Laurelwood at Bayside Lakes Recommendations for Tree Plantings for Individual Lots

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1 Laurelwood at Bayside Lakes Recommendations for Tree Plantings for Individual Lots 1. Purpose This document will provide some specific recommendations for Laurelwood at Bayside Lakes homeowners and tenants in landscaping and maintaining their properties. It is an outgrowth of the Architectural Review Committee (the ARC) outlined in the Covenants and has been approved by the Board of the Laurelwood Homeowners Association (the HOA). 2. Goals of the Recommendations It is important to recognize that the ARC's intention is to support the general landscaping goals of our community. Landscaping should be used: To create interest To enhance property values To promote a sense of community, and To harmonize individual home sites with common areas. The ARC is striving to maintain Laurelwood's identity as a wooded community. We believe that this identity requires certain objectives be recognized as we place new plantings or replace existing plantings around our homes. These recommendations are intended to provide some advice on how best to replace mature trees when necessary and maintain the wooded character of our community. 3. Design of New or Replacement Tree Plantings Homeowners are responsible for landscaping their property. The Board of the HOA strongly recommends that a homeowner think about and budget for landscaping with the same seriousness brought to design of the house or its furnishing. Issues to consider include: Existing vegetation Preservation of existing mature trees Shade/sunlwind/soil conditions for lot Enhancement of the dwelling's architectural features Adjacent properties Ease of maintenance (especially important for part time residents) Privacy and screening, and Impact of growth of plantings. When building a new home, a certain number of mature trees must usually be removed. In addition, as a homeowner makes Changes, mature trees may also need to be removed as part of the project. The ARC must approve the removal of

2 any trees. The following list of plantings is provided as a recommendation for replacement plantings upon removal of mature trees. One 8' oak tree does not equal one 50' pine tree. Therefore, owners should create beds using multiple replacement trees with complimentary underplantings. These beds do not have to be in the exact location of the removed vegetation. As always, homeowners are encouraged to come up with their own ideas and submit these to the ARC for approval. As required, the ARC will review the proposed design and comment on it within one month of submission. 4. Plantings Outside of the specific requirements in the Covenants, there is no "approved" list for planting in laurelwood. It is strongly suggested, however, that plants are native or indigenous to Central Florida, or proven to withstand the local conditions. Some Suggested Plants (with characteristics)

3 Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum This tall, narrow, many-twigged deciduous tree is perhaps the single best tree other than palms for hurricane resistance. In spite of its "swamp" reputation, it is fast growing in many soil types, including dry. The bald cypress looks great in the landscape planted in groups of three or more. Noted for its straight trunk and dense twiggy growth, the tree can easily reach eighty feet or more, with flexible horizontal branches covered with light green, fern-like leaves that turn rusty red before shedding neatly in the fall Bald Cypress Facts Mature Height: Mature Spread : Mature Form: Growth Rate: Sun Exposure : Soil Moisture: SOil Type : Rower Color: Foliage Color: Fall Color: feet feet Pyramidal Rapid Sun to partial shade Widely adaptable sencv.ctav, loam Not showy Green Orange to brown Zones: 4-10 FLOWER: This ancient "fossil" tree predates flowering plants, and produces round conifertype cones.

4 Sweet Bay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana Sweet Bay Magnolia Facts Mature Height: feet Mature Spread : feet Mature Form: Conical narrow - rounded Growth Rate! Moderate to rapid Sun Exposure: Sun to partial shade Soil Moisture: Moist to wet Soil Type: Widely adaptable Flower Color: White - fragrant Foliage Color: Evergreen green, underside is grey blue Fall Color: Evergreen Zones 5-9

5 Southern magnolia A large, broad-leafed evergreen tree that can grow ft (18-27 m) in height with a trunk up to 2-3 ft ( m) in diameter. It's trunk. is typically straight and erect with spreading branches that form a dense, broadly pyramidal crown. The evergreen leaves are large 5-8 in (13-20 cm) long, leathery and dark glossy green above with rusty, velveteen undersides. Southern magnolia has large, showy white flowers that are 8-12 in (20-30 cm) in diameter. These have a pleasant fragrance and appear throughout the spring and summer. The fruits are reddish-brown cone like structures, 2-4 in (5-10 cm) long, with bright red kidney shaped seeds that hang from little threads when fully mature in autumn. There are more than 100 cultivars listed, some possibly no longer available. 'Edith Bogue' is conical and more cold hardy than most; 'Little Gem' is compact and small, to 20 ft (6 m) with 4 in (10 cm) leaves and 6 in (15 em) flowers; 'Samuel Sommer' has flowers to 14 in (36 cm) across~ 'Bracken's brown beauty' is compact and bushy with smaller leaves and flowers. Location This native American tree occurs on the coastal plain from North Carolina, south to central Florida, and west to east Texas. Magnolia grandiflora grows best along streams and near swamp margins in moist, fertile soils, in association with American beech A magnificent magnolia blossom glows in the morning sunlight

6 MAGNOLIA GRANDIFLORA The variety of MAGNOLIA that performs the best in Florida is a dwarf variety named LITTLE GEM. This variety grows to 25 FT with compact growth and flowers most of the year

7 Dahoon holly a small tree that has a narrow growth habit of upward pointing branches that grows to a height of up to 30 ft (9.1 m). It is often found in swamps and other wet locations where it achieves its greatest size. In warm winter areas the dahoon is evergreen but tends to shed its foliage in colder climates. The leaves are simple with smooth edges with just a few small sharp teeth and a sharp bristle at the tip. They are 2-4 in (5-10 cm) long and about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide). The small white flowers are inconspicuous and appear in spring. In the winter, female trees are covered with bright red or yellow berries. Location flex cassine is native to the eastern United States from Virginia to Florida to Louisiana. Culture Light: Dahoon is adaptable to most conditions from full sun to deep shade. Moisture: Likes light sandy soil; native of swamps and boggy areas, can adapt to drier situations if watered during dry periods. Hardiness: USDA Zones Propagation: Propagate by seeds and cuttings. If you have access to established plants suckers and layers (stems that root where they touch the ground), these can be dug and potted up until established for 6-12 months before planting out in the landscape. Usage This is a wonderful native tree for landscapes that can be used in woodland plantings or in wet areas at the edge of lakes and streams. Tolerates brackish water, and low-light conditions so it is perfect as an understory tree especially in swampy areas. Plants can be easily transplanted or suckers dug and transplanted (get the owner's permission first - see Warning below). Within its growing range,

8 the dahoon is becoming increasingly available as more nurseries respond to the ever increasing interest in gardening with native species. Features If you have a problem wet spot on your property and are wondering what to do with it consider the dahoon holly. Combine with bald cypress (Taxodiurn distich urn), wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera) and wet loving relatives like inkberry (flex glabra),yaupon holly (Ilex vornitoria) and winterberry (flex verticillata).the dahoon's bright red berries attract hungry birds and other wildlife throughout the winter. They appear in fall just in time to play starring roles in Christmas wreaths and holiday arrangements Another recommended HOLLY is the EAST PALATKA HOLLY. The EAST PALATKA HOLLY BAS A MORE PYRIMID LIKE SHAPE AND LOOKS GREAT IN THE LANDSCAPE IN GROUPINGS OF THREE.

9 RED BAY This graceful evergreen trattains heights to 70' and can reach 3' in diameter. It develops a dense, pyramidal crown with gently drooping branches. The bright green, persistent, aromatic leaves are simple and oblong or lance shaped and 3"-4" long. Its fruit is a small bright blue to shiny black drupe. It has slender twigs and reddish-brown scaly bark Location Red bay is most common on rich, moist sites along streams and swamp borders on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. I t is found from southern Delaware to east Texas and south Florida. Culture Light: Light shade. Moisture: Moist to somewhat dry. Hardiness: USDA Zones 7 to 9 Propagation: Seeds. Usage This tree is best suited to planting in combination with other wet woodland trees and shrubs in groves or as a specimen. The wood of red bay has been used sparingly in interior finishing as well as in boat construction. Features Red bay has very aromatic leaves which can be substituted for the common spice, bay leaf, which normally is obtained from bay laurel

10 Swietenia mahogani Family: Meliaceae (mahogany family) Common Names: mahogany, West Indies mahogany, Spanish mahogany, Madeira redwood Description West Indies mahogany is a grand tree with a broad, dense symmetrical crown and a straight trunk often buttressed and swollen at the base. It has the potential to get 75 ft (22.9 m) tall with a trunk diameter in excess of2 ft (0.6 m), but such large trees are very rare, Most mahoganies are no more than ft ( m) tall with ft ( m) canopy spreads. Mahogany is a semideciduous tree which loses its old leaves at the end of winter just as the new growth is beginning. It may be leafless for only a week or two. The leaves of mahogany are unique among North American native trees: They are even pinnate compound, with three or four pairs of asymmetric leaflets and no leaflet at the tip. The newly unfolding leaves are reddish purple, soon turning to yellowish green. Mahogany produces small, fragrant, rather inconspicuous flowers on the year's new growth as the leaves are emerging, and both male and female flowers are produced on the same tree. The conspicuous fruits are woody five-lobed capsules, about 5 in (12.7 em) long. They persist on the branchlets until leaf fall the following spring, when they split open to release the abundant seeds. The seeds are winged with papery vanes, about 2 in (5.1 cm) long, and dispersed by wind

11 Location There are three species in the genus Swietenia, all native to the New World tropics. West Indies mahogany occurs in the West Indies, Bahamas and South Florida. In Florida, West Indies mahogany is restricted to tropical hammocks in parks and preserves on the Upper Florida Keys, and on the mainland in upland coastal hammocks in Everglades National Park. Unfortunately, large trees are scarce because the wood is very valuable and thieves sneak into the parks and preserves at night to poach the trees. Mahogany formerly extended further north in Florida, but it has been cut to extinction. You still can' see fairly large specimens of this tropical beauty in its natural habitat in Mahogany Hammock in Everglades National Park, and in the North Key Largo State Botanical Site. Mahogany is widely planted as a street and shade tree in South Florida. Culture Given ideal conditions, mahogany is a fast growing tree. It is tolerant of acidic to alkaline soils. During its formative years, keep mahogany pruned to a single leader with evenly spaced branches around the trunk. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Moisture: Mahogany needs regular watering for best growth. Established specimens can tolerate dry spells, but they may drop leaves. Hardinesse: USDA Zones Mahogany is marginal in zone loa. It can be expected to drop leaves if temperatures drop much below 40 F (4.4 C). Propagation: Mahogany is difficult to start from cuttings, and usually is grown from seed. Mahogany's little winged seeds are spread by the wind and often give rise to numerous seedlings- in the vicinity of mature trees. Usage Mahogany is a popular avenue, shade and framing tree in tropical South Florida. It often is used in parks and commercial landscapes, and around parking lots. On streets they usually are planted about 30 ft (9.1 m) apart. Mahogany casts only a light shadow and doesn't discourage grass and other plantings beneath it. West Indies mahogany is renowned for its ability to withstand strong winds, and it is moderately tolerant of salt spray and salty soils. It's a good large shade or specimen tree for coastal (but not fully exposed to the sea) landscapes.