ABSTRACT
Grounds maintenance is an inherently seasonal activity with frantic ‘harvest’ periods in the summer months and more relaxed seasons when the work can be pursued with less urgency. The seasonal variation in workload depends on the nature and layout of the sites and, in general terms, the more varied the features, the greater the continuity of work throughout the year. At one extreme is the large estate garden with vegetable plots, heated greenhouses and elaborate summer bedding and herbaceous borders. This will almost certainly require a permanent workforce, fully employed, throughout the whole year. At the other extreme, the care of housing estate road verges, without any street trees, is only likely to require regular mowing for up to 30 weeks of the year and no routine care through the winter months. A more common example is shown in Figure 4.1. Seasonal work pattern of routine grounds maintenance (office complex with grass tennis courts) https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315250922/b8e8dea6-30f0-4d4a-981f-e6ca3ffafeda/content/fig4_1_OB.tif"/>
