Horticulturist, gardening consultant, and designer, Jonathan Garner, underlines some important factors, including design intent, in servicing both client and industry.
Exciting times indeed!
The landscapers have packed up and the dust has begun to settle. Ideally, the client has recovered from tradesman fatigue and the landscaper has provided a detailed handover package. Beyond this, a visit from the designer to explain their design intent will help set you in the right direction on how they see the garden will eventually look.
Know the people
Hopefully both designer and landscaper have educated the client with the understanding of how important the horticulturist’s or caregiver’s role is in nurturing the growing ecology, establishing the landscape asset and, yes, I’ll say it again, achieving the design intent.
I’ve been banging on about this for 20 articles now and probably will for plenty more. Let’s say you don’t receive or can’t obtain the designer’s brief and vision. Let’s say the project never had a designer in the first place, or let’s say the project was developed based on the client’s desires or needs. Somewhere within these scenarios a goal for the garden or landscape asset can be determined so we, the landscape professionals, can start steering the garden towards it.
I love this part of the project. I love getting to know the client. I love the relationships that grow between the gardener, the client and, by extension, their family too. It’s pretty cool getting to know a young family, watching mum carrying the squawking kids in from the car and seeing them grow to young adults years down the track.
Where was I?
Yes, that’s right. If the design intent hasn’t been provided then it’s something you, the steward or the carer of the landscape asset, should think about creating and documenting. Setting out the goals demonstrates responsible practice and that you’re actively engaged with the development of the garden. If you know the garden was recently or previously designed by someone, consider paying professional courtesy and contacting them for information on their design intent. By demonstrating this level of professionalism and consideration, who knows how many projects the designer will refer you to in the future?
Plenty. I say this from experience.
Get to know the stakeholders of the landscape asset, keep them informed of the garden and your progress.
Checklist
If the landscaper neglected to provide handover notes, prompt them to get off their butt and pay you the courtesy of meeting onsite to outline the infrastructure and explain any specific site challenges. Caring for a new garden without a thorough brief or understanding of the landscape asset is quite frustrating. It can consume a great deal of your time and be costly to the establishment of the garden.
Often the landscaper has been contracted to manage the garden for the first 18 weeks or an assigned establishment period. During this time, future issues may be ignored or possibly overlooked. Unfortunately, gardens are sometimes nursed through this contracted establishment period without the necessary aftercare to ensure the healthy establishment of the plants.
When situations arise where you have no brief it’s worth including costings or estimates for the initial auditing of the project. Explaining the necessity of this to the client, along with undertaking and documenting it, will further fortify the client’s and designer’s confidence in your professional ability. Once, or if, I’m given the nod, I’ll create a checklist which can then become the basis of a scope of works and pricing for ongoing visits. It can also become the foundation for continuing maintenance works and future reporting. Beyond these important items, the audit will also help to educate and demonstrate to the client the need for your regular presence.
Here’s a list of items I include in my auditing quote. Put them into a checklist and off you go.
Plant health
• List the names of all plants (both new, existing and cultivars if possible). Assess the variety of plants for irrigation compatibility (you’ll be surprised how often dry lovers are grouped beside moisture lovers). Assess for signs of disease, pests, or nutrient deficiencies. Check for discolouration, wilting, or unusual growth patterns.
• Is there evidence of slow-release fertiliser on the root balls? If the balls or prills pop when you squeeze them it’s time to apply more.
• Do the trees have crossing branches? Do they require formative pruning? Are the trunks straight? • Hedges. Are the plants correctly spaced? Plan to commence formative pruning early. Get started after the 18-week establishment period.
• Check planting depths and mulch thickness around the stems and trunks. Identify what type of mulch has been used. Is it coarse or fine? Composts have become popular as mulches. These often compact and can hinder gaseous exchange.
• Check for layers of garden soil over the plant root balls as this can encourage hydrophobic potting mix and collar rot.
• Check for nursery plant stakes, labels and twisty tie wire. Prepare to remove these during the first working visit. Are sturdier or more robust stakes required?
Turf
• What variety? How often will it need mowing? Will it need top dressing or feeding soon?
Soil
• Is it a deep or shallow soil profile? This will have a major effect on irrigation.
• Is the garden built with imported landscape blends, local amended soil, or both? Soil textures will play a major role in ongoing watering regimes, along with possible anaerobic conditions from excess water in highly organic imported soils. Local amended soil will often have a better water-holding capacity, but could also host weeds.
• Use a probe or irrigation flag to evaluate possible compaction issues in the garden and lawns. Compaction creates inconsistent growth rates and poor drainage. Remember, a well-aerated soil profile promotes healthy root systems.
• Check the drainage performance in lower sections of the garden and adjacent to pathways. Pathways often hinder drainage. Pull back the mulch. Have a look at the soil. Have a smell of the soil. Mulch often obscures both current and future problems.
Irrigation
• Controller type and location? Solenoid locations and quantity. Does one or two zones supply the lot? Or is the system designed to cater for differing requirements throughout the garden? Is the lawn watered separately to the gardens? Soil moisture or rain sensors? Has a plant establishment regime been implemented? What are the current programs?
• What type of irrigation? Drip? What are the spacing of the lines and emitters? Do all plants have an emitter on their root balls? Is the emitter located beside the stem or trunk? A permanently wet stem or trunk will spell trouble down the track. Is the system programmed to operate long enough? Remember that one pressure-compensated emitter delivers around two litres per hour. Drip systems are often programmed to operate for 15 – 30 minutes per event. Fifteen minutes only delivers 500ml of water from each emitter. This is generally insufficient to water deeply and effectively.
• Is it a spray system? What is the spacing of the sprays? What are the precipitation or flow rates of each spray head?
• What is the water use? A simple way to measure water usage is via the water meter. First ensure all taps are off throughout the property. Locate the water meter and measure the flow rates via the meter dials while each particular zone is on.
Responsible
Often without realising, landscapers can raise soil levels around buildings. If these levels happen to be above the damp course then serious trouble with rising damp can occur to the building down the track. Always check and correct this issue.
If it’s minor, do it yourself. If it’s significant, talk to the contractor before showing the client.
In fact, when you find anything that’s cause for concern, contact the landscaper or builder before telling the client. Giving the person responsible the chance to fix it before including the customer saves a whole lot of grief from all parties.
Hopefully this advice will assist you develop an effective maintenance program.