Grounds Maintenance Finally Happening

Its been a long struggle, with several false starts, but it seems that we finally have decent maintenance for the landscaped areas once more. The grass is being cut, and hedges and borders are being trimmed.

The picture above shows the top of the estate at the North side, near the big ash tree. For comparison, here is a picture of the same area in 2021. The hedge had grown so high that the householders behind it couldn't see past it, even from an upstairs window.

We have spent these years working with Daniells Harrison (now Eddisons) to try to find a contractor who could manage the hedges at a reasonable price. We kept finding that people would bid for the work and then discover that they couldn't manage it. One contractor refused to continue after repeatedly falling from a ladder into the hedge while trying to wield a trimmer. Another bought a big tractor-mounted flail and discovered that a) the ground was too soft and b) the trees were too low. Every time something like this happened Eddisons had to ask the new contractor to put the matter right, wait while they failed, and then put the job out to tender again.

The turning point came when Wendy asked a friend of hers named Dave Rappini who is a professional gardener to visit us. He had a lot of practical advice about the work that needed doing, the kind of equipment that would be needed, and hence how to organise it. Based on this we wrote a detailed specification for the work to replace the generic one used by Eddisons, and as a result we got a capable contractor at a reasonable price. Thanks Dave!

The cost of the contract has gone up due to the extra equipment being used. Obviously we would have preferred to keep the costs lower, but we are convinced that if the landscaped areas are to be kept in a reasonable state then this is the cheapest option available.

Even the undergrowth around the north copse has been trimmed back.

Not everything is perfect: at the top of the north strip close to Park Avenue the neighbouring properties have bushes growing out from their fences which will need to be cut back a bit more aggressively. But now at least we have someone who can do this.