Lawn edging | block paving bricks | turfing

Lawn edging | block paving bricks | turfing

Feb 27, 2014 | Landscaping, Lawn maintenance

Most of us have lawn in our gardens. Most have some sort of lawn mowing equipment at home as well, but how about lawn edging?

If you are thinking about having a new lawn then think how you are going to maintain it.
Mowing along the edges, fences, deckings etc is not that simple unless you took some care in designing your space.

Think about lawn edging. These can be your friend every time you go out to mow your lawn. Bricks or stones put down flush with the surface of the lawn make mowing a pleasure. You don’t have to strim the edges or do anything else apart from running the mower with one wheel on the edge.

Here’s some pictures of a returfed area together with a newly created lawn edge along the fence made with block paving bricks.

Few photos of another garden that had lawn edging done.
Before and after photos below

Fast, impressive and affordable

Feb 22, 2014

We had a laurel hedge which had grown out of control, over the two years we had been in our house. Paul contacted me on a Sunday afternoon and had the job done by 11 o’clock the next day. The job was completed to a high standard, with all the waste cleaned up and disposed of (there was a lot). Paul beat every other quote I had been given by a considerable amount and there was no compromise on the standard of work. I will use his services again and I will recommend without hesitation.

Hedge cutting / trimming – Tidy Gardens

Hedge cutting / trimming – Tidy Gardens

Feb 20, 2014 | Hedge maintenance, Tree pruning

When it comes to hedge maintenance, regular hedge cutting / trimming is the single most important thing to do. Regular hedge trim will make your hedge compact and thick right from the bottom.

Why plant a hedge?

Hedge can be a perfect garden boundary, but the wrong one may give you troubles.

  • hedges provide shelter.
  • They dumpen noises, reduce strong winds
  • The obvious they give you privacy.
  • security but not all hedges. Thorny, prickly varieties like for example:

Common holly

Firethorn

Blackthorn

Barberry

Buckthorn

  • some hedging plants like photinia give you a beautiful seasonal change.
  • hedge supports wildlife. Birds love nesting in them as well as eating some berries.
  • unlike wooden fences, hedges won’t need replacing for many many years and they don’t require anything more than regular hedge cutting.

I can’t stress that too much.
Hedges need your commitment to regular hedge cutting / trimming.

All types of hedging need at least one hedge cut a year. Some varieties more than one.
A regular light prune is much better for you and your hedge then an occasional heavy cut.
Power tools do a quick job if done regularly. High and overgrown hedges often need costly specialist equipment or professional help
to get them back into shape.

 

You can avoid a lot of problems in future if you choose the right hedging plants for your boundary.
Hedge planting – the right choice.

The many benefits of growing hedges on your boundary depend on selecting the right plants for the situation. If you choose an unsuitable variety you could be faced with a range of problems, especially if the hedge grows too big. It will be difficult to trim and may cut out light to your garden or house.

  • Its roots could deprive other plants of water and nutrients, and even interfere with paths and buildings.
  • Oversize hedges will intrude on your garden space, and may cause problems with neighbours.
  • Oversize hedges can be costly and time consuming to cut back and most conifers, including Leyland and Lawson’s cypress, will not tolerate hard pruning.
  • If the hedge borders a road or path the local authority could get involved, and insist the hedge is cut back.

Luckily there is a wide range of plants available so it’s not difficult to achieve an attractive healthy hedge – one which will take only as much upkeep as you can manage, and create an attractive feature in your neighbourhood, not a bone of contention.

Growth rate hedge cutting – how often Size if unpruned Foliage Prickly?
Beech xxx Once Large tree D/LL No
Berberis xx Once Large shrub E Yes
Cherry laurel xx Once Large shrub E No
Cotoneaster xx Once Large shrub E No
Escallonia xx Twice Large shrub E No
Firethorn xx Twice Large shrub E Yes
Hawthorn xxx Twice Small tree D Yes
Hazel xxx Once Small tree D No
Holly x Once Small tree E Yes
Hornbeam xx Once Large tree D/LL No
Lawsons cypress xx Twice Large tree E Conifer No
Leyland cypress xxx Twice Large tree E Conifer No
Portugal laurel x Once Large shrub E No
Privet xx Three Large shrub E No
Rose xx Once Large shrub D Yes
Western red cedar xx Twice Large tree E Conifer No
Yew x Once Large tree E Conifer No

Key:

Growth rate, for established plants
xxx – over 60cm/year
xx – 30-60cm/year
x – 15-30cm/year

Foliage:
D – deciduous
LL – dead leaves held in winter
E – evergreen

yew hedge

My favourite hedging plant has to be YEW ( taxus )
Classic choice but everlasting and makes an excellent hedge. Doesnt need that much hedge cutting either.

 

largest yew tree
Tidy Gardens can trim/prune most of hedges, but if you are that lucky and have spectacular yew like on a picture above then DON’T call us. Call for a crane ! 🙂

Call Paul /