Pro Landscaper August 2021 by Eljays44

AUGUST 2O21

LET’S HEAR IT FROM

CUTTING EDGE

10 TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

BEWARE: GREENWASHING

Brodie McAllister, President elect of the LI

Jason Knights on technology at Ground Control

Celebrating a decade of Pro Landscaper

Ben West warns of misleading pledges

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22/07/2021 14:06

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WELCOME

W E LCO M E H

industry is. It’s great that we are able to reward these businesses and over the next 12 months share with you some of their successes – roll on 30 July. Fingers crossed and good luck to all those shortlisted. We have some great content for you this month. Brodie McAllister’s interview is particularly interesting – he discusses the manifesto that got him elected to president of the LI and how it was built around breaking down the silo. This month we are very proud to launch our new branding and website for FutureScape 2021, to be held on 16 and 17 November 2021 at the ExCeL London. FutureScape is such a key part of the industry, and it will be great to have a live event, with more than 150 leading suppliers, seminars, live debates, awards and a great opportunity to get the whole sector together. We look forward to seeing you in November. Enjoy your magazine!

JIM & LISA

IT’S A VERY SPECIAL ISSUE AS WE ARE CELEBRATING OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY

©Sauterelle Garden and Landscape Design

appy summer and welcome to the August issue of Pro Landscaper. It’s a very special issue as we are celebrating our 10th anniversary. As we are writing this, we are busy preparing for the Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2021. It’s the first live event that we have been able to host since February 2020. With so many false dawns it does seem now that we are actually going to be able to announce the winners on Friday 30 July and in person. These awards are really important as the focus is about running a professional, successful and profitable business – the bits behind the scenes that often go unnoticed to the outside world. The companies that have entered and those that have finally won should be really proud of their business; it’s testament to them all how they have grown and stuck to their principles, especially during these really testing times. These are the companies that will help the landscaping sector to recruit, encourage people into landscaping and show how professional the

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Pro Landscaper / August 2021

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CONTENTS

IQ 37 41

52 UK Landscape Barometer The stats for May 2021 Seven Heaven Neil Edwards

INSPIRE

INFORM 13 16 19

48 52

RHS Hampton Court News Extra RHS Hilltop A new gardening science hub Let’s Hear It From Brodie McAllister, president elect for the Landscape Institute 30 Under 30 Update Abdulla Albaroudi Cutting Edge Jason Knights

16 19

60 63

Circular Views Slate Grey Design Beauty and Grace Sauterelle Garden & Landscape Design Landscape Architect’s Journal The CDS Group Love Horticulture Karen McClure 10th Anniversary Special Celebrating 10 years of Pro Landscaper PL_Sep11_Cover_v8:Layout

13:42

15/8/11

Page 1

Concept to Delivery

Knowing and Not Knowing Andrew Wilson

10TH ANNIVERSARY

September 2011

DEDICATED TO THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY

Let’s hear it from...

Mark Gregory, Landform Consultants and Chairman of the APL

An inspired transformation of the grounds at Heath Manor, Longdon, Worcestershire:

KEYSCAPE’S

Portfolio

See how three companies have designed and implemented their projects

MASTER PLAN

Latest kit at IOG Saltex 2011

Show highlights

Published by

Business intelligence

Concept to Delivery

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

May 2012

CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

THE MAIN DRAW

Plans and sketches for some of the inspirational gardens set to feature at this year’s RHS event

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF

Green roofs

RHS RHS

Portfolios

Big opportunities to install January 2013 for landscape contractors

See how three companies implemented their projects

s•

h lig Sho gh w Gardens • Hi Concept to Delivery

February 2018

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INFORM

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3 0 U N D E R 3 0 U P DAT E

ABDULLA ALBAROUDI ABDULLA ALBAROUDI, SUSTAINABILITY AND BIM TECHNICIAN AT ETLA STUDIO, IS STRIVING FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPES IN THE UK AND FURTHER AFIELD

bdulla Albaroudi is ambitious and set on making a difference through landscape. Not that landscape has always been his focus. Abdulla’s overarching passion is for sustainability, and this started with buildings. He gained a BA in Architectural Engineering from Beirut Arab University and was involved in the UN-Habitat’s Inclusive Cities initiative in Lebanon, aimed at supporting local authorities to create inclusive urban environments, both for the local residents and for Syrian refugees. In 2018, Abdulla came to the UK to study a postgraduate degree in Architecture and the Sustainable Environment at the University of Kent. It was whilst completing his first semester that he contacted ETLA Studio, a local landscape architecture practice, after seeing an advertisement for a CAD technician. “I had no idea what landscape was at that point besides what I’d been taught at uni, so gardens or trees which surround the actual project – but it turned out to be so much more than that,” says Abdulla. He worked as a CAD

GREAT MISSENDEN RAIL STATION: ENTRANCE

24 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

30 Under 30.indd 24

technician at ETLA Studio for nine months and American standard called SITES for use in when he finished his Masters, he was offered the UK. It focuses on creating sustainable a full-time position as an assistant. landscapes, and Abdulla has “When I started the assistant been working on switching the job and got more involved in the standard to refer to British landscape design side, I realised laws and terminology. how much of an impact it could “BREEAM touches on have and the difference these landscape but in a simplistic designs could make to the way, so when I came across occupiers of the buildings. I never SITES, I saw it had so much thought I’d switch to landscape potential. It goes into so much because I’d studied architecture for detail. We’ve been piloting five years in Lebanon and one year aspects of the system on for my Masters, so my passion was projects we’re working on to pursue this and to design at the moment.” buildings; but the more I got into The ultimate goal is landscape and different projects, to apply the principles to UN HABITAT PROJECT REPORT the more I liked it and now I’m fully make all our schemes more immersed in it and pursuing Chartership.” sustainable and make a difference to our environment across the UK – but it's been a challenge, says Abdulla. For example, planning laws and guidance on water management are quite different as are the types of natural disasters applicable. So, I needed to speak to experts in the UK to understand how the UK laws impacted it.” Once Abdulla has completed the standard and spent a few more years gaining experience and expertise in the UK, he plans to return to the Middle East to implement his learnings. “We have amazing scenery and natural resources, Abdulla aims to bridge the gap between but not the landscape knowledge of the UK. The architecture and landscape. “For a project to idea is to go back and promote the landscape succeed, architecture and landscape need to work profession as much as possible, by opening together; it’s never just about one or the other.” my own office or perhaps creating a landscape This is just one of many objectives, though. course.” It’s a bold ambition, but based on his For the last year, Abdulla has been adapting an achievements to date it’s far from impossible.

FOR A PROJECT TO SUCCEED, ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER; IT’S NEVER JUST ABOUT ONE OR THE OTHER

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/07/2021 10:04

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INFORM

J AS O N K N I G H TS CUTTING EDGE

GROUND CONTROL’S MANAGING DIRECTOR JASON KNIGHTS EXPLORES HOW NEW TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING POSITION THE COMPANY AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF THE LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY

rones, robots and apps are not the kind of things you would usually associate with landscaping, yet they are all in the mix as technologies that will help keep Ground Control at the forefront of the industry. As managing director, I’m always looking to push the boundaries when it comes to adopting high-tech solutions that not only drive internal efficiencies but also help Ground Control provide ever-better service to its clients. We have a philosophy of continuous improvement here at Ground Control and that permeates everything we do. That means we’re constantly monitoring technology to see what’s available that will help us deliver a better service to our customers. And if it’s not available, we’re looking at how we can develop it ourselves.

Unique in the industry, Ground Control employs a team of software developers to design and build platforms to improve the customer experience and drive efficiencies internally and within the supply chain. One of these – the Gateway Compliance Matrix resource management system – recently picked up the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation. The Queen’s Award is in recognition of the effort and investment we put into design solutions to issues we’ve identified. In this

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Jason Knights.indd 27

instance, as we’ve expanded, so have the difficulty, challenges and complexity of managing and recording the compliance requirements for each project. The Gateway Compliance Matrix automates that process for the benefit of our clients and our business.

BY 2023, ALL OUR FIELD TEAMS WILL BE USING BATTERY-POWERED RATHER THAN PETROL HAND TOOLS Our other client platforms such as TotalView and Blade take this one step further, using data captured from our field teams who carry out ground maintenance work via an app called SOMA – also developed in-house – to deliver real-time information and better visibility for clients so they can monitor all activity on their sites. It also helps us improve the service we provide. It’s software development such as this that is helping Ground Control scale its business and service more sites more efficiently and – crucially for such an environmentally focused organisation – with a lower carbon footprint. The drive to reduce the impact of its activities on the environment has also seen Ground Control set itself ambitious goals for introducing new, greener equipment. By 2023, all our field teams will be using battery-powered rather than petrol hand tools. We’re also working with product designers and manufacturers of larger equipment such as ride-on mowers and road sweepers so we can

phase out fossil fuels in as many of our operations as possible. There’s a health and safety element too – these tools are quieter to operate and help reduce users’ exposure to hand-arm vibration. Further down the line, Ground Control is also investigating the use of drone technology to survey landscapes and potentially to trim trees at a higher level. We’re also looking at how we can take advantage of robotics in our work, and have already deployed an automated mower at the Tower of London that uses GPS location technology to maintain the lawns accurately at night. Alongside that, we will continue fine-tuning and building software platforms to enable more self-service and visibility for customers and drive further efficiencies. Essentially, we want to make our operations as slick as possible, making use of available and emerging technology and developing novel approaches to what is traditionally a low-tech sector – all with the ultimate aim of continuously improving our service while reducing our carbon footprint.

A BOU T JASON KNIGHTS Jason Knights joined Ground Control as managing director in 2020 following 10 years in leadership roles at Wates. His last role was as managing director of SES Engineering Services, now a division of Wates Construction Group, following Wates’ acquisition of Shepard E Construction Services in November 2016. A specialist M&E services business, Jason grew SES and created its excellent reputation in the industry, transforming it from loss-making to profitability in four years.

www.ground-control.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 27

22/07/2021 09:45

WHEN WHERE HOW

16 November 2021 17 November 2021 ExCeL London Register for your free ticket on our website or contact the team on 01903 777570

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INFORM

ANDREW WILSON KNOWING AND NOT KNOWING

ANDREW WILSON FINALLY BECOMES A CLIENT AND SEES THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GARDEN DESIGN PROCESS

have been having a fascinating few months as finally my own garden is being built and eventually planted. In many ways this is an astonishing moment as I have had the design in some form for over 20 years, just never the time to get round to implementing it. With garden design, writing and teaching somehow that development into detail for my own plot always eluded me. We have now very firmly bitten the bullet and Landscape Associates are doing the honours and a very fine job of it too with a great team on site. What has fascinated me is the process of being a client. At times, especially with the damned weather, the garden has resembled the trenches. The dogs can’t go out for a run around without wearing significant quantities of mud and even we need climbing tackle to get out of the back door! Skips have to be timed to allow

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Andrew Wilson.indd 29

access to my car, deliveries are causing much chatter around the neighbourhood and I’m endeavouring to work with a radio channel of someone else’s taste buzzing in the background.

IT’S WHAT WE DO EVERY DAY, BUT IT SHOULDN’T STOP US THINKING ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF THOSE LIVING WITH IT FOR THE FIRST TIME All of this I knew about in my head from visiting a life-time of garden design clients who were obviously going through something similar. I visited and then left knowing their situation yet, I realise now, not really knowing it until I now have to experience it and live with it. I am enjoying the process of course, my wife less so for whom it’s a first, and I know it is all necessary but what has struck me is how we take the process of ripping out, remodelling and renewing for granted. By “we” I mean both designers and landscapers. It’s what we do every day, but it shouldn’t stop us thinking about the impact on the lives of those living with it for the first time. My sister-in-law stayed with us a few weeks into the build and said she hadn’t realised the project would be so drastic. She knows what I do but really only sees the results – glorious images of beautiful, finished gardens, not the transition from old to new that can be such a shock to the system. Gavin and I have always tried, with some success, to educate our clients beforehand

with images of gardens under preparation or highlighting the various stages. Yet clients still feel stressed as the greenery disappears and the building site takes shape. Even my students take a while to get the picture that new terraces, ponds, steps and walls included in their design will ultimately ruin most of what exists, especially in more confined urban or suburban gardens. To some extent I think it is the time frame or programme that surprises most. Many clients see the time taken for a new build or extended house as fair and understandable yet many also assume a new garden will be much less involved and therefore quicker. One of my students this year completed his costing exercise by suggesting making a saving by seeding rather than turfing the lawn. This was associated with a significantly complex build that would certainly have wrecked the original garden. I pointed out that most clients with a major renewal in their garden were positively delirious at the moment of turf laying when the garden is instantly green again and recognisable as a garden. I think we all need to remember that sense of invasion that is part of our work and make sure our clients are as ready as possible for the experience. Pictured: My cocker spaniel Sam waiting for me to play ball in my current garden!

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

www.lcgd.org.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 29

15/07/2021 16:30

Deck installation: Composite Decking Lifestyles. Photography: Jack Wilson Studios.

THE ARBORDECK AWARDS ARE BACK AT FUTURESCAPE FOR 2021 FutureScape remains a highlight in UK landscapers’ calendars, and this year will see professionals return in person for what is set to be a fantastic event – at the new venue, ExCeL London. Arbor Forest Products will be showcasing Trex®, allowing visitors to learn more about the leading composite decking brand. The company, which is

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the sole distributor of Trex in the UK, will be available to answer any questions you may have about Trex and its promise of a low-maintenance, high-performance and eco-friendly outdoor living solution. As well as exhibiting the World’s Number 1 decking brand, Arbor Forest Products is bringing back the Arbordeck Awards – which are set to be bigger and better than ever. And with FutureScape 2021 returning to an in-person exhibition, so are this year’s Arbordeck Awards. The awards provide installers with the opportunity to showcase their Trex composite decking projects, with the chance to win an impressive prize package; the top prize being a trip for two to Washington, D.C. This money-can’t-buy prize will be awarded to the Deck of the Year category winner, decided upon by the panel

22/07/2021 09:00

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of expert judges through entries to all other categories. All five categories from previous years – Best large Trex deck, Best small Trex deck, Best commercial Trex deck, Best Trex design solution and Best Arbordeck softwood timber deck – will be returning, with the addition of two new categories, giving installers even more chances to win. The brand new TrexPert of the Year category has been introduced to acknowledge installers who fly the flag for Trex, while the Top spec Trex deck category provides installers with the opportunity to showcase their decks which feature added Trex extras. Commenting on FutureScape 2021, Arbor Forest Products’ decking business manager, Jonathan Cooper, said: “We’re looking forward to being back at FutureScape in person once again. The exhibition

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provides us with the opportunity to showcase the many benefits of Trex composite decking and meet landscapers and installers from across the country. “I’m also pleased to be to announcing the winners of the 2021 Arbordeck Awards at the event as we introduce two brand new categories. We’ve seen a year-on-year increase in entries since the awards launched in 2018 and our team is always impressed by the standard of installations we see, so we’re delighted to be able to recognise the incredible skills of the UK’s decking professionals.” For more information on the Arbordeck Awards please visit www.arbordeck.co.uk/awards21 – and you can keep up-to-date with the awards by following Arbordeck on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

22/07/2021 09:00

INFORM

K AT I E F L A X M A N STORYTELLING

KATIE FLAXMAN REMINDS US OF THE IMPORTANCE OF EXPLORING AND TELLING THE STORY OF A LANDSCAPE AND HOW THIS SHOULD INFLUENCE ITS DESIGN

e were floating on the Sea of the Hebrides, a small, sheltered part of the North Atlantic Ocean. The water was millpond flat, and the sun created hazy shadows of the small isles of Eigg and Rum. Shags dried their wings on rocky islands and seal heads popped up around the boat as we made our way to the remote Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye.

Cutting the engine to reveal the soft sound of waves, the skipper, Sandy, told us a generations old story of how the Cuillin Mountains got their name. This story was from a time before time and has been handed down through the oral art of storytelling. Skye is made of stories – much of Scotland is. These myths and legends are the foundation of the landscape there and deeply woven into the names, forms, and features of the land. They are powerfully emotive, sometimes funny, often brutal and they connect you to landscape in a way I have never known before. Skye gave me many gifts but one of the greatest was a reminder of the connection between stories and land. Those who know our studio will know my fondness for stories and the power they have to convey messages in a way reality simply can’t. We have written our own short stories for competitions and to help

32 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

Katie Flaxman.indd 32

describe the emotive connection we have to some of the landscapes we have created. But my question is this; what of the stories that were already there? Here at Studio 31, we use the narratives of generations past to inform our work; the history of buildings and landscapes that have created a place. You can find these in nods and accents in the landscapes themselves, in trees, levels, streams and forms all giving their own account of what has come before. You can find these in old photos in corridors and in the voices of new

WE USE THE NARRATIVES OF GENERATIONS PAST TO INFORM OUR WORK; THE HISTORY OF BUILDINGS AND LANDSCAPES THAT HAVE CREATED A PLACE

are staff or school children. What is their story and what role will a new vision of that landscape play in that story? The work we do as designers adds another chapter. It might create new pages or perhaps it restores old narratives which have been lost in the layers of time. It imagines a new future but is informed by the past. Skye reminded me that landscapes are more than paving or furniture, rocks, or plants. They are living, evolving, changing. They are a part of the history and a part of the people who spend time in them. It’s easy to get caught up in the ego of design but what’s important to remember in the work we do, is that we are gifted a pen. We are gifted a tale to tell, an unfinished book to continue. We can shape a part of the plot and maybe we can even act as a signpost to a different kind of future, but the ending will never belong to us and the story itself was never ours to begin with.

A B O U T K AT I E F L A X M A N

custodians who have learned about the old ones. But it’s not just those stories we need. We need the stories of the people who will use those spaces. Maybe those people are families, maybe they are patients, perhaps they

Katie Flaxman is co-founder and director of Studio 31 Landscape Architects. Studio 31 is an awardwinning, adventurous and environmentally conscious landscape architecture practice working across the residential, public realm and health sectors.

www.designstudio31.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/07/2021 10:36

INFORM

C H R I STO P H E R M A RT I N PAVING PARADISE

THE MORE PARKING SPACES WE CREATE, THE MORE CARS ON THE ROAD, ARGUES CHRISTOPHER MARTIN

am reliably informed that this month we are celebrating 10 years of Pro Landscaper, and on the theme of celebrating anniversaries I am writing at the time of the 50th anniversary of Joni Mitchell’s album, ‘Blue’. The connection here is that Joni Mitchell made one of the most illuminating observations for urban designers and those who work to make better cities with the line, “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot”. This line is pertinent because so often our collective human desire and perceived requirement for parking in every scenario, ironically, degrades the very experience of the place we are seeking in the first place. From the hustle and energy of central London streets to an historic square in a beautiful market town in the UK to (even) the Lake District’s most beautiful scenes on a summer’s day, parking often commands the head of the table when life, commerce, paradise should dominate; but this wasn’t always the case.

Kerb space occupancy in London streets rose from 50% in 1951 to 75% in 1953 as rising car ownership outpaced parking provision. This mainstreaming of cars and driving didn’t go unnoticed or uncontested, however, with one now infamous quote from a resident in St Helen’s querying whether those parking in his street “would buy furniture if they had no house to keep it in?”

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Unintended consequences exist all around our penchant for parking. As shiny and expensive status symbols began being parked in people’s streets, children socialising – and being children – started to be positioned as more and

PLACES WHERE YOU CAN ONLY ENJOY BEING A PEDESTRIAN BRIEFLY AREN’T A MODEL FOR SUCCESSFUL URBAN DESIGN more menacing, as the lines between outdoor play and delinquent behaviour were purposefully blurred, resulting in the dramatic reduction and indeed criminalisation of play in urban streets. Fast forwarding to where car is king, there are now eight parking spaces per car across the US, covering up to 30% of cities. At the heart of this, the more parking we have, the more we are invited to drive. Parking influences how we move about and choose to make journeys, but also shapes our cities, landscapes and lives. This is why parking minimums are a blunt tool. The suburbanisation following WW2 led to on-plot parking requirements becoming popular, because it forced developers to create a huge supply of parking at little or no direct cost to the towns and cities mandating them. This had the unintended consequence of pushing buildings further and further apart resulting in the need for more and more driving, and in full vicious cycle, more and more parking. The towns and cities we love globally are not designed around principles of parking standards and minimums, because parking is the death of urban vitality and conviviality. Places that you

have to drive to and get out of the car before you can relax; places where you can only enjoy being a pedestrian briefly aren’t a model for successful urban design – it’s the model for Disneyland. It is clear we need to move away from the idea that plentiful and low-cost parking at our doorstep is a key component of economic success. Cities such as Paris and Oslo are leading the way, committing to reduce the amount of parking with a community-first approach. I like to make this point but supporting this is the notion that there is no vehicle better adapted to compact urban centres than a bicycle, and there’s no vehicle more poorly adapted than a car. A cyclist who stops riding becomes someone strolling in the city. A driver becomes somebody with a storage problem.

A BOU T C H RISTOP HER MARTIN Christopher is an influential urban designer and planner working all over the globe to help communities improve their public spaces; as well as supporting cities and governments to develop strategy, change policies, and make great places possible. He is co-founder and director of Urban Strategy at Urban Movement; a trustee of the UK charity for everyday walking – Living Streets; vice chair of the UK Urban Design Group; and is a member of the United Nations Planning and Climate Action Group.

www.urbanmovement.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 33

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n this issue of the UK Landscaper Barometer, we are focused on the trading month of May 2021. The material shortage continued to have a damaging effect on the industry, and, as a result of the ongoing lack of material availability, things finally started to slow down. Torrential rain dampened construction output – it dipped by 0.8% according to the ONS. And in addition, the UK economy also experienced a slow-down despite major lockdown restrictions lifting. Comments reflected on work feeling overall a little “quieter”, though some are still battling the strong demand as things start to deflate. This could be why there has been a repeat following last month’s data as confidence has seen another fall, now standing at 34%. Design and build companies reported they have noticed a shift in project types, with more work being conducted on larger country gardens and garden offices being particularly popular. However, clients are still very wary about companies going bankrupt, and so are “becoming less willing to pay their bills.” If you would like the full report or would like to contribute to the UK Landscape Barometer moving forward, please send an email to Gemma Lloyd on gemma.lloyd@eljays44.com or call on 01903 777 594. Please note that all statistics are based on those surveyed and compare May 2021 to May 2020.

NATIONAL TURNOVER

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS MORE CONFIDENT COMPARED TO LAST MONTH 100% 90%

10% 10%

Lower Equal Higher

80%

80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30%

ENQUIRIES

20% 10%

7% 14%

Lower

Equal

Oct20

Nov20

Dec20

Jan21

Feb21

22% 48%

PROJECTS 4% 7%

Lower 19%

Equal Higher

70%

No response

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UK Landscape Barometer.indd 37

Apr21

May21

STAFF 13%

Jul21

13%

Lower

Aug21

Sep21

Higher

Lower Equal

Equal 30%

Jun21

CONVERSION

Higher

79%

Mar21

39%

35%

Higher No response

A significant number of respondents reported rises across all areas, apart from in confidence. 79% of respondents reported increases in enquiries, and the number of those working on more projects increased to 70%. Conversion rates saw 39% of respondents reporting increases, and 48% had increased staff levels – this is positive to see given the difficulty circulating in recruiting skilled and qualified workers.

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 37

22/07/2021 17:14

CONFIDENCE

TURNOVER

ENQUIRIES

THE SOUTH

THE MIDLANDS

SCOTLAND AND THE NORTH

GARDEN DESIGN

DESIGN AND BUILD

COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPING

DOMESTIC LANDSCAPING

20%

40%

60%

80% 100%

Equal

40%

Higher

Less

PROJECTS

20%

60%

Equal

80% 100%

Lower

STAFF

20%

40%

Higher

60%

Equal

80% 100% Lower

CONVERSION

THE SOUTH

THE MIDLANDS

SCOTLAND AND THE NORTH

GARDEN DESIGN

DESIGN AND BUILD

GARDEN DESIGN

DESIGN AND BUILD

DESIGN AND BUILD COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPING

COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPING

DOMESTIC LANDSCAPING

20%

40%

60%

80% 100%

Higher

Equal

Lower

No response

38 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

UK Landscape Barometer.indd 38

COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPING

DOMESTIC LANDSCAPING

20% Higher

40%

60%

Equal

80% 100% Lower

DOMESTIC LANDSCAPING

20%

40%

60%

80% 100%

Higher

Equal

Lower

No response

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

22/07/2021 15:33

NURSERIES

Confidence has

Nurseries had another dominantly positive month. However, quotes displayed a fall compared to last month’s data. Nonetheless, confidence and turnover presented that 100% of respondents were seeing increases, and 34% saw quotes increase. One participant said: “May 2020 was still impacted by the first lockdown – but demand remains encouraging. A tricky growing season has compounded an already challenging year for general availability. An ongoing cool spring meant that new crops missed the peak spring sales period, only to come available as demand naturally reduces.”

CONFIDENCE

TURNOVER

More 100%

QUOTES

Equal Higher

33%

Enquiries rose by

36% nationally

Things appear to be more evenly spread under quotes and turnover for soil suppliers. However, the majority of respondents are feeling more confident, which is certainly positive to see given the national drop in confidence reported for the month by the UK Landscape Barometer. One participant said: “Things have quietened down slightly after a frantic start to the year. We are putting a lot of quotes out and there seems to be a lot of work around and coming up, so happy days!”

CONFIDENCE

TURNOVER

Equal

33%

34%

98%

QUOTES

33%

34%

Higher 33%

Lower Equal Higher

33%

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

in quotes was seen by soil suppliers Projects for

DESIGN AND BUILD companies rose by 93%

66% Projects for garden designers increased by

127% Quotes increased by

70% for nurseries

Turnover for garden designers increased by

6 MONTHS 38% Average project commencing time for domestic landscapers was

TURNOVER for commercial landscapers INCREASED BY 30%

Lower Equal

An increase of

54% 23% Conversion rates rose by

SOIL

UK Landscape Barometer.indd 39

DESIGN AND BUILD

on average

Lower

33%

34%

GREATEST INCREASE

The in turnover was seen by companies at 64%

Higher

100%

DECREASED FOR THE SECOND MONTH in a row

National projects increased by

National turnover increased by

50% on average

Projects for commercial landscapers increased by

27%

Enquiries for domestic landscapers rose by

30%

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 39

22/07/2021 15:35

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22/07/2021 09:02

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IT MIGHT BE SHORT OF MATERIALS, WORKERS AND – INCREASINGLY - EQUIPMENT, BUT THE UK CONSTRUCTION SECTOR HAS FORGED AHEAD, DELIVERING MORE THAN £7BN IN NEW CONTRACT AWARDS DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE 2021. NEIL EDWARDS LOOKS OVER ANOTHER BUMPER MONTH

une was a month that saw contractors Henry W Pollard and Nobles Construction close their doors for the final time; a month in which the finances of both NMCN and Midas Construction were called into question. And it was also a month in which the ongoing materials shortage tightened its grip on the UK construction sector; when the furlough scheme came to an end for more businesses; and when a number of migrant workers returned home as the EU Settlement Scheme drew to a close. Despite being beset on all sides, the UK construction industry recorded more than £7.2bn in new construction contract awards in the month of June to further highlight the disparity between market sentiment and

market reality. Although the largest contracts of the month were for the upgrading of a variety of Ministry of Defence facilities, there was also plenty of cause for optimism for the landscaping sector. Redrow Homes kept the house building flag flying in June 2021, picking up eight new

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Neil Edwards.indd 41

contract awards valued at a combined £458m to take third place on the table. The most significant of these is the planned construction of around 2,500 new homes at Great Wilsey Park in West Suffolk. This project also includes the construction of two new primary schools and extensive landscaping.

DESPITE BEING BESET ON ALL SIDES, THE UK CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY RECORDED MORE THAN £7.2BN IN NEW CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARDS Also notable this month is a £180m contract awarded to Hill Partnerships for the conversion of the former Shredded Wheat factory in Welwyn Garden City into an entertainment centre. Valued at around £80m, this project will include the sensitive refurbishment and repair of the Wheat Quarter’s listed production hall. Another part will create the Louis de Soissons Building and Bridge Community Building. Plans have also been lodged for around 1,200 new homes – a mix of rented and residential care – on the site. Winvic Construction has also been awarded the contract for a £100m residential and mixed-use development comprising 504 dwellings, flexible retail, restaurant, leisure or office use space together with the provision of

car and cycle parking and associated works and landscaping. London retained top spot on the regional table, delivering 107 new projects valued at £2.46bn. Once again, the East and West Midlands (£727m and £608m respectively) performed well. Also enjoying a sharp uptick in works is East Anglia, which reported 27 new contract awards worth a combined £61m. The various Wales regions contributed 18 new contract awards worth a total of £286m. With 180 new contract awards valued at a combined £1.86bn, the house-building sector continues to lead the way. It now appears clear that the UK construction industry has taken its lead from the scientific advice surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The sector has placed itself within a protective bubble that is seemingly impervious to all that is going on around it. As the industry now starts what might be a return to the traditional summer lull, the hope is that the industry’s resilience continues into the autumn period.

A B O U T N E I L E DWA R D S Neil Edwards is CEO of Builder’s Conference, the construction industry’s leading trade body. It provides its members to sales leads and market intelligence, as well as statistical data and networking opportunities. BCLive is a real-time league table of construction contract award activity. Operated by the Builders’ Conference, the BCLive league table monitors more than 6,000 new contract awards each year with a combined value of over £80bn. www.buildersconference.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 41

21/07/2021 10:15

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PROJECT D E TA I L S Project value £445k Build time 3 months Size of project 750m2 Awards BALI Principal Award Winner 2020, Podium Under £500k

G R E AT

INSPIRE

HEIGHTS M7

FROSTS LANDSCAPE C O N ST RU CT I O N LT D

C R O W N I N G A B R A N D N E W O F F I C E D E V E L O P M E N T, T H I S AWA R D -W I N N I N G R O O F GA R D E N I S A W I N FO R I TS E N D U S E R S A S W E L L A S W E L L N E S S A N D C L I M AT E R E S I L I E N C E

he first of two new office developments on the edge of the Westfield Shopping centre in Stratford, the M7 building will be tenanted by the HMRC as they relocate from central London. Crowning this building is a screened roof garden which enjoys outstanding views to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the London skyline beyond. The grandly titled roof garden is on the 13th floor of the 14-storey building, and Frosts Landscapes undertook everything from insulation and drainage layers to natural stone paving and timber benches.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Design and build Though setbacks with the cladding and glazing initially delayed Frosts Landscapes start, once the glazing was in, the roof was safe and sheltered enough for it to start its works. Restricted loading meant the depth available for planting was very limited and with no budget for an automatic irrigation system, the concept of a gravel garden was used by Gillespie’s in their design. There was no depth for any trees so some small multi-stem Amelanchier lamarckii were planted which will grow up and become features. All the other planting is herbaceous and bulbs. All plants were contract grown by Robin Tacchi Plants and arrived in good condition considering the planting was completed in December and January. The central paved area uses Chinese granite with different surface finishes of flamed, fine picked and sawn grooved top. The linear

46 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

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architectural detail breaks up the expanse of paving into sections. The stone supplied by Marshalls was outside of tolerance on the thickness which made laying the stones more difficult on the rail system which was being used to keep the loadings down. Stones had to be sorted by thickness and laid using shims to adjust for the thickness. All the finishes on the planters, benches and bird box stand were RAL 7013 to match all the cladding works. Materials Given the events at Grenfell Tower, restriction on the materials used were very tight with all materials requiring fire safety certification. All specified materials were therefore used as they had been pre-approved against this criterion by the client and design team. Gravel mulch rather than bark was required and specified for this reason.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

22/07/2021 10:29

INSPIRE

REFERENCES

Contractor Westfields www.uk.westfield.com/london Frosts Landscape Construction www.frostslandscapes.co.uk Designer: Gillespies www.gillespies.co.uk Paving Marshalls www.marshalls.co.uk Paving support system Ryno www.rynogroup.co.uk

1 Views across the skyline 2 A corner seating area provides a calm spot 3 Main seating area alongside the views 4 The planting scheme creates impressive sights 5 Planter with benches up close All photographs ©Frosts Landscape Construction

Challenges Delays came for the first 6-8 weeks due to the delayed cladders still using the roof for storage and working over head or on the facade. This meant Frosts Landscapes couldn’t efficiently complete its works. As always, the challenge with roof gardens is logistics. Unfortunately, by the time Frosts Landscapes started on site the tower crane had already left. It managed to get the long rails loaded out for the paving system before the crane left, but there was no space for anything else and the waterproofing still needed to be completed. Most of the rest of the materials were loaded out via the good lifts. When the paving arrived, a mobile crane was brought in to quickly and safely load out the paving. Frosts Landscapes also took the opportunity to load out the remaining soil. The mobile crane had to be organised by Frosts Landscapes and it took a while to get enough space cleared at the base of the building to get the crane in. The layout and levels of the cladding were also changed by the contractor Focchi. This had not been conveyed to the landscape architects, so there were a few setting out issues which had to be resolved and the works had to proceed with the materials which had then arrived from China.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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A B O U T F RO STS L A N DS CA P E C O N ST RU CT I O N Frosts Landscapes has over 60 years of experience carrying out hard and soft landscaping projects to blue chip clients.

www.frostslandscapes.co.uk

Plants Robin Tacchi Plants www.robintacchiplants.com Planters Europlanters www.europlanters.com Benches Woodscape www.woodscape.co.uk Bird box Charles Head Soil Zinco Green roof systems www.zinco-greenroof.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 47

22/07/2021 10:30

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CIRCULAR

VIEWS B E EC H M O N T H A L L S L AT E G R E Y D E S I G N

T H O U G H I T S V I E W S W E R E E N V I A B L E , T H E P R E V I O U S G A R D E N W A S N O T. T H I S S PA C E N E E D E D A R E VA M P T O M AT C H I T S U N PA R A L L E L E D V I E W S A N D D R A W T H E C L I E N T S I N T O T H E G A R D E N

espite its enviable position and aspect, this garden was previously simple and uninteresting. In fact, there was little to commend the space apart from the view. It consisted of a largely unstructured and open lawn, flanked by a large cloud pruned Taxus hedge and a topiarised Taxus tree in the centre forming the dominant features of the space. There was some attractive hard landscaping around the immediate vicinity of the house, but this did not connect with the garden as a whole. The plot generally lacked cohesion, character and focus and there was little to draw the observer to want to explore further. In addition to this, the absence of paths through the garden rendered it difficult to access certain areas, particularly in winter. Lying directly behind the lawn, overlooking the lovely view, a sunken terrace was located as an additional seating area but it was

48 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

Portfolio 2 Slate Grey Design.indd 48

underutilised for a number of reasons. First, there was no hint that the terrace was even there as it was hidden from view. It was also difficult to access down a narrow flight of turned, brick steps and, once in the space, the brick retaining walls were unattractive and dated. Brief The clients’ primary objective was to introduce an element of drama into the garden to take advantage of the incredible views overlooking the Sussex weald. Although great emphasis was placed on the view, there was little character in the foreground to give it perspective. The property benefits from large, glazed windows from which the whole expanse of the view can be enjoyed

all year round, so a feature that would act as a focal point from the house was required. The clients were also seeking to bring a sense of harmony and cohesion to the fragmented space so that all areas felt connected and integrated. They wished to introduce curves and circles to give a flowing sensation with a central space enclosed by tiers of hedging to create sight lines and focus attention on the view. They also wanted the existing hard landscaping around the house to continue elsewhere into the garden as there was no means of accessing the garden in the winter without walking on the grass. Lastly, there was a requirement for a pond and bog garden to deal with run-off from the koi pond.

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21/07/2021 11:48

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PROJECT D E TA I L S Project value £196k Build time 8 months Size of project 0.5 acres Awards APL Award – Project Value £100k – 175k Winner, Pro Landscaper Small Project Big Impact Award – Special Feature and Supreme Winner

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 2 Slate Grey Design.indd 49

Design and build In order to extend the paving around the house, a sweeping curved path was designed around a central lawn, terminating in a circular brick paved terrace with an enormous Corten steel moon gate. The placement of this feature on the brow of the hill provides a focal point both from the house and from elsewhere in the garden; a more relaxed path of compacted gravel was then designed to lead from here around the rest of the garden. The starting point for the improvement of the sunken terrace was to design a more coherent flow by removing the existing steps down into the space and repositioning them on the other

side; this meant that the terrace ceased to be a walk through and would become an enclosure that was instantly more relaxing. The incorporation of large boulders into the design linked with those already used around the house and stone slab steps designed to descend from the moon gate to the sunken terrace connect it both physically and visually with the rest of the garden. The incorporation

1 2 3 4

Corten steel moon gate framing the view Stone slab steps crafted from Horsham Stone Leucanthemum vulgare and Malva sylvestris The sunken terrace sanctuary and hot tub All photographs ©Marianne Majerus

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 49

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of a sun deck and hot tub successfully transformed the space into a welcoming destination area. The new sunken terrace is a clean and contemporary space filled with detail and a mix of warm, complementary natural materials. The timber elements and the natural stone combine together well and the space flows naturally down from the lawn and terrace above inviting exploration. Once in the space, there is a sense of enclosure with warm natural materials without losing any of the drama of the view in front. The hot tub is an unexpected and exciting discovery and provides a true destination, sitting neatly in a sheltered corner it offers privacy without being detached from the rest of the garden. The use of rocks lends itself to a Mediterranean plant palette which is environmentally friendly in its resistance to drought. Crevice planting and plants with a tumbling or prostrate habit will in time help to soften the margins between the different elements of the hard landscaping.

50 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

Portfolio 2 Slate Grey Design.indd 50

The planting around the paved circle repeats the existing Taxus theme elsewhere in the garden, with a series of clipped balls which not only echo the shape of the moon gate but also have the effect of bringing the mound-shaped trees in the valley below up into focus. Mixed with the Taxus balls are similarly neat mounds of Hebe rakaiensis and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’ and ‘Tom Thumb’. These shapes are nesting on a carpet of Erigeron karvinskianus which, together with margins of Thymus pseudolanuginosus, provides a soft contrast. A further neglected corner was selected as a suitable location for the bog garden with a pond created from more large rocks. This transformed the space into a wildlife haven, tucked away but at the same time easily accessible from the rest of the garden. A long retaining wall of gabions filled with Kentish ragstone was designed to retain the wide sloping bank descending from the lawn thus creating space for an access path below. The bank was then turfed in an expanse of wildflower turf with an additional mown path running through it.

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21/07/2021 12:03

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5 The plant palette includes Lavandula, Santolina, Stachys byzantina and Ballota pseudodictamnus 6 Strips of black basalt interspersed with thyme 7 Mown path through the wildflower bank 8 A balance of form and texture All photographs ©Marianne Majerus

ABOUT S LATE GREY DESIGN

Challenges Creating a smooth transition from the upper terrace to the lower sunken terrace proved to be the biggest challenge the team had to overcome. Being situated slightly off centre, complications arose both in the direction of the new steps and the steepness of the descent. Having resolved the issue of the flow through the space by moving the entrance to

the other side, the challenge then was to update the appearance as economically as possible without demolishing the existing structure entirely. Wall heights were reduced and were then fenced using gabion cages, which were later filled with locally sourced Kent ragstone. Wall tops were disguised and finished with handpicked pieces of Horsham stone and the recessed wood fired Dutch Tub added to complete the space.

Based near Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Slate Grey Design is a multi-award-winning design and build company whose dedicated team pride themselves in producing projects of the highest standards. They are fully accredited APL members and undertake bespoke projects of all sizes across Kent and Sussex. Victoria Chesterfield is a member of the SGD and, upon graduating from the London College of Garden Design, was awarded an SGD Design Award.

www.slategreydesign.co.uk

REFERENCES Designer Victoria Chesterfield www.slategreydesign.co.uk Contractor Slate Grey Design Ltd www.slategreydesign.co.uk Boulders and steps Horsham Stone www.horshamstone.co.uk Hedging, topiary and perennials How Green Nursery www.howgreennursery.co.uk Flammed yellow granite paving Rock Unique www.rock-unique.com Corten moon gate Outdoor design www.outdoordesign.co.uk Kent ragstone Gallaghers quarry www.gallagher-group.co.uk/ hermitage-quarry Balau decking Roundwood Of Mayfield www.roundwood.com Lighting and irrigation Landscapes Plus www.landscapeplus.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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BEAUTY

AND GRACE W I N C H EST E R TOW N G A R D E N SAUTERELLE GARDEN AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN WITHIN THIS TERRACE GARDEN, CONTEMPORARY MEETS TRADITIONAL TO CREATE THE PERFECT ENTERTAINING AND RELAXING SPACE

52 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

Portfolio 3 Sauterelle.indd 52

or this working couple, their reinvigorated garden needed to match the style of their Victorian property: elegant, with fusion of contemporary and traditional features. Projecting away from the house, this long and thin garden needed some TLC. Sauterelle Garden and Landscape Design could tell the space had been well considered at some point, as it was divided into four sections. The first was the lower level, tiled in terracotta tiles with a white painted wall on both sides. A low wall and three different height steps lead up to the second part of the split-level area, which was decked. A third area featured a zigzag wooden deck path leading through an area planted with mature shrubs. This in turn lead to two steps down to the second small terrace with matching terracotta-coloured tiles and a studio style outbuilding. The clients liked the path leading down through the planted area and wanted to keep the shape of the area at the end of the garden but were open to suggestions for the rest of the garden. The garden also needed to be low maintenance and provide space for them to sit outside and relax, with enough space to entertain family and friends.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

22/07/2021 10:49

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PROJECT D E TA I L S Project value £25k Build time 8 months Size of project 75m2 Awards Pro Landscaper small project BIG IMPACT Awards 2019, Design Under £25k Shortlist

Design and build The choice of hard landscaping materials was key to making this garden work and to creating a visually appealing place to relax. A small palette of materials was opted for which would work well with the existing features such as the old walls and a mature Pittosporum tenuifolium which dominated the garden. The palette included pale and dark grey porcelain tiles to give a contemporary feel, with inset details of reclaimed bricks to match the walls, providing the blend of contemporary and traditional. A porcelain tile in a soft grey was used for the majority of the hard landscaping, due to it best fitting the client’s brief. The juxtaposition of the brick paviours which were inset into the paving softened the tiles and equally ties in with the mellow colours found in the old brick wall. The old zigzag path was realigned on the new axis and laid in a complementary grey modern constituted deck material. Brick walls were left in their natural state and repainted in a colour which complemented the rest of the garden. The garden’s centre piece is a brushed stainless-steel line of three box arches, positioned to create an illusion, providing a strong sculptural focal point. The three arches create movement and light depending on where you are standing in the space and which floor of the house you are looking down at the garden from; they are continually changing. Either side of the arches are hardwood slatted fences anchoring and dividing the space. The garden has several small, raised beds of different sizes, helping to move the eye through the garden. Clad in a darker grey porcelain tile

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Portfolio 3 Sauterelle.indd 53

they are planted with strong topiary shapes, some of which soften the lines of the bed. Lighting was also an important aspect, to draw the garden into the house at night. The lighting is subtle and fun, allowing the garden to be used for entertaining. It combines up/down lights to bathe the walls in a soft glow, with strategically placed spotlights to accentuate key plants and features. Both hanging and mesh lights create a softer ambience.

plants were selected for their foliage and flower colour which complements the silvery tones of the hard landscaping. Flecks of colour from the blue agapanthus and rosemary look striking against the muted grey/blue tones of the wall. An existing large Pittosporum tenuifolium was crown lifted, pruned and under planted. The mature plants further down the garden were also rigorously pruned, and crown lifted or removed to allow for a soft palette of under planting.

Planting To soften the hard landscaping, a palette of greens, whites, silver, blues and pinks were used. Evergreen topiary plants such as Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’, small half standard olive and bay trees and long-leaf bay provide framework for the garden, as well as structure and strong lines. The structural planting was later softened with roses, alliums, lavender, agapanthus, tulip bulbs, ferns and trailing rosemary and thyme. The

1 Old brick walls blend with walls painted in Farrow & Ball’s ‘Pigeon’ 2 Relaxing seating area with stunning stainless steel arches, designed by Sauterelle and crafted by Master Blacksmith & sculptor Andy Hopper 3 Ecoscape decking zigzagging through crown lifted mature shrubs 4 Beautiful nighttime lighting, designed by Sauterelle, enhanced and installed by Aceum. 5 Agapanthus ‘Deep Blue’ providing a splash of colour 6 Morning coffee area paved in Vitripiazza Nuvola porcelain

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 53

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INSPIRE

Climbers such as Trachelospermum

jasminoides and roses were planted against walls and some architectural espalier trained fruit trees were planted in the lower section of the garden near the house and against the wall which received the most sun. Challenges The garden was particularly interesting to design as it was at an odd angle to the house – which posed the quandary of designing the garden perpendicular to the house (but not to the walls). This is how it was laid out originally, but Sauterelle Garden and Landscape Design felt that it didn’t work. Instead, Sauterelle designed the garden using the boundary walls to plot the orientation of the hard landscaping, after playing with various variations.

Sauterelle’s biggest consideration was what to do with the existing split level. The size of the two areas were too small to be of any real use, and the decked area had become home to a colony of rodents. It decided pretty quickly that the whole area should be flattened, creating two ‘rooms’ that flowed into each other. The state of the old walls beneath the higher level was unknown though and in some places they needed some TLC. The rest of the garden was laid out on an unusual axis which needed to be addressed to make this garden work as a whole. Sauterelle Garden and Landscape Design plotted a strong line from the rear wall of the house to the end of the garden and created some strong visual lines and focal points in the design. As the house is tall, the garden needed to be visually strong from every floor of the house.

VIEWS OF THE GARDEN BEFORE WORK TOOK PLACE

A B O U T SAU T E R E L L E GA R D E N A N D L A N D SCA P E D ES I G N Sauterelle Garden and Landscape Design was established in 2005 and has worked on numerous exciting and high-profile contemporary, formal and classic designs for private clients, and sensory gardens for Emmaus Winchester, The Rainbow Centre, Saxon Wood School to name but a few. It specialises in designing exciting exterior living spaces and prides itself on high attention to detail and a unique innovative flair.

www.sauterelle.co.uk

REFERENCES Landscaping Greener Landscapes www.greenerlandscapes.co.uk Composite decking Ecoscape www.ecoscapeuk.co.uk Porcelain tiles Vitripiazza www.vitripiazza.co.uk Exterior masonry paint Farrow and Ball www.farrow-ball.com Brushed stainless-steel box arches Andy Hopper www.andyhopper.biz Hardwood slatted fences Greener Landscapes www.greenerlandscapes.co.uk Topiary shapes Architectural Plants www.architecturalplants.com Northhill Nurseries www.northhillnurseries.co.uk Griffin Nursery www.griffinnurseries.co.uk

DURING WORKS

54 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

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Lighting Aceum www.aceum.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

22/07/2021 10:54

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HAMBLETON CREMATORIUM, XXXXX NORTH YORKSHIRE

INSPIRE

LANDSCAPE A R C H I T EC T ’S

JOURNAL L THE CDS GROUP

GAMLINGAY CEMETERY MEMORIAL WALKWAY

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Landscape Architects Journal CDS Group.indd 57

IT’S NOT YOUR TYPICAL LINE OF WORK, BUT THE CDS GROUP IS TRANSFORMING THE FACE OF CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIUMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE SPEAK TO ANNE JENNINGS, DESIGN TEAM LEADER, ABOUT SOME OF HER FAVOURITE PROJECTS AND HOW SHE’S PUSHING THE SECTOR TO BE A LITTLE MORE GREEN

osing a loved one is hard. When it comes to planning the funeral, most people are just trying to get through. Inevitably, bereaved families rely heavily on funeral directors to lead them through the process, their purpose being to make this as painless, respectful and affordable as possible. While this is understandable – the average cost of a basic funeral in the UK was £4,184 in 2020 according to SunLife – it doesn’t leave much room for sustainability. Until recent years, the climate emergency spotlight overlooked the bereavement sector, but in late 2020 the Environmental Stewardship Group formed to change this. Contributing £2.5bn to the UK economy, the bereavement sector also has an impact on our air, water, soil and biodiversity. Recognising this, the Environmental Stewardship Group (ESG) brings together the sector, leading it towards sustainability. The CDS Group is one of the founding members, and although it also develops park and leisure spaces, its roots are firmly embedded within the bereavement industry. CDS’ founder, Justin Smith, undertook some of the first Environmental Agency Groundwater Risk Assessments, and these days, The CDS Group has a proactive green agenda, having banged its sustainability drum for years. In particular, design team leader Anne Jennings is trying to encourage a shift in material usage. It’s a big feat – when thinking of a headstone it is perhaps more common to envisage polished, pristine, granite, not recycled glass or steel. But that’s exactly what Anne is advocating: “Polished granite has a very questionable sustainability footprint and rarely sits comfortably within a British landscape,” she explains. “So we’re encouraging local authorities and new sites to impose bylaws that restrict the types of materials used for memorials and consider allowing only sustainable alternatives. “Unfortunately, once you start to go down the sustainability route, it can become more expensive. The bereavement sector

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 57

22/07/2021 09:25

HUNTINGDON CREMATORIUM

INSPIRE

is one of a local authority’s highest income streams, but they need to ensure their services are maintained at affordable levels. That’s the challenge. Clients buy into sustainability in spirit, but in practice it just might not be delivered.” There are things within The CDS Group’s grasp though, by doing what landscape architects do best: leading with the landscape.

ICKELFORD CEMETERY WILDFLOWER MEADOW

Cemeteries typically have Victorian characteristics, but The CDS Group wants to change perceptions of these outdoor spaces, designing them instead as country parks, open and accessible to everyone. One project in particular which sees this strategy play out is at a new crematorium in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Having been designed by the external architects, the building itself is dramatic and unexpected. The circular structure is surrounded by a moat, while the adjoining outdoor space is designed to sit comfortably within the wider landscape. In recent years, The CDS Group has been able to create projects which are even more landscape led and, for the first time since it was founded in 2003, the company now employs its own architects. “Previously, outsourced architecture forced the landscape design to be a later bolt-on to the building with overall style, orientation, arrival points and the journey through spaces all dictated by others which wasn’t very satisfying,” explains Anne. “Now, BATTLE CREMATORIUM EXTENSION

we have our in-house architect, we can work together on a cohesive design as a team.” A new project based in Derbyshire will see this collaboration come to fruition and allow The CDS Group take a project from inception to

58 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

Landscape Architects Journal CDS Group.indd 58

completion. Initial sketches see the crematorium as a rural barn with a memorial garden and water rill, an orchard for ash scattering, a tranquillity courtyard for gathering before the service, and a bespoke flower courtyard where traditionally mourners lay wreaths. Even the car park is landscape-led, encircled by trees and laid with permeable, reinforced gravel and grass to provide gentle, sustainable surfaces. It’s not only the team’s processes that are changing, but the very nature of the spaces they design. Alongside increasingly popular

CLIENTS BUY INTO SUSTAINABILITY IN SPIRIT, BUT IN PRACTICE IT JUST MIGHT NOT BE DELIVERED natural burials, The CDS Group is introducing the idea of burial fields which, unlike traditional burial grounds, create a sense of intimacy and enclosure. Where stark, open spaces previously offered little comfort to the bereaved, with hedges and trees at best forming boundaries, the new model introduces planting throughout the internal spaces. New products and techniques play a large part in revolutionising these spaces. “Root training products mean that trees can be planted close to headstones without disturbing the structures. Roots are directed vertically deep into the ground below the level where they cause disruption,” explains Anne. “This means that we can plant avenues of trees and ultimately create more intimate environments for people to visit.” Indeed, The CDS Group has a unique advantage when it comes to its landscapes – The Burial Act. According to this, an internment cannot be disturbed for a minimum of 100 years. Hence, the landscape around it is essentially protected for the same length of time. But it’s not always that simple. Though policy is on their side, maintenance budgets are not and The CDS Group has to

take into consideration the expertise of who will be maintaining the cemetery and crematorium grounds. “We establish from the start what resources are to be applied to care for the landscape,” explains Anne. “We always try and feature decorative planting, using techniques such as mass blocks of mono-planting, structural plants, meadow planting and other devices to ensure a beautiful but manageable solution is delivered.” Whilst it is The CDS Group’s ambition to make the bereavement sector much more environmentally friendly in the longer term, for now it is doing its part to change the face of cemeteries and crematoriums for the better. In fact, it’s doing so well, with projects growing in

ICKELFORD CEMETERY MAIN ENTRANCE

both size and quantity, that staff numbers have increased by over 25% through the last year. Time will tell whether the rest of the bereavement sector gets behind The CDS Group and ESG to face, challenge and overcome historic environmental practices that have played a part, even in a small way, to the climate crisis. With overwhelming evidence, exciting alternatives to traditional practices, and with Anne and her team driving designs forward, how could they not?

C O N TA C T The CDS Group Building 51, Wrest Park, Silsoe, Bedfordshire, MK45 4HS Tel +44 (0)1525 864387 Email info@thecdsgroup.co.uk

www.thecdsgroup.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

22/07/2021 09:29

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22/07/2021 09:05

INSPIRE

WHY I...

# LOV E H O RT I C U LT U R E Karen McClure KAREN MCCLURE GARDEN DESIGN

ittle did I know, all those years ago, that my parents’ love for their garden – including my dad’s ‘back of a fag packet’ designs! – and my obsession with creating an eccentric collection of plant scrap books would lead to running a thriving garden design studio today. My practice brings together a creative and talented team, with a focus on establishing strong and lasting relationships with clients and landscapers, as well as forming friendships with colleagues in our inspiring and supportive industry. From what started as a passionate hobby, my father encouraged me to “live for today”. With his words in mind, I bravely ditched the day job working in the city and followed my dream. Sadly, he left the world way too early, but his words of wisdom are with me every day and are at the core of my business. My love of horticulture led me to further my educational journey by studying my RHS exams at Hadlow College and garden design at the Museum of Garden History. With the support of the various affiliations with the SGD, APL and BALI, I have gained accreditation and regularly keep pace with changes in the horticultural world through seminars, workshops and love learning from other designers, horticulturists and industry specialists. What started out as a passion for horticulture has also gone on to teach me so much more than just plants and design. My personal development is expanding in all manner of ways, providing me with the opportunity to continually progress and learn; from business coaching, learning how to think like an entrepreneur, adopting a flexible mindset when things don’t go as planned, not to mention develop resilience and determination to deal with the daily challenges of a growing business – all of which stems from a passion for horticulture! The variety of our projects is delightfully vast – from small planting plans to dramatic landscape transformations. It never fails to amaze or inspire me at how Mother Nature can create something so intricately beautiful from a teeny seed or cutting and it is a privilege sharing this with others on a daily basis. To find your passion is one thing, but to build a business that indulges an infectious love for horticulture and plants is something I will never take for granted!

TO BUILD A BUSINESS THAT INDULGES AN INFECTIOUS LOVE FOR HORTICULTURE AND PLANTS IS SOMETHING I WILL NEVER TAKE FOR GRANTED!

T W E E T U S @ P R O L A N D S C A P E R U K A N D T E L L U S W H Y Y O U L O V E H O R T I C U LT U R E U S I N G T H E H A S H TA G # L O V E H O R T I C U LT U R E

60 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

Love Horticulture.indd 60

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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22/07/2021 16/06/2021 09:06 16:40

CELEBRATING

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22/07/2021 09:06

13:42

15/8/11

Page 1

Concept to Delivery

10TH ANNIVERSARY

September 2011

DEDICATED TO THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY

Let’s hear it from...

Mark Gregory, Landform Consultants and Chairman of the APL

An inspired transformation of the grounds at Heath Manor, Longdon, Worcestershire:

KEYSCAPE’S

Portfolio

See how three companies have designed and implemented their projects

LA IS UN SU C E H

MASTER PLAN

Latest kit at IOG Saltex 2011

Show highlights

Published by

Business intelligence

Concept to Delivery

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

May 2012

CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

THE MAIN DRAW

September 2017

Let’s Hear it From HARRIS BUGG STUDIO

COMEBACK KID

SWISS CHEESE PLANTS ARE BACK

Camden Highline

NICK TEMPLE-HEALD:

LET’S MAKE PARKS

HOW CROWDFUNDING IS CREATING A LANDMARK

PROFITABLE

Raising Hope HULTONS LANDSCAPES 24/08/2017 11:02

COVER SEPTEMBER FINAL.indd 2

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Portfolios

vi er

Green roofs

Big opportunities to install January 2013 for landscape contractors

Int

Let’s Hear it from...

Landscape and garden designer Jo Thompson

RH RH S S

Concept to Delivery DESIGN, BUILD , AND MAIN TAIN

andscaper’s g uid

See how three companies implemented their projects

Plans and sketches for some of the inspirational gardens set to feature at this year’s RHS event

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF

Concept to Delivery

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN

W WER SH SHO OW W 2018 20 18

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8:Layout 1

PL_Sep11_Cover_v

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February 2018

Sponsored by

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN COVERS.ind

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ell, that’s the first 10 years done! And what an amazing decade it has been, not just for us at Eljays44 but for the whole of the UK’s landscaping sector. Right from the start, in early 2011, the LET’S HEAR IT FROM words we heard most were ‘austerity’. How can we save money? What can we stop doing? This MID CENTURY MODERN was quickly followed by water shortage, skills shortage, lack of understanding of the value of green space, then of course devolution, Brexit and – last but not least – COVID-19. IAN MONDn DRUM One thing that has really shone through in the 10 years has been the ability of the Desig of Indoor Garden sector to survive, develop and grow. The capability to be flexible, creative and, in some cases, downright stubborn; plus, the quality and passion of the people working in the EXCAVATORS sector has held the UK landscaping industry in good stead. As a magazine we always wanted to focus on the positives and shine a light on all the good that happens in the sector. Our biggest frustration is that it has taken a pandemic for the true value of green space to really hit home, understanding the joy, health and OUT & ABOUT wellbeing and environmental benefits it brings. So, hopefully, the next 10 years will see the industry be further recognised for its NEW PRODUCT UPDATE value, play a bigger and more important role in policy making, environmental issues, EDUCATING THE FUTURE: LET’S HEAR planning decisions, peoples’ career choices and the health and wellbeing of the UK. IT FROM PHIL We have to make sure that the current goodwill sticks and that we don’t miss MULLIGAN The Landscape Institute this opportunity. It’s up to everyone involved to keep pushing the case, driving home the positives and continually talking up the sector – and of course Pro PETE JONES WORLDSKILLS Landscaper will continue to support, share, acknowledge and bring all sectors SGD AWARDS of the industry together. NOEL SBURY KING On a personal note, we would like to thank you all for your support, openness, DESIGNERS & CONTRACTORS encouragement, and friendship. We have immensely enjoyed getting to know lots of you, getting stuck into the sector and help drive it forward. We have also been very lucky with business related trips to places like Buckingham Palace (The Queen’s Golden Jubilee), the Tower of London, the Olympic Park, RHS shows and a host of AIR BORNE TIM HOWELL fantastic social events. There are hundreds of people we would like to thank for the CONCRETE continual advice, support and guidance, but sadly there are too many to mention on this page – we hope you know who you are. We hope you will agree that, like a great garden, WILLERBY LANDSCAPES Pro Landscaper is well designed, well built, with great nce THE SGD intena maTRY COUN LIVING AWARDS quality products; that it adds real value, is enjoyed ail crossr roof by all and built to last. Thank you and garden we look forward to the next 10 years. Quality natur local mate al were usedrials to create a stunn ing tranquil spac e

Concept to Delivery

Let’s Hear it From... Richard Gardine r, Managing Director of Norris & Gardine r Ltd Cover.indd

Portfolios DESIGN, BUILD, See how three compan AND and implem MAINTAIN ies design ent their projects

October 2013

FutureScape Photos and Review feedback from the event of 2012

21/12/2012

Jewel in the crown

Water Gem s (Alba) Ltd

10:06

CAROLYN WILLITTS

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Work,travel & inspiration

15:36

with Peter Wilder

DESIGNER PLANTS

NEIL JONES

Let’s Hear it From

Shortlist

SEAN BUTLER

announced

CUBE 1994

BARE ROOT TREES WHY YOU SHOULD BUY

PODIUM 18/01/2018 16:04

LANDSCAPES

Cover.indd 10

LISS/CSCS

A PRO LANDSCA PER SUPPLEMEN T

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

JAMES ALEXANDERSINCLAIR

11/04/2018

WORKING IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD

STANLEY PARK, BLACKPOOL

OUTDOOR CREATIONS

An exuberant 1950s inspired show garden

Concept to Delivery

Cover October final.indd 1

18/09/2013 15:38

September 2013

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN

LET’S HEAR IT FROM

JUNE 2O19

LET’S HEAR IT FROM Cover ideas.indd 5

TONY WOO DS

15/02/2018 13:30

THE RISE OF THE HUMBLE MINI

EA PUTTING IN PLAC

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Cover SeptemberFINAL.in

AUGUST 2019

16/08/2013 09:43

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN

June 2014

COMPANY PROFILE Soil consultants Tim O’Hare Associates

FITTING IN

SHOW PREVIEW

DEFINED DESIGN

Neil Parslow on choosing the right lighting

RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2019

Streatham Hill, Kingston Landscape Group

23/05/2019 08:57

FINAL COVER.indd

AT THE RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW

PLAYING IN NATURE

ARE WE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?

KEW GARDENS & GROUND CONTROL

MARCH 2O20

Concept to Delivery

LET’S HEAR IT FROM

FUTURE PROJECTS

PLANT PROTECTION

MINDING THE GAP

Tony Richards, Graduate Landscapes

Resilient South City, San Francisco

Nick Coslett on taking biosecurity measures

Exploring landscape construction courses

March 2015

Cover June.indd 1

Cover.indd 1

22/05/2014 10:47

25/07/2019 16:04

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN

BEST PRACTICE

GROWING CONCERNS

LET’S HEAR IT FROM

Sustainable practices in leading nurseries

Lara Behr, Lara Behr Garden Design

Green issue cover.indd

THE HEAT IS ON

Industry efforts to combat climate change

WINNERS REVEALED Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2020 20/02/2020 16:38

Concept to Delivery

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN

Cover final.indd

February 2016

12/02/2015 16:05

MITIE LANDSCAPES

DISPLAYING TILLANDSIAS

THE

MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

RESURGE NCE

OUR NEW FAVOURITE MATERIAL

EMPLOYEE TO EMPLOYER

PARTY FOR PERENNIAL

Concept to Delivery

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN

March 2016

NEW

AGENDA

IS THE GARDEN BRIDGE GOOD FOR OUR INDUSTRY?

WHAT WAS 2015’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE?

ARALIA GARDEN DESIGN

Cover final.indd 3

finn chu Bartholomew

21/01/2016 09:28

stephen richard gillespies

A PRO LAN

JULY 2O21

Concept to

DSC

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IN THE PICR BRAND TURE

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18/02/2016 16:31

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WHAT CA INDUST N THE DO BETTER RY IN 2017?

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London Legacy

23/06/2016 16:05

Cover.indd 1

FINAL COVER.indd

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THE

URBANISM ISSUE

JIM & LISA

O DYJG MARKATELIER ETING PUT YOU

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2016

DAVID HO UGHT

ON KINGS LAN CHARA CTER DSCAPES ING VIBUILD DE

BEST NEW PRODUCTS

FROM SCULPTURES TO PLANTERS

elephant & CASTLE

Delivery

DESIGN, BUILD , AND MAIN TAIN

LET’S HEAR IT FROM Chris Wellbelove, Blakedown Landscapes

24/11/2016

HELPING THE HIGH STREETS Do high streets need a green recovery?

SUPPLY SHORTAGE A lack of materials is a cause for concern

VIRTUAL REALITY Is this the future of garden design?

17/06/2021 16:58

IDVERD ELIZABETHE AT THE QUEEN OLYMPIC PARK

Cover Urban.indd 1

11:40

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 65

16/07/2021 08:56

10TH ANNIVERSARY J A M E S S C O T T – M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R , T H E G A R D E N C O M PA N Y ©C

Congratulations to the Pro Landscaper team on your 10th anniversary! As a judge several times over at the ch ol s small project BIG IMPACT Awards, a winner at the 2020 Business Awards, a speaker at Futurescape – not to mention regularly browsing the pages of the magazine – I am a great fan of the Pro Landscaper brand. I particularly respect Lisa and Jim’s professionalism and knowledge, their ability to bring people together on important topics and their focus on celebrating best practice in our industry.

li v

CLARE MORGAN – P R O D U CT E X P E R T, CASAT UA

Working with Pro Landscaper was (and continues to be) an important part of our marketing strategy to introduce CasaTua to the UK marketplace. The support and enthusiasm you have for our industry shines through. From the established to the newest members of our community, you have provided a fantastic platform to showcase our products and technical skills, and have given an opportunity to learn and to celebrate our achievements. Congratulations and a heartfelt thank you to all the Pro Landscaper team. Here’s to the next 10 years.

S T E V E WA L L E Y – M A N AG I N G D I R E CT O R , L O N D O N S T O N E

T I M H OW E L L – M A N AG I N G D I R E CT O R , M I T I E L A N D S CA P E S Over the past 10 years, Pro Landscaper has been a great champion of our sector, bringing our industry and people together. It’s an invaluable resource, sharing all of the key information about the issues affecting the landscaping business, both here in the UK and globally too, and how the industry can adapt. All with a bit of personality!

TEST

We’re delighted to celebrate Pro Landscaper’s 10th anniversary with them! London Stone and Pro Landscaper have successfully worked together for the last decade, through the print edition of the magazine, FutureScape trade shows and road shows, and more recently through Pro Landscaper TV. Pro Landscaper manages to bring together the great and the good of our industry, celebrates the best of us, while also asking the difficult questions and raising important issues around diversity and sustainability. To Lisa, Jim, Jamie, and the whole Pro Landscaper team – happy birthday and congratulations!

S L A I N O M I

PAT R I C I A F OX – M A N AG I N G D I R E CT O R , ARALIA G A R D E N S LT D It has been wonderful to work alongside and contribute to the success of the Pro Landscaper team. Jim and Lisa have been amazing advocates/ambassadors for the landscape and design Industry, and have made an enormous contribution to unifying and harnessing the power of the individual within the industry. The magazine has been a breath of fresh air, and the industry awards and events too have really helped the industry at large in so many ways.

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MOUNT LMING A E H W R E V ED FROM AD AN O E S TA R T W E ’V E H W E C N I ORT S UST RY OF SUPP THE IND F O S T C E ALL ASP

WAY N E G R I L L S – C H I E F E X E C U T I V E , B A L I Congratulations to the Pro Landscaper team for reaching such a milestone. Not only has the magazine provided the industry with a wider community, but it has brought many organisations together including the other Eljays44 brands and their offering to the industry. Having started with the British Association of Landscape Industries at around the same time, I remember meeting with Lisa and Jim to conduct an interview as to what I was looking to achieve at the association. I’m happy to say I have achieved much of what I set out to do now – and I am very grateful for the support from the Pro Landscaper team over these years.

J A K E CAT L I N G – M A N AG I N G D I R E CT O R , T H E L A N D S CA P I N G C O N S U LTA N T S I always look forward to receiving my copy of Pro Landscaper. It has become an industry hub that connects us all together to share information and talk about the current issues through its many channels and the hosting of annual events, like FutureScape and its award ceremonies – an Eljays event is never one to miss, Congratulations to the Wilkinsons and the whole Pro Landscaper team on 10 amazing years in business which the industry is all the richer for.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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10TH ANNIVERSARY

IN THE L AST 10 YE ARS, WE’VE SEEN A RAFT OF NEW COMPANIES ENTERING THE MARKET AND MAKING WAVES, FROM AWARD-WINNING DESIGNERS TO PROLIFIC NURSERIES TO SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES NOW IN L ANDSCAPING M AY L I M It’s hard to believe that this esteemed contractor, which is currently working on the prolific Battersea Power Station project, has been around for less than a decade.

©TRUE212

Since it was founded by RHS Young Designer of the Year Tony Woods in 2012, Garden Club London has become a highly reputable design and build company, winning numerous awards.

©Lynn Keddie

STUDIO 31

HORTUS LOCI Launched by Mark Straver and Robin Wallis only 10 years ago, Hortus Loci quickly become the go-to nursery for show-worthy plants, taking on contracts from some of Chelsea’s most reputable designers.

After scooping a Pro Landscaper Business Award last year, director Katie Flaxman has become a regular and valued contributor to the magazine, sharing the sustainable and supportive ethos of Studio 31.

R O S E B A N K L A N D S CA P I N G

©Da Feng

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TOM MASSEY STUDIO One of the inaugural winners of Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation, Tom Massey, is quickly becoming a household name, appearing on the BBC’s Your Garden Made Perfect and making his Chelsea debut this September.

HARRIS BUGG STUDIO Award-winning design duo Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg formed their joint practice in 2017. They have since worked on high-profile projects such as RHS Garden Bridgewater, with a studio in Exeter and London.

FORM PLANTS

GRDN Rosebank Landscaping scores some of the most exclusive clients in the UK, despite being less than a decade old – and it puts this down to offering an exceptional end-to-end service.

This Bristol-based design and build company won big at the most recent APL Awards. It focuses on using ethically sourced materials to create its award-winning landscapes.

Founders Paul, Peter and Andrew each boast an MA in Landscape Architecture, which they’re using to create stunning gardens across the south from their base in London, offering design, build and maintenance.

Managing director Jamie Butterworth became one of our 30 Under 30: The Next Generation winners whilst working at Hortus Loci and has since gone on to set up his own successful nursery.

©Lynn Keddie

GARDEN C LU B L O N D O N

A R T I S A N L A N D S CA P E S

©Britt Willoughby Dyer

TOP 10 N EWCOME RS

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10TH ANNIVERSARY

KEY INDUSTRY MOMENTS I T ’ S B E E N A N A M A Z I N G D E C A D E FO R T H E I N D U ST R Y. H E R E A R E J U ST S O M E O F T H E STA N D O U T E V E N TS L O N D O N ’S O LY M P I C PA R K B O O S T E D T H E I N D U S T R Y

©AnyaWhy/Shutterstock.com

2012

The lasting legacy of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford created the perfect opportunity to showcase landscaping at its best and it continues to be an exemplar nearly 10 years on.

L E A D I N G T R A D E E V E N T F U T U R E S CA P E L A U N C H E D FutureScape has gone from strength-to-strength and will this year be held for the first time at the ExCeL in London, following a successful virtual version last year.

2015 2016

THE OLYMPIC PARK

T H E L A N D S CA P E G R O U P AC Q U I R E D BY I DV E R D E French company idverde acquired prolific maintenance company The Landscape Group, widening its UK presence and becoming the largest green service provider in Europe.

J O H N M E L M O E R E T I R E D F R O M W I L L E R BY L A N D S CA P E S After 40 years in the industry – 33 of which were as managing director of Willerby Landscapes – John Melmoe announced he was retiring, officially leaving in March 2017.

INAUGURAL FUTURESCAPE, 2012

B A L I U N V E I L E D I T S G O L A N D S CA P E I N I T I AT I V E The new careers initiative was launched at the fifth FutureScape event, with ambitions to bring more people into the landscape industry by having a better presence within schools and at career events.

2017 2018

2019

SUE BIGGS RECOGNISED IN NEW YEAR HONOURS

SUE BIGGS

RHS director general Sue Biggs was appointed a CBE for her services to the environment and horticulture, collecting the award at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in March 2017.

JOHN MELMOE

G AV I N J O N E S J O I N E D N U R T U R E L A N D S CA P E S G R O U P Nurture Landscapes acquired the green service stalwart, which celebrated its centenary the following year. Gavin Jones continues to trade under the same name but brought combined group sales at the time to £65m. NURTURE LANDSCAPES & GAVIN JONES

S I R DAV I D AT T E N B O R O U G H S P O K E AT T H E L A N D S CA P E I N S T I T U T E AWA R D S

2021

GROUND CONTROL ANNOUNCED I T H A D B E C O M E CA R B O N N E U T R A L

©RHS/Mark Waugh

He became the tenth recipient of the LI Medal for Lifetime Achievement at the awards ceremony. Sir David’s attendance was one of many achievements for LI president at the time, Adam White, who launched the #chooselandscape initiative and arguably reinvigorated the industry association

SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH AND ADAM WHITE

Four years ahead of schedule, Ground Control achieved carbon-neutral certification from the Carbon Trust and is now working towards a goal of carbon net zero.

RHS GARDEN BRIDGEWATER ©BBC/Remarkable TV/Gary Moyes

B B C ’S YO U R G A R D E N M A D E P E R F E C T A I R E D Earlier this year, the industry welcomed a TV gardening show which appeared to represent the cost of garden design and landscaping in a more realistic light, with budgets being discussed on the programme.

RHS OPENS ITS FIFTH GARDEN After a year’s delay due to the global pandemic, RHS Garden Bridgewater opened to the public. The 154-acre garden in Salford is the largest gardening project the RHS has undertaken in more than 100 years and was the largest in Europe at the time of being built.

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BBC’S YOUR GARDEN MADE PERFECT www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/07/2021 09:16

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PRO LANDSCAPER 10TH ANNIVERSARY

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10TH ANNIVERSARY GETTING A M A K EOV E R For our June 2019 issue, we decided to go big and bold with a complete overhaul of Pro Landscaper magazine. Not only did we update our logo, but we also changed the look of the entire magazine. This more modern, contemporary style showed how much Pro Landscaper had evolved as a brand since 2011.

R EC O G N I S I N G U P-A N D - CO M E RS

It was flagged at a previous FutureScape event that the well-known stalwarts of the industry received all the recognition, but not those making waves at the start of their careers. We stepped up to the challenge and introduced Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation awards, now in its seventh year with 180 winners to date.

One of the hottest topics in 2019 – and still, two years later – is sustainability. How can we become more environmentally friendly? So, we brought together some of the industry’s biggest names for The Summit at FutureScape to share their thoughts and suggestions

TOP 10

Our Pro Landscaper Live events tackled a number of different topics, but one of our most popular and successful to date is Pro Landscaper Tech, which saw us take a group of industry professionals to Google’s HQ in London to learn more about how to take advantage of online marketing and SEO.

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Projects have long been awarded, but what about the companies creating these exceptional schemes? Spotting a gap, we decided to launch the Pro Landscaper Business Awards to shine a spotlight on companies going above and beyond. The awards have gone from strength to strength, becoming a highlight of the horticultural calendar.

MOMENTS C E L E B R AT I N G 1 0 0 I S SU ES

D E LV I N G F U RT H E R I N TO T H E M A R K E T A gardening boom as a result of the pandemic left us wondering how the industry could change over the coming years. Would garden design enquiries soar? Would commercial work take a tumble? With no such data available, we decided to do it ourselves and launch the UK Landscape Barometer; your monthly insight into the sector (which was recently referenced in The Guardian!).

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AWA R D I N G O U T S TA N D I N G BUSINESSES

CO M BAT T I N G C L I M AT E C H A N G E

Willerby Landscapes gave us exclusive access to the company and the sites it was working on at the time. With John Melmoe announcing his retirement, we asked him to be our guest editor for the April 2017 issue and interviewed new managing director Rick Davies to find out his future plans for the prestigious landscaping company.

A ROYAL ENGAG EM ENT Gavin Jones invited us along to the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2013. Now part of the Nurture Group, Gavin Jones continues to hold a Royal Warrant and recently celebrated its centenary.

We were thrilled to publish our 100th issue in January 2020, with a special gold foil cover to mark the occasion. Within the issue, we revisited our first main interviewee – Mark Gregory – and explored the trends which have appeared since our first issue. We also revealed we were swapping plastic for compostable packaging.

CALLING IN ON THE CROWN JEWELS In 2016, Ground Control treated us to a tour of the Tower of London, where it maintains the grounds. This memorable experience is one of many with the Essexbased green service provider.

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BODNANT GARDEN

THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY, BODNANT GARDEN HAS BEEN CONTINUALLY EVOLVING. WE SPEAK TO ACTING HEAD GARDENER ADAM SALVIN TO FIND OUT MORE, AND LEARN HOW THE GARDEN IS JOINING THE NATIONAL TRUST’S FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

he National Trust has been a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the fight against climate change. It’s been peat free since 1999; helping to protect precious, carbon-storing peatlands around the world. In 2016, it committed £35m to achieve a switch to 50% of energy use coming from renewables, which has to date delivered over 80 new renewables: hydros, biomass, heat pumps and PV. In 2019, it also announced it will cease any investment in fossil fuel companies. It has further pledged the creation of 25,000ha of new wildlife habitats by 2025, 18,000ha of new woodland made up of 20 million trees, as well as to become carbon net zero by 2030. Now, it has released what has been called a “game changing” map. Though it doesn’t lead to gold, the map could lead to something even more precious. The first to plot data in this way, it illustrates the threat climate

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change poses to some of its most iconic and culturally significant sites, also giving solutions on how to tackle it. Indeed, you can’t start to overcome a threat until you’ve uncovered exactly what it looks like.

LONGER CYCLE MOWING OF NATURAL GRASSED AREAS, AGAIN SAVES COSTS BUT ALSO BENEFITS FLOWERING PLANTS AND ECOSYSTEMS At Bodnant Garden, nestled in the Snowdonian foothills, this past year has also shed a bigger light on areas of the garden which could be managed in a more sustainable way. Acting head gardener Adam Salvin explains: “We’ll be building on past work to improve our performance on this. Small changes, incrementally seems to work – engaging

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with all concerned and messaging that things aren’t just being left to run wild, but are being managed for often unseen (initially) benefits.” These changes include a move towards battery powered kit, installation of PV panels to offset electricity use within its visitor experience areas, and sympathetically managed areas. This, in particular, means deadwood will remain in parkland areas and there’s now a longer mowing cycle – both of which have huge biodiversity. “Leaving deadwood in parkland areas increases benefits for biodiversity, but also reduces costs and emissions on use of chainsaws,” explains Adam, “Longer cycle mowing of natural grassed areas, again saves costs but also benefits flowering plants and ecosystems.” Change is something that Bodnant Garden is pretty used to. More than 40 acres of once-private areas have been opened to the public in the last decade: the Winter Garden in 2012, Old Park in 2013, the Yew Dell in 2014, the Far End in 2015, and Furnace Hill and Meadow in 2017. But this isn’t the first, second or even third evolution of Bodnant Garden.

The 1800s saw the empire expand, and with it our plant selection. As new plants arrived from abroad, British garden owners created beds, rockeries and glasshouses to show off their exotic plants. Bodnant had all this and more. When Henry Pochin bought Bodnant Estate in 1874 he created a formal garden with glasshouses and ornamental beds for exotic specimen shrubs, and a Robinson influenced Wild Garden in the valley. And he was clearly doing something right: “Henry Pochin’s decision to plant a collection of conifers in the Dell shows both his botanical understanding of the growing conditions and how the trees would form a picturesque scene,” explains Adam. This knowledge passed down to his daughter Laura, as she developed the Wild Garden in the Far End in the 1890s. Soon, the 1900s were upon Bodnant Garden as was a revival in formal garden design. The Terraces created by Laura and her son Henry Duncan McLaren – with their carefully designed steps, stone paths, pergolas and garden rooms, and the exuberant planting of roses, herbaceous plants and flowering shrubs – were a personal celebration of this new Edwardian style. Henry went on to transform the informal garden with a mass planting of magnolias, rhododendrons and other Asian plants, acquired through many plant hunting expeditions. In fact, Henry was an active sponsor of several botanical expeditions which went on to transform Bodnant Garden. Ernest Wilson collected in China in the early 1900s and furnished Bodnant Garden with many magnolias and rhododendrons. George Forrest expeditions in China brought forth many new rhododendrons which formed the basis for Bodnant’s hybridisation programme from the

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1920s. Harold Comber brought back to Bodnant new plants from the mountains of South America, including the Chilean Firebush. “Bodnant has embodied many styles,” explains Adam, “from Georgian naturalism to Victorian grandeur to Edwardian romance, maturing through the 20th century into a world-class garden.” Today, the garden boasts a combination of the native and exotic, plants suited to the craggy terrain, acidic soil conditions, wet and cool climate.

BODNANT HAS EMBODIED MANY STYLES. FROM GEORGIAN NATURALISM TO VICTORIAN GRANDEUR TO EDWARDIAN ROMANCE, MATURING THROUGH THE 20TH CENTURY INTO A WORLD-CLASS GARDEN In spring, visitors can enjoy camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons as well as the famous 140-year-old Laburnum Arch which flowers in late May/early June which forms a ceiling of delicate yellow. The summer months see the rose terraces, lily ponds, herbaceous borders and riverside gardens burst into life. Autumn is no less spectacular, as the arboretum 1 A view of the Victorian formal gardens in autumn at Bodnant Garden, Conwy ©National Trust Images/John Miller 2 Bees on yellow flowers growing in July ©National Trust Images/John Millar 3 Autumn colour surrounding the Pin Mill at Bodnant Garden, Conwy, North Wales ©National Trust Images/James Dobson 4 Himalayan Primula pulverulenta in The Dell at Bodnant Garden, Conwy, Wales ©National Trust Images/Chris Lacey 5 Bridge and waterfall in spring at Bodnant Garden ©National Trust Images/Ian Shaw 6 The Pin Mill seen from across the garden ©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra 7 Dragonfly in July ©National Trust Images/John Millar 8 Flower growing in July at Bodnant Garden, Clwyd, Wales ©National Trust Images/John Millar 9 Blue Hydrangea flower in August at Bodnant Garden, Conwy, Wales ©National Trust Images/Arnhel de Serra 10 David Austin English Roses bloom on the terraces from June to October ©National Trust Images/John Millar 11 Alliums on The Range in June, Bodnant Garden ©National Trust Images/Joe Wainwright

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in the riverside provides a kaleidoscope of rich leaf colour, including many old, rare and Champion Trees. The winter garden comes into its own next, as the plants grown here were selected to give a display of colour, flower and scent in January and February. Bodnant Garden is also home to five National Collections. Maintenance of a space such as this is tricky enough on a good day, but as a national lockdown hit in March 2020, Bodnant Garden suddenly went from a team of 27 gardeners down to five. “All work had to be planned so staff weren’t alone working but could keep to the two-metre rule,” explains Adam, “Through the spring, summer and into autumn we had four priorities: watering, monitoring pests and diseases, mowing, and invasive weed management.”

THROUGH THE SPRING, SUMMER AND INTO AUTUMN WE HAD FOUR PRIORITIES: WATERING, MONITORING PESTS AND DISEASES, MOWING, AND INVASIVE WEED MANAGEMENT Formal lawns were mowed, in some places using ride-on rather than pedestrian mowers, and the grass in informal areas was allowed to go longer. Elsewhere, herbaceous borders were left un-staked and weeding on a need-to-do basis. “Something like this gives you the opportunity to do things a different way and we’ll review what interventions we make,” explains Adam. “But I don’t think the garden could withstand this light touch over a long period, and we will see the knock-on effects on

some areas until this year, so we’ll be watching to see what’s worked and what hasn’t.” With most of the team now returned from furlough, there’s a lot of catching up to do. Perhaps luckily for an already busy team, there will be no major garden projects in 2021. “Fortunately, we were coming to the end of a cycle of garden renovation when the lockdown happened in spring 2020,” explains Adam. “Our focus now is to reset after the pandemic.” This reset will see its five-year management plan refreshed, re-focusing on ensuring that Bodnant is a focal point of horticultural excellence and can maintain its character and internationally important plant collection for the long term. Whilst, of course, offering a high level of visitor experience quality that is so rightly expected of somewhere of Bodnant’s prominence. www.nationaltrust.org.uk 12 The Winter Garden at Dawn, Bodnant Garden ©National Trust Images/Joe Wainwright 13 Autumn colour at Bodnant Garden, Conwy ©National Trust Images/John Miller

THE FIVE NATIONAL COLLEC TIONS Rhododendron forrestii Collected by George Forrest on his first expedition to China in 1905. It is a low-growing plant with large, bright red flowers and glossy deep-green leaves. Rhododendron Bodnant hybrids Around 350 hybrids were raised and registered to Bodnant Garden, the most famous example of this being Rhododendron ‘Elizabeth’ named after Henry McLaren’s eldest child, now a domestic garden favourite. In 2015, these unique Bodnant-bred plants were granted Plant Heritage status as a new National Collection. Magnolia species The garden is home to many Chinese magnolias dating from the plant-hunting expeditions of Wilson, Forrest and others. Embothrium species Specimens of the Chilean Firebush collected by Harold Comber during his Andes expeditions of the 1920s. The Embothrium coccineum is a large, suckering shrub or tree with evergreen leaves and dense bunches of brilliant-red flowers in June. Eucryphia species Also collected by Comber, these small trees from South America produce creamy-white, scented flowers in late summer.

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FRESH PERSPECTIVE SMALLER NURSERIES MAY NEED TO COME TOGETHER TO TACKLE SOARING IMPORT PRICES, SAYS LEWIS NORMAND

moved house for the second time in six months last week. Moving with this frequency is not something I’d recommend and it has both financial and physical tolls to take on you. However, the moving process has encouraged me to look at how I approach work and to review systems for effectiveness. We all get caught up over time undertaking tasks that, in a better streamlined world, wouldn’t be necessary. I am reminded of a previous employer, who had two members of staff permanently undertaking an exercise coding invoices and receipts for the benefit of head office, only for them to ultimately realise that this was pointless and both, sadly, lost their jobs. They weren’t doing anything wrong, but the work simply wasn’t required. Similarly, we have all seen examples of ‘double handling’ in work, where one job is basically done twice through poor planning or communication. Well-established businesses are possibly more likely to encounter these issues than newer enterprises; where systems once fit for purpose fail against specific stresses perhaps not experienced previously. Like the packing up of a house before a move, we should regularly ask ourselves: ‘Do I need this?’ or ‘do I want this?’. If the answer is no, then it is probably time for a rethink. ‘What do I need and how can I better go about doing it?’ become the questions we ask ourselves, with an altogether more productive slant. I like this approach and I’m delighted to work for a company that is prepared to ask the right questions and answer them with honesty. When something isn’t working as well as it

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should, our team pivots or even completely changes the way we approach it. This week, the government has advised plant importers to consolidate their imports to accommodate the significant cost increases Plant Health is applying to inspections of imported goods. This, along with freight forwarding costs and additional paperwork

WITHOUT COST EFFECTIVE ACCESS TO SUPPLIERS WITHIN THE EU, WE RUN THE RISK OF OUR AVAILABLE PLANT PALETTE BECOMING DULL AND PROSAIC management, is already putting a strain on some importers. As is so often the case, smaller companies will be squeezed the hardest here. Overcoming import costs by applying them to mark ups is all well and good when we are talking about orders of thousands of plants, each taking a few pence of extra cost, but small orders may not be able to accept additional pounds of cost per plant. Perhaps this will lead to the emergence of a ‘hub mentality’, with import conglomerates or buying agreements being put in place between importers? Perhaps it will reduce the overall frequency, but not volume of plant imports in general? Perhaps it will reduce plant imports significantly and British production will increase over time? I’m particularly interested in the idea of multiple smaller importers working more closely to create larger orders and build allied conglomerate groups like we see so often with

Belgian growers. It could help to prevent the main risk of all this limitation in import, which is significantly reduced plant selection and diversity of availability in the UK. Without cost effective access to suppliers within the EU, we run the risk of our available plant palette becoming dull and prosaic and our collection holders unable to acquire the breadth of species and varieties that represent their passion. Over the last year, I have supplied plants for new gardens to RHS Wisley and RHS Bridgewater. This plant supply was contract produced (much of it during the first lockdown) using plant material from across the UK, the EU and even some from further afield. It represented hundreds of different genus and species, with many of them only being available from specialist growers in small quantities. I cannot imagine how difficult this would be to undertake currently and it serves as a good reminder for why we are called a ‘nation of gardeners’. We have, for many decades now, had one of the broadest range of plants available to our gardeners on Earth. While I’m all for appropriate planting of natives, losing out on the rich diversity we are used to would be painful and not something I want to consider.

ABOUT LEWIS NORMAND Lewis has worked in a wide variety of roles within horticulture over a 20-year career. He has lectured on garden design and horticulture, and designed gardens in the UK, Europe and the Middle East. Since 2011, Lewis has focused on nursery sales, now working as sales manager at Bernhard’s Nurseries, and has helped to launch a number of new plants into the UK plant market. He is a specialist supplier to show gardens, supplying more than 100 gardens at major shows.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

21/07/2021 11:17

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NURTURE

A D ECAD E

D OWN T H E L IN E

TEN YEARS FROM NOW, YOU’LL FIND NICK COSLETT IN THE SHADE, AND HERE’S WHY

ongratulations are at or above 80°F/27°C. I could do the to Jim and Lisa following: move to a more northerly climate; and their team drink more water; install air conditioning on publishing along with its heavy energy demand; add Pro Landscaper for 10 years. more insulation to my home and solar I was a keen early supporter, reflecting film to south facing windows. advertising here for Palmstead Nurseries which I am pleased to see continues. I believe Pro Landscaper has had a unifying role for our diverse industry and still answers the needs for landscape and horticulture UK. So, where will we be in 10 years’ time? Battery power is a given. Will some of the simpler, repetitive tasks in grounds maintenance and nurseries be done by robots? There are plenty of robotic lawn mowers on the I could also plant climbers to shade my market and they are very popular in Europe. southerly walls. The trouble with climbers on Hopefully the realisation that green space is my house is that it’s half tile hung, so fixing a essential for a healthy life – which gained wider supporting frame for climbers is complex. I am awareness in this pandemic – will be the norm. looking at adding some external insulation as Will new houses be built with solar panels for not all my walls are cavity – not cheap but less electricity and hot water, rainfall harvesting and disruptive than installing internal insulation. grey water systems, super insulation to reduce But designers should be looking at climbers energy use along with solar protection from or wall shrubs to shade south facing walls. First summer heatwaves? Gardens without principles: they don’t have to be evergreen; you sunshades will be the exception. need the shade from leaves in the summer; you I was born when global CO2 levels were at will need to give them a good root zone volume 314ppm; the 2020 level was 414ppm and they and access to a water supply as they may be in are still rising. In 10 years’ time hot summers a rain shadow under the eaves and, of course, will be even more frequent and hotter. It’s good soil. The best climbers and wall shrubs claimed some 900 over-65s died in the UK for hot south walls are adapted for the heat due to the hot summer of 2019 which I can’t and tolerant of some summer remember as being drought but will need some particularly hot. I am form of support structure – getting more worried about succumbing to summer heat exhaustion. What can or should I do? How can I adapt my home to protect my family from boiling temperatures? It’s especially dangerous for ANDIFLORA the elderly when nights MAGNOLIA GR

DESIGNERS SHOULD BE LOOKING AT CLIMBERS OR WALL SHRUBS TO SHADE SOUTH FACING WALLS

a trellis or some smart stainless steel wire nets etc. Then they’ll be no holding them back. Yes, they will need management – some tying in, trimming and annual control around windows and away from the eaves – but think of that cooling summer shade. Here are some I would recommend:

EVERGREEN • Acacia dealbata • Ceanothus (taller vars) • Clematis armandii • Clematis ‘Winter Beauty’ • Lonicera henryii • Magnolia grandiflora • Trachelospermum

DECIDUOUS • Akebia • Actinidia • Campsis • Clematis • Ficus • Lonicera

• Passiflora • Roses • Solanum • Vitis vinifera and coignetiae • Wisteria

Self-clinging climbers such as the evergreen large leaved Hedera canariensis and other ivy will not enjoy the baking heat, being more adapted to moderate climates and often some shade. Choose some climbers for cooling building shade, foliage texture and flowers and help adapt your clients’ homes to the changes in summer temperatures.

ABOUT NICK COSLETT Nick is now retired but has worked in landscape offices, parks management and horticultural nurseries. For the past 20 years, he has also run soft landscape workshops at Coblands and Palmstead. He has been involved in BALI at a regional and national level, and is a trustee of the BALI Chalk Fund, as well as an awards judge.

TRACHELOSPERMUM 82 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

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www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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B E WA R E : G N I H S A GREENW

NURTURE

OT PR IN T TH AN AN Y’ S CA RB ON FO MP CO A E OV PR IM N W ES T WAYS TO SC HE ME S, SAYS BE TH ER E AR E BE TT ER NG TI AN PL EE TR NG AN D MA SS CA RB ON OF FS ET TI

t’s wonderful to see once marginalised environmental issues becoming mainstream concerns, but we must ensure that action in these areas is both genuine and focused in the right direction. We must beware of ‘greenwashing’. Unscrupulous marketing departments have latched on to the fact that environment and sustainability issues are making headlines and are exploiting consumer naivety, a lack of consensus and toothless regulatory frameworks to increase sales and enter new

CONSUMERS CAN BECOME INDIFFERENT OR INDEED HARBOUR NEGATIVE FEELINGS TOWARDS GREEN MARKETING markets. This seeds mistrust, confusion and apathy in the consumer. Research has shown that consumers can become indifferent or indeed harbour negative feelings towards green marketing, legitimate or otherwise, following sustained exposure to greenwashing. Companies can declare sustainable credentials through carbon offsetting. What is carbon offsetting? In the simplest terms it is the balancing out of an individual’s or company’s carbon emissions by their funding an activity that involves the sequestering of carbon. A plane passenger travelling from London to Amsterdam can ‘offset’ a proportion of the carbon produced by that flight against the carbon sequestered by a tree planting scheme they have funded. Offsetting as part of a long-term plan for culture change is to be admired and encouraged but all too often these schemes are reminiscent of the absent father

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sending money to the kids whilst he’s away on ‘business’ with the secretary. Offsetting schemes assuage guilt without addressing the underlying issues – which is probably why fossil fuel companies like them so much. Can we really buy our way out of the climate crisis? Carbon is best left where it is – in the ground. It’s not enough to carry on business as usual whilst throwing money at offsetting schemes which are at best well-intentioned but ineffective and at worst cynical and damaging. A better policy is to protect existing natural systems whilst rewilding wherever possible. The best way to plant trees is to allow them to regenerate naturally. Jays and squirrels plant trees throughout the autumn for free. This is much more sustainable than armies of trees planters driving to remote sites and much more likely to succeed.

Take a look at the images of HS2’s failed attempts to greenwash the impact of their atrocities in the Chilterns; fields full of plastic tubes containing dead and dying saplings. Remember that the thorn is the mother of the oak; a tangle of thorny scrub (possibly the most undervalued of all our native habitats), consisting of hawthorn, dog rose, blackthorn and bramble is a far more effective nurse to the species that will eventually become climax woodland: ash, oak and beech. In any case we shouldn’t get too fixated on tree planting as a panacea for all our climate and biodiversity ills. We need a diverse mosaic of

habitats to contribute to carbon fixing and biodiversity gains. Woodland is well down the pecking order when it comes to holding carbon in the landscape. Seagrass meadows, mangroves and salt marshes are all examples of habitat that are ahead of woodlands in the carbon fixing

WE SHOULDN’T GET TOO FIXATED ON TREE PLANTING AS A PANACEA FOR ALL OUR CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY ILLS stakes. Top of the list are peatlands: tundra, bogs, fens, moorland, meres and mires. These are the very habitats that some elements of our industry are keen to see relocated and releasing carbon in pots, planters and borders up and down the country. We damage these habitats, and unlock carbon in the process, when we disturb them. Disturbance includes planting trees on them, as well as on heathland, ancient woodland and a host of other fragile and threatened habitats. This has happened throughout the twentieth century in this country and may continue should we blindly pursue ill-conceived carbon offsetting schemes or political promises geared to gaining the popular vote at the ballot box.

ABOUT BEN WEST Ben West spent his formative years exploring the landscapes of Staffordshire, and studied environmental management at Keele University, prior to moving to Surrey and setting up Landscaping Solutions. The firm has since won many RHS medals and BALI Awards. Ben wishes to use his passion for natural landscapes to direct the firm’s future trajectory, and ensure clients consider nature when planning landscaping schemes.

www.landscapingsolutionsltd.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 85

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NURTURE

DETERMINING DEMAND

KEITH SACRE SAYS UNPREDICTABLE DEMAND AND BIOSECURITY RULES MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR NURSERIES TO INVEST IN INCREASED GROWING CAPACITY

here is now an increasing focus on raising the production from UK tree nurseries to meet the increased demand without increasing imports, yet it is noticeable that the nursery sector has not been consulted by government or others when ambitious tree planting targets are set with no-one apparently asking the very pertinent question: Where are the trees going to come from? Tree nurseries cannot, overnight, produce large numbers of additional trees to satisfy the increased demand. It takes between five and seven years for a tree to reach the minimum 10 to 12 cm girth size considered as suitable for planting in the urban landscape. The numbers of trees available now and the species mix grown on UK nurseries were calculated five to seven years ago and based on market conditions at the time. Tree nurseries adjust their planting figures annually based on speculative predictive forecasting, anticipating what the market conditions and demands are likely to be at the time the trees in question will be ready for sale.

The same analysis applies to the species to be grown with a focus on a historic knowledge of which trees are likely to sell irrespective of market conditions. This is a very narrow palette. Market conditions at the time, five to seven years ago, were very different from what they are now – where the focus is on planting more and more trees particularly in urban areas.

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Again, there are contradictions within a wholly positive scenario. The threat from Xylella has been well publicised and the response from Defra commendable; but as control measures currently stand, an outbreak within five kilometres of a major nursery will result in that nursery not being able to ship any XylellaXXXXXXXXX susceptible trees for a period of five years. Given the range of hosts, this control measure could come close to – and may in fact result in – closing down some nurseries, if ever implemented. This measure applies irrespective of the biosecurity protocols of

TREE NURSERIES CANNOT, OVERNIGHT, PRODUCE LARGE NUMBERS OF ADDITIONAL TREES TO SATISFY THE INCREASED DEMAND the nursery in question and implemented through circumstances entirely beyond the nursery’s means to control. Such a measure does not create a background scenario conducive to investment. It is perfectly reasonable for government, through Defra, to take decisions which stop the movement of a specific genus when there is a real and proven biosecurity threat, as was the case with ash dieback. Yet such a ban has a huge impact on the nursery industry with huge losses incurred with no compensation available. For example, at Barcham we had to cull 6,000 extra heavy standard and semi-mature ash trees with a wholesale value of £450K. Ironically, this stock had been inspected by Defra (at a cost to Barcham) and passed as clean from infection a few weeks before it had to be destroyed because of the ban on movement. Again, hardly a background scenario likely to encourage investment and increased production.

Investment in increased production, by definition, implies increased nursery inventories. At Barcham, we have more than 200,000 trees in production at any one time. Traders and plant brokers create huge biosecurity risks by virtue of how they operate with plants imported and planted. This is with little risk to themselves as they hold only small inventories. Again, this is hardly conducive to investment. All of this coupled with fluctuating demand are deterrents to investment at a time when investment by the tree nursery industry is being encouraged. Fluctuating demand is a continuous and ever-present problem. As already stated above, the lead time from seed/cutting through to saleable tree can be five, seven or even nine years dependent on species. Tree numbers calculated now when demand is high may be totally irrelevant when the trees become available for sale. Investment can be wasted if demand is low.

ABOUT KEITH SACRE Keith has more than 20 years’ experience in local government as nursery, parks and operations manager. He is currently arboricultural and urban forest director at Barcham Trees – the largest container tree nursery in Europe – past chair of the Arboricultural Association and trustee of the Trees and Design Action Group. Keith is a member of the Chartered Institute of Foresters and a chartered arborist. He has an MSc Arb, BSc in Social Science and BSc Arboriculture.

www.barcham.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 87

16/07/2021 11:46

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hen designing a new landscape, a number of factors are always taken into consideration at the outset. Depending on the complexity, this may include the creation of separate irrigation zones so that plants with similar but more demanding irrigation needs can be grouped together. Water conservation targets and budgets, including the initial investment in the landscape and the cost for its ongoing irrigation and maintenance, need to be taken into account. Local soil type and available water pressure will also impact upon the landscape’s design and planting. The modularity and compatibility that many manufacturers build into their irrigation products offer the flexibility to design systems that have capacity for future needs. There is a false perception that automated irrigation systems use more water than they save, but by employing professionals to design customised installations, only the minimum amount of water is needed to maintain a landscape’s health. This approach can cut the amount of water used for irrigation by as much as 30 to 60% through use of the most effective types of sprinklers, surface/below surface drip irrigation, controllers and management systems. Irrigation controllers are available with features and extras such as in-built flow management which automatically reacts to high and low water flow, shutting off valves

88 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

Rainbird.indd 88

individually or even an entire system based on pre-set programming. Some feature flow monitoring and are compatible with different makes of flow monitoring sensors. Water is saved by sending data to the controller and when excess flow conditions are detected, the shutting down of whole zones or valves will help to conserve water and prevent overwatering. Flow sensors act as an early warning to potential problems including clogged sprinklers and allow immediate remedial action to be taken. Rain sensors simply stop the system from operating when it rains, and a delay feature will allow a user to postpone watering when irrigation is not needed. Soil moisture sensors use metal probes to measure moisture at the root zone and turn off the system when no additional water is needed. The ability to access internet-based weather information via a smart controller can allow run times and irrigation schedules to be automatically adjusted and managed in accordance with forecasts, contributing to water conservation. The smart controller can automatically adjust the watering schedule according to past and predicted conditions. This allows plants to be watered optimally year-round without the need to constantly reprogram. Information can be obtained on evapo-transpiration conditions and adjustments to the irrigation regime can be made automatically. Rainfall intensity can be monitored and compared to the soil infiltration rate to determine how much water reaches a plant’s root zone. If water pressure is too high,

products can be installed that are equipped with regulating devices which can make significant water savings by the minute, avoiding inefficient overspray and misting. Real time management of irrigation systems is available with central control systems such as the IQ4 platform. Combining with controllers equipped with a communication cartridge

THE SMART CONTROLLER CAN AUTOMATICALLY ADJUST THE WATERING SCHEDULE ACCORDING TO PAST AND PREDICTED CONDITIONS allows water management tools to be enabled and reports to be generated. Multiple irrigation start times and independent programs can be set up for precise run times based on irrigation zones. Users can manage multiple installations from a central PC, smartphone or tablet. As this technology becomes more accessible, it is ideal not only for contractors managing multiple sites, but also for in-house landscape managers, groundsmen and even the homeowner.

C O N TA C T Peter Longman Rain Bird Europe Email plongman@rainbird.eu www.rainbird.eu

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

22/07/2021 10:18

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NURTURE

TIPS ON

TOP TIPS

TREE PLANTING TOM WILLIAMS MAYDENCROFT

The biggest parts to look out for when planting large trees are: • Unloading. It can often be very difficult pulling a jigsaw of large trees from the back of the lorry. If in an enclosed lorry, a conventional rootball lifter can’t be used either. We often find that an out turned excavator bucket does a fantastic job and is often better at scooping them out and causes less ground damage if a loader isn’t available on site with pallet forks. • Handle rootballs with care. If they are dropped, then they lose structure and are impossible to tie down underground and once unloaded, get them planted as soon as possible. • Bark rub. So easy to do when using a rootball lifter. Have plenty of hessian sacks to hand to protect the stem. • Don’t take the mesh off the rootball. It’s designed to rust away in no time and the structure of the rootball must be retained. • Make their bed. Sit them on a bed of sand, not a bed of topsoil. Trees don’t expect to have topsoil under them and it will compact and stop drainage. • Don’t plant too low. You’ve got to see the base of the tree when finished. • Backfill. There’s no point spending all that money on large trees and then squidging a load of site dig out round them as backfill. If you haven’t got screened topsoil from the site, bring some BS standard in for putting round the trees after.

MARTIN SHAW

Working away in Wales recently reminded us more than ever how essential preparation is. And if you can get a recce in, then great. Make sure you have the right tools, anchors and planting mediums, as well as a great team for the job, as you’ll want to get your trees planted as soon as possible after delivery. To avoid damage to the existing landscape, we always make an accurate access plan for the site, so everyone from the site foreman to the delivery drivers know exactly where to go – nothing worse than having to unload a few miles down the road at the last minute! Always consider planting trees as a time game, which can sometimes feel unnecessarily stressful; but with a great team and taking time to position each individual tree perfectly, you can master both, with a tree that has a wonderful new home and a happy client too. P.S. Don’t forget to water, no matter how much rain you’ve had!

WALMSLEY SHAW

90 Pro Landscaper / August 2021

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21/07/2021 14:46

NURTURE

( W I L D) F LOW E R P OW E R W I L D F L OW E R T U R F ’ S J A M E S H E W E T S O N - B R OW N E X P L A I N S T H E R O L E W I L D F LOW E R S C A N P L AY I N S U D S

Attenuation of water A requirement of SuDS is the management of water as near to the point of accumulation as possible and therefore avoid exceedance flows.

Image courtesy of Bradley Murphy Design

Case Studies

ALCONBURY WEALD

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The absorptive nature of a green roof is a good start. Where water builds up, directing it to a swale and a retention pond slows down flow. Establishing and lining these with wildflowers helps to provide a natural barrier to exceedance flows, due to their height and density (compared to mown grass) and will help attenuate water. Improve the permeability of soil UK native perennial species of wildflowers have a range of root types; fibrous for soil stability and tap roots that go deep and significantly improve permeability and water percolation. It may seem a minor point, but a longestablished perennial meadow also encourages worms, enabling better drainage. All of this, when combined with slowing down water flow, will reduce the impact of exceedance flows and the potential of flooding. Pollution mitigation An ever-increasing focus is being placed on the pollution mitigation benefits of wildflowers. Studies at Portsmouth University and our own Research & Development department have shown that wildflowers are able to filter the pollutants associated with road water run-off without succumbing to the poisons they contain. This is in part due to the wide variety of species in a wildflower meadow, and also because they are generally very hardy to all sorts of adverse conditions. Wildflower Turf Ltd is regularly asked to consult on projects with SuDS at their core. An ongoing project is that of Alconbury Weald. Formally an airfield and with a 20-year timescale, the largely brownfield site is currently in development and will eventually boast an Enterprise Zone, 5,000 new homes, and comprehensive community facilities. With the site comprising grasslands, water, and ancient woodlands, the development has been landscapeled from the outset, with ecology being genuinely championed by master developers, Urban & Civic.

The incorporation of wildflowers within a SuDS scheme will improve the general aesthetics of the area making them much more flexible to incorporate into new development designs. They will also dramatically enhance biodiversity and provide a species-rich environment for wildlife, from bugs and

SUDS ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN THE DESIGN OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND THE INCLUSION OF WILDFLOWERS IN THESE SCHEMES OFFERS A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION invertebrates at the bottom of the food chain, through to predators at the top. Using wildflowers in a SuDS scheme will also tick the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) box that is another key objective of the Environment Bill. SuDS are increasingly important in the design of the built environment and the inclusion of wildflowers in these schemes offers a positive contribution in terms of biodiversity, soil stabilisation, increased infiltration, pollution mitigation and aesthetics. www.wildflowerturf.co.uk Image courtesy of Wildflower Turf Ltd

ith the UK currently ranking 189th out of 218 countries for nature depletion, addressing biodiversity loss, improving water and air quality, and cutting down resource use and waste is crucial. Legally binding targets are anticipated within the Government’s proposed Environment Bill, and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) will play a huge role in meeting some of the objectives of the Bill – and, more importantly, to reduce flooding. Specific aspects of SuDS schemes include swales, detention basins, the margins of retention ponds and green roofs. All of these features aim to reduce exceedance flows and all benefit from the inclusion of wildflowers. The 2012 London Olympic site responded to the need for sustainable drainage systems and Wildflower Turf Ltd was asked to grow a turf that included a mix of wildflowers for this purpose. WFT-SuD-37 was developed as a result. There are a number of specific benefits provided by wildflowers within a SuDS scheme, and these may be addressed in brief as follows.

ROSSALL COASTAL DEFENCE SCHEME

Another project of note is that of the Rossall Coastal Defence Scheme. Following four years of construction, the 2km length of sea defences protects more than 7,000 properties from flooding. The creation of a landside ecology park involved Wildflower Turf Ltd incorporating native coastal seeds into bespoke species blends, with three different customised mixes of Wildflower Turf® supplied to the project.

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 91

21/07/2021 09:47

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npredictable weather – which is becoming more common in the UK owing to climate change – has the two-pronged effect of both increasing storm-level events, but also lengthening drought spells. This places pressure on landscapers to design gardens that are resilient enough to cope for sustained periods without rainfall, while also being equipped to mitigate high volumes of water falling in a short burst. This is set against the backdrop of warnings that some areas of the country could soon run out of water unless urgent action is taken1. As such, landscapers are tasked with ensuring that alongside meeting their customers’ aesthetic and practical requirements for projects, they must also pay attention to the key issue of water sustainability.

While it is recommended that all six of these standards are addressed, the most important consideration for landscapers is destination runoff. Particularly in the context of water sustainability, it plays a crucial role in maximising the utility of rainwater.

Runoff destinations Essentially, runoff destination is the location water that falls on a site ultimately flows to. Regulations stipulate that it becomes the responsibility of the property owner, with suitable measures taken to control this. For landscaping professionals, this means careful design to ensure compliance. Where feasible, surface water runoff should be used as a resource for non-potable uses, such as rainwater harvesting. Opportunities should also be maximised across the site to SuDS recommendations infiltrate runoff into the ground. Any remaining SuDS offer a framework for delivering water runoff should then be discharged to a surface management in an environmentally friendly way. water or above ground drainage system. They outline some of the central pillars of water However, if this is not possible in the context sustainability, and the latest recommendations of a particular project, then runoff should be by Defra have identified the following as discharged to a piped surface water drainage key standards when designing water system. In very limited circumstances, where management systems: none of the above is available, runoff should be • Runoff destinations • Water quality taken to a combined sewer (once permission • Everyday rainfall • Amenity has been granted). With droughts likely to • Extreme rainfall • Biodiversity become more common, keeping water on site, through actions such as rainwater harvesting, will help to minimise GARDEN BY DANIEL SHEA GARDEN DESIGN their impact. FEATURING ACO’S HEXDRAIN® BRICKS LOT

Matching substance with style As landscapers and garden designers will attest, customers are generally most interested in how a finished project looks. As Daniel Shea, founder and owner of Daniel Shea Garden Design, explains, it is possible to achieve both style and substance. “Designers have a responsibility to take water management seriously,” says Daniel. “It’s not just from an environmental perspective,

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DESIGNERS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE WATER MANAGEMENT SERIOUSLY because intelligent design that re-uses water can also help to keep customers’ bills down. As landscaping professionals, we need to be on the lookout for water management systems that enable us to deliver sustainable solutions that also look the part. “This is something I did on a recent project in a family garden in London, which had a challenging slope to navigate and a brief that demanded striking visuals. By incorporating ACO’s discreet HexDrain® Brickslot, I was able to provide a garden that looked great, but also delivered on the increasingly critical pillar of water sustainability, and fully adhered to core SuDS principles.” With more extreme weather conditions set to continue challenging landscaping professionals, it is crucial that they get to grips with how water is managed on a site. By doing so, it is possible to meet customer demands over visual design, while ensuring factors such as runoff destination are adhered to. This will ultimately benefit gardens long into the future and help to improve water sustainability. For more information, please visit: www.aco.co.uk/building-landscape_landing 1

www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/10/ parts-of-england-could-run-out-of-water-within-20years-warn-mps

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

21/07/2021 10:56

EDUCATE

ARE YOU BUILDING A

BRAND TO BELIEVE IN?

THE TRADES’ COACH, ALISON WARNER EXPLAINS WHY CREATING A CLEAR VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS WILL GUIDE YOU TOWARDS SUCCESS

• Mission statement – this communicates your purpose, what you do and how you do it. • Company values – these articulate what you stand for and how you like to do business. They are a set of guiding principles and fundamental beliefs.

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and are excited about the journey you are on. This will position you as the go-to employer in your industry. To measure the health of your business, take our free BUILD system scorecard, available on our website: www.evolveandgrowcoaching.com

SO MANY TRADE BUSINESSES ARE FINDING IT TOUGH TO RECRUIT RIGHT NOW; IT’S JUST NO LONGER ENOUGH TO SIMPLY OFFER A GOOD SALARY Inspire your future workforce So many trade businesses are finding it tough to recruit right now; it’s just no longer enough to simply offer a good salary. Today’s job seeker wants to know: what do you stand for? Do you care for your employees and value their input? And are you giving back to your local community? If you have built a strong foundation for your brand, you are much more likely to attract likeminded people to your company. The important thing is to be authentic. If you are putting your vision, mission and values into action, and refer to them daily to inspire and guide, these can be incredibly powerful. They will serve as a tool to attract the best in the business who believe in what you do

• Vision statement – this should be long term, inspiring and aspirational. It should articulate where you are heading, underpin internal decision making and serve to attract the right potential partners, investors and employees. Your vision is also your why – as the author Simon Sinek famously says: “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.

My key piece of advice here is to involve your team in creating these three core elements and use an external facilitator, someone who is skilled at asking the right questions to draw out the information and put it into words. Done properly, this can be the first step to scaling up your business, enabling you to develop a stronger brand.

ision, mission and values – don't these sound like corporate speak? Well, that’s understandable. There are many organisations out there that have these things in place, but don’t actually live and breathe them. So, at best they end up as a dusty poster on the wall. However, if created and used correctly, they can be an incredibly powerful way of helping your company stand out from the competition, not only to your external customers, but also your internal ones – your team. Although they can be a very effective way of building a strong brand, I do find that they are often misunderstood, so here is a guide to what each of them means in simple terms:

A B O U T A L I S O N WA R N E R Alison Warner is the founder of Evolve and Grow, a business coaching firm that specialises in the trades and construction industry. She is also the author of bestselling book ‘How to go from Tradesperson to Managing Director in the Construction and Trade Industries’ https://amzn.to/2QIb467 and founder of the UK’s first Business Growth Academy for trades. www.evolveandgrowcoaching.com

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 95

16/07/2021 10:50

EDUCATE

POSITIVELY PREPARED

he coronavirus pandemic continues to impact businesses around the globe and the ever-changing severity of the coronavirus leads to both employers and employees needing to keep up to date with their obligations. Firstly, there is no law that requires employees to be tested for COVID-19. However, government guidance provides that anyone who develops COVID-19 symptoms should stay at home and self-isolate immediately. Also, anyone who is due to work outside of the place where they are isolating during the self-isolation period must inform their employer if they have: • tested positive; • been contacted by NHS Test and Trace or their local authority; and/or • returned from abroad and are required to quarantine. A fixed penalty notice of £50 can be issued for not following this guidance. However, government guidance states that it is an offence for an employer to knowingly allow a person who is required to self-isolate to work anywhere other than where they are selfisolating. This will usually be their home. This would only apply in the same circumstances as outlined above. If an employer is reasonably believed to be in breach of this requirement, they may be issued with a with fixed penalty notice and there are increased fines for serial offenders: • £1,000 for a first fixed penalty notice; • £2,000 for a second fixed penalty notice; • £4,000 for a third penalty notice; and • £10,000 for a fourth and subsequent fixed penalty notices. It is important to note that even if employees have received a negative test result or had the vaccine (one or two doses), the

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HAS AN EMPLOYEE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19? JASON MCKENZIE AND RANDIP RAI OF ORACLE SOLICITORS OFFER GUIDANCE ON THE RULES AND REGULATIONS AROUND THIS government guidance emphasises that employers should continue to follow the 'working safely' measures. Until 30 June 2021, employers who registered before 12 April 2021 through the government’s ‘Get workplace coronavirus ztests’ website will be entitled to free rapid lateral flow tests. This was in accordance with the government’s workplace testing scheme. However, it is acknowledged that for several reasons it may not be possible to set up testing on-site and employers can alternatively order home test kits.

IT IS AN OFFENCE FOR AN EMPLOYER TO KNOWINGLY ALLOW A PERSON WHO IS REQUIRED TO SELF-ISOLATE TO WORK ANYWHERE OTHER THAN WHERE THEY ARE SELF-ISOLATING The government guidance provides that a number of important considerations will need to be adhered to when undertaking on-site testing. For instance, employers should ensure that on-site testing enforces control measures to manage the risk of transmission. Therefore, this would have to have comply with social distancing measures and regular cleaning ensuring a high standard of hygiene and sanitisation. On 3 July 2020, government guidelines were updated to consider if an outbreak occurs in the

workplace. The updated guidelines set out a number of factors for employers to comply with, such as providing an up-to-date plan on the processes to follow in the event of an outbreak. This includes a nominated single point of contact who would communicate with the local PHE (Public Health England) team, for example if there is more than one case of COVID-19. Therefore, whether you test positive for COVID-19 as a result of using an at-home test kit or undertake a test at a workplace, there is no differentiation at present in terms of what obligations and rights arise. Thus, the standing government guidance would need to be adhered to in both scenarios. The only difference would be that of the employer when considering the requirement for staff to carry out tests for COVID-19. If an employer wishes to test staff for COVID-19, ACAS (the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitrations Service) suggests that a discussion should be held with staff or a recognised trade union or other employee representatives. Any decision after such discussions should be put in writing, for example in a workplace policy and made in line with the employer’s existing disciplinary and grievance policy.

A B O U T O R AC L E S O L I C I TO R S Oracle Solicitors is an award-winning law firm with a deep understanding of the landscape industry and expertise in employment, commercial, litigation, property and contract law. Oracle Solicitors, founded in 2002 has since grown to include offices in London, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Frankfurt, and Addis Ababa – please visit:

www.oraclesolicitors.co.uk

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21/07/2021 12:17

EDUCATE

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES THE PANDEMIC AND GLOBAL SUPPLY SHORTAGES ARE TAKING THEIR TOLL ON THE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY, BUT GARETH WILSON HAS A FEW SUGGESTIONS FOR KEEPING CLIENTS ON SIDE

he COVID-19 pandemic has touched all aspects of life, and the landscaping industry is no different. We are seeing unprecedented shortages in supplies, including timber, cement, imported paving and decorative gravels, as well as the rapid increase of material costs. Over the last eight to 10 months, material shortages have seen some landscaping projects grind to a halt for weeks, even months, on end. I have had many landscapers and clients call me with concerns about the duration that projects are taking. I have also heard a greater frequency of clients being slow to pay, withholding final payments, or refusing to pay altogether. Conversely, the enquiries are flooding in. Lockdown may have inspired people to make the most of their gardens, to create outdoor social space – or they are choosing to invest the money they have been unable to spend on holidays and other activities in their properties instead. This has been the busiest period of enquiries for landscaping work that I have seen in more than 30 years. So, how do we – as landscapers – take advantage of the additional demand for our services, whilst managing unpredictable supply chains and client expectations?

A simple approach that worked really well in my landscaping days was a WhatsApp group including your client, landscaping team leader and admin assistant (if you have one). Each day we would update the client regarding deliveries, progress pictures and any issues should they arise. Should your project hit problems for any reason, you and your team must keep your

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client in the loop, including estimates for when they can expect materials to arrive and the job to be finished. I always found that regular contact with clients, and an easy way for them to contact you, kept clients satisfied and tolerant of some of those bumps in the road.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO REFER TO RISING MATERIAL PRICES IN YOUR CONTRACT WITH CLIENTS, ESPECIALLY AS MANY LANDSCAPING COMPANIES ARE BOOKED UP FOR A YEAR OR MORE IN ADVANCE It is important that clients do not feel forgotten – especially if you are managing multiple projects and not onsite all the time. The next issue is rising material costs. It is important to refer to rising material prices in your contract with clients, especially as many landscaping companies are booked up for a year or more in advance. You want to ensure your client, rather than you, is covering the cost of material prices which rise in the interim. I would suggest providing clients with notification emails or letters from suppliers over the last few months to reiterate the issue, and flagging it in your estimate as well as your contract. It’s important to note here that you are only able to provide an ‘estimate’ and not a ‘quotation’ so you will need to explain this to clients and have the word ‘estimate’ on your price and on your contract.

The greater demand for landscapers brings with it greater demand for related specialist trades. Where these tradespeople are in short supply – or charging higher prices – some landscapers may be tempted to attempt the work themselves. I am noticing greater demand for some landscaping companies taking on work that is not, shall we say, their specialty. Two elements of landscaping I consider to be specialised are brickwork and rendering; not all landscapers are competent in these areas. With good bricklayers and renderers/plasterers incredibly hard to get hold of right now, booking them in early is vital. It is important to note that any retaining wall over 600mm requires a structural engineer’s report and to be built in accordance with that report. Another way of keeping projects within your skillset begins at the design stages; propose to clients concrete block garden walls instead of brick or render finishes and consider cladding with, for example, walling slips or sheets of porcelain. I suspect the reverberations of the pandemic in the landscaping industry will continue for some time to come, so I hope you find these tips useful.

ABOUT GARETH WILSON Leaving college at 17, Gareth has worked in the landscape industry since 1989. Progressing onto highend projects over the years, he has picked up 30 RHS medals, including Gold at Chelsea. Now a retained consultant to The Landscape Academy, Gareth is a member of multiple professional bodies. He provides technical and product advice to companies, mentors and trains landscapers across the UK, and provides arbitration and mediation services.

www.gkwilsonlandscaping.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / August 2021 97

21/07/2021 11:09

EDUCATE

4EVE RYTBUSHINIESSNOWNER GS

SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SETTING MEASURABLE GOALS FOR STAFF CAN AID PERFORMANCE, SAYS NICK RUDDLE

“Key Performance Indicators are quantifiable measurements that reflect the critical success factors of a business.” 1. The profitability of the business depends on how well your team members consistently perform critical activities. 2. Employees perform best when they understand how their performance affects the bottom line, and how their performance is measured. 3. Small changes in critical areas can have a great impact on the bottom line. 4. What gets measured gets done and what gets rewarded gets done again.

How to implement KPIs Step 1: Define your strategy • Strategy reflects Vision, Mission and Values • Set goals:  Most important business objectives  What ‘drivers’ are critical to success  What impacts driver results • Align team members on strategic issues • Identify barriers Step 2: Audit existing measures • Assess strategic fit • Identify what data is available • Review measurement processes:  Accuracy  Timeliness • Identify gaps Step 3: Develop new measures • Bridge the gaps identified in Step 2 • Measures must reflect performance and progress of business

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Why are KPIs important? • Owners are overwhelmed and distracted with day-to-day activities and tasks. • Owners must make important decisions quickly with greater consequences and often with limited information on hand. • Owners concentrate on the tactical decisions and neglect the strategic ones. What should KPIs be used for? • Communication • Informing • Diagnosing • Learning • Making decisions and taking action KPIs are NOT designed to control others.

• Must be quantifiable • Must be comparable with another number:  Last year  Budget  Goal  Trend • Can be acted upon Step 4: Analyse and report • Easy to read • One page summary • Graphs Step 5: Continuous improvements • Set priorities based on strategy • SMART goals • Assign accountability • Track improvement • Set new goals!

KPI'S

What is a KPI dashboard? Make sure you keep a KPI dashboard, just like you have in your car, to warn you when something needs your attention. This can be a real-time visualisation (on mobile, desktop or to a wall-mounted TV in your office) of the KPIs you have selected. The best KPI dashboards are customisable, allowing you to (among other things), change colours, organise your KPIs and see your progress at a single glance.

YOU CAN’T MANAGE WHAT YOU DO NOT MEASURE In summary You can’t manage what you do not measure. Having relevant KPIs for your business helps you measure the critical areas of your business in a clear and easy way to spot any underperformance. Early awareness alerts you to address these issues before they escalate any further.

ABOUT NICK RUDDLE Since 2007, Nick Ruddle has coached many landscape contractors, horticulturists, nurseries, garden centres and garden designers to success and works closely with the main industry associations, suppliers and leaders. With more than 5,000 hours of one-to-one coaching and delivering hundreds of workshops and seminars over the years, Nick can help implement specific strategies, methods, processes and systems that will produce exceptional results for your landscape business. www.nickruddle.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

21/07/2021 09:06

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22/07/2021 09:13

EDUCATE

QUIETLY DOES IT L

ate June saw the eagerly awaited unveiling of Husqvarna’s latest robotic mower the CEORO™, considerably larger than its current range. It is one of the biggest robotic mowers available on the market. With a 0.5m cutting width and a claimed output of up to 75,000m2 over a three-day cycle, it is priced around the same as a 60” out-front rotary; hardly a high output machine but then here’s the thing – it doesn’t need to stop for a break or go to the toilet, it can operate in sensitive areas and doesn’t require arduous security clearance. It’s electric, silent and able to operate at night and controlled by its EPOS system; there is no need for a perimeter wire as its operating area can be infinitely variable depending on the demands of the site.

HUSQVARNA’S NEW CEORA

There’s no getting away from it; fully autonomous machines are on the up and no longer confined to repetitive tasks on a production line or moving goods around warehouses. Agriculture currently leads the way with all manner of weird and wonderful equipment, traversing fields around the country, some working silently under electric power whilst more powerful units able to undertake draft work retaining internal combustion engines. I have mentioned in previous articles that robotic and autonomous machines will

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become a more common feature in our landscape. As technology develops and the need to operate more sustainably and responsibly increases, these machines tick many boxes, especially for tasks such as grass cutting, line marking, spraying, weed control, fertiliser spreading, seeding and inter-row cultivation where routes. Tasks can

FULLY AUTONOMOUS MACHINES ARE ON THE UP AND NO LONGER CONFINED TO REPETITIVE TASKS ON A PRODUCTION LINE OR MOVING GOODS AROUND WAREHOUSES be mapped out and altered from a computer as and when required based on acquired data – clever stuff. But it’s not as simple as putting a machine into the field and pressing ‘go’. There are several other considerations before this can become reality, most importantly control and where the power comes from. Pirelli once advertised that “Power is nothing without control”, and the same sentiment is true of autonomous machines. The last thing you want is your robotic tool-carrier chasing cars and terrifying livestock. It needs to follow a pre-programmed route based on the crop and its requirements. GPS pretty much controls our daily lives. Whether it’s finding your way around a strange town or pinpointing your next Instagram post, the eye in the sky knows where you are. This technology helps keep

©Edd Mowbray

AUTOMATION IS EASING ITS WAY INTO THE INDUSTRY AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF BENEFITS, SAYS ANGUS LINDSAY

THIS COULD BECOME A COMMON SIGHT IN A FIELD NEAR YOU

our autonomous colleagues on the right path, but it does rely on being able to communicate with their counterparts in space, so for sites surrounded by trees or high buildings there can be a communication issue. So, in our industry, where will these automatons fit in? Ideally on large open spaces where you can have an element of control, sports grounds, golf courses, parks and schools, the latter being an ideal starting point where they can operate at night when the school is empty. They reduce surface debris, so no more dragging clippings into the corridors. They leave a healthier sward with less compaction than the equivalent ride-on machine, all done silently and emission free. It’s a practical solution on the doorstep of our future generation.

A B O U T A N G U S L I N D S AY 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 has an Agricultural Engineering and Mechanisation Management MSc from Silsoe, and joined Glendale as machinery manager in 1994, then idverde UK in 2009.

angus.lindsay@idverde.co.uk

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21/07/2021 09:21

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EDUCATE

BANNISTER HALL Pattern PietraPave Labyrinth Contractor APLG Landscapes Thickness of paving 30mm Sub base minimum 150mm of Type 1 Bedding layer 40mm

1 . GROUNDWORK Excavate the ground to the correct depth, allowing for; minimum 150mm ofType 1 sub base, 40mm of zone 2 grit sand and also for the thickness of the paving.

2. SUB BASE Compact the sub base fully with a vibrating plate, making sure that there are no voids left in the surface.

3. BEDDING LAYER For the bedding layer, screed out the grit sand to a consistent depth of 40mm observing any required falls

4. EDGING Before laying commences, ensure all edge restraints are installed and haunched with concrete.

PIETRAPAVE INSTALLATION PROCESS

5. LAYING MATS Commence laying of PietraPave mats, whilst maintaining a consistent joint width throughout. For more intricate designs, each hand-crafted pre-cut mat will be numbered.

6. BORDERS Complete laying of paving, cutting the mats where required to create uniform borders where necessary.

7. COMPACT Using a vibrating plate with a rubber mat, compact the paving into the bedding layer to achieve finished levels.

8. JOINT FILLING Fill in the paving joints with PietraPoint. For larger projects receiving heavy traffic there are variations on the groundwork preparations and PietraPoint product required.

Top tip APLG first prepared the screed, a crucial part of the preparation, as a well-constructed screed will ensure the best results. Next, APLG laid out the centre on the ground to check the angles before laying it on the screed. This allowed the team to line up the centre before starting the installation. WWW.BANNISTERHALL.COM

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Products used Harewood Oak, Exbury Beige Harewood Oak dimensions 300 x 1200 x 20mm Exbury Beige dimensions (outdoor porcelain) 60 x 600 x 20mm

NEXUS PAVING SYSTEMS As porcelain pavers tend to be non-porous, hard wearing and tough, they can withstand variable weather conditions without being susceptible to damage – they do still need to be cared for. Whilst brush-in compounds won’t damage the porcelain pavers, a far superior and long-lasting finish can be achieved by using the specific ProJointTM Porcelain Grout – this grout has added silicone and helps limit mould growth, repels water from the surface of the grout whilst allowing any vapour to pass through. Once cured, this grout will also withstand pressure washing.Natural stone is very durable and hard-wearing, but also requires on-going additional maintenance. It’s generally advised to seal natural stone/concrete to prevent staining and the growth of algae, lichen or moss, and to clean as appropriate. The PaveCareTM range of sealers and cleaners have been developed specifically for the protection and ongoing maintenance of natural stone/ concrete. All ProJointTM pointing products offer speed and efficiency, high strength, frost resistance, longevity, a professional finish and weather during application. WWW.NEXUSPAVINGSYSTEMS.CO.UK

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JOBS

For full details on all jobs, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk Call 01903 777 570 or email daniel.riley@eljays44.com with your vacancy

LANDSCAPES CONTRACT MANAGER

TEAM LEADER/HEAD OF MAINTENANCE

A superb opportunity exists for an ambitious manager who wants a full-time direct employment career with an award-winning commercial landscape contractor. Gerald Davies Limited is based in Port Talbot, South Wales and operating across Wales and England. Having been established for 36 years, operating within the landscape and environmental sector, its scope of works is diverse and encompasses all works external to the built environment. It is looking for an enthusiastic, motivated and experienced landscape manager to deliver commercial hard and soft landscape contracts.

A very exciting opportunity has opened up for a role as team leader/head of maintenance for a leading London based garden design, maintenance & landscaping company with an extremely good track record and 20 years working in the capital. An extremely good salary is available for the right candidate – up to £35k plus bonus and opportunities for growth within the company, depending on experience. The successful candidate will run a busy team of one to two operatives travelling around various sites throughout central and southwest London to ensure the delivery of a high-end service designing, planting and maintaining domestic gardens.

For more details, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

SENIOR CONTRACTING OPERATIVE

EXPERIENCED GROUNDS MAINTENANCE OPERATIVE

GERALD DAVIES LTD Location: Glamorgan, Wales

MORTON : PATTISON Location: Hampshire

Morton : Pattison is a contracting firm delivering specialist ecological, design & build and landscape services across the private, public and charitable sectors. The purpose of the role will be to lead on the practical delivery of countryside and ecology contracting work. The types of work undertaken include but are not limited to: countryside infrastructure/access project; habitat creation and management; and design and build. This role will be ideal for someone with a 5+ years of landscape-based work experience and qualifications, looking to move into the countryside and ecology area of the landscape sector.

LIVING COLOUR GARDENS Location: London

WEBSTER AND SON LANDSCAPES LTD Location: Cheshire

An experienced grounds maintenance operative is being sought for an immediate start in Stockport, Cheshire. Applicants must have a minimum of 12 months’ experience and must have a full, clean British driving licence. Working hours are 7.30am to 4pm, with overtime, and the job regularly requires working away from home. The successful candidate will be expected to work well alone as well as part of a team and should be trained in all machinery such as mowers, strimmers and hedge cutters. All COVID PPE will be provided.

For more details, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

SENIOR LANDSCAPING FOREMAN

MAINTENANCE GARDENER

An exciting position has become available for a full-time senior landscape foreman to work on some amazing projects throughout the Southwest, working mainly in Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Wiltshire. The successful candidate will earn £28k to £30k per annum and an immediate start is available. A minimum of five years’ experience in hard/soft landscaping is required, as is proficient use of landscape machinery and experience in running a site to include the organising of staff and materials supply. Applicants should be commercially aware and able to bring projects to a conclusion on time and to budget.

A fantastic opportunity has arisen at The Chelsea Landscape Gardener, sister company to The Chelsea Gardener and The Palace Gardener, London. It is looking for a new gardener to join its maintenance and soft landscape department which services private clients in Kensington, Chelsea, Fulham, Clapham and Battersea with ongoing garden maintenance and seasonal planting. Strong horticultural knowledge is a must, and it will be looking for candidates with practical experience in a similar role, as well as an academic horticultural background. Preferring to promote from within, career progression is very possible within the team.

For more details, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

EXPERIENCED GARDENER/ SOFT LANDSCAPER

SITE MANAGER/HEAD LANDSCAPER

GREENHAVEN LANDSCAPES Location: Dorset

LUXURIA LANDSCAPES LTD Location: Surrey

THE CHELSEA LANDSCAPE GARDENER Location: London

COMPLETE LANDSCAPES LTD Location: Buckinghamshire

Luxuria Landscapes is currently seeking an experienced gardener/soft landscaper to join its team. The role would suit someone who has lots of previous experience in a similar role. In-depth knowledge of plants and use of garden machinery is essential. You must hold a PA1 and PA6 Certificate. You must be confident in directing and giving advice to the garden assistant who will be in your team. You must have a good level of fitness due to the physical nature of the role. The role is offered at £20k to £30k per year dependent on experience.

Complete Landscapes Ltd is looking for an experienced site manager to join its expanding team. The company offers a range of services within the fields of design and build for exciting projects covering all aspects of hard and soft landscaping. The successful candidate will be in charge of organising staff and managing different sites, reporting back to the company director and office manager. You will be required to support the director with measuring up and quoting new projects. Landscaping duties include: setting out from drawings, ground preparations, brickwork for retaining walls, fencing and decking, use of diggers/dumpers and site equipment.

For more details, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

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T H E L I T T L E I N T E RV I E W

PRO LANDSCAPER ASKS QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS TO GAIN A SMALL INSIGHT INTO THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP OUR INDUSTRY. TO TAKE PART, EMAIL CONTENT@ EL JAYS44.COM

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©Bella Clark

EDUCATE

MARTHA KREMPEL

GARETH WILSON

Garden Designer, Martha Krempel Garden Design Ltd

Expert witness, G K Wilson Garden & Landscape Consultancy Ltd

www.marthakrempelgardendesign.com

www.gkwilsonlandscaping.co.uk

If you weren’t in the horticulture industry, what would you be doing? Making art pieces, most likely inspired by landscape.

Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not? Yes, I think they are. They certainly inspired me back in 2011, as the year after I built my own show garden and never looked back.

Garden shows/show gardens inspirational or not? Yes. As long as the gardens go on to live in a permanent setting – complete garden or parts thereof – after the show to further their message. What would you blow your budget on? An arboretum and a coastal castle. The one person in the industry you’d love to meet? Micheal Heizer, land artist. One thing that you think would make the industry better? GCSE and A Level horticulture on every school curriculum permanently. Newest gardening trend? Clever designs that respond to the climate emergency. Role model as a child? My mum, Bernadette. Most used saying or cliche? “The sun shines on the blessed.” Favourite tipple? Campari and orange with fresh lime, over chunky ice. Your favourite joke? What did the left eye say to the right eye? Between you and me, something smells.

What would you blow your budget on? Outdoor kitchen/bar/entertainment area. One thing that you think would make the industry better? All landscapers must be members of a governing body. Newest gardening trend in your opinion? Porcelain paving. Best piece of trivia you know? Rhubarb leaves are poisonous. Role model as a child? Percy Thrower. Couldn’t get through the week without… My cat, King Kenny. Your most used saying or cliché. “Measure twice, cut once.” Favourite tipple? Brandy. Who would play you in a movie of your life? Tom Hardy. Your favourite joke? What kind of exercise do lazy people do? Diddly-squats. Karaoke song of choice? ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond.

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EDUCATE

JIM HANNON

R AC H E L P L AT T

NEIL MANTHORPE

Director, A-Grip Systems Ltd

Designer, Rachel Platt Garden Design

Associate director landscape architecture and urban design, Atkins

www.a-grip.co.uk

rachel@rpgardendesign.com

www.snclavalin.com

Other than the UK, which country’s landscape inspires you the most? Austria.

If you weren’t in the horticulture industry, what would you be doing? Lying in bed thinking I should be in the horticulture industry.

If you weren’t in the horticulture industry, what would you be doing? It was a close call between studying landscape architecture and architecture. I made the right choice. I also like the idea of making things, so perhaps a jeweller.

What would you blow your budget on? I like my watches so probably a nice Rolex or Omega.

Other than the UK, which country’s landscape inspires you the most? Japan.

One thing that you think would make the industry better? Better weather.

What would you blow your budget on? Mature trees.

Newest gardening trend in your opinion We only deal with hard landscaping, so resin bound inserts.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet? Who wouldn’t I like to meet!

Best piece of trivia you know? Birmingham has more canals than Venice.

One thing that you think would make the industry better? More women.

Best invention in recent years? Smart watch, keeps an eye on your health whilst you go about your business. Your most used saying or cliché? It is what it is. Who would play you in a movie of your life? Ray Winstone. What three things would you take to a desert island? Enthusiasm, self belief, 60’ yacht. Your favourite joke? What’s the difference between a poorly dressed man on a tricycle and a welldressed man on a bicycle? Attire. Karaoke song of choice? ‘The Very Thought of You’ by Michael Bublé.

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The newest gardening trend in your opinion? Painting fences black. Best piece of trivia you know? Brian May designs sports bras. Role model as a child? My mum. Favourite tipple? Pornstar Martini. Your favourite joke? Two cats are swimming across a river. One’s name is ‘one two three’ and the other’s name is ‘un deux trois’. Who makes it across? One two three because un deux trois cat sank. Karaoke song of choice? ‘Dancing Queen’ by Abba.

Other than the UK, which country’s landscape inspires you the most? Croatia. I love the Dalmatian coast’s rocky outcrops and pine forests contrasting with the intimate setting and vibrancy of the historical coastal towns and cities. What would you blow your budget on? For a project, bespoke art by a local artist. Personally, the Lego Death Star. Newest gardening trend in your opinion? Permaculture planting in public places is very effective at increasing biodiversity in a low maintenance and high impact manner. Best piece of trivia you know? 80% of public places in cities are associated with roads. Role model as a child? Terry Pratchett. He wrote back to me when I was studying for my GCSEs with some great advice on building on your strengths, practice and not focusing on your weaknesses. I found it very inspiring. What three things would you take to a desert island? My wife Anna. My son Monty. A skip full of Lego. Your favourite joke? How do you make a tissue dance? Put a little boogie in it.

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