The yard had not been maintained for a year and nature took over. The pittosporum that encloses it on all four sides had in places grown tall and lost its shape. Weeds had spread across the flower beds and between the plants, and dry leaves had piled up over the whole area. Beneath it all lay a rich, varied array of plants - cacti, houseleeks, aloe vera, lavender, immortelle and plenty of flowers - that had to be preserved.
Before - the state we found
That very abundance of small plants was the biggest challenge. Even during the pruning of the tall pittosporum we had to make sure the trimmed branches did not fall onto the delicate plants below. Nor was the cleaning afterwards ordinary raking - the trimmed greenery was gathered from the ground by hand, piece by piece, so that nothing between the small plants would be broken or trampled. The dry leaves had to be removed from every corner, and every plant left intact in its place.
Pruning and shaping the hedge - both the pittosporum and the cypress - gave the yard its line back. We cleaned and weeded the flower beds, removed the weeds, mowed and freed the dry-stone walls and paths that had disappeared under the vegetation. We hauled the collected greenery off the plot. The job was extensive and called for many small, careful operations, so it lasted four full working days.
After - the result
The yard is now tidy and easy to take in. Every plant once again has room to breathe, nothing is crammed together, and the shaped pittosporum and cypresses give the whole a sense of order. After this big clean-up the owners themselves maintain the garden regularly - and that is exactly the goal: restore order once, then keep it up easily.
When a yard is full of small and varied plants, pruning a tall hedge is not just cutting - most of the time goes into removing the clippings without harming what grows below. That is why such a job is not rushed: it is done in stages, part by part, so that in the end everything that should be is kept safe.
Read more about how to deal with an overgrown garden in the guide care of an overgrown garden on Pag.
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