It's all about timing when it comes to horticulture! Yesterday I started on a job that I had earmarked for months but had to time correctly due to scrutiny (more on that shortly). Instead, I had been concentrating on cleaning up fallen leaves from four established Maples, two of didn't start dropping until well into June. This is a commercial garden that was originally constructed by one of my old bosses, and I've subcontracted the maintenance of it ever since. Looking at my records, it's a job I've been doing since September 2014.
Originally, I'd spend an hour a fortnight there weeding, pruning, cleaning ect. But then the site owner decided to buy the property next door, demolish the existing units to add additional office spaces and create a larger carpark. The garden expanded in tandem. A bigger garden means more time needed to maintain that bigger space. My hours spent in that garden each month increased. I think you can guess where this ended up going...................
The property owner is extremely wealthy. That's what happens when you are a workaholic and a medical specialist. In the time I've been there, I've seen a revolving fleet of high-end BMW's and Mercedes, even an AMG GT S, which was amusing as he such a small man in his 80's. Well, at one point he decided that my services were too expensive and that I was no longer required. (Keep in mind that I'm the middleman on this job, all communication is via my boss, which is a long story but trust me, it's easier this way). Of course, I took it personally. I remember telling another client of mine who knows this guy professionally. He was not at all surprised but also told me to be patient...................
Three months later, I was informed that I was needed again, which my other client told me "was always going to happen". However, that garden I had tendered for so long was a complete mess after three months. It would seem there is more to garden maintenance than some lacky spraying weeds with Roundup. I had to go back in and spend considerable time bringing the garden back into shape. It cost him more doing that than me just maintaining. In addition to that, I also had to re-plant two large sections of the carpark garden. Which leads me to the present day.
Those plants that were replaced have now reached the end of their useful life. Hebe Pretty-n-Pink, a fast low growing plant that produces an amazing display of deep purple foliage. But, like all Hebe's, they reach a point of no return relatively quickly. These ones have been pruned and reshaped many, many times. While Hebe's are often receptive to a very HEAVY reformative prune, it can go two ways from here. They will either bounce back with vigour................ or simply die. Considering how lanky and sparse they had become, I made the call to simply replace them.
In addition to the age factor, in summer I was also having issues with patrons of this business reversing into parks, leaving the engine running and the hot exhaust gases burning
MY plants to smithereens. Dorks. What is it with people reversing into car parks, just drive into the park and be done with it, PLEASE.
Anyway, yesterday I made a start by docking the old plants back to stubs and lifting the roots out with a shovel..................all without piercing the existing irrigation system. Well, the first 13 went ok until I destroyed my 25-year-old spade....................
Who would have thought such a small plant would put up such a giant fight! Anyway, I won in the end with the help of a 50-year-old crow bar! They don't make em like that anymore. I ended up filling my Ranger tray to the brim with green waste before tidying up and leaving the replanting for the following day.
This morning, I got started on replanting. I've decided to give Nandina Moonbay a go in this location. While they are slower growing, they require little to no pruning and should withstand heat better as the foliage is not as fleshy as the Hebe's. Because I was going from three to two plants per bay, I also had to reconfigure the irrigation drippers..................and fix a couple of pieced sections from yesterday, it happens.
New shovel was broken in nicely on this job. I also added handfuls of bagged compost to the backfill for each plant. Although, its important to not simply fill the hole in completely with new soil as the plant will not settle into that happy space and be less inclined to venture out into the surrounding soil, creating a weaker and more irrigation dependant plant.
Because this is the older section of garden, the small pink north gravel had broken down and needed to be refreshed. I would ideally have gone with the same size aggregate here as its easier to chip weeds out with a hoe. However, they have since stopped making this size with the fines shifted out, it would otherwise turn to mud. So, I had to top with 14mm pink north, which matches the newer sections anyway.
Being a carpark, I could simply drive alongside the garden with the side gate removed and shovel directly into place. This eliminated the need for a wheelbarrow, in turn eliminates the double handling. The tarp? Well, you of course know why, but in my defence, it also makes it easier to gather up the dregs towards the end of the job. And for probably the first time ever, I managed to have the exact amount of stone for this job! That meant no second trip or having to find somewhere to dump the remains.
Meanwhile, I'm not sure if others have noticed this, but why is it every landscape supply yard employee is a right arrogant bastard? They all look the same, all talk the same, all have the same attitude problem, all think they are doing YOU a favor by selling some of their dirt, bark or stone supply. This isn't just one company, but ALL I have dealt with over the decades. Here's a tip boys, you aren't selling precious metals or making nuclear submarines here. It's rocks, sand, gravel and dirt. That's it. Same as me digging holes and cutting grass.
Mulching is my favourite part of jobs like this! Probably because its the finishing touch, much like tyre dressing after washing a car. It just makes everything come together.
A job well done! Now I have to do the same thing on the other side next week! The new plants are a little lost, but they will settle over the next few weeks and be in prime position to take off once the warmth of spring arrives. Here's hoping some geriatric dork doesn't reverse over them.
I also managed to salvage the remains of my old spade. With the old handle removed, it was donated to an ancient (read: made properly) Cyclone shovel head. I looked at new handles in Bunnings, but they were complete junk. So, a few wacks with a steel rod, some fresh screws and a few grazed knuckles, I have a usable spade again.
Not a fan of that set up i like the feel of a steering wheel.