Hints and Tips
Hard landscaping – Paving, laying a patio.
Buxus Topiary – shaping & maintenance
Hard landscaping – Paving, laying a patio.
Best made plans . . . Setting-out. Before work is to begin measure the area to make sure your project will most importantly fit and also work. For it to look as good as you hope a simple sketch on paper and/or if possible an out-line of the project on the chosen area in sand or landscaping spray paint is a perfect way to start and will really make the difference from a Poor job to a Great one. Landscaping materials are available in standard metric measurements so take this into account when setting out your patio. It’s easier and reduces waste if paving is laid whole rather than cutting edges to fit when mid project.
Now that you are happy with the positioning of the patio its time to start digging. For best results and a longer life for your patio I recommend a concrete footing for which to lay the patio on. Effort put in now will make for easier work when laying your chosen paving. The depth for a low traffic patio footing on good stable ground is approx 75 mm of 5:1 ballast/cement. I would recommend it to be deeper and to use re-enforcing in heavy traffic, clay or newly filled/made up areas of the garden.
When digging out the footing and pouring concrete try to include a drainage fall, this only needs to be 10mm down in every 1000mm travelled. Tips – When using a level to screed concrete the bubble is to touch one sideline of the viewer for an adequate drainage fall (black line fall). To avoid mistakes ‘dry lay’ the paving on the ground and take a photo for reference later. Where paving is to fit against buildings or borders leave a small gap which can be filled with an aggregate such as gravel then start your patio here.
Begin laying your slabs in a corner position on a soft/sharp sand cement mix of no more than 6:1 sand/cement, working outwards lay them side to side slab by slab whilst checking each ones level against its neighbour. Use a longer level or straight edge to read levels over greater distances and tap down gently any slabs that are sitting too high. The more times you use the level to bridge over patio the better the overall finish will be.
Do remember if you are to point-in the paving with a sand cement mixture, where possible run drainage falls away from property (seek professional advise if unsure).
Buxus Topiary – shaping & maintenance
To be enjoyed . . . The imagination can go into full flow with Topiary so hopefully these few steps will encourage more of you to start and confidently maintain your own collections.
When choosing your piece of topiary bare in mind the following maintenance requirements -
Clip at least twice a year (not in full sun).
Feed regularly.
Re-pot every 2-3yrs (not required if planted in the ground).
Rotate pot position.
Check for ‘Box Blight’ and other pests and disease.
Potted plants are completely reliant on you for food and water. It can be a costly mistake to neglected them as they will more than likely die or disfigure.
Lets clip . . Before we get clipping if possible gently shake the topiary or brush the foliage inorder to remove any dead leaf or debris that may have collected over the season. This will also fluff up the foliage and show its natural form (Just like being in the hair dressers). Once you are happy its clear we can go about shaping.
If you have a well maintained or recently purchased topiary in good shape you may find this step quite easy. A neglected out of shape topiary may require a more experienced hand.
If practical raise your topiary, i.e. place it on a table top or bench at a comfortable height for you to view and work at. Study it all over and try to visualize the final shape you wish to achieve. Its worth taking time on this as once you start clipping if you were to cut too deep it could take as long as 6 wks or longer to re-grow.
Using your Topiary Shears or Scissors gently brush them up and down the foliage allowing you to feel the strength of new growth against the old. This will be our clipping point, just above last year’s darker foliage. Continuing the up and down motion begin to clip, slowly at first and still visualizing the shape. Work around the topiary as well as up and down the more you repeat this the better the final out come will be.
As you progress the shape will become clear and areas that require further clipping can be addressed. Speed up clipping only once the shape is visible all round and the strength of the foliage returns. On completion stand back and view your work, then gently brush the foliage to remove any caught up clippings. Redress the compost level within the pot and add a slow release fertilizer. Place the topiary back in its position then water well.
Buxus will grow up to 100mm a year so timing is important when clipping. First cut of the year should be early summer May/June (when fluffy light green foliage is growing) and the second cut Aug/Sept. It’s fine to trim the few stragglers that appear between these months as it helps the shape set-in by thickening the foliage.
If you have topiary in matching pairs position them alongside each other before and whilst you are working to ensure they are still apair after clipping.
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