SchoolTrimTrails

Many schools have small or medium overgrown areas, adjacent to their intended Trim Trail area.

Robert has often organised for his team to clear these areas of dead or unwanted plants or even plants or trees which could be dangerous for the children, such as Pyracantha bushes, Holly, Hawthorn, Berberis  and overgrown rose bushes.

Once the area is clear from unwanted items, Robert designs this as a Quiet Garden complete with trees to provide shade, all year interest semi mature shrubs, small woodland plants, ferns and grasses. He also includes various natural seating areas such as logs and large flat Jurassic rocks.

He also organises low bench seats arranged in a haphazard fashion throughout this Quiet Garden; he often places them in circles or semi-circles, always underneath a canopy of overhead tree branches.

Owing to the rapid changes in weather, Robert often positions one of his Octagonal Cedar shingle Pavilions in these Quiet Gardens.

He also, if requested, arranges the inclusion of a small brick built barbeque which has proved immensely popular, in all his schools.

Owing to the fact that Robert intends these spaces to be completely relaxing and a piece of Nature on a microcosmic basis, for the ground cover he generally uses bark chips, shingle or small water worn woodland slate pieces.

As an addition to enhance this Natural Quiet Garden, he often plants ivies, vincas and climbers to simply run along the ground.

If these is no Natural empty or overgrown area at a school, Robert will fence off an area adjacent to the Trim Trail, which is often on an open asphalt area.

His normal modus operandi is to create a rectangle of raised timber planters with a low trellis fence attached to the rear. One pergola arch will lead into this new area.

Seating is of paramount importance and he organises low bench seats to be attached to the timber planters.

Shelter is equally important and he normally positions his Traditional Sitting Arbours in the centre of 3 sides of this Garden. If there is enough space, he often includes one of his Octagonal Pavilions in this area.

The four sides of timber planters thus surround an open space an d for his ground cover, his favourites are either Artificial Grass or Mosaics of a medley of patterns and colours.

Often he will include a water fountain in this Garden in the centre of the Grass or the Mosaics. Planting is evergreen scented climbers over the trellis fences and the entry arch; Palm trees normally stand on each corner and all year interest Sensory plants fill the timber planters.

Throughout all his Quiet Gardens, Sensory Gardens and Nature Gardens, Robert’s team lay an Automatic Micro Irrigation system; this allows the plants to be carefully watered according to the seasons. Contact