Gardens & Cleaning

Hedges are a really important habitat for birds, mammals and insects and help wildlife move between gardens and other green spaces. Hedges are trimmed where needed between November and February. We don't cut them between March and October in line with The Countryside Act 1981 - this is for the protection of wild birds, their nests and eggs.

We'll cut back shrubs in autumn and winter. If a shrub is flowering, we'll leave it alone so that bees, butterflies and insects aren't disturbed. Sometimes, birds will nest in shrubs too, so we have to be mindful of The Countryside Act 1981 again as this also applies to them.

To help protect the base and roots of the trees in your area, we'll be allowing a small area of grass to grow around these throughout the year. This will help the trees hold more water, so that they stay healthier and safer for as long as possible.

The main cutting season is between March and November and we’ll cut the grass when we need to. Some areas will be left to grow longer to promote the growth of wildflowers which are really important for bees, butterflies and other insects.

As part of our work to enhance biodiversity on our land, and increase access to nature for our tenants, we're creating meadow areas in more of our communities. These areas of grass will be allowed to grow over summer, before being cut back in August. These will be cut again in October, when they will be sown with wildflower seeds. This will provide habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators over the summer, and help to prevent flooding and overheating.

We'll do this where needed, between March and April, and between July and August. We try to keep this to a minimum throughout the year to lessen the impact on wildlife but if we do need to spray or manage weeds we'll do so using safe chemicals and only use what is needed.