Winter is Here and Your Landscape is Grateful Holiday Pontoon Boat Rides

Home & landsCape Winter is Here and Your Landscape is Grateful

By Randy Zellers SDL, Director of Operations

With the Holidays upon us, it is a time to reflect and be thankful we all made it through the extreme summer of 2020. The hot temperatures and lack of monsoon activity has caused dramatic changes in the landscape. Plants, trees and even cactus have suffered immensely, and the landscape probably has some empty areas due to the drastic summer. While you enjoy the cooler temperatures that winter brings us, now is the time to start evaluating your landscape design and start to plan to fill the empty spots the summer of 2020 caused.

You have already planted the flower beds filled with Geraniums, Petunias and Snapdragons that will get you through the spring. Your rye grass lawn is lush green and will hang in until May. Now it is time to evaluate your trees, shrubs, cactus and accent plants.

Trees provide cooling shade and add the most value to your landscape. Like real estate, trees are about location, location, location. Choosing the right tree for the right space is critical to allow them to grow naturally without constant pruning. Keep away from walls and roof lines and position the tree to provide the most shade to your home on the south and west exposures. Before purchasing, find out the mature height and width of the tree and place accordingly on your property.

Shrubs add a mixture of colors and textures to the landscape and work best in groupings of three or five. Choose plants on blooming preferences and seasonal color to attempt showy blooms in your landscape year-round. Many of the newer species found in nurseries are from Australia and will bloom in the summer months when most desert adapted species shut down. Blue Emu is a solid choice to utilize in your palette and requires little to no trimming. Its grey foliage mixes well with any plant and provides blue blooms throughout the summer months.

Cactus can add dramatic contrasts to your landscapes by grouping in mass or as a stand-alone Saguaro or Totem Pole cactus for vertical height. Be sure to keep cactus away from sidewalks or driveways to prevent harmful interactions with pedestrians and visitors.

Accent plants like Agave and Aloe species bring a different texture and add color to the landscape. Both species are low maintenance and provide bountiful “pups” that can be relocated within your landscape.

Hopefully, we will receive some winter rains and replenish of water tables for the coming year. During rains, be sure to turn off watering systems for a couple of days for every .25” of rain received. Predictions are for a warm and mild winter this year and the threat of frost may not be an issue. Just in case, it is best to have frost cloth available if you need to cover frost sensitive plants during the evenings. Many of the coldest nights occur during clear and cloudless skies, which allows warmer air to escape. Keep an eye on frost warnings and be ready to protect your plants if need be.

Holiday Pontoon Boat Rides

It has been decided by the SRCA Board of Directors and Management that we will not be offering any Holiday Pontoon Boat rides this year due to continued concerns over COVID-19. The reason being is that there is no way to social distance. Keeping all of our residents and staff safe is our number one priority.

Lake Serena Recreational Rentals, Kayaks, a Paddle Boat or a Canoe, are available!

Reservations are required.

All equipment will be sanitized after each use.

For details or to make a reservation, please call the SRCA office at (480) 860-2022 or email Joni Shepherd at jshepherd@scottsdaleranch.org.

Docks and outside areas are also open for use. All areas will be power washed and sanitized weekly; however, the use of these areas are at your own risk as SRCA cannot guarantee the area to be COVID free.

ATTENTION!!

The use of SRCA facilities and amenities are voluntary and at your own risk. Scottsdale Ranch Community Association cannot ensure that all areas are free of COVID–19 or other pathogens. The Association is not the guarantor of your personal safety.

Are you interested in joining a SRCA Committee?

The committee structure at SRCA provides the Board of Directors with advisory assistance in making decisions. Committees of the Association are established to assist the Board of Directors in studying an area of responsibility, obtaining information, evaluating requests, evaluating projects, furnishing recommendations for action, furnishing recommendations for Association policies and rules, and generally overseeing specific areas of the Association as assigned by the Board. It also provides a means for utilizing the specialized knowledge and expertise of members and affords them the opportunity to contribute to the operations of the association.

SRCA Committees include: • Architectural • Communications • Community Leadership • Election • Finance • Governmental • Lake • Social

You can find descriptions of each Committee on the SRCA website at www.scottsdaleranch.org. If you have any questions please contact Genevieve Long at glong@ scottsdaleranch.org.