The main purpose of landscaping is to provide planting which breaks up the hard landscape, softens hard lines and promotes a green environment. Landscaping includes:

• planting on informal open spaces
• verge planting
• landscaping around residential areas and estates
• road calming planters

Hedges

As well as formal hedges in parks created using ornamental plants, we maintain rural hedges and hedges bordering dual carriageways. These are mostly native plant species and are usually cut with tractor-mounted equipment.

Our maintenance team look after hedges by:

• cutting them once a year outside the bird nesting season
• cutting to ensure there’s no obstruction or overhangs on roads and pavements
• cutting around street furniture and signs
• clearing cuttings from paths, pavements and roads

Shrubs

Beds are not dug over as this can damage the roots of shrubs and activate dormant weed seeds.

Fallen leaves, needles and pinecones are generally left on beds to provide a natural mulch.

Leaving this natural debris returns nutrients to the soil and provides a valuable habitat for many invertebrates. These invertebrates, in turn, provide valuable food for birds such as blackbirds and robins that you’ll see sifting through leaves for food during the winter months.

Our maintenance team look after shrubs by:

• pruning to control overall size, shape and growth to recognised horticultural standards
• keeping areas reasonably weed free
• pruning away from windows, paths, pavements and clearing traffic sight lines
• returning composted material and chippings to beds and mulching rose beds annually
• controlling pests and diseases on roses
• removing litter when on a routine maintenance visit

Floral displays

Every year, we put many thousands of bedding plants and bulbs in ornamental flower displays in our parks, gardens and roundabouts.

If you have a local business, find out how to sponsor one of our floral roundabouts.