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| May LIBPA Newsletter |
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Island Notes:
Rumor of the Day. From a variety of sources it has been reported that a major retailer is conducting a traffic study on Sea Island Parkway/Highway 21 for the area in the vicinity of the County Drop Off Center and Air Port Road. The property in question was annexed into the City of Beaufort a few years ago and is authorized for either commercial (40,000 square feet) or light industrial types of businesses. The Wal-Mart name has come up as the potential new business. Depending on your view point a Wal-Mart could be good news in that it could reduce the traffic on our heavily used bridges (Woods and McTeer). On the other hand, it could increase the traffic by residents of Beaufort and Port Royal choosing to come to Lady’s Island vice the Cross Creek Wal-Mart store. Regardless, it makes for an interesting rumor. Parents at Lady’s Island Elementary School choose student uniforms for 2007/8 school year. There were 285 parents eligible to vote on the question and 278 (97.5%) cast their ballot. There were 217 parents who voted for student uniforms, 57 parents who voted against the change and there were 4 ballots on which no choice was indicated. Only 7 parents failed to return the ballots. A sign of success. Lin and Julian Johnson, owners and operators of the new Lady’s Island Meat Market, located next to Grayco, report that the response to their store has been very encouraging. As an example of how well they are being received, during one recent Friday and Saturday individual customers made over 1000 purchases which resulted in them literally running out of stock. Breakfast now available at Berry Island. Charlie Nolette, owner and manager of Berry Island Café at New Point advises us that he is now open for breakfast 7-10am on week days and 8-11am on Saturday, lunch continues to be available 11am-5pm Monday through Saturday and lunch delivery is now available. Visit website for menus. |
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Highway
21/SC802 Connector Road Status:
At the April LIBPA meeting (for those of you that did not attend) Colin Kinton, Beaufort County Transportation Engineer and Larry Misner, Director of the local Kimley- Horn and Associates office provided an update on the status of the Sea Island Parkway/Lady’s Island Drive Connector Road project. Kimley– Horn is doing the actual design work for construction of the road and has reached the 25% stage of completion. At this stage the design of the road includes: - 4 lanes with a 15 foot planted center median. - A multi-use (biking, jogging, walking) paved pathway on one side of the road. - A stop light at each end of the road on Sea Island Parkway and Lady’s Island Drive. - The planned path of the road continues to be as shown on the LIBPA web site (www.libpa.org). The present schedule for the connector road is for the design work to be completed by the end of 2007 and the contract awarded for actual construction of the road occurring in the first part of 2008. This project was originally projected to cost $3.9million and is to be funded by impact fees. This project was identified as being needed in 1997 as part of the original Comprehensive Plan. At that time, the traffic on Highway 802/Lady’s Island Drive was 9,500 trips each week day compared to today when the same road is experiencing 22,500 trips per day. |
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Have
You Seen Our Lady's Island Brochure?: Over the last couple of
years our informative brochure has been available at numerous locations all over town
including the Chamber of Commerce and Lady’s Island Airport. We are getting ready to
update and print a new brochure. You must be a member of LIBPA to
advertise your business for a very nominal fee of $25. This effort will be coordinated byJudy Smith and Pat Harvey-Palmer at HomeTown Realty. If you would like a copy of the current brochure please stop by or call us at 522-0066 and we will mail one to you. IT IS IMPERATIVE that we hear from you soon. Please send a brief description of your business and a check for $25 to: LIBPA 182-B Sea Island Parkway - PMB 102 Lady’s Island, S. C. 29907 Sample: Company name— Locally owned and operated. Located at 111 Sams Point Rd. Hours M-F 9-5 522-2222 |
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2007
Membership Renewal: by Gail Clark, Membership In January we mailed to each of our members an invoice for their 2007 dues. The response was great and thanks to all of you who responded so quickly. In March we mailed a second notice to those members who may have misplaced the first notice and again received a positive response. During May, as part of our efforts to retain our members, we will contact the members that haven't renewed. On June 1, we will, with regret, send a final letter advising those members who have not yet renewed that we must delete them from our active roles. Again, to the majority of our members who have paid their 2007 dues we express our appreciation. If you are not sure of your status in this regard please call Judy Smith at (522-0066) who will check your status on the current active membership roster. |
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LIBPA Newsletter
Delivery: Ms. Judy Smith, the publisher of our LIBPA newsletter, distributes the newsletter, either by regular mail or email, in keeping with the individual member’s desires. Each month there are a small number of member’s email addresses that bounce back as undeliverable. After insuring that it is not just a technical glitch in the system she sends the member a hard copy version of the newsletter through the mail with a note indicating a problem with the e-mail address. If this has happened to you please coordinate with Ms. Smith (522-0066) to ensure we have the correct e-mail address. If she does not hear from you she will continue to provide the regular mail version. We really want to deliver your newsletter to you in the manner you desire, but need your help if there is a change of address either e-mail or regular mail or if we have the wrong e-mail address. |
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Whitehall Status: J. Wyman Marshall, Chief Marketing Officer for Aslan, which is the company developing the Whitehall (former site of the Bateaux Restaurant) property, reports they are presently in negotiations with a boutique hotel chain to operate a very upscale hotel on-site. Mr. Marshall indicates with the change in the real estate market, buyers want more amenities and features, so Aslan is reevaluating its current strategy to include more of those. He says that within the next couple of months they should be able to provide the Lady’s Island community with additional information regarding their updated plans for the Whitehall project. |
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SCE&G and
Lady's Island: When seeing the extensive work being accomplished on the electrical lines along Brickyard Point Road a logical assumption is that this work is a part of the project, presently underway, to bring a larger power cable under the Beaufort River to the vicinity of Waterford Apartments and then to the substation on Sams Point Road. A check with Mr. Tommy Bennett, local manager for the Southern District of SGE&G discovered that the work presently in progress on Brickyard Point Road is an entirely separate project. It is part of an SCE&G long term effort to increase the quality of the total electrical system on Lady’s Island. The work presently being accomplished is the removal of existing power lines and replacement with larger lines with increased capacity. This has already been accomplished from the substation down Sams Point Road to Springfield Road, down Springfield Road to Brickyard Point Road, from the substation down Brickyard Point Road to Marsh Drive (the project presently in progress) and later this year from Marsh Drive to Springfield Road. Next on the list for replacement of lines is the area from Walgreens in the Village Center down Highway 21 to Meridian Road. Also as part of this project is the installation of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) switches. These are switches which are connected to a computer program in the SGE&G dispatch office and are capable of sensing electrical faults in the system, reporting these problems and, by use of a computer, allowing rerouting of the electricity to minimize the number of customers affected by the problem. The total elapsed time from the problem occurring to corrective action is anticipated to be in the 2 to 3 minute range. These switches have already been installed near the Fire Station on Sams Point Road, near the intersection of Brickyard Point Road and Springfield Road and another one on Springfield. During the latter part of 2007 similar switches will be installed near Marsh Drive and near Cedar Crest. Finally, a part of this program designed to improve the overall Lady’s Island electrical system was installation of animal protection on all transformers and trimming of the trees along 2 of the circuits. These projects have been completed. An indication of how effective the efforts to date have been is the fact that during the recent high winds there were approximately 6000 people in the local SCE&G district without electricity. On Lady’s Island there were 25 – 30 homes which lost their electricity. Mr. Bennett indicates that when all of the presently planned improvement projects are completed in 2008 Lady’s Island will have one of the best electrical systems within SCE&G. For that we thank SCE&G and those employees, such as Mr. Bennett, for planning for the future and taking steps to make sure that as a community our infrastructure is ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow. |
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School District
Must Examine Spending: by Jim Bequette, Lady's island
School Board Representative Why is Beaufort County School District (BCSD) spending millions of dollars more than other growing suburban schools in the areas of Charlotte, Charleston and Columbia? Yes, in comparison with five other districts BCSD is spending an average of nearly $14 million more for non-classroom expenses and nearly $11 million more in the classroom according to last fiscal year annual reports. These are differences based on an equal number of students. For instance, if BCSD has 90% of the students of Richland 2 district, the cost of Richland 2 was reduced by 10% so the comparison would be valid. Four of these districts have academic performance ranked in the top 15 in South Carolina while only one other and BCSD are below state average. BCSD needs to examine spending for the upcoming budget sessions in order to justify why this extra money is being spent without getting better academic performance in the schools. The biggest difference in non-classroom expenditures is the cost of operating and maintaining school facilities. BCSD is spending $5.35 million more than the average of these five districts. Some of them have more temporary buildings than BCSD. In a comparison last year with Horry County the difference was $6.1 million. This year it has jumped to $7.8 million. The big question is WHY? Major variances of spending compared to the average of the other five districts are: -Attendance and Social Work $1.91 million more -Guidance Services .54 “ -Health Services .68 “ -Improvement of Instruction— Curriculum 1.41 “ -Library & Media Services .88 “ -Improvement of Instruction— Training .59 “ -School Administration 1.11 “ -Facilities Operations and Maintenance 5.35 “ -Support Services— Pupil Activity 1.03 “ -Psychological Services (.70) “ less The above are items with a difference of more than $500,000. There are other smaller plus and minus variances. Some of the additional expenditures may be needed; however, the school administration must provide adequate justification. As your school board representative I will not support a new budget that just adds more expense without any justification for the major differences shown in the analysis. |
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Lady's Island,
Infrastructure, and the Growth: We are accustomed to hearing the statement that Lady’s Island is the fastest growing area in Northern Beaufort County. What we do not hear is what a great job is being done at all levels to provide adequate infrastructure to meet not only our present requirements but more importantly our future infrastructure requirements. Following is a review of the infrastructure projects which have already been completed and some of those scheduled for the future. Schools 1998 - Coosa Elementary School constructed with a capacity of 540 (current enrollment 650 students) 2000 - Beaufort High School constructed with a capacity of 1550 (current enrollment 1650 students) Roads 2000/Present – A large number of Lady’s Island dirt roads have been paved and additional roads are scheduled for paving. 2001 - Village Center portion of Sea Island Parkway/Highway 21 widened to 5 lanes. 2003 – Portion of Sams Point Road widened to 4 lanes with sidewalks. 2006 – Construction begins to widen portions of Highway 21/Sea Island Parkway on St. Helena 2007 – Contract awarded for design of new bridge and widening of Lady’s Island Drive. 2008 – Construction of Highway 21/SC 802 4 lane Connector Road. Design of road presently being completed. 2009 – Work to begin on widening Lady’s Island Drive to 4 lanes. 2009/10 – Construction to begin on additional 2 lane bridge located parallel to present McTeer Bridge Sewer 2003 – Sewer installed down Sams Point Road to Coosa Point Community 2006 – Sewer installed down Springfield Road to Marsh Hawk Community. Parks 2006 – Purchase of 65 rural acres by Rural and Critical Land Program on northern part of island. 2006 – Purchase of Crystal Lake Property for use as passive community park. Electricity 2000 -2007 SCE&G develops and executes a multi-phased project which when completed this year, will increase the amount of electricity available to Lady’s Island from 46,000 volts to 115,000 volts. It is estimated that upon completion, the improved system can efficiently meet the electrical needs of the community for at least the next 20 years. Waste Management 2006 – Construction of a new expanded type of “Drop Off Center” on St. Helena Island. 2007 – Efforts underway to locate sufficient property on northern part of Lady’s Island which will allow relocation of the present Airport “Drop Off” center and increase convenience to communities. Airport 2006 – Additional hangars (24) constructed and runway improvements completed. There is no single organization responsible for the superb planning of infrastructure needs evidenced by the above list of completed and planned projects. So to the many organizations, departments and dedicated men and women, both past and present, who plan for the present and future needs of Lady’s Island, please know that we sincerely appreciate your efforts. |
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A Changing of Our
Schools Leadership: The Beaufort County School District recently announced a change in the leadership of Lady’s Island Elementary School, Lady’s Island Middle School and St. Helena Elementary School. In school year 2007/8 Mr. Terry Bennett, principal of Lady’s Island Elementary School, will become the new principal of Lady’s Island Middle School. The present principal of Lady’s Island Middle School, Ms. Priscilla Drake, will become the principal of St. Helena Elementary School. There has not been a replacement selected for Mr. Bennett at Lady’s Island Elementary School. Mr. Bennett and Ms. Drake are two innovative, professional educators who have made significant contributions to our community. Both assumed the role of principal at their respective schools during a time of significant challenge. Mr. Bennett has guided Lady’s Island Elementary into a very popular school of choice with an arts infused curriculum and a staff recognized for excellence in elementary education. Indicative of the popularity of the school is the fact that over 40% of the students attending Lady’s Island Elementary School lives in another attendance zone. Ms. Drake has been a leader in searching for new and better ways to teach children in the Middle School years. She has instituted a variety of innovative programs in her efforts to blend students from 3 elementary schools into a positive and productive academic environment. Examples of such programs include single gender classes and in response to a positive vote by the parents a policy requiring school uniforms will go into effect this coming fall, as will also be the case at Lady’s Island Elementary. Both of these individuals are leaving a school that is better due to their leadership and dedication to academic excellence. To each of them we in LIBPA express our appreciation for their dedication and contribution to the education of the children of this community. To Ms. Drake we offer our best wishes for every success at St. Helena Elementary School. To Mr. Bennett, who will remain in our community and assume a new role as principal of Lady’s Island Middle School, please know that we, as LIBPA and as a community, stand ready to continue our support of your efforts for academic excellence. |
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Blivitz
101: by
Paul Sommerville, District 7, Beaufort County Council
Representative As a young soldier in the late 1960’s I was instructed to refer to a challenging and often times impossible
situation as a blivitz. The word conjured up equally graphic expressions such as “world of hurt” and “heap of
trouble”. Although I never heard the term applied to traffic congestion, it certainly seems to apply to what is
happening to our road systems on and off of our beloved sea islands.The consultants Beaufort County has hired to assist us with our regional and comprehensive plans, Clarion and Associates, tells us that our two “malfunction junctions” (Ribault Road and SC 802 and US 21 & SC 802) and the bottleneck at the Woods Bridge are currently above capacity. The recently passed penny sales tax will build us a third bridge (parallel to the existing McTeer Bridge) adding additional traffic capacity. According to the consultants, the “additional capacity” we will have when the new bridge is completed several years from now will give us total vpd (vehicles per day) capacity of 50,400. Our current vpd capacity is about 36,000. Our current volume is 43,900 vpd which explains why voters approved the third bridge parallel to the existing McTeer Bridge. If our current volume of 43,900 vpd were frozen (which it clearly is not) and the new bridge were completed, we would have theoretical “excess capacity” of 6500 vpd. Unfortunately, the reality is quite different. No one can know for certain just how many new homes will be built on Lady’s Island, St Helena, Fripp, Harbor, Coosaw, Lost, Distant, Cat, Upper and Lower Cane during the coming years because every owner of undeveloped land has certain “by right” zoning authority to build on their property without any zoning variance or additional permission from the county or municipality required. If every land owner were to build their “by right” maximum number of homes, the number would be astronomical and the islands would sink. We assume that this will not happen, at least not in the next 5-10 years. A more likely and realistic way to anticipate the number of new homes that will be built on the islands during the next few years is to count up the number of approved but unbuilt homes (single family and multi-family) in planned unit developments (PUD’s) such as Cat Island, Celadon, Coosaw Point, Coosaw River Estates, Green Heath, Newpoint and The Village (in Beaufort County) and Distant Island, Hamilton Village, Lower Cane Island, Upper cane Island and Whitehall (in the city of Beaufort). The City of Beaufort has been asking the Northern Beaufort County Regional Plan Steering Committee (on which I have served since February, 2007) for these numbers for some time. These numbers turn out to be about 2,000 in the county and slightly over 1300 in the City of Beaufort for a total of approximately 3,300 PUD units approved but not yet built. Obviously, we must add some number to that for “by right” homes that we know will be built. That could easily add several thousand more units to the mix. The consultants estimate that there will be approximately 4400 additional units built on Lady’s Island and St Helena Island between now and 2025. They also assume that each housing unit built will generate 3.5 trips per day across the bridges. Others feel that the number of homes built will be much higher and that the number of trips per day generated by each new housing unit is much higher. Use yourself as an example and see what you come up with. The bottom line is this. If we suffer through our current gridlock at our two malfunction junctions and the Woods Bridge bottleneck until the McTeer Bridge addition is completed and development continues unabated, we will be driving (or should I say crawling) on overloaded roads and bridges in perpetuity. The little bit of breathing room that is possible when the second McTeer Bridge is completed will vanish into thin air unless development on these islands is restricted. There are two ways this can happen. First, the possibility exists that demand will slow due to rising home costs. Don’t count on this one. Second, building permits could be restricted on some equitable basis. This would obviously have to involve the city of Beaufort that has considerable development already approved within its Lady’s Island boundaries and which may annex further into Lady’s Island. This is a debate whose time has come. There are a lot of stakeholders in this debate including all island residents and property owners, potential residents and even visitors None of us wants to wake up five or ten years from now in the middle of “nightmare at malfunction junction II” and have to ask ourselves the embarrassing question: “How did we allow this to happen?” The only relief in the pipeline is the road, intersection and bridge improvements included in the penny sales tax. Everything else (such as a possible northern crossing) is purely speculative at this point. One of the reasons you elected me as your County Council representative was to preserve (and hopefully even improve) our precious but fragile quality of life. I ask that you think about this critical issue and give me your thoughts. Paul Sommerville Home- 521-0827 Office – 379-7114 Cell – 575-0827 |
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Cost
of Future Growth: As part of the Northern Regional Plan Trischler Bise, a fiscal, economic & planning consultant firm was contracted to determine the cost of projected growth in the area of Beaufort County north of the Broad River for the period 2005 to 2025. Following are some highlights from the initial report which is subject to refinement prior to becoming part of the final product. Please note this data represents the total accumulation for over the 20 year period. Projected population growth – 38,342 Additional dwelling units – 14,800 single family homes | 1,816 multifamily units Increased facilities as a result of growth. Retail – 2.3 million square feet Office – 2.2 million square feet Industrial – 0.85 million square feet Education (schools) – 0.6 million square feet Church – 0.3 million square feet Government – 0.14 million square feet To support the projected growth with infrastructure will cost $216.5 million Transportation (roads) - $166.7 million Parks and Recreation - $27.9 million Library - $7.2 million Sheriff and Public Safety - $5.4million Courts - $2.7 million Health and Human Services - $2.8 million General Government - $2.9 million The following financial summary is based on cumulative (20 year) data resulting directly from growth. Additional Operating Cost versus Additional Operating Revenue Additional general operating cost $232.822 million Additional operating revenue (taxes, licenses, fees) $111.826 million Unfunded operating cost $120.996 million Additional Capital Cost (Infrastructure) versus Additional Capital Revenue Cost of additional infrastructure (Capital Cost) $ 216.530 million Capital revenue (Property tax, impact fees) $99.311 million Unfunded capital cost $117.219 million Summary. If the amount of growth projected over the next 20 years, for the area north of the Broad River, is reasonably accurate the price tag will be $238.215 million more than the revenue generated from such growth. It is worthy of note that 77% of the shortfall of funds is a result of transportation deficiencies and when that is combined with the bill for additional parks and recreation it constitutes 90% of the projected infrastructure unfunded deficiency. So where does Beaufort County and the municipalities find the extra money to make up for the shortage of revenue to pay for the growth? The most obvious source of additional funds is increased impact fees for new residential construction. As a result of the Southern Regional Plan, which pointed out a similar shortfall of funding, a significant increase in impact fees is in the process of being implemented for development occurring south of the Broad River. Hopefully, the state will develop a better system to pay or at least help pay for construction of new roads. In 6 years the voters of Beaufort County will evaluate how well the funds generated by the 1% sales tax were utilized and decide if it should continue. There are other potential sources of additional funding but these are the major ones available at the present. So is this a doomsday prediction? Certainly not, but it does point out that growth does not pay for itself and we will do well to start now searching for methods to pay future bills resulting from growth. Editor’s Note: The report from which the data for this article was taken can be viewed in its entirety at the Beaufort County web site and is listed as part of the Northern Regional Plan presentations (March 23, Fiscal Analysis Projection) |
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A Lady's Island
License Plate?: LIBPA members and owners and operators of Spectrum Graphics, Frank and Jennifer Bailey recently utilized their talent and imagination to develop a Lady’s Island vanity plate for vehicles. To show their support for LIBPA they included our logo (the Woods Memorial swinging bridge) on the plate and those of you who attended the April meeting saw some examples of these plates. The Board of Directors will work with our members and Frank and Jennifer to determine the most preferred design and develop a way to make them available to our members. As some of you may remember they designed and produced the emblem on the front of our speaker’s stand, the “Welcome to Lady’s Island” signs located at each bridge, the sponsorship signs on the Sams Point Road medians and the great banner which hangs behind our speakers at each meeting. To both of them we express our appreciation for their support of LIBPA and our community. |
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Coosaw
Point River Club: Robert Gallant and his family, who are developing the 400 acre Coosaw Point community, reached another milestone of progress with the recent completion of the Coosaw Point River Club. Located adjacent to the Coosaw River with almost 8,000 square feet of interior space and surrounded by wide covered verandahs the new club house is impressive in every respect. The first floor includes a large informal recreation room, and an extensive fitness center, a cocktail lounge and bar leading to a junior Olympic pool and snack bar. Either elevator or stairs are available to move to the second floor which is designed for more formal activities such as bridge, property owner’s parties or catered events. The grand salon leads to a porch with a magnificent view of the Coosaw River. Also located on the second floor will be the Coosaw Point management and sales office. For the residents of Coosaw Point who will be, upon completion of development, approximately 450 families, the new club and pool will be enjoyed for many years in the future. We offer our compliments to Mr. Gallant on a beautiful addition to Coosaw Point. |
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First
Quarter Real Estate Results: by
Jerry Marlow, President, Success Plus School Of Real Estate
& Broker with Coldwell Banker Keyserling Real Estate The results of the first quarter (January 1 – March 31) real estate data for the area north of the Broad River holds no real surprises and very little good news. For example, the inventory of homes on the market at the end of the first quarter 2007 has increased a staggering 98% from its 2006 level (373). One positive note, in this regard, as indicated by the following chart, is what may be the beginning of a stabilization of the inventory and in some areas even a slight reduction. 
As for sales; for every 3 homes placed under contract the first quarter of 2006 there were
only 2 homes under contract for the same period this year. Worthy of note is the fact
that the median price of homes placed under contract this year is $246,950 as compared
to the same period in 2006 which saw a median price of $235,000. So the homes that
are selling are still seeing about a 5% increase in price over those selling at the same
time last year. That is the good news. The bad news is that there are 1/3 fewer available
buyers and they have twice as many homes from which to choose. The following chart
shows how the 5 key areas north of the Broad River compared in the number of homes When we do a market analysis of the first quarter of 2007 as to what was on the market
as of March 3, 2007 and what sold during the first quarter the following would appear
worthy of note. |
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The
Lowcountry Landscape Gardeners, Save That Crape Myrtle: by
Michael Murphy, President of Preservation Tree Care Green is one of the latest “It” words these days, and this period between March and April is a particularly green time of year. What with St. Patrick’s Day, National Arbor Day, Earth Day, Pollen Day/Week/Month, a person can’t help but become one with nature. One of the downsides to this “feel good” moment is that it is also the time when many homeowners and (I hate to say it) landscapers commit “Crape Murder” by needlessly butchering their Crape Myrtle trees, not just in Beaufort County, but all over the Southeast too. This is not only a matter of wasted time and money, it is also a commentary on how we can be like lemmings and follow the lead of misinformed people. Homeowners do it because they have seen landscapers and other homeowners do it. Landscapers do it because… well, I really don’t know why landscapers do it; they probably saw another landscaper do it, but ideally, they should know better. The truth to the matter is, that there is no physiological or horticultural reason to top Crape Myrtles. When a properly chosen sized species of Crape Myrtle is planted in sufficient light with adequate clearances it will NEVER need to be topped. If you have inherited an improperly chosen size of Crape Myrtle and it is planted in an area that is too small for its full development, then your choices are slim. When Crape Myrtles outgrow the initial area where they were planted you usually have only two choices, total removal or severe pruning. This is the only time when crown reduction should even remotely be considered. But overall, more thought should be given to the replacement of the plant with a smaller growing variety then to just begin the never-ending maintenance of annual topping. If you are planning to plant a Crape Myrtle, be an educated consumer and choose one that will fit your location. First you need full sun. Most poorly growing Crape Myrtles are planted in too much shade. If you do not have at least a half day of full sun then you may be disappointed with the trees’ flowering abilities. Second, choose your selection wisely, do not settle for just a Crape Myrtle, ask for a specific variety, not just based on color, but on height at maturity also. Crape Myrtles are available in four basic sizes that will fit any sunny location. Dwarf varieties that will mature at less then 3’ tall include ‘Chickasaw’, ‘Pixie White’ & ‘Pokomoke'. Small varieties that grow 3’ – 10’ tall include ‘Centennial’, ‘Hopi’ & ’Victor’. Medium growers that reach 10’ – 20’ tall are ‘Osage’, ‘Yuma’, ‘Regal Red’ & ‘Sioux’. The largest growers top out at 20’ – 40’ tall and include ‘Muskogee’, ‘Dynamite’, ‘Natchez’ & ‘Tuskegee’. There are many more varieties out there, almost as many as crabapples, with infinite choices of flower color, bark color, fall leaf color, mature height and growth habit. The United States National Arboretum lists 29 varieties that they themselves have developed and released. See them at www.usna.gov . Most all of the Crape Myrtles that have an American Indian name were developed at the National Arboretum. They are all representative of different sizes and shapes and colors, but the one constant is that they are all resistant to the leaf and flower diseases that have plagued the original varieties. Don’t overlook the bark features either. Some of the newer plants have beautiful cinnamon, brown, chestnut and mahogany colors. When the leaves have fallen, these winter silhouettes can add interest and texture to any garden. So what should you do if you have fallen victim to the Crape Murder trap? Improperly pruned Crape Myrtles can be recovered, but it sometimes can take years. They need to be left unpruned for a few growing seasons to allow their crown to redevelop and maturate. They will grow at an excessively fast rate the first year and gradually slow down over a period of a few years until they are growing at a normal rate. Again, if the reason to top was because the trees were outgrowing their location, then maybe the tree should be removed and replaced by a smaller growing variety. So now as the bare leads on these “hat-racked” trees are starting to re-sprout, soon to be covered with new leaves and flowers, we will easily forget how bad they looked and leave ourselves wide opened to repeat the same mistakes next year. Start investigating the newer, more compact varieties now. They may be a little harder to find but good landscape designers, arborists and garden centers can find anything if given enough time. It’s never too early to think about next season’s plantings. “Crape Murder” is not a capital offense. If you have been convicted your sentence can be commuted by finding the right tree for your special garden spot today! |
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