18th century hotel restoration advice

If you have good enough photos of the garden when it was looking good, and you want to restore it to the original, you need to study the layout first and then what plants were in it.

Then you need to draw your own plan concentrating on the design and groundwork first. Also, make another plan for planting.

you'll need to decide what of the current garden plants/shrubs/trees were to the original and whether they're suitable to keep/renovate.

Cost will, obviously, play a part so you will need to try and work out a costing. Assuming the cost is acceptable you then need to work out a timetable and see whether you need to concentrate on separate areas first or are able to do all the groundwork and then all the planting. This will depend on the size of the grounds.

Will you need to use heavy machinery, diggers etc.? Is there access?

As it's a hotel you can't have it looking in a mess or the clients may not want to return. Attractive plans of the works should be made a feature for the clients to see (display area). That always looks good to clients and may help to get them to book again so that they can see the progress. Good plans also show that the hotel cares and is working to improve itself.

Good luck.

 

Good idea Sheal, Miss Jekyll designed mainly for the UK, some were abroad but I don't know if her planting would be entirely suitable for Sweden (assuming the Hotel is there and not the UK?). She did concentrate on the overall effect rather than the planting, so you could take her colour/form ideas and substitute more appropriate plants for the Swedish conditions. Saying that I now remember that she famously designed a garden for Lindisfarne Castle which may well have similar climate conditions as Sweden.

Last summer we went to a talk by the owner of a dilapidated mansion and garden, and her journey of discovery, finding the original planting plans, tracking down the plants and all the work along the way. She has written a book and it's a cracking read if you need some encouragement and ideas:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gertrude-Jekyll-Restored-Upton-Grey/dp/1870673808

Her website will give you a flavour:

http://www.gertrudejekyllgarden.co.uk/

 

By the way, I'm not pushing the book, look in your local library first

 

Congratulations

If you're overrun with rabbits it can be difficult. Regular shooting is probably not an option as the guests wouldn't like it. Poison is likely to be ruled out under Health and Safety laws. Rabbit fencing is the best bet but it takes a fair amount of work as you must have somewhere around 500m boundary.

Once you've fenced it you'll need to get rid of the rabbits that are already inside! Then they should be shot or hunted (type rabbit hunting into Google).

As you are sure to need to keep the front access open for guests to drive in you will need to section off the rear garden separately. Good quality wire mesh gates are easily available. You can still fence the front garden but regular control of the rabbits will be necessary. Any nests found would need the attention of a 'ferret man' or whatever you have in your country. Particular attention could be paid to rabbit resistant plants in the front.

I was going to give details about rabbit fencing but I've found this extract that I can copy from elsewhere.

"Rabbit Fencing
Having a good, strong barrier around the garden is key to keeping rabbits OUT.

Key factors for installing a rabbit-proof fence, as recommended by the Forestry
Commission include:
Size of wire mesh – it is important to measure the size of the holes in the mesh.
Small mesh - 31mm wide or less, measured on the diagonal – will ensure that even
baby bunnies cannot squeeze through the mesh. Anything larger and the rabbits
might find their way into the garden. The forestry commission recommend a fence
that measures 1050mm (ht) x 31mm (mesh size) x 18g(thickness of wire). A fence
of any length is best supported with high tensile line wires, which also keep the wire
mesh taut.

Hidden barrier – The bottom of the mesh needs to be folded towards the area where
the rabbits will approach. There should be at least 150mm/6" of the fence bent
down into the ground with turf to cover it over. The rabbits will dig directly where
the vertical of the fence is. With the mesh below the ground as well, the little critters
don’t seem to have the initiative to move a few inches back to burrow below.
Gates are a weak point in defences so it may be worth fitting a gate on a spring that
springs shut quickly after opening. Also, if there is a gap at the bottom of the fence,
the best thing is to lower the hinges so that the gate is as close to the ground as
possible. Otherwise, fix wire mesh or a strip of rubber to the base to help deter the
rabbits from getting in the garden.

Height - According to the Forestry Commission the fence should be over one metre
in height after the bottom has been folded. For lesser protection, 900mm mesh can
be used, leaving the height of the fence 750mm."

When I put in my rabbit fence I found it most important to make sure the fence posts (ordinary angle iron posts) were in very firmly and that the fencing was stretched firmly between the posts. Don't miss out on making the return of the wire a good 6 inches back towards where the rabbits are coming from. I made the fence 4 inches deep before bending back the 6 inches, which appears not to be really necessary.

As to plants that are rabbit resistant. It only took me a couple of minutes to Google these sites.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=209

http://www.complete-gardens.co.uk/online/online-gardening-plant-solutions-category.php?cat=15

http://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/category.cfm?cat_id=2616

It's a major project and it might be best to get a fencing company to do the job if the owner can afford it. It never harms to get a few quotes. He can always decide he can't afford it.

Good luck