Stump grinding in Fareham

Poplar and willow on low-lying ground

Around Wallington and the creek, poplar and willow are common, and they behave differently from most garden trees once they're cut down. The Royal Horticultural Society notes that poplars, cherries and plums sucker freely, that suckers can appear after roots are damaged, and that trees on ground with a high water table tend to root nearer the surface. So after grinding, a few shoots may come up from roots further out. The RHS advice is to tear them off close to the root rather than cut them, which makes them less likely to come back.

Newer estates: check the paperwork first

On the newer estates, trees were often planted as part of the development. Fareham Borough Council points out that trees can be protected by conditions on a planning permission, and that restrictive covenants in property deeds can limit tree work too. If the tree has already gone, those same documents may say something about replacing it, so it's worth a look before the stump is ground and the space redesigned.

Titchfield and other conservation areas

Titchfield village is a conservation area, and Fareham Borough Council asks for six weeks' written notice before work to trees in conservation areas. The council's map of protected trees shows TPOs and conservation areas by address. Grinding a stump that is left after approved work is normally straightforward, but check whether the approval came with a replacement-planting condition.

Grinding or digging out

Grinding cuts the stump away below the surface and leaves the ground around it largely intact, which suits lawns and borders. Digging out takes the stump and main roots too and is sometimes the better option before a new wall, path or extension. We'll recommend one or the other when we see the stump and hear what the space is for.

What we'll ask about a Fareham stump

• What kind of tree it was, if you know (poplar, willow, cherry, conifer)
• Whether shoots are already coming up around it
• A photo with something next to it for scale
• How we get to it, and the narrowest gap on the way
• Whether the house is on a newer estate with planning conditions