Overgrowth Management in Olinda

Overgrowth Management in Olinda: Local Conditions and What That Means for Your Property

Properties that have been vacant or only lightly maintained for a season in Olinda come back seriously overgrown. The climate simply does not allow for a benign neglect outcome. Blackberry is the dominant problem species on unmaintained blocks; it establishes quickly along fence lines and in any gap in the garden canopy, and will run several metres in a single growing season once established. English ivy is the other major issue, particularly on properties abutting Olinda State Forest sections of Dandenong Ranges National Park. Ivy will climb from the forest understorey onto adjacent residential trees and structures, and once it reaches the canopy of a mature mountain ash it becomes a significant removal job. Overgrowth management in Olinda is not simply slashing and removing material. Many of the established plants on neglected blocks are worth retaining: old rhododendrons and camellias that have been swamped by blackberry or weed seedlings can often be recovered with careful clearance. We work through these sites methodically, identifying what is worth keeping before the clearing crew arrives with brushcutters. Access is frequently the first problem: many properties on steeper streets have narrow gated entries or long slopes that make it difficult to get material to the road, and chipping on-site reduces haulage load considerably.