GIVING MADISON WOODS A "THERE"

My name is Rolf Jacobs and I have been gardening and landscaping professionally for many years. I also happen to own a 42 space mobile home community/private arboretum but that's another story. Recently, I did some work for John and Daphne and that's what I'd like to talk about.

The first time I drove up to Madison Woods, all I could say was "No, no, no. It's all wrong. There's nothing there." All that existed was a sign and a driveway leading off the city street with empty fields on either side. Not exactly the sort of view that feels welcoming at the end of a long day or one that makes for a good first impression.

My idea was to use landscaping to tell current and prospective residents that they had arrived at either their home or someplace they would like to live. What I envisioned was a sort of "allée" or formal avenue one often sees in Europe. This usually takes the form of a wide boulevard leading to somewhere important and bordered on both sides by large and evenly spaced trees all of the same variety. Going down such an avenue, you know you are headed somewhere and you know when you have arrived.

Anything I installed would have to meet the following criterial:

1. It had to be tough and disease resistant.

2. Given recent history, severe drought tolerance is a must.

3. Little or no maintenance once established.

4. It needed to be interesting to look at all four seasons of the year.

What I later planted was two lines of red-flowering Crepe Myrtles (Lagerstromia indica 'Dynamite'). These are multi-trunked with exfoliating bark that looks great in the winter long after the flowers and leaves are gone. Spacing proved a bit difficult due to mailboxes and utility infrastructure plus the driveway has an almost imperceptible curve to it. Between the trees are red and yellow daylillies (Hermerocallis 'Stella D' Oro'). The Crepe Myrtles have red flowers with yellow "eyes" and the daylillies repeat and reinforce these colors. A state-of-thee-art drip system handles the watering and will be abandoned after 2 or 3 years. Everything finally got several inches of pine straw as mulch on top.

We also plan to install several pecan trees further out in one of the fields. It's a "Southern thing" and something the residents can harvest and enjoy.

Did my idea work? I don't know. You tell me when you come to the MOM.

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