We’d like to share with you our newest Native Plant area and quite sure you may have seen it already!  As the Green Committee Chair I realized how very hard our Golf Maintenance staff was working especially these last 3 years as BOTH golf courses were re-done.  And I’m sure all of you golfers understand the ‘priority’ of things – namely Greens, Fairways, Tees, Bunkers, Rough.  The ‘landscaping beds’ must come last.  That’s when I asked Josh and our Audubon Board as well as our GM Michael if we, GHA, could have that bed – sorely in need of attention and in such a visible location – cart path, road side, side walk, golf course!  And with special thanks to my most capable partner Lyn Groves, who is Chair of our Native Plant Garden, and the full support of the Audubon Board as well as Josh Breda and his staff the overgrown ugly bed became a ‘beauty’ and will only get better!  Golf maintenance did most of the work in the beginning – clearing out the overgrown invasives, etc. as well as moving rocks I had been ‘saving’ for just such a project!  Lyn and I could not have done this without JJ Frank and his crew from Creative Landscaping!  He often put up with our craziness as we changed our minds and guided all the way!  And then there was Marcus who power washed and acid cleaned our beautiful rocks!

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       There were actually two Bottle Brush trees located there but one was diseased and had to be removed.  GHCA supported us as well and had the over-hanging Oaks trimmed to open up our bed to let more sunshine in and allow the Bottle Brush to grow.  Overall, a project completed by many!

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       Everyone asks what we planted there so I will list them here: 15 Dune Sunflower; 40 Red-tipped Cocoplum;  21 Wild Coffee; 6 Coontie; 6 Blue Porterweed; 5 Sea Purslane; 3 Grayleaf Teabush; 20 Walter’s Viburnem.  Lyn is in the process of making small signs near each for identification.

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       Of utmost importance was the support of Golf Maintenance again and Royce Towner, the Supervisor of the River Course, as he has adjusted the sprinklers to water our bed daily until the plants are established.  And yet to do is the cart path/side walk which we have permission from both the Community and the Club to widen and open up that T turn making it a Y turn.  As well, a sign identifying this as an Audubon Native Plant bed has been ordered.  I’m trying desperately to reach FPL and hoping that we can ‘wrap’ those large green electrical boxes as they are doing throughout the county!

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       None of this would have been possible with the financial support from our members.  And as we know, everything comes with a cost and we are just under our budget of $6000.  The ‘special projects’ fund is alive and we hope to continue adding beauty to our already beautiful Grand Harbor and educating ALL of us about the important use of Native Plants!  (BTW – weeders always needed!)

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Thank you, Deb Fletcher

May 2024