It’s scary.
horrifying. such a complete violation.
were the hollies the hard-pruned material on the photo-right? if so, they should eventually regrow very well, given water and some soil-food. small consolation, but holly is a plant that can take drastic cutting back much better than many.