[Maryland Girl]

Originally Posted by Villageswimmer

You are 100% correct. They are copernicia macroglossa—petticoat palms, and they are exactly as you describe.

Thank you.

[2newyorkers]

Originally Posted by NancyLillian

Thank you for your information on what NOT to plant.....how about some suggestions for good things TO plant?

I have dwarf bottle brush. Almost zero maintenance. People often stop to ask about them.

[Bjeanj]

Originally Posted by 2newyorkers

I have dwarf bottle brush. Almost zero maintenance. People often stop to ask about them.

I had to look that up. Those are striking!

[John_W]

Originally Posted by Maryland Girl

...We lived in Linthicum near BWI in the same house from 1976-2011. My sister and her family and my mom lived across the street. Eventually my mom died, my niece and nephew went away to college and then got married and my sister and brother-in-law sold and moved to Bel Air to be near their daughter and her family. I'm not a big football fan, but my husband is a Raven's and Oriole's fan. He has an Orioles cap and a Raven's sweatshirt.

We were always in the northeast area, Parkville, White Marsh or Abingdon. I did work for a couple of years at a company just off I-97 right next to BWI, it was a business park and I didn't really see much else. Before the company moved there, they were located off West Patapsco Ave, not the greatest area but I found a really good sub shop in Arbutus I would go for lunch.

When we moved in 2011 we bought new, so we had the choice of Pennecamp, Buttonwood, St.James or Tamarind Grove depending on the type home we wanted and at what time. We went with a masonry CYV for immediate sale, so we ended up in Tamarind Grove near Sterling Hgts Rec Center. What village did you move to?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Diane F

We have 3 Sylvesters, a Ribbon palm, and several Sugar palms too around are pool, and I wouldn't trade them for the world. After all we do live in Florida. To not have them would be like not having firs and pine trees in the mountains! Yes there upkeep is a hassle, but if you like them and can afford the upkeep, plant them!

We like our red maple and sweet gum trees. Plant away from the house if possible. Also, like viburnum for a quasi-fence line - recommended for Fl. Boxwood hedges work in Fl. Podocarpus are hardy in Fl. Maybe one (only 1) Carolina Pine ( called Arizona out west) - they are a VERY pretty bluish-green color and smell great - their downside is that they take a lot of work and space. We had a Sycamore (AKA cottonwood out west), which was a BIG mistake. Don't make that mistake - giant leaves blowing around your yard and making your neighbors hate you. Also grows too large.

[Maryland Girl]

Originally Posted by John_W

We were always in the northeast area, Parkville, White Marsh or Abingdon. I did work for a couple of years at a company just off I-97 right next to BWI, it was a business park and I didn't really see much else. Before the company moved there, they were located off West Patapsco Ave, not the greatest area but I found a really good sub shop in Arbutus I would go for lunch.

When we moved in 2011 we bought new, so we had the choice of Pennecamp, Buttonwood, St.James or Tamarind Grove depending on the type home we wanted and at what time. We went with a masonry CYV for immediate sale, so we ended up in Tamarind Grove near Sterling Hgts Rec Center. What village did you move to?

We came down in Nov., 2011 for a lifestyle preview and impulsively bought a lot in Buttonwood. After we returned home, we realized what we really wanted was an expanded CYV, which we didn't think existed at that time. In Dec., 2011, I happened to go onto TV website and new CYV's in Edgewater Bungalows were up for sale. While on the phone with our realtor, who was driving through the Bungalows, I said the only house we really wanted was an expanded, two-car garage one that had sold. He kept saying, "but that house is sold." I know I was frustrating him no end, but then he got really quiet and finally said, "I don't think the sale of that house is going through." He then said he would get in the queue and try to get it for us. A couple of days later, he called and said the house was ours. He said a man from Georgia had bought it without his wife seeing it and she had said no way was she going to buy a house she had not seen. Well, that is how we ended up in our CYV. We had two doggies when we moved down so our large yard was a good thing for them. They have since both died. Anyway, that is the saga of how we came to live in our CYV, which we like and enjoy to this day.

I know there are a lot of business parks around BWI now and we know Arbutus well. Linthicum started as a farming community and has a lot of history attached to it. When we moved there in 1976, it was just a sleepy small town community. Over the years, the airport, Baltimore City and the Light Rail have put a lot of pressure on it. So many of the small businesses have been sold and small shopping plazas have sprung up with new businesses in them. We probably would have stayed if not for the snow and ice and the interior stairs. Now how we ended up in TV is another story altogether.

[Waddling Eagle]

Sylvester palms are not bad. The males bear no fruit; the females, however, produce large clusters of orange dates which need to be cleaned up once a year. The dates are edible, but there is not much meat on them. Neither is it difficult to trim a Sylvester yourself. And if your palm becomes a nuisance, there is no approval required to remove it as palms are a species of grass and not true trees.

Citrus trees are not high maintenance items, but you do have to keep them picked as you would any fruit tree.

Most trees have one problem or another. But any tree is better than a barren wasteland.

You can grow all kinds of subtropical fruit, including bananas, pineapples, guavas, papayas, and many others. While some of these can be damaged by frost, they grow back quickly. I do not recommend mangos if you don't like giant trees.

[bobdeb]

If you really, really really want to plant a palm go with a pindo.

They are pricey, but quite lovely. Very slow growing, thankfully, and cold hardy.

They still have nasty leaf spikes but are much more manageable than a king (Sylvester) or queen palm.

European fan palms are also slow growing and cold hardy... and pricey too.

Wonder why they cost more? duh.

[flflowers]

Originally Posted by Choro&Swing

So what is left? Grass and rocks? Is there any tree you recommend! Crepe Myrtle is beautiful, but it can be messy, too. There are neighbors down the street from me who have papaya trees. Those are interesting, but I don’t know if they ever ripen. There are live oaks and pines right behind my property, on the golf course. I love them. Pruning? Raking? Blowing? Weeds? Fertilizing? Mowing? That’s what the yard guys do. I’m retired.

I'm not from Florida, but recently moved to the Villages...I inherited a "banana bush", it's in the Magnolia family. The previous owner trimmed it into rounded shape and it is right now about 6' tall and about 4' wide. After some research, I found out that to leave it grow natural is it's best show of beauty. Suggested places to plant is near a bedroom window or courtyard area where you can most appreciate the wonderful fragrance of it's blossoms. I have not been able to do that yet, but right now it is absolutely covered with buds...I cannot wait. I have decided to trim all the bottom branches and then let it grow into natural state. They grow about 15'. I do not have a picture of mine but you can google to see and read about care. Also, it's an evergreen.

[Sherry8bal]

Originally Posted by bobdeb

Just my opinion, however, I do have some experience with the following.

These are some things I highly recommend you Do Not plant in your yard in The Villages. Please add whatever else you feel is appropriate.

1. Live Oak. Well, you may not have a choice here as one may already exist on your property. I love oak trees, and the shade they offer is welcomed from the heat of the sun.

However, you be forever dealing with relentless and testy little leaves and acorns that are difficult to control and clean up. They will ruin your lawn.

Personally, I would resist buying a home that already had an oak tree in the yard. And your nearby neighbor's live oak tree will also add to your endless yardwork.

They grow slowly but will eventually become enormous and offer yet more leaves and acorns.

2. Magnolia trees. These also grow very large and add to your relentless yard work. The flowers are lovely but I'm not a big fan of the huge leaves.

3. Citrus trees. Don't do it. It's tempting I know. Citrus trees take more care than one might imagine. So many of these grow unattended. There may be exceptions with some folks but the fruit will be beyond your ability to process or give away. It will fall and rot and attrack rats. And, in turn, the rats will attract snakes. Fruit trees are especially problematic for snow birds to manage.

The upside is that many citrus trees are quite attractive and the scent of the blossoms is exquisite.

4. Palm trees. I have four sylvester (king) palms, one pindo and one European fan.

The king and queen palms will grow beyond your ability to prune yourself. You will have to hire a crew annually to do that for you. Also, all palms have incredibly nasty thorns. You could lose an eye if not careful. The immature leaves are sharp spikes. Queen palm pods are extremely heavy and they will fall. The fruit from the king palms is significant to clean up.

European fan palms are full of needle like black slivers.

Face it, these trees evolved to protect themselves. It's tempting but don't plant palm trees. You'll thank me some day.

5. Anything else with nasty thorns unless you want a barrier between your home and your neighbors.

Palm trees are a great hangout place for cockroaches too. They love them!!

Live oaks are so messy, I would never ever have one, same goes for a magnolia tree!

[bobdeb]

What to plant?

After 11 years in TV I'm still no expert but I've had wonderful results with small leaf azaleas. Not sure why small leaf is so much better but they are over the larger leaf varieties.

The colors are endless and what says spring more in the South than a blooming azalea bush? They are hardy and seem to be disease and insect tolerant. Do fairly well in sun or partial sun. Easy to maintain. (Don't prune until the blossoms are gone. But why would you?)

Gardenias are lovely plants. Can't get them to flower much. Suggestions welcomed.

I couldn't wait to plant a hibiscus when I moved here. Gorgeous bush, but they will grow and will need some maintenance. Don't plant on the north side of your home.

We've had a variety of other things with mixed results.

Planted a rosemary bush. Seems to grow slowly but will offer a lifetime of seasoning. Lol. Still waiting for it to blossom. Rather plain looking without flowers... so far.

Crepe myrtle is manageable.

There have been other successes for sure along with some failures.

[karen gay]

Originally Posted by John_W

Here's what landscaping can do for property. This is the home I sold in 2011 in the Baltimore suburbs to move to TV. I bought the home new in '98 and over the 13 years I bought some shrubs every spring when I bought new bags of mulch, and did all the landscaping myself. The tree in the middle was the only thing I saved from the original builder's landscaping.



Since I sold the home about ten years ago, it has been resold three times. The most recent seller posted this photo on zillow. They basically removed everything but the tree.

Oh, so bare...

[Bjeanj]

Originally Posted by bobdeb

What to plant?

After 11 years in TV I'm still no expert but I've had wonderful results with small leaf azaleas. Not sure why small leaf is so much better but they are over the larger leaf varieties.

Gardenias are lovely plants. Can't get them to flower much. Suggestions welcomed.

I have about 8 azaleas, which I think are gorgeous, and 3 gardenias. You’re right, my gardenias haven’t flowered much and am trying MiracleGro for acid-loving plants. Will see how that works.

[Finchs]

Originally Posted by quietpine

There is a live oak tree behind our house. It’s on TV property but is close enough to shed its leaves on our yard. That happens once a year. It’s a nuisance for about a month but our lawn service removes them when they mow. But the majestic tree is beautiful to look at from the lanai, it provides shade in the back yard, blocks the sun and during storms becomes a wind screen. So yes, the leaves are a bother but the tree gives more than it takes and that is a good measure.

I have lived thru enough Fl summers (it only takes one if you are paying attention) to appreciate the value of the Live Oaks and Magnolias for the shade they provide! The little oak leaves and acorns are truly an annual nuisance, but I am happy to let my gardener blow them weekly and use my garden blower as needed in between to clear the driveway because they give me precious shade from the setting western sun. I begged my neighbor to not take theirs down because that blistering sun would hit my house full on if the tree across the street were gone.
Driving thru the southern new homes being built, I noticed a preponderance of palm trees (very few oaks and magnolias) and a lack of green golf courses winding thru those houses down there. I think they will swelter will all the rooftops and concrete with nothing but palms over them in the summertime.
Take down the Oaks and Magnolias at your peril, IMO!!!

[John_W]

Originally Posted by Maryland Girl

We came down in Nov., 2011 for a lifestyle preview and impulsively bought a lot in Buttonwood. After we returned home, we realized what we really wanted was an expanded CYV, which we didn't think existed at that time. In Dec., 2011, I happened to go onto TV website and new CYV's in Edgewater Bungalows were up for sale. While on the phone with our realtor, who was driving through the Bungalows, I said the only house we really wanted was an expanded, two-car garage one that had sold. He kept saying, "but that house is sold." I know I was frustrating him no end, but then he got really quiet and finally said, "I don't think the sale of that house is going through." He then said he would get in the queue and try to get it for us. A couple of days later, he called and said the house was ours. He said a man from Georgia had bought it without his wife seeing it and she had said no way was she going to buy a house she had not seen. Well, that is how we ended up in our CYV. We had two doggies when we moved down so our large yard was a good thing for them. They have since both died. Anyway, that is the saga of how we came to live in our CYV, which we like and enjoy to this day.

I know there are a lot of business parks around BWI now and we know Arbutus well. Linthicum started as a farming community and has a lot of history attached to it. When we moved there in 1976, it was just a sleepy small town community. Over the years, the airport, Baltimore City and the Light Rail have put a lot of pressure on it. So many of the small businesses have been sold and small shopping plazas have sprung up with new businesses in them. We probably would have stayed if not for the snow and ice and the interior stairs. Now how we ended up in TV is another story altogether.

We came in April of 2011 on a LSV for 7 days and stayed in the real nice cottage homes on the east side of LSL sales office, at the base of the Morse Bridge. I remember seeing those Edgewater Bungalows for sale on the internet, my budget was $185K so that eliminated them. Although I remember some went in the low 2's and I probably could of stretched the budget, but decided not to. I wish we did have a 2 car garage, I had a Camaro for a short while, but one of the reasons I got rid of it was because it was so a tight fit with the golf cart.

We closed July 5th of 2011, we arrived in late June but because of 4th of July Holiday we couldn't close beforehand, all the dates were already taken. We didn't have a lot of notice, we sold our home the morning after we listed it, in less than 18 hours. We had been here 3 weeks earlier on our LSV, so rather than make another trip, we bought our villa sight-unseen ourselves. The photos had not been put on the website yet. So our salesman drove over that night and took photos and emailed them to us.

So we stayed at the Holiday Inn at SS for about a week waiting to close. I actually like our location just below Buttonwood. We're 3-1/2 miles to LSL and 3-1/2 miles to Brownwood. We were going to BW five days a week to MVP, so this was convenient, we've cut it back to just 2 or 3 days a week now. My wife likes Zumba and I do the treadmill and weights. To me, the two best squares are both very close and I have 7 championship golf courses within 20 minutes by cart and Glenview is 25 minutes.

I grew up in Florida (St. Petersburg), I was born in Baltimore but my parents moved to Florida when I was in the 4th grade. However, in '89 I went back to Baltimore to visit and ended up getting married and staying for the next 22 years.