Planting after construction..

[benedmonds]

I have a client who wants to plant up the following area as a woodland garden. It is sheltered housing for people with mental illness.

 

Advice and ideas welcome.. They have ordered a random bunch of small trees including 30-40cm scots pine (x3), 60-100cm weeping willow(x2), liquidamber (x3), rowan (x5), (120-150cm) lime x2 and copper beech (x2) and standard silver birch(x2)& norway maple (x2). Plus 100 hawthorn and 100 Blackthorn for the hedge..

 

Their vague plan is to cover with membrane and wood chip, have a couple of seating areas linked by paths..

 

Plant a hawthorn/blackthorn hedge along the fence.

 

My current feeling is cancel the order and come up with a proper plan as it's all a bit random..

 

What would you do about soil amelioration? Would you try and de-compact. The soil is pretty rubbish with a lot of hard core but it seems free draining..

[swinny]

Its great when they leave naff all depth for soil and planting isnt it. Certainly one to think about.

 

And maybe yes, cancel the order. Get them to sit down and properly plan it out

[Stihl123]

could you not replace the hawthorn with a mixed beech hedge, can look v good?

hawthorn really is not nice stuff, it may not be ideal in this situation especially if they ever thought of getting the patients to do a little bit of cutting or whatever?

just looking at it from their point of view?

[gooseflight]

Cancel the order. Think about a mix of shrubs with a few [small] trees for year round interest and much sooner than the trees will provide it. I would have thought that a less aggressive, tactile hedge would be better suited to that environment.

 

You might need some soil

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

Good looking pile of topsoil there

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Change the Hawthorn, nasty for later maintenance, some harvestable fruits and nuts might be a nice touch to engender interest and 'ownership' as the area matures. Sounds like their heart is in the right place , just need some help with thinking it out to best effect.

[monkeybusiness]

Bang hornbeam in for the hedge, it'll grow in poor ground and looks almost identical to beech winter and summer.

 

As suggested, get a design/plan and buy trees and shrubs to fit. Fruit trees are a great idea (but avoid anything prickly!).

[biggarlogs]

If the Tees grow in that soil.it will need a lot of maintenance work over the coming years.how about membrane, a few loads of chip,and some choice compact evergreen shrubs, surrounded by a laurel hedge,all year colour and no pricks

[easy-lift guy]

If the soil is poor the survival rate of the shrubs and trees shall be in jeopardy.

If there willing to make the investment take 4 to 6 soil samples for testing and amend accordingly. I hope you get the job and before and after pictures would be really nice to see.

easy-lift guy

[agg221]

I think I would particularly want to avoid planting willow in that situation.

 

Alec