Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Landscaping

[Lynn Nadeau (welcome]

RoseWind Cohousing has three sorts of areas, in terms of landscaping, and 
varying degrees of group control:

1) Private home sites, of about 5000 sq ft. The areas around each home 
are individually maintained and arranged. Courtesy involves checking with 
neighbors about planting tall trees in their view corridor or that will 
shade their garden, and our architectural review guidelines involve 
neighbors in ok-ing fence construction. But all in all, it's a private 
yard. 

2) The central commons. Tended "by committee". Our Landscape and our 
Maintenance teams plan and schedule twice-yearly mowing of the tall grass 
in the fields, installation and maintenance of the irrigation system for 
the common garden areas (we have a well for the purpose, and lines run 
out from there), the size, location, and deer-fencing of the community 
garden areas, choice and planting of fruit and other trees, acquisition 
and maintenance of gardening equipment. Individuals can have personal 
garden patches, in the common garden areas. The Landscape team also works 
on the overall plan of what goes where, on the commons, and reviews and 
OK's plans for "local commons" . So far, all proposals have been OK'd. 

3) "Local commons" areas are commons, but are designed and maintained by 
individuals. There are some such areas which serve as courtyards for 
several particular homes, and those families can get together and plan 
the landscaping there. One such area is already developed, and is very 
attractive, with picnic tables, trampoline for kids, berms and plantings 
full of flowers and edibles. Other areas are bits or strips near a home 
which seem to logically fall under the care and interest of that home 
owner. As with the courtyard-type areas, the owner(s) can make a plan and 
run it by the Landscape team for approval. By my house, there is a piece 
of unopened street right-of-way and a strip of commons along the south 
side of my house, where I have had a pedestrian path constructed and am 
planning plantings which I will maintain. 

Control: At RoseWind we tend to err on the side of individual freedom, 
but it is still apparent that it won't work to just have anyone do 
anything anywhere, as the inspiration strikes them. 
           There may be plantings that you want to avoid (invasive plants 
like bamboo or ivy need to be keep in bounds). 
            Liability risks might be weighed if a structure or hole or 
such might lead to injuries on the commons. 
             Future maintenance is a consideration--- if someone creates 
something that needs future maintenance, are they committed to following 
through?  Is the installation temporary or permanent? 
             Is it aesthetically acceptable to the group as a whole, or 
is one person's personal spontaneity fulfillment a large concrete statue 
that  others find an eyesore?  
             Does the proposed plan keep the feeling that the area is 
still a common area, or does it feel like it has been annexed to their 
yard? 

Such considerations are more easily handled ahead of time. Post-facto, 
there can be reluctance to speak up, offended participants, etc. 

Good luck in finding the formula that works for you!

Lynn Nadeau, RoseWind Cohousing
where Nov 7 we have a work party to put in pipelines to extend our 
agricultural-well water to more garden and potential orchard areas on the 
commons. We're renting a "Ditch Witch" tool to dig the trenches, and 
rumor has it THE Ditch Witch may put in a personal appearance!