Strata maintenance can sometimes lead to drama because all parties involved don’t agree. Today was a good example. I was helping our strata garden liaison carry out her list of landscape tasks. Everything went well until we arrived at a corner boulevard unit.
Picea disaster
Until today, the space in the middle of the picture had been occupied by a spruce tree. Because the evergreen would eventually outgrow its space strata wanted it removed. The rhododendron by the window was clearly struggling and shading was affecting the cedar hedge (Thuja occidentalis ‘Smaragd’). Therefore, the decision was made. And I was on site to do the labour. It took me about five minutes to pop the evergreen. Easy?
Not so fast
Not so fast. Suddenly, the door flew open and things went sideways very quickly. The daughter had lots to say to the garden liaison, most of it was negative and not fit for blog posts. Let’s just say she was angry. And so was her deaf mother!
As it turned out, the spruce had been planted by the door twenty five years ago when the father became a Canadian citizen! Oops. This happens a lot with trees and roses. People can be attached to their plants. Twenty five years of growth and I popped it in five minutes.
To digress, I still remember an elderly lady waving her cane in the air, ready to strike the over-confident dude who severely pruned her prized roses. Again, the roses weren’t just pretty roses for pruning practice. They were a gift from someone in England.
Strata rule!
Technically speaking, all strata owners own their units, not the grounds outside. The common grounds are maintained by strata councils with guidance from management companies while the work is done by landscape contractors. The strata council rules!
We took the up-rooted spruce tree to the back patio so the owner could plant it in a pot. There wasn’t any room for it in the back either. I hosed off the root ball and followed behind my garden liaison. My hands were noticeably sweatier by now and I wondered what else was on her list.
Let’s talk
If you are a strata unit owner, attend your strata meetings and get to know your garden liaison. Also, if you ask nicely, you might get your way. And definitely read your meeting minutes.
If you are the garden liaison, let people know what’s happening ahead of time so there aren’t any surprises.
If you are the landscape contractor, you must follow strata requests within reason. Since some tasks don’t make sense, don’t be afraid say so.
Maybe this could help all parties avoid drama in the landscape.
