Ivydene Gardens Home: About Ivydene Horticultural Services

Chris Garnons-Williams of IVYDENE HORTICULTURAL SERVICES designs, constructs and maintains private gardens. He can also teach you how to garden or advise you what to do in your own garden.

Due to under-work and ill-health in March 2013, management have decided to retire:-
On 17 March 2013, I attended Medway Hospital whilst coughing up blood from my lungs. Tests were carried out and I left the following day with medication for:-

• a) atrial fibrillation,
• b) impaired left ventricular function,
• c) lower respiratory tract infection to add to
• d) prolactin-secreting macroadenoma of the pituary diagnosed in April 2001.
   

A businessman stated that his company was responsible for the IT system that Noah used in getting the animals onto his ark in a 1 minute speech at a Business Network International breakfast meeting. I responded the following week, that Ivydene Horticultural Services had provided these instructions to the animals from Genesis Chapters 8 and 9 using his IT System:-

• I
  Voice
  Yahveh’s
  Decision.
  Emigrate.
  Noah
  Embarks
• .
• Houseboat
  Only
  Rather
  Than
  Issue
  Couples
  Umbrellas.
  Lengthy
  Time
  Under
  Rain
  Always
  Leaves
• .
• Stomach
  Empty.
  Rejoice.
  Vine
  Is
  Certain
  Every
  Sabbath ( of the seventh month, when the ark shall come to rest on the mountains of Ararat ).

Unfortunately, it came to pass that the Welsh (my forebears) banned alcohol on the Sabbath, so I have had to change the message sent by his IT System to the following:-

• 
  I am the only employee.
  Vegetable, Fruit, Flower and Shrub garden work.
  Year-round regular construction and/or maintenance.
  Design whole gardens, single beds or drives using CAD.
  Existing clients living abroad, UK garden work
  executed.
  New ponds/patios/decks/retaining walls built &
  maintained.
  Electrical/Drainage/Water garden systems erected.
• .
• HDRA, Brogdale, RHS, Society of Garden Designers member.
  Only tend to use my machinery. Stock delivered
  on-site.
  Replace fences, drains, mains-water pipes and roofs.
  Training to me from above organisations.
  Irrigation systems created using Leaky-Pipe.
  Chicken/Other livestock maintenance has been done.
  Underneath new drives/paths install Type I Mot
  Roadstone Foundation
  Lawn cutting, scarifying, tining and edge construction.
  Tree and other plants selection and planting.
  Under-planting of trees/shrubs with groundcover & bulbs.
  Regular workday per 1,2,3 or 4 week period per
  client.
  Assistance by client, their friends and family reduces labour cost.
  Library of 700 garden books & 60,000 plant photos.
• .
• Sheds erected, repaired, painted and/or designed.
  Enjoy creating ground-cover plant database.
  Research into your garden problems for answers.
  Vine-eye/wire climbing plant support systems.
  Inform/teach clients about gardening.
  Climbing plant installation and maintenance.
  Enable dataflow by www.ivydenegardens.co.uk.
  Shrub and Tree pruning, shredding and mulching.

for current use with the following Labour rate for working in Kent, England:-

• design,
• construction,
• maintenance,
• teaching you how to garden in your own garden or
• advising you about your garden in your own garden

at £12 an hour or £96 an 8 hour day. Minimum Labour Charge of £30.

£0.30 a mile from my home to you and back to my home travel charge per period worked at your property.

50% markup on goods/services to pay for my expertise in its selection, fitness for purpose and quantity required.

If the cost of the work to be done exceeds £35, then the following letter will be completed with you during the first Site visit:-

Ivydene Horticultural Services,
1 Eastmoor Farm Cottages,
Moor Street,
Rainham,
Kent. ME8 8QE

Job Number: IVY.........

Dear …….........................................................

Thank you for asking me to provide and estimate/undertake work in your garden. I confirm that you require ....................................................
...............................................................
...............................................................
...............................................................
..............................................................
at ...........................................................
..............................................................
................................................

 At this site visit, we have agreed that I will start this work on……………............................................. The charges will be £12 per hour (minimum charge £30) for labour only, including time taken for planning, surveying the site or collecting materials. All materials, including fuel for
machinery will be extra to this. My travel cost at £0.30 per mile to and from my business address will be
£............ per work visit.

 By virtue of the Cancellation of Contracts made in a
Consumer’s Home or Place of Work Regulations 2008, I am required to inform you that you have the right to cancel the agreement we have made within 7 days. You must do this in writing. My email address is chris@ivydenegardens.co.uk. 

If you wish work to be started within 7 days from today,
I must have confirmation in writing from you that you waive your rights under the above regulations.
Date of Client’s Signature waiving his/her rights under the above regulations .......................................

EITHER

1. Cancellation of Work
Please contact me either by leaving a message by telephone to 01634 389677 or an email before .................................................................,
quoting the job number at the top of this letter and
confirming that you wish to cancel the work.

OR 

2. Confirmation of Work
Please contact me either by leaving a message by telephone to 01634 389677 or an email after ......................................................, quoting the job number at the top of this letter and confirming that you wish me to proceed with the work. I will then make any necessary preparations, including further planning or the purchase of materials, which you will be liable to pay for, whether or not the job is completed.

I look forward to working with you.

Yours sincerely,

Site Visit - Chris Garnons-Williams signature ...........................
Site Visit - Clients’ signature ...................................................
Site Visit - Date of Signatures ..................................................

If I have only received confirmation by telephone, then until the following is signed, no work will be carried out:-
Client’s Signature confirming that you wish me to proceed
with the work ..............................................
Date of Client’s Signature before starting the work .......................................................

If the work requires Design (See Figure 1 of Case Study 3, for minimal design requirements and Figures 1 and 4 of Case Study 4 for major design requirements including Case Study 4 - planting designs) then the next Site Visit after the 7 days cancellation notice has expired will discuss that requirement and a site survey will be carried out before an Overall Design Plan is produced for a later Site Visit. Payment will be required for the Site Survey, the time taken to create the Overall Design and the Overall Design Plan. Once the Overall Design is approved, then further detailed plans and costings of Materials/Labour Time from those plans will be done. Each costing will be agreed before work on site is started.

Otherwise if no Design is required, the Materials/Skip or other External Costs will be agreed before work on site is started.

Notes:-

1. You may say that you want to use someone who has the training, experience and knowledge to maintain your garden, but that is not always what is actioned in whom you choose:-

A lady phoned me and pointed out that she had employed a gardener who she had to tell which plant was a weed and which a plant that she wanted to keep; and that she wanted someone who knew how to maintain her garden. I suggested that she looked at this website to show her that I knew something about gardening. I never heard from her again.
If you see a dentist, you expect them to know more about their business than you do and that is what you use them for but you do not seem to want to use the experience and knowledge of a gardener trained to National Certificate in Horticulture Level and over 18 years experience in practising organic gardening methodology in client gardens.

2. If you agree to employ me, then I normally state when I am going to come and start. If it is raining when I arrive, then I see you and state that I do not normally start work in the rain, so we make an arrangement for when I next come, before I leave the site.

Great Sundew eating a Fly

This row gives a very clear overall description of the
Cultural Needs of Plants
from Chapter 4 in Fern Grower's Manual by Barbara Joe Hoshizaki & Robbin C. Moran. Revised and Expanded Edition. Published in 2001 by Timber Press, Inc. Reprinted 2002, 2006. ISBN-13:978-0-
88192-495-4.

"Understanding Fern Needs
Ferns have the same basic growing requirements as other plants and will thrive when these are met. There is nothing mysterious about the requirements - they are not something known only to people with green thumbs - but the best gardeners are those who understand plant requirements and are careful about satisfying them.
What, then, does a fern need?

All plants need water. Water in the soil prevents roots from drying, and all mineral nutrients taken up by the roots must be dissolved in the soil water. Besides water in the soil, most plants need water in the air. Adequate humidity keeps the plant from drying out. Leaves need water for photosynthesis and to keep from wilting.
All green plants need light to manufacture food (sugars) by photosynthesis. Some plants need more light than others, and some can flourish in sun or shade. Most ferns, however, prefer some amount of shade.
For photosynthesis, plants require carbon dioxide, a gas that is exhaled by animals as waste. Carbon dioxide diffuses into plants through tiny pores, called stomata, that abound on the lower surface of the leaves. In the leaf, carbon dioxide is combined with the hydrogen from water to form carbohydrates, the plant's food. This process takes place only in the presence of light and chlorophyll, a green pigment found in plant cells. To enhance growth, some commercial growers increase the carbon dioxide level in their greenhouses to 600ppm (parts per million), or twice the amount typically found in the air.
Plants need oxygen. The green plants of a plant do not require much oxygen from the air because plants produce more oxygen by photosynthesis than they use. The excess oxygen liberated from the plants is used by all animals, including humans. What do plants do with oxygen? They use it just as we do, to release the energy stored in food. We use energy to move about, to talk, to grow, to think - in fact, for all our life processes. Although plants don't talk or move much, they do grow and metabolize and must carry on all their life processes using oxygen to release the stored energy in their food.
Roots need air all the time. They get it from the air spaces between the soil particles. Overwatering displaces the air between soil particles with water, thereby removing the oxygen needed by the roots. This reduces the root's ability to absorb mineral nutrients and can foster root-rot.
Plants need minerals to grow properly. The minerals are mined from the soil by the plant's root system. If a certain mineral is missing, such as calcium needed for developing cell walls, then the plant will be stunted, discoloured, or deformed.
Some plants tolerate a wide range of temperatures, whereas others are fussy. If the temperature is too high or low, the machinery of the plant will not operate satisfactorily or will cease entirely.

The basic needs of plants are not hard to supply, but growing success depends on attending to these needs with care and exactitude. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to a discussion of these requirements, with the exception of mineral needs, which are discussed in Chapter 5.

"

It is worth remembering that especially with roses that the colour of the petals of the flower may change - The following photos are of Rosa 'Lincolnshire Poacher' which I took on the same day in R.V. Roger's Nursery Field:-

Closed Bud

Opening Bud

Juvenile Flower

Older Juvenile Flower

Middle-aged Flower - Flower Colour in Season in its
Rose Description Page is
"Buff Yellow, with a very slight pink tint at the edges in May-October."

Mature Flower

Juvenile Flower and Dying Flower

Form of Rose Bush

There are 720 roses in the Rose Galleries; many of which have the above series of pictures in their respective Rose Description Page.

So one might avoid the disappointment that the 2 elephants had when their trunks were entwined instead of them each carrying their trunk using their own trunk, and your disappointment of buying a rose to discover that the colour you bought it for is only the case when it has its juvenile flowers; if you look at all the photos of the roses in the respective Rose Description Page!!!!

OTHER
TABLE 4

Ivydene Gardens Photo Damage to Trees in Madeira:
Photos of Damage to Trees in the Pavement of Funchal in Madeira
taken in February 2022.

Photos taken by Chris Garnons-Williams using a digital camera in the
original size and as a thumbnail.
These can used in the Public Domain for educational purposes in schools,
or at home.

John Harlow took this photo of London from Stockbury in Kent showing the permanent air pollution cloud over London on 17 January 2023 at 12:37 (It was taken on an iPhone 11 Pro and it will not be displayed until all the succeeding large photos in this table have been shown).

• Their research found that in 2019, toxic air contributed to the premature deaths of around 4,000 Londoners. This includes deaths from all causes, including respiratory, lung cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Like smoking, air pollution is seen as a contributory factor, so is rarely listed on death certificates. The current ULEZ in central and inner London is projected to help avoid one million air pollution-related hospital admissions and save the NHS and social care sector £5bn by 2050. 
• The Ultra Low Emission Zone is aimed to help clear London's air - and it has been expanded across all London boroughs on 29 August 2023.
• I wonder if that will make much difference to this view of the blue pollution haze with its brown smog above it?

reduced size of above photo

Row 1 has the Pass-Through Camera image of Thumbnail image named in Row 2
and is usually 4000 x 3000 pixels.

Row 2 has same image reduced to fit the image frame of 160 x 120 pixels as a
Passthrough Thumbnail to show all of the Camera Image. This image has been
reduced to 72 pixels per inch by Freeway before I stored it as a Passthrough image
for use both here (from August 2019) and as the image in
Plant with Photo Index of Ivydene Gardens A 1 Gallery.

Click on either image and drag to your desktop.
Then you can crop the Pass-Through Camera image to obtain the particular detail
that you require from that image, before using that cropped result in your endeavour.

Copying the pages and then clicking on the images to drag them may not work.

Item is
IMG 0001.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

At least 40% of the horizontal area of this tree trunk has rotted, before this tree was
cut down in February 2022. The rot has occurred of most of the heartwood together
with all the central nervous system in this rotted trunk section. This hole in the trunk leading to
this rotted area has been there for many years as you can see from the tree growth rings,
where this was pushed in breaking through the bark and the softwood to the heartwood inside.
A minor safety issue for a government employed civil engineer is
that you can see that

the rotting process has been visible to the naked eye of the inside
of this trunk FOR MANY YEARS,

and yet nobody has done anything during that time except wait
for it to fall, kill people and then bemoan the fact that they did not
know why this has occurred - see article in my page
Continuation of Sadness about Trees in Pavements in Funchal,
Maderia, which shows why this tree fell, and killed people who
happenned to be in its fall down.
The population of Madeira love to play Russian Roulette every time
they pass a tree, and the tourists are unaware of that danger as
they pass the same trees ANYWHERE ON MADEIRA OR PORTUGAL.

The central nervous system of this tree which goes up the trunk and branches off to
potential branches and actual branches is used by the tree to manage itself -

• if a series of caterpillars start to eat its leaves, then it come with an antitode
  as perhaps a bitter taste or poison and this tends to prevent these caterpillars
  in the future
• if it gets windy, then the trunk and its main branches are strengthened by
  additional growth sideways to prevent them from breaking
• if a branch or the top of the trunk is broken off, then one or more of the
  dormant branches will be activated to grow to recover the process and
  rebalance the tree, etc,etc,etc...

Unfortunately, when this central nervous system is destroyed, then there is no way that the
entire tree can manage itself and resolve problems. This tree has become a watershoot
and instead of the watershoot developing its own central nervous system, the one on this
tree has been destroyed at ground level and its nerves above the destruction will have
no place to send the signals. Because of this trunk becoming a watershoot without a
functioning central nervous system, then that could explain why the other same species
of tree in this road that had their main branches tipped during the last 2 years had allowed the tips
to absorb the dew (which absorbed the salt spray from the ocean) on the cut ends and thus
kill off the leaves turning them brown. The signals sent by the main branches had nowhere to
go; thus no response could be made by the tree against this attack. See IMG 0013 photo
text down below about salt in sand and its effect on trees.
See Watersprouts on Trees in Pavements in Funchal,
Madera to understand why this makes this tree extremely dangerous to the local
population, who then decide to climb all over it and attach lights to it 2 or 3 times a year,
then climb up and take the light system off and tear off fresh new branches in the process.

Every time any tree has a branch cut off or the branch damaged by wind, etc, then due
to the complete non-maintenace program by humans, the wound will rot and the tree
will rot away and fall down. This can also occur when new trees are planted and they
have crossing branches, then the branches will either split apart from the trunk or rub
against each other and expose the heartwood and then the rot will set in again. See
Crossing Branches in trees in Funchal, Madeira page.

"This is the supporting literature about wound dressings (as used in my year at Hadlow
College to get a HNC in Horticulture) in this course book:-
"Pages 6-7 of The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers by
George E. Brown. ISBN 0-571-11084-3 state that pruning requires a
Protective Dressing:-
"When a cut is made, a considerable amount of heartwood is exposed which, in the case
of the larger stems and branches, has become salignified or hardened to give mechanical
strength. This remains healthy and perfectly preserved, provided it is protected from air
and water, pests and other harmful organisms and the tree is in a healthy condition. The
cut immediately exposes this wood and it is vital, therefore, to protect it as speedily as
possible before the destructive agents begin their work. It will be apparent how quickly
a sealant must be applied, when it is realised that the air is full of spores of all kinds which
may alight on the cut surface at any time. There is also the point that it is left until later it
is quite easily forgotten or overlooked, and in going back over the work extra effort is
involved. All cuts over 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter should be treated, although with young
specimens even smaller wounds should be dressed.
The material used must be waterproof. It should retain its pliable nature for a long period
without cracking. It should not be favourable to the development of diseases or pests -
in fact the ideal dressing would have an active and lasting fungicidal property.
At present, the specially prepared bituminous products are most widely favoured for they
are reasonably easy to apply and remain pliable for very long periods. Even these
preparations, however, eventually dry and deteriorate to expose the wood, unless the healing
has been completed (the callus has covered over the whole wound). It is therefore necessary
to look over the wounds at least annually and, if necessary, make further applications,
although a 6-monthly inspection of every tree is in any case advisable, and it would be natural
to inspect wounds at the same time. Often, radial cracks appear in the heartwood on the
surface of a large wound as it dries out. These need to be filled in as they open and the
surface covered with further applications of a wound dressing."
My comments - I started by using Arbrex (this Solabiol Arbrex Seal and Heal seems to be
the most up to date version), but found it too expensive and too little in its jar, so I
switched to Black External Masonry Paint (this Bedec Extra Flex Masonry Paint currently
seems to be a very good one) which did the job and was very much cheaper.

Pages 9-11 of The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers by
George E. Brown. ISBN 0-571-11084-3 states this about Cavities and Development of Cavities:-
"Cavities
These often penetrate deeply into the branch or trunk. There is evidence to show that
degenerative processes which are initiated on stubs or snags, often spread quickly into
the parent branch or trunk by the old conducting tissue. As the breakdown continues
the whole snag becomes rotten and may hold considerable moisture which encourages
further spread. A lengthy snag prevents complete healing and the resultant callus forms
a cup-shaped lip which collects moisture as the snag rots away completely. When this
happens the moisture or standing water often remains permanently,and this encourages
further decay into the centre of the trunk or branch.......

Development of Cavities
It must be recognised that however small a cavity is, once it is formed it is serious and in
time, if allowed to develop, may weaken the tree and shorten its life. This may even be
making light of the situation, for the wood deteriorates far in advance of the actual cavity and
decay is often more extensive below the opening than above, see above figure. The decay
is usually most rapid in the softer-wooded trees such as Poplar. The more extensive rotting
below the cavity is of course natural, for water often collects in the hollow, either as a
result of rain or because of the seepage of sap from neighbouring living tissues. Once
moisture does collect, putrefaction sets in and the effect is a progressive increase in the
activity of the organisms causing the breakdown. This takes place very rapidly if there are
other snags nearby, for the areas of degenerated and diseased wood quickly join up with
each other and eventually the inner core of an entire trunk or branch will decompose to
leave a hollow shell. The danger at this stage is from any large branches which are adjacent
to the area of decay; as their junctions are weakened. Eventually they are shed and the
hollow trunk is left standing.
Thus the story is one of progressive decay which must, if left unattended, lead to a
drastic shortening of the life of a tree. The rate of decay will speed up as the condition and
the health of the tree deteriorates, large limbs are lost and the root system suffers.

Page 23 of The Pruning of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers by George E. Brown.
ISBN 0-571-11084-3 states this about Terminal Bud and Dormant Branch Growth Bud:-
"The impression may be given that the formation of a branch system in a young tree is
to a certain extent accidental. This is not so. The buds on a stem or twig are dominated
by the terminal bud. This bud reduces the vigour of the remainder; in fact, those near
the base often do not develop but remain dormant. They may remain in this condition for
many years, perhaps throughout the life of the tree. However, should a break or a
pruning cut be made in the upper portion, these lower buds may develop and grow out.
It should be noted that dormant buds often keep pace with the developing stem over the
years, ready to break out should the need arise."" from Monitoring of trees in Funchal Page 1.

Madeira seems to adopt the system - as you can verify by looking at some of the other
over 400 photos that I have inserted into this website - of either ignoring the rotting process
altogether - or by placing a metal grid over the hole to prevent rubbish being thrown into it -
and then later on a cigarette of a lit match sets the rubbish alight and burns the inside of the trunk.

I have reported that the government of Madeira managed to get one of the the 6 tree
experts from Portugal to come and report on these trees in the pavement. Identity tags
were fixed to the trees from that September and I saw them in January the following year.
I did not see any evidence that anything had been done to save those trees. Now in February
2022, I see this tree stump and now understand what the taxi-drivers outside the Forum
told me - these trees are inspected and then passed as safe presumably by the use of a machine
to measure the density of the trunk. So if the density is insufficient, then the tree is cut down.
This is ignoring the visible evidence of the rot within the trunk which can be seen and totally
ignoring the actual state of the tree. The heartwood of a tree is what keeps it standing up and
if the majority of that is destroyed, then the tree is likely to fall. This and many others in the
pavements have been allowed to rot for many years. In the table on the left, you can see the
bijou residence for a worker in the Forum where a great deal of the centre of this tree trunk's
heartwood and all its central nervous system in that section has rotted away - and it has been
allowed to rot further during the last 2 years and is currently included in a refurbushed pavement.
As tourists we are extremely grateful to the government of Funchal in providing trees that can
fall down at any time along any road in Madeira due to the complete misunderstanding in
Madeira for pedestrian safety and total lack of tree maintenance for the health of the tree.
Lighting engineers climbing these trees and putting electrical lighting systems on them -
or off them - damage the trees when fixing them to the tree and the cables between those trees.

Perhaps if this 1 tree expert from the 6 tree experts in Portugal used TreeRadar; that
he could see the true health of every one of the more than 4000 trees that he had
investigated between arriving in September and me looking at the tree idendity discs in
the following January. "Much like an MRI solves a critical medical need for very
high-resolution, non-invasive imaging of the body, the Tree Radar Unit (TRU™) radar
imaging system creates the same type of high-resolution, non-invasive image of the
internal structure of a tree and its root mass." from TreeRadar. This would show him
that not only is the tree trunk rotten, but that its roots are too thin as well - as
shown in IMG 0004 below.
These thin roots cannot be the laterals - Horizontally growing side shoots (laterals)
form at an early age and soon become largely responsible for structural support.
Lateral roots near the soil surface thicken over successive years, eventually becoming
the large woody roots of the framework root system of a mature tree - there are
usually between 4 and 11 such roots which may become 30cm (12 inches) or more
in diameter close to the stem.They taper rapidly until at 200-300 cms (80-120 inches)
distance they are usually only 2-5 cm (1-2 inches) in diameter, by which stage
they have lost much of their rigidity and physical strength. It is here that they tend
to break when root plate failure occurs, e.g in a storm. Beyond the 'zone of rapid taper',
lateral roots extend outwards in a broad zone for many metres, without appreciable
further decrease in size - typically maintaining a diameter of 1-2 cm (0.5-1 inch).
They are sparsley branched, perennial, woody and rope-like in appearance. Although
most rope-like roots are only 500-1500 cms (200-600 inches) long, some can be
2500 cms (1000 inches) or more in length.
They are probably 'Feeder' roots - Roots branching from the upper side of laterals
grow upwards and divide profusely in the surface soil, which is usually well-aerated,
to form fans or mats of thousands of fine (<2mm diameter) non-woody 'absorbing'
or 'feeder' roots.
Feeder roots are not strong enough to support its own tree and these trees did not have any
water, oxygen or access to the air above for root food (compost, manure, or chemical
fertiliser) and waste gases.

Photos in the Evergreen Trees Gallery Site Map Page show what I did to save a very old yew
tree in my local churchyard more than 10 years ago. That tree is healthier and is currently
growing well during 2022 - it's crown is many metres in diameter.
Any tree can be saved - a hollow tree in a client's garden could be pushed over by
me. Instead, I carried out the same procedure of expanding foam and bottles to fill the
hole in the trunk as for the yew tree above. A year later that tree was firmer and did not
move as much as it did when I had pushed it a year previously. In other words, the
growth ring had occured and a previous growth ring had been lignified in turning it into
heartwood without that year's growth being rotted away.

 

Item is
IMG 0003.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

It is great to see how close the traffic came to this tree.

Item is
IMG 004.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

Further along this stretch of pavement, this is the stump or stumps of the same height
and type of trees that are as shown on the left of the photo. The road is being restricted in width
and the extra space is going to have a 2 way bicycle lane inserted. I asked the workers doing
the work why the trees were being cut down and was directed to talk to the management team
having a discussion nearby. One of the team was a civil engineer and she pointed out that the
trees were damaging the concrete retaining wall in the background.

You may note that there is part of the trunk, which is mosly rotten, with a very narrow part on
the left at the bottom of this trunk where the heartwood has not yet rotted.
To the right of that rotten trunk, you can visualze some very thin roots, which would not hold
up a tree of this size.
Below these roots you can see a branch attached to a different part of the trunk, which is also
rotting.
As tourists, we are grateful to the Funchal government for letting us either walk alongside these
rotten trees or be driven past them in buses or taxis anywhere on the island.

Item is
IMG 0006.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

A view - from that dump of cut down tree in the previous photo - towards The Forum.
There used to be tall old trees in this ripped up pavement.
You may well find the photos taken of the trees that were in this section in previous years
in the other pages of this Home topic and
within these others like pages 26 and 27:-

Pavements of Funchal, Madeira
Damage to Trees - Pages
1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11, 12, 13
for trees 1-54,
14, 15,
16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
21, 22, 23, 24, 25,
for trees 55-95,
26, 27, 28, 29, 30,
31, 32, 33, 34, 35,
36, 37,
for trees 95-133,
38, 39, 40,
41, 42, 43, 44, 45,
for trees 133-166

Photos 6 and 7 on Monitoring of Trees in Funchal Page 1 show a tree in a pavement
with 70% of its heartwood rotted away from the earth to the base of the Forked Leader
of the trunk as it splits to form another trunk going up. See Forked Leader in Photo 4
in Watersprouts on Trees in Pavements in Funchal, Madeira Page to see why this
section of the trunk had been cut away before; but never had its wound dressed
to prevent this rotting process. It does not warm the cockles of my heart to see the attitude
of the population of Madeira in creating this Russian Roulette situation, which could
kill many people as this tree falls, especially if it falls on a moving bus or a loaded lorry
that then moves off the road and through the concrete retaining wall on the left.
 

Item is
IMG 0009.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

Completed new pavement and viewing back to the standing tree on the left in photo
IMG 0004.JPG above.

Item is
IMG 0013.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

Black sand being laid as the base for the new concrete pavers as the top surface of the pavement.
Madeira does have black sand on Seixal Beach where the sea runs over it.
I wonder if the sand has been washed before being laid; since salt is not appreciated by tree roots.
Being Beach Sand, it is moved around a lot by the sea, and is called a soft black sand,
which probably means that is has become like builders sand which is spherical and like ball-bearings.
This means that combined with water that it tends to wash away, whereas sharp sand being
jagged - like pyramids - is not washed away when wet. It tends to go together and form a more
solid surface. Standing on wet builders sand, you tend to sink to the bottom of the sand.
Standing on wet sharp sand does support you with little slumping and this why it used in
this situation - See Drive Foundations page.

"The trees' roots also end up absorbing the salt. In cases like this, it takes a longer time for the salt
to accumulate in the trees' bodies, but it can still result in killing a tree with salt. When they enter
the plant through the roots, the sodium ions in the salt will block magnesium and potassium,
which the plants use to create chlorophyll. According to the Muskoka Watershed Council,
around 5.5 million tons of salt get released into the environment each year in Canada alone."
from How to Spread Salt on the Ground to kill small Trees by Home Guides.
That could explain why many of these trees between the Forum and the Lido have now got brown leaves
over the last 2 years. Has the black sand been used in the new section of bicycle lane between the 2 or
is it simply the tipping of many of the branches that has allowed the salt in; which is within the
seawater being blown in from the beach? Why does Madeira not like plants?
 

Item is
IMG 0014.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

In the table on the left, you can see the bijou residence for a worker in the Forum
where a great deal of the centre of this tree trunk has rotted - and it has been allowed to
rot further during the last 2 years and is currently included in a refurbushed pavement.

The central nervous system of this tree besides the majority of the heartwood has rotted
away years ago and still the government are quite happy to allow many tons of tree to be
above this.
"E: Heartwood is the central, supporting pillar of the tree. Although dead, it will not decay or
lose strength while the outer layers are intact. A composite of hollow, needlelike cellulose fibers
bound together by a chemical glue called lignin, it is in many ways as strong as steel. A
piece 12” long and 1” by 2” in cross section set vertically can support a weight of
twenty tons!
D: Sapwood is the tree's pipeline for water moving up to the leaves. Sapwood is new wood.
As newer rings of sapwood are laid down, inner cells lose their vitality and turn to
heartwood." from Anatomy of a tree by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
When most of the Heartwood has rotted away IN ANY PORTION OF A TRUNK OR BRANCH, THEN
YOU ARE GOING TO RELY ON THE SAPWOOD, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH OF
HEARTWOOD BECAUSE WHERE THE LIGNIN GOES IN; IS WHERE THE WATER GOES UP AND
DOWN. IT IS STRANGE BUT WATER IS NOT ALL THAT STRONG. PERHAPS IF YOU HAVE A 12" (30 CM)
LONG BY 1 INCH (2.5CM) X 2 INCH (5 CM) CROSSECTION OF HEARTWOOD LEFT; THEN YOU
CAN SUPPORT A VERTICAL WEIGHT OF 20 TONNES, BUT NOT WHEN THAT IS BEING MOVED
FROM SIDE FOR THE TRUNK OR UP AND DOWN FOR A BRANCH BY THE WIND.
You can see a yellow bus by the zebra crossing and new bus stop - I am certain that the waiting
passengers will have no problem with this tree falling onto them.
 

Item is
IMG 0020.JPG
taken in February 2022 in Funchal, Madeira by Chris Garnons-Williams

Looking back to the zebra crossing where the tree in Photo IMG 0014 is located, these
trees have been left in the pavement and hopefully the black sand above their roots has
been washed to remove the sea salt.The new lane on the right of the bus stop is probably
the 2 lane bicycle track.

It is interesting to note that these trees used to reduce the wind tunnel effect between the
8 story hotels, flats and shopping centre - Bring roller skates and a strong umbrella and you
will be able to use windpower instead of a taxi or bus in one direction to town.

I must learn to appreciate the view from my time-share of 32 stories of painted concrete
buildings and the new Savoy residence (see part of their building site towards the top of photo
IMG 0003 above) being built above the top of my timeshare, where they are excavating the
45 degree slope of volcanic rock to build on a horizontal surface of greater than 300 metres in
length, so that they can view me on my balconies on the top floor of this Pestana Hotel.

It is a pleasant idea to move from one building site of concrete and brick such as Medway into
another of just using concrete for a holiday.

Remember to bring earplugs, if you do not wish to sleep with the double glazing windows and doors
closed between 1:00 and 4:00 on Saturday and Sunday Morning as the local worker population
return home from the bars, nightclubs or retaurants after celebrating their week's work while
conversing loudly- new added attraction this year in 2022.
 

"Madeira Name Meaning - Portuguese: metonymic occupational name for a carpenter, from madeira
‘wood’, ‘timber’ (Late Latin materia, from classical Latin materies ‘material’, ‘substance’). local name
from the island of Madeira, which was named with Portuguese madeira ‘timber’ because of the
timber that grew there." from Madeira Family History.

Looking at the photos of these trees in Madeira, I have seen almost every possible way that the people
in Madeira manage to kill them rather than maintain them - does no one in Madeira get tree
maintenance, planting instruction and Urban Vegetation Management education?
Does no safety civil engineer in Madeira understand what happens when you build
multi-storey high buildings either side of a road, that you get a wind tunnel effect and that it
could be restrained by these trees that you are killing and cutting down?

We the tourists are very grateful to be blown about by this wind.

Just thought that I might read the following from Arboricultural Research:-

• A. Tree roots Leaflet No. 6 Published by the Arboricultural Association in 1991:-
  "There is a popular misconception that the roots of a large tree growing under typical British conditions
  will penetrate to a depth of several metres. People refer to these as "tap roots" or "anchor roots".
  Under most conditions of soil and climate in Britain this picture is far from the truth. Tree roots need
  to obtain water, nutrients and oxygen from the soil. These are usually most readily available near to
  the surface, and carbon dioxide produced by the roots disperses more readily there. As a
  consequence, most roots are normally found in the upper 600mm (24 inches) or less.
  On poorly drained clay soils in areas with a moderate or high rainfall all the roots of a large tree may be
  in the upper 300mm (1 foot = 12 inches) or less.
  Roots will sometimes penetrate to a depth of 400 or 500cms, particularly in drier parts of Britain, but
  that is the exception rather than the rule; and even there, the majority of roots are likely to be in the
  upper 600mm.
  All roots contribute to the moisture supply and stability of the tree, and there is no meaningful
  distinction between what are often called "feeder roots" and "support roots". The uptake of
  moisture and nutrients takes place mainly through very fine hairlike roots at the ends of the
  smallest woody roots. Many of these fine roots may die in the autumn and grow again in the
  next spring. These could be called "feeder roots", but would not include any roots more
  than 1mm diameter.
  Typical tree on typical soil, in Britain (An indication of root spread of a typical tree, where root
  development is unimpeded by ditches, walls or other obstructions.):-
  • Height of tree about 2000cms
  • Main rooting depth about 60cm
  • Maximum rooting depth about 100-200cm
  • Branch spread about 900cm
  • Main root spread about 1200cm outer limit of root system about 2000cms, or more
• Narrow or fastigiate forms may have a smaller branch spread, but can have a similar root
  spread. The size of the root system is related to the amount of foliage which the tree supports,
  not just to the height or branch spread.
  "Tap roots" are a feature of some tree seedlings, such as oak, which tend to send down a single
  main root; but as trees grow, the main direction of root growth is in a lateral direction, and the
  "tap root" does not continue to develop to such a great extent as the upper parts of the tree. A
  mature oak tree will not therefore be a scaled-up version of an oak seedling, but will hav a differently
  shaped root system.
  The roots of most (but not all) trees sub-divide rapidly, so that most of the roots are relatively
  thin except within 200 or 300 cms of the main stem. It can often be possible to cut through the
  complete root system 300cms from the tree without seeing any roots more than 25mm (1 inch) thick.
  The extent of the root system will vary with the soil, climate, tree species, and other factors, but
  will normally extend further than the branches.
  Ploughing, trenching, raising or lowering the soil level, or digging even the top 200mm (8 inches)
  of soil may destroy a major proportion of the root system of a tree." In other words when service
  repair, renewal or a new service installation is done, then further damage is done to the tree roots.
  
   
• B. The following is from Arboriculture Research Note 36 97 TRL Tree Roots and Underground Pipes by
  G. Brennan, D Patch and F R W Stevens Published in January 1997 ISSN No. 1362-5128:-
  "...Underground services are laid in trenches cut through the soil and then backfilled. ... If a pipe is
  cooler than the surrounding soil, moisture will condense around it creating conditions conducive to
  root growth. When pipes are excavated, a mass of fine roots may be found forming a sheath round
  the pipe, and this may lead engineers to blame tree roots for causing direct damage to the
  service. ... Roots do not break pipes or force their way into pipes to gain access to water and nutrients.
  Apart from the problems associated with clay or mortar packing, why do pipes and their joints fail? On
  highly shrinkable clay soils tree roots may contribute to soil drying, and where as a result a clay
  shrinks pipes may then move. But more important are the design and quality of the pipe materials, the
  standards of workmanship and supervision during construction of the pipeline. In addition, later
  excavations adjacent to the line of the service can result in slumping of soil and distortion of the pipe.
  All of these could cause cracks in pipes or weakening of joints.
  If moisture escapes from a water-carrying underground pipe, a moisture gradient will develop in the
  soil. Tree roots in the vicinity of the pipe may flourish in the moist soil and penetrate the pipe at the
  seepage point. Roots will then proliferate within the pipe; eventually they may create a blockage.
  This is probably the most dramatic and troublesome form of tree root damage to a pipe - particularly
  if the pipe is carrying foul water. However, roots are most unlikely to grow into a pipe that is leaking
  under pressure (e.g. a water main)."
  The above might explain the 2 ways that trees in pavements get their water supply, but not how
  they get gas exchange for the oxygen or carbon dioxide, but may explain the small amount of
  nutrient gained from the surrounding of the storm drain with its detritus.
  
   
• C. The following is from Arboriculture Research Note 59 2012 The effects of Weed Competition on
  Tree Establishment by R.J. Davies and J.B.H. Gardiner Published in June 1989 - Revised with minor
  alterations May 2012:-
  "Many sites are grassed before tree planting to improve their appearance. All plants compete to some
  extent but grasses and clover are particularly competitive. ... The roots of weeds close to the tree also
  compete for moisture and nutrients and on grassy sites this is more important than competition for
  light. ... Mowing often increases the sward's transpiration, and thus the moisture stress suffered by the
  tree. See effect of grass on trees in section 9 of damage to trees in pavements of Funchal, Madeira in
  the second table on the left.
  Moisture and nutrient compeition are interrelated: weeds may compete directly for nutrients or by
  drying the soil render them unavailable to the tree. Trees suffering competition often appear nutrient
  deficient, wheras weed-free trees have larger greener leaves with higher nutrient concentrations. But
  fertilsing alone rarely relieves competition; it often invigorates weeds and the tree suffers.
  Effective weed control must free the tree roots from this competition:-"
  • "Annual rainfall is about 1,000 millimetres (39 in) and up to 2,000 millimetres (79 in) on
    higher ground in South-West England" from Wikipedia.
  • Followed by :-"Most turf grass roots are concentrated in the first 6-8 inches (15-20 cms) of
    soil. Try to irrigate only one or two inches of water per week during the turf growing season.
    You could irrigate the whole amount of water at one time, however most folks have better
    results splitting the amount into two separate applications.  Please note however in sandy
    soils where the water percolates more rapidly it may benefit you to split the applications into
    three separate irrigation cycles.  You do not want to irrigate more than three times a week
    because you would be applying so little water the outcome would be shallow roots."
  • so at 1 inch a week that is 52 inches and at 2 inches a week that is 104 inches,
  • so you can see that turf round tree roots can absorb more than the annual rainfall in
    South-West England, leaving no water for the tree roots.
    
     
• D. The following is from Arboriculture Research Note 110 93 ext Water Tables and Trees by
  D R Helliwell Published in February 1993:-
  "Over much of lowland Britain, the annual precipitation (rain and snow) is in the order of 600mm.
  The canopy of a deciduous tree will intercept about 15%, which is evaporated directly back to the
  atmosphere, and cover of evergreen trees will intercept about 30%.
  The precipitation which reaches the ground may enter the surface layers, where it is held initially
  against the pull of gravity in the fine pores and spaces. Any additional water which falls onto the
  surface will enter the ground and move downwards, wetting successive layers. Precipitation falling
  on impervious surfaces is often channeled into drains, and so it may not contribute to the soil
  moisture system - as happens with the rain falling onto the tarmac, concrete or paver covering the
  roots of trees in covered pavements.
  A question is often asked is "If a large tree takes 200 gallons of water from the soil per day, how
  can it survive if it can not draw on the 'water table'?. The answer is that in most locations the soil
  in which the tree is rooted can store sufficient 'available moisture' to keep the tree alive during
  dry weather in most summers. Recharge of soil moisture around the roots is from precipitation.
  A large tree may have roots in an area of 300m2, to a depth of 1m or more. In that volume of soil
  there may be more that 45,000 litres (10,000 gallons) of 'available water' at the start of the growing
  season, which is enough to keep the tree fully supplied for at least 50 days at peak demand, even if
  no more rain falls in that period.
  A typical figure for annual uptake of water in Europe is around 330mm. Assuming that, in an average
  year the soil is at 'field capacity' at the start of the growing season, and taking a rainfall figure of
  600mm, less the amount which is intercepted, there should be sufficient moisture for tree growth if
  there is a moderate depth of retentive soil. There is no need to invoke the 'water table' as an
  explanation for the survival and successful growth of trees. Dieback or death of trees following
  particularly dry years may not be related to the depth of the 'water table'."
  Mature trees in pavements do not have any stored rainwater in the soil or any replenishment of it.
  
  Nobody involved in roads or public spaces like parks appears to know, care or maintain the plant
  requirements upon which they depend for the oxygen that keeps them alive, but keep on finding
  ways to damage that plant world.
  Solutions:-
• 1."Competition reduces the survival and growth of newly planted trees
  The results of an experiment planted with sycamore, hawthorn and Italian alder transplants on the
  grassed verges of a newly constructed trunk road at Ripley, Derbyshire, illustrate that assertion.
  The treatments where no weed control and 54, 76 and 106cm diameter areas around the trees
  sprayed with paraquat once each summer for three years. The figure (page) shows survival growth
  after 3 years. The annual paraquat applications gave incomplete weed control; better control
  would probably have produced greater responses. The shapes of the graphs suggest that spots
  larger that 106cm diameter might have given greater responses. Many weeding experiments using
  broadleaved species on grassy sites over the length and breadth of England have produced similar
  survival and growth responses.
  Tree growth is related to the area weeded around the tree. A one metre diameter herbicide spot
  size is often appropriate for transplants, although larger areas usually give more growth. Larger
  planting stock should receive larger weed-free spots."
  Instead of chemical control, why not use plants as shown in section 9 in the second table on the left?
  "The roots of this tree are at ground level where they compete with the grass and other plants.
  Replace the grass with GREEN MANURE such as everlasting spinach to provide nitrogen to the tree
  roots as a legume rather than the grass which takes away the water and any application of fertiliser
  or nutrients in an organic mulch. The roots of the tree can then migrate below ground.
  The area where the above tree is planted is not usually trafficked by the public,
  • since it is within an enclosed public space.
  • The same is true when there is a tree within a high raised bed also surrounded by grass
    as outside a shopping centre in Funchal, or
  • where trees/shrubs are planted within a grassed area like on a bank or in a central reservation
    of a dual carriageway near the Forum in Funchal,
  • or in between old graves with less than a mower's cutting width between them in cemeteries, or
  • You are unable to do any more gardening like mowing in your home garden, but you then
    employ a gardener to just cut your lawn on a regular basis,
  • Why not kill off the grass and replace with Clover Green Manure. The tree/shrub roots will get
    fed and maintenance will only be required once or twice a year to strim/cut the foliage down
    before flowering and leave on the ground for the worms to take into the soil?"
• 2. Provide 'Available Water' for trees in pavements
  Install a French Drain under the pavement to release the water into the surrounding soil and return
  the other end to the Aco drainage system to allow for overflow. Use a silt trap between this perforated
  pipe and the Aco Drainbox to prevent silt from blocking the French Drain. This should vastly reduce the
  volume of stormwater being output to the local rivers or the sea.
  Plant the new tree at least 50cms (18 inches) away from pavementedge to road.
• 3. Provide gaseous exchange and nutrients for these trees in pavements.
  Why not put a 300 cm (120 inch) radius from each tree trunk in the pavement of peashingle locked
  in a Gravel Stabilisation System, so that at least oxygen and moisture can get to the roots? Then,
  collect the green waste from the homeowners and dead leaves from the trees on public land, mix it
  with 5% seaweed for the trace elements, compost it, shred the result, create a slurry of it and feed
  that slurry on top of the Gravel Stabilisation System, followed by a spray of clean water to clean the
  top-most pea-shingle, once a month throughout the year.
   

Tree Planting Disasters in the UK

A '£134,000 disaster of 95% of 12,800 saplings planted to help tackle the climate crisis
have died because they were not watered in the summer drought' created by a
Gloucester Council that did not have a clue

"A twig waste of money as trees die in heatwave by Joel Taylor in the Metro of Friday, September 23, 2022.

Thousands of trees planted to help tackle the climate crisis have died because they were not watered
in the summer drought.

Some 12,800 saplings were dotted across Gloucester by the city's council, which promised a 'thriving
network of sustainably managed trees' when it announced the £130,000 scheme in February as part of
the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

But the council admitted in July that, due to the tough jobs market, it had struggled to employ a tree
officer, whose job would have involved checking on the saplings.

And Cllr Alastair Chambers said 95 per cent of the trees have now died due to lack of water during
the heatwave.

He added "This is such a waste of taxpayers' money. I am all for trees and a better environment so I
voted for the trees to be planted. Sadly, that didn't include park management of the trees. When I was
in Ukraine, even under a time of war, they had cleaner streets and parks.'

The council said the summer heatwave was unprecedented.

A spokesperson added:' It's disappointing this led to the loss of trees in the city and we will be looking
to do some replanting where resources allow with a more robust watering/care schedule.'

It had a budget of £16,000 for the trees and secured £118,000 in outside grants."

Let us look at the 3 photos in the article from GloucestershireLive. of these newly planted trees.

• Photo 1 has a 72 inch(180cm) stake which is not a Machine Round tree Stake inserted
  into the ground inside, and 12 inch (30cm) diameter of Stock Fence (Pig) (Medium)
  800mm High to protect the dead whip inside. The whip is attached to the stake possibly
  with a Rainbow Semi Mature Tree Tie.
  This whip has been planted into ground covered in grass and so when you read the
  information in the row above on Competition reduces the survival and growth of newly
  planted trees you can understand why this whip never stood a chance, because the grass
  took up 2 inches depth of water a week if any fell and it took all the nutrients in the ground.
  
  A circle with diameter of 120cm (48 inches) of grass should have been removed and it
  placed round the edge of the circle upside down to rot with a 1200mm Diameter Cor-Ten
  Garden Ring inside the edge of the circle to stop the grass from re-entering the circle.
  Then the whip should have been planted as specified in Planting Bare Root Whips from
  Chew Valley Trees using a cane instead of the stake, a rabbit guard instead of the
  Stock Fence (Pig) (Medium) and 4 inch depth of mulch from Melcourt. Then sow clover
  as a green manure on the mulch to provide nitrogen to the whip roots as a legume and
  stop the wind and sun from drying out the ground within the Cor-ten Garden Ring.
  The outer circle of upside down turf stores the rainwater within it and the mulch prevents
  the sun and wind from drying out the ground where the whip has been planted. Spray
  4 gallons of water onto the mulched area to thoroughly soak the mulch and the ground
  beneath.
  It is better to plant these whips in the autumn, like October instead of February. It is
  likely in England for the period from October to March to have rain or snow on most days
  and during the late autumn/winter when the temperature falls below 5 Centigrade, then
  the whip will grow its roots instead of growing above ground level as it does for
  above 5 Centigrade. So it should not have a watering problem in the Autumn/Winter.
  Trees and Shrubs absorb rainwater in August to use in the production of Spring foliage
  the following year, so thoroughly soak the ground in August and again in April and allow
  the mulch to stop the trees from wilting during the summer.
  
  Melcourt some years ago did an experiment with fruit trees. Half a field they planted fruit
  trees and thoroughly soaked the ground in April. The other half of the field they also planted
  fruit trees, thoroughly soaked the ground and then covered the soil with a mulch in April.
  They then measured the soil moisture level each month, but did absolutely nothing else
  for these fruit trees. In August the fruit trees without a mulch were showing signs of
  distress, whereas the the fruit trees with a mulch were fine. The experiment was
  carried out during a very hot summer.
  
  
  A water ring is a mound of compacted soil that is built around the circumference of a planting
  hole once a shrub/tree has been installed. The water ring helps to direct water to the outer
  edges of a planting hole, encouraging new roots to grow outward, in search of moisture. The
  height of the mound of soil will vary from a couple of inches for 10 ltr potted shrubs, to almost
  a foot (30cm) for balled and burlapped trees, especially those planted on a slope. Mulching over the
  ring will help to further conserve moisture and prevent deterioration of the ring itself. Once a
  plant is established, the water ring may be leveled, but the mulch should continue beneath
  the plant during each spring and summer.
  Water when normal rainfall does not provide the preferred 1 inch (2.5 cms) of moisture most
  plants prefer per week from March to October. The first two years after a plant is installed,
  regular watering is important. It is better to water once a week and water deeply using drip
  irrigation (thoroughly soaking the soil until water has penetrated to a depth of 6 to 7 inches
  (15-18 cms)), than to water frequently for a few minutes. With container grown plants,
  apply enough water to allow water to flow through the drainage holes, or preferably put the
  pot inside a larger pot on pot legs to raise it 1 inch above the bottom of the outside pot with
  a wick from the bottom of the outer pot up through to the middle of the inner pot and
  replenish the 1 inch (2.5 cms) depth of water in the outside pot. The outside pot has a hole
  2 inches (5 cms) above its base to allow for drainage of excess irrigation water or rain. Water
  plants early in the day or later in the afternoon to conserve water and cut down on plant
  stress. Do water early enough so that water has had a chance to dry from plant leaves prior
  to night fall. This is paramount if you have had fungus problems. Do not wait to water until
  plants wilt. Although some plants will recover from this, all plants will die if they wilt too
  much (when they reach the permanent wilting point). Mulches can significantly cool the root
  zone and conserve moisture.
  Waterlogged soil occurs when more water is added to soil than can drain out in a reasonable
  amount of time. This can be a severe problem where water tables are high or soils are
  compacted. Lack of air space in waterlogged soil makes it almost impossible for soil to drain.
  Few plants, except for bog plants, can tolerate these conditions. Drainage can be improved
  by creating a French Drain (18 inch x 12 inch - 45 x 30 cms - drain lined with Geotextile like
  Plantex or Weed Control Fabric filled with coarse gravel and the weed control fabric overlaid
  on the top before mulching the top with 3 inch depth of Bark) in the boggy area and extending
  this drain alongside an evergreen hedge. The hedge will abstract the water over the whole
  year. Over-watered plants have the same wilted leaves as under-watered plants. Fungi such
  as Phytophthora and Pythium affect vascular systems, which cause wilt.
  A small yew tree was planted on a slope in a lawn in our local churchyard for the millenium.
  After 8 years it had hardly grown, so I removed the lawn from about 24 inches from the trunk
  and upended the cut lawn to make a water ring round it on the slope below the tree. I then
  applied a mulch of compost to the exposed soil and now that yew tree is quite happily growing,
  since the water ring traps the rain as it goes past the tree trunk.
• Photo 2 does not have any rabbit protection and it appears to have been pollarded. YOU DO
  NOT POLLARD WHIPS, and the side branches are too short, since perhaps they have also
  been pollarded.
• Photo 3 has the same problems as the other 2.
  
   

Best Watering Practices for newly planted trees may help from the point of watering, but if the
ground has a sufficient mulch and it is soaked in April and August, then you may be okay.
Esagono Irrigation System might work for soaking the ground in April and August.
Amvista L9 Liquid Seaweed could be added to the water in the Easagono to provide the trace
elements to the green manure and the trees in either April or August. GreenWaste Management
Services Ltd may also have a soluble product that could be used in either April or August to
supplement the Seaweed product.