Sprucing Up For Spring
Yesterday thirteen people from Capitol Hill, Madison Valley, Denny Blaine, and Madison Park gathered for our 9am-noon work party. I was able to attend and take pictures and chat with people (I pulled a muscle in my back last week so I wasn’t much help). There was coffee, baked goods. Plants were pruned, green waste was gathered, and the south beach bench was shored up. Me and my strained back missed out on a little March Madness (an angry appearance by the neighbor to the south). But mostly we had a great time catching up and cleaning up. And Libby and I sported our FOHB t-shirts.
- Daniel
A NOTE FROM LIBBY
We need to thank all volunteers who made it yesterday to clean and prune. Thanks to Judy and Bob C. who took on the hazardous bench area. They restored that old bench and that whole corner to a safe, usable condition. Arborist Daniel Collins advised us on pruning how tos. Libby, Jane, Susie, Matt, Hugh, Sally, David, and Susan. Marilyn and Bob H cut and stacked piles of prunings to be ready for pickup. Daniel S. documented, gathered sign-in details and captured images for you. Everyone picked up. Thank you all!
And regarding the interaction with Spencer Frazer-homeowner to the south: he interrupted our work Saturday to complain that we were acting improperly. We were not, and here are the facts should you ever need them:
Stewards and volunteers are allowed and encouraged to do maintenance in the streetend. For example, pruning dead and overgrown branches is good care for rhodies’ health long-term. In the large stand of them close to the beach masses of branches are melded together in twisted, long-neglected thickets. Cleaning out this area promotes the health and renews the strength of the plants.
Pruning is allowed on branches under 2 inches. No permit is required.
Rhododendrons are not trees and are not counted as trees when pruning is undertaken. It is permissible to prune their branches over 2” without a permit because, again, rhododendrons are not trees.
An onsite arborist provided guidance for our pruning work.
The rockery area which we opened back up yesterday is not part of the area of encroachments permitted to Spencer Frazer and Mary Snapp, adjacent homeowners.
It is public land in the right-of-way and ours to use freely.
Old-timers will recall the rock wall to the south as a nice place to sit. It is available again for you to enjoy. The same is true of the funky, but now safe and serviceable bench built decades ago by “John”. No longer a hazard.
We have requested another work party on April 22 (Earth Day as it happens). We’ll let you know if that will be possible. Great work, everybody
Cheers!
