Wreford Company News

The exciting Rhinefield House Hotel planting scheme has been completed, with the 32 Hornbeam trees in particular providing a stunning statement to compliment the new extension building. Hornbeam provides an excellent all-year round interest as, like Beech, it retains its coppery-coloured dead leaves throughout the winter.

The Hedging and Topiary branch of the company have sponsored the under 14’s Romsey Town Football Club girl’s team. Regarded as one of the best under 14 girl’s teams around, the Division One club are prime contenders for winning the league this season. Wreford wish them every success.

Works have commenced at Rhinefield House Hotel in the New Forest. The £40,000 contract will involve soft landscaping works to compliment the Hotel’s new extension. The exciting contemporary new building, designed with mirrored windows to reflect the surrounding landscaping, houses meeting rooms and two new banqueting suites. Wreford will be preparing the ground, topsoiling, turfing, seeding and shrub planting, though the focal point to the whole scheme will be 32 Carpinus (Hornbeam) trees planted in three parallel rows to provide architectural interest.

A prestigious Green Flag Award has been bestowed upon Upton Country Park in Poole. Wreford have been maintaining a substantial portion of the 100 acre estate for the Borough of Poole since 2004. The Awards, begun in 1996, are a national scheme run by the Civic Trust, and are recognised by English Heritage, Natural England and the Department of Communities and Local Government. They represent the very highest standards parks and green spaces in England and Wales should aspire to. Councillor Peter Adams, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure, said: "The award means that Upton Country Park can fly its own Green Flag confident in the knowledge that it is among the best managed parks in the country.”

Wreford have always been committed to developing new and more efficient ways of treating Japanese knotweed. Their research department has now been given a huge boost by Southampton City Council. The Council have granted permission for Wreford to take responsibility for a large stand of knotweed on Peartree Green. Seven zones have been designated within the stand to enable different treatment programmes to be conducted side by side. Wreford will be in control of the area for an initial period of two years. It is hoped that this research will give clear indications of what is more effective in the fight against knotweed and will result in Wreford being able to offer a wider range of proven methods to its clients.

A tree in excess of 100 years old has been sold at Wreford’s Hedging and Topiary nursery. The Olive tree (Olea europaea) was over 2.5m tall, with a gnarled trunk measuring around 1.5m in circumference. Weighing three quarters of a tonne, the Olive was lifted onto the back of a flatbed lorry, via forklift, and secured for transport. The tree was purchased by Place Architects for their Corpus Christi project in the Boscombe district of Bournemouth. Wreford’s Landscape division will be planting the tree.