Garden Hazards Ahead!

‘Now, how am I going to tackle this?!’ From time to time, I get to work in beautifully designed gardens that fail to take into consideration maintenance requirements. The most common design flaw I see is a neatly clipped English Box hedge surrounding a lawn, meaning the poor gardener (me) must bend down and pick up the lawnmower and step over the hedge before mowing the lawn. Surely a better solution would be to place a mower sized gap in the hedge in the hedge which is cleverly positioned to maintain the ‘look’. I know that the designer is not plotting to create gardens that are difficult to maintain, I just think that they are sometimes so absorbed with their vision that they neglect to think of how the garden is going to be maintained. After all, the success of a garden long term is determined by its maintenance.

English Box hedge lawnmowing hurdling aside, some other design features that are a thorn in the side of gardeners are deciduous tree hedges running alongside the swimming pools where the gardener needs to double as the pool guy; water features with broken pumps that have become mosquito havens; ornamental stones in gardens which small children use to throw on the lawn, making whipper snipping lawn edges a deadly task; and my absolute favourite ‘Clumping Bamboo’.

Don’t get me wrong, Bamboo looks awesome and establishes so quickly that you can just about watch it grow, however, anything planted around it risks being invaded. Also, if you ever want to change the look of your garden and remove it, you will most likely need to hire some heavy-duty cutting machinery to remove the roots. There have been many times when I have clenched my teeth and angrily swung a mattock into the bamboo roots only to have the mattock simply bounce leaving me feeling like a fool. I remember around 10 years ago everyone was raving about a solution to invasive bamboo called ‘Clumping Bamboo’. I can recall a client excitedly evaluating all the different colours as versions of Clumping Bamboo to try to find the variety that would perfectly suite their garden. I smugly recall feeling a little sceptical about the claims made by the nursery industry about this magic new version of bamboo which only grows in clumps. In my travels I have seen this magic bamboo escape from its clumps and grow through decking and lawns and even lift the lip of a concrete driveway.

The most important point I’m trying to make here is that with every design decision you make with your garden design, you also need to consider the implications for maintenance. For example, is planting bamboo going to eventually ruin your garden or will the stones from the stone pathway find their way into the house, water feature or lawn. I’m not telling people not to plant what they like; it may be as simple of incorporating pots into your garden for invasive plants like bamboo, mint or violets. I’m always suggesting to clients to plant mint into pots rather than directly into their herb garden so that the other herbs don’t get swamped. Hedges are also great for dividing spaces, framing areas and providing privacy, however planting them in a narrow-raised garden bed may make pruning it problematic if there is no space for a ladder to safety stand. Getting these decisions right can make gardening a pleasure and not a punishment.