Section 5

Maintenance

Vegetable Beds

Clear the crops away to the compost heap when they are finished. These plants are called annuals as they are sown, grown and then die completely in the same year. Edible flowers such as borage and nasturtiums are also annuals, but their seed will stay in the ground until the following year and grow then.

If you are growing herbs, perennials like mint and oregano can be cut back in the autumn, or left until spring for any seeds to be eaten by wildlife.

Mint is very invasive and you might need to split up the clumps every spring.

Other herbs like lavendar, sage and rosemary are shrubby. It's best to trim these, (like a haircut), after they have flowered, but don't cut them so far back that all the leaves are cut off as they might not grow back.

The Butterfly Area

The buddleia will produce seeds that the birds will like. Cut each stem hard back to two buds from the base in spring.

Paths Glades and open Spaces

Remove any grasses and plants from the paths unless some are required to flower. Cut back brambles etc from used areas.

Wildflower Area

To encourage colonies of native wild flowers, the grass here should not be mown. Strim and rake off, before removal, once a year in late summer, (to disperse the wildflower seed). Use a four year rotation system , mowing the paths through the meadow in a slightly different location every year.

Bog Area

Plants will appear to die in autumn or winter, but the plant is still alive underground. Each spring they will grow again. These kinds of plants are called perennials.

In time, some plants will get so big they will grow over smaller ones. In the spring you will be able to see which small ones might need rescuing and you will need to dig them up and move them out to a safer place. You could make some new planting areas for these and other plants.

It is best to leave clearing until the spring as the birds can use plant material for nesting, and also may enjoy eating any seed heads during the winter. In the spring, cut the dying leaves and stems back to the ground. You will need to keep the plants free from grass otherwise some of the plants may eventually die.

When you have some compost to use from your compost area, you could sprinkle a covering of compost to about 6cm around each plant. This is called mulch and the best time to do this is when the ground is warm in late spring or early autumn. This will improve the soil.

Bulb Areas

The bulb foliage should not be cut off but allowed to die back naturally. The grass areas should be strimmed/mown back once this has happened.

The Woodland

The old trees should be checked for signs of disease and damage from time to time. The tree surgeon will advise on remedial work. The wood is regenerating itself and the trees have produced many younger saplings which in time may need to be thinned to ensure the health of the remainder.

Coppice Areas

The hazel and dogwoods can be cut back in the spring. Keep the coppicing for projects, plant supports etc.

Dogwoods

Cut around half the stems as close to the base as possible. The youngest stems of dogwood have the best colour and are more flexible, so cut out the oldest stems each year.

Hazel

Depending on the project, thicker or thinner wood can be coppiced. It isn't necessary to do this every year. One in every three of four years would be adequate, but less often or more often would also be corret. Use a rotation system so that not every plant is cut at the same time.