Hello neighbors!

This week you will see work begin on a multi-phase Landscape Remediation project that will take place throughout Kitts Creek.  We have a few problems to address:

  • End of lifespan – some of our plants from the original part of Kitts Creek have reached the end of their life expectancy.  Also, many of them were planted very close together to try to give the neighborhood an established look quickly.  It is what developers do but makes it harder on the plants.
  • Knockout rose disease – all over the Triangle, there is a disease called Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) that is decimating roses.  It is a nasty & incurable disease and the only solution is to dig the plant out.  Almost all of the rose bushes in KC have it already (both HOA common area and homeowner lots) and those that do not will have it soon.
  • Planting beds around shrubs are meant to be cleaned out of older mulch or pinestraw periodically and soil refreshed.  This maintenance work has never been done in KC so we have to do it now.  Taking care of this while we also have these other issues will save us some money.

What is the plan?

  • Rose Replacement:  All of the roses, including roots, will be removed from HOA common areas beginning immediately.  These areas will be bare for a bit and then a variety of flowering and colorful plants will replace them.
  • New Shrub Design:  Our Landscape Committee Chair, Donna Fender, is working with our landscaper on a phased plan and design – removal of dead or dying shrubs (at end of life) and replacement with healthy, hardier and better spaced new shrubs.  We will phase this in.  The cost of the overall project will determine how many phases.  We will focus on the core complex of the neighborhood first (Church St entrance to Pool house area).
  • Plant Bed Maintenance:  Planting beds around many of the common areas will have pine straw removed this fall instead of refreshed as we would usually do now.  The beds will look bare for a time over the fall and winter during this project.  Please share with neighbors who might miss this eblast so they understand that we have not accidentally forgotten to refresh our beds but instead are in the middle of remediation to make our landscape healthier.  We are doing this over the fall and winter when the leaves are down and the bare appearance won’t stand out as much.  By next spring when everything begins blooming, the maintenance work will be done and beds will have fresh pine straw.

Please send any questions to Carlie (carlie@casnc.com).  The Board is very appreciative of Donna Fender and the Landscape Committee for the time being volunteered for this project.

Thank you for your patience while this maintenance and restoration work is being done.
Kitts Creek Landscape Committee
Kitts Creek Board of Directors