The Landscape Institute has announced that this week is Plant Health Week. This is to recognise The Food and Agricultural Organisation’s (FAO) International Year of Plant Health 2020, with both events set to celebrate the benefits of healthy plants. The aim is to help protect and enhance plant life ... Read More
04
Sep2020
As a keen gardener I love the infinite colours, scents and shapes of flowers in all their forms, and have always enjoyed designing harmonious blends of colour in planting schemes, concentrating mainly on perennials and small shrubs. I started growing flowers specifically for cutting many years ago, giving bunches away ... Read More
4th September 2020ACD Environmental
29
Jul2020
There’s often some confusion with clients as to what a tree pit is. A common misconception is that a tree pit is a volume where the roots will be (or is intended to be) confined.
A tree pit is the initial hole a tree is planted in – and should NOT ... Read More
29th July 2020ACD Environmental
21
Jul2020
One of our landscape architects came across the North and South Meads owned by Wolfson College, Oxford, while on a site visit. These meadows are designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and are relics of Marston’s medieval farming system. There is no evidence to suggest that ... Read More
21st July 2020ACD Environmental
09
Jul2020
Following on from our last blog post 'Barking mad', we are going to look at visual acuity and the scale of tree bark textures therefore providing optimum viewing distances.
Using visual acuity to provide optimal positioning
With a bit of understanding about human vision and acuity, we can provide definitive distances ... Read More
9th July 2020ACD Environmental
06
Jul2020
Introduction
In our last tree bark themed blog we discussed the value of coloured tree bark in the landscape, however colour is only one aspect of bark to provide interest.
In this blog we shall address the often underrated textural qualities of tree bark, and go into detail of how we ... Read More
6th July 2020ACD Environmental
23
Jun2020
Whilst out undertaking fieldwork associated with an Environment Impact Assessment, one of our assessors was lucky enough to discover themselves in a beautiful elm tree woodland in Cambridgeshire. Elm tree woodlands and trees were once commonplace in the English landscape but started to reduce in the early 1900s after woodland ... Read More
23rd June 2020ACD Environmental
18
Jun2020
It often gets overlooked once a landscape scheme has been installed, whether it be a wildflower grassland, urban trees, front garden shrub planting or roof garden and podium landscapes, the contractor walks away and the landscape fails.
As well as the appropriate preparation prior to planting, the watering regime for the ... Read More
18th June 2020ACD Environmental
15
Jun2020
Public art is becoming a more important component within new developments, so much so, that the requirement is often drawn into planning conditions. These are often pre-commencement conditions to allow the public art to form part of the design, as opposed to a ‘bolt-on’, at the end of the ... Read More
15th June 2020ACD Environmental
11
Jun2020
Multifunctional landscapes are becoming increasingly popular and are providing a creative way to adapt green spaces. Whilst visiting a park recently we noticed that on the surface of it it was an attractive place for people to visit, take their daily exercise, meet up with friends and family (whilst observing ... Read More
11th June 2020ACD Environmental