Updated  05/26/20

My Landscape Project Worksheets ....

(View copy of original SCLH DG2000 Plant and Bark Coverage Guidelines at bottom of this page.)


2020 Status   (Scroll down to see 2018 ARC Approved Project with DG2017 worksheets)

The 2020 ARC-DG minimum plant count = '7 plants per EACH 100 sq ft', would instruct

a landscape professional to utilize at least 95 plants in redesigning my front yard Area B,

(reduced slightly from the DG2017, '8 plants per each 100 sq ft' = minimum 109 plants),

= 58 more plants than those already exceeding DG2020 50% goal by 81 sq ft (57%).



Similarly, Area A needs only 4 plants to attain 57% coverage -- exceeding DG2020 goal

by over 13 sq ft .... but, DG-ARC worksheet instructs a professional landscaper to use

an additional 9 plants,  if/when this yard area is re-designed.


(Note, that such live matter excess over 50% may not 'clearly show' on a

landscape design plan as required for ARC 'to consider using fewer plants'; however,

irrigation for 94 sq ft of 'unnecessary' ground coverage may be significant over time.)

FRONT YARD AREA  A
(left side of driveway)
has not changed since 2018 Landscape Project.
Total PA = 185.3 sq ft
Plant count =  4
= 106 sq ft = 57% live matter coverage
BUT ....
DG2020 ARC-required count after February
@ 7 plants per 100 sq ft = 13 plants minimum =
9  MORE plants ?

---

FRONT YARD AREA  B
Total PA = 1362.5 sq ft
Total plant count = 37
= 762 sq ft (expected+actual)
=  56% live coverage
BUT ....
DG2020 ARC-required count
@ 7 plants per 100 sq ft =
95 plants minimum =
58 MORE plants ?





2020 Status   (Scroll down to see 2018 ARC Approved Project with DG2017 detail)

1 diseased juniper shrub was removed and replaced with 2, 5-gallon Lantana.
9 PLANTS were added to Area B in early February, bringing total to 37 plants;
expected + actual live matter ground coverage = 762 sq ft = 56 %:
           3 new Zealand Duet  5-gallon plus 6 new Zealand Tom Thumb 1-gallon
           (The two bronze-color Tom Thumbs near water meter in photo lower right corner will cover 7 sq ft
            of exposed bark, filling area available after removing unhealthy groundcover).
   


BOTTOM LINE

Were I to re-landscape today --  or, a buyer requests bringing this lot
up to official DG2020 requirements regardless of prior HOA custom approvals ....
 
The ARC-DG minimum-required plant count = '7 plants per each 100 sq ft' 
instructs DG 6.1 requisite professional landscapers to design a yard plan utilizing
67 more plants than the number currently attaining greater than 50% of current DG2020 goal for live matter coverage in my front yard.


Other landscape project worksheet issues

--  There are no ARC plant detail worksheets for tracking sq ft coverage,
or monitoring attainment of 50% live matter coverage with all required
DG 6.1 landscape esthetics;

--  All available ground is automatically filled with plants, with no checks
for exceeding 50% goal;

--  There are no worksheet options for using inert material /  bark on up
to 50% of plantable area as DG currently allows, to try to conserve water
or reduce potential fire fuel.

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Area A Plant Coverage Detail           
                                              Expected/ Actual            Expected/Actual                          This Plant Total
NAME                                     Width  in Feet*               Sq Ft Coverage**         QTY        Sq Ft Coverage
Juniper 'Icee Blue'                           9                                   64                               1                    64
Lantana                                           6                                   28                               1                    28
Heavenly Bamboo                           3                                     7                               1                     7
Dwarf Myrtle                                    3                                     7                               1                      7
                                                                                                                                4                  106.0   sq ft  coverage
                                    Total Area A plantable area = 185.3 sq ft; required 50% coverage =  92.6  sq ft 
                                                                                                                                      13.4  sq ft 'extra'
Area A actual + expected live coverage = 106 sq ft  =  57%    (no landscape 'holes')                         
                                                                              


Area B Plant Coverage Detail  
                                              Expected/ Actual            Expected/Actual                          This Plant Total
NAME                                     Width  in Feet*               Sq Ft Coverage**         QTY        Sq Ft Coverage
Juniper 'Icee Blue'                           8                                   50                               9                    450
Lantana                                           6                                   28                               4                    112
Heavenly Bamboo dwarf                 3                                     7                               9                      63
Lemon Bottlebrush dwarf                5                                    20                              3                      60
New Zealand Flax Duet                   2                                     3                               3                       9
Phormium Tom Thumb                    3                                     7                                6                     42
David Viburnum                               4                                   12                                1                     12
Photinia dwarf                                  3                                     7                                2                     14
                                                                                                                                37                    762.0   sq ft coverage                                     Total Area B plantable area = 1362.5 sq ft; required 50% coverage =  681.3  sq ft
                                                                                                                                        8 0 .7  sq ft  'extra'
Area B actual + expected live coverage = 762 sq ft  =  56%     (no landscape 'holes')                         


*   SCLH Approved Plant List includes expected plant width; actual width used if greater.

**  Conversion table for plant area sq ft coverage when width is known:
        W = width in feet                                  1'      2'      3'       4'       5'       6'       7'       8'       9'      10'
        Sq Ft Area   =  3.14 x (W / 2)^2            1       3       7      12      20      28      38      50      64      78 


NOTE:
This minimum live matter coverage supports all DG Section 6.0 landscape esthetics.

 
2018 ARC Approved Project with DG2017

FRONT YARD AREA  A
on left side of driveway;
Total PA = 185.3 sq ft
Plant count = 4
Sq ft coverage = 106 sq ft
= 57 % live coverage
However,
DG2017 required count
@ 8 plants per 100 sq ft =
minimum 15 plants;
11 more plants 'required'


FRONT YARD AREA  B
Total PA = 1362.5 sq ft
Total plant count = 27  =772 sq ft coverage =  56% live plant coverage
However,
DG2017 required count @ 8 plants per 100 sq ft = minimum 109 plants;
82 more plants '......minimum required in hopes of attaining 50% coverage'

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
DG2017 worksheets dictated 93 (ninety-three) more plants ADDED to above front yard contents ( total 124), while DG  minimum 50% coverage goal was attained with ONE FORTH that number (31) by simply totaling all actual plant growth expected coverage sq ft.


2018 Landscape Design Drawing does not 'clearly show' live matter excess:

---

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Landscape Plants & Trees -- Checklist #19  DG2017

https://sclhresidents.com/documents/10184/251862/Checklist+19+Landscape+Plants+Trees/1972f43b-39e2-44b2-940b-6ef4698d2cb8?version=1.2



CONTENTS


    1.  ARC instructions for calculating required plant quantities ....

 
     2.  ARC worksheets completed for my front yard Area A and Area B ....


     3.  ARC calculation summary sheets for determining required plant quantities ....


     4.  My plant and tree list detail with expected growth SF for existing plants ....


     5.  FOOTNOTES ....


     6.  Grandfathered plant and tree issues for my 2000 lot ....

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1.    ARC instructions for calculating required plant quantities ....
​

NOTES:

According to DG 6.2, the minimal area requiring plants  =   50% Plantable Area (PA),
but,
on the above worksheet, 'Area Requiring Plants (ARP)'  =  100% Plantable Area (PA)
minus any boulders minus any decorative rock minus any existing plants.

As a result....
even though this worksheet's 'Area of Existing Plants to Remain' SF may have
reached "the goal of achieving fifty percent (50%) plant coverage at maturity ...."  
per DG 6.1 and Checklist #19 ....
we will always be instructed to add MORE plants until 100% PA is filled (minus any
boulders or decorative rock), instead, of using approved bark to fill a maximum
of 50% PA, per DG 6.2.

   
EXAMPLE, using the above data plus existing plants = 315 SF = 50% PA:   

                                              630 SF    PA  (Plantable Area)
                                           -    25 SF    boulders
                                           -  150 SF    decor rock
                                           -  315 SF    'Area of Existing Plants to Remain'  =  50% PA 
                                         =    140 SF   'Area Requiring Plants' per above worksheet logic   


--  There will be 12  "extra" plants (140 SF x 8 plants / 100 SF), because this
worksheet has ignored the portion of Plantable Area (PA) to be used for
approved bark by those wanting to conserve water, or have less cluttered
landscaping.

---

​2.   ARC worksheets for my front yard Area A and Area B ....


​     Below are my ARC-required project worksheets for Area A (left side of driveway) 
​
​      and Area B (main front yard).   


      I used red font for personal notes:
​

See "Expected Coverage SF" calculations on my Plant and Tree List detail below.​

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 3.  ARC calculation summary sheet for determining required plant quantities .... 
    
       with my attached NOTES referencing non-conformance to DG 6.2:
​

​

​According to the above Checklist #19  Calculation Summary Sheet,

        Area A still requires (65.3 x 8 plants / 100 SF)  =   5 more plants
        Area B still requires (590.5 SF x 8 plants / 100 SF)  =  48 more plants   

 .... giving my front yard a total of 31 existing plants  +  53 new plants  =  84.


If I were starting over, these worksheets will dictate 124 new front yard plants:

        Area A
        193.5 PA - 8.2 decor rock  =  185.3 SF
        185.3 SF x 8 plants / 100 SF  =  15 plants

        Area B
        1410.5 PA - 15 boulders - 33 decor rock  =  1362.5 SF
        1362.5 SF  x  8  plants / 100 SF  =  109 plants



But, this ARC calculation summary worksheet has also recorded the SF data

for my existing plants, easily calculated to be over 50% PA;  my current 31

plants clearly exceed DG minimal SF goals ...

Below, is my revised summary worksheet using plant expected growth SF,

indicating that I have 23.2 + 66.7 = 89.9 SF  'too much' plant coverage over

the 50% goal for prudent irrigation.

---

The plant detail in Topic #4 illustrates how may plants may actually be

REMOVED from my front yard in order to save irrigation water while still

meeting 50% PA goal.

4.    Plant and Tree List detail with expected growth SF ....

My lot's Checklist #19 Plant and Tree List detail for areas A and B are below.

I have appended two columns, "Mature Size -- H x W" and "Expected Coverage --
No. x PCSF", for calculating the SF ground coverage expected at maturity for each
type of plant with the growth data in DG Appendix A, Accepted Plants & Tree List.

Expected Coverage SF (square feet)  =  the quantity of each plant type
times the growth area for plant's width in below "Plant Coverage SF Table" :

Plant Coverage SF Table
         W = width in feet                         1'      2'      3'       4'       5'       6'       7'       8'       9'      10'
         PCSF    =  3.14 x (W / 2)^2    =    1       3       7      12      20      28      38      50      64      78 
                              
Example: 
I have 3 dwarf Lemon Bottlebrush, each expected to grow 3 feet tall and  5 feet wide according
to our DG Appendix A, Accepted Plants & Tree List. 
The above table shows the SF area of plant coverage (PCSF) for a 5' wide plant  =  20 SF.  
Total Expected SF Coverage for this plant type =   3   x  20  PCSF   =   60 SF.


DG Appendix A, Acceptable Plant List
https://sclhresidents.com/documents/10184/252552/Acceptable+Plant+List/0cde3f9c-8a2a-45e7-b052-3c0432a1ca7f?version=1.1


The '**' notation indicates differing expected plant width data from local nurseries
or DG Appendix A, or, to be maintained at smaller dimensions.

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5.  FOOTNOTES


My 2018 ARC Landscape Approval Application was submitted specifically for
permitting several Nandina in SIDE YARD to grow taller than 5' as a privacy screen.

All other yard areas were previously ARC-approved-grandfathered prior to DG2017.
 
Checklist #19 required a complete design diagram and plant list detail for ALL yard areas -- presenting me with ARC worksheet issues noted below.

--  The data for front yard Area A and Area B on my official project ARC
documentation was refined as shown above, to base all plant area coverage
on the SF area of a circle, similar to current ARC worksheet SF area calculations
for boulders.  Data conversion reduced coverage totals slightly from the 2018 ARC
worksheets which had used a gardener 'shortcut' = squaring the width of each
plant, but, did not impact the excessive irrigation potential I'd addressed on ARC
project approval application;
front yard Area A and Area B still exceeded 50% PA goal by several plants, etc..

ARC had suggested at the time, that I consider HOA Certificate of Compliance ($50)
to confirm front yard 50% plant coverage, because my scaled design drawing "did not
clearly show', that I could actually remove several plants and still meet DG coverage goals,
based on the specific sq ft coverage data for all expected plant growth at maturity.

I declined asking for the Certificate, since my front yard content was already ARC-
approved-grandfathered prior to DG2017.

I'd like to point out here, that landscape plans may never 'clearly show' the actual sq ft
coverage for all plants, especially when randomly spaced;
detail worksheet plant lists with expected sq ft growth are provably much more reliable
and efficient for confirming the total ground live coverage expected at maturity.


QUESTIONS

       
        Why do the Plant and Tree List detail worksheets NOT include the

        expected plant growth SF which is used to depict all shrubs and ground

        cover on our ARC-required, scaled landscape design diagram ..... ?   


        Plant area SF can easily be totaled for confirmation of achieving 50% PA

        minimal goal --  avoiding unnecessary irrigation, by using sq ft conversion

       tables similar to ARC tables for calculating boulder area SF.



        Why are there no ARC worksheet calculations to support prudent irrigation,

        by flagging whenever our 50% minimal DG plant SF coverage has been met

        with existing and/or new plants .... ?


        Why do worksheet calculations not include the plantable area SF available

       for filling with approved bark?   Per DG 6.2, this is the SF remaining after

        subtracting  all expected growth SF and any rock decor or boulders

        from total PA.  ​

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 6.  Grandfathered plant and tree issues for my 2000 lot ....
​

​

--  All model types:  six (6) shrubs, one-gallon size; five (5) shrubs, 5-gallon size

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2000 SCLH Design Guidelines

dsgnrvsn.001  REVISED: 04/27/00

Front Yard
Minimum Plants = 28 with minimum 20% plant coverage;

20-40% Ground Cover MUST be Bark; maximum 80% bark coverage permitted;

Back Yard
Minimum Plants = 11 (no minimum % plant ground coverage).

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