Is this pruning? Or why would a 'professional' have done this...

[Markiexxxx]

Hello,

I live on an estate and we have a service company allegedly doing grounds maintenance.

We have bushes/shrubs which look like this;

Is this the correct way to prune and maintain each variety or is something not right?

The last 2 look quite dead but is there any hope for the others?

Thank you.

Mark

 

[oneeye]

I've prune many of shrubs and trees in my life, but I have never pruned or seen any pro prune the way they pruned your stuff. The cuts they left are bad cuts to me, and if my guys did that, I would let them go. They will come back and regrow, but it will be slow and look not too good.

 

[Peace perfect peace]

I agree with Oneeye,
Those cuts will let rain settle on them instead of doing the cut on a slant so the rain can run off ,

I do understand all gardeners have their own way and reason for gardening in their own way of doing things

Ie the french prune Roses approx 1/4 inch high along the stem and a cross cut from the edge of the stem,
we're the english prune just above a nod and at an angle so the rain can run off the cut,

Ive asked the local garden centre why they prune in this direction and across the stem ?
And i was told this allows the stem to have natural die back and thats why its done that way,

Well it's nice to learn something new every day And with gardening you are always learning,

 

[Sheal]

Your service company aren't gardeners Markie, I'd be more inclined to call them butchers. Hopefully the shrubs will survive but I wouldn't guarantee it. Yes, you're right the last couple are dead.

 

[roadrunner]

Probably not fruit trees in the above pics, but I think this is a good article on pruning in general. Be very, very careful of who does it and when...

The Garden Professors™

Advancing the science of gardening and other stuff since 2009

gardenprofessors.com

 

[Markiexxxx]

Thank you everybody for your replies.

I do hope they have some regrowth. I'm just worried as a couple of those 'trunks' have been like that for some months with no sign of any life.
I agree the grounds maintenance company 'workers' aren't gardeners and should rather be employed in an abattoir.

Aswell as the damage to a living thing, the insult is the cost and shabby service we are getting but are powerless to change the contractor despite paying the service charges.
I think they just go around 'butchering' things so there is less to actually 'maintain' and soon there won't be anything left except for lawns.

Some more pictures from their latest grounds maintenance visit last week;


Is this dead?



Some of the residents are considering doing the pruning themselves and asking the maintenance company to leave the shrubs/bushes alone - so you may see a spike in new members from London seeking pruning tips

 

[Sheal]

Does your service charge lay out on paper the individual services they provide? If they do it would be an idea along with your neighbours to withhold the fee for ground maintenance and explain why in a letter to the people providing the service. It may also be worth your while doing the same if the service charge covers everything. It would also help to send the service providers pictures of the damage done.

It's difficult to tell what is dead or alive but you can check by scratching the surface of a number of stems, if they are green underneath then they are still alive. Whether they will stay alive after this damage only time will tell.

 

[Markiexxxx]

Does your service charge lay out on paper the individual services they provide? If they do it would be an idea along with your neighbours to withhold the fee for ground maintenance and explain why in a letter to the people providing the service. It may also be worth your while doing the same if the service charge covers everything. It would also help to send the service providers pictures of the damage done.

It's difficult to tell what is dead or alive but you can check by scratching the surface of a number of stems, if they are green underneath then they are still alive. Whether they will stay alive after this damage only time will tell.

Thank you for your reply.
The management company agreed the contract which is supposed to be based on a schedule of services/tasks to be carried out within specified area's. Despite many attempts nobody has seen this document. The residents do get an annual service charge pack of invoices for both the contracted services and reactive services provided. The annual fixed price 'contract' is billed monthly.

Residents have previously withheld payment for 'dubious' service charges with mixed success. We have been told not to contact the service company at all and everything must be dealt with by the management company (because they agreed the contract) and you probably won't be surprised to hear that grounds maintenance complaints are ignored.

I will do an estate walk and try the scratch test.

 

[Sheal]

With yours and your neighbours money being paid to the management company you should be entitled to written evidence on how it's being spent. At the moment, for all you know it could be lining management pockets instead.

you probably won't be surprised to hear that grounds maintenance complaints are ignored.

If that's the case then perhaps a residents meeting about the problem is an idea. If you stand against the management company together then you may have more success, especially if you all withhold your service charges. If you had legal backing the management team would have to come up with some decent answers and I don't think they would be forthcoming. It depends on whether you want to battle against them or carry on wasting your money on services that aren't being given or are not suitable.

 

[Markiexxxx]

With yours and your neighbours money being paid to the management company you should be entitled to written evidence on how it's being spent. At the moment, for all you know it could be lining management pockets instead.



If that's the case then perhaps a residents meeting about the problem is an idea. If you stand against the management company together then you may have more success, especially if you all withhold your service charges. If you had legal backing the management team would have to come up with some decent answers and I don't think they would be forthcoming. It depends on whether you want to battle against them or carry on wasting your money on services that aren't being given or are not suitable.

The main problem is that the majority of people who live on the estate are not at all proactive in how it is run nor concerned about service charges as they are either on benefits with rent paid for or live in house shares.
That leaves leaseholders and residents who care about the estate in the minority and not a huge force against the management company.
A number of leaseholders are very knowledgeable about their rights and the law but even that doesn't provide a huge range of options.
We will soldier on!

 

[Sheal]

It's a shame that many of the residents aren't willing to back those of you who are. But as you say, you'll soldier on.

Let's hope that despite the bad pruning that most, if not all of the shrubs recover.