We hate to be picking on John Fry
’s Institute golf course again but something’s come up that
needs some thought. What nobody talked about before, when nitrate
runoff and wildlife habitat were under the microscope, was the kind
of flora course owners installed on the site.
We hate to be picking on John Fry’s Institute golf course again but something’s come up that needs some thought.
What nobody talked about before, when nitrate runoff and wildlife habitat were under the microscope, was the kind of flora course owners installed on the site.
Everyone can see, even from across the valley, the acres of lovely golfing greens surrounded by a tightly packed perimeter of evergreens on the Foothill Avenue property. The perimeter trees are all the same kind as are those in a small redwood forest edging the greens. In fact, much of the carefully planted and admittedly beautiful landscaping is monolithic. There isn’t much mixing of species out there. As it doesn’t work with people, nor does it work with plants.
In the landscaping world, experts tell us – and we learned in botany – variety is the spice of life. Homogeneous populations of plants not only are boring, but tend to invite disease. With no new gene pools to increase resistance, the plants need larger quantities of pesticide to keep them healthy. The environment suffers accordingly.
We understand that the highly touted irrigation pond, also attractive, has an unnatural, unhealthy system of oxygenation and plant life.
Then there is the matter of illegal plants. No, not that kind of illegal plant. At least one type of elm was imported from outside the area. Lovely, but a problem. It needed to be imported because you can’t buy it in Santa Clara County – because it’s illegal here.
We would like to suggest that the city require The Institute to hire an expert to perform an inventory of plants: what is native, what is not. What will work, what won’t. And give us an answer to what this unnatural ecology will behave like in 20 years.
We also share in the concerns of many neighbors who say the growing perimeter trees will soon block their view of the eastern hills. The wall of trees gives the appearance of a fortress around a rich man’s castle.
All told, it looks as though The Institute tried to do what never, ever works: they tried to fool Mother Nature.
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