In Jo's Yard - 9 Keeping My Neighbors Informed

Green Isle Gardens has contacted the appropriate authorities to come mark the yard, so that disaster can be averted when they come to plant!   One person comes to mark WATER and one person comes to mark everything else – electric, cable, and so on. 

I decide to take the advice from someone on the garden tour – I will email my neighbors to let them know what is happening.  While I would like to get more people to consider a Native Landscape, I am hoping at least to avoid having any complaints filed against me.  I write to my neighbors:

Dear friends and neighbors,

I’m writing to give you some news about what will be happening in my yard, so you won’t be surprised.  I am converting my landscape to 100% Florida Native Plants.  I hired a professional landscape designer and the plan was approved by The Villages a little while ago [http://www.districtgov.org/departments/Community-Standards/community-standards.aspx ] . 

I have contracted with Green Isle Gardens to remove the grass and install the plants.  [ http://www.greenislegardens.com/ ]

Weather permitting Green Isle Gardens will herbicide the grass one day this week.  The herbicide is dry after about 30 minutes and can be walked on in a couple of hours after application, however, I recommend that you keep your pets away.  It will take about 3 weeks for the grass to die.  So I apologize now for the way it will look, but IT WILL GET BETTER.

Week 4, Green Isle Gardens will begin installing the new trees, shrubs and flowers.  We are doing this in two parts – (1) installing trees/shrubs/flowers in the front yard and installing all the ground cover plants in entire yard and (2) probably around late October-November, installing remainder of the trees/shrubs/flowers along the sides and in the back. 

In the meantime – if anyone would like to take away the plants I currently have (provided by The Villages with the house), you are welcome to them.  Just let me know ahead of time, and you can come dig them up anytime before Green Isle Gardens takes them away in June.   

I've got the nice tree in my front yard (ever-green), a nice holly bush near my garage and around the lamp post

• 12 - Indian Hawthorn, white flowers
•  6 - landscaper thought it was a kind of Viburnum - can grow into nice hedge, white flowers
•  8 - Loropetalum - pink flowers    

Thank you for understanding while my yard is in transition. 

    Water and Utilities are marked in my yard in preparation for converting my yard to native plants