Submitted by Cindy Schnee
You’re looking good! It took a second round of notices to some units, but we are delighted to report that as of June 18 all units have mowed grass and tidied their yards. Grounds members pulled a bunch of weeds from hedges on June 17. There are still some issues with dog feces, but we’ve made great progress. Yards in general look better than they have for many years.
We’ll be inspecting again around the 15th of each month to make sure yards are kept up to standards. Several co-op members found teenagers to do work they were not able to do themselves. Ask Andrea in the office if you are looking for help. Don’t forget the dumpster in the parking lot if you need to dispose of unwanted items.
We heard that some people had trouble identifying noxious weeds. Our biggest weed issue in the co-op is creeping bellflower. This perennial has low-growing clumped foliage in spring and grows to a 1-metre tall flowering spike in summer. The leaves are heart-shaped in early stage, later becoming lance-shaped, tooth-edged and coarse textured. Flowers are purple-blue 2-3 centimetres-long nodding bells; the blooms begin on the lower stem.
Once established, creeping bellflower is very difficult to remove as even the smallest tiny root fragments can grow entirely new plants. It also spreads very easily as each stem produces up to 15,000 seeds. The plant is resistant to some herbicides. Creeping bellflower is also known as garden bluebell, rover bellflower, purple bell, garden harebell, creeping campanula, and creeping bluebell.
We have asked our landscaping contractor, Curbside, to deal with weeds that we missed in the common area and by the hedges along the parking lot. Remember, some costs such as sod can be paid for with your unit fund. Also, parents and kids, please pick up your stuff in the common area.
Thanks again to everyone who rose to the challenge.
The Grounds Committee