Garden Rescue - Clearance

Garden rescue Here is an example of a small garden that was in desperate need of rescue. This is the back garden of small rented house and Miss B and her 2 children were just about to move. They were concerned that they would loose a large part of their deposit and needed someone to help out. Although this was a very small garden, no work had been done in the garden since last year (2010). This looks like it was a show garden when these houses were first built. There are too many borders, layed out in a hap-hazard way for such a small plot. Also, whoever did the planting scheme didn't do good job - lots of wrong plants in the wrong place. This was a one day job. First off, all the weeds needed to be cleared so I could actually see what was there to be kept. Anything that could be pruned was dead headed or shaped. Edges of the lawn were trimmed to neaten up the edges. Finally the grass was cut. As the grass had grown so long, a lot had flopped over, which makes it very difficult to cut and leave a tidy finish. The mistake most people make is to drop the cutting height of their lawnmower down to a normal low height and try to reduce the length of the grass in one go. Even with a small garden like this, that doesn't work. Starting at the highest setting and reducing slowly, this lawn took 4 cuts to bring it down to a reasonable level that left the lawn looking tidy but not dead, which tends to happen if you cut the grass too short too quickly. They were so pleased with the result (no deposit was taken), that they have asked me to go and tidy the garden at their new place when they get settled. Most garden tidies' or renovations tend to take just one day although we have had a few that have taken up to a week. Garden rescued

Hedges - Renovation & Removal

Hedge renovation This is a mixed hedge in Selsdon that needed renovation earlier this year. It is made up of Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and Firethorn (Pyracantha). It also had that proverbial interloper, self-seeded Sycamore, that needed removal as well. A lot of the time, hedge work requires only light pruning to maintain shape, healthy vigour and promote thickening. In this case, we needed to carry out extensive and severe renovative hard pruning. As the majority of the hedge is beech, recovery should be fairly fast (3-5 years). Initially, we removed all of the light branches with the hedge trimmer to give us better access to the older less dense but harder framework on the inside. This hedge was inherited a few years back and all we had done was to maintain its' shape, height and thickness (nearly 10 feet). The main reason for this renovation was to reduce the cost of regular maintenance but also a significant recovery of garden space. After the work was done, the lawn area was 5 feet wider and nearly 6 feet longer. As the inner branches were tougher than newer growth, a hedge trimmer would not be able to handle the extra width, so we needed a tougher blade. Unfortunately, they were too whippy for a chainsaw. We used an electrical reciprocating saw with a course blade and this made light work of the remaining framework. As you will see from these pictures, the roadside part of the hedge was completely removed so all branches were removed back to the trunk but the trunk was left in place. This was to facilitate easier removal later. The main length of the hedge was taken back to the trunk. Using a fork, shovel, spade, pick and mattock, the 5 remaining trunks and stumps were removed to leave the front border clear for some low maintenance, low level planting next spring. IMPORTANT This last message may seem self-serving, but take heed. Over the years, I have quoted for pruning and renovation of hundreds of hedges. Occasionally I am told the estimate is too expensive and they go ahead with another cheaper company to do the work. Most of the time I am called back to fix whatever mess the other company have managed to produce. Generally the cost of fixing will be the same as the original cost, as what may have been a simple annual prune has now become a more complicated renovation. This is why over 90% of my new business is referral from existing clients - my customers know how good I am (see the referrals page). Always use a referral/source you know to get an expert who knows what they are doing. Hedge renovated