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HOBE SOUND, FLA.—The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), an international association serving landscape professionals, awarded its 2012 Grand Prize for the Environmental Improvement Awards to Rood Landscape, LLC, of Hobe Sound.
The prize was awarded for the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Project, an environmentally and historically sensitive site in Palm Beach County. Rood Landscape was tasked with eradicating invasive plant materials that had colonized around the lighthouse, preventing future soil erosion, and providing an appropriate plant palette for the site’s proximity to the ocean environment.
Rood also faced a unique challenge: protecting the Native American shell mound on which the lighthouse was built. “As the site has enormous archeological significance, no digging could take place without an archeologist present,” says Project Manager Ron Vekeman.
The “exotic” sansevieria at the site was carefully removed, and after an erosion control geo-grid fabric was applied at the north side of the lighthouse to assure stabilization, the new planting took place. A plant palette of approved native plants was chosen for their ability to withstand the site’s environmental elements, including proximity to the coastal waterways and the Atlantic Ocean. New irrigation was provided by Rood Landscape’s sister company, Treasure Coast Irrigation.
“We are honored to be this year’s recipient of the PLANET Awards Grand Prize, and are thankful for the opportunity to contribute to such a valuable project,” says Tom Balling, Rood Landscape president.
