Donate a Shrub/Tree

Like Trees and Shrubs? Want more in your neighborhood? Want to plant a tree to offset some carbon? The HOA's budget limits the number of trees and shrubs we can afford to plant, but there is plenty of room for more in Oaklawn Park.

With the utilities already marked for the internet fiber lines recently, I took advantage of that and donated two new trees fully at my personal expense to the neighborhood. I welcome others who want to make Oaklawn Park a better place to live to do the same.

You can add shrubs and smaller trees to your own patio area; that is part of your limited common area.* If look out your window and see a space outside of your limited common area, and you think, "a tree would look really nice there," feel free to work with the HOA board to donate a tree.

You can contact the board or PMI and we will be happy to work with you. You need to let us know in advance. Before digging we need to have the utility companies come out and mark where various utilities may or may not be buried in that spot you would like to see that tree. Only then can we get digging. Please don't dig your own hole in the general common areas. We'll also work with you to make sure the tree works in that space (and not doing something like perhaps blocking the views of drivers as it grows).

You will also need to be willing to water and nurture your new tree for the time needed for a new tree to thrive, so be sure you want to really adopt with all that comes with that!

Early spring and the fall are the best time to plant new trees.

• Kyle Thompson

* If you are renting, check with your landlord/rental company first. Anything you plant in the limited common area is something the owner of that townhome has to pay to maintain. You need to check with your rental company/landlord then before planting anything they will need to continue to pay to maintain.