Colonial Landscaping has an annual contract with the Cottages on May HOA for Common Area Irrigation and standard home lawn maintenance. For lawn care, Colonial follows NC State TurfFiles standards (www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/).

Landscaping maintenance will include 39 visits over the 12 month period. During the Spring, Summer and Fall, they are scheduled for weekly visits to the neighborhood on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Petty Street, Sheldon Rd and the half of Springwood Way are visited on Wednesdays and Blantons, Wellers Way, Jefferson Street and the remainder of Springwood are visited Thursdays.

In order to have your yard maintained properly, please remove all lawn furniture, dog feces and personal items prior to scheduled visits. Each visit equates to just around $17/home.

During maintenance visits, Colonial Landscape should essentially MOW, WEED, EDGE and BLOW:

• MOW - both the front and back yards Lawns shall be mowed weekly during the growing season and as required during the winter months. (either with a ride-on or push mower depending on space and gate access)

• WEED EATER - cut down (not pull) weeds in grassed areas, not in beds

• EDGE - Edging will occur on hard scapes (concrete and road) and along fence lines. Gravel or soft beds with mulch will not be trimmed. Edging shall be performed with a blade type mechanical edger. The cut edge should appear as a clean, straight line.

• BLOW - Curb to curb blowing & debris removal of all paved streets and storm drains. Clippings should be blown away from patios and decks.

These tasks are done in phases so there may be time between each phase. One team leader is responsible for checking yard status at the completion of each day.

EXCLUSIONS

In order to have your yard maintained properly, please remove all lawn furniture, dog feces and personal items prior to scheduled visits. Colonial WILL NOT visit a home with pets in the yard or with excessive pet waste. They also will not move furniture/toys to access areas for mowing/trimming, etc. Some original homeowners have chosen to make landscaping decisions that have overridden the standard maintenance contract. These homes may not be maintained to the neighborhood standard and should communicate to future homeowners if they sell their property.

WEATHER DELAYS

Yards will not be visited during or after heavy rains. This is for staff safety and the best practice to promote grass growth and health. This often can cause confusion as it takes about 2 weeks to catch up if the maintenance schedule is altered. Cutting wet yards can also contribute to more inconsistency and lawn ‘mohawks’.

Colonial will apply a pre-emergence herbicide in the late winter or early spring to control warm season annual weed problems and again during the summertime. Colonial will apply appropriate materials to prevent turf damage recommended by chemical manufacturers. This is done by additional team and not the weekly maintenance crew and the timeline is weather-dependent.

PRUNING

Colonial prunes twice a year, early May and again in late summer (July or August). They will prune front yards first and then take another pass at back yards. This is done by additional team and not the weekly maintenance crew and can take multiple days to complete.

Is the HOA Landscaping Agreement all-inclusive?

No, the landscaping contract is not all-inclusive. Homeowners are responsible for long-term planning for landscaping including plant and grass growth. If a plant dies, the landscaping team will not replace it. Homeowners are also responsible for replacing mulch, pine straw and gravel/erosion issues and maintaining the health of plant and flower beds.

Can I request for my yard NOT to be treated or pruned?

One-time special requests are difficult to manage since the weed treating and pruning are completed by different teams at different schedules. The most successful exceptions to weed treating and pruning has been all or nothing. Colonial has reached agreements with a few homes to only mow and maintain the yard and never do any weed-treatments or pruning. If you wish to do this, please contact Colonial Landscaping directly.

What type of grass does our neighborhood have?

Our neighborhood has four different varieties of Bermuda grass depending on the area of the neighborhood.

How much grass is mowed during visits?

Colonial follows NS State TurfFiles standards so this depends on the time of year but usually ranges between 1 ½-2 in.

What is Scalping?

Lawn scalping is when you cut your grass significantly low so that the stems of your grass are exposed. Scalping your lawn gets rid of any build-up from the winter and exposes your soil to sunlight. It also happens when a yard is not exactly level or uneven.

Is Landscaping responsible for watering my lawn?

No, the Neighborhood irrigation system is designed to water Common areas and easements of front lawns (~5ft in from the street).

Do all homes have the same Irrigation Systems?

No, the neighborhood has 4 different irrigation systems. Some homes on Sheldon Road and Petty Street have full yard irrigation. This was established with the neighborhood developer to combat land water build-up and irrigation.

How often should I water my lawn? *For homes without full yard sprinkler systems

Landscaping manages the irrigation system for easement and common areas, but homeowners are responsible for watering their lawn recommended 3 times a week during from Easter to Thanksgiving, weather-dependent.

Does Landscaping maintain irrigation for my homes plant/flower bed?


No, homeowners responsible for watering flower beds, either using irrigation system installed by legacy or own form. Recommended over spring and summer for 20 minutes every morning.

The HOA currently has a landscape maintenance agreement with Colonial Landscapes of Pinehurst. In case of an emergency with landscaping or irrigation, please call 910-294-6121.

If you have a question regarding the HOA funded landscaping agreement, or you would like to join the landscaping sub-committee, please email web@thecottagesonmay.com.