Our responsibility

We maintain a variety of shrub and rose beds in public open spaces, cemeteries, highway verges, central reservations, parks and the town centre gardens.

We also maintain grass and hedges within flat blocks.

Report a problem

You can report a problem with shrub and rose beds online. Your report will be investigated within two working days and, where necessary, the teams will usually return to site within five working days.

Shrub & Rose Bed schedule

Shrub beds in residential areas and parks are pruned twice a year (sightline and overhanging material in the summer and full pruning in the winter). Weed is killed twice a year after work mentioned above and litter is picked at each visit.

Shrub beds in high profile locations are pruned twice a year; once in summer and once in winter and hand weeded once a month between April and October. Litter is picked once a week.

High profile locations include, the Town Centre, High Street, Town Centre Gardens, Lytton Way Gardens, Millennium Garden, Fairlands Valley Park and neighbourhood retail centres.

We do not maintain beds that are privately owned or those that are on properties and estates owned by bodies other than the council.

Replanting of existing shrub beds

We implement a programme to replant existing Council shrub beds each winter.

Shrubs will usually remain vigorous and healthy for 10-15 years. After this time they may need to be removed and replaced with younger, healthier, more vigorous plants.

We are constantly updating a list of sites that would benefit from reinstatement planting. Sites will be prioritised, but where a need for replanting has been identified the shrub bed will remain on our list until we are able to carry out the appropriate improvements.

The list of sites to be replanted is finalised, each year, during August/September so that all planting can be carried out between November and March.