Planting and turfing at Leeds Lifting Tower

Part of the ongoing works at Wellington Place in Leeds city centre, the Grade II-listed railway wagon hoist tower has been restored and converted into museum and exhibition space. The surrounding landscape has enjoyed its own lift, with new planted beds full of shrubs, grasses, herbaceous perennials and bulbs to provide all year round colour, foliage and interest.

“These works will ensure that the lifting tower remains at the heart of the development. We’re especially excited to take this onto the next level and use the space to benefit the local community as well as those across the city and wider region.”

Head of Development at MEPC, Paul Pevia

The Landscape and Planting Plan

Completed in April 2024 by J Paxman Landscapes from a design by Planit landscape architects and urban designers, the soft landscaping involved the filling and levelling with BS3882 topsoil and compacting for turf and planting before:

• preparing planting beds with mushroom compost and fertiliser;
• rotivating turf areas to a fine tilth;
• planting of 1 metre high beech instant hedge along the periphery;
• planting of 2-5 litre herbaceous perennials, shrubs and grasses for colour and structure;
• planting of nearly 1,000 bulbs including tulips, summer hyacinths and some beautiful Rainbow Butterflies daffodils with unique split coronas resembling butterflies;
• bark and mulching; and
• turfing and seeding

Ongoing Grounds Maintenance

Now complete, J Paxman Landscapes will be returning to carry out the landscape’s first 12 months maintenance plan, ensuring that the finished landscape continues to grow and thrive so that it may be enhance the public open space for the local community to enjoy.

Residential landscaping at Skelton Gate

Native Tree Planting, Hedging and Seeding at Skelton Gate

The 27-acre first phase of new homes at Skelton Gate sits at the top of the 170-acre former colliery site just off the M1 at Junction 45 in Leeds Aire Valley.

Working with PWP Design, Evans Property Group and architects KPP, J Paxman Landscapes have been on site as part of this first phase to work on the soft landscaping plan.

Ground preparation and Phase 1 planting

To date, the landscape team have completed new fencing, gate installation, new seating, signage and the erection of a new water buoy. Pockets of native trees have been planted, with a woodland area created and hydroseeding across the site, woodland planting, and hydroseeding.

The ground was levelled and trees removed prior to replanting. The existing hedgerow has been extended with additional plants and the banks of Colton Beck itself will be enhanced with margin planting as the landscape continues to take shape.

A Somerset soft landscaping project from J Paxman Landscapes

Retaining the existing ornamental planting, J Paxman Landscapes have been down in Somerset to complete the peripheral landscaping around the new Costa Coffee at Morrisons in Yeovil.

After topsoil deliveries were complete, the Soft Landscaping team set to work on the planting plan, designed by BCA Design, with 3 litre ground cover staple shrubs selected for their resilience and deterrent to pedestrian damage including:

• Chaenomeles x superba ‘Jet Trail’
• Escallonia ‘Red Dream’
• Hebe ‘Midsummer Beauty’
• Hypericum x moserianum
• Lonicera nitida ‘Maygreen’
• Potentilla dahumica ‘Abbotswood
• Rosa ‘Kent

The extra heavy standard trees also planted in tree pits around the site were supplied as rootballed Prunus avium ‘Plena’ and stand between 4.5 and 6.5 metre in height.

Supporting the Huddersfield community rugby team shirt sponsor

Continuing a long-standing commitment to supporting local community projects and teams, this year, J Paxman Landscapes will be one of the main sponsors of Moldgreen ARLC. The Huddersfield-based amateur rugby league club are looking to replicate recent successes at Newsome Panthers (previously sponsored by JPL).

The Open Age amateur rugby league team, joining Yorkshire Men’s Rugby League Division 2, has been recently reformed after it was disbanded in 2018.

As kit sponsors, the J Paxman Landscapes logo will be displayed on team shirts and we will be following the team’s progress with interest throughout the season.

Tree pits, planting and protection

Working with the main contractor Mulberry Construction on this commercial and industrial business area and car park, J Paxman Landscapes have recently completed the landscaping and planting at Fleet Factors, Huyton.

From ground preparation to planting; hedging to staking; tree planting and rabbit protection, the project was completed in November 2023.

The planting palette included 14 standard trees (Alnus, Betula, Populus, Quercus Robur), a 48 linear metre native hedge (mix of Crataegus, Corylus, Cornus, Ilex aquifolium and Rosa Canina) and shrub mixes around the periphery and car park areas for ground cover and barrier protection (including Viburnum, Sambucus, Ligustrum, Spiraea and Mahonia).

All planted areas were tidied and mulched and rabbit guards placed to prevent any natural predators. This completed a professional commercial landscape makeover for customers and visitors to enjoy a much cleaner, more impressive natural first impression on site.

November 2023

Initially engaged to provide designs and landscape construction services, J Paxman Landscapes have been on site in a private garden of a country house near Wentworth between Sheffield, Rotherham and Barnsley. Working to their own planting and soft landscaping plans for the area around its natural pond, the team extended their works once on site as the pond itself required dredging, clearing and relining.

Throughout September 2023, the JPL team cleared the pond and preparing the ground for its palette of bulbs, grasses, herbaceous, shrubs and trees. In the extreme temperatures in Summer 2022, the conifers that had surrounded the pond had made contact with the overhead electric cables, causing a fire and extensive tree and vegetative damage. The replacement planting plan will instead have lower and ground cover planting, as well as some new standard trees for height, form and statement.

The Planting Palette

The pond surrounding area was planted October. The palette includes:

• Narcissus bulbs;
• Bamboos and grasses including Nandina domestica Nana, bronze Carex and Pheasants Tail Grass;
• Herbaceous perennials for foliage and colour, including Heuchera Black Beauty;
• 3, 5 and 10 litre Shrubs including hebes and heathers;
• Wildflower 80/20 seeding;
• Native shrub mix;
• Birch and Callery Pear standard trees.

How it started…

How it’s going…

How it looks now…

November 2023

The soft landscaping at Jaguar Land Rover Dealership at Norwich has been completed in July 2023. The forecourt, parking and peripheral planting features heavy standard trees and considerate native and ornamental planting. It pays careful consideration to the existing vegetation and the ground preparation and finishing across the commercial site.

Soft landscaping grounds, hedges and banks

The soft landscaped sections of the new development sit within the car parking areas, around the existing mature trees and along the peripheral boundaries. Special care was taken, planting carefully by hand so as not to disturb roots of the existing trees.. The native hedging mix of Alnus glutinosa, Corylus avellana, Fagus sylvatica, Hedera helix and Ilex aquifolium sits along 104 linear metres.

New Tree Establishment

Sourcing, planting and securing the 20-25cm girth Tilia cordata Green Spire tree, the J Paxman Landscapes soft landscaping team ensured all stakes, ties and bark mulching were in place for the best chance of healthy tree establishment.

Other sections around the parking and borders were planted with trusted ground cover varieties, supplied in 2 litre posts across favourites including Hedera hibernica, Hebe pageii and Vinca major.

JPL now accredited to Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS)

Being a CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) standard member is an important consideration for a landscape construction company and we are pleased to announce J Paxman Landscapes are now accredited as CHAS Standard Members.

Health and Safety for Employees, Clients and the Public

CHAS is a widely recognized accreditation scheme that demonstrates a company’s commitment to maintaining high standards of health and safety in the workplace. By becoming a CHAS standard member, JPL are demonstrating our dedication to the well-being and safety of its employees, clients, and the general public.

Client Reassurance

This accreditation provides reassurance to clients that the company has undergone rigorous assessments and meets the required health and safety standards, minimizing risks and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. It also enhances the company’s reputation, credibility, and competitiveness in the industry, as CHAS membership is often a prerequisite for bidding on contracts.

High Level of Professionalism

Being a CHAS standard member fosters a culture of safety within the organization, promoting best practices, reducing accidents and incidents, and ultimately safeguarding the well-being of all involved parties. Overall, CHAS accreditation is a vital step for a JPL to not only demonstrate our ongoing commitment to safety but to secure new business opportunities and maintain a high level of professionalism in the industry.

More Information on CHAS

For further information on CHAS and the importance to professional companies who are members, please see:

• Health & Safety Assessment
• Construction Phase Plan (CPP)
• Who Is Responsible for Workplace Health and Safety?
• CHAS Membership Benefits

Completed this month (June 2023) by the J Paxman Landscapes soft landscape team for Sheffield-based BDB Design Build Limited, surrounding grounds, forecourts and signed areas have newly planted trees, a new Taxus hedge, turfed and reseeded lawn areas and white gravel to finish.