Keeping Light in Your Garden

As the season of Summer approaches, it is wise to think about ways to bring light into your garden.

Increasing the amount of light into your garden can help keep your plants, trees and hedges healthy for the coming months. Sunlight and air can help with disease prevention and growth.

Trees are a big culprit of blocking out light but you don’t need have them removed to let light in to your garden. The best way to bring some light through your trees is by thinning the crown.

Crown thinning is a general pruning, usually around the edges of the tree’s canopy, to reduce its shade density and the weight of foliage. A general thinning will improve air circulation, too, which helps to prevent fungal and pest problems.

Crown lifting is another way to let more light through a tree. A lift concentrates on the underside of the tree’s canopy, removing lower branches to allow for better light or access underneath, for example, to mow a lawn.

It’s also worth checking with your local authority to make sure that there are no Tree Preservation Orders (TPO) in force, particularly if you are planning drastic action. 

These types of works will allow the tree to keep strong and will allow appropriate light into your garden.