How to maintain green spaces in local authorities ?
Planting green areas in towns and cities has many benefits, particularly in terms of biodiversity, air quality, rainwater drainage and the fight against global warming.
Regular, professional maintenance plays an important role not only in keeping them healthy, but also in enhancing the image of the local authorities where they are located. These ‘green lungs’ take a variety of forms, including lawns, hedges, flowerbeds, roundabouts and copses. Each of these areas requires specific maintenance.
A different approach for each area
Obviously, a grove will not require the same level of maintenance as a grassed area. The frequency of pruning, watering and fertilisation all vary according to the needs of the plant concerned.
Lawns and grassed areas
There are 2 main types of grassed area. Those that are accessible to the public and those that the public cannot walk on.
- Grassed areas accessible to the public: these must be mown regularly for safety reasons (objects, obstacles, etc.), but also for the comfort of users and for aesthetic reasons. This work should be carried out from spring to autumn, with mowing intervals and heights adapted to the seasons. Regular pruning keeps the lawn dense and green. A weekly pass is recommended in spring and autumn when the blades grow faster to a height of 5 to 7 cm. Maintenance should be carried out fortnightly in summer, when the grass is drier, and at a height of 7 to 10 cm. These recommendations should be adjusted according to geographical region.
- Grassed areas not accessible to the public: these areas are generally mown less often because their purpose is not to welcome the public, but rather to maintain the surrounding ecosystem. These will be grassed areas combined with areas left unmown where plants and flowers attracting birds, insects, pollinators, etc. will be planted.
What about grass clippings?
Leaving grass clippings on the lawn provides the soil with nutrients and reduces the amount of inputs required. However, specific conditions must be respected. Ideally, freshly mown grass should be regularly maintained to allow it to decompose quickly. In fact, when grass is mown once a week, the blades are less imposing than when it is mown twice a month or once a month. They will therefore be more easily returned. On the other hand, grass clippings left in the spring when the soil is still cold will take longer to decompose. This technique also makes it possible to reduce the frequency of watering by mulching. However, if the grassed area is accessible to the public, it will be more practical to collect the mown grass for the comfort of users.
Hedges and shrubs
While farmers have calendar restrictions on the pruning of hedges and shrubs on their holdings, local authorities do not. In fact, for safety reasons, it is important that they are able to prune at any time of the year any plant that could endanger visibility or public traffic.
As a general rule, it is advisable to trim hedges and shrubs once or twice a year. Ideally at the end of winter, when there is no longer any risk of frost, and at the end of summer.
For shrubs or mixed hedges, a reduction/cleaning pruning is sufficient. This involves cutting back the new branches by a maximum of half, to allow them to grow and to remove dead branches.
Regular hedges, on the other hand, require a bit more technique, as their purpose is to maintain a certain appearance. This is called shape pruning, because it does not focus on the branches, but on the general appearance, to give the plants geometric shapes (this technique is also used for boxwood). In this case, a third annual pruning is even recommended for the most vigorous species.
The flowerbeds
Flower beds are an essential part of the urban landscape. They need to be well maintained and weeded regularly using claws or weeding hoes. To make this easier, you can mulch the soil with shavings to keep it fresh, limit watering and, above all, prevent weeds from growing.
Maintenance of the plants in the beds involves pruning away dead flowers and stems. For perennials, an annual pruning or division in autumn will enable them to regain their vigour for the following year.
Cleaning a flower bed is also essential. Removing dead leaves from the ground, prunings, stones and other detritus helps to maintain the visual appeal of the bed. Don’t forget to freshen up the borders too, if the beds are in the middle of a grassed area.
In autumn, it’s crucial to prepare your beds for the following spring. This is the ideal time to enrich the soil by adding compost and manure, which will also improve the structure and life of the soil.
Sanded, gravelled and stabilised surfaces
Green spaces also include the paths and sanded or stabilised surfaces that run through them. These must also be regularly maintained to keep them clean and passable. Since 2017, the use of phytopharmaceutical products has been banned for the maintenance of local authority green spaces.
New methods have therefore been introduced to prevent municipal employees from having to weed by hand (a tedious and time-consuming job):
- Thermal weeding using hot water or gas consists of destroying the plant cells without carbonising the weed. This method is effective, but requires more regular use, as the weed’s root system is not directly affected and can therefore start up again.
- Mechanical weeding can be carried out using a variety of tools, such as hand weeders or electric brushes.
Actisol offers ECOSOL equipment in this category. It completely eradicates weeds thanks to its double row of safety-bolt teeth fitted with shaving blades that scalp the weed at the root collar.
The Ecosol is also fitted with a comb harrow that removes the remaining roots. These also act as soil aerators. A roller at the rear of the combs controls the stability of the equipment while following the contours of the soil. Finally, the levelling mat leaves a smooth, aerated surface. All the Ecosol components can be adjusted independently of each other to best suit ground conditions.
A true multi-purpose tool, Ecosol performs several operations in a single pass, leaving permeable surfaces free of cavities.
The issue of water management
Well-maintained green spaces mean well-watered green spaces. To achieve this, there are a number of watering systems available: drip, micro-sprinkler, rotary or manual. So each area can have the system best suited to its needs.
Optimise watering and encourage water retention
Not all plants have the same needs. It is important to group together plants that require more water in the same areas and vice versa for those that require less. This is the first step towards optimisation.
The various watering systems allow you to go further. Drip irrigation is ideal for flower beds or ornamental vegetable gardens, for example. This principle limits water evaporation by directly moistening the soil in small quantities. It is also ideal for preventing the formation of a suffocating crust of soil.
For lawns, an underground sprinkler system with micro-sprinklers offers a number of advantages. The sprinklers retract when the watering is finished. So they remain out of reach when the public is walking over the lawn (comfort and safety). As the nozzles are almost flush with the ground, there is also little loss through evaporation and micro-sprinkling does not damage the soil structure.
Then there are the ‘common sense’ tips: water at the coolest times of the day in summer, monitor rainfall so as not to add more than necessary, opt for a programmable system, collect rainwater for manual watering, maintain an aerated soil structure rich in organic matter to encourage exchange and retention, mulch flowerbeds, etc.
All these actions help to manage water inputs and retention more effectively.
Why maintain your green spaces properly?
Maintaining green spaces is beneficial not only for the municipality, but also for the soil, the plants, the ecological transition and, more generally, for the community as a whole.
Quality of life for residents
Well-maintained green spaces provide a pleasant living environment for residents.
The ‘ville et village fleuri’ (town and village in bloom) label makes the town more attractive to tourists and new residents. These green spaces also make it possible to host events of all kinds, helping to energise the town.
External image of the city
A green, flower-filled town conveys a positive image of a well-kept, clean, well-managed community that respects the environment. It also contributes to the reputation of the locality.
Green spaces are real economic and ecological assets, and have become an essential part of our towns and cities.
