[BostonRich]

This is the side of my CYV. There are four types of shrubs planted in three rows. I think the Villages got a good deal on shrubs when they landscaped my home.

Anyway this is where I spend most of my yard care energy constantly trimming these bushes. I have recently asked myself if it makes sense to spend all of this work on an area nobody even sees.

I am considering removing all of this and planting grass or putting in stone. Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated. I would love to see some pictures of what others have done along the sides of their homes.

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

P.S. My neighbor has mentioned that they intend to paint their house this year and that presents another issue maybe.

[Mortal1]

You know what they say about "assuming" yes?

I dug up what I didn't like. Quite a bit actually.

[Malsua]

So we yanked out a bunch of stuff and pulled out a hedge in a different part. See those rings? Prior owner had shrubs in there, way too big too.

I need for it to cool off and I'll sit in there and pick out all those yellow stones.

I hack the bottle brush tree(That thing, front and center) back every 6 months or so, it's way too big too.


Your shrubs are way overgrown in my opinion.

[btwalker]

Originally Posted by BostonRich

This is the side of my CYV. There are four types of shrubs planted in three rows. I think the Villages got a good deal on shrubs when they landscaped my home.

Anyway this is where I spend most of my yard care energy constantly trimming these bushes. I have recently asked myself if it makes sense to spend all of this work on an area nobody even sees.

I am considering removing all of this and planting grass or putting in stone. Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated. I would love to see some pictures of what others have done along the sides of their homes.

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

P.S. My neighbor has mentioned that they intend to paint their house this year and that presents another issue maybe.

Ours is second home and we don't really need a gardner other then to check sprinklers and pull a few weeds when we are not there. Backyard is mostly concrete with some rock, plants and trees around the edges, front is rock with a few plants. All that shrubbery to me defeats the main purpose of a CYV. (Low maintenance). I will attach pictures next week when we are back in florida.

[teamC]

Wow! That's a lot of bushes. When we moved here Massey pest control told us to keep bushes away from our foundation. Alot of people recommend concrete or stone. Be careful of that -they retain heat. We had Village Palms designed our side yard. (They do this for free). They planted blue flowered ground cover and a few tropical hibiscus plants and opposite our slider we put a really big planter (4 feet high) and planted a arecca palm and garden lighting. It is really nice to have the area lit at night. It is very welcoming and much nicer to see greenery instead of concrete. Also, I think it's important to note how much sun you get out in your side yard. That will help you determine how much use you will get of the area. We are very lucky in that it is shaded (by our house) in the afternoon so we grill and eat out there. I would love to put an outdoor kitchen right under my kitchen window so I could pass food out easily. Another idea is to go on the Thevillages.com and look at pre-owned models of your house.
I would recommend both Villages Palms & R&V landscaping

[Hape2Bhr]

We have no grass. Our entire yard, front, side, and rear is pavers or stone. Most of our plants are in pots, which get watered weekly or as needed depending on the weather. There is a bottle brush tree out front and two palms out back (one of which may be on its' last leg).

[DaleDivine]

We had lots of bushes in the backyard of our CYV when we moved in. Removed ALL of them an put in river rocks. None of which are next to our home.

[jarodrig]

Before you start pulling things out and making major changes, be sure to check with the ARC to see if you need approval to make the changes. Maybe you don’t but it’s worth checking to make sure.

There are many examples of folks doing their “dream landscapes” just to have the District make them tear it out due to compliance issues ….

[Luggage]

Talk to your arc as many districts have minimum planting requirements

[Ktygrett]

I live in a Courtyard Villa. You do not need ARC approval for this area. I would pull out all these overgrown bushes and put down nice rocks and power wash the cement. If you need something there, put pots. Plants grow very fast in Florida and it is a constant battle to keep them trimmed.

[KRMACK55]

Originally Posted by BostonRich

This is the side of my CYV. There are four types of shrubs planted in three rows. I think the Villages got a good deal on shrubs when they landscaped my home.

Anyway this is where I spend most of my yard care energy constantly trimming these bushes. I have recently asked myself if it makes sense to spend all of this work on an area nobody even sees.

I am considering removing all of this and planting grass or putting in stone. Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated. I would love to see some pictures of what others have done along the sides of their homes.

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

P.S. My neighbor has mentioned that they intend to paint their house this year and that presents another issue maybe.

Stone, be good to yourself

[jarodrig]

To the OP

I would still get the “official” word from the ARC vs relying on “Internet information” even though it may be well meant.

Deed restrictions may be different depending in which District you reside.

I can also tell you that changing your landscape <may> effect drainage and sometimes severely.

Better to be safe that sorry later on ….

[banjobob]

Take it all out put in a nice concrete patio area ,with a few small shrubs next the other house.

[Girlcopper]

Originally Posted by BostonRich

This is the side of my CYV. There are four types of shrubs planted in three rows. I think the Villages got a good deal on shrubs when they landscaped my home.

Anyway this is where I spend most of my yard care energy constantly trimming these bushes. I have recently asked myself if it makes sense to spend all of this work on an area nobody even sees.

I am considering removing all of this and planting grass or putting in stone. Any suggestions or feedback is greatly appreciated. I would love to see some pictures of what others have done along the sides of their homes.

Thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

P.S. My neighbor has mentioned that they intend to paint their house this year and that presents another issue maybe.

I would never have that many bushes. They cant be seen and are just a major headache. Get rid of them

[donfey]

Originally Posted by KRMACK55

Stone, be good to yourself

I agree with MACK. I want NOTHING touching my house. I'd pull the row that IS touching and replace with stone. Then buy some RoundUp and a small sprayer to deal with the "volunteers" that sprout up from time to time. That'll be your maintenance, about once every 3 month.

I'd also trim those bushes so they don't overhang the sidewalk.