Pro Landscaper August 2018

Concept to Delivery

August 2018

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

Let’s Hear it From

Survival of the fittest

TOUGH PLANTS

MAURICE MURPHY WHITING LANDSCAPE

OUTDOOR

LIGHTING

trends Rainwater

HARVESTING

Courtyard CHARLOTTE ROWE GARDEN DESIGN

FINAL COVER.indd 1

chic 19/07/2018 16:52

Creative garden lighting

the professionals’ choice Online availability Next day delivery Trade discounts

Photo credit: Paul Newman Landscapes

LFG121 Elipta PLS AUG18 Ad_210x265_V1.indd 1 Advert template.indd 1

29/06/2018 11:16 14:35 17/07/2018

WELCOME

Concept to Delivery DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

August 2018 | Volume 8, Issue 8

August 2018

Let’s Hear it From

Survival of the fittest

MAURICE MURPHY

TOUGH PLANTS

WHITING LANDSCAPE

Welcome to August 2018 Welcome to the August issue of Pro Landscaper. professionalism and standard of the landscape We know that speaking about the weather is a design and construction sector. See our pictorial cliché, but how can we not acknowledge the coverage on pages 14–15 and our congratulations fact that we’re actually having a summer this to all the medal and special award winners, we’re year? Even if it all ends now it’s been a great few extremely proud of you! months, which has no We were delighted doubt resulted in full to be at Adam White’s ongoing order books President’s Reception and massive use of our at the Garden Museum public open spaces a few weeks ago, in his – there’s no better new role at the Landscape advertisement for their Institute he’s going to be benefits than this. instrumental in bringing Well done to landscape architecture everyone who took part closer to the garden in RHS Hampton Court design and landscape Palace Flower Show construction sectors of our Lisa and Jim at The Style & Design Garden at last month, personally it industry, of that we’re sure.

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show was our most favourite Adam has been a regular of all the years we have visited. There is some columnist in Pro Landscaper for some years and top-class work being done by those in our we’re grateful for his regular insight into landscape industry, and with Hampton Court being the architecture. biggest flower show in the UK and indeed the We don’t say it often enough, but our thanks world, it’s the perfect stage for promoting the go to all our regular contributors, many of whom

Eljays44 Ltd 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA Tel: 01903 777 570 EDITORIAL Editorial Director – Lisa Wilkinson lisa.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 579

ADVERTISING Business Development Manager – Jamie Wilkinson jamie.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 588 Deputy Sales Manager – Jessica McCabe jessica.mccabe@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 587

Features Editor – Abbie Dawson abbie.dawson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 604

Horticulture Careers – Laura Harris laura.harris@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 580

Content Manager – Claire Maher claire.maher@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 601

Managing Director – Jim Wilkinson jim.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 589

Content Manager – Rachael Forsyth rachael.foryth@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 578

MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Tel: 01903 777 570

Editorial Assistant – Amy Fitz-Hugh amy.fitz-hugh@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 583

Subscription enquiries – Chris Anderson chris.anderson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 570

Subeditor – Kia Wilson kia.wilson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 597

Design – Kara Thomas, Kirsty Turek

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Leader.indd 3

OUTDOOR LIGHTING

trends Rainwater

HARVESTING

Courtyard CHARLOTTE ROW E GARDEN DESIGN

chic

have been with us from day one. We appreciate that it wouldn’t be half the magazine it is without your expertise, knowledge and sometimes humour!

So, with the UK show season almost over for another year, we can turn to other important opportunities to celebrate the fabulous work being done in our sector. Pro Landscaper’s small project, BIG IMPACT awards closed for entries at the end of July, and we’re now sifting through all the applications before handover to the judges this month. The winning announcement will be made at FutureScape in November, which is creeping up fast already.

We hope everyone manages to take a holiday this summer, just remember to take Pro Landscaper with you to keep you entertained!

@jimeljays

Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, Gwent, UK Published by ©Eljays44 Ltd – Connecting Horticulture Pro Landscaper’s content is available for licensing overseas. Contact jamie.wilkinson@ eljays44.com Pro Landscaper is published 12 times per year by Eljays44 Ltd. The 2018 subscription price is £95.

Subscription records are maintained at Eljays44 Ltd, 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA, UK. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Eljays44 Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts.

Whilst every effort has been made to maintain the integrity of our advertisers, we accept no responsibility for any problem, complaints, or subsequent litigation arising from readers’ responses to advertisements in the magazine. We also wish to emphasise that views expressed by editorial contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Reproduction of any part of this magazine is strictly forbidden.

Cover image ©Charlotte Rowe Garden Design

@lisaeljays

Pro Landscaper is proud to be an affiliate member of BALI

The Association of

Professional Landscapers

Pro Landscaper is proud to be an associate member of The APL

MANAGEMENT Managing Director Jim Wilkinson Director Lisa Wilkinson Business Development Manager Jamie Wilkinson

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

3

19/07/2018 16:30

CONTENTS

August 2018

INFORM

8

Agenda Improvements at RHS Chelsea?

10

64

News Our monthly roundup of industry news

14

RHS Hampton Court Palace 2018 coverage

17

Association News The latest from plants@work, RHS SGD, BALI, APL and Parks Alliance

20

30 Under 30 Noticeboard Updates from previous winners

22

Concept to Delivery

August 2018

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

Let’s Hear it From

Survival of the fittest

TOUGH PLANTS

MAURICE MURPHY WHITING LANDSCAPE

OUTDOOR

Futurescape Interview

LIGHTING

trends

Jim Wilkinson

25

Let’s Hear It From Whiting Landscape

28

Company Profile Bowles & Wyer

30

View From The Top Tim Howell, Mitie Landscapes

35

Burning Bridges Angus Lindsay

36

Courtyard CHARLOTTE ROWE GARDEN DESIGN

Landscape Architect’s Journal Lavigne Lonsdale

32

Rainwater

HARVESTING

Any Questions?

chic

INSPIRE

47

Charlotte Rowe Garden Design

50

#ChooseLandscape Adam White

41

Up From The Ashes Phil Mason

4

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Contents so far.indd 4

Majestic Flair Frogheath Landscapes

54

Active Spaces The London Borough of Hounslow

Andrew Wilson

39

Courtyard Chic

58

Bang On Trend

63

Latest products

64

Life/Style Debs Winrow

Resin Bond and Bound Four impressive projects

67

Outdoor Lighting Trends John Cullen Lighting

68

Lighting Focus Best selling products

Anji Connell

60

Hardwood Decking

70

Love Horticulture Wayne Grills of BALI www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 16:26

CONTENTS

58

103 EDUCATE

95 Pro Landscaper Business Awards: Winner Profile JPS Landscape Design

97 Rainwater Harvesting Sean Butler

30

98 Layers Of Light Robert Webber

100 Surviving Extremes Jeff Stephenson

NURTURE

75

Nurture News

103 Edging 85

Jamie Butterworth

An insight into the UK’s growing sector

76

Designer Plants

88

Staying Power Andy McIndoe

81

Natural Beauty Ian Drummond

82

Orange Alert Jackie Herald

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Contents so far.indd 5

Floral Turfs Eye-catching meadow cover

Alexandra Noble

78

From Russia With Love

90

Nursery Visit English Woodlands

Finishing touches

105 Battery Powered Equipment: STIHL

Exploring the benefits

108 Remote & Robot Mowers Our top picks

110 Look Out For Lilly Gomm

114 Little Interview Quick-fire questions with the individuals who make up our industry Pro Landscaper / August 2018

5

19/07/2018 16:26

Luxigraze provides a choice of luxury artificial grass products designed for beautiful, all year round, low maintenance gardens.

Luxigraze: Comes in a variety of specifications Creates a safe outdoor environment for all the family Is supplied in 2m and 4m widths and up to 25m lengths Can be cut to size (to the nearest metre) to suit the specific needs of individual projects

Luxigraze comes with its own range of installation and maintenance accessories

Is manufactured in Europe to the highest standards, providing a 10 year UV guarantee

20 Premium - 20mm

30 Premium - 30mm

30 Luxury - 30mm

32 Luxury - 32mm

27 Super Luxury - 27mm

For samples, brochures, local stockists and further information simply call or email us:

0330 333 8030 Visit www.luxigraze.co.uk or email enquiries@luxigraze.co.uk Advert template.indd 2

17/07/2018 11:17

INFORM

SPOTLIGHT ON

CONTRIBUTORS

Tim Howell

Jackie Herald

Sean Butler

Andy McIndoe

Managing director, Mitie Landscapes Ltd

Founder, The Extra Room

Director, Cube 1994

Leading horticulturist

With a run of positive media coverage in recent months, horticulture seems to be at the very forefront of public consciousness – yet there is still a number of unfilled vacancies across the UK. Tim Howell explores why young people often struggle to see horticulture as a long-term career choice, explains Mitie’s ‘back to the floor’ initiative, and how best to attract people into the industry, and keep them there.

Jackie Herald reveals some of her favourite ways to add a spritz of orange into each season’s planting scheme. From the zesty emerging leaves of Spiraea japonica in spring, to coppery poppies in the summer, right on through to a plethora of dazzling autumn foliage colours, and finishing with festive amber berries to brighten up the long winter days.

After the hottest summer for 20 years, Sean Butler recommends the installation of an eco-friendly rainwater harvesting unit. Sean delves into some of the options available and the numerous modifications which can be made to suit the different needs of a project – from above and below ground tanks, to grey water recycling and fully automated irrigation systems.

As the early display of flowers begins to fade, shrubs come into their own and contribute to the enduring colour and interest of a late summer garden. Andy shares some of his top choices for foliage with lasting colour – some of which even have the benefit of flowers – as well as advice on where and how to display them when planting.

www.mitielandscapes.com @TimwHowell

www.extra-room.com @Jackieherald

www.cube1994.com @cube1994

www.andymcindoe.com @AndyMcIndoe

Other contributors Angus Lindsay Head of fleet, idverde

Robert Webber Founder, Scenic Lighting

Andrew Wilson Garden designer and lecturer

Ian Drummond Creative director, Indoor Garden Design

Jeff Stephenson Head of horticulture and aftercare, Bowles & Wyer

Adam White Director, Davies White Ltd

Jamie Butterworth Horticultural consultant, London Stone

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Contributors.indd 7

INSPIRE

Anji Connell Interior architect and landscape designer

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

7

18/07/2018 11:06

INFORM

AGENDA WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED AT THE RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW?

We ask the industry how world class flower show RHS Chelsea could be enhanced even further

Robert Barker Director, Robert Barker Garden & Landscape Design

I think it’s amazing that the RHS is trying to encourage visitors to Chelsea to be able to take ideas from the gardens home with them. This is obviously critical for our industry, but I would like to see more room for gardens that are simply there to inspire. I would like to see an element of the show to be more like how we view clothes at a fashion show. Fashion designers for the London Fashion Week aren’t showcasing clothes to be worn on the high street, they have been created to amaze, inspire and excite. This industry is full of incredible craftsman so can’t there be room at Chelsea to also showcase gardens that are so spectacular, something that visitors can’t have in their gardens but still experience with wonder?

Art inspires the soul and that is what people should be taking away with them, instead of focusing on the colour of a medal.

8

Agenda.indd 8

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Rae Wilkinson

David Dodd

Designer & director, Rae Wilkinson Garden and Landscape Design

Managing director, The Outdoor Room

Chelsea Flower Show is a highlight of the horticultural year, renowned for hosting the crème de la crème of the industry’s best displays. While this holds an important place for the public and the industry alike, I feel that recently the attainment of the Chelsea standard on show gardens has perhaps stifled some of the bolder, more creative ideas out there. Sponsorship brand requirements may have a hand in this, and I know that fear of the judging criteria also plays a part. I would love to see some more of the exciting new gardens which challenge our notions of conventionality in the coming years. The new unjudged garden spaces appearing in the show are perhaps the best arena for this, and I applaud the presence of these. The other thing I would like to see at the show on a practical note is a permanent drinking water tap, not just for the show but also for the build, as well as specific plastic recycling bins throughout the site.

I felt Chelsea was very strong this year with some excellent design and craftsmanship on show. To make it a completely fair competition, the RHS need to stop allowing some exhibitors in a few days early under the guise they have a particularly ‘complex’ build. If this is the case, they should be made to scale back their design so it can be built in the allocated time as is given to everyone else. There are some good moves in the right direction regarding more recognition for the contractors with the best construction award. It could go further by having the contractor name checked along with the designer, but the RHS need to persuade the BBC to engage more with this and I’m not sure how much of an appetite they have for changing the status quo. My final concern is the new breed ‘next generation’ of contractors coming through with non-existent horticulture knowledge. A good landscape contractor should know their plants as well as construction.

This is what separates us from being a builder! www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/07/2018 09:23

Ed Burnham

Andrew Wilson

Director, Burnham Landscaping

Director of garden design studies, London College of Garden Design

After such an incredible debut at Chelsea this year for our company, there is little that we could find fault with. Mainly because it was a great atmosphere to build in and the weather was great, and because the show team produced a fantastic show. As someone who loves his industry and all the amazing work that takes place within it, I am always keen to sell what we do in the best way possible and I do feel the coverage of the show on the BBC could be given a fresh image. I must tip my hat to Adam Frost who brought some enthusiasm to the event. We need to seriously look at how we package and sell our industry – too many think it’s ‘elitist’ and inaccessible to the masses, but the people creating some of the most interesting stands and gardens are those with the smallest budgets. We all chase those big projects with the healthier budgets, but surely if we want to get people excited about their outside space, we need to sell to everybody.

I still love the buzz of the Chelsea Flower Show, although for many that buzz has reduced in intensity over the last few years with lower than normal numbers of show gardens. My main concern is the reduction in sponsors. While it is true that there is uncertainty in the business sector after the Brexit outcome, there is also a wider issue for the financial sector, especially in terms of the curbs on corporate hospitality. If this is the way things will be in future, then consideration should be given to a re-design of the showground, and a re-think of the types and sizes of garden that can be delivered. Keep the larger formats at least in terms of area, but there’s room for smaller spaces, planting ideas, water and artistic collaborations.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Agenda.indd 9

NEXT MONTH

©Prettyawesome/Shutterstock.com

©Electric Egg/Shutterstock.com

INFORM

As an industry, what could we be doing to reduce waste, particularly plastics?

Have your say: editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk Pro Landscaper / August 2018

9

19/07/2018 15:56

INFORM

NEWS Management buy out of Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd Ken White (MD) is delighted to announce that James and Jeremy Frost have facilitated and supported the management buy out of Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd effective from the 1 August 2018. After nearly 60 years, the Frost family, based in Woburn Sands, have decided to relinquish ownership of the company to the existing management team, so that the family can focus all its attention on the four garden centres.

The buy out team consisting of Ken, David Perry and Adrian Meeker, is extremely optimistic about the future prospect of the company. During recent years there have been many highs working on prestigious projects such as Merchant Square, Vauxhall Sky Gardens, and the enchanting Magic Garden. Sadly, there is an inevitability about the lows working in the construction industry, requiring an element of restructuring and strategic adaptation ahead of the buy out.

News.indd 10

These changes will result in a leaner, more flexible and responsive organisation going forward.

The Company says: “We will continue to trade as Frosts Landscape Construction Ltd in the short term. A name which is synonymous with quality. We will continue to build on the original core values and high standards implemented by the Frost family.

“These are exciting times and we are extremely positive to be starting our new year with the backing and support of our supply chain and look forward to working with them to deliver landscape construction projects of the highest standard in the future” www.frostslandscapes.co.uk

National Lottery awards the RHS £4m for transformational gardening project

The RHS is to receive £4m from the National Lottery towards a five-year project that includes developing the world’s first National Centre for Horticultural Science and Learning, at its flagship RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey.

In 2020, the new Centre will open to the public and contain state-of-the-art research facilities and will enable the RHS to conserve and showcase more than one million nationally important science and heritage items. Among the items will be a Chilean potato plant brought back by Charles Darwin in 1834, and lavender collected in France in 1731.

More than 86,000 herbarium specimens, 24,000 insect specimens, 30,000 pieces of botanical art, 250,000 photographs and 100,000 books will move to the new centre and many shared online with millions of people.

Three new gardens covering almost three acres created by RHS Chelsea Flower Show gold-

medal winning garden designers working alongside RHS scientists will surround it, acting as ‘living laboratories’; the Wildlife Garden, World Food Garden and Wellbeing Garden.

In addition, RHS Garden Wisley’s Grade II-listed Laboratory will be restored and opened to the public in 2021 with interactive learning areas that will bring to life a century-long history of research.

The funding will enable RHS Garden Wisley’s special heritage – its buildings, gardens, collections and its stories of horticultural science and experimentation – to be protected for the future and shared with everyone. www.rhs.org.uk

19/07/2018 15:08

INFORM

In March an international design competition was launched by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and the NHS to find the best creative and inspiring ideas to help shape the landscape of what will be the first new Garden City of the 21st Century, and the largest of 10 Healthy New Towns being developed in the UK. On 2 July, the shortlist of the winning ideas was announced at the Housing Design Awards 2018.

Managed by The Landscape Institute, the competition is in two stages. The first stage invited entries from landscape professionals, or teams including landscape professionals,

Shortlist for Garden City of the 21st Century Competition

with multidisciplinary teams incorporating artists and engineers particularly encouraged.

Entries needed to address the shape of the whole city, rather than just focus on one site, with the judges looking beyond Ebbsfleet at the wider health of the nation with the ideas submitted. The panel of ten judges selected five finalists to

NEWS IN BRIEF Best Show Garden at Gardening Scotland 2018

go forward to the second stage of this innovative competition and these are: The Chalk Walk; The Ebbsfleet Sublime; Everyday Adventure; H.A.L.O and Swanscombe Gorge Park.

The five shortlisted companies have now received a second stage brief and will have the task of developing designs for one of the lakes within the city.

The winner will be announced at the LI Annual Conference on 6 September 2018. www.landscapeinstitute.org

The Garden Retreat: A place for living show garden designed

by Lynn Hill Garden Design and created by CED Stone Group took the award for Best Show Garden at Gardening Scotland 2018 at the end of June. The garden showed how an outdoor space can be an extension of the home. www.gardeningscotland.com

Chris Beardshaw appointed as first national ‘Bee Resistant’ ambassador

Chris Beardshaw has taken on a new role as the inaugural ambassador for ‘Bee Resistant 2018’; a national campaign, which partners with the Anaphylaxis Campaign. beeresistant.com

Medal winning show garden relocates to The Royal Porcelain Works Having won a Silver-Gilt Medal for her Show Garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2018, garden designer Olivia Kirk has completed the relocation of the hundreds of plants, trees and shrubs from the garden into the Court Yard Garden at the redeveloped Royal Porcelain Works in Worcester.

The Royal Porcelain Works officially opens on 30 June to provide a vibrant new centre for the performing arts and modern craftsmanship. The central Court

Yard Garden, which Olivia also designed, links a new artisan cafe/ deli ‘The Nest, Worcester’, with the existing Museum of Royal Worcester and the adjacent Royal Porcelain Works.

To ensure the year-round beauty of the new Court Yard Garden, Olivia has added to the original planting scheme. The large central raised planter in the Court Yard was designed by Olivia to accommodate a mature crab apple tree, creating a feeling of privacy

within the courtyard and screening out the views of flats and car parking beyond the boundary.

Seasonal colour is dotted throughout the evergreen structure. Olivia has also added mid and late summer interest into the scheme, as well as herbs and edible flowers for the chefs to use. www.oliviakirkgardens.com

SANDOWN PARK RACECOURSE, ESHER, SURRY, KT10 9AJ

Murray Landscapes rated top of hub South West’s building for growth awards The Motherwell-based landscape company has been rated top participating company on a number of business attributes, including leadership, marketing, strategic planning, pitching for business and business analysis. hubsouthwestscotland.co.uk

20 NOVEMBER 2018

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN | WWW.FUTURESCAPEEVENT.COM News.indd 11

19/07/2018 15:09

INFORM

New showroom and consultation space introduced at Miles Stone

Miles Stone has introduced a brand new space where projects can be discussed with landscapers and their stone products can be shown.

In 2018, Miles Stone underwent a huge transformation at their flagship store in Eastleigh.

In addition to their outdoor display garden, the design team

New green space unveiled in the Square Mile Seething Lane Garden in the heart of the Square Mile and close to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London has reopened. It was closed at the end of 2012 to facilitate the redevelopment of the Grade II* listed 10 Trinity Square by property development company, Reignwood Group.

The garden is managed as part of the City of London Corporation’s City Gardens network which also includes churchyards, parks, plazas and highway planting across the Square Mile.

has created an indoor space for landscapers to come and discuss their project ideas with their knowledgeable sales department.

Miles Stone supply materials that will fulfill the specific requirements of client projects, showcasing a comprehensive range of samples, such as their porcelain paving and the Millboard decking range.

Landscapers can send clients to the showroom to liaise with the Miles Stone team and ensure the projects run smoothly from start to finish. www.milesstone.co.uk

New features of the garden include a formal lawn area, as well 14 new trees. A former service road running between the garden and 10 Trinity Square was closed, resulting in a net increase in the area of the garden by 20%. Rainwater harvested from the roof of 10 Trinity Square will be used to irrigate the garden.

The garden has a long association with the 17th century diarist, Samuel Pepys, who lived and worked in the Navy Office which once stood on the site. It is marked by a Blue Plaque and a bust of Pepys by late British sculptor Karin Jonzen, which stood in the former garden and has been relocated as a centrepiece of the new garden. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk www.reignwood.com

NEW ON THE

website www.prolandscapermagazine.com The incredible story of Children with Cancer UK at Hampton Court

Designer Emma Reed and contractor Chris Wellbelove talk about their work on The Children with Cancer UK garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, while chief executive Dhivya O’Connor discuss the charity’s work.

A designer’s guide to lighting outdoor social areas We talk to Sian Parsons, senior designer at John Cullen Lighting, to discover the intricacies of lighting outdoor social areas and offers some illuminating tips on how it is best executed.

Upcycling: Plughole Planters

Morgan Griffin managing director of Plughole Planters explains the innovative ways they upcycle disused bathtubs and sinks, transforming them into planters, drinks chillers and ponds.

Is enough being done to promote landscaping as a career in schools?

Pro Landscaper speaks with Alana Cama, skills development manager at the RHS, about how the industry is being promoted as a career option.

New Stihl Backpack Batteries put to the test by Conquest Creative Spaces Conquest Creative Spaces give their verdict on Stihl’s latest backpack batteries and kit, testing the AR 2000 and the AR 3000 backpack batteries.

10-12 September 2018, NEC Birmingham The UK’s leading garden and outdoor living tradeshow.

Build on your stores offerings this September with Glee’s dedicated landscaping and garden decorations sector.

Register for your free ticket today at gleebirmingham.com SS002721 GLEE PRO LANDSCAPER AD 186X55 AW.indd 1 News.indd 12

04/07/2018 10:26 19/07/2018 15:13

NEW FORD S C R A P PA G E S C H E M E

Scrap it, s ave it.

Yo u c a n e n j o y £ 2 ,0 0 0 * o f f a s h i n y n e w F o r d C o m m e r c i a l Ve h i c l e w h e n y o u s c r a p a n y e l i g i b l e o l d v e h i c l e w i t h u s r e s p o n s i b l y.

TOGETHER WE GO FURTHER

*£2,000 Scrappage Saving (excl. VAT) available off the Recommended Retail Price of selected New Ford Commercial Vehicles. You must contract your New Ford by 30th September 2018 (the “Contract Date”) and register by 31st March 2019. You must also trade in a scrappage vehicle that was registered at the DVLA before January 1st 2012. You must have owned the scrappage vehicle for at least 90 days before your Contract Date.

Scrappage Saving not available with any other Ford promotion. Retail customers only (excl. Privilege and Ambassador). At participating Ford dealers.

See ford.co.uk/scrappage for more information.

Advert template.indd 3

17/07/2018 11:19

INFORM

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2018

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, held from the 3–8 July, was yet again a great success and this year saw glorious weather. Featuring a wide variety of gardens and floral exhibits, a total of 154 medals were awarded

B&Q’s Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden Designer Matthew Childs Contractor Living Landscapes Sponsor B&Q

©RHS/Neil Hepworth

A highlight at this year’s show was Countryfile’s 30th Anniversary Garden designed by Ann-Marie Powell and built

by Sandstone. The tiered landscape represented different areas of the British Isles, and attracted many visitors and widespread TV coverage. We’re also very proud that our group of 30 Under 30: The Next Generation designers and contractors all produced some top-class work. Another huge congratulations goes to Matthew Childs for his B&Q’s Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden which won best show garden with Living Landscapes achieving best construction award for the same garden.

Rhiannon Williams and Lisa Wilkinson

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

RHS Hampton Court.indd 14

©RHS/Joanna Kossak

The South West Water Green Garden Designer Tom Simpson Contractor Rosebank Landscaping Sponsor South West Water

Breckland Beauty Designer Jody Lidgard, Nick Fryer and Tim Lidgard Contractor Bespoke Outdoor Spaces and Nicholas Edwards Gardens 14

The Style and Design Garden Designer Ula Maria Contractor The Landscaping Consultants

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/07/2018 10:44

INFORM

BBC Countryfile 30th Anniversary Garden Designer Ann-Marie Powell Contractor Sandstone Design

Rías De Galicia: A Garden at The End of The Earth Designer Rose McMonigall Contractor Bowood Landscapes Ltd Sponsor Turismo De Galicia

This year’s winners: The Health and Wellbeing Garden Designer Alexandra Noble Contractor Burnham Landscaping

Best Show Garden – B&Q’s Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden Best Construction Award – B&Q’s Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden Best World Garden – Santa Rita Livin La Vida 120 Garden Best Gardens for a Changing World/Conceptual Garden – Conscious Consumerism Best Lifestyle Garden – The Style and Design Garden People’s Choice Award, Best Show and World Garden – The RNIB Community Garden People’s Choice Award, Best Lifestyle/Conceptual and Garden for Changing a world – The Health & Wellbeing Garden Gold Medal Winners • B&Q’s Bursting Busy Lizzie Garden • Best of Both Worlds • Breckland Beauty • The Landform Garden Bar • The South West Water Green Garden • Santa Rita Livin La Vida 120 Garden • Conscious Consumerism

The BALI GoLandscape Garden Designer Rosemary Coldstream Contractor The Outdoor Room and The Landscaping Consultants.

Built by trainees and students of BALI GoLandscape scheme www.prolandscapermagazine.com

RHS Hampton Court.indd 15

The Charleston & South Carolina Garden • A Very Modern Problem • Apeiron: The Dibond Garden • The Family Garden • The Style and Design Garden Silver Medal Winners • Anton Chekhov’s Garden • Brilliance in Bloom • Secured by Design Garden • Southend Young Offenders’ A Place to Think • The Children with Cancer UK: Mr. Happy, Mr. Worry Hill • The Limbcare Garden • The RNIB Community Garden • The Viking Cruises Nordic Lifestyle Garden • Rías de Galicia: A Garden at The End of The Earth • The Health and Wellbeing Garden • The Entertaining Garden Bronze Medal Winners • The South Oxfordshire Landscape Garden • Great Gardens of the USA: The Oregon Garden

Silver-Gilt Medal Winners • Elements Mystique Garden • Great Gardens of the USA: Pro Landscaper / August 2018 15

20/07/2018 10:45

30u30 FULLPG last call PL.pdf

1

11/07/2018

15:03

Are you under 30 and deserve industry recognition?

(Or know someone who does?)

If so, then this is your

LAST CHANCE to enter

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: 1 SEPTEMBER 2018 Head to www.prolandscapermagazine.com/30u30 to find out more

Let’s recognise the UK’s leading young landscaping professionals The rules are simple: You must have been aged 30 or under on 1 January 2018 and must currently work within the horticulture sector. You can nominate yourself or a colleague and the competition is free to enter. Head to our website www.prolandscapermagazine.com/30u30 to find details on how to apply. Applications will close 1 September 2018, before being passed on for judging. Shortlisters will be contacted if they have been successful and will feature in the November issues of all supporting magazines.

Advert template.indd 48

19/07/2018 15:54

ASSOCIATION

INFORM

NEWS

SGD bulletin Join the SGD Suppliers’ Directory The SGD’s online Suppliers Directory has grown from strength to strength since its launch. The concept allows suppliers and related service providers to engage with the SGD’s professional garden designers by viewing profiles and product offerings and facilitating direct communication between both parties.

Harrod Horticultural Pergola

The Directory is now an indispensable resource for garden designers looking for products and services suited to their needs.

More than 100 suppliers to the garden design industry

have already signed up to be part of this new service, including David Harber and Harrod Horticultural, with providers choosing to have one or multiple category entries.

Listing everything from plant nurseries and landscapers to colleges and surveyors, the directory is a comprehensive service for the garden design industry.

If you wish to be included in the SGD Suppliers’ Directory, please contact the SGD office directly on 0115 9683188 or email info@sgd.org.uk. www.sgd.org.uk

David Harber water feature

the show. With the introduction of the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Young Landscapers Award this year, it was a great way to showcase young talent, and give them the chance to build some of their first solo show gardens.

Jacob Botting and Laurence Senior (Bespoke Outdoor Spaces) won the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Young Landscapers Award, with Ryan Bell and Daniel McGeoghegan (Plants and Paving Company) also putting in a huge amount of effort and pride into the gardens they built from concept drawings supplied by Diarmuid Gavin.

Conquest Creative Spaces won the Visitor Vote Award, voted for by the public over the duration of the show.

Keyscape Gardens were voted the exhibitors favourite and took home the Golden Shovette. This is voted for by others who have built gardens at the show.

If you want to find out more about the awards and APL Avenue go to www.landscaper.org.uk/ newsandadvice/showgardens-on-apl-avenue-atbbc-gardeners.html. www.landscaper.org.uk

APL update Success at RHS Hampton Court APL members scooped up the medals at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, which took place from

The APL meeting garden at RHS Hampton Court Flower Show

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Association News.indd 17

3–8 July. Huge congratulations to all those who built and were involved in the gardens at the show. Read more about the APL members success at www.hta.org.uk/ hampton2018.

Show Gardens at BBC Gardeners’ World Live display amazing industry talent!

The five gardens built on APL Avenue at BBC Gardeners’ World Live this year (14–17 June) once again impressed our judges and the public alike, with comments flooding in to say how it is the highlight of

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 17

17/07/2018 09:31

INFORM

plants@work outline New chair and deputy plants@work elected a new committee, including our first ever female Chair, at the AGM at the end of June. Madeleine Evans of Tivoli Services (formerly ISS Landscaping) was unanimously voted in as Chair and Gary Collinson of Junction 53, and formerly of Botanical Group Services, was appointed as Deputy Chair. To support them, a new committee was also elected, including three long-standing members who are all plants@work ambassadors: Ian Drummond, Kenneth Freeman, and new ambassador Chris Jenkin.

Favourite Office Plant At the end of June our judges deliberated over which plant should receive the title of

Favourite Office Plant 2018.

From a shortlist of three, the judges’ vote went to Monstera deliciosa by 5:3. Thank you to Jim and Lisa Wilkinson and the team at Pro Landscaper

for your votes. It seems that Monstera has popped up everywhere this year, appearing in decor and fashion alike. So with Monstera-inspired designs currently gracing the pages of most glossy magazines, it’s perfectly on-trend… with a little retro nod to past decades.

National Plants at Work Week The Monstera also featured in National Plants at Work Week which took place in early July. We’ll have more to tell you about this in next month’s issue, but expect to see a pop-up office with a difference, numerous tweets about what our members are doing, as well as various case studies of some of the award-

winning installations featured on our website.

Book launch Our second book, Plants for Wellbeing, launched during National Plants at Work Week covers 30 years of research into the many benefits that plants provide, as well as several guest interviews and articles. www.plantsatwork.org.uk

RHS report of these plants in the garden. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley

be on site, including the Lake View pop-up restaurant. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/ hyde-hall RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show, Surrey, 1–5 August A flower-filled day out with quality plants from dozens of specialist nurseries, expert advice from the RHS Hub and demonstrations throughout the show.

Join award-winning floral designer Jonathan Moseley on the British Floral Bus to learn all about gorgeous seasonal British flowers.

Food and drink outlets will

18

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Association News.indd 18

RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show, Torrington, 17–19 August Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the show returns with more thn 35 specialist nurseries supplying hard to find plants from across the South West. There will be talks from expert nurseries, as well as Rosemoor staff and RHS advisors. Take a walk along the new floral display trail, then soak up the atmosphere whilst enjoying a

Rosemoor Flower Show

range of tasty seasonal food and drink. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/ rosemoor Carnivorous Plant Show at RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey, 18–19 August Discover carnivorous plants from all around the world, including native British species, with fascinating displays, expert advice and talks on planting care and use

Surrey Sculpture Society Trail at RHS Garden Wisley, 18 August–23 September A trail of contemporary and traditional sculpture featuring work from some of the South East’s finest established and emerging artists set against the beautiful backdrop of Wisley Garden to round off summer. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley www.rhs.org.uk

Surrey Sculpture Society

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/07/2018 09:33

INFORM

BALI briefing

Gold for GoLandscape on show garden of two halves BALI GoLandscape’s ‘Best of Both Worlds’ show garden scooped a Gold medal at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2018. Designed

by BALI Registered Designer Rosemary Coldstream MBALI MSGD, the garden was built by a team of 23 students and apprentices from colleges and landscaping companies across the South of England in support of GoLandscape, a national careers initiative developed and delivered by

Best of Both Worlds show garden

BALI to attract more people into the industry. BALI would like to say a special thank you to GoLandscape Ambassadors Mark Britton, Jake Catling, Anna Butterfield, Stephen Ensell, Rosemary Coldstream and David Dodd for your help in mentoring the students during a tough three-week build.

campaign, which resulted in Registered Contractor Green & Gorgeous winning BALI’s top prize of a £1,000 holiday voucher, BALI is once again teaming up with digital marketing specialists Adtrak to promote its second trade campaign, this time aimed squarely at promoting the benefits of membership directly with landscape contractors. BALI is delighted to have secured money-off vouchers and top of the range Green & Gorgeous owner Paul Hermon presented with the £1,000 voucher by BALI PR Manager Denise Ewbank

Become a BALI member and win a landscaper prize bundle!

After BALI’s successful trade

landscaping machinery for one overall winner. For a chance to win, submit your membership enquiry at www.joinbaliandwin. co.uk quoting BALIPRIZE 601.

Terms apply. See website for details.

Tickets on sale now for BALI Awards 2018 Tickets are now available for this year’s prestigious BALI National Landscape Awards 2018. Looking to rub shoulders with over 1,000 industry peers and professionals? Then visit baliawards.co.uk to purchase your tickets. The awards will be held at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London on Friday 7 December 2018. www.bali.org.uk

Parks Alliance matters

The impact of big events As the hot dry summer threatens to set new records, there are still few better places to escape the city heat than your local park.

Parks are coming under increasing criticism for hosting large, exclusive and often long running events.

Sometimes large areas are fenced off for weeks.

The Guardian said in July: “by the end of the summer,

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Association News.indd 19

©David Fowler/Shutterstock.com

public parks will have hosted more than 100 events, many for the first time – a vast increase over the past decade”. It is

clear that the growth of these large commercially run events is a result of local authority budget cuts and an attempt to help ‘balance the books’. The Parks Alliance is extremely concerned about the impact of these events on park infrastructure

and the natural environment as it can take parks many months to recover. Waste, noise, traffic and anti-social behaviour can also be part of the ‘collateral damage’.

The Parks Alliance recognises the need, in the current climate, to develop blended finance models for parks. Together with our sector partners in the Government convened Parks Action Group, we are working to understand how this might be achieved without damaging parks and without excluding their local communities.

Natural England’s recently released Urban Greenspaces report brings together findings from Natural England’s annual

‘Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment’ (MENE) public survey and explores how people living in urban areas engage with the natural environment.

The report identifies that public parks, recreation grounds and other greenspaces are the most common natural places visited within towns and cities (an estimated 879m visits in 2015/16).

The report contains evidence which provides a compelling argument for investing in parks for the future health and wellbeing of our communities. www.theparksalliance.org

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 19

17/07/2018 09:34

INFORM

30 UNDER 30

noticeboard

ACHIEVEMENTS

Lilly Gomm The Family Garden – Silver Gilt

Pro Landscaper gives huge congratulations to all 30 Under 30 medal winners at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show Rhiannon Williams The Landform Garden Bar – Gold

©RHS

RHS HAMPTON COURT PALACE FLOWER SHOW MEDALS

Alexandra Noble The Health and Wellbeing Garden – Silver and People’s Choice Award

©RHS

Jacob Catling The Style and Design Garden – Silver Gilt and Best Lifestyle Garden

WINNER People’s Choice – Best Lifestyle/ Conceptual/Gardens for a Changing World

WINNER Best Lifestyle Garden

ROSS CONQUEST

CHRIS CHIPPENDALE

Last month, Ross’s business, Conquest Creative Spaces, achieved the People’s Choice Award along with a Silver Merit Award for their APL Avenue garden at BBC Gardeners World Live, it was Ross’s debut garden as a designer, so a great result all round.

The Conquest Team was also involved in the build of Pollyanna Wilkinson’s ‘A Very Modern Problem’ garden, alongside Ed Burnham, at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Ross and the team built the Ekki Pergola Structure & Limestone paving with hand cut brass in-lays, the garden achieved a Silver Gilt medal.

Since becoming one of Pro Landscaper’s 30 under 30’s, Chris has successfully completed his masters course in landscape architecture at Writtle University College, and at the same time continued to develop with Ground Control, recently being promoted from graduate to landscape architect and now looking at his pathway to chartership.

The Ground Control design team is currently working on several interesting projects, including the design and build of the new children’s garden set within the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Chris will be playing a key role, working with RBG Kew and the ground control construction team, to lead the scheme through the developed and technical design stages, from concept to construction. Chris says: “This is one of the most challenging projects I have ever worked on and I am really looking forward to seeing its development and the reactions from children as they explore and discover the garden and its play features.”

Managing Director, Conquest Creative Spaces

20

©RHS/Tim Sandall

©RHS

©RHS

Anca Panait The Entertaining Garden – Silver

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

30 U 30 noticeboard.indd 20

Landscape Architect, Ground Control

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 15:15

Advert template.indd 4

17/07/2018 11:21

INFORM

WHAT’S NEW FOR 2018?

Pro Landscaper sits down with our very own managing director Jim Wilkinson, to discuss this year’s FutureScape event, taking place on Tuesday 20 November. Jim tells us what to expect and how FutureScape will grow in the future

What are you most looking forward to at this year’s FutureScape?

There is a lot I am looking forward to. This year we are re-branding part of FutureScape and moving the main entrance downstairs to allow the visitors to flow in better. We’ll be making the announcement of our ‘small project, BIG IMPACT’ award winners and 30 Under 30: The Next Generation is always really exciting. I love it all; meeting people, being in the environment and the atmosphere that it creates.

What’s new for this year’s FutureScape that you’ve not done before?

Ever since its launch in 2012, FutureScape has grown every year and 2018 is no exception. We will have 250 exhibitors and the evening ‘View from the Top’ event will now be rebranded as

‘The Pro Landscaper Summit’. View from The Top has grown substantially over the last 6 years; initially it was an invite only audience of 60 people, canapes and a debate, and last year we had 300 people for the debate and a full sit-down meal. We have decided to rebrand the evening event as the number of people has grown, and we feel like the new name is a much better definition of what the event is.

We are also going to rebrand the seminar programme to make it easier for visitors to be able to choose which ones they want to attend.

Packed seminars in 2017

22

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

FutureScape interview.indd 22

What seminars can people expect this year?

This year’s FutureScape will again see a complete array of seminars. We have split the programme into three different areas to make it easier for visitors to pick the right seminars for them – a business stream, an inspirational stream and a product stream. Educational seminars will also feature more heavily than in previous years. Inspirational seminars will have a dedicated theatre featuring talks on subjects such as plants and lighting. Business seminars will drill into people running their businesses, and particularly the use of social media. We will also see product specific seminars this year – there will be something for everyone.

Will there be any new speakers this year that we haven’t seen before?

With speakers, we like to feature those that everyone loves, along with new, up and coming people. There will be a mixture of familiar faces and new ones that we hope the audience will enjoy, as well as plenty of new ideas and concepts coming through. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

18/07/2018 14:14

small project

BIG IMPACT Why is FutureScape an event that everyone in the industry should attend?

We get a great deal of feedback on FutureScape and lots of people tell us it is a fantastic event.

We’ve been told that when they get their calendar at the beginning of the year, the first thing they do is put the FutureScape date in.

What makes it such a great event is that it’s one day when you can network with so many people, from suppliers and colleagues to people that you’ve worked with in the past and people that you may want to work with in the future, all in one place. The atmosphere is also buzzing – which means it is not only a great business event, but also a fun day out.

Main hall at FutureScape 2017

Paul Downer and Jim Wilkinson

This year at FutureScape you are announcing the ‘small project, BIG IMPACT’ award winners, can you tell us a bit about these awards?

The industry does a great job of celebrating large gardens, but we wanted an award that would recognise the achievement of the smaller ones. We believe these projects are at the core of our industry, so the ‘small project, BIG IMPACT’ awards are for companies that are building or designing gardens for under £20,000.

Since June, we have been running a campaign calling for entries in five different categories, all with a garden value under £20,000. We’ve already had some excellent entrants, and you can see that these people are the future generation ready to take the next step forward.

The shortlist will be announced in Pro Landscaper before FutureScape and the winners will be announced at the event. Throughout FutureScape we will have project boards with the shortlists and each of the categories on. We hope that these awards will create a lot of interest and bring new people to FutureScape.

30 Under 30: The Next Generation winners 2017

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

FutureScape interview.indd 23

30 Under 30: The Next Generation presentation

How are the winners picked?

Each of the categories has five judges, those judges are industry experts who specialise in that field such as David Dodd, Marian Boswall, Sean Butler and James Scott, plus many more.

Our judges will choose the winners, and they will then be announced at FutureScape.

How do you see FutureScape growing in the future?

Currently FutureScape is held at Sandown Park Racecourse and we are restricted by the size.

We can’t physically take any more space, therefore, the November event will carry on as it is and be the place that everyone goes. We are however, looking at growing the brand and exploring different ways in which FutureScape can evolve, watch this space!

The most important thing for us to do in the future is to continue to make it interesting, relevant to the visitors and always ensure there is something new to surprise people. The best shows and events are those where people consistently come back and feel like it is a new environment, and that they have learnt something. I believe that if we can do that, then we can continue to expand FutureScape within the current confines that we have.

The whole team loves seeing everyone there, it’s such a terrific environment, which has got an amazing feel. If you’ve been before, then welcome back, and if you haven’t been you’re really missing out, so make sure you attend in 2018, it really is just one day you can’t afford to miss!

For more information about FutureScape visit: www.futurescapeevent.com.

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 23

18/07/2018 14:15

RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2018

Great Gardens of the USA: The Oregon Garden Products: Gabbro Boulders Weathered Limestone Dust +44(0) 1708 867 237 enquiries@cedstone.co.uk www.cedstone.co.uk

Advert template.indd 5

@CEDNaturalStone @CED.Ltd.Natural.Stone @ced_stone_group

17/07/2018 11:23

INFORM

Let’s Hear it From

MAURICE MURPHY WHITING LANDSCAPE

Pro Landscaper met up with Maurice Murphy, owner of Whiting Landscape, to discuss the company, its relationships with clients, and the future of the business

W

hiting Landscape is based in an ideal location, just south of Birmingham in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and is set within well-maintained grounds, including a purpose-built nursery that holds up to 1,500 container-grown trees.

Maurice, who has been with the company since September 1977, has turned Whiting Landscape from a small, regional landscape business working only with local authorities, to a successful national landscaping company that works primarily in the private sector and offers a comprehensive range of services covering every aspect of landscape construction.

It all started 41 years ago, in September 1977; the company was then the landscaping www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Let's Hear it From Whiting Landscape.indd 25

arm of Paul Whiting Limited, a subsidiary of the Wilson Group based in Sutton Coldfield. Paul Whiting Ltd was a civil engineering contractor which mainly carried out groundworks, as well as taking on some landscaping projects. At that time the landscape division was very small, with Colin Spear managing the installation and Maurice preparing quotations and valuations as part of his role as quantity surveyor. Over the following seven years, the landscaping business gained its own identity, expanding to a staff of 15. During this time Paul Whiting Ltd left The Wilson Group, and Whiting Landscape became a separate subsidiary of the group, with Maurice and Colin heading it up.

The business’ initial work came from long-term contracts with local authorities,

mainly around the West Midlands area, and involved landscaping schemes and urban renewal developments.

The turning point “It was in 1984 that I really looked at our business model – we were relying on fixed-year contracts that could come and go, and landscaping was changing,” explains Maurice, “additional money was being invested, and landscape architects were becoming more involved. We changed our focus from local authorities towards the private sector and started working with large landscape architecture practices such as Derek Lovejoy Partnership, MacGregor Smith, BDP, Barry Chinn Associates and Gillespies to name a few.”

At this time, major business parks were being Pro Landscaper / August 2018 25

17/07/2018 09:00

INFORM

built outside of cities, along with the trend for out of town supermarkets, particularly Sainsbury’s and Tesco who had a major development programme to create new facilities. This was seen as a major opportunity for Whiting, and over the next 10 years the business model completely changed, becoming predominantly focused on commercial landscaping.

WE CHANGED OUR FOCUS FROM LOCAL AUTHORITIES TOWARDS THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND STARTED WORKING WITH LARGE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE PRACTICES The next chapter of the company’s development came in 1991, when Maurice and Colin led a management buyout from The Wilson Group. Three other managers – Wayne Bridges, Laurence Upcott and David Griffiths – took part in the MBO and until Easter this year all three were still actively involved in running the business. “We used a firm of accountants who helped us to raise external finance from private individuals,” Maurice tells us.

“We were interviewed by a few private investors – Joe Thomas, a metal basher from the West Midlands; the Hutchinson Group that had links to the McAlpine family; and Clive Hicks, a private individual who then became chairman of Whiting. All three made an investment in the MBO.”

26

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Let's Hear it From Whiting Landscape.indd 26

Cash is king From 1991 to 2001, the company spent its time working to generate value, in order to buy back the shares from external shareholders.

After 10 years Maurice, Colin and the other internal shareholders repaid all the external investors and became 100% owners of Whiting Landscape.

“Colin retired in 2013 and David at Easter this year, so now the company is privately owned by myself as the majority shareholder, along with the financial director Laurence Upcott and the operations director Wayne

Bridges,” says Maurice. “In 1984, the business was turning over £450k with 15 employees. In 2018 we are looking at a turnover of close to £16m, with around 120 employees.”

Clients and competition Whiting now works with a selection of clients – mainly International and UK based property companies, as well as liaising closely with landscape architects, on occasion employing them, to secure the planning consent and discharge landscape conditions to lead to successful development at competitive and pre-determined costs.

“Geographically, we tend to work north of the M25, up to Crewe,” Maurice explains. “A selection of the contracts we’re working on currently include the restoration of a historical garden for a hotel, the infrastructure for a new housing development which includes creating a new cricket pitch and ten play areas, and major landscape infrastructure works relating to new rail terminals that will connect to the West Coast Main Line once HS2 becomes operational. Our maintenance division is almost exclusively focused on the aftercare of landscape schemes that we have installed ourselves.”

Whiting Landscape tends to look for niche markets, where it can build in-depth relationships with property companies and landscape architects.

This means getting involved early on at the www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/07/2018 08:54

INFORM

feasibility stage of potential projects so that generally, by the time a project reaches site, they are heavily embedded within it.

“Looking back, one of the main reasons we changed our business focus away from the local authority sector was the pressure it was putting on margins, which resulted in less funds being available for reinvestment,” Maurice explains.

Whiting were among the first major landscape contractors to supply and plant semi-mature trees from the continent. “We sent several members of our workforce to Germany to be trained in lifting techniques and to understand the process of handling and loading these large trees. Being able to create instantly mature planting schemes changed the face of landscaping.”

Over the years, Whiting has been involved in joint ventures with Willerby Landscape. The two companies became preferred suppliers to Arlington working under a WLL Agreement and joined forces with Von Ehrens to secure the Bluewater development in Kent. “Working with Arlington on these projects was excellent – you had the client, designer, contractor and nursery all sitting down together to build a high-quality scheme,” Maurice tells us.

continue to work with our current client base, some of whom we have been working with for over 25 years, always ensuring we maintain our respected reputation with them”.

The company has satellite offices in Northampton and Cambridgeshire to house its maintenance teams. “All the operations team is based in Bromsgrove,” Maurice tells us. “We have six contract managers on the construction unit and four on the maintenance team. Of the

The future Going forward, Whiting Landscape is focused on working on projects that produce a fair return to enable continued investment in the company

and the people that work for the business.

Whiting has clear objectives, working within stringent and prudent financial practices while remaining very confident in its own abilities.

Growing steadfastly at a solid and continual rate, it is renowned as a profitable, well run, and respected company within the industry.

“What we do is a very good job within the pre-determined budgets agreed with our customers,” says Maurice. “We want to www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Let's Hear it From Whiting Landscape.indd 27

10 contract managers, nine were recruited into the business at a junior level and have worked their way up.”

Recently, Whiting’s commercial director David Griffiths and its buyer Mike Ganner both retired; between them they had more than 55 years’ experience of working for the company. “We now have four qualified quantity surveyors on board, and their training and experience allows us to tightly manage the contracts,” Maurice expands. “We have a great reputation for training, developing and retaining our team and also put great emphasis on bringing young people into the business – we give them a fantastic opportunity to grow and flourish and that is very satisfying.”

What’s the next phase for the company? “We have three shareholders: Wayne, Laurence and myself. I’m in my early sixties and they’re both in

their fifties,” Maurice tells us, “so we need to formulate a succession plan. We do have some very young and energetic people within the business, so future plans are currently a work in progress.”

“I’m sure that in the next five years our business will look quite different. I now spend less time at the office and because of the structure of the company I can enjoy life and travel more. Last year I went to New Zealand for over three weeks, which is the longest I have been away from the business since it started.”

“Also, because of the advances in technology, it doesn’t matter where I am – I can still keep very much involved and stay up to date.”

Outside of work, Maurice enjoys spending as much time as possible with his wife Deb and their four grown up children. The family are keen Aston Villa fans and season ticket holders which can make for a stressful life sometimes! His leisure activities also extend to cycling, playing golf, trying to win a bit on the horses and spending time in Portugal whenever possible.

1 Private residence 2 Blythe Valley Park, Solihull 3 Longbridge, Birmingham 4 Farnborough Business Park 5 Maurice at Whiting’s nursery 6 Birmingham Dental Hospital

CONTACT Whiting Landscape Limited, Wildmoor Lane, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B61 0RJ Tel: 01527 836292 Email: office@whitinglandscape.co.uk www.whitinglandscape.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 27

17/07/2018 08:58

INFORM

COMPANY

As Bowles & Wyer celebrates its 25th birthday, Pro Landscaper meets CEO John Wyer, to discover how the core values established years ago have remained at the forefront of the business

How was Bowles & Wyer founded?

Chris Bowles and I previously worked together at Clifton Nurseries, where I was leading the design and Chris the construction side of the business. We left in 1992 and set up Bowles & Wyer in 1993.

How does the business work?

The business comprises six key profit centres, which are all slightly different models – corporate design, private design, build, design and build, horticulture and aftercare, and special projects, which include RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens and a lot of roof gardens. I’d guess that we probably do more roof gardens in London than anyone else, we’ve done hundreds.

The build-only arm of the business model came about with the introduction of managing director Dan Riddleston, who joined us in 2006. Dan has very good relationships within the industry, and with the build part of the business we’ve been able to work with designers including Andy Sturgeon, Tom Stuart-Smith and Gavin McWilliam.

I’m generally not as involved with the build-only projects to avoid conflict of interest.

However, I’m actively involved in the design side of the business which requires a lot more client contact.

BOWLES & WYER

in numbers

Established 1993 Employees 45 Awards 28 BALI awards, 7 RHS Chelsea Flower Show medals, 3 SGD awards, 8 New Homes Gardens awards Member of BALI, SGD and the Landscape Institute What geographical areas do you cover?

We cover the south of England, including London, as well as East Anglia and the areas surrounding our Hertfordshire office. We’ve previously completed international design projects in the Caribbean, America, the Far East and Europe, and we’ve also done a construction project in the South of France.

Why did you decide to be based on the outskirts of London?

We moved here from Shoreditch shortly after setting up. Chris had moved out of the city and I was moving, our location is not something we’ve ever seen as a disadvantage. We have no trouble recruiting as people want to come and work for us, and on the whole our location isn’t an obstacle. Perhaps not surprisingly, a high number of the people who live in this area don’t want to spend the time or money commuting into London, so a lot of our design and admin staff live within a 15 mile radius.

You also have a great reputation for taking care of your staff.

We have a very strong set of values, and a

28

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Company Profile Bowles & Wyer.indd 28

©Charlie Hopkinson

PROFILE

John Wyer sense of the business as a family, and those are both things which have strengthened over the last three years. Vicky Wyer, senior landscape architect and a director of Bowles & Wyer, has worked with an in-house committee to develop our values manifesto, which outlines the key values which remain at the core of the business; trust, excellence and creativity.

The values manifesto document also states our purpose, which is to ‘enhance lives and landscapes’. With that short sentence, we sum up everything that we do. We enhance the lives of our employees, clients and hopefully anybody who comes into contact with us, and we enhance landscapes. Our purpose is at the core of what we do, obviously every business needs to make profit to survive, but you don’t go into landscape for money, you go into it because you love it.

How has the business changed since it’s inception 25 years ago?

It’s funny because it has, and it hasn’t. Those values have remained the same; we are a business which is driven by quality, and centres around its clients. However, as businesses grow they change with the introduction of new systems and specialisms and people working in more www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/07/2018 08:42

INFORM

specific roles. It’s also changed in the way that in the early days we weren’t quite as selective when considering projects as we are now. It’s important that projects answer yes to at least two of the three following questions; will it be fun, will it further our name, will it make us money? We want to enjoy what we do, and we want to enhance the reputation of the business.

Making money is not the most important thing to us, and we strongly believe that by applying the key values outlined in our manifesto we will drive profitability.

What’s your role within the business now?

I do two things; thinking and talking. I do a lot of strategic, long term thinking, for example the 10-year plan for the business which is reviewed annually. I also do a lot of pitching to clients and internally I talk to everybody in the business all the time. We have regular meetings with the department heads and information exchange days where the whole company gets together; we talk about what’s happening in the next year www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Company Profile Bowles & Wyer.indd 29

or three years. It’s a two-way process so I do a lot of listening too, it’s a very consultative business and quite a flat management structure, it’s organic.

WE WANT TO ENJOY WHAT WE DO, AND WE WANT TO ENHANCE THE REPUTATION OF THE BUSINESS What’s coming up for Bowles & Wyer?

We have some exciting projects in the pipeline, we’ve just finished a few country gardens and have completed four out of five courtyards at Addenbrookes Hospital. The fifth will come from the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show, and will be the relocation of Max Harriman, our assistant designer’s garden for the RHS Young Designer of the Year competition. Following the show, the garden will be installed at the hospital on a not for profit basis. In London, we’re currently in the design phase of a large project close to Regents

Park, as well as an apartment development in the heart of Mayfair which will include roof gardens, and an exciting redevelopment project on Kings Road, Chelsea.

1 St Peters College Oxford designed

by BHSLA ©Nick Guttridge 2 Kings Road ©Bowles & Wyer 3 A Hertfordshire Garden ©Quentin Lake 4 Walled garden, Hertfordshire ©Forbes Massey 5 Outpatients courtyard, Addenbrooke’s Hospital ©Barbara Northcott 6 Verde roof terrace designed by Tom Stuart-Smith ©Bowles & Wyer

CONTACT Bowles & Wyer Unit 5 Williams Court, Tunnel Way, Pitstone, Nr. Leighton Buzzard LU7 9GJ Tel: 01296 662439 Fax: 01296 663959 Twitter: @BowlesWyer Email: admin@bowleswyer.co.uk Web: www.bowleswyer.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 29

17/07/2018 08:43

Coal Orchard

INFORM

Sherford Town Plan

LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECT’S JOURNAL

day. Martyn says: “I took on Sherford as a landscape master-planner; it’s been brilliant for me to develop an understanding of how large-scale projects work and has been key to business growth.”

Martyn is qualified in master-planning, urban design and landscape architecture, and Lavigne artyn Lonsdale set up Lavigne Lonsdale works as a multi-disciplinary business, Lonsdale in 2002, following a wealth including architecture. With offices in Bath and of experience in the landscape Truro, they take on many projects around those architecture industry. After studying at areas and elsewhere in the South West, as well Gloucester College of Arts and Technology, as working across other parts of the country too.

Martyn went to work for a number of landscape Martyn admits that they have considered architecture practices and was involved with expanding their client base to include London, both landscape architecture and masterbut what’s important for the business is that they planning. After several years of working in deliver integrated solutions, and to do that it’s multi-disciplinary practices, Martyn won a design crucial they understand the area and its people. competition in France at Chaumont in 2000 and Martyn explains: “We’re currently working on met up with a Dutch landscape architect from a project in Truro which entails the development West 8 called David Buurma. They collaborated of a 35-year strategy for the future of the city. for a number of years in Cornwall before The only way we’ve managed to get that work is Martyn finally set up by having an office in Lavigne Lonsdale.

Truro, knowing the place, One of the first knowing the people and projects which Martyn being integrated within undertook as Lavigne the community.”

Lonsdale was Sherford, a Starting with just three new town off the edge of members of staff, the Plymouth. Works began in number of employees has Bosence Farm Model 2002 and continue to this grown to 10 – and with

Lavigne Lonsdale has developed over the last decade into a multidisciplinary practice providing integrated, creative and pragmatic solutions to a range of complex built and environmental issues

M

30

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Architects journal Lavigne Lonsdale.indd 30

such a high-volume of work coming into the practice, they are looking to expand the team even further. Lavigne Lonsdale currently employs four landscape architects, two urban designers – some of whom are cross disciplined – and four fully qualified architects, led by Tony Smith in the Truro studio, as well as offering several architecture and landscape architecture graduate placements. Consultants – primarily in master planning and architecture – are also brought in for specific elements during particularly busy periods.

CURRENT PROJECTS The growing team at Lavigne Lonsdale is currently working on a number of projects nationwide, including 12,000 new homes in Bedfordshire, 600 homes in Chichester and 3,500 in Basingstoke. The inaugural project for the business, Sherford, is ongoing and the team continues to work on phase one, which comprises 700 houses, a school, a new community park, sports pitches, play areas, skate parks and the planting of more than 200,000 trees.

Also ongoing is a scheme in Taunton, which consists of urban regeneration within the town centre. A space which is currently a car park will be transformed into a cultural quarter, including 38 apartments, 2,000 sq ft of retail and www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 15:02

INFORM

Nailsea

Noss Marina Sherford

Boscence

Torquay - montage steps

Heartlands

restaurant space, as well as a new river park.

Lavigne Lonsdale have taken this project from concept design to outline application and have just submitted the reserve matter application for both public realm, landscape architecture and architecture.

Meanwhile, over in Torquay, Lavigne Lonsdale are offering landscape architectural services as well as visual impact assessment work to the Palace Hotel; a 200-bedroom Victorian seafront property.

SUCCESSFUL SCHEMES One of the company’s previous schemes, on which they collaborated with Stride Treglown architects was Bosence Farm Rehabilitation Centre. Stride Treglown invited Lavigne Lonsdale to support them in a competition for the design of the centre, located in a remote and sensitive area close to the coastal AONB near Penzance.

Martyn tells us: “The scheme at Bosence Farm was all about integrated architectural

Sherford

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Architects journal Lavigne Lonsdale.indd 31

solutions. As landscape architects we had input into the form, shape and height of the building, where it sits on the site and all the external treatments of it including green roofs.”

IT’S ABOUT COMING UP WITH THE BEST IDEAS AND MAKING SURE THAT ANY PRODUCT THAT COMES OUT OF THE DOOR IS THE BEST WE CAN DELIVER Again, working with Stride Treglown, Lavigne Lonsdale took on a project at Heartlands; a £31m lottery funded scheme, the biggest ever at that time, which entailed detailed planning applications for the access, public realm and regeneration of a derelict mining works and the associated National Lottery funded park. The plans also formed part of a wider regeneration plan for a mixed-use leisure destination, including housing and a museum.

Similarly, another of Lavigne Lonsdale’s stand-out projects was in Nailsea, near Bristol; a regeneration of the old Nailsea Glassworks, including an ancient monument which had been derelict for over 100 years.

The team worked closely with Heritage England and Nailsea Town Council to develop a

strategy for building a park and prioritised engaging the local community. The project has received excellent feedback and is now very much a heart of the town.

LOOKING AHEAD Looking ahead to the future, Martyn hopes that the business doesn’t grow too quickly, to make sure that he can remain hands on in his role. He concludes: “I personally don’t want to be one of those people who runs a business but doesn’t actually do any work. Lavigne Lonsdale is a very flat business, everybody gets stuck in and there’s no real hierarchy. It’s about coming up with the best ideas and making sure that any product that comes out of the door is the best we can deliver. I don’t want to grow so big that we lose the commitment to producing really good quality solutions, and so the only way we’ll grow is by finding the right staff to take the business forward, who have multi-disciplinary skills and share our ethos.”

CONTACT Lavigne Lonsdale Truro Office Tel 01872 273118 Bath Office Tel 01225 421539 Email: info@lavignelonsdale.co.uk www.lavignelonsdale.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 31

19/07/2018 15:03

VIEW FROM THE TOP TIM HOWELL

With summer being a great media show for landscaping and horticulture, Tim Howell says we should seize the opportunity to promote our indstury as a career choice I’m writing this in late June and feeling excited.

Horticulture is firmly in the public eye, with countless landscaping shows on television and lots of positive coverage throughout the media.

Whether it’s the amazing horticultural shows around the country, a run of great weather with people enjoying parks, gardens and the great outdoors, or just an increasing focus on the environment and the wellbeing benefits that our industry has a hand in, horticulture and landscaping are back in season.

Horticulture brings reward and happiness to so many people; directly for those who work within the industry and indirectly for those who enjoy the outdoor spaces we create. So why is it that we have a number of unfilled vacancies in various areas of the country, and why don’t many young people, or careers advisors see this as a long-term career of choice?

According to The Telegraph, horticulture does not feature in top career aspirations for primary school children. Becoming a sports star is ranked highest (money, fame etc). Nor does it feature if you search for ‘best jobs’ on the internet where marketing seems to feature at the top. But there is hope; a search for ‘happiest job’ will lead to research on career satisfaction by the UK Cabinet Office where 32

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

ViewFromTheTop.indd 32

being a manager or proprietor in agriculture or horticulture is ranked as the third most satisfying role.

Of course, money has a lot to do with career choice. Horticulture is not the most well paid industry, it is hard work, the hours can be long and, although the sun occasionally shines, there are many days when working outside in the wet and cold can lead you to question your choice of

THIS IS AN INDUSTRY WHERE ANYONE CAN THRIVE employment. We’re also not a visible or well understood industry, often too fragmented for people to really see what we’re all about – the term landscaping itself can cover many different roles, and if you widen that to cover horticulture, the list of possible roles is endless. Despite this, there are still many positives. This is an industry where anyone can thrive. There are plenty of opportunities for those wanting to forge a career in the sector, gain specialist qualifications and develop expert knowledge. There’s also a massive range of on-the-job skills training and further education options. It gives people the opportunity to work outdoors and take ownership of the sites they look after. There are few industries that have this diversity and we’re lucky to have such a range of people and characters.

At Mitie we recently ran a ‘back to the floor’ initiative, with 100 senior people from across all disciplines within the business spending a day working on the front line. I spent the day with our corporate catering teams and it was interesting to learn and understand the challenges faced by colleagues working in other sectors. The feedback from those who spent time in our landscaping business was overwhelmingly positive. Some worked on industrial and commercial sites, others on corporate

headquarter campuses – many have asked to come back and spend more time with us. Our industry is so attractive and provides a really great place to work, and a fulfilling career.

So what can we do about this? We all need to take action within our businesses in order to attract people into the industry and keep them in it. We need to commit to train and develop staff at all levels – and provide rewards for strong performance. We need to ensure our staff are safe while at work and have the tools they need to do their job. We would like the people we develop to stay with us for years to come, or even take new opportunities to develop themselves, but also perpetuate what they have learned so that new generations of landscapers and horticulturists can be discovered.

By working together, we can encourage an industry wide approach to career progression and enhancement, and improve the attractiveness of landscaping as an exciting career choice for the next generation.

ABOUT TIM HOWELL Tim Howell has worked in the landscape industry for more than 30 years. He is the managing director of Mitie Landscapes Ltd, where he has worked for the last 15 years. Mitie Landscapes employs more than 800 people across the UK.

www.mitielandscapes.com Share your thoughts with Tim at:

Tim.Howell@mitie.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 11:31

Unrivalled versatility with performance you can count on.

B2 Series: The efficient and powerful choice Get more for less with Kubota’s premium-specified B2 compact tractor series ■ H igh

performance and fuel-efficient Kubota 3 or 4-cylinder diesel engines E xtremely versatile with choice of HST with multi stage control or manual transmission plus mid and features mid + rear PTO as standard

■ Advanced

manoeuvrability with Kubota’s unique Bi-Speed feature for tighter turning ability and reduced turf damage Designed for maximum comfort with the option of integrated airconditioned cab and ergonomically positioned controls

■

■

Contact your local dealer or visit our website for more details. www.kubota.co.uk

T: 01844 873190

PROLANDSCAPER_B2+Loader_265x210.indd 1 Advert template.indd 6

04/07/2018 17/07/2018 12:54 11:25

(36V) TWIN 18V LITHIUM-ION EASY MAINTENANCE, LOW NOISE, ZERO EMISSIONS & LOW VIBRATION

Twin 18V Chainsaw DUC353

Twin 18V Brushless Hand Held Blower DUB362

Twin 18V Brushless Hand Held Blower DUB361

Twin 18V Brushless Line Trimmer DUR364L

Twin 18V Brushless Brush Cutter DUR365U

Twin 18V Hedge Trimmer DUH551

Twin 18V Charger DC18RD

Unbeatable charge times on 18V Li-ion

22 minute charge

36 minute charge

45 minute charge

55 minute charge

Visit our website for more information: www.makitauk.com Pro Landscaper.indd 1 Advert template.indd 7

04/05/2018 17/07/2018 14:27 11:28

BURNING BRIDGES

INFORM

ANGUS LINDSAY Heard the saying: ‘It’s good to talk’? Angus Lindsay says it’s better to discuss solutions together than fall out with stakeholders Nowadays, winning new contracts is more complex and competitive than ever. Regardless of whether you’re tendering to build a new playground, renovate a park or deliver a ten-year grounds maintenance contract, the rules of engagement require that to win you must have a highly competitive price, an excellent quality submission and the offer of significant added-value.

So, whatever the client or the budget, when you turn up on day one, remember that you’re building the foundation for future business with that client. There are inevitably going to be times when specifications or expectations change, machinery breaks down, staff are hard to recruit and the job becomes difficult to deliver. But at the end of the day, you won the business, and you have a commitment to deliver.

When problems arise, as they are bound to do, it pays dividends to work through the challenges with all your stakeholders and aim for the best possible outcome. This strengthens the working relationship which can lead to further work in the future or the extension of an existing term. It surprises me that some parties deal with challenges by battling head-on with their clients to the point where relationships are totally soured, the work doesn’t get done and staff become demoralised. This tarnishes the public perception of both the client and the

contractor, and the financial cost can be crippling. Surely, it’s better to talk through problems and negotiate a way forwards, or do I need to clean my rose-tinted glasses?

A contractor not getting the work done is one thing, but when another contractor is then appointed to put things right, the knock-on effect can be challenging to say the least.

Expectations are always high following months (or years) of poor performance but we’re dealing with living landscapes, and problems can’t be rectified at the flick of a switch.

Bringing a project back into specification takes time, and it’s important for all parties to manage this process and public expectations. It still perplexes me that when a contract starts to fail, a common reaction is for both sides to dig their heels in and do the absolute bare minimum.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU WON THE BUSINESS, AND YOU HAVE A COMMITMENT TO DELIVER As a result, plants die, weeds grow, the grass grows, litter builds up and everyone gets thoroughly fed up. This does nothing to improve the amenity of the area. It’s bad enough having to walk through a park with grass up to your knees but when it’s finally cut too long, laid down and left to rot, this takes its toll on the health of the sward in the future.

Long grass is fine in fields but difficult to get back into specification when neglected in a park

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Angus Lindsay.indd 35

Rectifying a difficult contract is no mean feat and it takes its toll on people and equipment alike. I’m sure this could be avoided with a little more give-and-take, or has our industry become so cut-throat that our parks and open spaces are becoming battlegrounds? If so, remember that those who suffer the most are those who pay their taxes to have their landscapes looked after.

When the grass gets long you need the right tools for the job

These confrontational situations are not healthy for any party, and least of all for the contractor. Having priced to provide the service, you have an obligation to deliver the required standard in line with your tender. If circumstances change and you run into difficulties, it is much better to try first to negotiate with your client to make the contract work, than just fail to deliver and adopt a ‘damage limitation’ approach.

Contract failures achieve nothing and tarnish the reputation of the whole contracting industry, not just the individual company involved.

ABOUT ANGUS LINDSAY Angus spent several years working on arable farms in Scotland before joining VSO in Egypt, implementing a mechanisation programme, managing field operations for a commercial cotton plantation in Nigeria and working as a contract instructor for Massey Ferguson in Yemen.

He gained an MSc in agricultural engineering and mechanisation management at Silsoe, joining Glendale as machinery manager in 1994, and then idverde UK in 2009 as group head of assets and fleet.

Contact: angus.lindsay@idverde.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 35

16/07/2018 15:51

INFORM

ANY QUESTIONS? ANDREW WILSON

Andrew Wilson looks at the preconceptions of his many and varied audiences on the subject of garden design and planting.

What do people want?

Apart from my regular teaching at The London College of Garden Design (LCGD) I am often invited to speak at various events or for a wide range of organisations, some amateur and some professional. In general, I talk about garden design, it is my specialist subject although there are many variations within that over-arching title.

Although some groups surprise me in a good way, the majority of people who come to listen to a garden design talk are actually just interested in the planting. The surprise emanates from the horticultural groups, perhaps because I come as a welcome change to full on planting information. They are often fascinated by the design thinking, concepts and built structure into which the plants are introduced.

AS MUCH AS I LOVE PLANTING DESIGN I HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT AS A GARDEN DESIGNER IT IS PART OF A BIGGER PICTURE AND CANNOT TAKE UP ALL OF MY TIME WHEN CREATING A GARDEN As much as I love planting design I have to accept that as a garden designer it is part of a bigger picture and cannot take up all of my time when creating a garden. This understanding is not generally shared by people outside the garden design fraternity. In percentage terms perhaps no more than 20% of a typical project is planting focused. For my wider audiences outside the college perhaps 80% of their garden thinking is planting focused, revealing a substantial disconnect in what people are looking for, or expecting.

I can speak very happily about plants and 36

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Andrew Wilson.indd 36

planting design, but if I am invited to talk about garden design that emphasis has to change.

So, if a course or a lecture on garden design fills with an enthusiastic audience have they misunderstood the subject?

My sense is that most audiences are mixed in their needs. Some will have an empty space and will be starting from scratch – this group probably needs a complete understanding of a designer’s approach. Others will have a complete garden already, with a few things they want to change – for this group their need is probably more concerned with planting. It is also unlikely that they will want to undo everything they have already done.

In a lecture recently, having talked about a range of gardens that Gavin and I designed, I was asked what I would do about sustainable planting for country gardens as opposed to filling gardens with plastic and artificial materials. No gardens that I had introduced used artificial or plastic materials, and approximately half of the examples I showed were sustainably planted country gardens.

I have regular comments about the planting being the all important thing when my workload as a designer tells me it is not. There is also a

frequent unwillingness in audiences to think outside their own garden situation. I was recently asked why I didn’t just talk about normal planting – not as a criticism, but as a suggestion of need.

I asked the questioner what he actually meant by ‘normal’, as soil type, micro climate, drainage and so on can all have a substantial impact on what and how we plant.

I wonder why people would come to sit through a lecture on ‘normal’ anything or why people might come to a design lecture when all they want to see is what they have already.

I have always tried to inspire, to interpret ideas and explain possibilities – it’s what my students comment on in their course reviews.

So, perhaps I need to be more normal, more typical, more plant orientated and more matter of fact. NOT! Pictured: WM Studio planting detail for a garden in Esher

ABOUT ANDREW WILSON Andrew Wilson is a landscape and garden design consultant, director of the London College of Garden Design, an author, writer and lecturer.

www.lcgd.org.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/07/2018 15:37

A beautiful, modern alternative to traditional paving Geveko Markings manufacture and supply all the materials required to create stunning resin bound and bonded surfaces. Our resin paving systems provide durable and attractive surfacing solutions that are a cost-effective alternative to other paving products and are ideal for use on; driveways, footpaths, public areas, swimming pool surrounds and much more.

Make an enquiry with us today on 01963 362640 for a copy of our NEW Resin Brochure. Quote ‘Pro Landscaper’ and recieve, for FREE, four fabulous aggregate design samples, of your choice, from our recently extended range of finishes.

Contact us on 01963 362640 for more information and recieve four FREE resin paving samples, simply quote ‘Pro Landscaper’

www.geveko-markings.co.uk Advert template.indd 8

17/07/2018 15:36

We don’t take design flexibility sitting down Millboard decking. Innovatively designed and developed to have the look of natural timber, whilst out-performing it in every way. Our new 150mm Bullnose Board is no different. Like our decking, it’s beautiful to look at, yet its curved edge gives you more design freedom than ever before.

Ideal for seating, planters or as a finishing touch for decks and steps; its wider profile providing the perfect space for lighting. Resistant to moisture, stains and algae, it won’t rot, warp or splinter. And, like our decking, it’s easy to fit, saving on installation time and cost.

Millboard: Live. Life. Outside.

Discover our collections at millboard.co.uk

MIL-18-045 Pro Landscaper PARASOL Ad 265 x 210.indd 1 Advert template.indd 9

Live.Life.Outside.

11/07/2018 17/07/2018 16:17 11:29

#CHOOSE LANDSCAPE

INFORM

ADAM WHITE

The new Landscape Institute President Adam White took office on 4 July and this month shares his thoughts on why the new campaign from The Landscape Instituite is essential if we want to attract a younger generation to #ChooseLandscape.

One of the most pressing challenges for the Landscape Institute (LI) is that the landscape profession is experiencing a skills shortage at a time when the sector is growing steadily.

In order to help inspire more people into the profession, the LI is providing support and leadership with a new campaign – #ChooseLandscape – which is going to be instrumental in promoting the different routes into the profession.

Good landscape plays such an important role in all of our lives. It’s where people, place and nature connect. It makes us feel good, improving our well-being through better planned greener cities and open spaces.

But the nature neurons in our brains are flatlining as we become less and less connected to nature and there are some pretty big challenges ahead as our cities continue to

grow and the environment comes under more pressure.

I am really pleased to be involved in launching this important campaign at the start of my two-year tenure as Landscape Institute President. It is vital we tackle the growing skills gap and inspire and encourage more young people to choose a career in landscape, by working together across this exciting profession.

That is why as part of the campaign, the LI have created a special new website to showcase the different opportunities all in one place. From matching hobbies and interests with potential careers, to information broken down by job roles, young people will be able to see at a glance the sorts of skills, background and motivations that will help them. They will also be able to find out the qualifications needed for each role, the salary you might expect and what you could be doing on a day-to-day basis.

The landscape profession makes a huge impact on all our lives and communities and it has grown by nearly 16% since 2010, contributing nearly £1b to the UK economy.

Whilst this is small in relative terms to the contribution of other built environment professions, it plays a pivotal role as it is where people, place and nature connect, bringing great benefits to society through well-designed public and private spaces that improve health and well-being and strengthen communities.

It is important that the profession continues to be an attractive career choice for young people, so in 2017 the LI undertook a major review. ‘The Future State of Landscape’ showed

a large skills gap, with 41% of practices stating recruitment was a key challenge, as there are not enough people in the profession with the right qualifications. It also highlighted that young people aren’t clear about the variety and range of jobs that are actually available in the landscape profession. #ChooseLandscape is a campaign that hopes to join the dots between education providers, employers, professional bodies and other organisations involved in landscape.

The campaign makes clear the range of opportunities in landscape for all sorts of people. Whether it is young people who love

creative design, or are science enthusiasts, to those that are passionate about tackling climate change, or love using the latest digital technology – all of these passions and skills are needed in the profession.

You can get involved on social media via the dedicated #ChooseLandscape twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds for regular updates and examples from those already working in different areas within the landscape profession. www.chooselandscape.org ABOUT ADAM WHITE FLI Adam White FLI is a director at Davies White Ltd, a double RHS Gold Medal, double People’s Choice and RHS Best in Show award-winning Chartered Landscape Architects practice. He is a Fellow and President of the Landscape Institute.

Social media: @davies_white www.davieswhite.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Adam White.indd 39

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 39

17/07/2018 09:45

k s luc ant od tr Go ll en a to

You’re always safe in our hands Green-tech is proud to be the headline sponsor of the BALI National Landscape Awards 2018

• Leading supplier of landscaping products • Over 6500 products available • Award-winning supplier • Next day delivery available • Large knowledgeable technical sales team • Outstanding service levels Call today for a free copy of our product catalogue

T: 01423 332100 E: sales@green-tech.co.uk www.green-tech.co.uk

Advert template.indd 10

17/07/2018 14:43

INFORM

UP FROM THE ASHES Following a number of devestating wild fires affecting its precious habitats, Pro Landscaper learns more about the history and maintenance of the Peak District National Park

A

s regular readers of this Pro Landscaper series looking at publically-owned parks will know, our primary focus has generally tended to be on discrete, comparatively compact sites, maintained – at least for the most part – by local authorities.

In our articles looking at individual parks in particular, this has included smaller sites, such as the Russia Dock Woodland and Stanley Park in Blackpool, all of which are hugely beloved by the people who make use of them on daily. The largest space we’ve looked at so far meanwhile is Richmond Park, which not only provides a 2,500 acre oasis of calm in the middle of the capital, but also a big city haven for countless forms of wildlife, including deer and bats.

With that in mind, this month’s feature is a bit of a departure, focusing as it does on a truly www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Phil Mason Peak District.indd 41

vast area of land – the Peak District National Park – which is neither owned by a single publically-funded entity, nor maintained in a fashion that will be recognisable to those whose frame of reference is primarily Victorian-style inner city spaces. It is also unique in terms of the parks featured in these articles, in that parts of it have also been recently decimated by a catastrophic wildfire, for instance Tameside Moors in Greater Manchester.

Act of wilful trespass The Peak District was the first ‘national park’ of its kind in the UK, its eventual establishment having originally been initiated by an act of ‘wilful trespass’ (subsequently known as the Kinder Trespass) carried out by a group of maverick ramblers in 1932 as a protest against their inability to legally access the open

countryside. It was finally opened to the public in 1951 and has been used for a variety of leisure activities ever since, including – naturally

– walking, as well as mountain biking, rock climbing and so on.

Much of the site is located in Northern Derbyshire at the south of the Pennines, an area which in turn is subdivided into what’s Pro Landscaper / August 2018 41

18/07/2018 09:15

INFORM

known as the ‘Dark Peak’ – where the majority of the park which is close to a place called of the park’s moorland is situated – and the Hathersage, situated in the Dark Peak. That more southerly ‘White Peak’. The Park also falls within my area as a ranger, and I’m encroaches into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, strongly involved with the wildlife management, Staffordshire as well as West Yorkshire areas of archaeological interest, as and South Yorkshire. well as trying to get young Another relatively recent people involved in visiting countryside innovation the park.” meanwhile – the Pennine Way – runs from the middle Variety of different of the park in Edale all the landscapes way up to the Scottish As mentioned by Tom, Borders, having been there is a variety of established as the UK’s different organisations first long distance footpath in involved in the stewardship of 1965. It is colloquially known, not the Peak District National Park, TOM LEWIS unpoetically, as ‘the backbone such as those mentioned above, as of England’. well as seemingly disparate entities Tom Lewis is a Peak District National Park including Sheffield City Council and even Authority ranger working at the northern end of Yorkshire Water. the site, with duties ranging from protection of Working together, they maintain a variety of the environment to outreach work into the local different environments with arguably the most community and beyond. Giving an overview of famous being the aforementioned moors. this extraordinary chunk of land, in terms of both Looking in particular at Tom’s Stanage and North governance and the landscape itself, he says: Lees patch, this includes – naturally – moorland, “We’re quite unusual as a national park authority, because organisations such as ourselves don’t IT’S A LIVING, EVOLVING usually own the land.

LANDSCAPE, AND WE “By contrast, we own around four per cent CAN’T HELP BUT MEDDLE of the Peak District. At the same time, there are also numerous other organisations involved working together such as the National Trust, the rock edges, woods, as well as farmland, which RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is sustained through what he refers to as and the Sheffield Moors Partnership, something “countryside stewardship agreements” with which gives us a consistent land management local smallholders. strategy across the region.”

Other locations mentioned by him include He continues: “In particular, we own and “gorgeous late-cut, not-improved flower manage the Stanage and North Lees section meadows on the Ridgeway side of the estate.”

42

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Phil Mason Peak District.indd 42

Speaking of the methods being used to keep the landscape in top condition (catastrophic wildfires not withstanding), he says: “Looking at the Moors in particular, the more eroded areas are being restored through processes such as bracken control and what’s known as heather brashing. The latter involves laying cut heather on the ground, which in turn seeds in order to regenerate the heather moorland.”

According to the Moors for the Future Partnership, who are responsible for this work, this reduces the effects of any erosion by providing a ‘microclimate’ within which the seeds are protected by any harsh weather. The brash is transported to the site by helicopter, before being spread by hand. It is, according to the organisation’s website, “a very time-consuming process.”

As might be expected, in parallel with the many different habitats which make up the Peak District National Park there are also numerous different types of wildlife which also make their home across the site.

According to Tom, whether these different species are thriving is one of the key indicators to gauge the success of the land management strategy, which itself runs in parallel with a variety of bio-diversity action plans. The ‘flagship’ species for Stanage and North Lees in particular is the ring ouzel (also known as the mountain blackbird), which returns to the area every March to breed. Speaking of this, he says: “The ring ouzel is what we call an ‘indicator’ species. It

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

18/07/2018 09:16

INFORM

nests on the cliffs, so we have to make sure it’s protected from climbers, which is another aspect of our stewardship of the land.

We do a lot of work with the British Mountaineering Council to find nests and impose restrictions.”

Speaking of the history of the Park in relation to its more ‘managed’ animal species meanwhile, he continues: “The moors are essentially a product of a Victorian notion of shooting grouse, and we still have some commercial grouse moors. We also have sheep here, although there’s fewer of them now.

“There’s also larger mammals like red deer coming back in, and there’s currently a herd of about 200 of those on the eastern moors. That in turn is a threat to woodlands, which again is something we have to factor into our maintenance strategy.”

The human element As indicated by Tom, arguably the greatest threat to the landscape of the Peak District is the ‘human element,’ or in other words, those who have come to take part in leisure activities. (“We go out of our way to encourage visitors,” he says, “but the amount of people pressure is our main Achilles heel. The battering which the moors take in particular astounds me.”)

That being the case, it’s impossible not to bring up the subject of the recent fire which received so much coverage in the national press, and which is currently being investigated as arson by Greater Manchester Police.

Speaking of his experience of those horrible days back in June, Tom says: “It was apocalyptic really, with fires in different locations starting all the time. Just as we were leaving at night, another one was set off behind us.”

He continues: “Each ranger has a set area in which we operate – and which we have a very specific knowledge of – and we work very closely with the fire and rescue service Chief Fire Officer to help control any incident which occurs.

We also help train the fire services in relation moorland burning. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Phil Mason Peak District.indd 43

“At the same time, when you’ve got acres of fragile habitat going up in flames and animals perishing, you also tend to get stuck in yourself, whether that’s beating the flames, manning the pumps or carrying kit.”

The Peak District is a key green space in the UK, providing as it does both a unique and massively valuable eco-system, as well as the incentive for millions of annual visitors to make the trip up north. It’s partial decimation by fire, following the recent period of uncommonly hot weather is therefore an enormous tragedy, which should be felt by us all.

Speaking of why the park continues to be so important, Tom says: “This is such an extraordinary place, mixing all kinds of different wildlife habitats with opportunities for people to get out and enjoy the countryside in so many different ways. It’s central to the identity of the region, and – from my point of view – a totally idyllic place for anyone who’s lucky enough to come to work here.”

Discussing the effects of the fire, he continues: “What happened in the late spring has had a major effect on all of us. Now is the time to pick ourselves up, and get on with the job in hand.”

With people of the calibre of Tom and his team, Pro Landscaper is in no doubt that the Peak District National Park is in the best possible hands as it grows and thrives into the future.

1 Orchids in Cressbrook Dale 2 The ring ouzel or ‘mountain blackbird’ 3 Rare water voles reside on local rivers and canals 4 The Neolithic Arbor Low stone circle 5-11 Tackling a major fire on Tameside Moorlands 12 The district’s revered climbing opportunities Images ©Peak District National Park/Tom Marshall

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 43

18/07/2018 09:17

PC_210x265_7_6_18:Layout 1 07/06/2018 13:30 Page 1

A Royal Celebration by Hillier at The Chelsea Flower Show 2018 Featuring Corten Steel Steps and Walls from The Pot Company

Advert template.indd 11

www.thepotco.com sales@thepotco.com 01892 890 353

17/07/2018 11:33

47

CHARLOTTE ROWE GARDEN DESIGN An elegant transformation

MAJESTIC FLAIR

50

FROGHEATH LANDSCAPES Breathing new life into the gardens surrounding an Arts and Crafts house

ACTIVE SPACES

54

THE LONDON BOROUGH OF HOUNSLOW Developing active and healthy communities

BANG ON TREND ANJI CONNELL

58 63 PLUS...

Four current styles to consider

LIFE/STYLE (P60) HARDWOOD DECKING (P63) RESIN BOND/BOUND PROJECTS (P64) OUTDOOR LIGHTING TRENDS (P67) BEST-SELLING LIGHTING (P68) LOVE HORTICULTURE (P70)

INSPIRE cover.indd 45

INSPIRE

COURTYARD CHIC

67

19/07/2018 14:59

EXPERTS

In association with

AN UNMISSABLE CHANCE TO SHOWCASE YOUR WORK Have you installed a Trex® composite deck? Then we want you to celebrate your best work! We’re searching for the UK’s best Trex® decks – large or small, commercial and residential, and tricky design challenges. The winner of ‘Best of Trex®’ Award will be jetting off with a guest of their choice to the U.S., landing in Washington DC before heading to the Trex University – so enter now!

Categories

How to enter

Best of Trex® Award Best commercial deck / Best large deck Best small deck / Best design solution

To find out more and enter visit www.arbordeck.co.uk Entry is free

What you could win

A four-day trip to the U.S. including a visit to the Trex® University

Your winning deck entry professionally photographed

Brand exposure via social and online to help grow your business

Terms and conditions apply. These are available at www.arbordeck.co.uk

2596.18_ARBORDEXPERTS_ADVERT_V6.indd 1 Advert template.indd 12

Win a shopping trip on us - £250 high street vouchers

Follow the action #Arbordexperts

16/04/2018 11:36 14:06 17/07/2018

PORTFOLIO

FINALIST

• SMALL RESIDENTIAL • HARDSCAPE

COURTYARD CHIC CHARLOTTE ROWE GARDEN DESIGN Polished concrete and lush planting create effortless elegance in an Islington courtyard garden

O

nce a Victorian school, this exceptional property on the Regent’s Canal in Islington, north London, had already been converted into a three-storey house when the owners purchased it. The double-width property was due to undergo a series of further improvements, including the creation of a new sub-basement with open-plan kitchen, beneath the ground floor. This would provide access to a 110 sq m south east-facing garden on two levels to the rear, in need of total transformation.

Having previously created two stunning roof

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 1 Charlotte Rowe.indd 47

terraces for the clients, Charlotte Rowe Garden Design was invited to undertake the project.

Design The clients wanted a garden that exuded an elegant and contemporary style, visible from all floors of the property through its double-height Crittall windows which were being fitted to the rear façade of the house. The new basement needed to be dug out by over one metre, so the rear garden also had to be re-levelled to ensure it did not ‘fall into’ the house visually. Using a complementary palette of materials and colours,

PROJECT DETAILS Project value £175k Build time 10 months Size of project 110 sq m

Charlotte Rowe Garden Design created two seating areas; one easily accessible from the kitchen on the lower floor to catch the morning sun, and a second on the upper level to sit alongside a chic dining area protected by a multi-stem Carpinus betulus tree.

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 47

17/07/2018 09:05

PORTFOLIO

From the lower floor, stairs leading up to the second elevation were designed asymmetrically to one side to allow ample space for the U-shaped, built-in seating. The clients were keen for maximum privacy, so a dark grey trellis was introduced to enclose the garden, against which several evergreen climbers were planted, and a mature holm oak was craned in over the house to screen off the neighbour’s property.

To provide a focus from the house, and to break up the brutalism of the brick wall facing it, a fireplace was also installed on the upper level.

Climbers and hedging were then planted on either side to further soften the façade, with sofas and easy chairs placed in front.

In line with the client’s brief to use a grey palette throughout, the interior polished poured concrete floors were continued outside, where a darker grey gravel area, complementary grey render walls and deep grey trellis offer the perfect colour scheme against which to set the rich planting.

Planting The structural planting included three trees; the holm oak, multi-stem Carpinus betulus in gravel and an existing – but re-positioned – olive tree.

Cutting laterally across the space to provide interest and depth, two layers of hedging were added, comprising of Buxus sempervirens, dwarf Japanese bamboo and Pleioblastus pygmaeus ‘Distichus’. Other planting included a mix of shrubs, grasses

and perennials with signature summer colour provided by Agapanthus ‘Black Pantha’.

A range of garden lighting – including lanterns and assorted vintage festoon lamps in the trees – provide a year-round view at night, from three floors of the house, creating a dramatic night scene.

Challenges In terms of hard landscaping, the garden was a complex design and construction challenge.

The client wanted a seamless transition from interior to exterior so there were a number of elements which needed to work together to achieve a cohesive whole. Georgian underground drains and sewers made for a further challenge, together with a 10m high brick wall at the end of the garden which dominated the space.

The levels were particularly difficult, as the team did not want to excavate too much due to the expense and a reduction in light to the garden. The final design included three tiers; a lower terrace, two raised planting beds surrounding the wrap-around staircase, and a large upper level complete with seating and

48

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Portfolio 1 Charlotte Rowe.indd 48

dining area, fireplace and raised beds – some of which are at the original ground level.

The rendered fireplace was one of the largest Charlotte Rowe Garden Design had ever built, and all the components had to be carefully devised, including the polished concrete hearth, creating an extra challenge for the designers.

1 Fireplace and seating area on the upper terrace 2 A bird’s eye view of the three-tiered garden 3 View from the living room on the lower level 4 Built-in seating area on the lower terrace

ABOUT CHARLOTTE ROWE GARDEN DESIGN Charlotte Rowe has designed over 200 gardens in the UK and overseas. In 2014 she won a Gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for her show garden, ‘No Man’s Land’, marking the centenary of the outbreak of World War One. Her gardens are known for their strong, clean, architectural lines, rich planting, elegant styling and use of colour. www.charlotterowe.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/07/2018 09:06

PORTFOLIO

REFERENCES Design Charlotte Rowe Garden Design

www.charlotterowe.com Contractor Modular

www.modular.london Lighting design Nulty

www.nultylighting.co.uk Polished concrete paving Lazenby

www.lazenby.co.uk Aggregates CED Stone Group

www.cedstone.co.uk Bespoke fireplace and trellis Designed by Charlotte Rowe Garden Design

www.charlotterowe.com Built by Modular

www.modular.london

BEFORE

Plants Chichester Trees & Shrubs

www.ctsplants.com Evergreen

www.evergreenext.co.uk

DURING

Solitair

www.solitair.be/en/home Deepdale Trees

www.deepdale-trees.co.uk Furniture Sofa (by fireplace) and coffee tables (one by the fire, one in lower terrace) TribĂš

www.tribu.com Dining table FueraDentro

www.fueradentro.com Dining chairs Manutti

www.manutti.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 1 Charlotte Rowe.indd 49

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 49

17/07/2018 09:07

PORTFOLIO

MAJESTIC FLAIR FROGHEATH LANDSCAPES A grand East Sussex garden is revitalised in keeping with its Arts and Crafts heritage

GOLD

PROJECT VALUE £60,000 - £100,000

50

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Portfolio 2 Frogheath.indd 50

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 15:44

PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS Project value ÂŁ60-100k Build time Phased build over 12 months Size of project One acre

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 2 Frogheath.indd 51

F

rogheath Landscapes were invited to breathe new life into the gardens surrounding an Arts and Crafts house in Mayfield, East Sussex. The clients loved their beautifully crafted house and were looking for a garden to match. Through the design, Frogheath wanted to inject a sense of contemporary splendour and style, giving the property the garden it deserved.

Brief It was important to the client that the garden not only looked great but was also practical. They already had a maintenance contract with two gardeners for one day a week, and were keen to keep this going once Frogheath had completed.

This meant the formal design was not time intensive for the client, and could be managed.

On initial inspection, Frogheath could see that the garden had a historical layout, including a scented rose garden, pond and gravel pathways, which had now been lost.

Although a shadow of its former self and in a poor state of repair, both the client and Frogheath were keen to restore the garden to its former days of grandeur.

1 View from restored terrace 2 Restored central rill 3 Breedon gravel paths 4 Tina Vallis inspired planting design 5 R estored borders Pro Landscaper / August 2018 51

19/07/2018 15:45

PORTFOLIO

The hard landscaping was breaking up in places and needed to be lifted and relaId. The water rill in the main lawn was leaking and the coping was uneven and unsightly, so this would also need to be replaced. The gravel paths had ‘wandered’ over time and were no longer symmetrical or straight when viewed from the house. Plantings of Rhododendrons and Camellias were no longer looking as good as they once did and were overrun with ground elder. Drainage was also poor throughout the garden, and the client suspected that the old land drains had ceased functioning.

Design and build To return the garden to its former glory and improve the flow of the space, Frogheath had to adjust the layout. This involved removing some of the more dated elements, such as the rose garden, and reshaping a number of the main borders, including those around the head of the existing rill.

52

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Portfolio 2 Frogheath.indd 52

Frogheath lifted and relaId large sections of the original York stone paving to make it less of a trip hazard, whilst correcting the drainage throughout the scheme. However, the weather unfortunately turned and became a serious hindrance over the winter, with the garden becoming so waterlogged that construction had to cease for a couple of months until conditions improved.

Ground elder also proved to be an ongoing issue throughout the build. Frogheath tackled this by removing much of the old planting and replacing the soil to eliminate infestation. The team additionally overhauled the main lawn, completely reconstructing it so the garden now boasts an impeccable and luxurious, traditionally striped formal green, in perfect keeping with the period property. To further restore the garden’s classic symmetry, the gravel paths and central rill also received a makeover, adding crisp and defined lines to the design. The new planting scheme used massed perennials and grasses to create more

colour and movement within the garden, and to contrast with its existing yew hedges and large, mature trees.

6 Restored formal layout 7 Redesigned borders 8 Newly laid turf 9 Drainage was an issue 10 New steps during construction 11 Work stopped during a wet winter 12 Layout restored

ABOUT FROGHEATH LANDSCAPES Frogheath has been creating award-winning gardens for over 25 years, Delivering creative and practical projects from concept to completion they use environmentally sensitive suppliers where possible and have links with specialised nurseries, enabling them to source a broad range of plants of the highest quality. www.frogheath.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 15:45

PORTFOLIO

REFERENCES Design and build Frogheath Landscapes

www.frogheath.co.uk Tina Vallis

www.tinavallis.co.uk Lawn Harrowden Turf Ltd – Q Lawns

www.harrowdenturf.co.uk/brands/q-lawns

DURING BUILD

Plants How Green Nursery Ltd

www.howgreennursery.co.uk Soil Gardenscape

www.gardenscapedirect.co.uk Drainage materials Jewson

www.jewson.co.uk Gravel Breedon

www.breedon-special-aggregates.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 2 Frogheath.indd 53

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 53

19/07/2018 15:46

PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS Project value (inclusive of VAT) £800k Build time 4 months Size of project Redlees Park: 4590m2 St Dunstan’s Park: 1340m2 (whole park is 7000m2), Hawthorn Hatch: 3040m2 Carville Hall Park North: 6400m2

54

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Portfolio 3 Hounslow Council.indd 54

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

18/07/2018 14:57

PORTFOLIO

T

he Active Spaces project was launched as part of the council’s commitment to support the development of active, healthy communities by enhancing its network of parks and open spaces. The project aims to publicise the positive benefits of outdoor play and physical activity on health and wellbeing, encouraging children and their families to be more active, and increasing community involvement and participation in Hounslow’s parks. Key to these principles was the requirement that each new ‘Active Space’ be designed in consultation with residents, thereby promoting usage.

Landscaping and environmental sustainability were considered together with the cost benefits and play value to users.

Project background Responding to statistics charting the rise in childhood obesity in the UK, the project was designed to ensure children and young people, families and other key stakeholders had a clear role in the shaping of their parks and open spaces. Dialogue around health and wellbeing, physical activity and moving more were key throughout the consultation process. The London Borough of Hounslow has the eighth highest proportion of green space in London, offering local residents easy access to outdoor activities.

However, in recent years some play areas have become tired and in need of refurbishment. The council are currently investing £1.1m to improve selected play sites across the borough with further funding expected to be secured through the Community Infrastructure Levy.

The design The project saw the council partner with award-winning architects LUC to design new Active Spaces at existing playground sites.

LUC is passionate about play and accessible quality play landscapes. Their play design began with the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens and includes the award-winning Tumbling Bay at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. For LUC, it was critical to the success of the Active Spaces project to: •G ain a thorough understanding of the constraints and opportunities presented •E ngage wildly and deeply with the local www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 3 Hounslow Council.indd 55

ACTIVE SPACES THE LONDON BOROUGH OF HOUNSLOW A commitment to healthy living and community engagement has transformed outdoor spaces in Hounslow community to identify existing issues and needs • Generate a conversation with parents, teachers, children and visitors about outdoor play and its benefits to health and wellbeing.

Rather than being led by play equipment choices, LUC used ‘play mapping’ from the perspective of the child. By looking at the experiences a child needs to have when playing, and then mapping these onto the site, encouraging exercise and freedom, whatever the age or ability of the child.

Initial concept designs were developed to incorporate a full range of activities known to be critical for healthy physical and mental development, and suitable for children of all ages and abilities. Each play space contained elements to encourage high activity and collaborative play, as well as more restful areas for children and adults. The comfort of carers is critical, as this is strongly linked to the length of stay in any play area.

Effective community engagement was central to the quality of designs. Multiple channels of communication included on-site consultations incorporating games and activities; children’s workshops; a design competition for schools and an online questionnaire.

The design process for the project ensured that the community and the council worked closely, so that each space reflected the context of the local area. Five schools took part in the design and build of the space, and the designers captured thoughts and ideas at 12

onsite public engagement events receiving valuable input.

The build This level of community involvement would continue through the implementation phase, with the selected contractor idverde offering volunteering and educational opportunities during construction. When approaching any project idverde strive to engage local communities, and a key focus of Active Spaces was to continue the positive engagement process from the design stage.

1 Climbing structure at Redlees Park 2 St Dunstan's playground 3 Pupils from Oak Hill Academy lend a hand 4 Cradle Nest swing suitable for different ages 5 LUC consultation event, Redlees Park 6 Concept plan Pro Landscaper / August 2018 55

18/07/2018 14:57

PORTFOLIO

London Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) were engaged to work on activities such as preparing and painting metal work, and pan London Corporate Volunteering programme and links with charity partner Hands on London, provided opportunities for large scale participation and contribution to the projects from local businesses such as GSK. The council also identified local schools to participate in the project build, with pupils taking part in planting activities and taster play sessions before the playground was officially open for use. A total of 328 volunteer hours have so far been delivered on the project, with this expected to exceed 500 hours as the council continue to engage groups over the next 12 months.

ABOUT THE LONDON BOROUGH OF HOUNSLOW The London Borough of Hounslow is a Greater London council, situated in the west of the capital.

Parks and open spaces in Hounslow are run and managed by Greenspace 360, a subsidiary of the council-owned trading company Lampton 360. www.hounslow.gov.uk www.lampton360.co.uk

DURING BUILD

Materials Given current constraints on local authority budgets it was essential for designs and material selections to factor in the ongoing cost of maintenance and to consider refurbishing existing elements where feasible. The emphasis was on high quality, robust, durable and low maintenance items.

Existing pieces of play equipment that were popular and in good structural condition — such as the climbing frame at St Dunstan’s — were sanded and re-painted to increase their lifespan.

Savings were made by moving to less intensive grass cutting regimes and to a more natural character at each site. Low cost interventions included timber logs for play trail items sourced through one of The London Borough of Hounslow’s green waste sites, as well as ground markings for scooter trails. The majority of play equipment was constructed from mountain larch (Larix decidua montania) – a timber with enhanced durability – incorporating steel and wire fixings. ‘TigerMulch’ was used as an impact absorbing surface; made from recycled rubber tyres it has high tensile strength and being a bound material needs little maintenance.

7&8 Green ambassadors from Oak Hill Academy get involved with turfing and planting during build

ABOUT LUC LUC is an award-winning environmental consultancy providing planning, impact assessment, landscape design and ecology services to a wide range of public and private sector clients. www.landuse.co.uk

REFERENCES Client London Borough of Hounslow council

www.hounslow.gov.uk Parks and open space maintenance

ABOUT IDVERDE idverde is Europe’s provider of grounds maintenance services and landscape construction projects. They offer a holistic range of services to support the creation, maintenance and management of landscapes throughout the UK, working with both public and private sector clients. www.idverde.co.uk

56

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Portfolio 3 Hounslow Council.indd 56

www.handsonlondon.org.uk Oak Hill Academy Green Ambassadors

www.oakhill-aspirations.org www.greenambassadors.org.uk

Greenspace 360 (subsidiary of Lampton 360)

Tree clearance

Design

New play equipment

LUC

Timberplay – Richter Spielgeräte

www.lampton360.co.uk

www.landuse.co.uk Contractor idverde www.idverde.co.uk With assistance from London Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC)

www.londoncrc.org.uk

Mountain larch (Larix decidua montania) timber

Hands on London

Wilby Tree

www.wilbytree.co.uk

www.timberplay.com

Timberplay – Richter Spielgeräte

www.timberplay.com TigerMulch Star Rubber Environmental Ltd

www.star-rubber.co.uk Scooter trails Project Playgrounds

www.projectplaygrounds.co.uk

PlayEquip

www.playequip.com Russell Play

www.russell-play.com Trees and shrubs Crowders Nurseries

www.crowdersnurseries.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

18/07/2018 14:58

Capel Manor College

NEW COURSE designed in conjunction with BALI

London’s leading land-based college invites you to find out about their new Landscape Construction Diploma. Endorsed by employers and the landscaping industry it offers a unique opportunity to develop technical and business skills.

Modules include; living walls, water management/SUDS, surveying and construction drawings, business practice and project management, paving, timber and brick work, water features, use of plants in landscaping and a show garden build.

This course can be studied on a full or part-time basis with optional unit selection.

www.capel.ac.uk Pro landscaper_landscape only.indd 1 Advert template.indd 13

17/07/2018 15:00:00 17/07/2018 16:48

BANG ON

INSPIRE

TREND

COPPER ACCENTS Ornamental copper is making an enormous impact this year – it weathers to a beautiful bluish-green patina, adding warmth amongst planting and contrasting beautifully with natural stone, gravel and wood.

“Corten steel has become increasingly popular in commercial and residential design in the last few years,” says Jeff Miles from The Pot Company. “It’s extremely strong and versatile and naturally weathers when exposed to the elements, developing a rich and eye-catching finish.”

The Pot Company has a wide range of walls, screens and stairs, as well as fire pits, fire tables and water features – some of which were used to significant effect in Hillier’s ‘STIHL Inspiration’ and ‘A Royal Celebration’ gardens, and in Rae Wilkinson’s ‘Space To Grow’ garden. Beautiful examples featured in ‘The Silent Pool Gin

Garden’ by Neale Richards Garden Design, where the spherical water feature was reminiscent of orange peel.

Designed by Nic Howard, ‘The David Harber and Savills Garden’ featured sculptures by David Harber, whose arresting ‘Aeon’ piece formed the garden’s explosive focal point. Viewed through ‘Refinement’ – an intricately patterned, oxidised steel sculptural screen – the garden also included a verdigris-finished ‘Bench of Contemplation’, made of random strips of bronze.

A sequence of metal spines created a connective thread running the length of Stuart Charles Towner’s ‘VTB Capital Garden – Spirit of Cornwall Garden’, while Tony Woods incorporated a series of corten steel structures and grates, highlighted by planting in purples and deep reds.

David Harber copper garden sculpture

The Pot Company

David Harber

58

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Anji Connell.indd 58

Anji Connell focuses on four popular garden trends – copper, industrial, global and nature – currently climbing the style charts

Varaschin Link table

by Viadurini

Vintage Industrial

INDUSTRIAL VIBE Industrial style is an aesthetic trend referencing old factories, industrial spaces and their components; think raw materials with an unfinished feel and neutral tones, including metals, concrete, weathered wood and exposed brick.

Metals will rust, concrete will have colour variations as well as minor imperfections, and wood will distress, however, this only adds to their unique character and appeal. It also fits with another key trend this year – wabi-sabi – the ancient Japanese philosophy of beauty that is imperfect and impermanent, where cracks and imperfections are cherished as symbolising the passage of time and of loving use. The antidote to a throwaway society built on disposable goods and massproduced, homogeneous items.

For a modern industrial look use stainless steel and other polished metals that add a crisp,

Vintage chair

streamlined feel. Mix with raw and polished concrete, black corrugated metal, smoothed tended gravel that fits with your local geology, and minimalist contemporary furniture, such as stone or concrete block tables and benches.

To finish add a bold pop of colour and naturalistic planting to soften (what can be) a stark and cold look.

Vintage Industrial at Urban Icon have an excellent selection of tables, stools, and shelving, that includes the Hure, Crank, and Firehouse tables, and the 308 Shelf and Ellis Shelf. Their Eiffel stool will add that pop of colour and the Diamond Table & Bench by Witamina D is a great fit for a more modern industrial aesthetic, as is the concrete table from custommade.com and the block Saber table from geilandmehr.com.

Hartland & Hartland have an aged concrete table, and for a metal finish, the Varaschin Link is rather beautiful. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 14:27

GLOBAL INFLUENCE RHS Chelsea may be quintessentially British but gardens this year took on global inspiration. Japanese designer Kazuyuki Ishihara’s entry, ‘Omo-tena-shi no NIWA – The Hospitality Garden’ was inspired by the culture of Omotenashi – to anticipate the needs of your guest – with the planting based on a type of Japanese flower arranging called Ikenobo.

Jo Thompson used the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi – repaired broken ceramics that, thanks to their ‘scars’, teach us to display broken objects with pride – to form a meandering path through her botanical ‘Wedgwood Garden’.

Laurie Chetwood and Patrick Collins’ ‘Wuhan Water Garden’ was a celebration of Chinese flora, while Tom Massey’s ‘The Lemon Tree Trust Garden’ reflected many elements of traditional Islamic design.

The Artisan ‘British Council Garden – India: A Billion Dreams’ by

Sarah Eberle FSGD was inspired by the Moghul gardens of North India, featuring traditional pietra dura marble work in a beautiful surrounding wall.

Away from Chelsea, Malian Cheick Diallo gives old items a new lease of life crafting pieces with detritus such as old tyres, computer batteries and soft drink cans. He embraces his roots to go on and implement them in a completely diverse way – as does Hamed Ouattara, hammering, shaping and repurposing disused oil barrels, by hand, offering a distinct design aesthetic to functional products.

Made.com’s super-chic rattan, Copa collection is groovy and graphical with an African beat. There are tables, chairs and lounge sets for those looking to make a bold style statement. The poly rattanlooks stylish and keeps things cool on hot summer days.

Chieck Diallo Southern Guild

Made UK Copa Garden Aperitif Set

Hamed Ouattara

Conrad Hicks Copper Chaise and Guy du Toit Stoele Chairs ©Adriaan Louw for Southern Guild

Fine Wooden Creations

NATURALLY INSPIRED A dissatisfaction with mass-production and a backlash to our digital age has led to a resurgence of handmade craftsmanship.

Carmen V Machado’s Debris Lounge Chair highlights the impact of overfishing our oceans, reusing fragments of rope and fishing line.

Southern Guild in Cape Town is currently showcasing the work of fine artist and tree surgeon Adam Birch who carves his pieces from the fork – the part of the tree usually discarded.

All the pieces function as seating as well as beautiful natural sculpture.

The work of Conrad Hicks, a fine artist and blacksmith, is also available from

Robert Stadler at Carpenters Workshop Gallery

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Anji Connell.indd 59

Southern Guild, South Africa.

Carpenters Workshop Gallery in London, Paris and New York showcase functional sculptures by international rising and established artists and designers, such as Robert Stadler’s beautifully smooth pebble-like ashlar coffee table/seat, bronze pieces from Wendell Castle that also double as seating, and Pablo Reinoso’s magnificent scrolling seats, in wood, steel and corten steel.

The unusual Non-Finito collection

by Brian Richer at Mjölk all have naturalistic shapes created freehand with visible grooves from the hand tools, in rough blocks of Carrera marble, alabaster and Vermont limestone, that reveal classic forms within; a copper bowl, a shaker table and a Donald Judd chair emerging from them.

Polish company Fine Wooden Creations creates live edge tables with a modern mix of coloured resin.

Adam Birch at Southern Guild

ABOUT ANJI CONNELL Internationally recognised interior architect and landscape designer Anji Connell is a detail-obsessed Inchbald Graduate, and has been collaborating with artisans and craftsmen to create bespoke and unique interiors for a discerning clientele since 1986. Anji is a stylist, feature writer and lover of all things art and design.

www.anjiconnellinteriordesign.com

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 59

19/07/2018 14:34

INSPIRE

WORK

Best project Usually the one I’m on! My favourites are the trade stands I design for Hampton Court.

I love bringing a space together to embrace ‘living’ outdoors, and showing industry colleagues and customers the vision of Garden House Design.

Colleagues I’m incredibly lucky to work with the best bunch of people, they’re hard working and visionary in everything they do.

It must be tough to work for a husband and wife team who run at 100mph!

Mentors Working with your best friend, lover, husband, colleague, staff member and managing director all in the same person, also means they are my best mentor too. Then everyone else in the industry – the willingness of people to offer advice and a hand when you need it is the best kind of mentoring you can get!

Issues to address I need to work on the business more and not in it. I need to allow myself time away to plan, formulate new relationships, dream about new strategies and then look at writing the plans to get there. I’ve booked on to an APL Business Development Programme in October.

Best learning curve My 75% rule – it’s better to get something done at 75% than not at all. When you’re running a

fast-growing business it’s easy to always strive for perfection, but sometimes the reality is that you just need to get that post on Facebook done, or that mailshot out.

High and low points of my career I love being self-employed and the freedom it brings. Whilst our daughter was growing up I found it hard to go away as I knew it was essential to grow the business. This year she finished her GSCE’s and helped us on the stands at Hampton Court.

Leadership style I see myself more as a mentor than leader, encouraging people to exceed their own expectations, pushing themselves to try. My attention to detail must be really irritating at times and my memory is an asset, and these are both things I hope to pass on to people. My greatest achievement would be if someone said: “Debs Winrow taught me that!”

What I hope to achieve in the next 12 months Launching the brand concept #liveoutdoors consisting of a range of fabulous products and services encouraging people to live outdoors even longer. Not only do we want an increase of above-patio products to consumers, but also have a really good design range to sell at trade prices.

LIFE/STYLE INSPIRATION People My desire to style my surroundings inside and outside comes from my mum. She oversaw every detail, pushing the boundaries of design to create an amazing home. Influenced by books, music and friends from Europe, she changed our home each season; silk and cotton in the summer, and wool and velvet in the winter.

Garden My mother was also an amazing cook. Our garden was filled with fruit trees and vegetables for us to make jams and chutneys with, so we always had rich flavours throughout the year. These contrasted with the lush fern gardens, old fashioned roses climbing through the fruit trees, and beds full of violets which she’d pick and put in small jars by our beds.

One Christmas morning, I awoke to my stocking which contained small packets of seeds wrapped in tissue. In the middle of the night my dad had made me a garden of my own – it was magical!

Sadly, she left us before she could see my own gardens and the many gardens and trade stands that Rod and I now create for a living. When designing and styling I like to stand back and ask would Mum love this?

60

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

LifeStyle.indd 60

Debs Winrow

Debs Winrow, creative director at Garden House Design reveals her personal and professional sides, including important people, special places and experiences that have inspired her work

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/07/2018 09:50

INSPIRE

PERSONAL Hobbies Being creative! Scrapbooking, sewing, painting, just making stuff – preferably with glitter!

Then there’s my home and garden … I’m always switching things around, especially after a good snoop around TK Maxx, my shopping destination of choice.

Design taste Easy – grey, white and wood. Hearts and stars. Think coastal meets industrial both inside and out!

Most treasured possession I know it’s a cliché, but my most treasured possession is my family and friends, these guys keep me alive, challenged and loved – what more could you want?

Dress style Those that know me realise my obsession with accessories, I love jewellery and it’s never the value but the memory the piece brings. I love detail on my clothes, beads, frills, an odd pleat and love to layer my style. This comes across in my interior design taste as well, I love fresh cotton sheets with a cosy mohair throw.

Food I love a picnic at any time of the day; I make up a wooden platter with breads, olives, salad, halloumi and lots of oil and vinegar on everything. And afternoon tea – warm scones with fresh jam and whipped cream (jam then cream) is the way to my heart!

Drink I’m a vodka girl! I’m getting trendy these days and drinking it with Elderflower Tonic!

TRAVEL Places I’ve been I’m fortunate to have been travelling aboard since I was 18 with my first trip aboard being Hawaii! I’ve never looked back, and constantly put aside other luxuries to save for the next adventure. I was born in New Zealand where the standard of views, beaches and wines is tough to beat.

I’d recommend that place to anyone. Hire a camper and journey around both islands.

How I journey, and where I like to stay I’m happy to travel as cheaply as possible and then spend the majority of budget on the places we stay, we love boutique type hotels.

It would be hard for me to pick a favourite, but normally a dramatic coastline, tree lined cobbled streets, al fresco dining and places to shop for home and garden treasures.

Favourite Place The far east is probably the place that makes my soul sing the most. It’s so vibrant and I adore the food. We recently took our teenage daughter there to introduce her to the magic that we’ve loved for so many years. Her middle name, Summer, is from the idea that if you joined our two worlds together, the UK and New Zealand, you’d get one continuous summer – something we’d all love! www.prolandscapermagazine.com

LifeStyle.indd 61

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 61

17/07/2018 09:50

workbook.qxp_Pro Landscaper Ad 05/03/2018 22:27 Page 1

Outdoor Living PodsTM from £3,990 + vat

FOLLOW US

L

ove Life

Outdoors

OUTDOOR LIVING PODTM

LOUVERED ROOFS | EXTERNAL BLINDS | PATIO AWNINGS For over 30 years, Caribbean Blinds have been manufacturing and supplying the trade with the very finest external shading systems available. Designed, engineered and built to last our products offer a superior specification to any other on the market. Available on a supply only or supply & install* basis, we provide fully comprehensive training and unparalleled support. Add value to your projects with Caribbean Blinds.

FIND OUT MORE

0344 800 1947

info@cbsolarshading.co.uk

www.cbsolarshading.co.uk HEAD OFFICE, FACTORY & SHOWSITE Woodhall Business Park, Sudbury, Suffolk. CO10 1WH

*Supply & install refers to Outdoor Living PodsTM only

LUXURY UK MANUFACTURED EXTERNAL SHADING SINCE 1987 Advert template.indd 14

17/07/2018 11:43

INSPIRE

Hardwood decking Hard wearing, long lasting and good looking, these decking options tick all the boxes

Round Wood of Mayfield Thermo treated decking

Every contractor that has a decking Exterior Solutions terrace to build wants a quality product Kebony Exterpark that installs fast. Aluminium joists, hardwood decking pedestals and an invisible screwless system, the perfect combination. Exterpark Magnet is a fast and reliable decking system. Moreover, the ready profiled boards, generous length and superior dimensional stability make for an incredible decking product.

Kebony® has a history of providing environmentally friendly timber products since 2003. Furthermore, it is warranted against rot for 25 years and is one of the most efficient timber products on the planet.

Price: POA WWW.EXTERIOR.SUPPLIES

Tropical hardwood Ekki is one of the Ecochoice hardest and most durable timber species FSC® certified Ekki on the planet, making it a favourite for decking civil and marine projects such as piers and groynes. This decking comes from FSC® forests in West Africa and has a great combination of mechanical properties, density and durability.

Ecochoice delivered this decking to Hasting’s Pier which won the RIBA Sterling award.

Price: POA WWW.ECOCHOICE.CO.UK Round Wood of Mayfield offers a range of eco-friendly, thermo treated timber products, including decking boards that are particularly suited to high end, contemporary projects.

As part of the Thermory® collection these decking boards have been cut from ash and spruce sourced from responsibly managed forests in both North America and Europe.

The thermo treatment process they have undergone is chemical free and transforms the timber, giving it a durability that rivals that of tropical hardwoods. The result is a decking board with dimensional stability and a deep colour throughout.

Price: From £23 WWW.ROUNDWOOD.COM

Premium choice for creating secure, tactile and durable boundary markers.

Manufactured from Radiata Pine, kiln dried, sanded and pressure treated with Tanalith E preservative • 8 standard machining options • Lengths up to 3700mm • Diameters from 100mm to 200mm • 15 year warranty

Call 0333 003 5133 for brochure & prices

www.mmtimber.co.uk

M&M Timber is a division of Forest Garden Limited.

mm-staging-186x55.indd 2 Hardwood decking.indd 63

14/06/2018 09:28 19/07/2018 11:26

PORTFOLIO INSPIRE

ADDAGRIP

GREEN-TECH

Terrabound Resin Bound, Addaset Resin Bound porous surfacing & Addastone TP Liverpool Football Club, Anfield, Liverpool

gt Resibond Marlowes Shopping Centre, Hemel Hempstead

Addagrip Terraco’s BBA approved Terrabound and Addaset Resin bound Porous surfacing systems were selected for the new retail store at Liverpool Football Club’s Anfield ground.

Bound A robust, low maintenance, porous paving was required. Just under 4000m2 of Terrabound and Addaset resin bound porous surfacing was selected in a range of colours. Several tree pit areas were also completed using Addastone TP. Area: approx 4000m2 and Stadium Expansion over 2000m2 WWW.ADDAGRIP.CO.UK

Bond

The Marlowes shopping centre in Hemel Hempstead underwent a £30m regeneration project to make it a more attractive town centre.

This included the planting of semi-mature trees that were finished with gt Resibond and an easy to install porous resin bond surface layer of aggregate. It’s an ideal finish in a hard-landscaping scheme as it’s virtually maintenance free, durable and hard wearing.

Area: approx 30m2 WWW.GREEN-TECH.CO.UK

RESIN BOND AND BOUND RONACRETE RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing Downley House, South Downs National Park Downley House was built on the site of old farm buildings, set within the newly formed South Downs National Park. Ronacrete approved contractors, PRC Landscapes, were employed to carry out groundworks and landscaping on the three-acre site. This included application of RonaDeck Resin Bound Surfacing to 650m2 of macadam, including patios and the driveway. The aggregate selected was Harvest Crunch, a blend of naturally coloured aggregates in keeping with the house’s surroundings.

Area: 650m2 WWW.RONACRETE.CO.UK

Bound 64

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Resin bonded and bound.indd 64

SURESET UK 3mm Barley Beach natural aggregate Twyford, Hampshire

Bound

In this project SureSet UK ltd were contracted to complete a permeable, resin bound pool surround and pathways for a domestic customer in Twyford.

The customer wanted a permeable, practical, UV stable and environmentally friendly surface that would be kind on bare feet and eliminate puddling and slip hazards. SureSets 3mm Barley Beach was selected to match the newly built pool house and complement the garden design and planting.

Pool surround: 126m2, Pathways: 25m2 WWW.SURESET.CO.UK www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 14:20

O UR GUAR A N T E E T O YO U

Advert template.indd 15

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

1. Brand Association .. ts ..

2. Qualit y Assessmen .. ort ..

3. Sales Supp .. lation Guarantees 4. Product and Instal .. ..

5. Lead Generation .. ..

6. Reward Points .. ries ..

7. Direc t to Site Delive .. d Awards ise gn ..

8. Nationally Reco .. ..

9. Free CAD Service .. ples ..

10. Free Product Sam .. lation Training tal Ins d an ..

11. Product ..

12. Online Profile .. ..

13. Technical Support .. ment Planning ..

14. Business Develop .. ..

15. Marketing Support .. ures ..

16. Personalised Broch .. ..

17. Installation Apps .. ..

18. Laying Guides .. ur Customers 19. After Service for yo .. ..

T) a month!

20. All for just ÂŁ25(+VA .. .. .. .. .. alls Register ..

The accredited Marsh .. st support .. guarantees you the be .. not join today... y .. in the industry, so wh .. visit ..

Call 0345 3040 707 or .. gister /re .uk co lls. www.marsha .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

17/07/2018 11:44

the professionals’ choice

Best selling Elipta LED spotlights elegant functionality that’s easy on the pocket – now available with RGB colour changing lamps (sold separately)

Prices from just

£34

Images courtesy of Mike Shackleton OGL & Paul Newman Landscapes

LFG0108 Elipta Podium Advert template.indd 16Supp Fe18 Ad_210x265_V1.indd 1

+VAT

www.lightingforgardens.com 13/02/2018 17/07/2018 20:27 11:46

Lighting

INSPIRE

Outdoor lighting Sian Parsons, senior lighting designer at John Cullen Lighting looks at the many options for expertly lighting an outdoor space for maximum effect Our external spaces are increasingly becoming a part of everyday life and as such, it’s crucial to consider how best to light them. Gardens are now used as an extension of the house, and we are seeing more structured spaces with dining and living areas firmly defined.

With this adjustment of including more hard landscaping, the possibilities for external lighting have increased. Hard and fixed surfaces give us the opportunity to create texture and depth, from floor recessed uplights washing up stone walls, to linear LEDs backlighting wood screens or miniatures acting as marker lights along steps and paths.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Lighting trends Sian Parsons.indd 67

With the use of external lighting to aid our social experience becoming a growing trend, I also see our outside spaces becoming more enchanted in atmosphere with festoon lights strung overhead, fairy lights wrapped in trees, or spiked decorative fittings — such as our ‘Carella’ — featured in planting, all adding a softness similar to lamp light and a magical twinkle to our experience.

Alongside this change, is the move away from traditional decorative wall lights. Consider using a spiked light in a plant pot either side of your front door, to create textures of shadows on the back wall as opposed to using a wall light. Or you could also consider floor recessed up-lights, such as our ‘Lucca External’, to lead the eye towards the façade, giving a certain grandeur to the front door.

Light pollution is also having a major impact on external lighting choices. Dark sky lights in residential environments help mitigate the high output products used on more commercial spaces. Instead of large floor recessed uplights to trees, why not consider fixing the lighting in the tree canopy to light downwards, giving a wash to the texture of the trunk and onto the floor surface below. For path lights, especially where the paths are alongside planting beds, you could try something like our ‘Portobello’, featuring a reflective cap to help diffuse the lighting onto the ground beneath. Linear LEDs can be used to underlight benched seating in both traditional or modern gardens.

I’ve also seen a new wave of external lighting where linear LEDs have been integrated into transferable pots or bench seating. This keeps lighting low level and discreet, whilst offering

LG Eco-City Garden - RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2018

flexibility within the garden design.

Another trend to watch out for is the joyful array of external sculptures coming onto the market. Lighting these can create focus, drama and add a wow factor to your external space.

From uplighting glass, to making a more textured surface glow, lighting within or onto sculptures draws your eye out into the garden and beyond, extending the feeling of space and giving depth.

Finally, the biggest trend of all for garden lighting is LED. Light Emitting Diodes, as they’re otherwise known, have endless colour options, a miniature size, an extremely long life, no heat and therefore very high performance. They do need to run off drivers, so there will be some equipment to hide, but the benefits far outweigh the time taken to install, and the technology can only keep improving as we move into 2019.

ABOUT SIAN PARSONS Having spent 12 years at John Cullen, Sian Parsons is an experienced member of the lighting design team. She is a senior designer with responsibility for a wide range of design projects, whilst also managing the design team and in-house training. Sian is passionate about following interior design trends, and offering her clients a detailed high-end solution to their lighting needs.

www.johncullenlighting.com

Images ©John Cullen Lighting

TRENDS

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 67

19/07/2018 14:05

Lighting

Under the spotlight, six bright ideas to illuminate your outdoor space in style

LED-ZIP LIGHTING MonoFlood 400

Price: £85 + VAT The smallest in Led-Zip’s range, the MonoFlood 400 proves that size doesn’t matter – the single beam of light provides a very impressive 1400 lumens of fully directional white light. Stylish and modern, the MonoFlood 400 is waterproof, and can be spike or wall mounted.

WWW.LED-ZIP.CO.UK

LANDSCAPEPLUS Outdoor LED power supply

Price: From £33 + VAT Landscapeplus have developed these unique, fully potted (IP67) outdoor power supplies to make the installation of LED lighting as simple and reliable as possible. The outdoor LED power supply is guaranteed for five years, and for added safety includes a built-in, resettable fuse.

WWW.LANDSCAPEPLUS.COM

LIGHT PROJECTS

STONE GLOBE LIGHTS

JOHN CULLEN LIGHTING Kew spiked spotlight

Price: £138 The miniature Kew uses just 1W to deliver a powerful 85 lumens. Its long snoot ensures glare-free lighting with a controlled beam of light, while the colour and size allow it to disappear into planting. Being a spiked fitting, it can be repositioned as the garden matures.

WWW.JOHNCULLENLIGHTING.COM

‘Stone’ Globe lights

Price: From £109 Available in six colour finishes and various sizes, Stone Globe lights are a striking garden feature virtually indistinguishable from stone. The lights are hard wearing and UV and frost resistant. Can be used on pillars and piers, to line or highlight steps and paths, or amongst plants.

WWW.STONEGLOBELIGHTS.CO.UK

LIGHTING FOR GARDENS

Elipta E8111L Smoothie Eyelid light Price: From £79 + VAT Landscaping lighting made easy.

With no visible external fixings, the body locates into a polycarbonate installation sleeve. IP66 functional step lighting that’s easy to install, oozes quality and style, with the added benefit of retrofit lamps.

WWW.LIGHTINGFORGARDENS.COM

LEDStar5 spotlight

Price: £167 The LEDStar5 spotlight is made from a heavy anodised aluminium with a high-quality PTFE paint coating. The LEDStar5 spotlight is available in 8.3 and 16W, with the ability to change the beam characteristics with a range of interchangeable accessories.

WWW.LIGHTPROJECTS.CO.UK

68

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Lighting products.indd 68

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 14:13

ISU1001 Grafter Green21 - AdProLandscaper(210x265mm).indd 1 Advert template.indd

23/03/2018 20/07/2018 11:46 08:39

INSPIRE

Why I...

#lovehorticulture Wayne Grills describes how his lifelong passion for horticulture stems primarily from the many enthusiastic people involved in the industry

L

WAYNE GRILLS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF LANDSCAPE INDUSTRIES

ike many in our industry, having been introduced to horticulture by my parents through gardening, I have always had an interest in growing plants from a very young age. From entering a local flower show competition with a plant supplied by my school that I nurtured until competition day, through to helping Dad in the NEVER HAVE I HAD THE garden – which came in OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN AN handy when I had to maintain his in later life INDUSTRY THAT HAS A RANGE when he was unable.

OF PEOPLE SO INCREDIBLY However, I hadn’t really PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT experienced the true power THEY DO of horticulture until just over seven years ago when I joined BALI. Having worked in a range of industries I already believed that I had worked with some of the best. However, with horticulture and specifically landscaping and garden design, I felt like I had arrived home. That may sound corny, but never have I had the opportunity to work in an industry that has a range of people so incredibly passionate about what they do. The way in which I was warmly welcomed into the industry was an encounter I had never had the opportunity of experiencing before.

I find it amazing in this industry that whilst we have competing organisations, the people within them never seem to have a problem sharing with each other how to improve and be the best. It’s all about helping one another – just look at the way in which IF I WAS TO SUM IT UP, show garden HORTICULTURE IS A teams help WONDERFUL THING, each other out.

BUT IT’S THE PEOPLE THAT To this day, BRING IT TO LIFE I am in awe of the level of plant knowledge our colleagues have and the recall of the Latin and more common names of plants – Wow!

Tweet us @ProLandscaperJW and tell us why you love horticulture using the hashtag #LoveHorticulture

70

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Love Horticulture.indd 70

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/07/2018 09:23

BOOK NOW TO ATTEND THE LANDSCAPE EVENT OF THE YEAR! Awards luncheon: Friday 7 December, 11am - 4.30pm Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London

For general enquiries, contact Emily Feeney 024 7669 8658 or Kirsty Wood 024 7669 8654 or email awards@bali.org.uk

Early bird tickets available until 5 October.

Visit www.baliawards.co.uk to book.

Headline Sponsor

Advert template.indd 18

8

Sponsors

17/07/2018 12:15

SUPPLIED 80,000M² OF WILDFLOWER TURF TO THE 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES AND QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK

Become an Accredited Installer with Wildflower Turf Limited Training Days available in Hampshire and Yorkshire There has never been a better time to offer wild flower landscapes to your customers.

By becoming a Wildflower Turf® Accredited Partner you will gain the following unique benefits: • Industry leading training in delivering successful wild flower landscapes • The lowest pricing GUARANTEED on the full range of Wildflower Turf® products • Referrals from Wildflower Turf Ltd for installations as Accredited Partners • Extensive online and offline marketing support to promote your expertise and status

Our next training sessions: Yorkshire 4th May 2018 Hampshire 18th May 2018 Yorkshire 6th September 2018 Hampshire 28th September 2018

“Accreditation has meant that I have been provided with excellent knowledge and technical support from Wildflower Turf Ltd. Being accredited has also given me direct access to customers wanting to install Wildflower Turf® products in their gardens and landscapes” SEAN MCGEACHY MCGEACHY GARDEN DESIGN LTD

Tel: 01256 771222 Email: toby@wildflowerturf.co.uk www.wildflowerturf.co.uk/apply @wildflowerturf www.linkedin.com/company/wildflower-turf-ltd www.facebook.com/wildflowerturf1

Advert template.indd 19

17/07/2018 12:19

ALEXANDRA NOBLE

76

The Health and Wellbeing Garden

STAYING POWER ANDY MCINDOE

78

The enduring colour of shrubs

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE

85

JAMIE BUTTERWORTH Building a garden for James Alexander-Sinclair

NURSERY VISIT

90 81

ENGLISH WOODLANDS Spanning 12 acres and specialising in container trees and shrubs

NURTURE

DESIGNER PLANTS

PLUS...

NURTURE NEWS (P75) IAN DRUMMOND (P81) JACKIE HERALD (P82) WILDFLOWER TURF (P88)

88 NURTURE cover.indd 73

19/07/2018 16:37

RH 'Expertise' half-page Pro Landscaper:Layout 1

2/12/16

13:07

Page 1

Readyhedge.

The home of expertise.

Readyhedge instant hedging is cared for by experts at every stage, from planting to irrigation, feeding and trimming, so that every plant is perfect and ready for despatch.

01386 750585 lindsay@readyhedge.com www.readyhedge.com

READYHEDGE

READY-SPACED, READY TO PLANT, READY WHEN YOU ARE.

Tel: 01428 741655

Call for our Wholesale Catalogue

WHOLESALE CATALOGUE 2017/2018

01428 741655

www.griffinnurseries.co.uk enquiries@griffinnurseries.co.uk

Pleaching - Topiary - Hedging - Specimen Trees & Shrubs

Advert template.indd 20

17/07/2018 12:24

NURTURE

NURTURE NEWS Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants launch two new Crocosmia at Hampton Court Multi-award-winning UK nursery, Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, introduced two new Crocosmia at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. The new Firestars series of Crocosmia has been developed by Paul Lewis, an amateur plant breeder and hybridiser, specialising in Crocosmia and Gladiolus on the Isle of Wight.

The two new Crocosmia are named the ‘Firestars Hotspot’ and the ‘Firestars Scorchio’ after their vibrant yellow and orange colours.

Commenting Rosy Hardy, of Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants said: “We are delighted to be able to launch these two new exciting hot coloured Crocosmia at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. Breeder Paul Lewis has devoted the last 25 years to producing these stunning plants and we are looking forward to introducing them to gardens this summer.” www.hardysplants.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Nurture News.indd 75

British Harwood Tree Nursery gains nationally-recognised accreditation British Harwood Tree Nursery Limited (BHT) can now add UKSG Assurance to other industry certifications, reinforcing

the confidence and provenance the company has already provided to its network of UK customers for over a quarter of a century.

National charity the Woodland Trust’s UK Sourced and Grown (UKSG) Assurance initiative is aimed at protecting the provenance of native trees.

British Harwood Tree Nursery is one of the newly-inspected group of forest nurseries who conform to a rigorous set of measures intended to eradicate the potential threat of pest and diseases from the non-UK sourced plant material.

The UKSG Scheme guarantees buyers that trees in their stock marked with the UKSG badge are raised from seeds sourced only from the UK and grown in the UK for their entire lifespan. www.britishhardwood.co.uk

Provender Nurseries supplies three top gardens at Hampton Court Provender Nurseries supplied three gardens at Hampton Court Flower Show this year with award winning plants. Two of the three gardens supplied were in categories that are judged, whilst the third was sponsored by the RHS. Best of Both Worlds Garden which was built and planted by BALI Go Landscape apprentices, trainees and mentors took home a Gold medal. Apeiron: The Dibond Garden designed by Alex Rainford-Roberts won the only Silver Gilt medal awarded in the Conceptual Gardens category. RHS Grown Your Own with the Raymond Blanc Gardening School was sponsored by the RHS and jointly designed by Ali

Dempster and Rossana Porta.

A wide range of plants was provided from large specimen, slightly more unusual Ginkgo biloba ‘Mariken’, Broussonetia papyrifera, Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ to good reliable stock plants; Buddleja, Erigeron karvinskianus, Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Cratus’ and ‘Golf Ball’. Pachysandra terminalis and the perennial favourite Alchemilla mollis were also selected by the designers for use across the gardens. www.provendernurseries.co.uk

SEND US YOUR

NURTURE NEWS! editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk

01903 777 570

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 75

19/07/2018 11:35

©RHS

NURTURE ‘Tumbleweed’ by Jill Berelowitz

Carpinus canopies edge a pool

Designer PLANTS Alexandra Noble created her fragrant and tranquil RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show garden with health and wellbeing in mind

Part of a new category for 2018 at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, the Lifestyle Gardens were launched to mark 100 years since women were given the right to vote. With a theme of health and wellbeing to work towards, Alexandra’s design considered how the garden might be able to slow one’s pace and mind and encourage a sense of being in the moment.

The layout of the garden was dominated by the path’s route which looped and circled to contain a circular water trough and round of thyme. This curved path was intersected at various points by a serpentine rill with senses heightened through the sound of flowing water, the cushioned feel of Camomile atop the seat 76

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Designer plants.indd 76

and the uplifting fragrance of peppermint. Multistem Carpinus betulus were sourced from Majestic Trees to provide a feeling of enclosure and positioned at points to add verticality and evoke the feeling of being within a small glade.

A Griselinia littoralis hedge was supplied by Practicality Brown and was selected for its lime green toned leaves and relaxed form.

The intended planting aesthetic was informal and undone. Hazy, cloud-like texture was achieved with Ammi majus, Foeniculum vulgare and Ammi visnaga placed en masse. The colour palette included lime greens, sulphur yellows and pale lilacs, all peppered with white accents throughout.

The majority of the garden’s plants are medicinal, edible or wonderfully fragrant and were grown by Jekka’s Herb Farm in South Gloucestershire. Jekka’s advice on plants over the phone and in person was invaluable in the preceding months and the plants were of a superb www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 16:40

Fennel, Achillea and Ammi

NURTURE

©RHS

©RHS

Plants were selected to attract pollinators

quality and size on arrival. Ammi majus, Ammi visnaga and Alchemilla mollis were supplied by Hardy’s Plants and the Ammi majus received frequent enquiries from visitors during show week. It was a deliberate choice to utilise familiar and relatively easy to get hold of species to ensure accessible take-home inspiration for the public.

A double flowered mat forming Camomile named Chamaemelum nobile ‘Flore Pleno’ was used atop the bench and underfoot. The flowers look like miniature pom poms and the fragrance is deliciously sweet and addictive.

Another plant favourite was Mentha x piperita ‘Black Mitcham’; a peppermint with very dark striking leaves fantastic in tea, salads, cold drinks and great for digestion.

After spending some time at Jekka’s herbetum exploring the mints available, this was in her opinion by far the best scented. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Designer plants.indd 77

A porphyry bench topped with Chamaemelum nobile ‘Flore Pleno’

Plants were selected with the specific aim of attracting pollinators and to be wildlife friendly, which will help maximise biodiversity in their new permanent location, the Old English Garden in Battersea Park.

Challenges during the show were keeping the Lady’s Mantle and curly Parsley from wilting in the 30° heat. The rest of the plants all stayed looking upright and show worthy with twice daily watering.

ABOUT ALEXANDRA NOBLE Alexandra is a North London based garden designer with a background in architecture. Since winning a national competition with The One Show in 2014 to design a feature garden at Hampton Court, she has worked for various landscape architects and designers before becoming self-employed.

Plant list • Mentha x piperita ‘Black Mitcham’ • Foeniculum vulgare • Ammi visnaga • Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’ • Angelica archangelica • Cynara cardunculus • Apium graveolens • Salvia officinalis ‘Purpurascens’ • Artemisia abrotanum • Petroselinum crispum • Achillea millefolium • Ammi majus • Alchemilla mollis • Chamaemelum nobile ‘Flore pleno’ • Thymus ‘Caborn Wine and Roses’ • Thymus pulegioides

www.alexandranoble.com

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 77

19/07/2018 16:41

NURTURE

No garden feels complete without shrubs.

Andy McIndoe gives an insight into a few of the many varieties on offer

T

here is no denying the contribution shrubs make to the enduring colour and interest in the late summer garden. When the early display of flowers fade, shrubs continue to keep the show on the road. Foliage colour lasts and some of these hardy characters also have flowers. In many cases there are also autumn leaf tints to look forward to or showy winter stems.

STAYING POWER

Andy McIndoe

Clerodendrum bungei ‘Pink Diamond’

leaves fall to reveal red winter stems.

Clerodendrum bungei is a good choice for semi-shade. The tall, upright stems form a dense clump and the leaves re shiny dark green, and rounded heads of pink, fragrant flowers are produced in late summer and give a long-lasting display.

Cotinus ‘Grace’

The smoke bushes, varieties of Cotinus, started their display of attractive flower plumes early this year. These vigorous hardy shrubs make excellent specimens and background structure in borders. Of the purple leafed varieties, Cotinus ‘Grace’ is one of the largest, with copper-purple leaves which colour brilliantly in autumn. The smoky flower plumes are massive, creating a deep purple haze over the shrub from mid-summer. As with other Cotinus, hard winter pruning produces vigorous ascending shoots; lack of pruning can result in lax, spreading stems.

Cotinus coggygria ‘Golden Spirit’

The yellow leaved Cotinus coggygria ‘Golden Spirit’ is a light, uplifting subject. Its coral flower plumes are most attractive against the limeyellow leaves. It makes a lovely highlight, but is best balanced with other yellow elsewhere in the planting.

The dark leaved Physocarpus are at their best in late summer. These are some of the hardiest and most tolerant foliage shrubs, coping with clay, dry soils and exposed sites. They are perfect for new-build situations and quickly make an impression. Clusters of early summer flowers develop into jewel-like fruit clusters. They are best 78

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Andy McIndoe.indd 78

Clerodendrum trichotomum ‘Carnival’

pruned in winter to remove some of the old stems; the new shoots should be left untouched.

Clerodendrum trichotomum also blooms in late summer or autumn producing open clusters of fragrant white flowers with showy pink calyces. The leaves are healthy and weather resistant, they smell unpleasantly of rubber when brushed, however this has advantages as the plants are untouched by deer and rabbits. The variegated form ‘Carnival’, is a particularly useful foliage plant.

Physocarpus ‘Diable d’Or’

This ensures a graceful arching habit. So many of these shrubs are ruined by indiscriminate trimming which produces unattractive bushy growth.

As tolerant of tough growing conditions as Physocarpus, Cornus alba varieties are deservedly widely used in all types of planting scheme. The more vigorous varieties need regular maintenance to keep them in check. Cornus alba ‘Sibirica Variegata’ is more modest in stature, and low maintenance, rarely reaching more than 1.2m (4ft) in height and spread. Its green and white

Heptacodium miconiodes

One of the latest flowering shrubs, Heptacodium miconioides is easy to grow and forms a substantial shrub or small tree with tough green leaves and peeling tan coloured bark. The clusters of densely double white ‘hydrangea-like’ flowers appear in late summer.

ABOUT ANDY MCINDOE

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica Variegata’

variegated leaves take on pink-purple tints by late summer. These intensify in autumn before the

Andy McIndoe is a practical horticulturist with more than 30 years’ experience in ornamental horticulture.

He has designed and advised on gardens of all sizes and has been responsible for 25 Gold medal winning exhibits at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Twitter: @AndyMcIndoe

www.andymcindoe.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/07/2018 15:44

NTER NO W E WWW.PROLANDSCAPERBUSINESSAWARDS.COM

MENU HEADLINE SPONSOR

SPONSORED BY

PLBA August.indd 1

19/07/2018 08:58

Tap into our expertise – when you work with us you are joining an established club. A club which exists to ensure you get the best and most innovative products, professional service, expert training and great value for money.

EXCELLING IN ARTIFICIAL GRASS FOR OVER A DECADE Advert template.indd 22

• Artificial grass for landscaping • Sports, play and leisure surfaces • Playtime Designs • Playpad system and shock pads • Perfect Base • Coloured grass • Other associated products @Perfectly_Green

@perfectlygreen

For more information and assistance: Tel: 0185 729259 Email: sales@perfectlygreen.co.uk www,perfectlygreen.co.uk

18/07/2018 11:58

NURTURE

Ian Drummond extols the virtues of the Zamioculcas, not only is it easy to care for – it’s just perfect in every way!

T

here are some plants, like people, that just exude vitality and health.

They are somehow shinier than the rest, radiating wellness, but not in an artificial, untouchable, high-maintenance way.

Healthful beauty is simply their natural state, and so being around them is both stimulating and soothing, essentially it feels good.

NATURAL BEAUTY

Ian Drummond

is during these downpours that the plant stores water so that it can continue to thrive through dry periods. It is this ability to maintain its own health through periods of drought that make it such an easy plant to care for – just ensure the soil dries out slightly between watering, so that the root system doesn’t become waterlogged.

ON OCCASION, IT HAS BEEN MISTAKEN FOR A FAUX PLANT — AS IF NO NATURAL SPECIMEN COULD ACTUALLY LOOK SO FLAWLESS Regarding other care, it couldn’t really be any easier to please, it doesn’t even shed leaves.

With light levels, just be careful to avoid too much direct sunlight. Feed once a month, spray the leaves with tepid water for optimal health and ensure a good sized container to house its exceptionally powerful underground tubers – and you’ll have one happy Zamioculcas.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Ian Drummond.indd 81

ABOUT INDOOR GARDEN DESIGN Established in 1975, Indoor Garden Design is a multi-award winning company at the forefront of contemporary interior and exterior horticultural design, transforming workspaces, offices, hotels and restaurants, and bringing events to life.

Ian Drummond is Creative Director.

www.indoorgardendesign.com

Images ©joyofplants.co.uk

In the plant world, Zamioculcas zamiifolia, member of the Araceae (Arum) family, is a perfect example – and such is its healthy appearance that, on occasion, it has been mistaken for a faux plant – as if no natural specimen could actually look so flawless. This exotic individual hasn’t been around for very long as a houseplant, it’s still comparatively new, having only been cultivated as an interior plant over the last fifteen years.

But what a plant it is, boasting shiny, pristine green stems and vivid, thick, sturdy leaves of impossibly uniform size, that grow to around 5cm in length and 3cm in width. It grows to a height of up to 70cm, with stems growing upright to create strong vertical lines which fan slightly outwards to create a tidy and stylish V. Occasionally, rogue stems can arch over, but if these mavericks threaten the tidy perfection,

they can just be pruned away. Zamioculcas is not a rapid grower, but in a way, that’s part of its appeal – you know exactly what you’re getting, there’s a zen-like stability to it, which is also one of the reasons why this plant is often used as a focus for meditation.

It’s grown for its leaves and, much like the Chusan palm, the flowers bring little to the party, growing as they do at the base of the foliage, and are therefore partially concealed. While unremarkable, in colours ranging from yellow through to a brownish bronze, they certainly don’t spoil the overall appearance.

Zamioculcas zamiifolia originates from Tanzania, particularly Zanzibar, but it grows right across central Africa and the east coast. The plant’s natural environment consists of rocky soil in lowlands or the foothills of highlands. It is accustomed to long periods of very dry weather alternating with torrential rain and it

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 81

16/07/2018 15:58

NURTURE

A

nything but yellow” is the common response when I ask clients for their colour preferences. Yet many who request a subdued palette of cream-blue-violet or gradation from white to barely black love to see pops of orange that bring the scheme to life.

My aim is to link indoors and out through colour, as well as space. So a quick assessment of the furnishings and pictures on the wall suggests descriptions of tints and tones that may complement the taste of the place.

“Orange” (or whatever you call it) might match a Sixties retro décor, but shades of tangerine, copper, terracotta, amber, peach and even rust may resonate with other styles, from traditional chintzy to minimal modern.

While orange may add a touch of zest (excuse the pun) to a landscape, too much is in danger of rendering the planting plan a perpetual shade of autumn. So here are some personal favourites to pep up the four seasons.

IN GRASSES, I ENJOY HOW HAKENOCHLOA MACRA TURNS FROM GREEN TO AMBER Spring I love the emerging fresh foliage of Spiraea japonica – though it’s more of a filler than a star through the rest of the year. For stand alone flamboyance and gorgeous foliage, how about a tree paeony, Paeonia suffruticosa, either ‘Orange’ or ‘Jin Ge’. For mid-height of around 60cms in the herbaceous border, I recommend the globe flower Trollius × cultorum ‘Orange Princess’ which works best in full sun. To naturalise within a sea of green groundcover I choose the lilyflowered tangerinescented tulip ‘Ballerina’ – considered to be one of the most reliable perennial varieties.

82

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Jackie Herald.indd 82

ORANGE ALERT Jackie Herald

In grasses, I enjoy how Hakenochloa macra turns from green to amber. For small garden trees with lovely spring blossom, followed by fruits and great shades of foliage, Amelanchiers are always good value and very reliable.

A relatively new introduction is ‘Rainbow Pillar’, useful for a confined space. In the borders I would choose Ceratostigma willmottianum and oak-leaved Hydrangea quercifolia.

Winter Whether or not you’re in the mood for Christmas, berries brighten up brief winter days and keep the birds happy too. Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ is a reliable favourite. Alternatively, two orangeberried hollies worth trying are Ilex ‘Little Goblin’

Summer For starters ‘Just Joey’, an anniversary rose in my own front garden – with delicious perfume, and coppery petals that fade gently to soft yellow and pink. Top of my hot orange list are poppies to self-seed in a gravel or rock garden – Papaver rupifragum ‘Flore Pleno’ – with different effects according to the backdrop, whether deep purple schist, silvery granite or creamy limestone. Also good in gravel is Helianthemum ‘Henfield Brilliant’, the orange flowers zinging against the grey-green foliage.

Hovering umbellifers of Achillea ‘Terracotta’ or ‘Inca Gold’ look great, contrasting with burnt orange spikes of Eremurus ‘Cleopatra’ or ember-glow shades of Kniphofia ‘Tawny King’ which, at over a metre high, tower above ground covers and grasses.

Another perennial favourite, Libertia peregrinans is grass-like in texture, but low in pollen – an allergyfriendly alternative to most grasses.

Just Joey

Autumn For autumn we’re spoilt for choice in terms of dazzling foliage colour.

Pyracantha ‘Orange Glow’ berries

©Hedges Direct

Pops of glowing orange can pep up the palette of your planting scheme all year round; Jackie Herald unveils this versatile hue in some vibrant plant varieties

and I. aquifolium ‘Amber’ – the latter with a particularly neat pyramidal habit, big berries and glossy leaves that are almost spineless (a safety precaution if planted beside a path or driveway).

To take advantage of the low winter sun, I choose glowing stems and bark. For instance, the glowing amber-orange-red stems of Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’, or treacle tints of peeling Prunus serrula or Acer griseum.

ABOUT JACKIE HERALD Jackie Herald is an award-winning designer of community spaces that engage the imagination and make links between indoors and out – thus her practice’s name, The Extra Room. Her goal in planting design, as in her writing, is to improve people’s health and wellbeing.

www.extra-room.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 15:19

CORE EDGE Now Better Than Ever...

Landscape COREProducts

We are a leading supplier to the British landscaping industry with a commitment to quality and over 50 years experience.

0800 118 22 78 www.corelp.co.uk

Plants & substrates for greener roofs.

Producing over two million container plants a year

Products specifically designed for high performance green roofs

Fantastic modern contract growing facilities

Tailor your green roof to suit different UK climate zones

Fast friendly professional service Experienced sales team with years of product and market knowledge Bespoke sourcing service of unusual product lines

www.boningale.co.uk

Advert template.indd 23

Better establishment, Faster coverage and fewer replacements Enables you to manage rainfall to maximum effect

01902 376500

For more information follow us

Broad range of species

@boningale_ltd

Free online tools and guides: www.boningale-greensky.co.uk

@boningaleroofs

17/07/2018 14:15

CUSTOM & BESPOKE PLANTERS

STEEL | POWDER-COATED | FIBREGLASS | TERRACOTTA | HARDWOOD

From our showroom in Cobham, Surrey we supply a wide-range of bespoke and off-the-peg planters to suit all your projects. Visit us soon, we’re open 7 days a week.

Cedar Nursery

landscaping.co.uk | 01932 862473

The Peavilion - Seedlip Garden From green to Gold

The spectacular Peavilion formed the centrepiece of the Gold Medal-winning Seedlip Garden at the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Its 1,300 aluminium tubes, in varying diameters, were cut to length and precisely anything we, or anyone else, has ever produced before.

View this project online: www.outdoordesign.co.uk

Whatever you can imagine, we can make it a reality in metal.

To discuss your ideas, email info@outdoordesign.co.uk or call us now on 01903 716960.

JoA2680 - Outdoor Design - Pro Landscaper_August 2018_(peavillion) AW.indd 1

Advert template.indd 24

© JOHN CAMPBELL/ROOMOFLIGHT.COM

welded to form a perfectly flat, façade. Truly unlike

26/06/2018 13:02

17/07/2018 14:21

NURTURE

Jamie Butterworth shares highlights of the Moscow Flower Show and an insight into the flourishing Russian nursery scene

W

hen I was asked if I would like to join a team of horticulturists, designers and sound engineers to travel to Russia, to build a garden for James AlexanderSinclair at the Moscow Flower Show, it didn’t take me long to start filling out my visa application. An incredible opportunity to work with the very best horticultural talent from across the world.

FROM RUSSIA

WITH LOVE Jamie Butterworth

the globe. Plants and gardens truly are universal. No matter where you are in the world, they can inspire, teach, heal and captivate our imagination.

The garden design and horticulture scene in Russia is, as you would expect, very different to what we are used to here in the UK. With crippling winters and scorching summers to battle, the planting has to be able to survive the toughest of conditions. Pines and birches So, you may not have heard of the Moscow Flower Show before; it is now only into its seventh year, so still in its infancy. Yet for such a young show, it has a wealth of gardens, plants, ideas and most importantly passion.

Just as the World Cup unites nations, plants and flower shows have exactly that same effect. And whilst political ties between the UK and Russia may be somewhat dubious, it seems that horticultural connections between the two countries are booming. The city and flower show could not have been more welcoming, it seems that British horticulture in Russia is in high demand, with many big-name designers heading over to Moscow in the last few years. They are keen to learn, and likewise, share skills.

International flower shows offer a huge source of inspiration, an opportunity to learn from like-minded professionals from across www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Jamie Butterworth.indd 85

to nursery trying to find show quality plants to use for James’ ‘Listening Garden’. This was a great opportunity to see the city, meet plants people keen to show me their prized possessions, and learn more about the nursery trade in Russia.

It is a reminder of just how fortunate we are in the UK to have such a good climate for growing such a wide range of plants; we really are spoilt with the selection we have and can use in our designs.

Below is a selection of some of my favourite gardens at the show. With an impressive 34 gardens in total, there was plenty to see, and too much to write about. For the full Moscow experience, I guess you’ll just have to visit it and see for yourself!

James Alexander-Sinclair James has designed a listening garden all about sound, that you can see but not hear.

A recreation of his BBC Radio 2, Zoe Ball sound garden at RHS Chelsea 2017. All created through some very clever technology from the team at Elephonic. Using subwoofers below water, sound played through at different frequencies creates different movements in the water, allowing it to dance and come alive.

The planting, a meadow mix of grasses and sun loving perennials, with Phlomis tuberosa ‘Amazone’ stealing the show, and Verbascum

INTERNATIONAL FLOWER SHOWS OFFER A HUGE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION, AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM LIKE-MINDED PROFESSIONALS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE dominate the landscape, with conifers often the go to plant of choice. As you travel out of the city, most gardens are used to grow fruit and vegetables; these plots became particularly prominent and vital during the Soviet era, with edible crops still very important to Russian gardens.

My first few days in Moscow were spent travelling around the incredible city, from nursery

James Alexander-Sinclair

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 85

19/07/2018 13:04

NURTURE

Paul Hervey-Brookes

olympicum adding spires of yellow. Whilst Deschampsia cespitosa, Panicum and Calamagrostis made up the mix of grasses, with structure from several mounded Pinus holding it all together.

Paul Hervey-Brookes Multi RHS Gold medal winning designer, Paul can now add another to his international tally.

Having designed gardens for shows across the world, Paul’s gardens are always full of atmosphere and story, and this one was no

different. Based on a Greek mythology play, ‘Prometheus Bound’, set in the woodlands of the Caucasus mountains, Prometheus presented man with the gift of fire, and as punishment, was cut open and had his liver eaten before being cast into a lake.

FOR SUCH A YOUNG SHOW, IT HAS A WEALTH OF GARDENS, PLANTS, IDEAS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY PASSION The garden structure was created by large multistem Betula nigra, Pinus sibirica and Larix decidua creating a woodland effect evocative of the Caucasus mountain area. A tier of large rocks formed the centre piece of the garden, from which Prometheus would have been bound. A lake with gentle rolling fog added a sense of calm to a garden with such a strong story.

Gorky Park Garden

86

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Jamie Butterworth.indd 86

Gorky Park Garden Designed by Leontyeva Lidia, this is the largest garden in the whole show, covering an impressive 584 square metres, that’s nearly three main avenue Chelsea gardens!

A landscape composition more than a garden, using the space to convey a strong and powerful story about the women who fought in the partisan movement against fascism during World War Two. The park now celebrates its 90th anniversary, with the show garden acting as a

Dive into a Dream

flash back to the Gorky Park post war revival and restoration period.

Dive into a Dream This garden was awarded the coveted best in show award. An immersive experience with a walkthrough garden, that explored the use of different materials, textures and finishes to add to the journey.

You stepped down into a sunken building, which had been sprayed with expandable foam (yes, expandable foam), and painted to give it the most fantastic finish. The inside was full of fractured mirrored panels to give the impression you are in some mystical dream. A very clever garden that made you want to ask questions and keep exploring.

Moscow Flower Show also runs an international exchange programme with the RHS Malvern Spring Festival, which has seen two RHS Gold medal designers visit the show in the last two years. A brilliant concept that allows vital skills and knowledge to be shared on an international stage.

ABOUT JAMIE BUTTERWORTH Graduating from RHS Garden Wisley with a Distinction in summer 2015, avid plantsman and RHS Ambassador Jamie now works as a horticultural consultant for London Stone, having spent the last two years growing plants for the world’s top designers at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show with Hortus Loci.

jamiebutterworth@londonstone.co.uk www.londonstone.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 13:06

StablePAVE Gravel Grids

Stable PAVE HD

StablePAVE HD PRO

COOL

Fully interlocking heavy duty gravel grid THE NATURALLY PERMEABLE PAVING SOLUTION

StablePAVE HD PRO... ...the heaviest duty of our gravel grids for where traffic volume is greater and larger vehicle use is anticipated. Supplied with robust weed suppressant membrane attached to the base, this is the ultimate reinforcement for, minimal maintenance gravel paving.

• VACUUM CHILLED TO 5°C • LONGER PALLET LIFE • ADVANCE DELIVERY= NO DOWNTIME • BEST VOLUME TRADE RATES • NO NETTING • OWN TRANSPORT AND MOFFETTS

StablePAVE HD Pro can handle compressive loadings up to 400 tonnes per sq. mtr, once filled.

FULLY INTERLOCKING GRIDS FOR MAXIMUM LATERAL SUPPORT AND FAST TO INSTALL, STABLEPAVE HD PRO PROVIDES A VERY COST EFFECTIVE, DURABLE AND ATTRACTIVE PERMEABLE PAVING OPTION.

hardscaperesourcing GRIDS & GROUND CONTROL

Find out more

at Stand 9

NATIONAL COVERAGE FROM 4 REGIONAL HUBS &NEXT DAY DELIVERY!

Tel: 01484 860044 • email: sales@hrlonline.co.uk w w w. h r l o n l i n e . c o . u k

Advert template.indd 25

THE GRASSLANDS ADVANTAGE TEL: 01797 367130 07747 863398 E: FRANK@GRASSLANDS-TURF.CO.UK WWW.GRASSLANDSTURFDIRECT.CO.UK

17/07/2018 14:47

NURTURE

Floral turfs Pro Landscaper unearths some eye-catching meadow turfs

Harrowden Turf

Pictorial Meadows Purple Haze

MeadowMat

Price: £17.50 per m2 + VAT

Price: From £9.00 per m2 + VAT

Pictorial Meadows Turf is a quick and easy way to establish a wildflower meadow.

It is designed to be fully sustainable and to give the maximum flowering period for increased wildlife benefit.

Purple Haze (one of four varieties available) is a stunning combination of creamy whites, blue and purple shades, providing high visual impact right through the summer.

Harrowden Turf’s wildflower turf, known as the MeadowMat, is a living, transportable meadow. This wildflower turf stands at approximately 30in tall with over 25 wildflowers and grasses.

It is supplied in 1m2 slabs which are transported by pallet.

The MeadowMat requires low nutrient soils and one cut a year in the autumn if you wish to make hay, the seeds of which strengthen the meadow. The MeadowMat also comes in five different varieties.

WWW.PICTORIALMEADOWS.CO.UK

WWW.HARROWDENTURF.CO.UK

Wildflower Turf

Germinal

Wildflower Turf Native Enriched

WFG21 Everyday Meadow

Price: Trade only, £9.50–£11 per m2 + VAT (excluding delivery and depending on quantity ordered)

Price: From £27.50

Wildflower Turf Native Enriched is an enhanced Wildflower Turf product that provides colour and creates an interesting look, with the addition of naturalised species to an extensive list of native wildflowers. This turf quickly creates a more ‘cottage garden’ look and feel which will naturalise over time. It is made up of approximately 33 UK native wildflowers and grasses, plus approximately 20+ naturalised annual and perennial species.

WWW.WILDFLOWERTURF.CO.UK

Germinal’s WFG21 Everyday Meadow wildflower seed mixture contains 18 UK-native wildflower species and six grasses, which produce a disease and stress tolerant meadow habitat. Unlike traditional mixtures, which contain 80% grasses and 20% wildflowers and are sown at 5–10g/m2, Everyday Meadow contains a 90:10 ratio of grasses and wildflowers. It can also be sown at 15g/m2, thereby enabling the rapid establishment of a dense, attractive canopy.

WWW.GERMINAL.COM/AMENITY

88

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Wildflower Turf.indd 88

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 11:57

Practically wild • A perfect solution for modern meadows • New, native and fast establishing

When Friday 31 August - starting at 6pm with a drinks reception and ending late!

Where Brighton Hilton Metropole Hotel Cost

£1,000 per table of 10; £110 per ticket for BALI Members; £125 per ticket for non BALI Members

For more info call:

Details Black tie and party dresses, with a Bond theme. Why not brush up your best James Bond accent, find your Pussy Galore and join us for a fantastically fun evening.

germinalamenity.com

You can expect a drinks reception on arrival, three course meal with wine, and a live band and DJ to keep you on your feet all evening.

01522 868714

There will also be a charity auction to raise money for the BALI Chalk Fund.

Some excellent lots have already been secured and there’ll be something for everyone.

For further information and enquiries on any aspect of the event, please call Lisa Wilkinson on 07876 470727 or email lisa.wilkinson@eljays44.com

Advert template.indd 26

19/07/2018 09:07

NURTURE

NURSERY VISIT With its vast stock of container trees and shrubs, English Woodlands can source specialist plants for small residential projects to large scale commerical schemes

ENGLISH WOODLANDS

Based in the East Sussex countryside, English Woodlands is a private company dating back to 1919. The nursery as we know it has been on its Burrow Nursery premises for 20 years, spanning 12 acres and specialising in container preferred method, as many of their products are trees and shrubs. too large to transport in a car.

Prior to that, the business The nursery is set up in a grid was a forestry nursery, and system, which Simon explains is Simon Johnson, managing both an attractive and effective director at English Woodlands, method to simplify the experience explains that a nursery of some for both the customer and their form has existed in the space for staff when selecting plants for more than 50 years. deliveries. While there is a vast The site is used as a array of plants on site, if a showroom for stock, and English customer has something in mind Simon Johnson Woodlands sources100% of its that they can’t find, the English produce from growers in the UK, Woodlands team is happy to Belgium and Italy, as opposed to growing source it from one of their industry contacts. it themselves. On site, there are over 500 varieties of plants including fruit trees, shrubs and container trees. The business also invested in a new sales office with a reception area in 2016, along with an APL award winning car park, designed and built by Frogheath Landscapes.

Simon tells us that around 50% of English Woodlands’ business comes from trade professionals, and 50% from private buyers for large projects.

Taking care of the plants is of vital importance to English Woodlands which follows a strict procedure to ensure that its products are free from diseases. Firstly, they visit the growers personally and ensure that their plants look healthy, then when the plants arrive on site they are thoroughly inspected and have regular inspections from the plant health inspectors, as well as the team constantly monitoring them.

The company offers both collection and With Buxus sempervirens, or box, they delivery services, and products can be quarantine new stock for 21 days before it’s purchased online or at the premises. Delivery is available to the public in order to reduce the risk offered all over the south east, however most of Box blight. All of the procedures are compliant orders come from Kent, Sussex and Surrey. with the regulations set by the Plant Health Simon and the team find that this is the Assurance Scheme.

90

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Nursery visit English Woodlands.indd 90

In terms of projects to which the nursery has supplied its plants, they have covered everything from very small residential projects to larger commercial types, a recent example being 6,000 plants for a retail park in Oxfordshire.

It has previously supplied for RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens and this year, a member of their team was involved with the build of The Myeloma UK Garden, designed by John Everiss and Francesca Murrell, with Peter Gregory Landscapes as the main contractor.

CONTACT English Woodlands Burrow Nursery, Cross in Hand, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 0UG Tel: 01435 862992 Email: info@ewburrownursery.co.uk

www.ewburrownursery.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/07/2018 16:27

www.potstore.co.uk

PLANTERS & POTS, FURNITURE & FEATURES FOR YOUR GARDEN CALL US +44 (0)207 11 293 46

• LARGE PLANTERS • LIGHT UP POTS • SELF WATERING • POTS WITH WHEELS • TROUGH PLANTERS • STEEL PLANTERS • INDOOR POTS • FIBREGLASS POTS • CUBE PLANTERS

• HARDWOOD POTS • WINDOW BOXES • BOWL PLANTERS • URN PLANTERS • WATER FEATURES • FIRE FEATURES • CORTEN STEEL • DESIGNER SOFAS

• LIGHTWEIGHT • FROSTPROOF • FADE PROOF • STRONG & DURABLE • UP TO 10 YEAR GUARANTEES

Create inspired spaces with our unique & beautiful range of products Buy online www.potstore.co.uk | email:potstoreuk@gmail.com | 0207 11 293 46

Advert template.indd 27

17/07/2018 14:54

201 8

YOUR INDUSTRY, YOUR SHOW 31 OCTO B E R & 0 1 N OV E M B E R T H E N E C B IRM IN G H A M

EUROPE’S LARGEST ANNUAL EVENT FOR GROUNDSCARE PROFESSIONALS • Discover the latest product innovations • Connect with industry suppliers • Network with groundscare professionals • Receive 1-2-1 advice on your specific turf challenges • Update your knowledge on the latest trends • Progress your career with expert guidance • Celebrate achievements at the IOG Industry Awards

F RE E E N TRY. RE G I STE R AT I O G SALTE X.CO M Managed by the IOG

SALTEX ad American 28 A4 18.indd 1 Advert template.indd

Facebook: @iogsaltex

Twitter: @IOG_SALTEX

15/06/2018 12:47 10:58 17/07/2018

95

JPS LANDSCAPE DESIGN Award-winning, multidisciplinary practice

LAYERS OF LIGHT ROBERT WEBBER

98

Create multidimensional mystery

PLANTS IN THE EXTREME JEFF STEPHENSON

100

Indispensable plants for challenging environments

LOOK OUT FOR

110

LILLY GOMM Silver Gilt RHS medalist

EDUCATE

PLBA: WINNER PROFILE

105 PLUS...

RAINWATER HARVESTING (P97) EDGING (P103) BATTERY POWERED EQUIPMENT: STIHL (P105) REMOTE & ROBOT MOWERS (P108) LITTLE INTERVIEW (P114)

EDUCATE cover.indd 93

97 19/07/2018 14:44

LEVATO MONO

Porcelain paver system and coordinating internal tiling Surface 360, formally The Deck Tile Co, has 150+ colours and finishes in their Levato Mono 20mm porcelain paving tile ranges. Plus create a seamless visual transition between internal and external spaces with coordinating interior 10mm porcelain tiling.

For both residential & commercial use Ideal for balconies, roof terraces, garden decking and piazzas 20mm thick porcelain pavers in various sizes An eternal zero maintenance product offering massive over-life savings

Timber, stone & cementitious effects ‘Floating floor’ – installation over single ply membranes Height adjustable/slope correcting support system ranging from 9mm up to 550mm

Highly abrasion and stain resistant Highly slip resistant: R11 A,B&C High load bearing & impact resistance Completely non porous Frost proof

Lightweight – 45kgs per m2

INTRODUCING OUR NEW WEBSITE: WWW.SURFACE360.CO.UK

Advert template.indd 29

17/07/2018 12:55

EDUCATE

WINNER PROFILE At the Pro Landscaper Business Awards, JPS Landscape Design was the winner in the garden design category. We catch up with managing director, Denise Wright

E

stablished over 15 years ago, JPS Landscape Design has grown into an award-winning, multi-disciplinary practice with a diverse range of clients and a variety of projects under its belt, from small domestic gardens to multimillion-pound commercial developments.

Although successful projects and positive client testimonials are important, JPS Landscape Design won a Pro Landscaper Business Award for its fantastic commitment to its staff. Judges commented that: “it comes across as a very high priority for the business.”

They were also highly impressed with the structured training and appraisal process.

The JPS Academy is a unique, five-stage framework of 35 modules which takes graduate designers at the company to become a ‘complete designers’ in two years, with additional stages over the following years to move throught to senior designer, associate director and then director. For a small company, this is a truly remarkable programme which has formed the JPS mantra, ‘to ensure we create inspiring landscapes, inspiring people’.

The modules cover every aspect of the business from horticulture to communication.

Bolt-on modules such as marketing are also available, depending on a person’s role or career direction, with an exam at the end of each unit. Every member of staff has a

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

PLBA winner - JPS.indd 1.indd 95

JPS Landscape Design

Winner: Garden Design Practice (sponsored by Lateral Design Studio)

monthly review meeting where they have the opportunity to discuss any personal or professional issues, including workload, successes and areas of development.

As well as existing members of staff, JPS Landscape Design also encourages the next generation by taking on placement students from the local university. This year, the team welcomed placement student Sam Fry who extended his placement to a permanent role, before returning to university to complete his degree.

A TRULY ASPIRATIONAL PRACTICE WHICH IS SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION On receiving the award, Denise Wright, managing director of JPS commented: “I am absolutely delighted that the company was chosen as Garden Design Practice in the Pro Landscaper Business Awards. In particular, the judges recognised JPS’ ethos of developing our talented team, ensuing everyone’s skills are honed to meet the needs of a growing, dynamic practice. Our bespoke JPS Academy forms an essential component in their professional — and personal — growth with us, and I would like to thank the judges and all involved for bestowing this wonderful honour on the company.”

Along with its dedication to the team’s development, judges were impressed with the company’s “excellent industry engagement and involvement, all [of which is] supported [by] excellent evidence, client testimonials and an

ambitious five-year strategy.”

JPS Landscape Design likes to involve the team in community pro-bono projects. This has recently included the design of Bournemouth Hospital Dementia Ward Petal Garden. The team will, in their own time, be planting this up in readiness for the opening. Also, the team has weeded and planted a wildflower meadow for St Dunstan’s Church, a local church in Poole.

The company’s industry engagement is also admirable. It is a member of the SGD and BALI, where Janine Pattison was national director of design for three years, and has raised money for horticulture charity Perennial by participating in the Go Nuts challenge for HortAid. Janine was also voted as one of Pro Landscaper’s Most Influential people within the industry, a huge achievement which is now one of many for the practice.

A truly aspirational practice which is shaping the next generation and showing how size really doesn’t matter.

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 95

19/07/2018 11:51

Topsoil you can trust

SPECIALIST TOPSOIL

& MUCH, MUCH MORE… Offering an extensive range of topsoils and landscape materials, Bury Hill Landscape Supplies specialises in the supply of high quality certificated soils and materials to include blended and single source soils, planting loams, ericaceous and low fertility soils as well as certificated single source subsoils to meet the requirements of even the most discerning projects.

And for that special project we offer a bespoke blending service to meet your projects requirements.

With over 20 years’ experience, creating high quality topsoils, blended loams and specialist materials, we regularly undertake deliveries from 1 to 25,000 tons, meaning that we have the expertise and means to ensure that your future projects run as planned.

01904 757300 www.rolawn.co.uk

To find out how Bury Hill Landscape Supplies can help you with your next project, please call us on

01306 877540

LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES

NEW BAGGING YARD NEAR HORSHAM NOW OPEN FOR TRADE AND WHOLESALE COLLECTIONS!

buy online: buryhilltopsoilandlogs.co.uk The Boathouse, Old Bury Hill, Westcott, Nr Dorking, Surrey, RH4 3JU Tel: (7.30am to 6.00pm) 01306 877540 Fax: 01306 877545

•FINAL A-W.indd 1

Advert template.indd 30

05/06/2018 10:59

17/07/2018 14:57

Interlinked tanks

EDUCATE

Sean Butler on how installing even the simplest unit to save and recycle rainwater can go a long way to conserving this precious commodity We’ve had the hottest summer for 20 years! We can all make a difference and help save water.

I do sometimes wonder how the modernday world hasn’t run out of water. When the earth was formed hundreds of millions of years ago, the amount of water on our planet was only 1.5% more than we have now.

Landscapers following eco-friendly practices should consider the installation of a rainwater harvesting unit on each project.

There are many variations that can be installed. In simple terms, each system is a tank, a rainwater connection, an overflow, an optional pump and an optional auto top up from the mains supply water.

The simplest system is a water butt or series of interconnecting water butts. The use of these can be modified by adding an electric pump Injection moulded tank

LANDSCAPERS FOLLOWING ECO-FRIENDLY PRACTICES SHOULD CONSIDER THE INSTALLATION OF A RAINWATER HARVESTING UNIT ON EACH PROJECT

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Sean Butler.indd 97

RAINWATER HARVESTING connected straight to a garden hose.

If you have the space a 300 gallon ex juice tank can be placed above ground.

When full the pressure in the tank is enough to fit a simple gravity fed irrigation hose to flower beds. This can be operated by adding a valve in-line on the solid pipe before it gets to the swept hose irrigation.

Tanks can be in ground or above ground. For aesthetic reasons we always opt for below ground if the site constraints are not too restrictive and the budget is healthy enough to add the installation.

Plastic injection moulded tanks made by Graf are easy to install (www.graf-water.co.uk) They come in

Water butts: ‘save water, save money’

two parts with a rubber seal that sits nicely on the bottom half. Special clips are then fixed around the outside to create a one piece tank. Small tanks start at a capacity of 2,500 litres.

These can also be interlinked.

For a more advanced system the tanks can then be used to store water for multiple purposes which include grey water recycling (to flush toilets) and fully automated irrigation systems.

ABOUT SEAN BUTLER Sean Butler is a landscape designer and director of Cube 1994. With a background in civil engineering, Sean has an in-depth understanding of the design, construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally built landscape. www.cube1994.com

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 97

19/07/2018 10:34

EDUCATE

LAYERS OF LIGHT Lighting can magically transform an outdoor space says Robert Webber, but knowing how much to use and where to shine is the trick Light is not a one-dimensional science — its multi-faceted. Place one light outside and you create mystery. Light the way to the mystery and you invite people to share the space. Make the mystery a key feature or place to sit within the garden and you create pleasure. At this time of year, we spend much longer outside with mother nature. We feel better for having the sun on our bodies, and it makes us far more social than we may have felt whilst hibernating over winter.

This is a phenomenon that we seek to create all year; with the inviting beauty of garden lighting. To light a garden should be compulsory by the government! The benefits of being outside in nature are clearly medically proven. It eases the hardest of depressions and softens the hardest of souls — if only it was available on prescription!

By lighting the daytime creation, you create two gardens for the price of one. Nocturnal spaces well lit, are often diametrically opposed to their daytime friends. You can create a

98

Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Robert Webber.indd 98

sanctuary with layers of light; highlighting key features to create the wow factor, introducing aesthetic lighting to generate a particular mood, and installing the practicalities of step and threshold lighting to make the space inviting and usable for all.

To achieve lighting excellence, these layers need to be built into any garden lighting scheme. I’ve taught on this for years now, but it often astounds me when we receive proposals from designers or clients that miss the three main ingredients: Look at the key features within your garden. If you don’t have any, then import one — a sculpture, a planter, a tree, or a pot from Mr David Dodd’s @potsandpithoi (that’ll keep him happy!). Make the feature visible from inside one of the key rooms within the house. It’s important to fulfil summer and winter demands of the garden, so create an art piece through the window in the winter, and then an inviting space for summer. If you have a tight budget then start with a feature — close to the house, and in full view.

Tackle areas where people will sit, entertain, relax and connect with each other. That’s what creates the memories — and if you want people to remember you, then create an environment where they remember and connect to each other. Use soft subtle lighting around benches; outside chandeliers over dining terraces. Invite them into hidden elements of the garden that they wouldn’t explore in the day; under tree canopies, around water features, and close to the house.

Start from the feet up — make it inviting.

If you light the way, then people will follow you. Don’t fall into the trap of lighting every single path and every single set of steps.

Use the light to control the way they use the garden and lead them to where you want their nocturnal sanctuary to be.

Think about changes in levels, entrances and exits from the house to the garden — this juncture of light is so important. If there is no ‘connection’ between inside and out, then it will repeal rather than invite. That’s where colour temperature is so important — matching the actual colour of light from inside the main room where people exit to use the garden. Then you create an extension of their winter hibernation, into a summer of love.

ABOUT ROBERT WEBBER Robert Webber is the founder of Scenic Lighting, a specialist exterior lighting company based in Berkshire.

He designs and installs garden lighting throughout the UK and internationally. Robert can be contacted on rob@ sceniclighting.com or via his mobile on 07766 051 000.

www.sceniclighting.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 10:37

FutureScape 18 FULL2.pdf

1

20/06/2018

DESIGN

11:07

BUILD

REGISTRATION

C

M

Y

NOW OPEN

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

WWW.FUTURESCAPEEVENT.COM 20 NOVEMBER 2018 | SANDOWN PARK RACECOURSE

HEADLINE SPONSORS:

FUTURESCAPEEVENT Advert template.indd 47

FUTURESCAPEUK

FUTURESCAPEEVENT

FUTURESCAPEEVENT.COM 18/07/2018 09:38

It’s tolerance of shade and drought makes Fascicularia a very useful plant

EDUCATE

Most nursery grown plants struggle to thrive in a challenging environment, but there are some that can tolerate even the toughest conditions.

Jeff Stephenson reveals a few candidates that might not score high on charisma but survive against the odds.

Fascicularia; very handy for awkward to reach containers receiving minimal attention

Fascicularia bicolor (Family: Bromeliaceae) This bromeliad, which is hardy down to -10°C, comes from the coastal forests of Chile where it grows both epiphytically in trees and grows amongst rocks (saxicolous). This makes it particularly well suited to both exposed and shady aspects where there may be a lack of water and a restricted amount of compost in which to root. It is particularly useful to grow in hard to reach pots which rarely get watered. It forms rosettes of slender, often barbed foliage which silvers with age, gracing it with both exotic and architectural attributes. Although, opinion is divided about its attractiveness. During the autumn the middlemost foliage will turn red as a central blue-turquoise flower emerges, although this is short lived.

In less demanding gardens I’ve grown it terrestrially where it forms dense mounds. Older spent foliage needs to be removed from its base to keep the plants looking tidy and care needs to be taken to remove any accumulated leaf debris from amongst the rosettes, which may arise from adjacent plantings.

100 Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Jeff Stephenson.indd 100

SURVIVING EXTREMES Aspidistra elatior (Family: Asparagaceae) On several occasions I have had to find suitable plants for heavy shade in dry corners of gardens where humidity is often low and watering is erratic. For example, beneath gloomy car ports in hotel entrances, in deep light wells overshadowed by buildings, and within living walls in dark courtyards where air flowing from conditioning units removes the moisture.

Where ferns struggle, Aspidistra, commonly called ‘the cast iron plant’, is a good substitute. Hardy down to -5°C (I have kept it overwintering outside down to -7°C in dry conditions), it is well suited to growing in the urban heat island of London where average winter temperatures are markedly elevated. Keep it away from direct sunlight or the dark, otherside the evergreen leathery leaves will ‘bleach out’ and become yellow, or exhibit brown necrotic patches. Originating from forests in Taiwan and southern Japan and widely cultivated in China, the foliage adds an exotic element to the Watch out for snail damage gardens it adorns. I haven’t experienced mites or scale as a and exposure to sun; both problem on it outdoors, but slugs and snails must be controlled. problematic on Aspidistras

Griselinia littoralis (Family: Griselineaceae) If it’s an evergreen hedge that’s needed in an exposed aspect (such as a city roof terrace where planting is restricted to troughs), then I’d recommend this fresh, glossy green, leathery leaved small tree, which responds well to regular trimming. As its natural range is principally in coastal areas of New Zealand (and is therefore tolerant of salt laden winds), I have also used it as a feature hedge for estuarine gardens. It is hardy down to -15°C and survives on a Griselinia used in this coastal garden due to lower level of watering than is required by other species traditionally used for its tolerance to both wind hedging. Once established, it will tolerate periods of drought, recovering well and salt once watered again. I often use it where containerised Taxus have been used and are inevitably failing through a combination of shallow planting, drying winds and inevitable attack by vine weevil larvae. It is generally pest free, but keep an eye out for occasional signs of adult vine weevil feeding (notched leaf margins).

ABOUT JEFF STEPHENSON Griselinia littoralis provides one of the best hedging choices for troughs on exposed roof terraces

Often the choice of planting belongs to the client, however where the useable palette is restricted, educating customers becomes essential if we are to provide the best possible service.

With more than 29 years’ experience in horticulture, Jeff Stephenson (Dip.Hort. (Kew) Hons MCIHort) heads up the horticulture and aftercare division of Bowles & Wyer.

He joined in 1996 and has worked on small installations, soft landscaping and gardens maintenance for the vast majority of their schemes.

www.bowleswyer.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 15:21

CORE DRIVE ...Has Always Been Better.

Landscape COREProducts

0800 118 22 78 www.corelp.co.uk

GEO FABRIC THAT WORKS

DECKING

Advert template.indd 32

LANDSCAPING

PLANTING

17/07/2018 15:03

REBUILDING THE UK’S INFRASTRUCTURE

9 – 11 OCTOBER NEC

Source products from innovation trail

Learn from 20+ speakers

EXCLUSIVE DATA PARTNER

2018

BIRMINGHAM

Gain knowledge during the CPD seminars

civilexpo.co.uk PART OF UK CONSTRUCTION WEEK 2018

I

CONTENT PARTNER

REGISTER FREE

BIRMINGHAM

Civils_Expo_2018_210x265.indd 2 Advert template.indd 31

29/06/2018 17/07/2018 15:51 14:30

EVEREDGE

KINLEY

EverEdge Halestem EverEdge Halestem is a steel landscape edging, designed for use in hard landscaping projects alongside tarmac, paving and resin bonded surfaces. The Halestem range is available in a number of depths and as either a flexible or rigid edge. Perfect for use in public projects such as hospitals, schools and playparks, as well as with new driveways and pathways.

Price: From £9.60 per metre excluding VAT WWW.EVEREDGE.CO.UK

AluExcel AluExcel is made from 100% recycled aluminium; its flexible but tough design makes it ideal for hard surfaces. This edging system is lightweight and won’t rust or rot, ensuring a durable and sleek edging detail. AluExcel works with asphalt, resin bonded or loose gravel, blocks, bricks, paving slabs or kerb edging. Available in a wide range of profile heights, from 18–150mm.

Price: From £4.74 per metre WWW. KINLEY.CO.UK

EDGING

EDUCATE

LANDSCAPEPLUS

GREEN-TECH Rite-L-Edge Rite-L-Edge aluminium landscape lawn edging is an edge restraint for hard landscape surfaces. It is manufactured from strong, lightweight aluminium that won’t rust, crack or rot like steel, wood or plastic. It offers flexibility in design and is ideal for areas such as playgrounds, parks, and surrounding areas to landscapes and buildings. It is ‘L’ shaped for additional strength and provides an unobtrusive edging solution which can be used for edging or segregating resin bound, gravel and various other hard landscaping surfaces.

Price: POA WWW.GREEN-TECH.CO.UK

HADDONSTONE Roped Edging Stone Haddonstone Roped Edging Stone is designed to define borders or create a pathway within gardens.

It has an attractive rope decoration, is suitable for most garden layouts and should be used with Haddonstone Edging Posts.

Price: £315.00 including VAT (pack of 20 edging stones), £10.00 including VAT (for one edging post) WWW.HADDONSTONE.COM

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Edging.indd 103

Rite-Edge Rite-Edge is manufactured from aircraft-grade aluminum, designed with a smooth rounded top and castellated body.

It is light, easy to handle and quick to install. It can also be curved to a radius as small as 150mm, making it ideal to create perfect corners, curves and informal shapes.

Rite-Edge is available in a range of colours and has a life expectancy of more than 25 years.

Price: From £16.35 per metre WWW.LANDSCAPEPLUS.COM

BOWLAND STONE Rose Thistle Bowland Stone’s Rose Thistle edging has a unique, stylish design, which works to add character to gardens. The edging not only keeps walkways defined, but can also help keep beds, gravel and other aggregates in place, forming neat and striking borders. The Rose Thistle edging can also be used to surround pathways for a clever, decorative way to separate patios or landscaped areas.

Price: £3.99 each, or three for £11 WWW.BOWLANDSTONE.COM Pro Landscaper / August 2018 103

17/07/2018 09:42

Landscapes Reinvented The attractive alternative to traditional timber decking.

Strong and durable, providing a low maintenance, long lasting solution, BSW Timber composite decking offers you the opportunity to create a modern luxurious outdoor space.

•

Quick and easy to install

•

Easy to clean

• •

•

Eco-friendly (contains 95% recycled materials)

Hidden fixing clips ensure a smooth, barefoot friendly surface

•

Perfect for residential installations

Dual faced with two attractive finishing options

•

10 year warranty

For further information contact us today. sales@bsw.co.uk | 0800 587 8887

AluExcel aluminium edging

Tough edging for inspiring spaces Create curves and lines between almost any hard and soft landscapes with this strong yet lightweight edging. AluExcel helps you put your own unique and contemporary twist on any landscape design.

Visit our website for samples and inspiration kinley.co.uk t: +44 (0)1580 830 688 e: sales@kinley.co.uk

Advert template.indd 33

18/07/2018 09:36

EDUCATE Product and marketing manager at STIHL Paul Hicks, gives Pro Landscaper his view on battery-powered equipment. Paul discusses the benefits and advancements and how it is changing the industry.

STIHL believes battery-powered equipment is emerging as a force to be reckoned with within the landscaping industry. Although petrol and diesel fuelled equipment are very popular, cordless technology is evolving at a rapid pace and is becoming more and more sought after.

And it’s easy to see why.

For professional users, perhaps one of the greatest benefits of cordless technology is the reduced vibration. Extensive use of handheld power tools can cause Hand-Arm-Vibration (HAV) syndrome, while cordless tools lower vibration levels and help reduce these risks.

As a result, an increasing number of landscapers are moving towards batterypowered machinery due to its lightweight nature and reduced vibration during operation, making tools more comfortable to use.

In addition to this, battery technology also offers noise reduction benefits. For many, landscaping and the loud noise of equipment in operation go hand in hand.

However, when a hospital or a school requires mowing or other grounds maintenance work to be completed with minimal disturbance caused, this can become increasingly difficult for contractors to manage.

This is where cordless technology separates itself from petrol and diesel alternatives. Some manufacturers have developed cordless technology so quiet in operation that no ear defender protection is required, keeping disruption to an absolute minimum and allowing ground maintenance work to be carried out in any location at more convenient times.

There are also huge maintenance benefits to be gained through the use of cordless technology. A battery-powered system keeps things very simple and removes the possibility of significant machine downtime that can occur on petrol or diesel engines through servicing or general wear and tear. With cordless

The benefits of

BATTERY POWERED

technology, there are fewer components to go wrong. Some manufacturers, including STIHL even offer interchangeable batteries between products, so every last drop of battery power is put to use and allows the highest levels of machinery uptime.

Furthermore, the use of battery technology eradicates the need to store and use costly petrol. With fuel prices ever on the increase, professional users are feeling the financial impact of a constant need for petrol, whereas with battery power this is less of a concern.

Cordless technology can also go a long way in helping to reduce carbon footprint. The UK maintains strict engine emission guidelines on Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) to limit air pollution from the likes of chainsaws or mowers, with plans in place to bring in more stringent legislation in 2019. With this in mind, the use of battery-powered products can have a significant impact on the long-term

environmental protection of your surrounding work environment and ensure even the toughest emissions regulations are met.

The time has arrived where battery-powered products rival that of petrol or diesel alternatives, so cordless technology is here to stay, and its popularity continues to rise. With its exceptional performance, ease of maintenance and use, quiet operation and carbon footprint reduction, cordless technology offers the landscaping market more options than ever before.

CONTACT Tel 01276 20202 Email enquiries@stihl.co.uk

www.stihl.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 105

STIHL kit feature.indd 105

17/07/2018 09:02

EDUCATE

COBRA GARDEN

PELLENC

BATTERY POWERED EQUIPMENT

Airion Blower Sound intensity level 79db • 4 speed setting • Weight – 2.55kg • Thrust of 17.5 newtons • Waterproof to IP54 standards Price: £749 inc VAT Battery Life: Up to 5h Type of Battery: ULiB 1100

Cobra RM4140v Hand propelled • 16in cutting width • 7 stage cut height adjustment • 50L grass bag • 90 mins run time Price: £384.99 Battery Life: Up to 30 mins Type of Battery: 40V Samsung Lithium-ion Battery 4.0Ah

WWW.ETESIA.CO.UK/PELLENC

STIHL

MAKITA

WWW.COBRAGARDEN.CO.UK

KMA 130 R Compatible with existing range of 11 STIHL KombiTools • 3.2kg for the powerhead and shaft • First cordless solution in STIHL’S range of KombiTools Price: £320 inc VAT Battery Life: dependent on attachment used Type of Battery: AR 1000 back pack battery, AL 500 charger

WWW.STIHL.CO.UK

106 Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Battery powered kit.indd 106

DUR189Z 18v LXT Brushless Linetrimmer Noise sound pressure: 78 dB(A) • Noise K factor: 2.0 dB(A) • Spindle Size: M8 x 1.25 RH • Cutting diameter: 300mm • Maximum Output: 240W • Net weight: 3.0 - 3.3kg Price: £222 exc VAT (body only) Battery Life: dependent on how tool is used Type of Battery: Li-Ion 18v (sold separately)

WWW.MAKITAUK.COM

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 11:39

W W O N NE LL R RE A U C O HU R OC FO BR

Placing candidates in jobs within: Landscape, Nursery, Gardening, Sales, Retail, Senior Management, International tel: 01233 732767

info@horticruitment.com www.horticruitment.com



The most consistent quality







TRENCHING MADE EASY SAVE TIME MONEY AND ENERGY IRRIGATION DOG FENCING ELECTRICAL

ROOT BARRIER PLUMBING EROSION CONTROL

www.minitrencher.com

www.minitrencher.com

01759 321000 - info@inturf.co.uk - inturf.com

Advert template.indd 34

Models

GR16 - GR20 - GR27 • CUT A CLEAN TRENCH FROM 400MM TO 700MM DEEP AND 38MM WIDE STANDARD • LIGHTWEIGHT, MINIMUM GROUND DISRUPTION • CUT TREE ROOTS UP TO 76MM DIAMETER • 2- AND 4-STROKE ENGINES

FOR ALL UK INFORMATION CONTACT: FOUR ASHES MACHINERY LTD. TEL: 01225 891158 – 07962 www.minitrencher.com 149937 – CONTACT@FOUR-ASHES.COM – WWW.FOUR-ASHES.COM

18/07/2018 10:11

EDUCATE

VIKING iMow MI 632 PC Used through the iMow app • Cutting height can be adjusted • Can mow lawns up to 4,000m2 • Adaptive slope speed • Traction tread wheels • Up to 45% gradient • High capacity Lithium-Ion battery • Battery charges at different speeds • Returns to docking station when battery low Price: £2,299 inc VAT

AMBROGIO

STIHL

REMOTE AND ROBOT MOWERS

WWW.STIHL.CO.UK

Ambrogio L400 Elite Covers areas up to 30,000m2 • Up to 45% gradient • Three independently floating cutter arms, cutting width of 84cm • GPS navigation only • 4-point soild stainless-steel blade • 60Ah Battery Capacity • 11 hours mowing per charge • Full range available by 2019 Price: TBA by Magic Distribution at SALTEX

STM

AS MOTOR

WWW.AMBROGIOROBOT.COM

The RoboFlail One Electric start 25HP Kawasaki petrol motor or 25HP Yanmar 3-cylinder diesel motor • Rotary or flail rough-cut deck • Tipping fuel tank • Operates up to 50° incline • Zero-turn • Heavy duty rubber tracks • Controls fitted to shoulder unit Price: Petrol - £39,205, Diesel - £45,205 exc VAT

AS 940 Remote Control Professional remote control unit with 300m range • 27hp • 4wd • Limited-slip difference and cross blade • Adjustment of cutting height • Engine on/off function • Mower deck on-off switch • Steering via remote control • Emergency stop Price: £17,533.12 exc VAT

WWW.ST-MACH.COM

WWW.PSDGROUNDSCARE.CO.UK

EXPERT VIEW: HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROBOTIC/REMOTE MARKET GROWING IN THE UK LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY?

RICHARD COMELY

DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT RANSOMES JACOBSEN

uncontrolled variables, but we are learning how to manage

considered “a bridge too far” but look at other

that unpredictability. When, and not if, those lessons are

industries and see how they have embraced this

learned, some if not all labour-intensive activities will likely

technology. It is certainly much easier to implement robotic

be conducted by robots. They may just be interacting

solutions in a controlled environment where standard work

with humans who will conduct more dextrous activities

is dominant; paint spraying a car on a production line for

on any given site. Examples of robotic commercial

instance. It is harder to do with non-standard work in an

mowers are already running on golf courses in some

uncontrolled environment, such as cutting grass in a park,

countries and manufacturers are gathering information

but potentially less of an issue on a golf course. This

from early municipal studies and trials to help define

challenge faces the car manufacturers too. A car, like a

the way forward.

mower, is surrounded by many unpredictable and

www.jacobsen.com

108 Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Remote and robot mowers.indd 108

For some, the use of robotic mowers is still

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 13:19

Pro-Land-JCN-qtr-COD18.qxp_Layout 1 08/05/2018 14:42 Page 1

• Tours of our new 22 acre nursery at Market Deeping, Peterborough.

• See UK grown amenity shrubs in C2, C3, C5 and C10 litre.

• See container grown tree production lines for 2018 at C10, C45, C70, Air-Pot® 100, 150 and 200 litre volumes.

• Trade Partner Area • APHA Presentation • NPS Demonstration Gardens • Buffet Lunch

FREE ONLINE REGISTRATION +44 ((0)) 116 241 2115 info@colesopenday.co.uk www.colesopenday.co.uk

Advert template.indd 35

18/07/2018 10:18

EDUCATE

LOOK OUT FOR... ©Rose Duffy

LILLY GOMM Pro Landscaper meets award-winning garden designer Lilly Gomm, who looks back on some of the highlights of her career and forward to exciting new projects for the future

What process did you go through to become a garden designer?

My route to garden design wasn’t straight forward, I began my higher education studying Architecture at university and shortly after started growing vegetables. It was at that point I realised my hobby could become my career, so I enrolled at Capel Manor.

You won Silver Gilt, the BBC People’s Last year, you became one of Pro Choice Award and got a seal of Landscaper’s 30 under 30, what does approval from Monty Don, that mean for you?

E R 20 N how did that feel?

It means a lot to be recognised N I 17 W For my first ever garden alongside those up and coming in our design that felt incredible, industry. Having the backing of Pro especially the feedback Landscaper has opened doors from the public. It was through affiliation, and its support of great to hear about their the next generation is admirable. gardens and elements from the garden they were What is your favourite thing about going to take away. Monty horticulture and being a part of the Don’s kind words were the icing on landscaping industry? the cake. The BBC producer pulling me over I think that everyone being so passionate about saying: “I think you’ll want to watch this” as they their field and their eagerness to collaborate is a filmed the show ending was very surreal. massive draw to the landscaping industry. In terms of horticulture, it’s so exciting – there’ll always be a new plant or planting combination I CAN’T IMAGINE EVER to discover.

In 2016, as part of the RHS young designer competition, you designed the ‘A space to ruminate’ garden at RHS Tatton Park, what did that entail?

We each designed and built a garden centred around health and wellbeing. I was working as a soft landscaper for HC Landscapes in London, I had no idea how to source show quality plants so it was a real learning curve. We were lucky to have the mentors, Paul Hervey-Brookes and Adolfo Harrison, pointing us in the right direction.

Did this help to kickstart your career?

It certainly gave me the confidence to design and build. I’d 100% recommend it to other young designers entering the industry not only as a brilliant networking tool, but also an instant portfolio piece.

110 Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Look Out For Lilly Gomm.indd 110

And this year you were awarded Silver Gilt for ‘The Family Garden’ at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show…

I loved the Hampton Court experience, it was immediately a very relaxed show ground. The site becomes your home for those few weeks and the fact everyone helps each other makes a huge difference. I was very pleased with the medal the garden achieved. It’s incredibly helpful to receive feedback from the judges, pushing you forward to be a better designer.

Aside from show gardens, what projects have you recently been involved with?

For the past three years I’ve worked as a fulltime gardener taking on design projects in my spare time. Having built up knowledge of plants and maintenance, I’m looking to take on more design work. Now that Hampton is complete there’s a garden in Surrey I’m particularly looking forward to working on.

What has been your greatest career achievement to date?

I think it’s exhibiting at Hampton Court. If you had told me that a few years ago I wouldn’t have believed you.

©RHS/Luke Macgregor

©Rose Duffy

TIRING OF HORTICULTURE

What’s next for you?

Hopefully to get working on some exciting projects collaborating with others. I’d love to exhibit at an RHS show again – as you can probably tell, I’ve well and truly caught the show gardening bug! www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 13:13

Limestone Sandstone Building Stone Flooring Walling Masonry Landscaping Restoration 01386 584384 www.stonequarries.co.uk Come and see us: Stand 124 Rebate offer: 2%

• Porcelain • Natural stone • Aggregates • Edging, walling, setts • Driveway paving • Artificial grass • Decking • Sleepers • Fencing

Slate Collection

Global Stone is an industry leading, innovative supplier of premium porcelain and natural stone paving, setts, accessories and features For more information or to see our full range: www.globalstonepaving.co.uk

Advert template.indd 36

Kebur Contempo Egyptian Limestone in Sinai Pearl with matching setts

for all your landscaping needs 01252 517571

www.kebur.co.uk

As featured at RHS Hampton Court Flower Show

sales@kebur.co.uk

18/07/2018 14:05

JOBS

For full details on all jobs, please goFor to full details on all jobs, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk. www.horticulturecareers.co.uk Call 01903 777 587 or email ellie.downes@eljays44.com with your Call 01903 777 580 or vacancy. email laura.harris@eljays44.com with your vacancy

GARDENER (LEVEL 3)

ARBORICULTURAL OFFICER

The company is seeking a gardener with a Diploma in horticulture (or equivalent RHS Level 3) to join its garden maintenance team. The company offers a comprehensive design, build and garden maintenance service to high end properties in West London.

The main responsibilities include: all aspects of garden maintenance, including weeding, pruning, planting ,lawn moving, jet-washing, maintenance of irrigation and planting; competence in using the appropriate power tools; liaising with clients; updating Stefano on work carried out and related issues; working with the team to create a planting palette for new projects. Candidates must have a formal qualification in horticulture, a passion for the industry, practical skills, and must be honest, self-motivated, reliable and well organised with a professional approach and demonstrate excellent communication skills. A full driving licence is required. SMLA offer a competitive salary, training courses, uniform, company phone and PPE.

Our vision is to provide high quality parks and open spaces and to manage trees across the district responsibly and effectively. We are seeking a self-motivated person to join an enthusiastic department in Hertford, focused on looking after the environment to a high standard. The ideal candidate will have a recognised qualification in arboriculture and an excellent working knowledge of the relevant legislation and regulations relating to trees and hedgerows. Good communication and people skills are required as well as the ability to deal with challenging situations using tact and diplomacy. Experience of working in a similar arboricultural post in a local authority and be able to manage your own workload efficiently is desired. Travel across the district is required and you must be able to attend occasional evening and weekend meetings.

STEFANO MARINAZ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Location: West London

EAST HERTS COUNCIL Location: Hertford

For more details please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

For more details please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

SKILLED LANDSCAPE OPERATIVE

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

The Outdoor Room is a multi award-winning garden design and construction company, offering a professional, comprehensive service to private clients, developers, garden designers and landscape architects. We are currently seeking skilled landscape operatives who can deliver high quality work within our busy teams. The right candidate should be well-presented, self-motivated, enthusiastic, and be able to use their own initiative. They also need to be flexible, organised and willing to undertake any required training. They must have experience in all areas of both hard and soft landscaping, be able to read plans, have a CSCS card (preferential, but not essential).

A full, clean driving licence is essential. This is a full-time post working 7.30am to 4.30pm on site. The starting salary is based on experience with 28 days paid holiday.

An exciting opportunity has opened for an experienced project manager to join our well established and dynamic team at Cameron Gardens, based in Notting Hill, London.

This position offers the right candidate a fantastic opportunity to work on some top end and innovative garden designs within an expanding company. It requires someone who thrives on meeting multiple deadlines whilst working on several projects at any one time.

The ability to read plans and practical construction experience is essential. The candidate will be self motivated with excellent people skills, be able to prepare quotes using a comprehensive Excel system; deliver hard and soft landscaping domestic and commercial projects; install projects to strict deadlines and budgets; implement and manage health & safety and quality procedures e.g CDM, RAMs etc; liaise with clients, subcontractors, designers and other external contractors on site.

THE OUTDOOR ROOM Location: Cowfold, West Sussex

For more details please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

CAMERON GARDENS Location: Notting Hill,London

For more details please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

ESTIMATOR

SITE SUPERVISOR

A vacancy has arisen at the company’s head office in Mirfield, West Yorkshire for an estimator. The role consists of participation in the whole tender process in relation to commercial landscape operations, including preparation of accurate and competitive costs for submission to clients. The successful candidate will be self-motivated and capable of using their own initiative to prioritise their own workload, yet still contribute as part of the estimating team. Must be able to work under pressure to achieve deadlines and have the ability to plan ahead.

Salary is competitive, dependent on qualifications and experience.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a site supervisor with high standards who is organised, confident, decisive and thrives on finding solutions to problems with a positive and professional attitude to join our Guildford based team. The candidate will have experience of leading and motivating a team and taking responsibility for maintaining site health and safety. Ideally you will have experience working in ecological contracting, countryside management or a similar field. You will need to be based in or near to Guildford and be able to work across the UK, staying away from home Monday to Friday.

Accommodation will be provided, as well as a daily allowance for subsistence.

Thomson Habitats provides fantastic on the job training, opportunities for progression and a range of company benefits including 25 days annual leave, a stakeholder pension scheme, discounted gym membership, payment of a professional membership fee, childcare vouchers, free parking and regular parties.

GRACE LANDSCAPES Location: Mirfield, West Yorkshire

For more details please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

THOMSON HABITATS Location: Guildford, Surrey

For more details please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

112 Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Jobs.indd 112

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/07/2018 10:44

CLASSIFIED Diesel Bowser

Diesel Diesel Bowser Bowser

• Manufactured in the UK • 12 month warranty • 12v 40L/min pump • 440l & 220L options • AdBlue option available

For all your golf, sportsturf and landscape irrigation needs.

Buy online at www.lws.uk.com

01353 862044

• Manufactured in the UK • 12 month warranty • Manufactured in the UK • 12v 40L/min pump • 12 month warranty • 440l & 220L options • AdBlue option available pump • 12v 40L/min

01353 862044

Tel 0345 230 9697 • www.lws.uk.com

• 440l & 220L options 01353 862044

• AdBlue option available

01353 862044

FOR ALL YOUR IRRIGATION NEEDS

Design and Advice • Irrigation Parts Catalogue 24/7 Online Parts Ordering www.access-irrigation.co.uk • sales@access-irrigation.co.uk

01788 823811

unfogable mesh eye protection

www.meshsafetyglasses.com 01254 377 467

T

Shade Solutions   

Download the FREE Pro Landscaper app today 1 Go to the App Store 3 Download the free app 4 Choose and 2 Search ‘Pro download Landscaper’

www.shade - solutions.com  





www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Classified.indd 113

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 113

17/07/2018 15:55

PEOPLE

LYNN HILL Garden designer, Lynn Hill Garden Design www.lynnhillgardendesign.co.uk

Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

Inspirational, they’re great for firing the imagination.

Other than the UK, which country’s landscape inspires you the most?

The stunning Amalfi coastline in Italy.

What would you blow your budget on?

Quality stone that has character and a sense of history and place.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Beth Chatto (RIP).

One thing that you think would make the industry better?

If clients chose quality local stone over the imported, cheaper stuff. It’s so much better for the environment/ carbon footprint.

Best piece of trivia you know?

Scientists have discovered that

114 Pro Landscaper / August 2018

Little Interview.indd 114

they can make diamonds out of Tequila, and that these synthetic diamonds are ideal for creating cutting tools.

Role model as a child?

Diana Rigg in The Avengers, I liked her attitude!

Couldn’t get through the week without…

Coffee and sunshine, preferably together.

Your favourite joke?

Q. Why did the cow cross the road?

A. To go to the mooovies!

Sorry, you can blame my nine-yearold son for that one!

Best invention in recent years?

Tier stone cladding. It’s so versatile and has allowed real stone features to become a reality for many of my clients who wouldn’t normally be able to consider it.

Pro Landscaper asks quick-fire questions to gain a small insight into the people who make up our industry. To take part email rachael.forsyth@eljays44.com

i

ALAN NUGENT Grounds maintenance team leader, Trafford Housing Trust www.traffordhousingtrust.co.uk

Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

Yes — great places to take clients and see latest products in use.

Other than the UK, which country’s landscape inspires you the most?

China.

What would you blow your budget on?

Specimen plants.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Adam Frost.

One thing that you think would make the industry better?

Limit the use of glyphosate –

it’s too easy to buy.

Best piece of trivia you know?

The direction a climber will curl is dependent on its location north or south of the equator.

Role model as a child?

Sir David Attenborough.

Couldn’t get through the week without…

Mars Duo bar.

Your favourite joke?

Too rude to share here!

Best invention in recent years?

HAVS technology.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/07/2018 14:05

PEOPLE

MIKE WILDERINK Managing director, Alfresco Floors Ltd www.alfrescofloors.co.uk

Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

Very much so. Always looking for new ideas, and shows have some real gems.

Other than the UK, which country’s landscape inspires you the most?

New Zealand – it’s stunning.

What would you blow your budget on?

A road trip across the USA and Canada, so diverse.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Dan Pearson, he is very much in touch with natural landscapes.

Role model as a child?

Nikola Tesla, not just when I was a child, but throughout my life.

One thing that you think would make the industry better?

Clarity and collaboration, and an end to VE options!

Your favourite joke?

My wife accused me of being immature...

I told her to get out of my fort.

Best piece of trivia you know?

Your heart beats around 120,000 times in a day, now that’s impressive.

BEN SHAW

NIK EDSER

Account manager, Adtrak

Director, Langdale Landscapes Ltd

Role model as a child?

My father.

Little Interview.indd 115

Couldn’t get through the week without...

A cup of Tetley’s tea.

de The one s rD er u tt a v id yu k / Sh person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Luciano Giubbilei, the garden designer, as I love his work.

an

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Best invention in recent years?

The cloud for sharing files.

ex

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Prince Charles.

What would you blow your budget on?

An AC Cobra classic sports car. © Al

Couldn’t get through the week without…

My iPhone.

Role model as a child?

Richard Branson… he’s very inspirational and I loved his maverick style of business.

m

Best piece of trivia you know?

What country is France’s longest land border… Brazil, because of French Guiana!

Best piece of trivia you know?

Elephants can’t jump!

Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

Definitely inspirational... even though it’s not realworld landscaping, showing what can be achieved in a short time and limited space highlights the skills of the designers and contractors.

.co

What would you blow your budget on?

A swimming pool, water feature and outdoor entertainment area.

One thing that you think would make the industry better?

Better websites that can be found easily.

ck

Other than the UK, which country’s landscape inspires you the most?

Canada — it has a wide variety of landscapes and conditions, all beautifully kept and very little litter!

www.langdalelandscapes.co.uk

to

www.adtrak.co.uk

Best invention in recent years The iPhone… this has transformed the way we can all work, wherever we happen to be.

Pro Landscaper / August 2018 115

17/07/2018 14:07

Advert template.indd 49

18/07/2018 10:44