Condo Media - March 2022 - 24

Landscaping and Gardening Policies
W
Working with a wide variety of urban
and suburban communities, we've seen
these policies in action in very different
settings. However restrictive or open a
community's policies may be, it's critical
that policies are clear and appropriately
communicated. Here are some helpful
tips for developing and enforcing a landscaping
and gardening policy that will
resonate with owners and residents and
benefi t the community.
ESTABLISH A LANDSCAPE
MAINTENANCE OR
BUILDING AND
GROUNDS COMMITTEE
REGARDLESS OF THE SIZE of your
community or the dollar amount of
your landscape maintenance budget,
it's smart to form a committee that is
focused on landscaping, including
setting the vision that is communicated
to the community's staff or commercial
landscape contractor.
Having an elected community leader
on the committee or participating in
the group will create a more effective
committee by helping it stay within
its defi ned responsibilities. Here is
a brief overview of the committee's
responsibilities:
● Evaluating current landscape
conditions and making appropriate
recommendations to the Board.
● Suggesting additions and
amendments to the community's
landscape maintenance program.
● Choosing and evaluating commercial
landscape maintenance providers.
● Communicating landscaping and
gardening policies to owners.
● Creating systems for
enforcing policies.
● Providing periodic updates to the
board on landscaping and grounds
maintenance matters.
Draft a Gardening Policy for Common Areas
MANY TIMES, owners take on
beautifi cation efforts in common
areas that are publicly visible or
adjacent to their unit. While these
efforts are typically done with good
intentions, it is important to draft a
gardening policy for common areas
to save the board from having to approve
them on a case-by-case basis
and to avoid disputes around plant
material or aesthetics. What one
resident considers an eyesore may
be seen as beautiful by another.
While an association may opt to
completely prohibit owners from
planting in common areas, the board
should consider where the common
area is located, how much there is,
and if an outright ban is conducive
with the atmosphere it's trying to
cultivate within its community.
People love to garden and plant fl owers.
So, if there are common areas
that could make sense for planting,
being too restrictive may send the
unintended message that this is
just a place to live rather than a
friendly and neighborly community.
The gardening policy must be explicit
on what can or cannot be planted
in all areas. Here are some general
guidelines of what it should cover:
● Restricting the planting of certain
trees, shrubs, or edible plants.
● Governing the height of plants.
● Regulating tree removal.
● Establishing the association's
right to remove plants that aren't
being cared for and/or at the
end of the growing season.
● Providing a system for handling
landscape maintenance requests.
● Identifying who handles
what aspects of landscaping-
commercial landscape
company versus owners.
All policies should include
a section on enforcement, as owners
should know what to expect
should they not conform. Being
specifi c will avoid future misunderstandings
and complaints of
arbitrary enforcement.
Require an ApprovedPlant Color Scheme
SOME ASSOCIATIONS have extremely specifi c regulations on what kind of
fl owers and greenery can be planted to maintain a consistent look throughout
the community. In these cases, the gardening policy lists permitted annuals
and/or perennials and even specifi es acceptable colors.
Most owners will agree that a community as a whole looks better if the
plantings are somewhat similar-or at least complement one another. Also,
an approved plant list helps residents avoid invasive plants, such as Wisteria
or English Ivy, that can rapidly spread to unintended areas.
Most homeowners will cooperate with these types of rules, especially if they
are presented to be similarly constructed as other common condo regulations.
24 CONDOMEDIA March 2022
Condo Media - March 2022

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