Fen edge landscaping that respects the ground it sits on

Water first, lawn second

A lawn that sits under water every January will not survive however good the turf was. We look at where the water goes, what the subsoil is doing and whether the level needs raising before a single roll is delivered.

Sometimes the honest answer is that the area needs drainage or a raised profile rather than new grass, and we will say so rather than take the turfing job twice.

• Winter water course and standing water assessed on site
• Levels raised or graded to move water away from the house
• Turf laid only once the ground beneath will support it
• Gravel and hard areas built on a base that suits soft ground

Wind exposure and shelter

The Fens offer nothing to slow the wind. Exposed hedges get scorched on the windward face and grow lopsided, so they are cut with a slight batter and kept at a height they can actually hold.

Where a garden is taking a battering, a well chosen shelter planting or hedge line does more for it than any amount of fencing.

Clearance on soft ground

Machine work on peat needs dry conditions or tracking mats. We plan clearance here around the season rather than turning up in February and churning the plot into a mess.