Below is an update on the recent renovations in the main median islands and berm.

LANDSCAPE UPDATE

The renovations for the median islands along Brookwood and Overbrook and the berm occurred over the Summer.  New nose island plantings were installed during the month of June and beginning of July along Brookwood and Overbrook.  The berm received new pockets of plants both in the Fall, 2013 and Spring, 2014 with plant installations up through mid-July.  The Summer was an unusual one for the weather which has been a blessing and a curse for the new landscape.  The cool weather kept the theme shrubs from blooming along Brookwood and the large tree installation along the berm took its toll on the existing grass.  The landscape is in a state of flux and will continue to improve as time allows.  The new plantings will take 3 years to establish and flourish. The shrubs and perennials will continue to fill in and acclimate to their new location.  As they fill in and acclimate, they will also begin to flower consistently.  Below are specific descriptions of the new landscape along Brookwood, Overbrook and the berm.  The renovation will continue through Spring of next year.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN ALONG BROOKWOOD

The hypericum (St. John’s Wort, Sunburst) is planted in an “S” shape and will provide a blue green color throughout the season and yellow flowers in Summer that appear to be a sunburst, hence its name.  The swoop of the juniper will provide the soft texture change and year-round interest.  Annual displays will continue to evolve each season and will add the pop of color during the Summer.  The liriope border is the unifying theme that is repeated throughout that ties the landscape together along Brookwood.

The fountain area is the center focal point for the development.  The new wall plantings of boxwood and Forest Pansy Redbud with liriope in front of the walls provide framework to the stone walls and allow for the stone to be appropriately featured as originally intended.   New benches and stone urns add interest to the center fountain island.

LANDSCAPE DESIGN ALONG OVERBROOK

Median island nose plantings along Overbrook provide a backdrop to the perennial plantings at the nose tips.  The colors harmonize with the flowering Big Bang Spirea which is the theme shrub planted in an ”S” shape along Overbrook.   The Big Bang Spirea is the largest, most showy blooming spirea available today.  This spirea has been genetically improved over the traditional spirea and will provide multi-season interest with red new growth in Spring, huge pink flowers throughout the Summer and red and orange color in the Fall.  The juniper groupings provide the light feathery texture and Winter interest and the planting is framed with liriope.

New understory plantings of groundcover add a pop of whimsy to the pattern along Brookwood and Overbrook.  This addition replaces the juniper beds that had died because of age and shade.  These new plantings are clean and future maintenance will be reduced without needing to prune the aged junipers.

BERM RENOVATION

This has been an ongoing challenge as the berm is where the majority of the Imprelis damage took its toll.  The new landscape has been interspersed throughout the existing plantings along the berm.  The introduction of new ridge plantings along the top of the berm with evergreens and then a middle zone of flowering shrubs and ornamental trees can be seen as one approaches from the west along 119th Street.  This pattern will be extended the entire length of the berm and will add the screening that was beginning to be lost with the age and deterioration of the existing evergreens, both from the Imprelis damage and the deteriorated utility of the trees due to age.

The evergreens that were removed from the berm were replanted in areas of open zones so that the new plantings had the necessary sunlight that was needed to grow.  The new trees will take 3 to 5 years to re-establish and grow.

The flowering ornamentals that once graced the berm were at the end of their life span and have been replanted with new flowering trees to continue the Spring flowering and seasonal interest.

Shrub plantings were a new addition to the berm to provide more seasonal interest.  It will take 3 years for the new shrubs to reach their mature size.

As each area of the berm is replanted, the turf areas can be restored once appropriate trees have been removed and new trees added to the ridge line of the berm.  In some areas where there is bare dirt now and existing trees with no sunlight, groundcover will be added to stop the erosion.

The State Line berm has been planted in pockets where holes were visible and homes were losing their screening.  Additional plantings will be added to fill gaps along State Line next Spring.

Homeowners along the berm have been encouraged to add plants along their rear property line so that there is double screening along 119th Street and State Line.

Your renovation team is working hard to keep Hallbrook a premier property in the Kansas City Metropolitan area.  We’re excited about the changes and look forward to watching the transformation take place as the plants mature to show off the neighborhood to its full potential and glory.

Jim Tiehen
The Tiehen Group, Inc.
3401 College Boulevard #250
Leawood, KS  66211