We have put together some commonly asked questions, hopefully you will find the answer here but if not,  please feel free to email us and we will endeavour to help.

For further information regarding landscape gardening please also look at the following pages

Garden hedging,       Garden landscaping,     Retaining walls.

Q. What garden landscaping services are available through southwest landscaping?

A. There are very few services that Southwest landscaping do not offer, so it is easier to state what we do not offer.... 'regular lawn mowing' being the principle area we avoid, this is because most of our work involves landscaping / renovating type work and commiting to regular visits would hamper our other works, however if you have a jungle growing where your lawn was and you need it clearing, so that you can use your own lawn mower on it, (or you need it rotavating and re-turfing) we would be delighted to help.

Q. Do Southwest landscaping have horticultural experience or are they simply landscape builders?

A. The proprietor (Paul Diamond) owned a small specialist nursery in West Sussex for several years, so his knowledge of plants and planting ensures that the correct plant for a specific position is recommended, not simply something to fill out a space.... It also ensures that pruning is carried out at the correct time of the year for each specific plant and not 'hacked back in autumn'

Q. How much will Southwest landscapng charge to do my job?

A. It is unlikely we will supply the cheapest quote, there are always individuals who will be cheaper, you will understand why, when they hack their way through your shrubs and weed out half of your perennials (and then dump your garden waste in a lay-by down the road)...

We will charge a reasonable price for the job and provide you with a written estimate / quote before commencing work.  Please remember our initial visit and quotation are free and without obligation

Q. Can Cornish hedges be built on a budget?

A. Every ones idea of 'budget' is different, the simple answer is yes, hedges can sometimes be built cheaper, but like most things in life, you normally get what you pay for... to keep the cost down, cheaper, poor quality stone can be used, this will obviously effect the appearence of the hedge, building to quickly, to keep the cost of labour / machinery down, normally results in poorer quality work, than the same hedger would achieve, if given more time! It is not always fair to judge the skill or craftsmanship of a hedger based on the cheapest hedge he has built....

If you are building a hedge around a field or by the side of a busy road, the standard of finish does not need to be as high as it would be if you were building a hedge in a private garden / drive, so it would be fair to say that the price almost always determines the quality and appearance of the finished hedge.

Factors other than stone can make a large difference in the price of a hedge, for instance, can the stone and 'soil fill' be dropped near to where its to be used or does it need manual handling? How far from the quarry does the stone need to be transported? can machinery get into the site or does everything need doing by hand? how steep is the ground the hedge is to built on? how firm is the ground? (hedges weigh upto two tons for every metre of length). Please feel free to contact us for advice; enquiries@cornish-hedges.co.uk

Q. Why are Cornish hedges called 'hedges' when they are really walls?

A. The old English word for hedge was 'hecg' this meant a boundary, or an enclosed area, originally a ditch would have been dug and the soil and stone dug out, 'cast' upto form a bank, and to help keep animals in, this bank would have been made higher and stockproof, using material close at hand, either soil, or stone or a combination of the two and later shrubs would have been planted on top. Regional styles and preferences would have dictated how these 'hedges' developed. It has also been said, that most traditional Drystone walls are designed and constructed to prevent plants growing over, or on them, whereas a Cornish hedge is built with the exact opposite in mind. Many hedges have live plants, planted on top of them and within a few years little of the facing stone of the cornish hedge is visible, so in a sense the hedge is alive, unlike a wall.

enquiries@cornish-hedges.co.uk

enquiries@southwest-landscaping.co.uk

Please do feel free to contact us if you have any questions not addressed above.