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Shrubs
- cornus
- heleborus
- ligistrum
- pieris flame
- Hamamelis
- daphne odora / mezenium
- skimmia japonica
- Abeliophyllum distichum
- vibernum tinus
- Photinia
- Euphorbia characias wulfenii
- pittisporum
- Arbutus Unedo
- aucuba
- ceanothus
- camelia
- rhododendron
 
Perrenials
- bergenia
- stachys
- alliums
 
Bulbs
- nerine
- tulips pink dragon head

-          3 defined areas need to be re-turfed. The existing turf shall be lifted using a cutter and the area rotivated and leveled with fresh top soil. The new turf shall be premium Sovereign turf. All waste disposed of.

-          3 Trees in this area will be pruned back and re-shaped

-          New retaining edging 10m along the front hedge border using smartedge

-          New step to be built at the back patio doors to match in with the existing paving and brickwork

-          Dig root out in the back border

Name: Bramble
( Blackberry )

Latin name: Rubus fruticosus L. agg. ( R. sect. 2 Glandulosus)

Occurrence: Bramble is a woody perennial with long spiny stems that may be biennial to perennial. It is native in a range of natural and man-made habitats. Bramble occurs throughout Britain in hedgerows, scrub, woodland and wasteland. It can be a problem weed in gardens. It is absent from mown and grazed grassland and is most frequent in soils of pH 3.5 to 5.0. Brambles can form extensive thickets in open sites.

The brambles form a complex, group often referred to collectively as R. fruticosus L. agg.. Plants are very variable in almost all characters and over 300 microspecies are recognised. Some forms are less common on calcareous soils while others are widespread on chalk and clay. The taxonomy is still under investigation and field identification requires expert confirmation.

Although bramble is a weed in many situations, it is valued for its edible fruit and is often found in cultivation. The leaves have medicinal uses and the roots yield an orange dye. On footpaths and in semi-natural situations brambles can create a trip hazard with the looping shoots that root at the tips.

Biology: Bramble flowers from June to September and seed is set from September to October. There are around 20 seeds per blackberry fruit and 40,000 seeds per plant, but much of the seed is non-viable. Most bramble species are polyploids producing seeds by pseudogamy. Pollination is needed but there is no fusion of the male and female cells. However, seeds are sometimes produced through normal cross-pollination by insects.

Seed often does not germinate until the second year after shedding. Seeds have a hard seed coat and a chilling requirement to overcome. Plants take three years to flower from seed.

The stems bear flowers and fruit in their second year. In the autumn, the stem tips become positively geotropic and elongate rapidly to reach and penetrate the soil surface before developing adventitious roots and forming new plants. Daughter plants are more likely to develop in sheltered sites such as woodland margins than in exposed situations. Brambles may also regenerate from rooted stem fragments.

Persistence and Spread: Reproduction is by seed, rooting of the stem apices and in some forms suckers that develop on the lateral roots. Suckers can emerge from roots that are 45 cm deep in soil. Brambles also regenerate from fragments of root and stem.

Bramble seeds can pass unharmed through the digestive system of birds and germination is often enhanced.

Management: The roots are killed by frequent cultivation.

The production of daughter plants can be reduced by grazing with sheep, cattle or horses, and by mowing. However, cutting the stems at or near ground level stimulates the formation of suckers from the lateral roots. Brambles are important constituents in the diet of several types of deer but are not eaten by rabbits.

In Australia, where bramble was introduced by settlers and is now a serious weed problem, biological control studies with insects and fungi from its native habitats in Europe began in 1977. These include the rust fungus Phragmidium violaceum, the stem-boring sawfly Hartigia albomaculatus and the purple blotch fungus Septocyta ruborum. The rust fungus attacks the leaves, flowers and immature fruits. Larvae of the sawfly burrow into the emerging shoots and destroy the pith. The blackberry purple blotch fungus attacks the base of the new shoots and causes dieback of the plants.

Taken from the Garden Organic website:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=133

200m2 area cleared down and taken away. Area also fenced.

During this clearance a massive amount of brambles were cleared.

The level above this is currently laid to lawn with flower beds at the front and to the side. This area shall be paved using Indian sandstone. The front and left hand bed are to be removed leaving only a bed on the right hand side. This will be retained using existing sleepers. On the left of this area are some steps leading onto the third tier. These are constructed using deck board and are required to be moved over slightly to make better use of the space.

The Third tier is a decked area with some sleeper beds at the rear and a shed tucked away in the right hand corner. To give this level a bit more independence from the other levels it has been suggested that deck railing is added. This will also help enclose the space. The beds will also be topped up using a topsoil / compose blend.

The steps leading up to all areas will be topped using the Indian sandstone and the area on the lower level that leads to metal steps shall also be paved.

It has also been proposed that the concrete area at the bottom be removed. If this is taken out it carried a few unknowns, such as the structural damage to the side wall and retaining level wall. This would of course be removed as carefully as possible. If this is removed a retaining wall constructed of concrete blocks would be built to adequately retain the level above.

The Vision Never Dies!!!!!!!!!!!!

Between the velvet lies
There’s a truth that’s hard as steel
The vision never dies
Life’s a never ending wheel

Ronnie James Dio
RIP
1942-2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAGu_0vDJE4