Gardens Report 2023
After a protracted winter it is beginning to feel as though spring is on its way, and all round the Landings estate the spring bulbs and the cherry blossoms are starting to provide some welcome splashes of colour. 
The attractive appearance of the estate is not in small part due to the combined efforts of residents at our annual autumn and spring work parties and I would like to thank everyone who has turned out to help.  In the last year we have managed, for example, to reduce much of the burgeoning bramble growth, especially along the river bank. The brambles provide a great habitat for wildlife, but they do need to be kept under control. We have removed ivy from the garage blocks where it had been invading gutters and even getting inside some of the garages. The flower bed alongside the boundary wall in Waterside Close has been reinstated and refreshed with our own home-grown compost and looks very much happier. On Saturday we planted about 100 summer bulbs which should make for a colourful show in the coming months. These work parties are as much a social event as a way of tackling the tidying up jobs that are outside the remit of the contract gardeners - and they always culminate in refreshments for the workers. Up until now we have been truly spoilt by Hilary and Bruce serving up a rich variety of home made treats and I would like to say a very big thankyou to them both for such stirling work. They have now stepped back from feeding the workers, but we are extremely fortunate that Sal and Stan have very kindly taken on the role,  so very many thanks to them for picking up this particular baton. 
The unpredictable weather conditions over this last year have presented a particular challenge for the contract gardeners. The summer had periods of drought and  searing summer temperatures which halted all growth, interspersed with rain when everything grew prodigeously, while the mild autumn extended the growing season to the end of November. This posed a challenge for the gardeners who only attend for two hours each week. At times the grass did not grow for weeks so their usual regime of tasks was disrupted, but when the rain did fall and growth resumed with gusto, it was difficult for them to keep up, and on occasions  some of the grassy areas were left uncut for too long. The garden contract with Sage,  was drawn up more than 12 years ago, and is for three workers to work for two hours each week. However, over the years there has been an increase in the list of tasks that they are expected to carry out on a regular basis. The results are sometimes unsatisfactory so we have decided to try a different approach to managing their time, which we hope will prove more efficient. We have drawn up a list of priority tasks for each season, such as grass cutting in the summer and path weeding in the winter. But if we have periods, particularly in the summer months, when growth outstrips the time available, we will buy in extra hours to complete specific tasks, such as hedge cutting or weeding. We hope that this approach will produce a well groomed estate while managing the contracted time more efficiently and economically. We will try out this new approach and assess the outcomes at the end of the year.
I continue to keep a close eye on the small areas of Japanese Knotweed that still exist on the estate but can reassure residents that it is not a cause for concern and that the small areas where it is still growing, are receding with regular treatment.
We all appreciate the privilege of living in this beautiful natural  environment where we are surrounded by water. The wildlife definitely appreciates the  natural habitat on our side of the river as opposed to the scalped river banks opposite the houses on Blackburn Way. I know that some residents like to try to beautify the river banks outside their properties and to utilise them, but I do ask you to resist the temptation to clear the banks of undergrowth. The riverbanks provide important wildlife corridors, in particular for small creatures and by clearing even a fairly narrow strip you will isolate populations of small mammals. Please just leave the natural vegetation alone as the root systems of brambles and wild shrubs are essential in stabilising the banks against erosion.
The woodland is an important natural asset to the estate. The stream now has a vigorous flow and David and I carry out regular Riverfly surveys to monitor the occurrence and numbers of species that indicate that it is a healthy water environment. There have been several storms over the last year that have brought down trees in the woodland and many of them are being propped up by their neighbours. In order to the ensure the remaining trees stay healthy we plan to remove the fallen trees and cut them in to logs that will be stacked in the woodland to  provide additional habitat. This will be done by contracted labour.  
Finally, some of you might not be aware that there is a compost heap behind the garage block in the middle of Blackburn Way. This is where the gardeners dispose of  garden waste from the common areas on the estate, and is not for residents to use. However, it is a good source of rich compost so everyone is welcome to help themselves to the compost to spread on their gardens.
We hope that 2023 will be a good year and that we will all have the opportunity to fully appreciate and value our beautiful natural environment.