Garden Maintenance

Hedge Trimming
The most obvious reason for hedge trimming is to prevent the hedge growing out and reducing the available space. Cutting them will keep them thick and bushy which will encourage birds and other wildlife to come along.

How often should you cut your hedges?
The longer a hedge is left before its cut, the thicker the branches will be which could result in ragged ends when cut. However, most hedges can cope with this damage remarkably well; few die or become diseased.

When should you cut your hedges?
The best time of year to cut you hedgerows is in January, February or late as possible in the autumn. Cutting in the winter allowed wildlife to take advantage of your hedges. You should avoid cutting during the bird breeding season 1 March to 31 July as most hedges in the country will have birds breeding in it.

Obviously, if there are a significant health and safety risk then hedges should be cut to reduce that risk.

Pruning

Pruning is important to remove dead branches or eliminate hazards. Pruning also increases the light and air penetration in the crown of the tree or landscape below. Each cut that you make can change the potential growth of your tree; however, over cutting/thinning can cause the tree significant amounts of stress.

Why is pruning important?
Pruning is important to remove dead branches or eliminate hazards. Pruning also increases the light and air penetration in the crown of the tree or landscape below. Each cut that you make can change the potential growth of your tree, however over cutting/thinning can cause the tree significant amounts of stress.

When should you prune your tree?
Try to prune your plants and trees before the spring as growth is maximized and wound closure is faster during this time. Remove weak, diseased or even dead branches.

When should you avoid pruning?
We recommend that pruning should be avoided just after spring due to the trees just having a lot of energy to produce foliage and early shoot has grown; removal of this can cause long-lasting stress to the tree.

Watering your plants

All plants and lawns require watering and after-care upon installation. In the first two weeks after installation, it is almost impossible to overwater your plants or lawns if done correctly. The initial watering schedule should be frequent and in short durations as this is what is known as the ‘healing period’.

Weeding
Here is a simple guide to weeding your garden with simple techniques and tips to use when weeding. There are many tools such as trowels and hoes that you can use when weeding which will make this unpleasant task slightly easier.
Weeding can be a highly unpleasant task that most people will face each year. Many people put off weeding their garden until the weeds become out of control – this only makes you work harder in the long run.

Weeds are unwanted in any garden as they rob your plants of the nutrients that they need to grow. They crowd the roots and spread diseases.

Hand Weeding
Hand weeding is a popular and common way to get the job done. This technique is the most effective when weeds are small where roots are not too deep. Always hand weed when it is slightly moist so that the roots can be loosened easily. DO NOT weed when soil and plants are wet, as this is a way to spread soil borne disease.

Tools
Weeding tools will help you get the job done quicker. Tools such as hand towels, forked weeders and brakes are very effective when taking care of small weeds which are growing next to your plants. Another effective tool is a hoe. It can be used to cultivate the soil before weeds show themselves or can be used to chop and pull up weeds that have germinated.

Tips & Techniques

• Covering crops will crowd out weeds, preventing them from growing throughout the winter.
• Weeding at the end of season prevents weeds from going to seed and leaving
• Weeding at the end of season prevents weeds from going to seed and leaving the seed in the garden for the next plant season.

Use drip irrigation. This method of watering prevents water from getting to all of the soil where weed seeds may be.

Weed Prevention
The best defence against weeds is prevention. There are many things that you can do to eradicate weeds before they can grow. A mulch organic material in a three inch layer around your plants will not allow sun to get to the weed seeds and germinate them – this is one of the easiest prevention techniques around. Alternatively you can use landscaping fabrics or weed mats to help control weeds around your plants.