At View Point North, all palm trees 10' and shorter have the top of the root crown buried 12" below the finished grade. All palms taller than ten feet have the top of the root crown buried 24" below the finished grade. The backfill mix is prepared in a combination of 75% sand and 25% site soil. A 4" high water retention basin was constructed from the rim. This area is always raked out prior to new turf installation. Each palm planting pit contains a 12" diameter x 12" deep auger hole filled with gravel for the rootball and an 8" cushion.
	Pressure supply and lateral supply line (Class 200 and 315) PVC piping was buried under the Marathon II seeded turf and under the shrub plantings. All of the shrub plantings contain planting pits 2 times the width and 1-1/2 times the depth of the rootball. Matted roots are carefully untangled by loosening all roots at the edge of the rootball with water from the hose.
	Hopseed Bush (Dodonaea viscosa) Classification: Evergreen ShrubZones: 7-9, 12-27 Light: Full sun or light shadeWater: Regular to little water Tropical Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa sinensis) Classification: Evergreen Shrub Zones: 9, 12-13, 15-16, 19-26 Light: Full Sun Water: Regular water

Residents of Southern California have learned to appreciate-- and expect-- the beauty of their well maintained neighborhoods. Now more than ever, homeowners have chosen to move into developments maintained by a homeowner association; for higher monthly payments, the hassles of front yard and community entryway landscapes have been lifted from the owner to the association. Consequently, landscape maintenance companies are more often contracted through an entire development-- which means work on a larger, high-profile scale. Built by Presley of Southern California, the picturesque View Point North development is one such neighborhood in Anaheim Hills, California. Designed by Frank Rademacher Landscape Architects and constructed by Stauffer Landscape, Inc., this development is maintained by the award-winning Mission Landscape Services, based in Santa Ana, California. Mission Landscape (MLS) is faced with the challenges of preserving the scenic beauty of this high-profile community-- and has been awarded for these efforts.

Trees, vines and espalier plants surround the tract home development; these are checked and re-tied as required-- using Cinch-it tree ties-- and are continuously maintained so as not to obstruct fixtures, signs and windows. The destructive, native Santa Ana winds cause a lot of damage each year, explains Rich Phenicie of MLS. "Trees fall down, vines fall off the walls, and the wind damages all of the seasonal color. It's quite an undertaking to clean up after those winds leave town." That, according to Phenicie, is one of the most challenging aspects of the maintenance of this site-- "The turn-around time is quick, and leaves little room for hurdles or inclement weather."

Pruning of the shrubs with Corona Pruners at the sales office and model areas is performed to attain maximum desired effect of purpose while retaining as much of the natural characteristics or branching as possible. Some of the shrubs are maintained in a natural shape, where the intent is to emphasize the natural form of the shrub. The crew initially "pinch prunes" the shrub to keep it compact and develop structure; ultimately, fifty percent of the old stems are removed to rejuvenate the plant. Shearing is avoided, as it eliminates the flowering wood and destroys the character. Some of the shrubs are maintained in a natural hedge, where the intent is to develop loose, informal appearing hedges, which require only minimal attention to keep in shape and size. Here, the crew initially "pinch prunes" the shrub to keep it compact; then the bush is allowed to fill solid horizontally. And, some of the shrubs are maintained as a formal hedge, where the intent is to have straight, crisp edges. The crew initially "pinch prunes" with shears to encourage the shrubs to fill in. After flowering, any spent blossoms are removed from the flower stalks.

All areas of groundcover that are adjacent to walkways, curbs, paved areas, buildings, and shrub trees are edged in a timely manner in order to maintain growth. The groundcover is fertilized four times a year with GroPower to maintain a lush green appearance.

The Tall Fescue turfgrass is mowed with two Walker ride-on mulching mowers, and the clippings are removed on a weekly basis. During the warm season, the turf remains at 2 1/2 inches, and is reduced to two inches during the cool season. Mowing patterns are changed weekly to avoid rutting of turf areas. All turf edges adjacent to walks, curbs, paved areas, fixtures at grade and shrub or groundcover areas are trimmed with a Power Trim edger as needed to maintain the desired crisp and neat appearance. A bare dirt buffer zone-- not to exceed six inches-- is maintained around the circumference of all trees, buildings and raised fixtures in the turf. The turf is fertilized six times each year to maintain a lush green appearance; a 16-6-8 summer fertilizer is used, and a 34-0-0 winter fertilizer is used. The grass is mechanically aerated with a Ryan plug aerator (with 1/2-inch tines) to allow for proper water penetration and minimize runoff.

MLS is responsible for adjusting the watering schedule equal to the percolation rate that each area is capable of receiving, based on topography, soil type, plant material, season and climatic factors. All systems are personally observed during the operations cycle at least once per month to verify effectiveness of sprinkler operations. Rain Bird sprinklers irrigate the turfgrass and slopes; Hunter rotors water the larger slopes. According to Phenicie, "The entire irrigation system is constantly watched, and every head is checked at least once a month."

Pesticides are applied at times, which limit the possibility of contamination from climatic and other factors. The crew uses Orthene to combat the destruction of aphids, Morestan to fight the mites in the pine trees, and Durham metaldehyde as snail bait. The applicator monitors the weather forecast to avoid making applications prior to inclement weather to eliminate potential runoff of treated areas. When water is required to increase pesticide efficiency, it is applied only in quantities of which each area is capable of receiving without excessive runoff. When applied, care is taken in transferring and mixing pesticides to prevent contaminating areas outside the target area. In making applications of fertilizer, precautions are taken to contain these materials in the planting areas and to prevent the depositing of material onto paved areas.

Supervision plays a strong role in this maintenance contract. MLS personally supervises all work on the site; a MLS supervisor visits the property a minimum of once per week to inspect the job site. All walkways are cleaned of debris with 65-decibel Echo PB460LN Leaf Blowers when the crew is on-site. Debris, leaves and rubbish in landscaped areas are removed each scheduled maintenance visit. All landscaped areas are patrolled whenever on site to check for vandalism, broken tree branches, rodents, insects, snails, pests and diseases. To properly maintain the landscape, the company is responsible for having any tests made to affirm the soil chemistry, plant diseases, and inspect pests.

Extra work (in addition to the regularly contracted services) includes replacement of plant materials due to failures beyond the contractor; or replacement of worn or damaged sprinkler heads, valves, and quick couplers. In addition, the team may be contracted to perform high tree pruning above a height of twelve feet, to dispose of discarded furniture off-site, to apply chemical controls like insecticides to trees, or to wash down hardscape areas.

Mission Landscape Services, Inc. provides 24-hour emergency response service. If a problem arises, an on-call supervisor is notified to take action as soon as possible. According to Phenicie, "This site has not been without its mishaps. Once, a valve was stuck on during the night; another time, on a Saturday night, one of the water mainlines broke, and we had to act immediately." During periods of storms, MLS provides supervisory inspections of project to prevent or minimize damage from inclement weather. Consultations and referrals to the client include suggestions for improving planting or irrigation; cost estimates for remedial or additional work; and water usage reports.

View Point North continues to thrive under the supervision of MLS. The company has been awarded for its efforts by the California Landscape Contractors Association of America. MLS has met the challenges of preserving the scenic beauty of this high-profile community-- even going above and beyond the basic requirements-- and have carved a niche in the residential tract home maintenance market for themselves. lcm