Reflections

Landscaper versus gardener---a lot of managed communities experience the difference up-close and personal. Our condo HOA in AZ is no exception. Given their druthers, the crews head out seasonally with an impressive collection of power tools and basically turn perfectly lovely bushes into lollipops and weird bowling balls. My mom's former condo association in WI had the same problem. The results look like a demonic cross between an Addams' family cartoon and Disney on steroids. Especially in the Southwest it is ridiculous. Gorgeous flowering plants like bougainvillea and oleander never bloom or if they do, it is a sad scattering of flowers. Even vintage native American fences are allowed to flower. Landscapers chop, gardeners prune---a question of timing and scale Makes all the difference in the world.