Screening And Hedging For Your Development Project

If you have an extension, refurbishment or new development in the works, you may well be focussed on that and not worrying too much about the garden right now – in this blog we are suggesting that you think again to save money and get a faster and better effect!

Make the most of the most cost-effective stock

It is more cost-effective to buy trees and hedging in the November to March period- this is known as the “rootball season” when field-grown stock can be safely lifted (as it will be dormant) and transported for replanting- this stock tends to be around 20% cheaper than equivalent sized pot grown stock, and is usually bushier and better too! Thus if you can plan the installation for this season it will give you a bigger better hedge for any given price point!

Make the most of growing time!

It sounds obvious, but since hedges grow, the earlier you can get it in, the more developed it will be by the time your work is all done. For a build project lasting months or even years, this can be a material difference in the results, giving you a much more mature hedge for a significantly lower cost! This isn’t always possible, but if you can get the boundary screening in early and just ensure it is watered (a simple tap-fed irrigation line costs peanuts) you will have made a great investment!

Work around the best site access

Depending on the work in hand, access around the house to the rear may be best before or during the building work- for larger stock and big screen trees you will need machinery to get it in, and even for mid-sized hedging it is cheaper to install if you can get a digger in to dig the trench. For many sites, once an extension or garage blocks the side access it can be very difficult and/or expensive  to get larger trees and machinery in.

Do I even need screening and hedging?

If you are planning changes to the house, perhaps bifold doors or extensions with new glazing, you can find that your whole outlook changes! Places that were not overlooked now are, and entertaining spaces change position, meaning that you may need additional privacy. Whilst you may or may not need a whole new garden design (and of course we can help with that if you do!), it is well worth thinking as early as possible about achieving the privacy you need as part of the early planning.

You may also have planning conditions around tree replacements that require you to plant new trees to replace those that have been removed, and getting these in promptly will be important. Plotting where these will go to maximise the investment you have to make and ensuring they add value to your garden is a great opportunity not to be missed!

Making sure you can use your garden as quickly as possible once the work is done

Many people who have had to live with builders for ages are just delighted to get rid of them! Planning your landscaping so that as much of the access to the garden and the key entertaining spaces are all completed as closely as possible to the main build completion will definitely bear dividends! Driveways and main patios can usually be planned to dovetail with the building work, but thinking a bit beyond this to ensure you have screen planting in, a level lawn while machinery is on site and the messy work done swiftly will prove to be a real bonus. Tracking across completed hard landscaping to get to a rear garden adds cost, time and mess, and can be really frustrating if you just want to settle down and enjoy your new space!

Maximising any possible VAT (and other) savings

If you have a new build development, you can typically zero rate for VAT all of the works to the landscape that were part of your planning application if they are completed before practical completion. We are not tax experts, but our summary of our understanding of these rules can be found here as well as some tips on other possible savings.

What sort of screening and hedging might work best for me

We all know what a hedge looks like, although there are lots of lovely varieties- fast and slow growers, evergreen and deciduous, and those that can grow in particular soils and aspects. We have advice on some of your options in our “Insight” pages and in particular here. You may not have considered screening at higher levels than can typically be achieved with hedging, and overhead screening to give you privacy from higher windows for example to protect a hot tub or seating area. Planning these while you are thinking about the development works can be a great idea to maximise access, on site facilities and machinery, growing time and time-frames, particularly considering the benefits of installation during the rootball season from November to March.

Conclusion

Many clients planning building work delay thinking about the landscaping of their property to match as they have too much else to think about, but just focussing on the basics of the boundary treatments, main screening and hedging is a great start and can save you time, and money and often achieves much better results overall as the programme can be shuffled to best fit your desired outcomes!

If you would like to chat about how and where screening might enhance your plot and maximise your new development do feel free to contact our lovely design team at CGLA.

CGLA are an award winning team of Garden Designers, Landscape Architects, Landscapers and Garden Maintenance Operatives working in Buckinghamshire, London and the South East, as well as on prestigious design projects across the UK and abroad. We are currently working in Oman, Jersey and France, and welcome enquires for design, landscaping or garden maintenance. Contact us here