Introduction
With four sections, annexes, tables and figures this document provides a comprehensive reference source for maintaining the surrounds of a turf environment.
These recommendations can help..
"(a) to assist in determining management aims and developing appropriate maintenance programmes for soft landscape;
(b) to assist in monitoring the quality of management and in determining methods of setting right errors made in cultivation;
(c) to define the work necessary to keep planted areas tidy, and healthy and safe, and to maintain, to a satisfactory quality their ornamental and/or practical value."
Section 2
Ten categories of soft landscape are described to varying levels of detail:
- Trees;
- scrub;
- Dune vegetation;
- Parks and garden styles of planting other than trees;
- Roses;
- Herbaceous plants and ornamental grasses;
- Rock gardens and borders;
- Bulbs;
- Seasonal beddings;
- Plants in containers.
Section 3
Operations:
Initially site assessment and inspection requirements are detailed. Of particular note is the need to have a hierarchy of inspections:
- Forward-planning inspections;
- Routine casual inspections;
- Informal inspections;
- Tree inspection for safety and health.
A detailed table, entitled 'Field identification and description of soils', will be found of use for site investigations and would complement the soil identification by hand texture figure given in BS 3882 : 1994 'Specification for Topsoil'.
The bulk of this section is a fairly detailed guide to maintenance operations that can be undertaken on soft landscape areas.
Besides specifiers of maintenance documents, this section will be of particular interest to amenity horticulture students at supervisory level and above, although there is much here that will benefit the more interested level 2 student.
Section 4
This section provides information on appropriate and general maintenance programmes for each of the identified categories.