Submitted by Pamela Boyd on behalf of Grounds Committee
Grounds Report July 4, 2019
On Hedges
The current Grounds Policy, approved in 2008, states:
· Hedges should be trimmed and free of weeds
· Hedges should not overgrow walkways
It is good practice to trim hedges at least once annually, especially as they reestablish themselves following treatment for disease. Trimming, after they flower in early summer, promotes new growth and helps keep the hedges thick and healthy. Tall hedges may improve privacy, but are not great for security. Untrimmed hedges become scraggly and unsightly.
There are clippers in the tool shed along with two containers of bleach wipes. Wipe clipper blades with bleach after each use and when moving between sites to avoid spreading the disease that infected our hedges. Hedge clippings go in the compost bins, not the regular garbage. If the compost bins are full, rake the clippings into a pile and wait until there’s room in a bin. We have asked Blue Planet about getting more or larger compost bins.
NB. A former policy stated that hedges should be no higher than the fences. This requirement was dropped in the last round of policy revisions.
Weed Reminder
While our coop grounds are so lush and green and lovely it is important to remember the weeds.
We have heard that some people have trouble identifying noxious weeds. Our biggest weed issue in the co-op is creeping bellflower.
Bellflower is a perennial, low-growing in spring, growing underneath everything else. You can pull out the heart-shaped leaves in hunks. Later it is a 1-metre tall purple-blue nodding bell in summer with elongated leaves and is much easier to pull out.
Manitoba Maples are weed trees that infest Sunnyhill. Most of us have them in our yards. Even people who thought they were “clean” find baby maples in their yards. The only way to get rid of them (without herbicides) is to pull them out by hand. Just cutting them down helps, but has to be done each year as new suckers appear. These trees send out water-loving roots that can damage our building foundations and water pipes. Once established, they are very difficult to remove.
