L.A. LOOKS Central Native Plants of Florida By Lynn Davis Iris domestica best known is as blackberry lily has become one of my favorite plants. The beauty of the delicate speckled flowers and the flattened fan-like stem make this a plant worth noting in any garden. Standing as tall as two to three feet with flowers around two inches, it is a great companion to just any plant. It gets its name from the clusters of shiny black seeds in seedpods that resemble blackberries. The blackberry lily is also known as the leopard lily. Yet, it’s not a lily at all. It belongs to the species of irises. Like irises, its rhizomes are to be planted shallow or risk being root rotted. Otherwise, this is an excellent low maintenance flowering plant. Why plant blackberry lily in your garden? This plant needs little care. It likes sun and it does tolerate some shade. It doesn’t require pruning. It will produce more blooms if you decide to prune. You can save the seedpods and plant more in other areas of your garden. It’s not fussy about soil nor does it require daily watering. The lily is a perennial living around two years, but the seeds from the pods will keep producing. The only downfall is the plant is toxic to human and pets. WETLANDS AND CONSERVATION AREAS OF LAKE ASHTON Many of Lake Ashton's wetlands and conservation areas are important to our community in a number of ways. They serve many functions like protect against flooding, improve water quality, and provide a home for threatened and protected species. Wetlands in Lake Ashton clean the storm water that is referred to as “runoff”. After that, this water goes to Lake Ashton. When the water gets to the lake, it will go through the outfall structure, which is on the southwest shore of the lake. After that, the water will go to Peace Creek and then to the Peace River. The Peace River can overflow and flood when it rains a lot. This could cause lakes and ponds to have higher than normal water levels, which will be felt by the residents in Lake Ashton. Our aquatics vendor and Lake Ashton CDD staff work together all the time to make sure that our wetlands are being managed properly. If there are any questions or concerns, email Matt Fisher at mfisher@lakeashtoncdd.com. Residents are reminded that they should not do any unauthorized maintenance in these areas. LA II (WH) HOA BOARD • Kristy McKibben, President, presidentla2hoa@outlook.com • Ray Rudy, Treasurer, treasurerla2hoa@outlook.com • Dave Bishop, VP & ARC Liaison, vparcla2hoa@outlook.com • Bill Testa, VP & Asst. Treasurer, vptreasurerla2hoa@outlook.com LA (LW) HOA BOARD • Marti Schmidt, President & Treasurer treasurer@lakeashtonhoa.org president@lakeashtonhoa.org • David Muller, Vice President vp@lakeashtonhoa.org • John Leale, Vice President vicepresident2@lakeashtonhoa.org • Tim Doyle, Secretary secretary@lakeashtonhoa.org • Bob Prowant manager@lakeashtonhoa.org 14 • Greg Bluemke arc@lakeashtonhoa.org
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