To the
Board and Concerned Residents
 |
| Olmsted |
This seems to me an attempt to dismiss a critical point I brought up 10 years ago about
Olmsted’s design principles and their influence upon the masterful Wilbanks/ Morris
PC landscaping.
If you look at my extensive website on Pelican Cove landscaping, you’ll see what I actually said about our masterful landscape design was "The Wilbabnk's landscaping was done by a protege of Olmstead."
Here is the link to that extensive site:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-guide-to.html
I made that critical observation, along with the support of almost 100 residents, to stop the damaging changes then being made by well-meaning amateurs to our beautiful, irreplaceable, Olmsted-influenced landscape.
Here is a detailed site on those damaging changes if you are not familiar with them.
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-pictorial.html
For those who aren't familiar with Olmsted's design
principles, let me quote Olmsted himself: "The landscape architect
should create an artificial landscape that looked natural and fulfilled the use
for which the property was intended."
But let me get back to Olmsted for a moment.
The result was a beautiful, harmonious sub-tropical design, as good in its own way as Olmsted's masterpiece, Central Park.
By the way, the landscaping design of Olmsted's Central park is never changed, only maintained. The maintenance of our landscape has been good. Where things went wrong ws when the landscape was changed in a way that was out of harmony with the final 1979 design.
Secondly, if for some reason we have to change it, say because of disease, storms etc., a skilled landscape architect nust be employed to maintain the integrity and harmony of the original design.
Everyone knows this kind of thing would destroy the beauty and value of both.
We should treat our masterful landscape design in the same way so as to maintain its irreplaceable beauty and immense financial value.
AN OVERVIEW: THE NEED FOR
AN ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
This section is must reading if we are to restore the beauty and harmony of our sub-tropical masterpiece as it stood in 1979. A more detailed section follows thos overview
Just as it took three skilled landscape architects from the 30s thru the 70s to create a sub-tropical masterpiece out of a dense pine forest, only a skilled landscape architect can properly help us restore our landscape to its former sub-tropical glory that was evident in the final 1979 design.
That is the genius of our landscape: it is an Olmsted inspired artificial landcape made to look natural. It is literally one of a kind and in no way a virgin landscape that naturally evolved with some minor help from Mrs Wilbanks and developer Bob Morris.
(By the way, if you want to see what a truly naturally-evolved landscape looks like, i.e., a Sarasota landscape that happened naturally, all by itself, you can look at the Eide estate just to the north of PC.
It is filled to the brim with Florida pines and scrub, which is exactly what the virgin PC property looked like before being purchased by the Wilbanks. The Eide property, by the way, was once an undeveloped part of the Wilbanks property.)
I am not making a picky point here about Olmsted. We are about to hire a new Grounds Manager in a year or so. I believe that unless the Board goes about it in a different way, we are leaving ourselves open to repeating the same type of well-meaning but damaging changes to our landscape that were made 10-6 years ago.
Those changes corrupted the beautiful, subtropical landscape designed by landscape architects employed by Mrs. Wilbanks and Bob Morris.
To make matters worse, they were made almost overnight without a landscape architect and without any prior notification to the residents in general.
If PC had been rolling in money, the best solution would have been to pull them all out and replant the original landscape that was destroyed. Unfortunately, the best that could be done was to cover the damage up as best we could.
I am sure the current Board does not want to go through the 5 year turmoil that resulted from those damaging changes, nor do I and the other landscape-savvy residents.
To avoid that turmoil, this site suggests some simple things the Board can do to prevent those kind of landscape changes ever happening again.
The fact that those damaging changes are not as apparent now as they were originally is due to the behind the scenes corrective efforts over the past 4 years of Connie Lang, our previous General Mgr., who knew a great deal about landscaping design. During the turmoil, I had suggested to the Board that the next General manger they hired had to have Lndscape design experience and they listened.
Without Connie, outr landscape today would be a disaster. I'll say more about her critical efforts later in a more detsiled Section 2.
I hope what I have to say in this site is received with an open mind as I believe its suggestions will help preserve the harmony, beauty, and financial value of our irreplaceable landscape.
Most residents know me as a poet and artist, but I was also in the mainframe software computer business from 1960 on, and in 70s founded a very successful computer software company which I eventually sold in 1979 to return full time to art and poetry.
As a businessman, whenever I ran into a problem that I knew nothing about, I listened very carefully to those who did.
I hope the Board treats this site in the same way.
We must pay the same keen attention to it as we do our finances and structures.
At this critical point in time, we need to engage a landscape architect to guide us in an advisory capacity. This need not be expensive if done in the way I suggest in Section Two, my later later detailed section on hiring a grounds manager and advisory landscape architect.
However, I believe that if we continue in the same haphazard manner we will eventually severely degrade the financial value and beauty of our one of a kind landscape.
There will be some who will disagree with me as to what should be done, but the way to solve that dilemma is for the Board actively tackle the problem by interviewing intersted landscape architects and:
1. actually visiting and looking at the various landscapes designed and implemented by the architects they are interviewing. If they don't like what you see, that landscape architect should be dismissed out of hand.
2. asking the architects for their frank, detailed opinions of both our landscape and my comments in this site.
This shouldn't cost us a penny. The opportunity to be associated with this landcape is woth its weight in gold.
I don't care if the landscape architects completely agree with me or not.
Here is a link to my artistic and design background:
What I do have as a prize-winning poet and artist, however, is an extremely accurate sense of when something is beautiful and harmonious, as well as when it is not.
I am not alone in this, there are many other residents who have that same sense and who joined me in opposing the damaging changes. You can see their credentials here:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-pictorial.html
What we all saw very clearly was that the damaging changes were not in harmony with the 1979 Wilbanks/Morris PC landscaping. They corrupted its beauty. And cost us a great deal of mis-spent money.
What I want to do in this site is suggest a few simple steps that will prevent our landscape from being damaged like this again. These steps will cost nothing. In fact they may save us money.
I'll go into those steps in detail later in Section 2,but one of the steps that is absolutely necessary is for the Board to establish a working, advisory relationship with a skilled landscape architect.
Establishing that relationship costs nothing. And the landscape architect can also help direct us to a new Grounds Manager who is familiar with semi-tropical flora.
Without it, I believe we are very likely to repeat the errors of the past.
When I moved here in 1979, it was not to retire, but to live in a sub-tropical botanical garden the equal of any I had ever seen. The Wilbanks/Morris PC landscape of 1979 was clearly a masterpiece. But it has become clear to me over the past 35 years that the various Boards have tended to view our landscape as something that would pretty much take care of itself with help from a maintenance staff. As a result, the various Boards spent most of their critical time on our finances and structures, and they have done an excellent job.
Unfortunately, that is one of the reasons why we got into trouble 10-6 years ago.
Our masterful landscape can no more "take care of itself with a maintenance staff," than our structures and finances can.
As the past has shown us, if we don't have the proper supervisory attention, occasions will surely arise again when damaging, costly changes will be made to it by amateurs.
That transformation was not done by amateurs but by skilled landscape architects employed
in the 30s and 70s who believed in Olmsted's ideas.
This is why our landscape design shouldn't be tampered with by amateurs any more than we would allow amateurs to tamper with our structures and finances.
This new site therefore includes many helpful pictures, references and linkages that back up my thinking about the steps we should take to protect our landscape.
It will be especially useful to those Board members and residents who weren’t here 25 or even 10 years ago and therefore probably don’t know the true background of our property, nor how easily it can be damaged.
AN OVERVIEW: RESTORING OUR LANDSCAPE TO ITS 1979 SUB-TROPICAL GLORY
Sub-tropical shrubs, vines and flowers, however, bloom all year round and are critical in supplying the eye-level emotional lift that only pastels can give.
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERS
Again, the reason we should be planting the bright, pastel colors of semitropical flora is that they give you an emotional lift.
AN OVERVIEW: OUR ORIGINAL VIRGIN LANDSCAPE
AN OVERVIEW: THE DAMAGE DONE TO OUR LANDSCAPE 6-10 YEARS AGO
The details on each of these changes can be seen at:
SOME FINAL WORDS
I am a gardener and have a love of botanical gardens, as many poets do, and moved here in 1979 at the age of 39, when PC was still being built, not to retire, but to live in a sub-tropical garden the equal of any botanical garden in the states.
It is a unique treasure, and as such everyone responsible for managing Pelican Cove should be aware that it should never be changed, only maintained in its original glory.
Finally, as a reminder how the landscape can be damaged by well-meaning amateurs, here is another site showing changes made 10-6 years ago to Boathouse Circle. I have not mentioned this site previously. It should be visited if you'd like more info on the kind of damage that can be done without a landscape architect. There are plenty of pictures.
I hope the Board finds this site useful in determining future policy. I’d be happy to hear any comments or answer any questions in public or private.
Justin Spring 1620 Boathouse Circle
SECTION TWO: FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE DETAIL
THE DETAIL ON DAMAGE DONE
TO OUR LANDSCAPE 6-10 YEARS AGO
Let me say something about the corrupting landscape changes of 10-6 years ago.
I believe those responsible did so with the best of intentions. Indeed, on paper, their ideas looked quite sensible if you weren't knowledgeable about the problems inherent in making changes to landscapes like ours. As it turned out, however, those changes damaged the beauty and harmony of our lush, sub-tropical landscape, because:
1) shrubs and trees were brought in whose shapes and colors clashed with our subtropical landscape design .
Let me list those changes:
1) The introduction of over 600 unharmonious, darkly colored, spindly Tis and Crotons. throughout a third of our landscape.
2) The destruction of the existing landscaping surrounding the pond in the Brookhouse area and replacing it with Florida native plants.
3) The destruction of the existing landscaping in several areas of PC and replacing it with Florida native plants in exchange for free trees from the county.
If you look at my extensive website on Pelican Cove landscaping, you’ll see what I actually said about our masterful landscape design was "The Wilbabnk's landscaping was done by a protege of Olmstead."
Here is the link to that extensive site:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-guide-to.html
Here is a detailed site on those damaging changes if you are not familiar with them.
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-pictorial.html
In my efforts to educate PC residents and management about the true nature of our beautiful Wilbanks/ Morris landscape design, I later paraphrased
Olmsted by saying: “Our PC landscape didn't naturally evolve with a little help from Morris and Mrs. Wilbanks and her friends but was designed by skilled landscape architects as an artificial sub-tropical
landscape made to look natural, just as Olmstead had done with his famouus Central Park design ."
OK, LET'S GET ON WITH IT.
WHAT THIS SITE IS ALL ABOUT
I believe this is pretty much the case today. This not to disparage the Board and General Manager in any way. It is just a statement of fact. Their expertise is generally financial and structural and they are very good at it.
For example, if the Building Committee and Building Mgr. had taken the same approach with our structures, it would it would have resulted in something like red and blue paint trim, purple doors, brick walls and the like, all of which would have been completely out of harmony with the beige/ light brown colors selected by Bob Morris, the architect of Pelican Cove.
Luckily, the disastrous changes being made to our landscape were detected by a group of aroused , landscape knowledgeable residents, who clearly saw what was happening.
What our landscape still lacks are the original sub-tropical pastel colors that gave you an emotional lift simply by looking at them. Those colors were markedly present in the sub-tropical patel flowering trees and shrubs of the 1979 landscape.
For a variety of reasons, primarily the lack of sub-tropical expertise on the a part of our Grounds Managers and Committee (who came mainly from the north) these vibrant, astel sub-tropical flowers and shrubs and trees were not maintained and replanted as they should have been.
In their place, flora and shrubs with darker, colors and conflicting shapes were planted in large numbers throughout the PC landscape and were completely out of harmony with the pastel colors of the original 1979 landscape.
I believe we should make every effort to restore the beautiful sub-tropical colors of our original 1979 PC landscape.
It will not be difficult to do, nor expensive.
All it requires is that the residents and governng bodies of Pelican Cove recognize that it must be done if we are to restore and keep our beautiful, one-of-a-kind landscape in its original glory.
The rest of this site is divided into two sections.
The first section is for those wanting a quick overview.
The second section is for those who want more detail
SECTION ONE: A QUICK OVERVIEW
AN OVERVIEW : OLMSTED'S INFLUENCE ON OUR LANDSCAPE
AN OVERVIEW: THE NEED FOR AN ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
AN OVERVIEW: RESTORING OUR LANDSCAPE TO ITS 1979 SUB-TROPICAL GLORY
AN OVERVIEW: OUR ORIGINAL VIRGIN LANDSCAPE.
SOME FINAL WORDS
SECTION TWO: FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE DETAIL
THE DETAIL: HIRING A NEW GROUNDS MANAGER
AND ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
THE DETAIL: SOME MORE ABOUT OLMSTED'S INFLUENCE
SOME FINAL WORDS
|
 |
| In the same way, in the 1860s, Olmstead transformed wild woods in the center of NYC into an artificial landscape made to look natural. That new landscape was called Central Park, and its design principles changed American public and private landscasping forever. |
OK, LET'S GET ON WITH IT.
WHAT THIS SITE IS ALL ABOUT
One reason why I'm determined to set the record straight on Olmsted's influence is that the widely accepted view that our landscape "just happened naturally with a little help from Bob Morris and Mrs. Wilbanks and her friends," is not only completely erroneous but also the kind of view that led to well-meaning amateurs believing they could change our landscape in whatever manner they wished and not harm its beauty.
I use the term amateurs as a general term that includes those with no landscaping experience as well as those with some landscaping experience but no proven experience with landscape design and no degree in landscape architecture. All of these types were involved in the damaging landscape changes of 6-10 years ago.
 |
| our one of a kind PC landscape |
I understand that the Board is considering setting aside some money for hiring a horticulturist to assist them, but that is not the kind of advice the Board needs.
A horticulturist would know the specific genetic and biological characteristics of individual plants and trees in Pelican Cove, but would not be able to show the Board how to economically modify our landscape so as to recapture the sub-tropical harmony and beauty of our original Wilbanks/ Morris PC landscape design as it stood in 1979, the year I moved here.
Only a working, experienced landscape architect can do that, and I have outlined an extremely economical way to gain the advice of such a professional in a later detailed section.
THE CURRENT STATUS OF OUR ONE-OF-A KIND LANDSCAPE
When I made the statement ten years ago (that “our
landscaping is a masterful, one-of-a kind, artificial landscape made to look natural, just as
Olmsted had done with Central Park”) I did so in an attempt (along with
the support of almost 100 knowledgeable residents) to stop the massive
plantings by amateurs that were completely out of harmony with the
original colorful sub-tropical landscaping.
These unharmonious plantings, by the way, were not
detected by the Board, nor the General Manager, who seemed to be
unaware of what was being done, mainly because they had no knowledge of
landscaping design. This became very clear to me years ago when
I first spoke to them about what was happening .
For example, if the Building Committee and Building Mgr. had taken the same approach with our structures, it would it would have resulted in something like red and blue paint trim, purple doors, brick walls and the like, all of which would have been completely out of harmony with the beige/ light brown colors selected by Bob Morris, the architect of Pelican Cove.
Needless to say, the Board and General Manager would have spotted these changes and stopped them immediately. Unfortunately, because they lacked the same kind of expertise when it came to the landscape changes, especially in their initial, small planting stage, the they did nothing.
Luckily, the disastrous changes being made to our landscape were detected by a group of aroused , landscape knowledgeable residents, who clearly saw what was happening.
What our landscape still lacks are the original sub-tropical pastel colors that gave you an emotional lift simply by looking at them. Those colors were markedly present in the sub-tropical patel flowering trees and shrubs of the 1979 landscape.
For a variety of reasons, primarily the lack of sub-tropical expertise on the a part of our Grounds Managers and Committee (who came mainly from the north) these vibrant, astel sub-tropical flowers and shrubs and trees were not maintained and replanted as they should have been.
In their place, flora and shrubs with darker, colors and conflicting shapes were planted in large numbers throughout the PC landscape and were completely out of harmony with the pastel colors of the original 1979 landscape.
I believe we should make every effort to restore the beautiful sub-tropical colors of our original 1979 PC landscape.
It will not be difficult to do, nor expensive.
All it requires is that the residents and governng bodies of Pelican Cove recognize that it must be done if we are to restore and keep our beautiful, one-of-a-kind landscape in its original glory.
The first section is for those wanting a quick overview.
The second section is for those who want more detail
SECTION ONE: A QUICK OVERVIEW
AN OVERVIEW : OLMSTED'S INFLUENCE ON OUR LANDSCAPE
AN OVERVIEW: THE NEED FOR AN ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
AN OVERVIEW: RESTORING OUR LANDSCAPE TO ITS 1979 SUB-TROPICAL GLORY
AN OVERVIEW: OUR ORIGINAL VIRGIN LANDSCAPE.
AN OVERVIEW: THE DAMAGE DONE TO OUR LANDSCAPE 6-10 YEARS AGO
SOME FINAL WORDS
SECTION TWO: FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE DETAIL
THE DETAIL: THE DAMAGE DONE TO OUR LANDSCAPE 6-10 YEARS AGO
THE DETAIL: HIRING A NEW GROUNDS MANAGER
AND ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
THE DETAIL: SOME MORE ABOUT OLMSTED'S INFLUENCE
THE DETAIL: OUR ORIGINAL VIRGIN
LANDSCAPE
THE DETAIL: RESTORING OUR LANDSCAPE TO ITS 1979 SUB-TROPICAL GLORY
SOME FINAL WORDS
ADDENDUM: THE UNSUITABILITY
OF TI AND CROTON PLANTS IN OUR PC LANDSCAPE
SECTION ONE: A QUICK OVERVIEW
AN OVERVIEW: OLMSTED'S INFLUENCE ON OUR LANDSCAPE
AN OVERVIEW: OLMSTED'S INFLUENCE ON OUR LANDSCAPE
But let me get back to Olmsted for a moment.
The reason I never said that Olmstead himself did the landscaping, was because I knew Olmstead had died in 1903. As the Wilbanks’ estate wasn’t constructed until the mid 1930’s, Olmstead obviously couldn’t have done the landscape design.
But his marked influence (which revolutionized American landscape design) can be seen both in Mrs Wilbanks’ original design in the 30s and the second complementary design done by Bob Morris when he created Pelican Cove in the late 70s.
The result was a beautiful, harmonious sub-tropical design, as good in its own way as Olmsted's masterpiece, Central Park.
By the way, the landscaping design of Olmsted's Central park is never changed, only maintained. The maintenance of our landscape has been good. Where things went wrong ws when the landscape was changed in a way that was out of harmony with the final 1979 design.
Like Central Park, we should never change the PC landscaping but only maintain it. By that I mean if a palm tree dies, we should replace it with the same species palm tree, or if a red bouganvillea has to be replaced, we replace it with the same species red bouganvillea.
Secondly, if for some reason we have to change it, say because of disease, storms etc., a skilled landscape architect nust be employed to maintain the integrity and harmony of the original design.
Let me say a few more things about Olmsted and his marked influence upon our PC landscape design.
Central park in NYC is Olmsteds’s most celebrated design. He did it in the 1860's, but his web page shows hundreds more of similar public and private designs throughout the states. His web page is worth viewing to see how extensive the reception was to his ideas.
http://www.olmsted.org/the-olmsted-legacy/the-olmsted-firm/an-introduction
Olmsted’s firm remained functional until 1979 and continued his design ideas which influenced the entireschool of American
Proof of Olmstead's inluence lies in the kind of trees planted by the Wilbanks landscape architect many of which are not native to Sarasota or even Florida and some (like the Maleleuca " punk trees", Austrailian Pine, and African Tulip) not are not even native to the United States.
 |
| Olmsted's Central park: is an artificial design made to look natural out of the existing wild wood.. You can see the original dense woods in the section called The Rambles, which was left standing. |
http://www.olmsted.org/the-olmsted-legacy/the-olmsted-firm/an-introduction
Olmsted’s firm remained functional until 1979 and continued his design ideas which influenced the entire
Proof of Olmstead's inluence lies in the kind of trees planted by the Wilbanks landscape architect many of which are not native to Sarasota or even Florida and some (like the Maleleuca " punk trees", Austrailian Pine, and African Tulip) not are not even native to the United States.
Thus it is clear that the original 1930s Wilbanks landscape was not an accident but laid out in complete accordance with Olmstead’s principles, namely: “To create an artificial landscape that looked natural and fulfilled the use for which the property was intended.”
 | |||
Florida pines and scrub similar to original virgin PC Property
|
One of the things I hope to make clear in this site is that our landscape was originally a mass of ugly Florida pines (above) that was completely transformed by a series of landscape architects who believed in Olmsted's ideas into an artificial, subtropical landscape made to look natural .
At any rate, it was this ignorance of, or refusal to recognize, Olmsted's influence, preferring to see our landscape as something that "just happened naturally with a little help from Bob Morris and Mrs. Wilbanks" that led some to believe that unskilled amateurs could change our masterpiece landscape and not damage its beauty.
At any rate, it was this ignorance of, or refusal to recognize, Olmsted's influence, preferring to see our landscape as something that "just happened naturally with a little help from Bob Morris and Mrs. Wilbanks" that led some to believe that unskilled amateurs could change our masterpiece landscape and not damage its beauty.
 |
| Classic Ferrari |
If I may make an analogy: letting an amateur redesign our masterfully-designed landscape would be the same as letting a local automobile body repairman change exterior aspects of a classic Ferrari and expect that its beauty and harmony would not be damaged.
 |
| Classic Dior |
Similarly, letting a local seamstress change elements of a classic Dior gown and expect that its beauty and harmony would not be damaged would be foolishness.
Everyone knows this kind of thing would destroy the beauty and value of both.
A masterful design is always recognized as something that should be maintained but never changed, which is why these unchanged Ferrari and Dior originals sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.
We should treat our masterful landscape design in the same way so as to maintain its irreplaceable beauty and immense financial value.
I can assure you that 50-75 years from now, when all of our structures will have ended their useful life and are torn down, our beautiful landscape, if properly preserved, will be sought after by luxury home developers and will be worth a small fortune to the surviving owners.
 |
| PC landscaping and structures behind mansion |
AN OVERVIEW: THE NEED FOR
AN ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Just as it took three skilled landscape architects from the 30s thru the 70s to create a sub-tropical masterpiece out of a dense pine forest, only a skilled landscape architect can properly help us restore our landscape to its former sub-tropical glory that was evident in the final 1979 design.
 |
| PC sub-tropical landscaping |
(By the way, if you want to see what a truly naturally-evolved landscape looks like, i.e., a Sarasota landscape that happened naturally, all by itself, you can look at the Eide estate just to the north of PC.
It is filled to the brim with Florida pines and scrub, which is exactly what the virgin PC property looked like before being purchased by the Wilbanks. The Eide property, by the way, was once an undeveloped part of the Wilbanks property.)
I am not making a picky point here about Olmsted. We are about to hire a new Grounds Manager in a year or so. I believe that unless the Board goes about it in a different way, we are leaving ourselves open to repeating the same type of well-meaning but damaging changes to our landscape that were made 10-6 years ago.
 |
| Bob Morris |
To make matters worse, they were made almost overnight without a landscape architect and without any prior notification to the residents in general.
I am sure the current Board does not want to go through the 5 year turmoil that resulted from those damaging changes, nor do I and the other landscape-savvy residents.
To avoid that turmoil, this site suggests some simple things the Board can do to prevent those kind of landscape changes ever happening again.
The fact that those damaging changes are not as apparent now as they were originally is due to the behind the scenes corrective efforts over the past 4 years of Connie Lang, our previous General Mgr., who knew a great deal about landscaping design. During the turmoil, I had suggested to the Board that the next General manger they hired had to have Lndscape design experience and they listened.
Without Connie, outr landscape today would be a disaster. I'll say more about her critical efforts later in a more detsiled Section 2.
I hope what I have to say in this site is received with an open mind as I believe its suggestions will help preserve the harmony, beauty, and financial value of our irreplaceable landscape. Most residents know me as a poet and artist, but I was also in the mainframe software computer business from 1960 on, and in 70s founded a very successful computer software company which I eventually sold in 1979 to return full time to art and poetry.
As a businessman, whenever I ran into a problem that I knew nothing about, I listened very carefully to those who did.
I hope the Board treats this site in the same way.
As an artist who
moved here in 1979 at the age of 39 because it was clearly the equal of any botanical garden, I have a
keen sense of how our landscape has fared over the past 35 years.
I have come to the
conclusion that we can no longer treat our landscape as something that
will take care of itself. We have seen what happens when we do that
We must pay the same keen attention to it as we do our finances and structures.
At this critical point in time, we need to engage a landscape architect to guide us in an advisory capacity. This need not be expensive if done in the way I suggest in Section Two, my later later detailed section on hiring a grounds manager and advisory landscape architect.
However, I believe that if we continue in the same haphazard manner we will eventually severely degrade the financial value and beauty of our one of a kind landscape.
There will be some who will disagree with me as to what should be done, but the way to solve that dilemma is for the Board actively tackle the problem by interviewing intersted landscape architects and:
1. actually visiting and looking at the various landscapes designed and implemented by the architects they are interviewing. If they don't like what you see, that landscape architect should be dismissed out of hand.
2. asking the architects for their frank, detailed opinions of both our landscape and my comments in this site.
This shouldn't cost us a penny. The opportunity to be associated with this landcape is woth its weight in gold.
I don't care if the landscape architects completely agree with me or not.
But if they have no substantial opinions either pro or con, that landscape architect should be dismissed out of
hand.
Eventually, the right man will show up.
Eventually, the right man will show up.
Some people think I want to design the landscape of PC.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Good landscape design is a very
difficult art that few master, and I have never pretended to be among those
few.
I am not alone in this, there are many other residents who have that same sense and who joined me in opposing the damaging changes. You can see their credentials here:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-pictorial.html
What we all saw very clearly was that the damaging changes were not in harmony with the 1979 Wilbanks/Morris PC landscaping. They corrupted its beauty. And cost us a great deal of mis-spent money.
What I want to do in this site is suggest a few simple steps that will prevent our landscape from being damaged like this again. These steps will cost nothing. In fact they may save us money.
I'll go into those steps in detail later in Section 2,but one of the steps that is absolutely necessary is for the Board to establish a working, advisory relationship with a skilled landscape architect.
Establishing that relationship costs nothing. And the landscape architect can also help direct us to a new Grounds Manager who is familiar with semi-tropical flora.
Without it, I believe we are very likely to repeat the errors of the past.
When I moved here in 1979, it was not to retire, but to live in a sub-tropical botanical garden the equal of any I had ever seen. The Wilbanks/Morris PC landscape of 1979 was clearly a masterpiece. But it has become clear to me over the past 35 years that the various Boards have tended to view our landscape as something that would pretty much take care of itself with help from a maintenance staff. As a result, the various Boards spent most of their critical time on our finances and structures, and they have done an excellent job.
Unfortunately, that is one of the reasons why we got into trouble 10-6 years ago.
|
| Lush sub-tropical landscaping at mansion |
As the past has shown us, if we don't have the proper supervisory attention, occasions will surely arise again when damaging, costly changes will be made to it by amateurs.
I have therefore taken some time in this new site to show that our landscape is something that the Board needs to pay attention to in the same way it does our structures and finances.
In addition, this site also corrects the equally
mistaken view held by many that our masterful subtropical Wilbanks/Morrs landscape of 1979 was a
"naturally evolved" landscape that “just happened” with some
minor assistance from Mrs. Wilbanks and some friends of her in, the 30s and later in the 70s by devloper Bob Morris.
Finally, this site, in my later detailed Section 2, I lay out the qualifications our new Grounds Manager should have as well as what rules he should operate under.
Finally, this site, in my later detailed Section 2, I lay out the qualifications our new Grounds Manager should have as well as what rules he should operate under.
The masterful design of the final Wilbanks/Morris PC landscape of
1979, as I will show, didn't just happen naturally but was originally a mass of Florida pines and scrub that
was transformed into
a masterful artificial sub-tropical landscape made to
look natural.
|
| Florida pines and scrub similar to original virgin PC Property |
This is why our landscape design shouldn't be tampered with by amateurs any more than we would allow amateurs to tamper with our structures and finances.
This new site therefore includes many helpful pictures, references and linkages that back up my thinking about the steps we should take to protect our landscape.
It will be especially useful to those Board members and residents who weren’t here 25 or even 10 years ago and therefore probably don’t know the true background of our property, nor how easily it can be damaged.
We should be planting more subtropical flowering shrubs, flowering trees and flowering vines. There were many more of these when I came here in 1979.
Our landscape was designed to be a sub-tropical garden, and because of that the original 1979 landscaping had a wide range of sub-tropical pastel flowering trees, flowers, vines and shrubs. Many of those, however, have died or been cut down and not replaced since 1979.
I believe this happened because the various Grounds Commitees and Managers, who came mainly from the north, were unfamilar with the sub-tropical flora planted by the various landscape architects in 1935 and 1979. They simply let them perish as they aged and replaced them with flora they were familiar with.
When the winter season is over, however, the briefly blooming azaelas stop blooming and the impatiens are removed as they can't take the summer heat. The result is that the PC landscaping goes flat emotionally.
I believe the best, cheapest and easiest way to do this is to introduce sub-tropical, pastel colored flowering trees, shrubs and vines in selected focal spots around the property.
Where our roads meet (or where they end) provide natural, dramatic focal spots
This has the advantage of leaving 99% of our current landscaping intact
Such spots should be designed by a landscape architect. The picture below will give you some idea of what such a natural-looking focal point might look like.
Below are some samples of the many sub-tropical flowering flora that could be planted at selected focal points. Some of those shown below are already here, but there are not enough of them and many are very old and need to be replaced.
Our landscape was designed to be a sub-tropical garden, and because of that the original 1979 landscaping had a wide range of sub-tropical pastel flowering trees, flowers, vines and shrubs. Many of those, however, have died or been cut down and not replaced since 1979.
I believe this happened because the various Grounds Commitees and Managers, who came mainly from the north, were unfamilar with the sub-tropical flora planted by the various landscape architects in 1935 and 1979. They simply let them perish as they aged and replaced them with flora they were familiar with.
The result is that a large part of our Wilbanks/Morris PC landscape lacks the kind of color and shape harmony it had in 1979.
This may not be apparent to those who are only here during the winter, as hundreds of beautiful, pastel impatiens are planted and hung beneath mailboxes. These colors have the same beneficial effect of lifting the emotions as sub-trpical flowering flora do. This effect is heightened by the briefly blooming azaelas.
This may not be apparent to those who are only here during the winter, as hundreds of beautiful, pastel impatiens are planted and hung beneath mailboxes. These colors have the same beneficial effect of lifting the emotions as sub-trpical flowering flora do. This effect is heightened by the briefly blooming azaelas.
 |
| BRIGHT PASTEL IMPATIENS |
When the winter season is over, however, the briefly blooming azaelas stop blooming and the impatiens are removed as they can't take the summer heat. The result is that the PC landscaping goes flat emotionally.
Those who live here year round will attest to that.
That is why we should be planting more subtropical flowering shrubs, flowering trees and flowering vines with their beautiful pastel colors.
They bloom all year round and will provide that same emotional lift ALL YEAR ROUND, just as they did in 1979.
They bloom all year round and will provide that same emotional lift ALL YEAR ROUND, just as they did in 1979.
Where our roads meet (or where they end) provide natural, dramatic focal spots
This has the advantage of leaving 99% of our current landscaping intact
Such spots should be designed by a landscape architect. The picture below will give you some idea of what such a natural-looking focal point might look like.
 |
| this is the kind of color harmony a landscape architect can supply |
Below are some samples of the many sub-tropical flowering flora that could be planted at selected focal points. Some of those shown below are already here, but there are not enough of them and many are very old and need to be replaced.
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERING TREES
Some flowering trees bloom all year round, like the African Tulip, but most flowering trees bloom at specific times: spring, summer, fall, winter. The trees should be selected to cover the entire year.
 |
| AFRICAN TULIP TREE |
 |
| HONG KONG ORCHID TREE |
 |
| RED PRINCE TREE |
 |
| JACARANDA TREES |
 |
| GOLD TREE |
 |
ROYAL POINCIANA TREE
|
 |
| CREPE MYRTLE TREE |
 |
| MIMOSA TREE |
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERING VINES
Sub-tropical shrubs, vines and flowers, however, bloom all year round and are critical in supplying the eye-level emotional lift that only pastels can give.
 |
| BLEEDING HEART VINE |
 |
| PINK TRUMPET VINES |
 |
| PASSION FLOWER VINE |
 |
| BLEEDING HEART VINE |
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERING SHRUBS
BOUGANVILLEA
 |
| MIXED LANTANA SHRUBS |
 |
| PURPLE LANTANA SHRUBS |
 |
| GOLD LANTANA SHRUBS |
 |
| RED OLEANDER SRHUB |
 |
| PLUMBAGO SHRUBS |
 |
| PINK OLEANDER SHRUBS |
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERS
 |
| PENTAS |
 |
| RUMBA FLOWERS |
 |
| DRAGON WING BEGONIAS |
 |
| MIXED PERIWINKLES |
|
| BRIGHT PASTEL COLORS GIVE YOU AN EMOTIONAL LIFT |
AN OVERVIEW: OUR ORIGINAL VIRGIN LANDSCAPE
Let me now state some hard facts about the origin of our PC landscape, as many still erroneously believe it was always pretty much as we see it today.
This mistaken view is somewhat reinforced by an incorrect view of our virgin property that Irv and John give in their excellent History of Pelican Cove, where they quote an unknown source describing the virgin property as follows:: “the land… was replete with towering palms, oaks, exotic fruit and nut trees..”
There is no mention of pines.
So unless the virgin land was developed by previous owners who chopped down all the Florida pines and then planted “towering palms, oaks, exotic fruit and nut trees..” for which there is no hard evidence as far as I know, I think we can safely say that our virgin native landscape (prior to its original Wilbanks landscaping) was much like the Eide estate just north of us, which is covered by hundreds of ugly Florida pines and pine scrub with only few Sabal palms and live oaks. The groupings of live oaks are mostly near his home and were probably planted when Eide built his home.
This mistaken view is somewhat reinforced by an incorrect view of our virgin property that Irv and John give in their excellent History of Pelican Cove, where they quote an unknown source describing the virgin property as follows:: “the land… was replete with towering palms, oaks, exotic fruit and nut trees..”
There is no mention of pines.
This view of the virgin property seems to me to be a mixed version of the property after it was purchased by the Wilbanks (I give the details for this later) because all the evidence points towards the fact that the original virgin property consisted primarily of hundreds and hundreds of florida pines and pine scrub along with a few live oaks and Sabal palms. (see photo below).
 |
Florida pines landscape similar to original virgin PC
|
That evidence consists of the many huge Florida pines still scattered throughout the PC landscape and the fact that all the virgin land in this area of Sarasota consisted (and still consists) of dense forests of various Florida pines containing only a few oaks and Sabal palms. I go into the evidence for this in detail later on.
So unless the virgin land was developed by previous owners who chopped down all the Florida pines and then planted “towering palms, oaks, exotic fruit and nut trees..” for which there is no hard evidence as far as I know, I think we can safely say that our virgin native landscape (prior to its original Wilbanks landscaping) was much like the Eide estate just north of us, which is covered by hundreds of ugly Florida pines and pine scrub with only few Sabal palms and live oaks. The groupings of live oaks are mostly near his home and were probably planted when Eide built his home.
If John or Irv have any hard information to the contrary, I’d be glad to hear about it.
(By the way, if you want to see what a truly naturally-evolved landscape looks like, i.e., a Sarasota landscape that happened “all by itself,” you can look at the Eide estate just to the north of PC.
I can assure you, however, that our virgin land looked absolutely nothing like the finished landscape of Pelican Cove, which is an artificial semi-tropical landscape made to look natural.
Initially, the Wilbanks' 1930s landscaping was done by an unknown, but very skilled, landscape architect employed by Mrs. Wilbanks and later modified in 1979 by two skilled landscape architects employed by Bob Morris.
The result is a design that is not only uniquely beautiful but also extremely valuable from a financial point of view. As its financial value is directly linked to our maintaining its beautiful design, I believe the Board should pay the same kind of excellent attention to it as it does to our structural and financial issues. I have several suggestions how they can do this later on in this site in my Section 2.
Let me return for a moment to the erroneous, widely held view that our PC landscape is not a masterful Olmsted-inspired design.
This view holds that when Mrs. Wilbanks purchased the virgin PC property, it looked pretty much as we see it today, save for some minor fudging by Mrs. Wilbanks and some friends, and then some later minor fudging by Bob Morris when he purchased the PC property from Mrs. Wilbanks to build Pelican Cove.
Let me return for a moment to the erroneous, widely held view that our PC landscape is not a masterful Olmsted-inspired design.
This view holds that when Mrs. Wilbanks purchased the virgin PC property, it looked pretty much as we see it today, save for some minor fudging by Mrs. Wilbanks and some friends, and then some later minor fudging by Bob Morris when he purchased the PC property from Mrs. Wilbanks to build Pelican Cove.
Because this totally incorrect view of the PC landscaping has somehow become a generally accepted belief by many, and a potentially harmful one that can lead to modifications by unqualified residents and staff, I believe it should be corrected publicly by the Board.
This will help the residents really understand that the financial and aesthetic value of our unique landscaping is due to its masterful design by several Olmsted-influenced landscape architects. And that any changes done to it without a qualified landscape architect will result in damage to its financial and aesthetic value.
This will help the residents really understand that the financial and aesthetic value of our unique landscaping is due to its masterful design by several Olmsted-influenced landscape architects. And that any changes done to it without a qualified landscape architect will result in damage to its financial and aesthetic value.
Right now, however, I want to repeat some hard facts about the origin and nature of our landscaping.
First of all, the original virgin property consisted primarily of hundreds and hundreds of Forida pines and pine scrub, (see photo below).
|
| Florida pines landscape similar to original virgin PC |
Today, in place of those hundreds of Florida pines now stand hundreds of various hardwood trees, flowering trees, and various palm trees that are not native to this area of Florida, or sometimes even the United States.
That didn't happen by accident, nor was it something that "naturally evolved."
Those non-Sarasota trees were planted by landscape architects in the 30s, and later in the 70s, to create an artificial subtropical landscape that looked natural.
There is no otlher way for such a massive, natural looking landscape filled with hundreds of foreign trees to have happened.
Those non-Sarasota trees were planted by landscape architects in the 30s, and later in the 70s, to create an artificial subtropical landscape that looked natural.
There is no otlher way for such a massive, natural looking landscape filled with hundreds of foreign trees to have happened.
AN OVERVIEW: THE DAMAGE DONE TO OUR LANDSCAPE 6-10 YEARS AGO
Let me say something about the corrupting landscape changes of 10-6 years ago.
I believe those responsible did so with the best of intentions. Indeed, on paper, their ideas looked quite sensible if you weren't knowledgeable about the problems inherent in making changes to landscapes like ours. As it turned out, however, those changes damaged the beauty and harmony of our lush, sub-tropical landscape, because:
1) shrubs and trees were brought in whose shapes and colors clashed with our subtropical landscape design .
2) they were all done without a landscape architect and without proper notification of the residents that there was to be a complete changing of portions of our landscape
Let me list those changes:
1) The introduction of over 600 unharmonious, darkly colored, spindly Tis and Crotons. throughout a third of our landscape.
2) The destruction of the existing landscaping surrounding the pond in the Brookhouse area and replacing it with Florida native plants.
3) The destruction of the existing landscaping in several areas of PC and replacing it with Florida native plants in exchange for free trees from the county.
The details on each of these changes can be seen at:
SOME FINAL WORDS
I am a gardener and have a love of botanical gardens, as many poets do, and moved here in 1979 at the age of 39, when PC was still being built, not to retire, but to live in a sub-tropical garden the equal of any botanical garden in the states. It is a unique treasure, and as such everyone responsible for managing Pelican Cove should be aware that it should never be changed, only maintained in its original glory.
Finally, as a reminder how the landscape can be damaged by well-meaning amateurs, here is another site showing changes made 10-6 years ago to Boathouse Circle. I have not mentioned this site previously. It should be visited if you'd like more info on the kind of damage that can be done without a landscape architect. There are plenty of pictures.
I hope this gives everyone a sense of how valuable our landscape is, and how fragile it can be if changed by amateurs inexperienced in landscape design.
I can assure you that 50-75 years from now, when all of our structures will have ended their useful life, that the landscape, if properly preserved, will be sought after by luxury developers and will be worth a small fortune to the surviving owners. .
Here is a link to a site on my design experience:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-my-credentials.html
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-my-credentials.html
Here is a video site that will improve your eye for excellent landscape design in an effortless way. All it takes is a car ride out to Lido Key to see the real thing. It will instantaneously improve your eye for beauty and harmony in landscapes.
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-easy-way-to.html
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-easy-way-to.html
I hope the Board finds this site useful in determining future policy. I’d be happy to hear any comments or answer any questions in public or private.
Gr201
306 1119
A Founder and Resident since 1979
SECTION TWO: FOR THOSE WHO WANT MORE DETAIL
THE DETAIL ON DAMAGE DONE
TO OUR LANDSCAPE 6-10 YEARS AGO
I believe those responsible did so with the best of intentions. Indeed, on paper, their ideas looked quite sensible if you weren't knowledgeable about the problems inherent in making changes to landscapes like ours. As it turned out, however, those changes damaged the beauty and harmony of our lush, sub-tropical landscape, because:
1) shrubs and trees were brought in whose shapes and colors clashed with our subtropical landscape design .
2) they were all done without a landscape architect and without
proper notification of the residents that there was to be a complete
changing of portions of our landscape
Let me list those changes:
1) The introduction of over 600 unharmonious, darkly colored, spindly Tis and Crotons. throughout a third of our landscape.
2) The destruction of the existing landscaping surrounding the pond in the Brookhouse area and replacing it with Florida native plants.
3) The destruction of the existing landscaping in several areas of PC and replacing it with Florida native plants in exchange for free trees from the county.
The details on each of these changes can be seen at:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-pictorial.html
 |
| Small leaved,skimpy Florida native shrubs |
They really don't belong in our type of landscape.
They were never used by either Mrs. Wilbanks' or Bob Morris' landscape architects for that very reason.
 |
| Darkly colored Crotons and Tis |
There is a section on them at the end of this site. They really don't belong in our type of landscape.
They were never used by either Mrs. Wilbanks' or Bob Morris' landscape architects for that very reason.
Florida native plants are really survivor flora that can tolerate the rainless Florida winter. Here are some samples of what they look like:
.
Most of these survivor plants, as you can see, have very small leaves that are widely spaced on long spinly branches. That is what is requied to survive our rainless Florida winters.
They clash instantly with the lush, large leaved flora that make up our sub-tropical landscape. See examples below.
|
 |
| Lush, broad leaved Sub-Tropical flora |
|
| Lush sub-tropical landscaping at mansion |
To use Florida
native shrubs in PC on a mass basis, which is what was planned, would have
eventually destroyed our lush, sub-tropical landscape (left).
We always have to remember that what the county wants is not necessarily good for our landscape. They have their own agenda which is not necessarily ours. We don't have to comply with their suggestions. They are not law, just suggestions.
We also have to remember that the county is always working under the direction of the state, whose programs promoted the planting ofFlorida native flora because (in theory)
they use only rainwater and no fertilizer.
On paper that looks good, but in practice, it didn't work out that way within PC, most especially in the case of the Brook House pond.
The way that failure was eventually corrected was by the planting of Wedelia, which I suggested, and which had also been planted by Bob Morris 35 years ago behind the mansion. Since Morris's time, however, the state had declared it an invasive plant, which most people here took to mean it was something like a virus that would take over our landscape.
What invasive really means, however, is that is an agressive, healthy, fast
growing plant that will spread if boundaries aren't set up. The state has also declared Maleleuca trees and Australian pines as invasive, but PC wouldn't be here today if those trees weren't used to drain the original property, which was very swampy. And they haven't invaded anything over the past 85 years.
We have to remember that the state's agenda is a political one and doesn't necessarily apply to the PC landscape which came into existence far before the state set up its agendas as to what what is a proper plant for Florida.
For example, the state considers what it calls Florida Native trees and plants as the only ones proper forplanting, yet planting these skinny survivor plants in PC would devastate the lush, subtropical look of our landscape.
As for the "invasive" Wedelia, Morris set up those boundaries and the Wedelia has worked very well as a ground cover for 35 years.
In the same way, Wedelia was eventually planted as a ground cover around the pond (which provided the boundaries) and it quickly covered the failedFlorida native
plantings. I had been advocating its use for many months and both I and the
Grounds Manager think it was an excellent solution. Go over and take
a look.
We always have to remember that what the county wants is not necessarily good for our landscape. They have their own agenda which is not necessarily ours. We don't have to comply with their suggestions. They are not law, just suggestions.
We also have to remember that the county is always working under the direction of the state, whose programs promoted the planting of
On paper that looks good, but in practice, it didn't work out that way within PC, most especially in the case of the Brook House pond.
The way that failure was eventually corrected was by the planting of Wedelia, which I suggested, and which had also been planted by Bob Morris 35 years ago behind the mansion. Since Morris's time, however, the state had declared it an invasive plant, which most people here took to mean it was something like a virus that would take over our landscape.
 |
| Australian Pines |
We have to remember that the state's agenda is a political one and doesn't necessarily apply to the PC landscape which came into existence far before the state set up its agendas as to what what is a proper plant for Florida.
 |
| Maleleuca trees |
As for the "invasive" Wedelia, Morris set up those boundaries and the Wedelia has worked very well as a ground cover for 35 years.
In the same way, Wedelia was eventually planted as a ground cover around the pond (which provided the boundaries) and it quickly covered the failed
 |
| Wedelia |
We have to remember that it was also the state that
accidently let loose a virus that eventually spread from the Everglades
and threatened to destroy our shaggy-barked Maleleuca trees that line the
entrance and other formerly marshy areas in PC.
It was only the quick reaction of a resident, John Adler, that led to the use of an experimental vaccine that saved those trees.
As an aside, let me mention that there are plans in the air to replace the Maleleuca trees at a cost of $3-5000 each, presumably to replace the aging trees at our entrance, which by my reckoning are close to 100 years old. There are, however, two reasons why we should look at this proposal with a critical eye:
1) we no longer need their drainage, which is the reason
they were originally planted.
and
2. it seems somewhat risky because of the potential virus
problem, which may still be around and perhaps in a newer, different form for which there is no vaccine.
If the virus problem can be discounted, the only reason I
can see for this new planting would be to preserve a certain "look",
and if that is so, it seems to me that a better planting would consist of 50% Malelueca trees and 50% Live Oak trees (which
provide a much better canopy tunnel and are 1/2 the cost: $2500 for a 25 foot tree.)
Such a layout should be designed and planted under the
direction of a landscape architect to make sure it preserves the
"Malelueca look". Otherwise we might wind up with a visual mess that
could never be corrected.
But let me get back now to the landscape architects used by
both Bob Morris and Mrs. Wilbanks, because they all followed Olmstead’s ideas
to the letter.
In the first landscape design phase in the 30's,
the "use intended" was a sub-tropical garden for the Wilbanks to live
in, as is made clear in Irv Bennett’s and John Adler’s excellent History
of Pelican Cove
In the later Bob Morris landscape design in the 70's, the "use intended" was a subtropical garden to surround and blend with a 750 unit low-rise condominium.
(Note: It is unclear what percentage of the original Wilbanks landscaping shubbery beneath the trees Morris was able to salvage, as the property, when he bought it from Mrs. Wilbanks, had been left to grow wild for years. In Morris own words (according to The History of Pelican Cove, "..the property was overgrown with weeds, vines and impenetrable forests." This, by the way, is exactly what Pelican Cove would look like if it was left to grow wild over 7-10 years. My guess is that Morris' landscape architects used whatever percentage of the original shrubbery was still healthy, but what percentage that was we will never know.)
At any rate, here are some of the flowering trees and shrubs used in the final masterful 1979 Wilbanks/Morris PC landscape:
At any rate, here are some of the flowering trees and shrubs used in the final masterful 1979 Wilbanks/Morris PC landscape:
 |
| BOUGANVILLEA |
 |
| GOLD TREE |
 |
| AZAELAS |
|
| The lush subtropical Wilbanks/ Morris PC landscape is an artificial landscape made to look natural |
What we have today is a masterful artificial landscape that looks natural that was designed by skilled landscape architects and fulfills the use for which the property was intended.
Let me give you some more details on this.
THE DETAIL ON HIRING
A NEW GROUNDS MANAGER
A NEW GROUNDS MANAGER
AND
ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
As we are about to replace the current Grounds Manager, who is retiring in a year or so, I am going to suggest some steps that the Board should take with regard to hiring a new Grounds Manager.
The most important thing for the Board to focus on are the qualifications of the new Grounds Manager.
(I believe if the current Grounds Manager had been firmly instructed by the Board that he was never to change the landscape but replace plants and trees on a one-for-one basis, and that if he had extensive tropical and subtropical background, he would never have tried to introduce color by planting 600 non-harmonious Croton and Ti plants throughout the property.)
I believe what the Board needs to do is hire a good, proven maintenance foreman as Grounds Manager who can organize and manage the large ground staff in their various maintenance procedures, which are complicated and time dependent.
ESTABLISHING A RELATIONSHIP WITH
At any rate, what I am proposing is smply establishing a relationship. That doesn't cost anything. And if the right kind of landscape architect is chosen the fees will be small.
At any rate, there should be few changes except for recovering from blight or fire or storm damage and reinroducing the subtopical pastel flora that should have been planted rather than the Crotons and Tis.
1. Based on past experience, I believe it is critical that the new Grounds Manager should be very experienced in tropical and sub-tropical flora, especially flowering trees, vines and shrubs.
2. Secondly, the new Grounds Manager should be told in no uncertain terms that his job is to maintain our landscape, i.e., to replace injured or old trees and shrubs on a one-for-one basis (with the same exact species) and not to replace them with species of his own choosing.
(I believe if the current Grounds Manager had been firmly instructed by the Board that he was never to change the landscape but replace plants and trees on a one-for-one basis, and that if he had extensive tropical and subtropical background, he would never have tried to introduce color by planting 600 non-harmonious Croton and Ti plants throughout the property.)
I believe what the Board needs to do is hire a good, proven maintenance foreman as Grounds Manager who can organize and manage the large ground staff in their various maintenance procedures, which are complicated and time dependent.
ESTABLISHING A RELATIONSHIP WITH
AN ADVISORY LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
At the same time, the Board should establish a relationship with a proven landscape architect capable of advising them as well as designing any changes that might have to be made. I realize the Board never likes to consider this as landscape architects cost money, but so do consultants for our finances and structures.
At any rate, what I am proposing is smply establishing a relationship. That doesn't cost anything. And if the right kind of landscape architect is chosen the fees will be small.
At any rate, there should be few changes except for recovering from blight or fire or storm damage and reinroducing the subtopical pastel flora that should have been planted rather than the Crotons and Tis.
Here is what I believe to be the best way to interview and select an advisory landscape architect.
First of all, here is a landscape architect who already knows Pelican Cove that you should talk to. He is Fred Colagiovanni, President of Tropical Landscape Solutions.
Contact Fred at 941.351.5703, he is familiar with Pelican Cove as his firm was one considered by grounds committee 6 years ago for consulting.. They weren’t selected because the grounds committee wanted a larger firm with capabilities beyond landscape design.
I thought Fred's firm was the best candidate, however, when it came to landscape design per se.
I thought Fred's firm was the best candidate, however, when it came to landscape design per se.
You can actually see their designs right here in Sarasota . Here is a gallery of their residential projects:
Here is something about the firm that I took from their site:
Tropical Landscape Solutions has been creating artistic landscapes in southwest Florida since 1993. Between them, company founders Fred Colagiovanni and Daniel Shulman have nearly 50 years in the landscape design and maintenance. During that time, they've designed commercial landscapes for clients such as Home Depot, Publix and the Ritz Carlton, as well as countless waterfront estate landscapes on Longboat, Siesta, Lido , Manasota and Casey Keys.
Both Fred and Daniel are graduates of the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science & Forestry. Fred is a registered ASLA member, and Daniel is a Registered Landscape Architect (#0001642). With 43 employees and a 6-acre nursery, Tropical is well-equipped to handle landscape projects of any size, anywhere in the Southwest Florida region. Tropical Landscape Solutions is also a member of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange, the Florida Homebuilders Association, and the Chamber of Commerce in both Sarasota and Venice .
I think the best way to find similar firms is to go to the Lido Key neighborhood just before the Bridge to Long Boat key. It is the second neighborhood shown on the video at:
These are new homes on New Pass
Let me get back to the new Grounds Manager for a moment. If the Board concentrates on hiring a proven foreman, it will also be less expensive than trying to hire those who want a large salary because they claim to have landscaping design ability—but no degree. We don’t need that kind of help. It will only lead to problems. Believe me.
A strong foreman can pick up on the excellent procedures of the current Grounds Manager, who has done an excellent job in maintaining the property. If the maintenance procedures he has developed are passed on to the new foreman Grounds Manager, we should be in very good shape.
But any future landscape changes should be directed by a qualified landscape architect. The picture below shows the kind of natural looking, flowering landcape that can be created by a skilled landscape architect.
|
| This is the kind of harmony a landscape architect can supply |
I’ll say more about this as I go on, as such design advice needn’t be as expensive as the fat-cat landscape consultants hired by the Grounds Committee to advise them some 7 years ago because of the residents’ objections to what had been done to the landscape.
To my mind they were both expensive and accomplished little. Unbelieveable as it seems, they were never asked to comment on the accuracy of the residents' objections to what was being done to the landscape beneath the trees, even though a complete site was available for them to study and comment on:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-pictorial.html
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-pictorial.html
If my memory serves me correctly, their only contribution was to count the trees, mark which ones needed to be replaced because of age, and then suggest that the remaining trees be thinned by 1/3 every year afterward. I believe I still have the emails on this ridiculous last suggestion. Luckily this last suggestion was rejected or we wouldn’t have the landscape we have now, which was designed to be thickly wooded.
For those Board Members and residents who may think that after this tremendous effort on the part of the residents that the PC landscape is currently managed on the principle that the PC landscape is to be maintained according to the original design, but never changed, let me cite a few instances that may change your minds.
I think it should then be evident why the Board needs to establish rules and safeguards against unwarranted changes, because it's going to happen.
I think it should then be evident why the Board needs to establish rules and safeguards against unwarranted changes, because it's going to happen.
 |
| JACARANDA TREE IN BLOOM |
After several months had gone by, I inquired of the Grounds Manager when he was going to replace it, as the pledge Bob Morris gave Mrs. Wilbanks was that PC would maintain as many of her trees as possible. The Grounds Manager replied that PC had no rule requiring the replacement of trees cut down. A year has passed by and the Jacaranda tree still has not been replaced. By the way, I have the emails backing this up.
For some reason, the Grounds Manager took it upon himself to change the PC landscape by not replacing the Jacaranda, the kind of flowering tree that gave PC its original sub-tropical beauty. I believe that neither the Board, the new General Mamager nor the Grounds Committee were aware of this and would still not be aware of it if I hadn’t brought it up just now.
If Connie Lang, the previous General Manager, had still been here this would have never happened. The Grounds Mgr. gave me a number of excuses for doing this, but they made no sense to anyone who understands landscape design, as Connie did. In her absence, neither the Board, nor the new General Manager nor the Grounds Committee, had enough background to tell the Grounds Manager toplant a replacement Jacaranda to take the place of the aging one cut down.
If Connie Lang, the previous General Manager, had still been here this would have never happened. The Grounds Mgr. gave me a number of excuses for doing this, but they made no sense to anyone who understands landscape design, as Connie did. In her absence, neither the Board, nor the new General Manager nor the Grounds Committee, had enough background to tell the Grounds Manager toplant a replacement Jacaranda to take the place of the aging one cut down.
I know that no one likes to hear news like this, but it is something that has to be taken into consideration when instructions are given to our new Grounds Manager, because the rule that has to be understood and enforced is that the PC landscape is to be maintained according to the original design, but never changed.
A second situation where the landscape was changed for the worse was in the planting of three white, weak-flowering Chinese Orchid trees rather than the magnificent, purple-flowering , seedless Hong Kong Orchid trees that were planted by Morris and Mrs. Wilbanks thoughout the property.
two of these inferior Chines Orchid trees was planted several years ago on the north side of the harbor, and the second about 1 1/2 years ago on the corner of the Harbor House tennis court, which was specifically to be a purple Hong Kong Orchid tree. You should go take a look at the one by the tennis court.
two of these inferior Chines Orchid trees was planted several years ago on the north side of the harbor, and the second about 1 1/2 years ago on the corner of the Harbor House tennis court, which was specifically to be a purple Hong Kong Orchid tree. You should go take a look at the one by the tennis court.
 |
| chinese orchid with seed pods |
This same Hong Kong seedless hybrid was planted around the grounds by both Mrs Wilbanks and Bob Morris not only because of its purple-flowering beauty but because it is sterile and does not create hundreds of large, unsightly seed pods.
 |
| PURPLE HONG KONG ORCHID W NO SEED PODS |
Again, I believe that neither the Board nor even the resident members of the Grounds Committee were aware of this and would still not be aware of it if I hadn’t brought it up just now.
I happened to notice both these changes because I am particularly interested in the welfare of our flowering trees, many of which re nearing the end of their lives, being originally planted by Mrs. Wilbanks.
It would be criminal if we were to allow them to suffer the same fate as the chopped-down but not replaced Jacaranda behind Harbor House.
It would be criminal if we were to allow them to suffer the same fate as the chopped-down but not replaced Jacaranda behind Harbor House.
At any rate this is why the new Ground Manager we hire:
1) should have proven experience with planting and maintaining tropical and sub-tropical flora, especially flowering trees, vines and shrubs.
2) be firmly instructed that the PC landscape is to be maintained on a one for one basis according to the original design, but never changed.
3) be instructed that any landscape changes should be directed by a qualified landscape architect
Let me say something about the hiring of an inexpensive qualified landscape architect to direct any changes that have to be made. In the Sarasota area there are several small gardening firms owned by very good, working, practical landscape architects with staffs about the size of our ground crew.
I became familiar with one of these firms when six or seven landscaping consultant firms were being interviewed by the Grounds Committee. The owner of one impressed me with his thinking and design backround and experience. He told me they could design a small plot, present an accurate picture of it for approval, and supervise the actual planting for a few hundred dollars.
This is the kind of working, non fat-cat architect we should establish a relationship with. After all, we use temporary consultants for our finances and structures. Our landscape should be no different.
As there is plenty of time before the new Ground Manager is hired, here is what I suggest be done. Interview a few of these small gardening firms owned by landscape architects and go see what they've done. Then select one you’d like to work with. If the Board wishes, I’d be glad to assist them in this.
The selected landscape architect would work with the new Grounds Manager, but he should report to the General Manager and the Board, not only on the changes he is directed to make, but also on any unwarranted changes he detects.
This is the kind of safeguard we need, especially since the current Board and General Manager have no landscaping experience as far as I know. I don't mean this in a disparaging way, it is simply a statement of fact.
Here is something else that I suggested to Connie Lang a few years ago, but she left before we got to talk about it seriously.
Here is what I suggested to Connie: Have the landscape architect you want to establish a relationship with suggest a few people he knows who would be qualified Grounds Managers, i.e., proven maintenance foremen. Most probably they will be people who have worked for him in the past, but it could also be someone currently working for him.
One thing for sure, the landscape architect is not going to choose a lemon because he will want to firm up his relationship with PC.
What you would then have is a Grounds Manager familiar with the thinking of the landscape architect and who also has a pre-existing working relationship with him. This can only help communication between the Grounds manager and the landscape architect. I suspect they would talk back and forth informally and it wouln't cost PC anything.
This relationship might eventually lead down the road to hiring temporary workers from the gardening firm of the landscape architect. This, in turn, might lead down the road to not replacing some of our own older workers as they retire but using more temporary workers. (which would be cheaper, no FICA etc).
However, I believe we should always keep our own ground crew but perhaps not as large.
Thus there would be many options the Board could take, as the relationship develops, all of which would reduce costs and improve the quality of our landscape.
Needless to say, I believe any such small firm would jump at the chance to have a relationship with Pelican Cove. It would also be good for Pelican Cove.
THE DETAIL: SOME MORE ABOUT OLMSTED'S INFLUENCE
Let me say some more about Olmsted's design influence. Anyone familiar with landscaping design will tell you, without a moment’s hesitation, that Olmstead’s revolutionary ideas about landscaping, first introduced around 1860, changed American landscaping forever.
The pictures below show large gardens looked like prior to Olmsted. They look completely unatural.
The pictures below show large gardens looked like prior to Olmsted. They look completely unatural.
|
| This is an example of Central Park's artificial landscaping made to look natural |
By the 1930’s, if not sooner, Olmsted’s ideas formed the basic curriculum of every college offering a degree in landscape architecture. His ideas were the first thing students were taught and they still are.
They are as important to landscape design as Einstein’s theories are to students of modern physics.
People who know landscaping will also tell you, without a moment’s hesitation that our original Wilbanks landscaping was done in accordance with Olmsted’s design ideas, as were the later, extensive modifications done by the two landscape architects employed by Bob Morris.
|
| Wilbanks mansion and masterful landscaping |
As part of Bob Morris’ purchase of this property, he promised Mrs. Wilbanks that he would protect and maintain as much of the landscape as he could, and because of that, I believe Pelican Cove has something like a fiduciary responsibility with regards to preserving the PC landscape.
What those responsible for the disastrous landscaping changes of 10-6 years ago didn’t really understand is that landscape design is a very difficult art, because unlike a painting, or a sculpture, the plants keep growing and changing shapes and colors.
In short, they didn’t know enough about landscape design to understand that a masterpiece like our landscape should never be changed, only maintained along the original lines. For sure they didn’t have any idea who Olmsted was, or his design ideas were, until I brought him up.
I can assure you that our landscape today is absolutely nothing like the original native land. Nor did it happen all by itself with the help of one of Mrs. Wilbanks’ neighbors (Dr. McAdow), which is the mistaken impression the History of Pelican Cove unwittingly gives.
The Wilbanks’ initial landscape, as I have shown, was done by someone who knew landscaping, and the initial job was as masterful as the modifications done by Bob Morris’ highly skilled landscape architects some 45 years later.
I fear that unless the Board sets some different rules for the new Grounds Manager and also insists that our unique and beautiful PC landscape should never be changed only maintained on a one-for-one basis, we are leaving ourselves open again to its being damaged.
At the time those damaging changes were made, neither the Board, nor the General Manager, nor the Grounds Manager had any knowledge or experience in landscape design.
I believe this is somewhat the same case today.
At the time those damaging changes were made, neither the Board, nor the General Manager, nor the Grounds Manager had any knowledge or experience in landscape design.
I believe this is somewhat the same case today.
The result was that massive changes were made to the landscape (almost overnight) without the Board and the General Manager being aware of (or understanding) what was taking place. (The one exception to this was the planting done around Brookhouse Pond, although I don't believe the Board understood the ramifications of doing this without a landscape architect.)
It was only when knowledgeable residents became aware of what was happening, that the changes were stopped by a referendum oF almost 100 residents.
That referendum, along with the later corrective efforts of a new General Manager, Connie Lang, restored out landscape to about 85% of its original beauty and harmony.
As someone who knows a great deal about landscapes and design (and how easily they can be damaged) I feel it is imperative that we actively respect and protect this landscape in the same way that we respect and protect the structures and accounting systems.
THE DETAIL ON OUR ORIGINAL VIRGIN LANDSCAPE
Here are the details that will set the record straight on what the original land looked like, and what an incredible jump our finished landscape represents. First of all, we should be aware that prior to Mrs. Wilbanks purchasing the property, it looked something like the virgin land just to the north of Pelican Cove, the Eide estate, which will soon be developed:
According to the Irv Bennett’s and John Adler’s excellent History of Pelican Cove, the 18 acre plot called the Eide estate was sold by Mrs Wilbanks to The Prebyterian Church in 1964. Sometime later she sold a 15 acre plot near the entrance that eventually became Bay Village .
So we only have to look at the Eide estate (which was never developed outside of the bayfront area around Mr. Eide’s home) to see what some part of the Wilbanks estate still looked like in 1964.
By 1964, a great deal of the Wilbanks estate had been landscaped, but a part of the northen area (which was sold off and became the Eide estate) and a part in the southwest ( which was sold off and eventually became Bay Village) were still in a virgin state and consisted of hundreds of ugly Florida pines with lots of small sabal scrub, and a few oaks and sabal palms.
By 1964, a great deal of the Wilbanks estate had been landscaped, but a part of the northen area (which was sold off and became the Eide estate) and a part in the southwest ( which was sold off and eventually became Bay Village) were still in a virgin state and consisted of hundreds of ugly Florida pines with lots of small sabal scrub, and a few oaks and sabal palms.
From this it is easy to deduce that the original Wilbanks property bought in the thirties was identical, i.e. it contained nothing but hundreds of ugly Florida pines and small sabal scrub, with a few sabal palms and a few oaks. Further proof of this are the massive Florida pines that were not cut down and remain scattered throughout PC.
While the Eide estae is still undeveloped, I suggest that those who want to see for themselves how different the original virgin PC landscape looked in its native state should view it, if only through the fence, or the drive at the Presbyterian Church leading to the estate off 41.
As I pointed out earlier, what Irv and John in their excellent History of Pelican Cove say about the original, virgin landscaping, (“the land… was replete with towering palms, oaks, exotic fruit and nut trees..”) is incorrect.
It must have been difficult for them to go back a hundred years for positively accurate information about our virgin property, and in some cases I believe Irv and John had to rely on the memories of others, which were bound to be somewhat questionable as to the time period being described
Some “towering palms” were undoubtedly there (native Sabal palms can grow to 40 feet if not shaded out by the surrounding pines), but I suspect that the “exotic fruit and nut trees” may describe the land sold off by Mrs. Wilbanks (and in which fruit and nut trees were later planted before it became Bay Village). It seems clear to me therefore that the exotic fruit and nut trees” were not a part of the original virgin property that Mrs Wibanks purchased.
If John or Irv have information to the contrary, I’d like to hear about it. As for the oak trees, I believe that like the sabal palms there were only few because in a native Florida landscape they are shaded out by the faster growing pines.
This is obvious if we look at the Eide property or indeed at any undeveloped virgin property in this area. Everything, including oaks and sabal palms, are shaded out by the faster developing Florida pines.
As I mentioned earlier, some remnants of those original Sabal palms and Florida
Thus I think it’s safe to say that original native landscape
of the PC property is pretty much what you also see today not only in
the Eide estate but also in any virgin undeveloped land in this area.
|
| Florida pines landscape similar to original, virgin PC landscape |
Where the native PC property was different from the native Eide estate, was that it was extremely marshy and had a great many mangroves not only on the shoreline, but where the Wilbanks pool is today, as well as the shallow estuary feeding the bay.
That estuary was fed by Clower Creek, and was eventually enlarged by Bob Morris into what we now know as the Harbor.
One indication of how marshy parts of the land were can be seen in the huge Melaleuca (punk) trees that the original landscape architect planted along on the drive leading to the mansion and on many other marshy areas around the the Brookhouses and just south and around the mansion.
These Melaleuca trees were not native but imported from Australia and were historically used in Florida to dry up marshy land, as they suck up enormous amounts of water.
The Melaleuca trees were probably the first artificial planting done by the architect, but they were soon followed by hundreds of trees that were also not native to this area, or the state, or even the country, such as the African Tulip trees that were planted on the lawn of the original mansion. Some still survive at the SE corner of the lawn.
Sub-tropical flowering trees such as Jacaranda, African Tulip, Royal Ponciana, and perhaps some of our older Hong Kong Orchid trees were also imported, just to name a few, along with a staggering variety of imported hardwood trees including the huge Norfolk Pines and the planting of many more live oaks.
The imported palms included fish tail palms, areca palms, and Chinese palms, which are not native to this area. Bob Morris’ landscape architects also planted similar trees later to keep in harmony with the original landscaping.
In short, the trees and shrubs you see today in PC bear no relation whatsoever to the rough native Forida pine and Sabal palm trees and mangroves that filled the virgin PC property.
Here are pictures and data on each of the Florida pine trees, Sabal palms and palm scrub that populated our native virgin property. Click on the descriptions for more information on each:
 |
| typical orange grove |
Irv and John in their History of Pelican Cove also cite about 40-50 acres of the Wilbanks estate being devoted to an orange grove, which they say Mr.Wilbanks planted prior to building the mansion.
When I came here in 1979, a few spotty, gnarled remnants of this orange grove could be seen around PC, much as the scattered massiveFlorida pines and Sabal palms I’ve just mentioned.
When I came here in 1979, a few spotty, gnarled remnants of this orange grove could be seen around PC, much as the scattered massive
The construction of this grove, of course, would have meant cutting down a great many of the virgin pines, and because of this, I have to believe the grove was worked into the original Olmsted-influenced Wilbanks landscaping plan to create the final Wilbanks landscaping.
The result was a masterful artificial design made to look natural and that also served the purpose for which Mrs. Wilbanks purchased the land: creating a sub-tropical garden to live in. An orange grove fit right into that sub-tropical garden, just as Mrs. Wilbanks’ flowers and green house did.
(As a note, after 35 years, it is sometimes difficult to
tell if some of our mature trees were planted by Mrs Wilbanks or Bob Morris,
but you can generally tell the trees planted by Mrs. Wilbanks by their size but
also by how close they are to the roads that Bob Morris later created.
Sometimes only inches separate them from the road, which is
bad landscaping practice, and Morris knew it, but evidently had no choice, as
both the roads had to be laid and the trees saved, so he did the best he could.
The trees and shrubs that Morris himself planted were always a significant
distance from the roads and structures.
Take a walk around PC. Any large tree dangerously close to the roads or structures is probably a tree planted by Mrs Wilbanks' landscape architect that Bob Morris chose to save despite the fact that it was bad landscaping practice.)
I might add that Bob Morris’s pledge to Mrs. Wilbanks that PC would preserve as much of the original landscaping as possible was carried out by his employment of two distinguished landscape architects to design and maintain the changes made to the original landscaping.
One was from the Cornell School of Landscape Design, the best in the country, and the other was from the U of F School of Landscape Design, in Gainesville , a leader in sub-tropical and tropical landscaping. They were well-schooled in Olmstead’s principles. Their harmonious blending of new semi-tropical trees and shrubs was done to perfection.
It is a unique treasure, and as such everyone responsible for managing Pelican Cove should be aware that it should never be changed, only maintained in its original glory.
What remains to be done as of 2016 is the continued planting
of the subtropical flowering shrubs and flowering trees that should have been
planted rather than the unharmonious, spindly, darkly colored Crotons and Ti
plants.
Many people can't see the difference between the bright, pastel colors of semitropical flora such as hibiscus, oleander, bougainvillea, alamanda, Royal Poinciana, and Jacaranda, etc., as compared to the darker colors of the Tis and Crotions.
The difference is this: the bright pastel, colors of sub-tropical shrubs like hibiscus, oleander, bougainvillea, alamanda, Royal Poinciana, and Jacaranda, etc., give you an emotional lift, whereas the darker colors of the Tis and Crotons don’t.
That emotional lift, by the way, happens of its own accord. It can't be avoided.
|
| THE BEAUTIFUL PASTEL COLORS GIVE AN EMOTIONAL LIFT |
THE DETAIL: RESTORING OUR LANDSCAPE TO ITS 1979 SUB-TROPICAL GLORY
We owe the
previous General Manager, Connie Lang, who had an extensive landscaping
background, eternal thanks for the variety of ways in which she minimized the
effects of these non-harmonious plantings over the past 4 years, so that we now
have a landscaping that is about 85% of the original gorgeous subtropical landscape I
experienced when I moved here in 1979.
I suspect that few Board members or residents know of her
behind-the-scene efforts in this regard.
The way
Connie did this was by working with the Grounds Manager to:
1. Let
our original shrubbery grow in height by an additional 1 1/2 to 2 feet so as to
minimize the impact of the spindly, dark-colored Tis and Crotons which were
spread every where like salt and pepper.
2.
Remove some to the Tis and Crotons that couldn’t be hidden because the original
shrubbery wouldn’t grow higher.
3. Begin planting more new sub-tropical shrubs, primarily hibiscus.
(Unfortunately a great many Crotons have been left to grow to sometimes to the size of trees and completely out of proportion to the surrounding shrubbery, which violates one of the most basic rules of landscaping.
I took a cart trip some months ago around PC with the Grounds Manager and the Chairman of the Grounds Committee to point out these very large Crotons. Unfortunately, it seems they will not be cut back, and with the knowledgeable Connie no longer here to step in and ask why, it appears they will stay that way until a new Grounds Manager is hired.)
|
| PASSION FLOWER VINE |
That new planting, however, should not be done in the haphazard manner of the past with no respect for harmony of colors and shapes. (See photos below.)
|
| THE HAPHAZARD TI AND CROTON SHRUBS CLASH WITH ORIGINAL LANDSCAPING AND ARE HARD TO HARMONIZE WITH |
Too much of that has happened already with the result that a large part of our Wilbanks/Morris PC landscape lacks the kind of color and shape harmony it should have, and did have in 1979.
There is little we can do about this, however, because:
1) the darkly colored Tis and Crotons are notoriously dficult to harmonize with.
2) they were planted randomly throughout the property where their shape and colors clash with the original srubs surrounding them.
The main crossroads at the Wilbanks is one such spot but there are several others, such as the corner next to the Harbor Club tennis courts. There are several other good spots.
The picture to the left is an example of an harmonius landscape, but it is a bit too manicured for PC, but the same harmony can be achieved in a more natural way by a skilled landscape architect. The picture below gives an example of such a harmonius landscape spot made to look natural a la Olmsted. |
| this is the kind of harmony a landscape architect can supply |
Here are some samples of the hundreds of sub-tropical flowering flora that could be planted at selected focal points. Some of those shown below are already here, but many of them are very old and need to be replaced.
SOME FLOWERING SUB-TROPICAL TREES
|
| HONG KONG ORCHID TREE |
|
| JACARANDA TREES |
|
| GOLD TREE |
 |
| AFRICAN TULIP TREE |
|
ROYAL POINCIANA TREE
|
|
| MIMOSA TREE |
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERING VINES
|
| BLEEDING HEART VINE |
|
| PINK TRUMPET VINES |
|
| PASSION FLOWER VINE |
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERING SHRUBS
 |
| BOUGANVILLEA SHRUBS |
|
| MIXED LANTANA SHRUBS |
|
| PURPLE LANTANA SHRUBS |
|
| GOLD LANTANA SHRUBS |
|
| RED OLEANDER SRHUB |
|
| PINK OLEANDER SHRUBS |
|
| PLUMBAGO SHRUBS |
SOME SUB-TROPICAL FLOWERS
|
| RUMBA FLOWERS |
|
| MIXED PERIWINKLES |
|
| PENTAS |
Again, the difference between the bright, pastel colors of semitropical flora such as hibiscus, oleander, bougainvillea, alamanda, Royal Poinciana, and Jacaranda, etc., as compared to the darker colors of the Tis and Crotons is often unclear to the inexperienced eye.
The difference is this: the bright pastel, semi-tropical
colors give you an emotional lift, whereas the darker colors of the
Tis and Crotons don’t.
|
| THE DARKER CLORS OF TI AND CROTON SHRUBS DON'T LIFT THE EMOTIONS |
|
| BRIGHT PASTEL COLORS GIVE YOU AN EMOTIONAL LIFT |
 |
| Azaleas |
When tthe azaelas stop blooming and the heat-intolerent impatiens are removed in late spring, the PC landscaping goes flat.
Those who live here year round will attest to that.
By planting the bright, pastel colors of semitropical flora such as Hibiscus shrubs, Mimosa trees, Oleander trees and shrubs, Bougainvillea shrubs, Alamanda vines, Royal Poinciana trees African Tulip trees, HongKong orchid trees, Jacaranda trees, Passion flower vines and many more these emotionally uplifting colors will be here all year round.SOME FINAL WORDS
I am a gardener and have a love of botanical
gardens, as many poets do, and moved here in 1979 at the age of 39, when PC was still being built, not to retire,
but to live in a sub-tropical garden the equal of any botanical garden in the
states. It is a unique treasure, and as such everyone responsible for managing Pelican Cove should be aware that it should never be changed, only maintained in its original glory.
Finally, as a reminder how the landscape can be damaged by amateurs, here is another site showing another of the changes made 10-6 years ago. I have not mentioned this site previously. It should be visited if you'd like more info on the kind of damage that can be done without a landscape architect. There are plenty of pictures.
I hope this gives everyone a
sense of how valuable our landscape is, and how fragile it can be if changed by amateurs inexperienced in landscape design.
I can assure you that 50-75 years from now, when all of our
structures will have ended their useful life, that the landscape, if properly
preserved, will be sought after by luxury developers and will be worth a
small fortune to the surviving owners. .
Here is a link to a site on my design experience:
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-my-credentials.html
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-my-credentials.html
Here is a video site that will improve your eye for excellent landscape design in an effortless way. All it takes is a car ride out to Lido Key to see the real thing. It will instantaneously improve your eye for beauty and harmony in landscapes.
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-easy-way-to.html
http://artmargaretspringfamily.blogspot.com/2014/06/pelican-cove-landscaping-easy-way-to.html
I hope the Board finds this site useful in determining future policy. I’d be happy to hear any comments or answer any questions in public or private.
Gr201
306 1119
A Founder and Resident since 1979
ADDENDUM: THE UNSUITABILITY OF TI AND CROTON PLANTS IN OUR PC LANDSCAPE
I have added the following section to help residents discriminate good color from bad color in a semi-tropical garden such as the PC Landscape.
It is particularly focused on the unsuitability of the use of Tis and Crotons in the Pelican Cove landscape:
It is particularly focused on the unsuitability of the use of Tis and Crotons in the Pelican Cove landscape:
Like those great gardens, our landscaping was planted along the same rules that have governed the creation of serious landscaped gardens for hundreds of years. These same basic rules apply whether the garden is Temperate ( Hudson Vally) or Tropical/Semi tropical ( Bok Towers, Fairchild, Selby).Our own PC landscape is Tropical/Semi tropical.
The rules are known to all landscape architects:
1) Beauty is achieved by the creating a collage of differing shades and shapes of green foliage. This rule is critical because green is the color that we subconsciously react to in the most positive way. We feel renewed, reborn, refreshed simply by looking at green foliage. It is in our genes.
2) Additional color is introduced by the natural flowers belonging to that green foliage, and in the case of Tropical/Semi tropical landscapes, examples of those flowering shrubs and trees would be roses, hibiscus, oleander, penta, alamanda, Mexican petunia, orchid trees, jacaranda tree, and magnolia tree to name just a few. The beautiful colors and shapes of these flowers reflects centuries of natural and human selection.
Green, naturally flowering bouganvillia and azeleas
with their pastel, refreshing colors.
There was no good reason for these classic rules to have been ignored by planting the red and orange colored crotons and the tall muddy purple thai plants that have overwhelmed our original landscape.with their pastel, refreshing colors.
They contain no healing green and their dark colors are inferior to those of naturally flowering pastel shrubs.
I am sure it seemed a good idea: why not supply color by using colored shrubs. Many of these colored shrubs require less maintenance and water, which also makes them financially attractive.
Unfortunately the color combinations of their leaves are not the simple, bright , pastel colors of naturally flowering Tropical/Semi tropical shrubs
But more importantly, when planted in large numbers, these luridly colored shrubs block our ability to see the green. They are like too much makeup on a well dressed woman. We no longer see the dress, only the make up.In some sections of PC, the ratio of these plants to the green foliage is already 30% or more. At this point, the ability of these dark colored shrubs to visually block out the surrounding green is more than evident.
This is why these colored shrubs are not used in any distinguished botanical garden except as specimen plants.
They are represented as specimens in botanical gardens because it is the duty of botanical gardens to reflect all flora.
Thus at our own Selby, you will see small specimen plantings of things like orchids and bromeliads and crotons and ti plants, but you won’t see the crotons and thai plants in huge numbers saturating and obscuring the green landscape as at Pelican Cove.No trained landscape architect would ever do that, because in classic gardens such as Pelican Cove and Selby, color is introduced into the green landscape through naturally flowering shrubs and trees.
There is a good reason why: the ability of these lurid colors to blot out the eye's ability to absorb the healing, refreshing effect of green foliage is a fact and is known to all experienced landscape architects.
Here are some examples of the lurid, colored shrubs that have been massively introduced throughout the Cove. They don't fit in, will grow to ten feet in height ,and seem like plants from an alien planet.
These shrubs contain no green leaves, and no flowers.
These shrubs contain no green leaves, and no flowers.
Examples of the lurid, colored shrubs that have been introduced throughout the Cove. These shrubs contain no green leaves, and no flowers.
Compare their lurid colors to the delicate flowers on the green leaved shrubs (below) that were a part of the original classic landscaping.
The photos below show the soft beautiful flowers of azaela shrubs, bouganvillea and Impatiens.
Examples of beautiful colors of the naturally flowering green shrubs used by the original designers.
