Trees, wild hedgerows and landscape in the new neighbourhoods.
Landscape is an abstract concept and unquestionably subjective. Nevertheless, there are some clear principles and numerous expectations which most people share.
Where preparation of building plots is concerned, it would appear that we expect more than the juxtaposition of plots and the planting, like so many rows of onions, of standardized housing on empty, soulless land. We know what a strong influence the environmental context has on individuals’ psyche and the feeling of discomfort which it can create. To question the ‘quality of one’s surroundings’, to enjoy a pleasant and practical ‘lifestyle’, are legitimate aspirations which we are all concerned by, as this is part of ‘well-being’, feeling ‘at home’ in the place where one lives.
It is this awareness of landscaping that we are trying to bring to life alongside CNT by bringing our knowledge of managing tree-planting and local wild hedges.
The presence of greenery is a crucial factor in creating a pleasant environment and breathing life into a built environment, mainly stone or brick, inert and uniform, made up of roads, entrances (reduced to a minimum in our projects) and houses.
Trees and bushes, on their own or in a line, planted in small clusters, coppices or hedges, become a living material which fulfils all the practical functions of a visual screen, a shade, a barrier, boundary markers, signposts, etc.
Although many open spaces are set aside for lawn, the tree comes into its own around houses, pathways, public spaces and of course in the landscaping as a whole. That is why it is important to design a coherent landscape across the entire estate…
To do this, we have designed areas of greenery made up of a diverse range of plants and including typically local varieties. These local varieties give excellent results, as they are naturally adapted to the site. Planted young, the cost of establishing them is minimal, as is that of maintaining them – no fertilizer, no watering, very low failure rate, and above all great sustainability. But these local trees and bushes also stand out for their considerable aesthetic qualities; restrained and subtle, living according to the seasons, it is thanks to the part they play in the make-up particularly of the hedges, that an overall harmony is created. … a natural harmony and gaiety which greatly counteracts the monotony of the brick and other standardized walls, as well as of the ‘green concrete’ hedges of one persistent variety of laurel or spruce, which stand out nonetheless from the outrageous and gaudy fashionable species found in some parks and gardens.
Horticultural varieties, which are often fragile and don’t last long, fast-growers admittedly but which require endless attention and lack diversity, are vulnerable to any sort of adverse conditions, whether climatic or man-made, biological or health-related.
Our preparations are rightly based on the use of ‘alternative’ hedges which border and enclose each plot. Boundary hedges ensure each householder’s privacy. Technical quality, economic appeal, aesthetic value – these are the three underlying principles of our site preparation and the basis for inclusion in our rural landscapes.
To achieve this, we work in dialogue with all the participants in the site preparation process from a very early stage in the project, in order to best address the topographical requirements of the site and the technical requirements of the future construction site.
It is through this approach and collaboration that our tress and landscapes achieve their destiny.
Bruno Sirven - Arbres et Paysages
arbre-et-paysage32.com
