Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Native Plants

[Dahako (Dahako]

Hi - 
We didn't try to fight out what people *must* plant in their outdoor spaces.
Instead, we took some time during a business meeting to develop a list of
group goals for the landscaping.  The list included native plants, low-water-
use, visually tying together the neighborhood by blurring boundaries and
repeating common elements, and having options for sweat equity installation.
There was some other stuff.  Anyway, an ad hoc landscape committee took that
and got some landscapers to develop "bids".  One of the responses was from a
nursery with a lot of native plants and a landscape architect who had done her
masters project on landscaping a cohousing neighborhood.  

Our deal is that no one has to use this landscape architect, but if at least
10 of our households buy from their nursery, we all get a discount.  Plus, we
have the list of group goals for our landscaping that folk can refer to.  I'm
looking forward to seeing the different interpretations.  I'll let you all
know in a couple of years how it begins to turn out.

Jessie Handforth Kome
Eno Commons 
Durham, NC
Where all our lots are sold - but I think one is up for resale!  (So, if you
are interested, run, do not walk, to our website at www.hawk-
systems.com/web_pages/eno-commons/ to get contact info).  We have seven homes
occupied and two more move-ins imminent.  Most of the move-ins are families
with kids and we've already reached the stage of letting the kids roam and
just checking around the neighborhood for their shoes and socks once or twice
a day.