Whilst being aesthetically pleasing, the classic mixed English hedge offers protection for your property and the environment.
Traditionally used as an environmentally friendly way to distinguish borders between fields and woodland, hedgerows naturally mark the landscape. Unfortunately, in recent decades there has been a decline in the presence of hedgerows.
The perfect classic mixed English hedge includes primarily Hawthorne as a base with a mix of Hazel, Field Maple and Spindle creating a mix of autumnal colours making it the perfect eye-catching border. If planted 30cm – 45cm or double-rowed, allowing heights around 120cm, it can create a clear, safe boundary for your property.
Hedges create a blissful environment for wildlife creating a habitat for birds, small mammals, and insects to live in. It is a simple but effective way to enhance your natural environment. The hedge provides them a home to use as shelter and as a food source. They can support up to 80% of our native woodland bird population, 50% of our mammals, 30% of our butterflies and many species of insect. The grassy verge at the base of the hedge can also be home to reptiles and ground nesting birds.
From October to March is the perfect season to prune your hedges. Trimming the hedges from a young age to promote thickness, flowering, and fruiting. This keeps the full, strong presence of the hedge to create the seasonally colourful border to help blend with the natural environment.
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Hedges are also a great feature as there is many design options allowing you to design them into your desired pattern. If you’re looking for assistance on cutting your hedges, contact our sister company Blue Iris Landscapes for more information. Alternatively, if you need to know if your soil is right to grow a certain hedge, then contact us today!
England’s Peat Action Plan!
Planning your garden for the Summer? This might be the perfect time to make the sustainable change to peat free compost. Read more about England’s Peat Action Plan…
England’s Peat Action Plan
In May 2021, the government announced its new ‘England Peat Action Plan’ which outlines a long-term management plan to protect and restore UK peatlands. Peat has been evaluated to be damaging to the environment. This is because when removed from its original state the peat reacts to the air and starts releasing large quantities of carbon dioxide. When the peat is exposed, it releases approximately 38 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare a year. Whereas if left in its natural state the peat bogs act as a huge sponge and contrastingly soak up carbon dioxide form the atmosphere. They also house a diverse range of habitats and serve as natural flood defence to the wider environment. The government’s goal is to make sure that England’s ‘peatland meets the needs of wildlife, people and the planet.’
A big aim of the project is to consult on banning the sale of peat and peat containing products. They intent to publish a full consultation actioning the phasing out the use of peat in horticulture. They have set the aim that by 2030 all of England’s soils will be managed sustainably and with support from investments they will be able to restore, protect and responsibly manage peat but also keep it under good hydrological conditions.
Soil contaminated with Japanese Knotweed
Despite peat being free draining and holding an optimum amount of moisture in turn creating the perfect conditions for seeds and young plants to develop the horticulture market has produced some impressive alternatives. It is important to investigate the care your peat free compost needs as they commonly need regular feeds and need watering often as the compost can rot and go dry a lot quicker.
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The type of soil you use is crucial to the quality of growth you receive from your seedlings. It is important to investigate what components are in your compost and to consider the wider environmental image as well as question the sustainability.
If you want your soil testing to know what components are found within as well as the quality of the soil, contact us at [email protected] for more details. This will give you a clearer idea of the quality and type of soil you have as well as giving you a gauge on if your soil needs more nourishing and care. We offer a variety of specific tests, if you visit our website, it will guide you through the various services we offer.
A tree survey may be needed by a commercial or domestic client in order to go ahead with planning applications for future developments. In this article, we will go into detail about what tree surveys are, why they are important and how often they should be executed.
What Are They?
Tree surveys are a type of assessment which assess the size, age, health, and life expectancy of a tree and are normally required as part of a planning application, especially if the development will affect the surrounding landscape. The survey would then provide the appropriate recommendations for the future of the tree; for example, any treatments, whether it should be retained or if there should be any remedial work.
Why Are Tree Surveys Important?
Tree surveys can be deemed important for many different reasons. Here are some below:
Protects many trees from being accidentally cut down.
Ensures that any development on the land can be done following the right regulations.
Helps landscape designers to make their computer designs in more detail and incorporate their designs around the trees. (If you are interested in a landscape design then click here).
It points out any potential hazards with the trees in question. For instance, the survey may point out if a tree could fall or as to whether it is diseased.
How Often Should I Have My Tree Surveyed?
ProHort Ltd recommends that a tree survey should be carried out at least once every two years. This is because claims can be made against property if any damages were to occur (for example, a tree branch falling on your car) as well as possible injured individuals.
If you require a tree survey, then get in contact with us today to find out more information.
If you are looking to save some money on the weekly shop, wanting more organic food or just looking for a new hobby; starting a vegetable patch may be the right thing for you to do. In this article, we discuss how to start your own vegetable patch as a beginner.
Find A Good Site
The most important things to note when searching for the optimum environment for a vegetable patch are:
A level ground
Well drained and fertile soil
A spot to receive 6-8 hours of sunlight a day
Situated far from trees
As a beginner, it may be better to start off your vegetable patch small and expand it as your knowledge grows.
Draw Out A Plan
Drawing out a plan for your vegetable garden is one way of erasing any potential mishaps such as overcrowded plants. Ideally, a growing patch should be split into quarters. These spaces can then be allocated different plant groups such as root vegetables (carrots, potatoes etc), legumes and salads. By splitting up your quadrants, it also makes it easier to rotate your crops around the bed.
Pick Out The Right Crops For You
When starting out, it is better to pick crops that are suited for beginners. However, you still want the vegetables to be something you enjoy! The most common ‘new-starter’ plants are peas, radishes, potatoes, beetroot, tomatoes, and courgettes. Do these sound-like tasty options to you?
If you already have a vegetable plot and your crops aren’t flourishing, then you may have the wrong soil type! To find out if there is a problem with your soil then get in contact today and we can conduct a soil test to identify the nutrient content and composition of your soil.
