This gated community on Long Island, New York, is home to a greenbelt of trees and shrubs. When the greenbelt was planted over 25 years ago, the goal was to reduce noise from a nearby expressway. At first, the plantings had a positive impact, but as time went on, it became clear the plants were overcrowded. In 2017, the HOA brought in Devon Creek Landscaping, based in Plainview, New York, to address the excess plantings and restore order to the landscape, earning them a 2024 Gold Award of Excellence. Â
From the beginning, it was a challenge to convince the residents there was a problem since only some of them live in the affected areas. Devon Creek and the HOA worked together to show the landscape’s value and create common ground. This was accomplished during meetings and presentations with the community to highlight the existing problems, along with plans to make improvements. Another issue was the unrealistic budget from the HOA, which required them to raise funds. As time passed, the frequent communication paid off as funds were slowly raised, allowing the work to commence.
The biggest challenge was the extensive tree cover in the greenbelt. Many of these trees were underplanted with shrubs that were losing light and space. Devon Creek addressed the problem by removing the struggling plants in the understory and thinning the excess trees to restore proper spacing. A long-term plan is in place to restore plantings under the trees using species that tolerate shade and acidic soil. So far, they’ve had success with several plants, including liriope, hakone grass, and rhododendrons.
In the turf areas, shade wasn’t the only problem. Roots from the trees were interfering with the irrigation system and absorbing moisture from the lawn. Using an air spade, the team pruned the roots to provide space for the system. Some of the turf was also having frequent disease problems, so Devon Creek worked closely with the irrigation contractor to adjust the irrigation schedule, nozzle output, and the split zones. They also focused on deep watering to encourage deeper roots that would remain below the irrigation system.
Acidic soil was a concern in parts of the property, so the team worked to change the soil pH using humic and soluble calcified limestone. This land had originally been used for a sand quarry, and much of the soil is not consistent. Some areas were backfilled with clay, while other spots had mainly sand under the soil surface. With all those variables, it’s been a time-consuming process to diagnose and move forward with the proper adjustments.
Shrubs had also been overplanted in the original design. During 2021, Devon Creek began a shrub reduction program to remove any shrubs that were outgrowing their space. They also spent time rejuvenating some of the existing shrubs through dormant pruning.
The center of the property features a manmade lake. Years ago, an outside tree company was brought in to remove the trees along the shoreline to improve the view for residents. Once the stumps were removed, erosion became an issue along much of shoreline, which is sloped. Since then, Devon Creek has developed a multi-year plan to fill the shoreline with ornamental and beach grasses, beach roses, and other perennials.
In a typical year, Devon Creek has several teams that perform maintenance on the 60-acre site. One of them is a three-person report-to-site crew that maintains the planting beds, performs light pruning, and addresses requests from residents. Two six-person crews do weekly mowing and other maintenance, while an in-house agronomy team handles any lawn and ornamental applications.
Interested in participating in the Awards of Excellence? Be sure to enter your projects when entries open in February 2025.
