PM4 gardens

Update. A new gardening compnay was employed atthe begining of feb .Theyare inthe process ofremoving the lollipop tress as recommended by the garden architect nearly all have been remeived. Whilst this is didsappointingthat they had to be removed but they were not suitable3 and drink so much water that the grass would always struggle to grow. It isbad enough as it is. 

New irrigation trenches have been dug to improve the watering system .There is no point spending money onthe grass if the irrigation is not up to scratch.  

irrigation Trench around  PM4 pool. To avoid the pool being flooded AGAIN BY rain water and mud a trench has been put around the pool to redirect the flow of water. Whilst the works are going on this will look unsighlty but no pain no gain.   

PM4 president is on site over easter and will be seeking up date and meeting with the gardening company for stage 2 , unless there are funds in the pot it is very difficult to make any vast improvement on thin air!!

We hope to have the portal planted and discussion over the grass areas will continue.

Dear All,

it rather looks like the wonderful tropical gardens are on the way out the window, but even just grass will not survive without a proper depth of topsoil.

Someone once suggested imitation turf, perhaps it is now time to resurrect that idea.

Good luck and best wishes.

Norman

Norman

Norman Why dont you just drop you unhelpful comments.

One gardening company was employeed to do the whole site and could not cope with it. it is too big for one compayn to manage and we could not find another to take it all on. therefore new garden companies were approached and  PM4 made the decision to take ona new company. What was happening before was that PM4 would see a garden for 1 day and then they would dissappear somewhere else. it was very difficult to monitor work and what we were paying for. Now we have one specific garden working 5 full days a week and this give him accountability fro allthe work. WE have received a much better service. WE also refused to pay the last company for 2 months work as little or no work was done.

There are a few people putting a lot of time and thought and effort for the benefit of all. They are all intelligent people and make informative decisions  on the information they have and monies and advice given .

During our supposed holiday last week we attended meetings inthe Ammex office 3 times. We meet the government assessor on site. We meet the gardening company onsite and went with them on another occasion to the garden centre to purchase materials.  We are even paying our community fees inadvance to ensure community bills get paid. !!

What would really help if people eured they had no community debt against thier apartment and when you go out to casares perhaps drop a line to tyour president and offer to following anything up in support of the few that spent all thier holidays sorting out community problems.

Dear Brutus,

You told me of great improvements from last year, I visited the site communicated with the gardener, at his insistence, without language, found no top soil, dead trees, photographed and reported to the forum accordingly. How is that unhelpful?

What is it you want me to do more? Report falsely, tell lies, invent spin?

Sorry, can't do it.

Not withstanding this I only too well recognise the impossible job the developer has left you with. Corrective measures are always more costly than original costs of missing items.

Best Regards

Norman

N

AS per my other response. There is no point putting on top soil when the basics are not sorted i.e Watering. systems.  On PM4 we are concentrating on getting the watering systemn right and working efficiently. It would be pointless spending money on top soil and grass only to find out watering system was inadequsate. The same would go for PM2 &PM3

There are also budgets and priorities to consider, you can only do so much with  the poor funds that you get.

The communities cannot afford to be wasteful. Putting top soil on at this stage would be incompetent and wasteful.  We are also aware that Casares town hall were considering implementing a watering ban due to low water levels so again our policies have been directed around how to reduce watering. One reason PM4 removed the green lollipop tress at the recommendation of the garden architect was they take up 90% of the water in the soil whivc seriuosly affectes grass and requirement for higher watering levels You make it seem so simple - just put in top soil and tthrow a few grass seeds at it.

Security has taken up funds and has become a priority issue for a lot of owners. The presidents are listening to thier communities and doing what they can with limited funds.

If our community charges were 90% paid in full we would have sufficient funds to do all a huge amount of improvements ina short period of time. We are currently sourcing quaotes for fencing and access gates. These presidents are putting in a huge amount of thier own time visiting the site for meetings at thier own cost, we need supporters who understand the situation, understand why things are being done the way they there, not for someone to continuiuosly pick holes in things that are not priorities or not accomplisihed yet but are on the agenda.

How about Norman Sands for president at the next AGM!

Dear All,

please note the effort that Brutus and others are putting into their very valuable "make the best of things stance". They are doing their best under extremely difficult, if not impossible circumstances.

Clearly establishing and maintaining the tropical garden is impossible under the circumstances. There is obviously no point in wasting money on elaborate watering systems when the water supply itself is in doubt. There has already been a huge waste of money on unsustainable plants being carted away in skips.

With the best will in the world -no soil + no water = no garden.

Perhaps some small specimen areas can be maintained at critical points and other features introduced on the land.

Possibly some of the hard exercise features that are now appearing along various seafronts can be incorporated. Perhaps even some outdoor elements of the missing sports centre too.

You have had something of a shock and a steep learning curve, no doubt and I for one wish you every success.

However I do not believe you can make any sort of garden, except perhaps a rock garden, without topsoil. It is that which will differentiate a garden from the natural scrub of the area.

Unfortunately as a non-owner I cannot personally assist with your admin, I was not even allowed to attend a meeting.

Best wishes and make the miracle come true.

Regards

Norman