Pro Landscaper January 2024

JANUARY 2O24

LET'S HEAR IT FROM

A lasting

LEGACY RELOCATING CITYSCAPES' CHELSEA SHOW GARDEN TO LONDON

Building with Nature director Dr. Gemma Jerome

BATTERY POWER FOCUS

How cordless technology is better than ever

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP SPECIAL Kickstart the new year with advice and inspiration

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Welcome

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new year tends to be synonymous with a fresh start, and it can be for some. What it is above everything else, though, is a chance to take stock and come back from the festive break feeling reinvigorated. The challenges of 2023 have, unfortunately, not instantly been wiped, and there is still a need for the industry to practice resilience and not become complacent. But the start of a new year allows us the perfect opportunity to embrace chance and to consider how we would like the 12 months to look (even if we do have to adapt this approach a number of times throughout the year).

So, with this in mind, welcome to our Business Leadership special.

We’re using our January issue to place extra emphasis on the amazing and inspirational initiatives that are being carried out by companies in our industry and by offering advice from leading experts to help take your business to the next level, be that addressing inefficiencies, upskilling or expanding.

It coincides perfectly with entries opening for this year’s Pro Landscaper Business Awards. Since its launch in 2018, these awards have enabled us to shine a light on the companies in our industry that are setting the standards and raising the bar, with a new category focusing on Diversity & Inclusion Strategies and another for the Investment/Acquisition of the Year (read more on page 9).

Share your achievements with others through entering our awards or take tips from our Business Leadership special this month to perhaps be a future entrant. We hope you all have a healthy, happy and prosperous 2024!

Nina

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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CONTENTS

BUSINESS

14

How can I make the most of the winter weather?

Holly Youde explains how to avoid losing out when extreme weather hits, from preparation to communication

CONTENTS January 2024

16

Futureproofing Your Business Neil Stead shares his top 10 tips for preparing your business for the unpredictable to ensure its continues to prosper

21

Let’s Hear It From... Gemma Jerome The director of Building with Nature on developing the benchmark standard and advising on the new biodiversity net gain legislation

INSPIRE

FEATURES

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47

31

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35

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Small Screen Star This modern garden by Creative Gardens and Driveways appeared as inspiration for a project on ITV’s Love Your Garden

Slow and Steady An engaged client took their time finalising their new outdoor space – the result by Fenton Gardens Ltd was worth the wait

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

A Lasting Legacy in London Cityscapes’ Putting Down Roots Garden from Chelsea 2022 has been relocated to a permanent location around London Bridge

How to Boost Your Profits Kickstart the new year by taking on board these 15 expert tips from business coaches and landscaping company owners

Investing in People With recruitment proving difficult for many, industry leaders share how they’re keeping staff turnover low

Battery Power Special From charging solutions to connecting your inventory, cordless tools have come a long way in the last few years – discover the latest innovations

prolandscapermagazine.com

CONTENTS

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

JANUARY 2O24

Entries are now open!

Companies can showcase their exceptional initiatives by entering the Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2024, which includes two new categories

25

Going Paperless Job management software ToolTime was launched with tradespeople in mind and is now available in the UK

Cover image ©Mickey Lee / Cityscapes

9

LET'S HEAR IT FROM

A lasting

LEGACY RELOCATING CITYSCAPES' CHELSEA SHOW GARDEN TO LONDON

Building with Nature director Dr. Gemma Jerome

BATTERY POWER FOCUS

How cordless technology is better than ever

BUSINESS LEADERSHIP SPECIAL Kickstart the new year with advice and inspiration

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42

Mediterranean Muse Create a garden that will transport clients to the Mediterranean with Matt Evans’ guidance

PEOPLE

67

Making an Impact President-elect Carolin Göhler outlines the Landscape Institute’s plans to continue connecting people, place and nature in the year ahead

71

Reworking Rewilding The original meaning of ‘rewilding’ might have been adapted, but Noel Kingsbury says it could be a creative management tool in the right hands

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Inspiring the Next Generation The RHS is using its platform at the Chelsea Flower Show to engage school children in horticulture, explains director general Clare Matterson

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BUSINESS

SYCAMORE GAP TREE ‘WILL LIVE ON’ SAYS NATIONAL TRUST

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ollowing the felling of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree in September, the National Trust says the seeds and cuttings taken from the fallen tree are showing positive signs for successful propagation. The former English Tree of the Year 2016 winner which stood at Hadrian’s Wall within Northumberland National Park was an iconic landmark, bringing in thousands of visitors every year.

Upon discovering the ‘much-loved’ landmark had been felled, the National Trust were “quickly on the scene to collect material,” in a bid to increase the charity’s chance of propagation success, says director

ROUNDUP

of gardens and parklands, Andy Jasper.

“Over the next year, we’ll be doing all we can to nurture the seeds and cuttings, in the hope that some will grow into strong, sturdy saplings – providing a new future for this much-loved tree.

“We are also hoping that the trunk of the original tree will regrow, but it could take up to three years before we know if this is possible.”

The National Trust and Northumberland National Park are working together to develop a fitting tribute to ensure the Sycamore Gap tree’s legacy lives on. nationaltrust.org.uk

TURFGRASS PRICES EXPECTED TO RISE IN 2024

Industry Updates

T THE LANDSCAPE SERVICE LAUNCHES NEW VIRTUAL DESIGN SERVICE

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new service, TLS Spaces, comes as a result of a rise in enquiries from garden designers and landscapers, and aims to support landscape professionals across the UK. Clients can get support from TLS Spaces in producing their 3D visuals, 2D design plans, walkthrough animations and virtual reality design experiences.

The Landscape Service director, Luke Mills comments on who the service will benefit; “those who may still work by hand and require designs developed into digital format, or don’t have the time or software available to produce 3D visuals, or 2D digital plans”. Each of the design visuals and walkthrough

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

animations will be unique to the project and will be interpreted from hand drawn plans or sketches provided.

Mills continues: “Our company is primarily a landscape and garden design practice. We work with private residential and commercial clients, where we fully understand the design process, details and client expectations when creating 3D visuals and 2D plans.”

The Landscape Service will be delivering training courses at its new Hampshire studio, for those with an interest in learning how to create 3D visuals and walkthrough animations. thelandscapeservice.com/ tls-spaces/

he Turfgrass Growers Association (TGA) reports that consumers could see a rise in prices as a result of unpredictable and extreme weather conditions across the UK in the last year.

The Association accredits a ‘spectrum of climatic challenges’ to the predicted rise, from prolonged summer droughts to heavy rainfall, which the TGA says have been ‘exacerbated by stringent chemical legislation’ have led to increased disease vulnerability and impacted harvest yields.

This, combined with the effects of climate change highlighted by the Met Office, which include localised flooding, altered seasonality and the expanding habitat range of pests, have left the TGA ‘concerned’.

Richard Owens, chair of the TGA comments on the rise, stating: “This trend is expected to continue, necessitating an industry-wide adjustment in turfgrass pricing to offset the increasing costs of production.”

The Association says the rising cost of fertilisers and fuel, supply chain disruptions, and the need for more sustainable growing practices are also contributing to the anticipated price increase. turfgrass.co.uk

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BUSINESS

NINE NEW GARDENS TO JOIN RHS PARTNER GARDEN SCHEME IN 2024

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he RHS Partner Garden Scheme, which launched two decades ago, allows RHS members to visit a range of gardens for free at selected times of the year. Now with over 220 partner gardens covering the British Isles, 25 overseas, the new gardens have been detailed. Firstly, Sandringham Estate Gardens, a 60-acre garden, complete with

streams, lakes and ornamental trees and shrubs, regularly visited by members of the Royal Family.

Natural Surroundings, in Norfolk is eight-acres of gardens and meadows, which the RHS says a horticultural,‘wildlife gardener’s paradise’, with rooms dedicated to moths, butterflies and bugs, and a medicinal garden repurposed from an unused field.

Also joining the scheme will be Gilbert White’s Garden, Riverhill in Kent, the American Museum and Gardens in Bath, Grade II listed gardens including a replica of George Washington’s garden. Athelhampton House and Gardens in Dorset, Mothecombe Gardens in Devon, and Andalusia Historic House and Garden situated at the Delaware River in America. Gardens designed by Arabella Lennox-Boyd are also among the new Partner Gardens. rhs.org.uk/gardens/partner-gardens

WILLERBY LANDSCAPES BREAKS RECORD WITH LATEST BIG WIN AT NATIONAL LANDSCAPE AWARDS

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illerby Landscapes has won the Grand Award at this year’s BALI National Landscape Awards, in association with Green-tech, for its Battersea Power Station Phase 2 Roof Garden. The win marks the Edenbridge-based company’s seventh Grand Award, setting a record for the highest number of top prizes won by a company in the Awards’ 47-year history.

The winning scheme is part of the regeneration of Battersea Power Station.

The 43-acre, Grade II listed site is undergoing a transformation into a mixed-use development. Chair of the

judging panel coined the project “impressive”, citing its “planning and design, site preparation, health and safety, and logistics, to the craftsmanship, horticultural expertise, and detailing.” willerby-landscapes.co.uk

PLANT HERITAGE APPOINTS FOUR NEW VICE PRESIDENTS

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lant Heritage has appointed four new vice presidents who will aid the charity’s continued work of conserving the diversity of garden plants for future generations. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh’s current curator of living collections, David Knott, rose expert and David Austin Roses alumni, Michael Marriott,

prolandscapermagazine.com

Online exclusives

Head to prolandscapermagazine.com

DEEPER THAN SIX INCHES OF SOIL We’re diving deeper into the dirt and discovering all there is to know about the brand new documentary, Six Inches of Soil. prolandscapermagazine.com/ deeper-than-six-inches-of-soil/

ONE YEAR ON, LET’S HEAR IT FROM NAO LANDSCAPES Catching up with directors of NAO Landscapes, Nick and Lucy Osman, following their feature in Pro Landscaper Magazine in the October of 2022. prolandscapermagazine.com/one-year-onlets-hear-it-from-nao-landscapes/

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS – 2023 IN REVIEW Join us as we take a look back to the last year, remembering some of the major moments that look place across the sector. prolandscapermagazine.com/12-daysof-christmas-january-2023

RHS president emeritus Elizabeth Banks CBE, DL, CMLI, F.Hort and RHS judge Sarah Bray will now act as ambassadors for Plant Heritage. The four were appointed for their recognised service to the charity and their projected ability to contribute to its objectives. Plant Heritage chairman Cecilia Bufton says the four’s appointment is a “joy”, with “no doubt” the charity will “go from strength to strength”. plantheritage.org.uk

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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Start your free trial at VECTORWORKS.NET/2024

Gene Leahy Mall at The Riverfront | Courtesy of OJB Landscape Architecture and Dan Schwalm

Winning

BUSINESS

ATTRIBUTES

Entries are now open for the Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2024, giving us the perfect opportunity to highlight some of the incredible past winners and their initiatives that made them stand out to our judges

Collaboration can lead to greater success Create careers through apprenticeships GRISTWOOD AND TOMS

Gristwood and Toms was our first Supreme Winner back in 2018. The arboriculture and consultancy service provider scooped the Industry Partnership award for its work with Bristol City Council. They began working together in 2014 and saw an opportunity to challenge the traditional ‘client-contractor’ model by forming a mutually beneficial relationship and operating as one collaborative team. The results speak for themselves, such as developing a commercially viable regional wood fuel station, planting more than 39,000 trees – one for every child in Bristol – and enabling community days such as a community watering day during a prolonged drought one summer.

prolandscapermagazine.com

Topping the inaugural Apprenticeship Scheme category in 2018, Glendale has been committed to training and developing the next generation to address both the skills shortage and the issue of youth unemployment. It launched a one-year, preapprenticeship programme aimed at 16 to 17-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training. Those who successfully complete the programme are invited to continue their training on Glendale’s five-year scheme. Glendale's apprenticeships are not limited to the younger generation, though; individuals of all ages are able to take part and GLENDALE find a career pathway.

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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BUSINESS

Be part of the industry

Mark Gregory, managing director of Landform Consultants (which won the Design & Build award in 2018 and Landscaping Company Over £5m Turnover in 2022) has continually been involved in the Association of LANDFORM CONSULTANTS Professional Landscapers and has won numerous RHS medals in his own right, on top of all those which have been collected by Landform Consultants. Nigel Bowcock, who co-founded Acre Landscapes – winner of two landscaping company categories – has been part of the British Association of Landscape Industries board and helped set up the GoLandscape careers outreach initiative, launched in 2016.

Have bold ambitions

When it was founded on April Fool’s Day in 2008, Nurture Landscapes wanted to be the most respected and nurturing landscaping company in the UK. In 10 years, it grew from three employees to 550 at the time of it winning the Grounds Maintenance category in 2018 (it later won again in 2020) and 20% of the business had been allocated in shares to the staff and management team at the time.

Support the local community Commercial Landscape Company of the Year in 2019, Skidmores of Hertford, sponsored its local football team, supplying kit to the local swimming club and supporting local school projects such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at the time of winning this award.

Landscapia – winner of Landscaping Company Under £1m Turnover in 2021 and 2023 – also supports its local youth football team. Many of the Pro Landscaper Business Award winners are avid supporters of horticultural charity Perennial, helping those within the industry to get the help that they need.

Recognise the value of employees Winner of the 2019 Landscape Architect Practice >20 Staff category, fabrik Limited, said the people that it employs are the lifeblood of the business and provide critical thinking skills, design flair and delivery of projects from start to finish. W Crowder & Sons – Trade Nursery of the Year in 2021 and 2022 – puts its employees’ mental health at the fore, with mental health first aiders as well as ensuring opportunities to seek help are widely available and promoted.

Two-times Commercial Landscaping Company winner Maylim is committed to the Building Mental Health Charter and is an Employee Ownership Trust, as is Connick Tree Care now, winner of the Arboriculture Company category in 2021 and 2023.

TONY BENGER LANDSCAPING

Encourage staff training

David Archer Associates, winner of the Arboriculture Company Under £1m Turnover in 2020, invests more than 6% of its turnover into staff training and CPD events, with a core part of its ethos being to encourage staff to take advantage of industry courses and seminars. The terra firma Consultancy Ltd, which topped the Landscape Architect Company Over 10 Staff category in the same year, holds a lunchtime CPD programme with both internal and external speakers. Tony Benger Landscaping was Supreme Winner the following year (amongst a raft of other Business Awards); it has a dedicated training manager and is now launching its own in-house training academy. Landscape Company <£2m Turnover winner in 2019, Urban Landscape Design, also launched its own The Landscape Academy (not to mention its director, Holly Youde, is the chair of the Association of Professional Landscapers).

PAST SUPREME WINNERS

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

2018

2019

2020

Gristwood & Toms

Elmtree Garden Contractors

Oak View Landscapes

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BUSINESS

Take on board feedback

Before altering parts of its site in 2017, Soft Landscape Supplier of the Year in 2020 – Provender Nurseries – sent out a survey to its regular customers and once it had implemented changes, it invited those who had participated on a guided tour of the nursery. Essex-based Oak View Landscapes, which was announced as Supreme Winner in 2020, focuses on regularly communicating with existing clients rather than simply trying to win new business, with recent feedback at the time revealing 99% of its clients were happy with the company’s performance. Two-times Supreme Winner, Elmtree Garden Contractors, not only listens to its employees but puts its thoughts and feedback into action, with a suggestion box to encourage ideas.

Recognise rising stars

Multi-award winner Green-tech has its own staff training programme, but also supports up-and-coming people within the industry by partnering with Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation initiative. ASA Landscape Architects, which won Landscape Architecture Studio in the same year, has a partnership with Sheffield University’s Landscape Department and sponsored a prize for Best Dissertation.

OAK VIEW LANDSCAPES

Put sustainability as a priority

Think outside the box with recruitment

Mitie’s Plan Zero City Landscape Service uses only electric vehicles and battery powered equipment. The Sustainable Company of the Year 2023 winner also launched a zero-emission gritting service for commercial use. Sustainable Company of the Year 2021 and 2022, Ground Control, is carbon neutral and is working towards net zero. Its Evergreen Fund supports environmental initiatives and carbon sequestration.

Made in Britain member Caribbean Blinds, which topped the Supplier & Service Provider category in 2023, has signed up to the Green Growth Programme to guide it to becoming even more sustainable, whilst garden designer Rachel Bailey, whose practice won Garden Design Company in the same year, is the sustainability lead for the SGD and has been implementing an Environmental Action Plan. 2023's Supreme Winner, Nicholsons, has been developing a Green Design NICHOLSONS Audit for industry-wide use.

Essex-based Studio 31 Landscape Architects recruits from both within and outside the sector to encourage more people into the industry. For instance, not long before winning the Landscape Architect Company Under 10 Staff category in 2020 and 2022, it had employed a new recruit with a management background with skills in photography and videography; it carried out an apprenticeship style programme to fill in the skills gaps and put them on the path to becoming a qualified landscape architect.

2021

2022

2023

Tony Benger Landscaping

Elmtree Garden Contractors

Nicholsons

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For more details and to enter the 2024 awards go to: prolandscaperbusinessawards.com

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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ENTER YOUR COMPANY NOW ENTRIES CLOSE

12 February 2024 Awards ceremony: friday 19 april 2024

PROLANDSCAPERBUSINESSAWARDS.COM

2024 CATEGORIES ARBORICULTURE COMPANY COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPE COMPANY DESIGN AND BUILD COMPANY EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STRATEGY GARDEN DESIGN COMPANY GROUNDS MAINTENANCE COMPANY INDUSTRY COLLABORATION INVESTMENT/ACQUISITION OF THE YEAR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE STUDIO LANDSCAPE COMPANY UNDER £1M TURNOVER LANDSCAPE COMPANY £1M-£5M TURNOVER LANDSCAPE COMPANY OVER £5M TURNOVER NEW COMPANY (UNDER TWO YEARS OLD) SUPPLIER AND SERVICE PROVIDER SUSTAINABLE COMPANY OF THE YEAR TRADE NURSERY OF THE YEAR

Contact ollie to enter and for tickets 01903 777579 ollie.finch@eljays44.com

contact russell for partnership opportunities 01903 777582 russell.eales@eljays44.com

ADVICE

ASK THE EXPERTS

The panel HOLLY YOUDE Chair of the APL, Holly Youde, is a director at Urban

How can I make the most of the winter weather?

Landscape Design in the North West and The Landscape Academy, a purpose built training centre dedicated to landscaping in the UK.

JAKE CATLING

If extreme weather is making it impossible to work on site, Holly Youde explains how to avoid losing an entire day’s work from my team

Jake founded his domestic landscaping company, The Landscaping Consultants, aged just 24.

He is now a BALI board director and the BALI South Thames chairman, and has delivered various awardwinning gardens and outdoor spaces.

KEN WHITE Ken White, former chairman of the APL, leads the multi-award-winning Frosts Landscape Construction, which carries out large commercial and private estate projects across the UK.

ROSEMARY COLDSTREAM Rosemary has won numerous awards for her work, creating high-quality gardens for both domestic and commercial clients. She is a fully registered member of the SGD and sits on the board of directors at BALI.

SARAH EBERLE Chelsea’s most decorated designer boasts a collection of RHS medals and is a member of the LI, SGD and the Institute of Horticulture. Sarah strives to create as sustainable gardens as possible.

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

C

Training employees for winter-specific tasks ountless people have commented, and safety measures is crucial. Ensuring that ‘Oh, winter must be your quiet your team is well-versed in handling extreme time’ or ‘So, what do you do weather conditions not only increases in the winter?’ Operating in efficiency but also minimises the the winter weather does present risk of accidents and injuries. challenges, from freezing Think ahead before winter temperatures to Ensuring that sets in, making sure unpredictable storms your team is well-versed you’re on top of that can disrupt projects. in handling extreme maintenance of However, with careful weather conditions not equipment and planning ahead and vehicles, to prevent a flexible schedule, only increases efficiency breakdowns when they landscaping businesses but also minimises the are needed most. Make can make the most of risk of accidents sure your team has high the winter season and and injuries quality uniform that can minimise the impact of cope with outdoor extremes extreme weather – it will save your sickness rate on operations. rising! Train your teams to plan around the weather, look at the forecast Prepping for regularly and see what the best order to winter challenges complete on site tasks are.

Forward planning is key. Instead of reacting to weather-related disruptions, businesses should integrate a comprehensive winter strategy into their annual planning. This can include investing in equipment designed for winter conditions, such as snow removal tools, or could be a bank of smaller projects that are not weather or time dependent that can be carried out when other works can’t.

prolandscapermagazine.com

ADVICE

Mitigating adjustments to the schedule due lost to weather conditions. Providing workdays clients with a detailed When extreme breakdown of how weatherweather makes related delays might impact any on-site work project timelines and costs impossible, it's sensible can help manage their to have contingency expectations and build trust. plans in place to avoid Clients are more likely losing an entire to appreciate your day's work. honesty and Plan and keep a list dedication to of things that you can delivering easily arrange at short high-quality notice, team talk, toolbox work, even in talks, maintaining equipment, challenging skills training, upskilling your team, winter health and safety/first aid training. conditions.

Worst case scenario, you can lay staff off or put them on reduced hours (short time Incorporating winter If you can communicate these potential working); however, if you want to do this costs into projects costs to clients during the project planning with no or reduced pay, you must This is a difficult topic as you phase, you can establish a good foundation have a layoff clause built into your don’t always know at what for trust and understanding. employment contract. (See gov.uk/ time of year you are going Making the most of the winter weather lay-offs-short-timeworking). to be on a project, but if you know requires a proactive approach to planning, Consider diversifying your services to it will be winter, make sure you factor this into effective communication, and ability for you include tasks that can be performed indoors the costs. Factor in potential weather-related and your team to be flexible. By preparing or in a controlled environment. This might delays and associated costs. Assess the risk of for winter challenges throughout the year, involve offering clients winter maintenance disruptions based on historical weather data implementing contingency plans, and services/tidy ups, or designing and and allow for shorter days and include communicating with clients about potential planning projects, cutting/ a contingency specifically for delays and associated costs, you can preparing materials for weather-related issues to navigate winter and/or bad weather future projects, or cover additional labour, successfully and maintain a high level conducting on or equipment, or of productivity. One more thing: have It’s wise to include off-site consultations. materials that may a stock of salt in advance of cold spells – a comprehensive be required to you will need salt. Especially if you’re up clause in your Communication offset delays.

North like us! contracts that Productivity can suffer during poor addresses potential weather, so keep weather-related connected with your delays teams. Use project management software to Making the most keep your team updated on changing tasks, ensuring that planning, of the winter weather communication, and collaboration can requires a proactive continue despite the challenges presented approach to planning, by winter weather. To ensure your clients effective communication, understand the potential effect that and ability for you weather can have, it’s wise to include a comprehensive clause in your contracts and your team to that addresses potential weather-related be flexible delays and outlines the steps your team will take to manage disruptions. Establish a clear line of communication with clients, updating them regularly on the progress of their projects and any

prolandscapermagazine.com

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ADVICE

10 top tips for

FUTUREPROOFING YOUR BUSINESS Neil Stead shares thoughts and tips to help move forward your business and prepare for the future, whatever this might hold

I

n the current economic climate, dealing with the ups and downs of financial uncertainty seems to be just a regular part of everyday life, whether you're an individual or running a business.As things shift around unexpectedly, people are dealing with some real challenges that call for resilience, adaptability and creative problem-solving. Trying to find some stability can feel like an uphill challenge, and every decision you make suddenly feels so much more important.

As is often the case at times of an economic downturn, small and medium size businesses feel the biggest impact, which is why it’s vital to futureproof your own business for these situations.

We have, to date, managed to avoid going into a recession, but we just don’t know what is around the corner. Official recession or not, by having a plan firmly in place, you can set your business up for survival through difficult periods.

Know your numbers You should make it a habit to check your finances daily, ensuring you have a precise understanding of your financial position to craft a viable plan for any potential economic downturn.

It’s a good idea to use a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) system to identify the most profitable practices and areas where

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

expenses can be trimmed. Knowing which costs bring the most value empowers you to streamline your business as needed and reducing or potentially eliminating non-essential expenses not contributing to profits is a smart strategy to fortify your business. The fewer financial obligations you carry into a recession, the stronger your position.

Reduce operational expenses To prepare for any potential economic downturn, it's vital to minimise operating costs and trim your discretionary spending. But maintaining a balance is key.

Overzealous cost-cutting can harm your productivity. It's obviously acceptable to repair or replace damaged assets, but you should avoid unnecessary upgrades solely for aesthetic reasons. By evaluating the return on investment for each cost you incur you give yourself the best chance to maximise your profits.

Measure your performance You should monitor your business performance diligently to ensure the best chance of success moving forward. Establishing a consistent time slot for a thorough review of your expenditures and return on investment (ROI) enables you to make informed decisions as you maintain and expand your business.

By doing so you are helping to identify and reduce costs that contribute little value while emphasising efforts to enhance your ROIs. Consider diversifying You could consider broadening the scope of the services you offer. What service don’t you currently provide that could easily become a complementary offering – something your clients could get from you rather than someone else? This strategic expansion not only enables you to appeal to a wider customer demographic but also has the potential to significantly increase your overall revenue streams.

Focus on customer satisfaction Delivering an exceptional customer experience is paramount for the sustained success of any business. Beyond merely offering a product or service, providing an amazing customer experience creates a lasting impression and fosters customer loyalty.

Satisfied clients are more likely to become repeat buyers and enthusiastic advocates of your brand, contributing to positive word-ofmouth marketing. In today's competitive landscape, businesses that prioritise customer satisfaction stand out, leading to increased customer retention and, ultimately, long-term business success.

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ADVICE

Consistent brand communication Consistent brand communication is essential for establishing and maintaining a clear and recognisable brand identity.

This cohesion across various channels will build trust and credibility among your prospective and existing clients, creating a sense of reliability.

Reinforcing your key brand messages through consistent communication helps convey your values, your mission, and your unique selling points effectively.

All contributing to a stronger impact and better understanding among your target audience.

crucial to develop a pricing strategy that ensures your customers receive excellent value for their investment without compromising on the quality of service you provide. Striking the right balance in pricing not only attracts and retains customers but also solidifies your reputation as a provider of high-quality and value-driven offerings.

Form strategic partnerships If you don’t already, look to build strategic collaborations with businesses that complement your services. By establishing these partnerships, you open the door to a range of mutual benefits. Not only can they result in valuable referrals, but they also pave the way for joint Invest in sales & marketing efforts that amplify your marketing efforts reach and visibility. Through Marketing encompasses a wide shared marketing range of activities aimed initiatives, both at creating awareness, The pricing businesses can boost generating leads, and brand exposure and fostering customer structure you adopt attract new clients. relationships. It is for your landscaping Embracing crucial to allocate business serves as a collaboration as a portion of direct reflection of your a strategic practice your budget to in your business targeted marketing business identity and can open up campaigns, which the value you bring to avenues for growth, can involve various your customers innovation, and channels such as long-term success. online advertising, local print or flyers. Through Optimise your effective marketing efforts, you pricing strategy can not only generate new leads but also When establishing the pricing for your expand your customer base significantly. services, aim for competitiveness while However, it's equally important to remaining transparent about the value you recognise the importance of sales, which offer. Charging excessively high prices may involves direct interaction with potential deter potential clients, while extremely low clients, actively persuading them to make prices might create the perception of a purchase. The ultimate goal is to inferior product or service quality. close projects and generate revenue.

The pricing structure you adopt for your Striking a balance between landscaping business serves as a direct comprehensive marketing strategies reflection of your business identity and the and focused sales efforts ensures an value you bring to your customers. It's overarching approach to business growth,

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combining the benefits of broad-reaching awareness with the personalised touch needed to drive conversions and financial success.

Build a strong network Making connections is critical, and joining associations gives countless opportunities to connect on a local and national level. Not only will the accreditation enhance your professional credibility with potential clients, but it will also provide you with a structured platform for networking and collaboration. By attending industry events, you position yourself to interact with key players, staying abreast of latest trends and forging relationships that can prove invaluable in the long run. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know!

If you’d like to find out more about these and other ways to help move your business forward through these challenging times, then please do get in touch.

NEIL STEAD Neil is a business consultant, coach, advisor and sounding board, who spent 30 years working for one of the UK's most trusted brands. In 2021 he set up Steady Consulting to work with the owners of small & medium sized businesses and help them to build a better business – for their customers, for their employees and, perhaps more importantly, for them. He now specialises his services to the horticulture and landscape industry where he provides expert guidance, advice and support. steadyconsulting.co.uk

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

17

ADVICE

Final

WORD E

mployers may ask employees to conduct an exit interview when they decide to leave their job voluntarily. Exit interviews are normally organised by companies with the intention of gathering information that will enable them to update or improve workplace policies and procedures based on the feedback provided.

There are no legal requirements for employees to complete an exit interview unless they signed an employment contract that specifically states otherwise. Employers may utilise an exit interview as a means of getting a better understanding of the leaving employee’s motives, to question whether their time at the company was pleasant and to discover the reason behind their decision to leave the company.

In an exit interview, employers can ask employees questions concerning their experience and time spent as an employee at the company and give the employees an opportunity to answer these questions with an open-minded comment on their position during the interview.

Employers can also ask employees to complete a survey or a form that includes written comments.

If the exit interview discussed any potential grievances/claims and the employees subsequently sign the

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

Exit interviews can be used as an opportunity for change, explain Danielle Ryu and Hamilton Li

form off to waive their rights to any claims, the form gives some legal basis for the employers to defend themselves in case employees commence court proceedings against them.

Furthermore, employers can learn more about how procedures like training and promotion are operating by conducting an exit interview. Businesses can gain insight into what policies or procedures might need to be altered in order to recruit and retain workers by hearing firsthand perspectives from employees who feel comfortable sharing candid comments in private because they are leaving.

In an effort to keep a staff member on board, employers can offer new terms of employment during an exit interview.

Employees who felt dissatisfied or in need of a change can discuss their position and negotiate a contract that better suits both parties, so even though this approach is uncommon, it can be advantageous for both the employer and the employee preparing to leave. Furthermore,

recruiting and training new employees can be costly. It is important to identify the main cause of high employee turnover and having an exit interview can help companies discover this.

While it might be too late to try to keep the employee in question, exit interviews are a fantastic approach to try and do this. Also, HR teams can use them to create an efficient plan to fix persistent problems and prevent needless resignations in the future. A successful exit interview helps employers gain an understanding into the pros and cons of the company’s culture and highlight any issues in the work environment that they were unaware of.

Thus, this can help stop issues or disputes from deteriorating any further.

The subsequent question following the exit interview is whether the leaving employees’ feedback would actually make a difference. Employers will have to examine the answers given to determine whether these are genuine feedback or whether the answers given are prejudiced by their biased perspective as a leaver.

So, in short, is an exit interview required?

The answer is no, but it could be of value.

Businesses can gain insight into what policies or procedures might need to be altered in order to recruit and retain workers by hearing firsthand perspectives

OR ACLE SOLICITORS 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: oraclesolicitors.co.uk

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ADVICE

PLANTING Planting is a highly skilled part of any project so needs to be carried out by specialists, advises Gareth Wilson

problems

I

took a phone call recently from a garden designer who – My solution and advice to any hard landscaper is very simple along with her clients – was unhappy with the execution and one I apply to all aspects of landscaping, be it hard or soft: of a landscaping project they’d had carried out. This if you don't specialise in a certain field, then bring in the experts was a mix of hard and soft landscaping, and who do and save yourselves any unnecessary hassle. whilst happy with the hard landscaping aspect, With my experience at the RHS shows working the designer and clients were dissatisfied alongside renowned designer Paul Hervey with the soft landscaping. Reading between Brookes, and also watching plant specialist John If you don't the lines, I was reasonably confident Cunningham install show gardens that look specialise in a certain I knew what the issues were, but like they've always been there, I realise that field, then bring in I kept an open mind as always. planting is an absolute art and not one Upon arriving on site, I found the hard easily taught. Natural ability and flair the experts who do landscaping was indeed installed to a high play a huge role here. and save yourselves standard, with a central water feature that Bringing in a specialist plants person any unnecessary would have taken a high level of skill and takes the pressure off you as a landscaper and hassle knowledge to install. However, the soft ensures no aspect of the project is below par, landscaping aspect was poor. The plants were leaving all parties highly satisfied. As ever, work not planted in the correct positions as per the smarter, not harder! design, whilst some plants had not been heeled in and were loose in the ground, and others had exposed roots above soil GARETH WILSON level. The trees had also been poorly staked, with no irrigation system installed.

Leaving college at 17, Gareth has worked in the This came as no surprise to me, as I've seen this situation many landscape industry since 1989. Progressing onto times – hard landscapers carrying out a high-end installation to high-end projects, he has picked up seven RHS gold medals. He is a member of multiple professional bodies. the letter but letting themselves down with the planting, as they He provides technical and product advice to large companies, mentors and lack the experience, finesse, or attention to detail required. trains contractors and garden designers in landscape construction and on I have to say, however, that I do not completely blame the show gardens logistics across the UK. Gareth also provides mediation landscapers here because if the designer wanted the planting services, he is a member of the BS7533:102 committee and is an carried out to their standard, surely the designer should have industry awards judge. gkwilsonlandscaping.co.uk overseen this key part of the project.

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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BUSINESS

“YOU'RE WORKING WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP – THAT'S WHAT REALLY MATTERS” Finding a love in the bridge between academia and working the landscaping sector, Gemma Jerome has been integral in creating a benchmark standard for projects to incorporate nature and was an advisor for biodiversity net gain WORDS: ASHLEIGH BROWN

C

oming from a background in environmental planning, with no less than an undergraduate degree, two masters, and a PHD, Gemma Jerome has become an industry leader and a passionate advocate for what planning can do in terms of creating great places for people and wildlife to live. Given the opportunity to join the team at the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, working with the University of the West of England (Bristol) in 2015, Jerome quickly became the project manager and began the segue from academia to green infrastructure, specialising in coexisting with nature.

Jerome says she was interested in the access to nature for people, as well as for its own sake.

“When this opportunity came up, they were looking for an academic to lead the project because it was about knowledge exchange. So, it was about a university working with an industry partner to innovate a new product that would support the industry to be better. And the question was, how can we do better in the planning and development sector to deliver outcomes for nature?

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

21

BUSINESS The project came about as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership,” a partly governmentfunded initiative that connects businesses with academic institutions.“It’s the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy which funded the project for two and a half years, where I worked as the KTP associate.”

When the project came to an end, there was an opportunity to take the benchmark and accreditation system that had been created to support green infrastructure, and turn it in to a business model.“Having spent those two and a half years working directly with the end users, beneficiaries, and customers to develop a solution, we brought forward a new product to market.”

Building with Nature entered the world as its own official entity in 2018, with Jerome at the wheel as director of the company. It was set up to manage what they had created which, put simply, was a green infrastructure, benchmark and accreditation system that industry could use, says Jerome. Building with Nature is a charitable company with a mission to make great places for people and wildlife. It is supported by a Standards Board made up of green infrastructure experts who act as "guardians" of the Standards Framework.

Now, Building with Nature is working hard to define exactly what’s needed when it

comes to delivering outcomes for both people and wildlife through the planning and development system, using standards that can be used and applied to the design process or when a developer, housebuilder, or another type of planning applicant is bringing a new project forward. "They need to think about nature from the beginning, and we help them do that.”

Across the UK, planning is a devolved part of government, which means that the rules and regulations differ slightly between England, Wales, and Scotland, each with slightly different approaches to planning, says Jerome. “But the thing that unites all the approaches is the focus on three key emergencies: the nature emergency, the climate emergency, and the public health emergency.”

Thinking about how we support people's health and wellbeing through access to green spaces, climate change, and biodiversity targets has opened a gap in the market for companies such as Building with Nature to provide support in response to those policy agendas. According to Jerome, “using the BwN Standards Framework can help you understand what you need to do to positively respond to that nature recovery and get net zero ready and ensure that everyone has access to high quality green space. So, that's

They need to think about nature from the beginning, and we help them do that

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what we focused on, supporting industry directly through working with our standards and our accreditation system.”

In October 2023, Jerome and the team at Building with Nature were recognised for their efforts by the Welsh Government.

Ministers published an extensive planning policy where, in chapter six, the focus on biodiversity announces that all local planning authorities in Wales would have to “step up their game” when it comes to biodiversity and

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BUSINESS there has been a whole combination of factors.

Covid was difficult for everyone, the planning and construction industries really slowed down for obvious reasons, and on top of that you have more challenges such as the global recession and uncertainty politically. So, we've had mixed messages around sustainability and the environment.”

It’s also very rare for the type of work provided

by Building with Nature to be part of a national policy as it’s often more of a recommendation and therefore is frequently dismissed to cut corners and save money.

But with the support from the Welsh Government, Jerome hopes that other areas of the UK will follow suit and see the benefits of exploring and working with nature.

“I think one of the biggest challenges for me personally has been to balance being a business leader and company director, whilst also continuing to work within the wider industry to be an advocate for change.”

Having to ensure that the company stays afloat, balancing the books, paying the bills, supporting the team, whilst also watching the market trends, keeping on top of any changes to the legislation, providing training and quality assuring the accreditations whilst at the same time wanting to have a different kind of role and function in society, Jerome has her work cut out.“Being a catalyst for change,

and being a disrupter to support the change curve that we need.”

For Jerome, her passion continues to pull her into advisory roles, with a lot of her time spent in an advocate strategic advocacy role; for example, as co-chair of the British Standards Institute panel for the new biodiversity net gain standard, which took two years in a voluntary capacity.

"It was a privilege that they asked me to co-chair that panel and I had an amazing time working alongside incredible industry leaders. At the end of it, we have a standard that has now become a global inspiration, because we're seeing similar standards being developed in Europe.

"So many people had an input in my journey and helped me to get where I am today, so I want to help however I can; I want to give back my time and my knowledge where I can and when my skills are asked for – I want to say 'yes' to that. So, I have to manage saying yes to those strategic advocacy opportunities, whilst also finding the correct balance to ensure that Building with Nature remains as strong as ever.It almost feels like a social responsibility, being a responsible citizen and a face of the industry.”

One of the biggest challenges for me personally has been to balance being a business leader and company director, whilst also continuing to work within the wider industry to be an advocate for change

securing green infrastructure. Jerome says it was with the intention of supporting planning authorities and making it as easy as possible for them – “that’s what we believe will make the difference in terms of reversing the rest of the collapse.”

Specifically naming Building with Nature as an advisory resource for this new legislation, planning authorities were signposted to the BwN Standards within the national planning policy. It’s a significant highlight in her career; “If that's the outcome of five years of work, that's incredible. I've spent a good amount of time working closely with the team in the Welsh Government.

And, you know, that's a big achievement.”

Using the Building with Nature accreditation, people can receive external verification that what they're doing meets an industry benchmark. So, although the standards are open source, the accreditation system is a paid-for service with a partnership approach. Working with over 200 approved assessors, Building with Nature works directly on a project scale with developers and housebuilders. It’s made up of landscape professionals, ecologists, and other interdisciplinary specialists who interpret the standards for that particular type of scale of development and what good looks like for that project before then bringing forward an application for accreditation.

It’s not all been plain sailing, though.“It’s been a really tricky year. Construction wise,

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1 Drone views of Silverlake, Dorset 2 Applewood, Cashes Green, Stroud 3 New green infrastructure amenity, Glasgow 4 NHS Forth Valley's Larbert Woods ©NHS FV

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

23

BUSINESS Continuing Building with Nature’s successes into the new year, it is working in partnership with the Society of Garden Designers to create a training programme to support members to understand biodiversity net gain.

“It's great because, again, it means we’re getting that recognition we’ve been working towards,” says Jerome.

“At the Pro Landscaper Sustainability & Biodiversity Awards” – for which Jerome was on the judging panel – “it really became apparent that there's so much more momentum now for companies in our sector to really get on the forefront in terms of how they can show that they really care, not just about the environment, but that they're being a positive player in this whole agenda – and their contributions can be evidence based.”

When participating in a panel discussion at the 2023 FutureScape expo, Jerome was asked a question by the audience that resonated with her: How do we get the development sector and housebuilders to really understand biodiversity?

“If you're a horticultural professional, garden designer, a landscape professional, etc., you understand biodiversity, you really care about nature, but you're often working in environments where you're having to maybe battle for budget, and potentially resist any value engineering. There will

always be other financial forces that play in the built environment, and these are often seen as a priority over the natural environment. So, their question was really valid. And I think there are a lot of people who are coming up in the industry who feel very passionately about the levels of priority, rightly so.”

Jerome took the question to heart, working with both sides of the sector and having to regularly overcome this very issue. “I just said, to this person, that where we put our energy is in delivery; as someone who spends a lot of time and energy trying to change the industry, and speaking to decision makers, what is ultimately critical is what we deliver on the ground.”

Jerome's advice was to actually focus on the quality of delivery: "Your job will be to look after those green spaces, and the day-to-day decisions of, how you're looking after the plants, how you're looking after the soil, how you are working with other professionals to encourage community engagement and environmental stewardship.

That's what really matters. And that is what changes people's hearts and minds. And then if people's hearts and minds change, they start demanding different things from the developers and housebuilders – that's the legacy you leave.”

If people's hearts and minds change, they start demanding different things from the developers and housebuilders – that's the legacy you leave

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Jerome has come a long way in the last 10 years. Starting as a PhD researcher, working her way through a series of qualifications and degrees before landing a project which, having poured her heart and soul into, became a career destined to make a change which will last a lifetime and inspire a future generation.

Finding a love in the bridge between her research and working in a sector which would allow her to create new ways of thinking, collecting evidence, and reflecting on society, Gemma Jerome has made her place within the industry known.

5 Silverlake, Dorset ©Habitat First Group

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PRODUCTS

GOING

PAPERLESS

Job management software ToolTime has been created with tradespeople in mind and is now available in the UK

W

hen interviewing tradespeople for a project at a German consultancy firm, Marius Stäcker heard the same complaint – they were snowed under in paperwork. Their entire businesses would be based around pen and paper, or utilising solutions such as Microsoft Excel; 80% didn’t have a dedicated job management tool, and it’s a similar picture in the UK, says Stäcker.

So, in Berlin in 2018, he and Marcel Mansfield launched ToolTime, a new job management software solution for tradespeople aimed at helping SMEs and sole traders.

The cloud-based web and mobile application is designed to be an “all-in-one solution” for these small businesses.

Tradespeople – from plumbers and electricians to landscapers and grounds maintenance teams – can run their business with one software. “We want to make it as easy as possible so it’s like a turnkey ready solution where you don’t have to purchase 10 different tools and put them all together, which is extremely complicated.”

ToolTime can be used for a series of time-saving purposes, such as appointment scheduling, with map-based appointment visibility for operational planning, and job

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time tracking and documentation. It can be linked to these to create quotes and invoices. There is also a free customer SMS confirmation service.

To ensure ToolTime is hitting the mark and continuing to develop, it collects customer insights – 35,000 of them so far.

These are taken into account when mapping out potential upcoming features to make it a more “democratic process” and one that is more “transparent”, says Stäcker.

It took a similar approach when looking to launch ToolTime into the UK market.

The team spent the summer chatting to potential UK customers about its solution to gain feedback on the platform and determine demand (of which there was plenty) before researching the changes it would need to make for it to be UK compliant, such as configuring it to the UK tax system.

After three months of adapting the product, ToolTime went live in the UK and onboarded its first customers at the start of November, having expanded into Austria already earlier in the year. The way it acquires customers is personal as it recognises how big

MARIUS STÄCKER

of a step it can be for small companies to make the switch to this type of software, says Stäcker; they receive a personalised demo of the tool and have a dedicated customer success team to support them and help import customer data from, say, an Excel file.

“One of the deciding factors when it comes to introducing a new software is that you have to make them feel comfortable, quickly. If they pick it up within the first one or two weeks and start adopting the tool, then you have a very high chance that they will be a long-term happy customer.”

Cloud technology makes it far easier for these companies to adopt the technology too, says Stäcker. It doesn’t need to be installed on a server that is only accessible locally, with a high initial cost and an ongoing maintenance or sales contract.

“It gives us many more possibilities...We can press a button, and someone has access to the tool.” It allows people to have access wherever they are too, rather than needing to be in the office. The barrier to entry is lower as a result, with a subscription pricing model – £59 per month for a web license, £29 per month for each mobile application license – making it easy for smaller companies to invest in it as well as ensuring ToolTime maintains its high standards. “If these small businesses are unhappy, they can just drop out, which wouldn’t make a successful business relationship for us; if they’re happy, they will continue to pay our subscription fees. It puts us at eye level, and helps to give SMEs the support they need to scrap the stacks of paper and boost their efficiency."

We want to make it as easy as possible so it’s like a turnkey ready solution

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £150k +VAT Build time 15 weeks Size of project 285 sq m

Small Screen T STAR

CREATIVE GARDENS & DRIVEWAYS MODERN OUTDOOR LIVING prolandscapermagazine.com

he owners of this large house and garden wanted to achieve a desirable outside space that would encourage them and their guests to make full use of it, offering multiple seating areas to make the best of the available sunshine.

The site level falls away quite close to the house by over a metre, down various steps and past an old rotten decking area part way down the slope. On first impression, the garden was uninviting and unusable; the planting was out of control or past its best and needed a re-think to fit with the clients’ desire for a low maintenance, contemporary space to match their beautifully refurbished house.

1 The garden at dusk with LED step lights switched on

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PORTFOLIO Some old garden lighting no longer worked, so in the early evening the garden became a dark and potentially dangerous place to navigate.

So, Creative Gardens & Driveways looked to maximise every ray of available sunlight in its design, offering three alternative seating areas in positions across the rear of the property. The clients love of entertaining was supported by creating a Grillo outdoor kitchen, featuring both gas and charcoal BBQs. It also includes a sociable high bar with a stool seating area enabling guests to drink and chat to the hosts as they rustle up delicacies on the BBQs. The backdrop to the kitchen area is Venetian fencing from Jackson’s Fencing, which delineates the area and creates a welcoming sense of enclosure and privacy within this outdoor ‘room’. Adjacent to the outdoor kitchen on the highest-level patio is a dedicated dining area with an eight-seater luxury outdoor dining suite. The retaining walls around the dining area for the level retention were constructed from black Vande Moortel clay bricks, offering a sleek crisp feel.

Mounted to the wall is a glass balustrade, keeping the diners safe whilst providing fantastic views across the garden.

The main steps down to the next level are flanked by the clever use of powder coated aluminium planters, planted to soften the hard landscaping in this central area. The planters act as a safety barrier to the end of the dining patio and to the edge of the second level relaxation area. This area comprises of a new composite deck, built on a metal frame so that it doesn’t befall the rotting fate of the previous timber decking.

The grey composite decking perfectly complements the light and dark grey porcelain flagged walkways and patio areas.

A long runway path crosses the back of the house at the second level, which is halfway down to the lawn. Part way along this path is a contemporary metal pond with a back wall incorporating a water blade feature, creating a fantastic sound and vision of running water. On each side of the water feature is a soldier-like Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata Aurea’ standing to attention and framing the view to the garden from the

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PORTFOLIO 3D VISUALISATION

Alan Titchmarsh and his team for its modern outdoor living features which include zoned areas for cooking, dining, lounging and relaxing.

David Hadley who owns Creative Gardens & Driveways, gave Titchmarsh a tour of the project off camera, where the two shared

kitchen window of the house. At the end of the runway path is another seating area, this time a porcelain paved area housing informal seating and surrounded by structural planting. A theme of the planting is ball like forms to give continuity; these include Photinia ‘Red Robin’ half standards, Pinus mugo ‘Mops’ (the dwarf mountain pine) and Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’.

Overall, the tonal greys of the hard landscaping tie together beautifully with the jet black of the clay brick walling and are all delightfully softened with the generous

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evergreen planting scheme. When night falls, the fun doesn’t end as the design also incorporates LED strip lights to the underside of the step treads to light the way. Downlighters on the fencing provide ambient light in the cooking and seating areas with spotlights illuminating key structural planting to provide added drama.

The project was completed in May 2021 and was recently featured on ITV’s Love Your Garden where it provided inspiration for a project the show was undertaking in Burnley.

The garden was selected by presenter

their passion for gardening. “We were honoured to welcome Alan and his team to this Altrincham project,” says Hadley. “This garden appealed to the Love Your Garden team as it showcases so many ways to maximise outdoor living space, whether that’s enjoying a quiet drink in the evenings, entertaining friends or relaxing and playing as a family.

“The garden also included a challenge many homeowners face of designing gardens that are not simple flat squares. This project is on a slope and has varying levels, but we turned this into an advantage, utilising the

2 Incorporating dining and relaxing was key 3 Grillo kitchen in the evening 4 David Hadley (left) with Alan Titchmarsh – a proud moment for all involved

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PORTFOLIO

REFERENCES Paving and steps London Stone londonstone.co.uk Bricks Vande Moortel vandemoortel.co.uk/en/ Water feature and planters Adezz adezz.com/en-gb Fencing Jacksons Fencing jacksons-fencing.co.uk Decking Kinley kinley.co.uk 3D VISUALISATION

completed project. Two years on, the soft landscaping and planting has matured beautifully and remains easy for the property owners to maintain.

Kitchen Grillo Outdoor Kitchens grilloliving.com Plants Viridis Plants viridisplants.co.uk

5 Lower seating area enclosed by structural planting 6 Filming Titchmarsh for ITV’s Love Your Garden Photographs ©Creative Gardens & Driveways

different heights to create themed focal points throughout the garden.

“Alan Titchmarsh was particularly complimentary of the different zones within the garden. Receiving praise from such an esteemed horticultural expert was incredibly rewarding for our entire team. We are extremely passionate about creating inspiring gardens across Cheshire and Alan’s recognition has further fuelled this as we turn our attention to exciting new projects.”

This was a relatively complex project with multiple levels and zero margin for error. Very detailed setting out and construction drawings were essential and crucial to its success. The client had difficulty visualising the interpretation of the brief, so 3D rendered images were provided before the project began to ensure their full approval.

The result was worth the time and effort, though, as the customer is delighted with the

ABOUT

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

Creative Gardens & Driveways provides homeowners in the Northwest of England with the perfect garden design and build services they need to create their dream outdoor living space. With award-winning garden designers and a team of exceptional project managers and craftsmen, its service is second to none ensuring each individual customer gets the results they desire. creativegardensand driveways.co.uk

PORTFOLIO

Slow and

STEADY FENTON GARDENS LTD

HEATH’S DELOS GARDEN

S

tarting with the fencing, the client wanted to stagger the process of creating a beautiful, functional space for their family, which included two children. They wanted to work out how they could move through the garden at each point and spent a year thinking about the first section, considering how far the patio should come out, for instance.

Fenton Gardens Ltd had a meeting with the client to discuss the details and materials, and once the first area was complete, it was an additional four months until the client signed off the layout and plan for the next section.

Perhaps surprisingly, Fenton says he found this an enjoyable way to work; although it was quite long winded for a job that was not huge, the clients were so happy with it and it works so well for them. The finished project was far better than they would have imagined from when Fenton first went to look at the job. What could have been indicative of time wasting throughout the design and construction process turned out to be a way to eliminate error, which was not an approach that Fenton was familiar with.

The garden started as a barren space with ivy growing over old fencing and a couple of neglected shrubs close to the edges. Some block paving formed a patio straight out the back door; it had been pushed around by roots from the neighbour’s willow tree.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £15k Build time 32 days Size of project 94m2

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PORTFOLIO The contrast of sleek, clean modern lines and the homage to a wilder more naturalist environment in the delos area was a real achievement for Fenton in the completed project. It was not jarring, and it was in fact very functional for them, serving a different purpose to the other patio – it’s where the clients could have a small fire or where two people can sit for a quiet chat with a little more seclusion.

The materials and job were sustainable in that they were all selected for their long-term durability.

Jacksons fencing was chosen due to it being aesthetically pleasing, long-lasting, guaranteed and had the venetian screens to shield the end of the garden. The porcelain was chosen for its long-lasting qualities and clean finish. The customer wanted to select a material that could be fully cleaned without degrading, so this was key when selecting the materials and suppliers.

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PORTFOLIO

The CEDEC silver path gravel in the rockery section was chosen for its contrasting texture but similar colour pallet to the porcelain; it is also inert and permeable so is perfect for planting through. The boulders were chosen based on supplier CED Stone’s recommendation for complementing the gravel.

The planting was chosen to create flushes of colour and show in the different areas at different times of year.

The customer was very keen to do as much for pollinators and invertebrates as possible, so the planting is very sympathetic to that cause. All plants were researched in depth to avoid the use of poisonous or toxic plants to fit with the specifications requested by the client.

The bed that has hydrangeas, Stachys byzantina and Ajuga has developed

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PLANTING

perfectly so that the client has not had to weed it at all since it was planted, and the EverEdge border gives the client a constant reference for where to strim to.

One of the major problems with this project was access, which was through an alleyway – crammed with fly tipped rubbish and Parthenocissus – first entered four houses down from the customer’s house. Fenton had to clear the alley before it could start, which unfortunately cost the client an

1 Patio delineates the tightly packed space 2 Aerial view of the project in use 3 Pangs of colour amongst classic gardenry 4 Seating seen through bursts of flowers 5 Garden furniture with airy planting

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PORTFOLIO

BEFORE

REFERENCES Plants Provender Nurseries provendernurseries.co.uk Fence Jacksons Fencing jacksons-fencing.co.uk Paving London Stone londonstone.co.uk Gravel and boulders CED Stone cedstone.co.uk additional skip. The team also had to avoid upsetting a bees’ nest whilst replacing the old fencing.All materials and waste had to go through this access, so it was a major part of the job; no plant could be used to assist with the excavations either.

From a design point of view the only unexpected ‘issue’ was working out where to place a step at the back of the garden, where it sloped.

Overall, despite the challenges and delays that accompanied the project, from the difficulties in access to the sceptical planning from the client, Fenton Gardens Ltd successfully completed the brief and created a space that is both beautiful and functional for this family.

6 Functional, relaxing and tactfully decorated 7 Boulders and rocks create levels of visual interest

Building materials Discount Builders Merchants discountbuilders.co.uk Turf Grasslands Turf grasslands.co.uk Edging EverEdge everedge.co.uk

ABOUT Joshua Fenton started the business as a sole trader in 2016 having worked in the gardening and landscaping sector since 2005. His partner Daisy joined in 2018 and they both undertook an RHS Level 3 course in practical horticulture whilst growing the business together as a partnership. fentongardensltd.co.uk

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PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value £300k Build time 5 months Size of project 300m2 Awards Silver medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022

A lasting legacy IN LONDON CITYSCAPES PUTTING DOWN ROOTS GARDEN

T

he Putting Down Roots Garden originated as a show garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2022, designed

by Cityscapes for homelessness charity St Mungo’s.

It highlighted the work of its horticultural therapy program Putting Down Roots which helps people recovering from homelessness.

Funded by Project Giving Back, it showcased the decade-long collaboration between Cityscapes and Putting Down Roots in making and caring for sustainable public pocket parks. The garden addressed

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issues of environmental and social sustainability, highlighting how reusing materials prolongs their value and prevents unnecessary waste, and how engaging in therapeutic horticultural activities can transform people’s lives.

The garden design featured reused materials from previous show gardens, waste materials and robust structural features using low-carbon concrete and recycled steel content, as well as densely layered ecological planting comprised of shade and semi-shade plant communities.

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PORTFOLIO Many of the plants for the garden were grown by clients of Putting Down Roots at Clapham, only two miles from the Chelsea show ground.

The experience of working on the project has proven to be transformative for some of them.

After the show the garden was relocated to a permanent location at Southwark Crown Court on the London Bridge City estate, where using a light-touch approach to the site, it has transformed an unused space into a vibrant and colourful public pocket park in a busy and dense part of London.

It also reveals how ecologically orientated planting can be used to create more naturalistic places, increasing resource and habitat opportunities for biodiverse multispecies communities, as well as providing health and wellbeing benefits for people.

Careful design consideration was given to all materials used in the show garden and their construction based on a modular approach so they could be extracted easily, without waste.

Boundary fencing and some paving bricks were reused from RHS Chelsea Flower Show

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2021 gardens. Brick pavers, for instance, were taken from Arit Anderson’s The BBC One Show and RHS Garden of Hope, and recycled scaffold boards from the RHS COP26 Garden

by Marie-Louise Agius were used.

Additional paving offcuts from suppliers that were destined for landfill were used, as were coloured paving strips using recycled glass. Structural steel pavilion rings and movable planters with handles were fabricated locally with steel containing the maximum amount of recycled content while maintaining structural integrity. The concrete bench utilised a cement replacement resulting in an 80% reduction in its carbon footprint.

All materials and plants were taken to the relocation site directly after RHS Chelsea Flower Show breakdown at the beginning of June. The transportation from the show to the permanent site was a distance of only five miles.

At London Bridge, the garden was constructed with minimal excavation for paths and foundations, with displaced substrate relocated across the site and in the

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PORTFOLIO

planters, to avoid removing materials from site. Existing walls were retained and modified by stonemasons.

Progress on the building was slowed down slightly due to the site location is Southwark Crown Court; the judges wanted noise from machinery and power tools restricted to a small window each morning. This meant that thousands of plants had to be watered and kept alive until they could be planted, which was no mean feat over the hottest summer on record, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

1 Large circular views 2 Bold colours underpin sections of planting 3 The design of the space embraces verticality 4 Bright, colourful structure delineates sections 5 A place to take a moment in the city 6 Further angular planting beds

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PORTFOLIO Planting was directly into the existing gravel/loam substrate, so no imported medium was used.

A few birch trees that were already on site were incorporated into the plan, while five mature local species trees were added.

Planting into the existing substrate meant it was lower in nutrients, and consequently the plants would direct more energy into growing their roots, rather than above ground biomass, making them more robust and drought tolerant. No irrigation has been installed and watering is done by hand only for the first year to ensure good establishment.

REFERENCES Recycled brick pavers and scaffold boards Previous RHS Chelsea show gardens rhs.org.uk Paving offcuts London Stone londonstone.co.uk Recycled glass pavers Hardscape hardscape.co.uk Recycled wood Eliza Brandenburg Low carbon concrete bench Poundfield Casting poundfield.com

Ongoing visual and audio monitoring of soil microbial diversity will provide important information on the development of the plant community and its relationships with other species.

The ecological approach to planting, rather than a traditional horticultural one, has a less disruptive impact and creates plant communities which are not dependent on ongoing inputs and require less aftercare interventions. This ensures less disturbance to the multi-species communities utilising the planting for food or habitats.

Being situated beside the walkway along the south bank of the River Thames, one of the busiest areas in London, the garden is now well used by local residents, workers, and visitors to the capital, all wanting to enjoy a green and colourful respite from the pressures of the city.

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Pavilion rings and planters (made with recycled steel content) Cake Industries cakeindustries.co.uk

ABOUT Cityscapes is a landscape design social enterprise bringing people and plants together, using creative approaches to the ways the public realm is designed, managed, and inhabited, ensuring environmental and social sustainability. It is focused on making cities more liveable and ecologically functional. Its projects include pocket parks, rain gardens and streetscape planting. cityscapes.org.uk

7 Sightlines across planting and the low barriers 8 Views from within the planting – green spots to relax for all Photographs ©Mickey Lee

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Roof garden planters, The Strand, London

Roof garden planters with seating, St James’s Street, London

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PROMOTION

Continuing

ITS LEGACY Hillier is looking decades into the future by developing a range of trees that are climate resilient

T

his summer was a worldwide scorcher – even September had people flocking to Britain’s beaches, with the hottest day of the year at 33.2°C recorded at Kew Gardens. It’s only going to get warmer too. The Met Office predicts that, in less than 50 years, summers in the UK could be up to 6°C warmer and 60% drier.

Climate change isn’t just turning up the heat, though. Britain is also likely to experience wetter winters, with heavy rainfall more likely throughout the year.

So, Hillier is trying to prepare for all eventualities with a range of climate resilient trees – which is tougher than it sounds. While Hillier's base in Hampshire avoided the worst of the heat in 2023,“talk has been about hot summers and being able to deal with extreme heat, so initially we were being asked by customers for Mediterranean-type trees. We started going down that road, but quickly realised that was not going to resolve the whole climate change issue in the UK because it’s far more than just dealing with hot summers,” explains amenity director Adam

Dunnett.“When you take Mediterranean-type trees such as Lagerstroemia, they don’t grow in the UK climate at the moment. We started trialling whether we could grow them in our fields, but they were absolutely clobbered in the winters and died.”

Last year, Hillier experienced minus nine degrees in March at its base in Hampshire and flooding last spring and this autumn.

“Our current range of trees is not used to those extremes; some will be able to adapt, and some won’t. So, we’re firstly trying to understand what a climate range of trees should look like and what it would need to deal with. Importantly, it has got to be a range of trees that can be grown commercially in the UK over the next decade. We’re not discounting the range we have at the moment, but we’re also looking at different varieties of a genus that will cope with different climates better than the ones that might be popular at the moment.”

Take beech trees. Hillier has been speaking to Kew scientists and its head of tree collections, Kevin Martin, about the threat FAGUS SYLVATICA to Fagus sylvatica. “They’ve done some forward analysis and are suggesting that by 2090 most of the UK climate will not be suitable for Fagus sylvatica; there may be a point where beech trees will only be seen in the north of England and up.” So, they have been predicting the climate in 2090 and exploring what

Hillier is trying to prepare for all eventualities with a range of climate resilient trees

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

trees are thriving in the environment already, such as beech hybrid Fagus × taurica. Hillier is also working with others, such as Andrew Hirons – a senior lecturer in Arboriculture at Myerscough College – on what the right range of trees could look like, as well as having its own Hillier Arboretum on its doorstep as a source of research around the topic.

After all, one of Hillier’s company values is to leave a legacy and it understands that it has a responsibility to ensure the trees it is selling today will FAGUS SYLVATICA survive for decades to come.

There are trees that Hillier already knows can cope with extreme weather and in different environments, such as elm trees, liquidambar and Acer campestre. Betula pendula (silver birch), on the other hand, is great in cold, wet conditions, but copes less as it becomes drier and hotter. “So, we’re looking at different varieties that seem to cope with those conditions a little better; Betula ‘Edinburgh’ seems to be more resilient to different types

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PROMOTION since; the trees it was growing half a century or so ago are “quite different” to what Hillier grows now, says Dunnett, who now wants to continue Hillier’s success and make sure it’s growing the trees that everyone will be demanding. “As a tree grower, you always have to look long term. Tree growing is

HILLIER'S ANDLERS ASH FIELD TREE NURSERY IN LISS, HAMPSHIRE

of climate and extremes, so we may need to shift away from growing straight Betula pendula and look at other varieties to ensure we can keep things such as birch, which is important ecologically to our environment.”

BETULA ‘EDINBURGH’

Conversations with landscape architects are moving towards talking about the functionality of trees, not just aesthetics, says Dunnett. “They also understand that they have a responsibility to ensure that their design includes the right tree in the right place, and looking forward decades rather than just what it looks like on the day that the project is complete.”

Dunnett says that Hillier is still early on in its journey to developing a climate resilient range, but it is narrowing it down. “There’s a lot more work to be done before we would be happy to claim that it’s a climate resilient range, but we are making sure that there is a good mix of native trees, native replacement

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trees and non-native trees that can add the aesthetics to the environment as well, because that’s still important, particularly for small urban tree planting; you do want trees that are going to look beautiful and have fantastic autumn colour and wonderful spring blossom. Some of our native trees tick that box and some don’t in quite the same way, so we have to make sure that non-native ornamentals are part of our climate resilient range. Focusing on native only is not the answer.”

If Hillier gets it right, the legacy will not just be for the wider environment but also for the company. Hillier has been creating a legacy since 1864 and adjusting its range

a very long-term process, and some of the trees we have in our fields now are 35 years old, so we know that the range we’re putting in now will somewhat be what we’re trying to sell in 30 years’ time. We have a responsibility to our predecessors in making sure that we’ve got the right range.”

It’s not just the climate to bear in mind either, but also what pests and diseases might hit the UK, and considering which species will be more likely to survive outbreaks. Ash was the biggest selling genus for decades, says Dunett; now, thanks to ash dieback, Hillier doesn’t sell a single ash tree. This is impossible to predict and Hillier and every other nursery in the UK will need to adapt.

“Ultimately, there is no future in growing trees that you don’t believe are going to survive. We won’t get it 100% right because we’re predicting a long way into the future.”

But Hillier is determined to try, and to ensure that our landscape in the future is as green and as tree filled as ever. hillier.co.uk

ANDLERS ASH FIELD TREE NURSERY

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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TRENDS

Mediterranean muse

Create a Greek courtyard or a Spanish terrace with Matt Evans’ guide to creating a Mediterranean-inspired garden

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

or larger farmhouse terrace taking inspiration from a Venetian garden or Tuscan hillside.

Depending on your project’s aspect and your client’s budget, try to achieve as many of the following principles to create your own piece of Mediterranean paradise.

Planting There are some obvious choices to include with most Mediterranean planting schemes – Cupressus, olives, lavender and rosemary to name but a few. The trick when implementing any formal style in a garden is to not make the site look like a stage set.

Traditionally, including swathes of herbaceous planting within a Med design wouldn’t work in a typical dry and sunbaked Mediterranean context. However, leaning on the basic principles of repeating colour palette and softening texture enables you to include more of what I’d call a contemporary cottage planting palette which, when paired with Mediterranean hardscape elements, can be super contemporary and in keeping with the theme.

I always start with my structural planting and work back with a planting plan. In a Mediterranean garden this is typically evergreen, more than likely taking a large multistem form.

Photographs ©Jake Baggaley

T

he ‘Mediterranean garden’ is a broad term which encompasses planting, typical features and stylistic elements which when combined appropriately can transport you to the relaxed atmosphere most of us associate with a summer holiday or trip abroad. There are some beautiful examples of Mediterranean gardens here in the UK. The Delos Garden at Sissinghurst is a classic take on the theme; Beth Chatto’s gravel garden is a sublime example of how to place drought tolerant planting combinations; and the walled garden at the Knepp estate (expertly re-imagined by Tom Stuart Smith) and now in the hands of Charlie Harpur as part of the estate’s famous rewilding project is a shining example of how naturalistic drought tolerant planting can not only be beautiful but also be of significant benefit to biodiversity within a site.

In the far south of the UK in particular, the Mediterranean garden is becoming an increasingly viable option for clients with the appropriate aspect and drainage on their site. With annual temperatures rising and appropriate planting selection we’re seeing many of our clients here in Dorset keen to adopt basic Mediterranean design principles, particularly with planting (something which works well in our more local coastal climate) That said, with consideration and planning, there’s nothing stopping a London courtyard

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TRENDS

Some of my favourites are Pinus pinaster, Pinus mugo or Phillyrea angustifolia. I’d then create natural drifts of grasses (Sesleria autumnalis, Stipa Tenuissima and Pennisetum alopecuroides all work well) before creating a patchwork within the above of natural drifts of five to seven plants – taller to the rear of the border, working my way down to the front with the grasses to link things up. Herbaceous plants to mention include nepeta, salvias (of most variety) agapanthus and euphorbia.

The great thing about planting is you can then add in your favourites and experiment; as long as you stick to the basic principles, it will work. I find traditional prairie plants and more delicate umbellifers often work well placed on their own as to have self-seeded within the scheme, punctuating the larger drifts and looking as natural as possible – gaura, Perovskia, Ammi majus or fennel. The great thing about a sunny aspect is that you can then include herb planting within your low ground cover. Sage, creeping rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus') and thyme all evoke the senses and visually keep you grounded within the design brief.

Hardscapes There’s a relaxed vibe about everything Mediterranean that, in my opinion, should translate into the garden design. You can achieve levels of laidback luxury but with considered rustic charm. Just look at some of the contemporary beach clubs and villas that adorn the coasts of the Balearic Islands or the South of France – detailing with rustic charm within the context of a Mediterranean site.

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Crisp lines of paving can be softened with decorative crushed aggregates. Walls clad with stone walling slips and structures formed of distressed timbers – combine that with a natural and pastel colour palette and you’re already halfway to setting the scene. Perhaps one of the most important materials to consider is natural stone as a base for your materials mix.

Dust your gravel pathway into the planting rather than finishing or edging it thus creating a more natural and ‘rustic’ finish allowing planting to naturally spill across the path, softening corners and junctions. Crushed limestone works well as it often has slight colour variations rather than some of the more contemporary options; UK suppliers such as Allgreen have some stunning options.

Repeat the material in larger forms throughout the space using feature boulders to punctuate your planting scheme – this is used to great effect in the aforementioned Delos Garden.

Functionality and styling When designing a space, we don’t just consider the success of what it looks like; after all, this is subjective. What is just as, if not more, important is how the space is used – from the things you brush past and sit on around the garden to the length of your stride between stepping stones and the borrowed views over the boundary. In terms of the user experience, think about long evenings and being sat outside with friends and family as you would in an actual Mediterranean garden – covered seating areas, fireplaces, cooking on open fire and shady areas to lounge in during the heat of the day. Perhaps these are not all hugely relevant in the UK, but with minor adjustments to suit the context of the site they will help to achieve the intended theme. Including these and pairing them with accessories like rugs, throws and cushions, water features and furniture will help you to transport your clients to their intended destination.

MATT EVANS Matt Evans is the managing director and design lead at The Garden Room Living and Landscape Studio, based in Poole, Dorset. The Garden Room is a young, creative design studio founded by partners in life and design, Matt and his wife Elle Evans.

Located just a stone’s throw from the shores of Poole Harbour and the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, they operate across Dorset, London and the south of England offering garden design, project management and planting as well as specialist aftercare. thegardenroomstudio.com

INVOKE WARMER CLIMATES

with four simple solutions

Kebur White Limestone White Limestone is an angular pale buff-grey chipping, ideal for creating a bright Mediterraneanstyle space, and sourced from the UK. Price (VAT incl): £140 for a bulk bag (approx. £10/m2) kebur.co.uk

Nomad Xanthos rug Made using Weaver Green’s pioneering recycled plastic bottle yarn and a kilim weave, the Xanthos rug is durable enough to withstand high-traffic areas but soft like wool underfoot and suitable for all year round use outdoors.

Price (VAT incl): From £195 (90cm x 150cm) weavergreen.com

Weaver Green

Pinus mugo Pinus mugo is a great option for creating a Mediterranean feel in a design and can be used in gardens big and small. newwoodtrees.co.uk

New Wood Trees

Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’ Attractive, delicate chocolate-purple colour leaves produced on arching stems accompanied by feathery pink clouds of flowers in late summer. provendernurseries.co.uk

Provender Nurseries

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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FEATURE

I

Shortcuts to

nvented in the late 60s by French engineer Pierre Bézier, design software – specifically 3D computer-aided design (CAD) imagery – has been aiding budding creatives across the globe for decades.

Nearly 60 years later, it is the same type of software that inspires our developers to this day, exploring new ways to create imagery and As an industry, we are forever exploring provide cost effective shortcuts for our industry. new ways to maximise our productivity “Our mission has always been actually to and better organise our time management. make something that's powerful, yet relatively For garden designers, this can be as simple,” says David Sloan, sales and marketing manager at Drafix Software, the company simple as having the right tools behind garden design software PRO Landscape to create exceptional designs which was first created in 1994 and has developed significantly since. Sloan, who has nearly 20 years of experience with the brand, passionate about his work and providing his clients with a product that works. He says that there are three main things that design software can do to benefit you and your work, the first being the ability to increase your workload and over or under test new features and collaborate with clients therefore your profit. For charging are for first hand feedback, Vectorworks’ landscape David Sloan, sales and Sloan,“that's really what it's all minimal.” industry specialist Marketa Hermova is marketing manager about – creating your designs, no And finally, the passionate about the features that the software at Drafix Software matter what they are, who they're process of closing the has to offer the industry. It’s “intuitive when it for. The bottom line is being able to sale and securing the comes to your everyday needs,” she says; “it’s the create something that you can sell.” project. With an instant design, bread-and-butter type for tasks which the Being able to save time by using software as you are able to show the client a range or designers would have.” opposed to drawing everything out, you’re less virtual reality experiences through your And its users agree. Working predominately restricted, says Sloan. Changes can be made at garden designs. No more waiting around and across the south coast of the UK, The Landscape the click of a button, scales adjusted, things sending plans back and forth for input; designs Service is made up of three top-class garden deleted, whereas when drawing, the simplest can be put together in a matter of minutes. mistake can mean starting from scratch.

Similarly, software development company “The second thing is accuracy, meaning Vectorworks has developed its product to when you create a drawing, you know that specialise on landscape design and all your measurements are correct.” With the architecture for the design and build ability to resize the entire project and have the industries. Founded in 1985, Vectorworks has measurements to hand, everything is to scale, evolved a lot, and in recent years there has VECTORWORKS: NEW AUTOMATED FENCE TOOL so you’re not exaggerating or estimating the been an increased focus on the specifics and resources you’ll need. The chances of capabilities which will then allow landscape designers and garden designers to produce designers – Luke Mills, James Smith, and Jordan imaginative render work designs which Ling – who collaboratively provide designs for VECTORWORKS: LEGENDS FOR SITE MODEL ANALYSIS help them to communicate with high-end residential, commercial and property clients and collaborate with development projects. Trying to find the best other professions. software available to combine with the best Working technology, so achieve the most effective layout with the possible, company director Mills believes that it’s development really beneficial, not just for a turnaround but team to also for the most attention to detail.

“We've done a lot of stuff by hand sketching, but then it quickly goes into software, and then development that way, for speed and ease of sending it as well to clients,” adds Smith.

SUCCESS

Our mission has always been actually to make something that's powerful, yet relatively simple

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FEATURE NOTES

ASHBURNHAM GARDENS

1

Hebe rakaiensis

1

500

1

PLANTING PLAN - DINING BEDS

Hebe rakaiensis 500

1

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White'

1

300

Hebe rakaiensis

Sizes stated give the specified maintained spread of plant 3

500

= Quantity

SCALE: 1:50 @A2

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 450

Trachelospermum jasminoides climber

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 450

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Trachelospermum jasminoides climber

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 450

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Trachelospermum jasminoides climber

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 450

Hebe rakaiensis 500

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White'

Trachelospermum jasminoides

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 450

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

Blechnum spicant 450

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 450

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

Blechnum spicant 450

1 1 2

1 4

1

Astrantia major 'April Love'

Libertia chilensis

450

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Golf Ball' 1000

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Mellisa Lilac’ 500

Libertia chilensis

4

500

1

500

Astrantia major 'April Love'

Geranium sanguineum 'Album' Blechnum spicant

300

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Mellisa Lilac’ 500

Iris 'Jane Phillips' 600

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Mellisa Lilac’ 500

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Mellisa Lilac’ 500

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

1

1 1

1

1

1

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

Multi-Stem Amelanchier lamarckii 500

Blechnum spicant 450

1

1

1 1 1 1 1

1

1

1

1 1

1

1

1 Amelanchier lamarckii

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

Blechnum spicant 450

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

2500 (Multi-Stem Shrub)

1

1

1

3

1

1

3

3

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

3

500

Salvia × sylvestris 'Viola Klose'

Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Golf Ball' 1000

Blechnum spicant 450

Salvia × sylvestris 'Viola Klose' 500

Iris 'Jane Phillips' 600

Iris 'Jane Phillips' 600

Geranium sanguineum 'Album' 300

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Mellisa Lilac’ 500

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

Blechnum spicant 450

Astrantia major 'April Love'

1

1

1

1

1

1

3

3

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

3

1

3 1

“It's a no brainer for us in terms of being Whilst 2D drawing is more traditional, using a commercial practice and thinking about the architectural scale drawing with a bird’s eye time versus money,” adds Mills. view, 3D rendering is the more involved version Based on personal preferences, experience of the software according to Sloan.“It does and training, the team at The Landscape everything you can find in the 2D illustration, Service use a combination of software this time with the ability to add depth, including Vectorworks, Lumion and Photoshop. whether that be wall heights, roof pitching, “The combination of Vectorworks and Lumion even down to the textures of a paving.” is second to none really,” says Mills.“I think the Quickly generating imaginative quality of production is really high, and the presentations and renderings for the client in speed at which you can achieve it.”

2D and 3D, Vectorworks also But how does the software work? gives you the ability to With each developer branching out make it your own in into different aspects of the design terms of a visual process, covering requirements point of view, says from 2D to 3D, there are a variety Hermova; it of packages to explore. Sloan says allows you to PRO Landscape offers “easy-touse" Photo Imaging: “Photo Imaging is a very simple Luke Mills, company director, component, where the user takes The Landscape a digital photograph of the area Service that they're working with. They maybe remove existing landscaping if they need to, then there’s a library of 20,000 items that are climate zones, specific plants, trees, shrubs, our state's water features as well as lighting.

"So, you take a digital photograph, you drag and drop your items on top of that original photograph, and you create a visual representation of what a finished product might look like for the customer to see."

It’s a no brainer for us in terms of thinking about time versus money

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CLIENT:

01

500

Blechnum spicant 450

DRAWING TITLE:

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White'

Blue Gerbera Garden Design & Horticulture 17 Great Eastern Road Brentwood Essex CM14 5EH

300

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

Blechnum spicant 450

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

Blechnum spicant 450

Pachysandra terminalis 500

Blechnum spicant 450

Astrantia major 'April Love' 450

2500 (Multi-Stem Shrub)

Liriope muscari 'Monroe White' 300

PLEASE NOTE: THIS DRAWING IS TO BE REFERRED TO ONLY AS A REFERENCE. MEASUREMENTS SHOULD NOT BE SCALED FROM THIS DRAWING AND ALL MEASUREMENTS SHOULD BE CHECKED ON SITE BEFORE CONSTRUCTION COMMENCES. IT REMAINS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APPOINTED CONTRACTOR TO ENSURE SITE SAFETY AND THAT ALL MATERIALS AND METHODS EMPLOYED ARE FIT FOR PURPOSE. THE APPOINTED CONTRACTOR REMAINS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT ALL PROPOSED LEVELS SET AGAINST BUILDINGS REMAIN BELOW THE STRUCTURES DPC. ANY ISSUES SHOULD BE CHECKED WITH THE DESIGNER BEFORE ANY CONSTRUCTION COMMENCES. ALL DRAWINGS REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF BLUE GERBERA HORTICULTURE LTD UNLESS AGREED IN WRITING BY THE DESIGNER. CHANGES ARE NOT PERMITTED WITHOUT CONSULTATION AND WRITTEN CONSENT FROM THE DESIGNER.

DESIGNER : John Brooks

DRAWN BY: John Brooks

TELEPHONE : 07903 654279

EMAIL : johnbrooks@bluegerbera.co.uk

Geranium sanguineum 'Album' 300

Amelanchier lamarckii

SKETCHUP FOR GARDEN DESIGN: EXAMPLE PLANTING PLAN

SKETCHUP FOR GARDEN DESIGN

PROJECT: Ashburnham Gardens

450

Pachysandra terminalis

1

1 Salvia × sylvestris 'Viola Klose'

Amelanchier lamarckii (Multi-Stem)

500

500

1

1

1 Salvia × sylvestris 'Viola Klose'

Libertia chilensis

1

1

Pachysandra terminalis

Pachysandra terminalis

REV. DATE: SCALE:

SEE DRAWINGS

REVISION REF: # 0001 FILE: BG/ZAWIA/2020

better brand your business and gives you the opportunity to market yourself as an individual.

With numerous packages on top of the core product, there is extensive training available for all areas of the software, including an online Vectorworks University which is full of resource videos.“It is one product which allows you really to grow as a business because it's got everything that you need from the very beginning...Technology is changing and evolving all the time, especially with the introduction of AI which we can see is beginning to be quite helpful and will only get better in the future.”

With AI use on the rise, similar technology advances such as virtual reality are also becoming more prominent within the industry.

Having used VR in a large majority of their client demonstrations, Mills and Smith would argue it’s quickly become easier to use and simple to export the designs into the headset, presenting the client with a whole new perspective and puts them right in the middle of a fully immersive hypothetical garden.

As technology continues to evolve throughout the industry, the team at The Landscape Service would advise everyone to make the effort to learn the basics in design software; or even better, to encourage the next generation of employees to. Mills believes that

THE LANDSCAPE SERVICE

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

45

FEATURE “it's really good, even if you do a simple online course. There are plenty available both online, in person or as simple as YouTube – the possibilities of it are endless.”

Owner of training provider SketchUp for Garden Design, John Brooks, has been designing gardens for over 20 years and has been developing his self-taught software skills throughout his career. Soon realising that the THE LANDSCAPE SERVICE available teaching and training for such software is limited within the industry and not necessarily touched upon in enough detail Self-taught and eager to contribute to his throughout colleges, Brooks set up his training community, Brooks assures that “once you scheme in 2017 and now teaches people all know how to use it properly, you can create over the world, from Canada to the US to pretty much anything”. Brooks confirms that Australia, on top of a collection of online and “it's like any programme when people first in-person students across the UK. open it; they get a bit daunted because With 85% of all students there are lots of buttons, it’s not participating in one-to-one clear what they will do, and sessions online via also people probably Zoom, Brooks allows aren't used to his students to have working in a 3D maximum environment. But flexibility whilst if you start with also teaming up selectors and give with companies yourself some such as London time to get used Stone to provide to it, you’ll be group sessions to flying in no time.” upcoming garden Broken down Marketa Hermova, landscape industry specialist, designers. Brooks has into different levels Vectorworks built his career with the of complexity, the design software SketchUp, foundation course teaches a software development for a wide the basics such as the simple range of users but with the ability to be drawing and selecting tools, how to create a manipulated to suit different industries. new template, and an introduction to shaping “SketchUp was set up in the early 2000s in 3D.“It’s very much centred on the student and is this generic piece of design software using the software; it's not me sitting there which is actually used in all sorts of different playing around and showing people what industries...it's not specific for garden design in I can do. I provide a lot of exercises as I go the way that Vectorworks is, for example.” through the courses, to get them used to

Technology is changing and evolving all the time, especially with the introduction of AI which we can see is beginning to be quite helpful and will only get better in the future

VECTORWORKS: LANDMARK COLOR PALETTE

46

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

using whatever is relevant to them working as garden designers.”

These practices are reflected in the intermediate course, which explores the day-to-day stuff working in the garden designing using SketchUp, dealing with surveys, using AutoCAD files, or Vectorworks files, which they can then send into SketchUp and start working with it from that point.

Although the base software has developed since its initial release, the main updates now come from coded extensions and additional add on programmes which you can download online and “really make SketchUp quite powerful,” says Brooks. For example, the ability to change the automatic orientation of the layout so that the garden is correctly replicated, rotating the positioning to ensure that North and South are in the realistic positionings and therefore shadows will be accurately presented.

Like Mills and Smith, Brooks has also discovered the benefits of combining design programs, using SketchUp in conjunction with V-Ray for rendering due to its in depth understanding of how light behaves on different surfaces when uploading designs. He also sees the benefit of using VR, such as in BBC Two’s Your Garden Made Perfect, on which VR goggles are used to showcase the designs to the client.

“It means you can effectively go to your garden before it actually exists. And you can do it using SketchUp; however, you would need very past processing computers, and all the equipment.”

VR is a more likely trend to catch on than AI in design, reckons Brooks, who says the images produced by AI would need to be very detailed to create something that a garden designer can.

“Lots of people are scared that AI is going to replace the job that we do as designers, but at the moment, I would say that's not something to worry about, because AI is not at a point yet where it's going to be able to create designs that are specific to the individual client.”

Either way, design software is likely to continue to develop as it has done over the years, offering shortcuts and acting as a tool for designers, rather than replacing them altogether.

prolandscapermagazine.com

FEATURE

HOW TO

BOOST

YOUR PROFITS

B

eing your own boss and running a business can be a rewarding experience. But how do you make a profit in this era of rising costs?

Putting up the prices isn’t the only answer. Here are 15 tips to consider, to make 2024 your most profitable year yet.

Anna Muggeridge asks business coaches and landscaping business owners for tips on boosting profitability WORDS: ANNA MUGGERIDGE

1

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS

"You don’t need to be an accountant, but you do need to know the basics of finance – fixed and variable costs, net and gross profit, etc,” says business coach Nick Ruddle. “Understanding the basics means you will have the confidence to make the right decisions when putting together a quote.” When compiling the quote, you must have an accurate overview of all costs – from labour to materials to fuel to equipment.

“Break the job down into as many granular pieces as possible,” says Sam Hassall of Landpro, “and price each one up individually as accurately as possible. Then you can use this information to add your margin.” Paul Downer of Oak View Landscapes says staying on top of your finances and knowing the monies coming in and out of the business is also essential. “Ensure you get monthly management accounts out in a timely manner to review (within three weeks of the previous month's end).”

prolandscapermagazine.com

2

GET THE PRICE RIGHT

In this unstable economy, clients have to tighten their belts, and often, price rather than quality is the influential factor in choosing who wins their business. However, Sam Hassall has a saying: "The guy who wins the job has made the biggest mistake.” He explains: “When you have four or five companies tendering for a project, the guy who wins has probably made a huge error somewhere and has won the job because he is so cheap. But profitability is winning the job at the right price – not one that is too low.” Hassall believes a contractor’s relationship with a client can swing the decision in their favour, especially in the domestic landscaping market. “If the client likes you, then the second lowest price might win the job.”

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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FEATURE

3

BE ORGANISED

Inefficiency can cost you jobs. Neil Stead of Steady Consulting says it is not uncommon for small companies, “especially those that are running the business on their own,” to take a phone call from a potential customer and write notes or customer details on a piece of paper that inevitably goes missing. “Lose a post it, and you lose a customer,” he says. “Be efficient with your time. Get a management system in place. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Start by using an Excel or Google spreadsheet.

Nick Ruddle concurs that efficiency is essential. “Keep track every day, every week, every month you are on a project of all your costs and time helps complete the job on time, on spec and on budget. Because if you don’t get that right and you overrun by a few days, you are losing money and eating into that profit.”

Car companies are making their cars more fuel efficient with auto stop/start functions, and at home, turning off appliances at the wall socket, not leaving them on standby, can save a couple of hundred pounds a year. The same simple rule also applies to business.

What can you do to decrease your spending? Look regularly at your overheads. How much are you spending on fuel, electricity, equipment, storage and retail space? Can you reduce or reuse waste? Looking closely into these areas should see savings, which is money in your pocket.

“Regularly review your overheads and project costs against projected margins,” Paul Downer advises.

“Don’t be scared to increase prices if required to maintain margins.”

4

IDENTIFY SAVINGS

6

Running a business, especially a small one, is time-consuming, and often, small business owners routinely go from one day to the next with no real plan for the future. “What they need is a vision and plan for the year ahead,” says Neil Stead. It sounds easier said than done, but Stead advises drawing up a list and prioritising what needs to be done to get you to the planned state.

“You may have 100 things on your to-do list, but you should prioritise and focus on the top 10. It will make you more efficient, so you should make more profit.”

TARGET YOUR CUSTOMERS

Economist Vilfredo Pareto determined that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. In a business context, this means that most of your profits come from a few clients.

Therefore, identifying those who purchase your most profitable goods and services is critical. They are more likely to be susceptible to up-selling and purchasing complementary high-margin products.“If your pricing needs to be at a certain rate, and your profit needs to be at a certain rate, you need to target the right

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5

SET GOALS

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

sort of customers who can afford those products and services,” says Nick Ruddle. “If you want high profits, you’re not going to make it from lots of small jobs, and it is not necessarily the best use of your time.

You need to target high net worth individuals.”

Neil Stead says a way to do this is to analyse past projects.

“Understand your customer base. If you’ve finished 20 projects in a year, which ones turned a profit? What types of customers were they?

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FEATURE

7

8

REVIEW YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN

Are you getting the best deal from your suppliers? Think like a customer and shop around to see what is on offer. However, this can also be time-consuming, so talk to your regular suppliers first to see if you can negotiate better terms.

“Treat your supply chain as valued business partners, pay them on time, form business partnerships with your key suppliers to ensure best value and mutual benefit for both parties,” says Paul Downer.

DON’T IGNORE PAST CUSTOMERS

Word of mouth and personal recommendations from clients to their friends and family is powerful. The likelihood is that if you’ve provided a great customer experience end to end, they will return. But don’t wait for them to contact you.

“Nurturing the relationship with your existing customer, even when you’ve finished a project, is so important,” says Neil Stead. “After six or 12 months, go back to them. They might have follow-on work.”

11

9 FIND YOUR USP What is your unique selling point? Paul Downer says if you want to get the right clients on board, “aim for high quality. Win awards or industry recognition. Clients will pay more for quality at all stages of the process.”

10

Don’t underestimate the power of social media. On average, people spend more than two hours per day on it, so seeing it as a helpful tool to advertise, market and promote your business makes sense. “Facebook and Instagram are inexpensive. Start posting regularly to create awareness,” says Neil Stead. “Social media costs time but doesn’t cost a lot of money. Making people aware of your business and seeing your work will generate leads.”

GET SOCIAL

prolandscapermagazine.com

OUTSOURCE TASKS OUTSIDE OF YOUR SKILLSET

One thing that entrepreneurs can end up doing is too much. You’ve heard the saying, jack of all trades, master of none. Well, don’t allow yourself to fall into that trap. Do what you are really good at but outsource other work that isn’t your expertise. “Think about where you are investing your time and money,” Neil Stead says. “Don’t try to build a website yourself. You could spend days doing it, whereas a professional could probably do it in a few hours.” The same goes for your accounts. Hire a bookkeeper or accountant to check your finances regularly or produce your year-end income statement.

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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FEATURE

12

TRAIN YOUR STAFF

Investing in employees is vital. As Nick Ruddle says to “recruit well, or if the best possible people aren’t available, then recruit good people and upskill and train them to be great people. If they are competent, they will be much quicker and maintain the right quality and standards to finish the job on time. If staff don’t have the right skill level, it will take them longer, and you’ll risk running late on your projects and digging into your profits”. Paul Downer agrees, and says that as an employer, you will attract and retain the best recruits if you invest in a robust recruitment, induction, training, and mentoring programme. “Focus on your company culture, be the employer of choice and recruit the best, highly motivated staff with the right attitudes and behaviours who share your beliefs and vision”.

14

COMMUNICATE YOUR VISION Meeting with employees regularly to establish common goals is essential.

If everyone is made aware of the goals of the organisation, it can help them make decisions that assist in the completion of those goals and motivate them to increase their productivity. "Good team leaders are motivational," says Sam Hassall. "And money is

13

EDUCATE YOURSELF

15

KNOW WHEN TO WALK AWAY

“Employ a business coach or mentor who has great industry knowledge,” says Paul Downer, who has used the services of Nick Ruddle for the last 11 years. Continuous learning and self-improvement can provide ample opportunities. It ensures you remain relevant and don’t get left behind by your competitors. Through expanding your knowledge and skills, it will inspire confidence not only in your employees but also in potential clients. As Nick Ruddle explains: “Often when people set their own business up, they don’t know anything about how to run it and haven’t even read a book about it. They quickly discover how much operational stuff there is to do – recruit, numbers, marketing, invoicing, VAT returns, etc. Business owners have to learn different things at different stages of their business journey, and business coaches guide you through whatever you need to learn to achieve your goals.”

Time and risk are two of the biggest obstacles regularly affecting landscaping profitability. You can calculate time based on experience, but there will always be unknowns, such as scaffolding in the way, bad weather, working with heavy-duty equipment you are unused to, etc. Sam Hassall uses the example of cranes. “Say you are asked to tender for a big job in central London that involves craning. If you don’t have experience with cranes in that environment, I would advise you don’t quote for the job. Risk is a big risk to take.” Hassall suggests asking the company that does win the job if you can go along and observe them at work for a couple of days. “A bunch of people in the industry are willing to share their knowledge and experience with others.”

a significant motivating factor, so the more you pay your team leaders, the more profitability you’ll get out of them."

Nick Ruddle’s book ‘Landscape Business Mastery: Unveiling the Secrets to Building a Thriving Landscape Business’ is available to buy on Amazon now. Sam Hassall’s Liberate Estimating software is also available on a 60-day free trial from: libr8.co.uk

50

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

prolandscapermagazine.com

Re-Elming Britain with Resista® Elms Over 50 years of breeding and cross breeding has led to the Resista® Elm range.

These have fantastic form, leaf colour, vigour and hardiness and have been bred to be 100% resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Hillier Nurseries are proud to be the sole UK grower and supplier of Resista® Elms consisting of Ulmus ‘New Horizon’, Ulmus Fiorente and Ulmus ‘Rebona’.

Resista® Elm Cultivars Ulmus ‘Rebona’ Its leaves are a little smaller and darker shades of emerald.

This Elm is extremely tolerant of adverse conditions. It will succeed in highly exposed locations, even next to the coast with salt spray.

Ulmus New Horizon This medium to large tree forms an attractive rounded canopy in maturity. The trunk thickens fast; the dense growing, healthy leaves create a highly aesthetic appearance.

Ulmus ‘Fiorente’ Strikingly beautiful. Its dominant central leader is surrounded by graceful branches that flow and cascade upwards.

A hybrid of Ulmus pumila and Ulmus minor.

Hillier Nurseries is the exclusive partner for all the Resista® Elm varieties in the UK and Ireland.

Contact

to discuss Resista® Elms for your project: 01794 368 733 or email trees@hillier.co.uk

For full details on all jobs, please go to horticulturecareers.co.uk Call 01903 777 579 or email ollie.finch@eljays44.com

PARKS OFFICER

MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL Location: Maidstone, Kent

BIGGA Stand 108

Versatile Reliable Performance...

Tel : +44(0) 28 2766 7049 enquiries@groundsmanindustries.com

www.groundsmanindustries.com

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Parks and Open Spaces Team at Maidstone Borough Council to help improve and maintain our parks. Have you been working within a green space setting for a while or are you a recent landscape graduate? Then this role is an opportunity for you to develop your career further.

Working as part of a great team, you will provide essential parks and open spaces support to the council and play a vital role in helping to manage and improve the standards of our parks in areas of tree safety, play, conservation and horticulture.

Key duties include developing and implementing open space improvements, responding to customer reports of problems, providing feedback to residents and issuing works to contractors on a wide range of green space issues.

The post will also regularly work with partner organisations such as Parish Councils, Conservation and Friends Groups.

Experience of working in a green spaces-related discipline, such as parks or tree management, would be an advantage in this role; alternatively, it would be a good development opportunity for a recent graduate with a landscape or environmental management qualification such as an HND/BSc in Landscape Management/Amenity Horticulture. Training and development opportunities will be available to the right candidate.

FEATURE

RESPONSIBLE PRACTICES

Corporate social responsibility is the impact an organisation makes on society, the environment, and the economy, and although not a legal requirement, CSR is something that many companies across the landscaping sector participate in WORDS: ASHLEIGH BROWN

M

aintaining positive relationships with the community, sustaining the landscape of the area, and making a business’ efforts and name well known to all are at the heart of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Initiatives fall into four main areas of CSR: workplace, marketplace, environment, and community.

It recognises that businesses, companies, and organisations have a responsibility to positively impact and protect their local area.

It’s a responsibility that many take on, in a variety of different ways. And for companies providing a products and services, CSR recognition is hugely important when relying on word-of-mouth recommendations.

Quality & Service Ltd (Q&S) 52

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

Sue Payne, managing director for Quality Proud to be involved with a local hospital & Service Ltd (Q&S) believes that CSR is how community charity whereby adults with poor a company conducts its business in an ethical mental health and other challenges seek way. This means considering the social, help, Q&S encourages the community to economic, and environmental impact and work alongside its gardening teams, gaining human rights its operations have in the wider confidence and work experience. “This context. “It’s about who you are and the way collaboration has also not only improved you do business. Q&S’ core values of their wellbeing, but that of our honesty, boldness, trust, employees too,” says Payne. freedom and solidarity Tubex embodies CSR encompasses all underpins our corporate social business practices, responsibility as part how a company operates procurement, and of its parent to ensure that its capacity employee welfare company Berry for growth positively policies which Global. It’s impacts the surrounding all support CSR.” guided by the environment, the local and The corporate organisation’s value is the global wider community, and the creation of commitment organisation’s employees a culture of to a safe, ethical, Isabelle Coles, sales and absolute integrity; inclusive, engaged, marketing manager, Payne is passionate and rewarding work James Coles & Sons about how “it is at the environment. Tubex uses (Nurseries) Ltd heart of how we do things, a Social Strategy to help integrity in dealing with our further build and support a clients, employees, other service partners, people-first culture through commitment to integrity in the service we provide, and diversity and inclusion, talent strategies that integrity in our behaviour.” attract and foster a diverse, skilled workforce, With a desire to share the passion for and impactful philanthropic initiatives. urban horticulture which has only increased Tubex says its recyclable tree shelters are post lockdowns due to mountains of evidence the only ones in the market containing linking interaction recycled content and it is aiming for an with nature to estimated 30% recycled content across its mental and physical portfolio, arguably fulfilling its environmental health and wellbeing, side of CSR. Q&S strives to have Research shows that, where tree shelters a positive impact on must be used, the lowest environmental impact the communities in solution is to use recycled shelters, collected at which it operates. end-of-life. With the Tubex tree shelter Collection

prolandscapermagazine.com

FEATURE

Tubex

and Recycling programme, customers can recycle used tree shelters into new ones, while ensuring responsible disposal.

Tubex is focused on reducing its emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy, and reducing waste, energy, and water consumption, working to engage with key partners including employees, suppliers, customers, and communities on key issues and plans to advance its sustainability achievements.

At James Coles & Sons (Nurseries) Ltd, corporate social responsibility underpins the foundation of the business, as it strives to build upon its strong CSR heritage in Leicester.

“To us, CSR encompasses how a company operates to ensure that its capacity for growth positively impacts the surrounding environment, the local and wider community, and the organisation’s employees,” says Isabelle Coles, sales and marketing manager.

The nursery has strived for environment longevity for over 110 years, but James Coles & Sons wouldn’t have achieved this without considering its positive benefits to its surrounding area.“We encourage positive CSR within our culture to enhance and support our organisational reputation, which in turn allows us to use our expertise and activities in community and promotional activities.”

Coles says that, concurrently, the actions allow them to create engagement between the business and the local community, whilst supporting the health and wellbeing of staff and the community.

It encourages all staff to become better versions of themselves and to engage in training activities that James Coles & Sons provides and allows its staff to attend.

Coles mentions how all employees have easy access to its business policies and procedures through the online web portal

prolandscapermagazine.com

Breathe HR. “Additionally, we advocate that staff should have regular one to ones with their manager and develop themselves and the business through collaborative annual reviews”.

There are now plans to re-develop Coles’ retail operations with a new environmentally sustainable retail space that should create job opportunities in the local area while allowing it to reach new markets. “Plus, we will continue to address and support our operations and staff sustainability innovations through continuous improvement activities and initiatives, ultimately striving for carbon positive outcomes and continuing to build upon the company’s legacy in a positive and appropriate Corporate Social Responsibility way.”

Caribbean Blinds’ managing director Stuart Dantzic says CSR is not just about one element. “I think a lot of people talk about corporate social responsibility in regard to sustainability, and that's a big part of it, but for us it is about looking at something holistically.

"We have a responsibility as a company to produce our products in the most economical way possible for two elements: one, from a cost point of view, but secondly, minimising our impact on the environment.”

He adds it is also about looking at the long-term plan in conjunction with the “quick wins” in terms of the CSR agenda.

“Questioning what we want our business to look like in 15-years’ time and how do we make sure we do that responsibly?”

Dantzic highlights the use of minimal resources, being sustainable, ethical, whilst also hitting their goals.

Based in Sudbury, Suffolk, with the majority of its workforce living in the surrounding areas, the company signed a contract to sponsor the local football club in 2019 as part of its community engagement.

“They do so much for the community in terms of making that better place to live, work and play. We decided rather than just doing ad hoc sponsorships, just here and there, we wanted to get behind something that's a real force for good.”

James Coles & Sons (Nurseries) Ltd

Dantzic describes it as being the biggest single way they give back to the community in terms of supporting children from grassroots fundraisers, making sure they've got the right education, ensuring that children have got the right support in the community, as well as assisting those disabilities and giving back to the charity that the partner with the club and assist in the management of it all.

“They’re not just a football club, they're a real hub for Sudbury,” and one that Dantzic and the team at Caribbean Blinds remain firm partners with.

With so many routes to explore to incorporate CSR, there are plenty of proven methods and strategies for companies to add value to the workplace, marketplace, environment and community.

Caribbean Blinds Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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FEATURE

Investing

IN PEOPLE

As Pro Landscaper announces the launch of its 2024 Business Awards, we’re looking to businesses that stand out from the crowd

GROUND CONTROL

S

taff retention is a hot topic within and knowledge. “Mental health conditions are the industry, but with an economic also rising, so building awareness and support crisis hanging over our heads, systems in the workplace is vital as part of companies may need to look our employee health. We teamed up with the outside of pay increases to achieve this Lighthouse charity, fully supporting our and keep their staff turnover low. employees’ health.

Account manager Lexi “Our ultimate challenge is to Harrison says that help improve our employees' understanding the physical and mental importance of wellbeing, preventing communication and stress and creating need for the safety a positive working and wellbeing of environment. its employees has With over 100 been key to years combined Wright Landscapes. experience from Established in 1992 senior management, by a small team of we are committed to Lexi Harrison, passion-driven positively improve the Account manager, landscape craftsmen on business and employee Wright Landscapes a small yard in Wales, Wright opportunities.” is proud to be a leader in the Similarly, Lisa Blakey, interim landscape construction industry. people director at Ground Control, says “We believe it is vital to encourage, nurture wellness and health are fundamental to and support career progression, challenging the green service provider’s ethos. "We're and strengthening individual professional committed to supporting our team's mental progression within the organisation and and physical health through various wellness positively impacting our employee retention, programmes," says Blakey.“This includes access reducing staff turnover, and increasing to health apps such as Calm and a digital GP skillset,” says Harrison. service, free activities, and financial wellbeing “We are committed to ensuring we have support through tools like Wagestream and a healthy and educated workforce whose views a Hardship Fund, as well as other wellness are listened to and respected.” Harrison ensures programmes and free GC activities such as that Wright nurtures ambition and ensures yoga, football, badminton and subsidised gym that all employees can develop relevant skills membership. Our employee assistance

Our ultimate challenge is to help improve our employees physical and mental wellbeing, preventing stress and creating a positive working environment

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

programme is central to all of this and is a great support to anyone who is struggling.”

Ground Control also understands that flexible working is critical both to retention and wellbeing in the ‘new normal’ following the pandemic, when working from home became widespread. "We ask our employees to spend a minimum of 20% of their time in the office. This balance encourages both in-person and virtual collaboration, while also creating 'focus time' for employees to concentrate on work away from meetings."

John Berry is one of the co-founders and directors of Tyler Grange, a multidisciplinary environmental consultancy group, working across the country, and mostly in consultancy work linked to planning. Changing from sales director to becoming managing director in January, Berry is very much involved in strategy – deciding which direction the business goes next, how it grows, and how it can retain staff.

TYLER GRANGE

At Tyler Grange, Berry always recruits on how somebody fits to its values as a business.

So, during the interview process, he tends to ask

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FEATURE stressed team. It supports employees with family issues and with various crisis issues, going the extra mile wherever possible.

Whilst shorter working weeks isn’t always feasible for companies, there are alternatives to improving the quality of life for staff, such as recognising employees through a number of methods including, as Ground Control does, TYLER GRANGE internal awards, where employees are nominated by their colleagues and winners are people to bring in five photos that describe voted on by the executive committee based on their life or their interests and to talk about their achievements and demonstration of the those. This way, he is able to find out so much Ground Control values throughout the year. more as they are more relaxed talking about Employee recognition has evolved at their character and interests, rather than it Ground Control. As well as recognition being very formal technical focus of interview. through bonuses and gifts, awarded for “We do have to change the way in contribution to culture as well as which we work. Everybody's still achievement against targets, trying to recruit on the same Ground Control ensures basis of recruiting in for that it is providing certain positions at employees with a full-time role, when professional actually, we think development people want to opportunities, work in a different recognising way. And that may achievements mean that more and supporting people may want growth and to work part time or advancement split roles or more within the John Berry, co-founder and people might want to company. director, Tyler Grange be training at the same Ground Control time as working. So, I think also celebrates until the industry embraces that, achievements periodically at it can struggle with supply of recruits.” town halls, building up to an annual It took the step of permanently working grand prize. “This regular recognition aligns a four-day week where everybody gets paid with our commitment to valuing and supporting our staff... These events, along with bonuses and gifts, underscore the company's appreciation for its employees' hard work and dedication.”

At Wrights, “it is vital we recognise the hard work and achievements of our employees, boosting staff morale, motivation, and career development.” Harrison mentions TYLER GRANGE that they enter and attend award ceremonies to recognise the outstanding efforts that five days whilst only working four, “and with individuals undergo to achieve these awards, that change alone, recruitment went up by which is “a great way to come away from the over 50% for us,” says Berry. office and celebrate together.”

Wright Landscapes take on a flexible Working hard to boost their teams across working approach too, where possible, the varying sectors in the industry, Wright “promoting a hybrid workplace Landscapes, Ground Control, and Tyler environment for our employees aiming Grange have taken steps to ensure their to create a better work-life balance,” futures whilst maintaining their core which Harrison says is impacting positive team throughout by putting staff productivity, with a happier and less wellbeing at the fore.

GROUND CONTROL

Everybody's still trying to recruit on the same basis of recruiting in for certain positions at a full-time role, when actually, we think people want to work in a different way

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EGO POWER PLUS

FEATURE

POWER UP Enabling quick, easy and efficient charging of battery power products has been the goal of kit manufacturers, and it looks as though they’re achieving it

W

hen battery-powered tools Initially, Husqvarna had just a few charging were first introduced, the options for its range of battery power products focus was arguably on – two fast chargers, 330w and 500w options, ensuring that they could along with an in-vehicle 12v option.“Since match their petrol counterparts in terms then, we have added a range of lower wattage of power. Now that they’ve caught up, for chargers for a slower overnight charge, along the most part, there’s another concern that with a rail charger (8 x 80W chargers into one any electric product manufacturer will standard three-pin socket) which is a fantastic understand – range anxiety. Battery tools option for those with a large fleet of batteries might be able to carry out the work, looking to charge them all overnight. but for how long? And how This is a very elegant and many batteries is it cost-effective way of going to take? managing a large “Range anxiety fleet of batteries.” is generally most With any people’s barrier to charging investing in any solution, battery-powered Walker says product, that “they whether it be must be a chainsaw or able to offer a car. So, ensuring flexibility, you offer the right reliability, charging solutions and be James Walker, national key is as important as the futureproofed.” account manager, quality of the battery That’s also been Husqvarna UK products themselves,” says at the centre of Kress’ James Walker, national key cordless range from the start account manager at Husqvarna UK.“We of its development. Rather than know every business and every end-user has needing a multitude of batteries, an operative a different idea of how battery products will would need just two – one for using and one best fit into their business. With our charging for charging, says Jim Kirkwood, director solutions, we are trying to offer as much of product management at Positec (UK & flexibility as possible, not tying the end user Ireland) Ltd, Kress’ parent company. to one solution that does not fit their business Around a decade ago, chairman Don or way of working.”

Gao asked battery manufacturers what they

Range anxiety is generally most people’s barrier to investing in any battery powered product.

Ensuring you offer the right charging solutions is as important as the quality of the battery products themselves

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were doing for the landscaping market, with a specific list of requirements of what they would need – mainly, a battery that charges quickly to 100%.

“With a car, you might run it down to 20% and charge it up to around 80% – those are the two barriers. But with landscaping, they need to charge a battery to full and use it all,” says Kirkwood. When Gao couldn’t find what he was looking for with the manufacturers, he invested in a research project at a university in Canada instead.

This eventually led to the launch of Kress’ range for commercial landscapers earlier this year. Its CyberSystem can charge one of its large backpack batteries to full in as little as eight minutes.“The quickest anybody else could charge a similar size battery would be an hour and 19 minutes. So, it’s completely different in terms of that,” says Kirkwood.

Then there’s the recharge cycles. Whereas some batteries might be limited to 1000 or 1500, Kress can last for at least 3000 recharge cycles. It’s why Gao has put an eight-year warranty behind the CyberSystem, says Kirkwood.“He recognises that he needed to be bold. For all intents and purposes, it looks like the same sort of battery; it’s still 60V, and in terms of run time, it’s in a similar realm to what other people’s batteries are; but the reality is that both the charging speed and the overall life of the battery are game changing.”

Kress’ CyberTank allows users to charge the batteries, but in the long term, Kress is looking at a ‘vehicle to grid’ approach.“When you charge your car, you might not use all that

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FEATURE battery during the day, so when you get home, make them even more robust, allowing them rather than using expensive energy in the to be used in extreme temperatures, removing evening, your car will power your home or the the need to buy an additional cabinet to put commercial premises until it gets cheaper around the machine.“It will cool itself and again, then your car will charge up on the heat itself up when it needs to, so it will be cheaper rate.” This could be applied a lot smarter.” to the Kress’ system too. It can Arguably, no manufacturer already be plugged into better understands the a Type 2 EV charger lengths of which when operatives battery charging are out on the has come in the road and they can landscaping have an inverter sector than in their van.

Makita. It “We’re using launched its first a variety of battery powered different models product in 1969 with some of the – the 6500D – Jim Kirkwood, director of nationals to do which could be product management, some testing at the connected to a Positec (UK & Ireland) Ltd moment. How do they rechargeable battery enable themselves to both using a short lead. Less than charge at base but also charge on 10 years later, it brought out the the go? Longer term, we’ll be able to harness 6010D, which was its first power tool with the battery power from vehicles as well.” a built-in rechargeable 7.2V battery. But it’s Ultimately, it wants to provide solutions lithium-ion which Mark Earles, business that fit within a commercial landscaping development manager for Outdoor Power company’s needs, including location. Kress is Equipment at Makita, says has been the “game making enhancements to its Cybertanks to changer for battery power – replacing the

For all intents and purposes, it looks like the same sort of battery; but the reality is that both the charging speed and the overall life of the battery are game changing

previous generations of nickel–cadmium (NiCad) and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. One of the key advantages of lithium-ion is that the batteries are more ‘energy dense’, allowing for greater power and capacities from smaller packs.”

Makita introduced its first lithium-ion battery platform for power tools with its LXT range in 2005. It was an industry first, says Earles – and the range now boasts more than 300 products. In 2020, Makita launched the 40VMax XGT collection, its most powerful range of cordless tools to date, including a range of 80VMAX models powered by two 40V batteries in parallel.

As well as developing the performance of its battery technology, Makita has been working to reduce charging times – its 3.0Ah 18V LXT lithium-ion batteries can be charged in as little as 22 minutes, for instance.“As MAKITA UB002C BLOWER

MAKITA LXT BATTERY

MAKITA PDC01 PORTABLE POWER KIT

MAKITA BAC01 POWER CHARGER

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FEATURE

a result, on-site productivity is improved, and designed for overnight charging of up to four tool downtime is significantly reduced.” batteries. Stihl also launched its PS 3000 Then there’s the development and launch cordless power supply this year, which can of its twin port chargers in 2014, which recharge up to six of its AP batteries on enables two Makita batteries to charge a single charge.“This helps to make the use simultaneously, and Makita’s of battery tools more feasible when most recent solution – the charging from the grid isn’t BAC01 Power Converter. an option. Our batteries “This converts DC have plenty of power into AC charging features power and can be built in too, used either for preventing them battery charging from being or the use of charged in too corded tools on hot conditions, outdoor job sites, or overcharged.” where an AC Wilson says Mark Earles, outlet is not a key development business development available, to provide recently, though, is manager for Outdoor Power professionals with an the AL 301-4 multiEquipment, Makita easily transportable charger, which is certified source of power.” for charging during transit in Facilitating the use of its a work vehicle.“With this set-up, the growing range of battery tools is a key focus van can be connected to an external power at Stihl as well.“The ability to charge quickly supply overnight for hassle-free charging; during the day, slowly overnight, on the move alternatively the batteries can be topped between jobs and away from a mains power up whilst driving between work sites.” supply are essential requirements for most Stihl is aiming to offer a “comprehensive battery customers. This is why we are range of charging solutions that enhance continually developing new batteries and productivity and ultimately prevent users charging solutions, with an emphasis on from being without power,” says Wilson.“For backwards compatibility, to ensure Stihl tools product groups such as hedge trimmers, this are competitive in the market and offer a has already been achieved, as the working comprehensive range of charging options,” says times and the capabilities of the machine Reuben Wilson, product executive at Stihl GB. already match their petrol alternatives. We Its range of chargers has grown to include also recognise that users want to minimise a fast charger and the AL 301-4 multi-charger, the number of battery/charger systems in use,

One of the key advantages of lithium-ion is that the batteries are more ‘energy dense’, allowing for greater power and capacities from smaller packs

which is why Stihl will continue to grow the AP System to include a wider variety of professional products.”

To achieve a truly cordless job site, Earles says Makita understands that it must equip users with the power that affords them total freedom and reliability, and its PDC01 and PDC1200 backpack battery power solutions were designed with this in mind.“These can be easily connected to a selection of Makita cordless machines to provide ‘portable fuel’,

MAKITA UR101C GRASS TRIMMER

enabling even longer run times and ensuring professionals can cover larger areas without needing to down tools and re-charge, both providing solutions when working with high drain machines.”

For Makita, which ceased manufacturing petrol engine products globally at the start of 2022, its focus is firmly on the research and development for cordless products. Its patented Battery Protection System is

EGO POWER PLUS PGX1600W

EGO POWER PLUS

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FEATURE

a communication technology that allows comes from our inherent understanding the tool and battery to exchange data in real of what our customers need from battery time and monitor conditions during use, to technology built through 30 years of operating protect against overloading, over-discharging at the forefront of battery power.” and overheating.

That’s not to say its battery technology “The battery and charger also hasn’t changed over time, with faster charging communicate, as the technology inside and higher capacities; but Frohock says the a Makita battery allows it to send information fundamentals of how any EGO tool will work that enables the charger to analyse the with any EGO battery remain unchanged.“As condition of the battery and identify any the popularity of battery power has changed, issues with it, such as temperature. Here, if the need for efficient charging has been the battery is too hot, the charger will cool considered in parallel at all times. Not only can the battery down using its built-in fan and you charge our batteries faster than you ever the cooling ports inside the battery, before the could before, but you can also charge more charging cycle will start. The charger of them at the same time too.” also reads the cells power It’s addressing “run-time levels and will only anxiety” by developing charge individual a charging solution that cells with what “will eradicate any they need.” fears around tool As charging down-time” – the technology new PGX1600W. develops, it also “This exciting new needs to be solution enables compatible a high number of with existing batteries to be technology, charged overnight which Wilson and throughout the Reuben Wilson, says Stihl is day even in off-grid product executive focusing on and locations. WiFi and at Stihl GB which is what IoT Bluetooth enabled, users product manager Andrew can see what modules are Frohock says makes EGO Power Plus charging, when charging will be complete stand out.“Regardless of how our and it can also prioritise the order of charge technologies have changed since we first for each battery module so that the user can launched 10 years ago, all of our products are have the specific battery they need, fully still forward and backward compatible. This charged, when they need it.”

The ability to charge quickly during the day, slowly overnight, on the move between jobs and away from a mains power supply are essential requirements for most battery customers

EGO POWER PLUS

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Performance, flexibility, and connectivity have been the key areas of focus on charging at Ego, says Frohock.“Our solution can now charge up to 70 batteries from a single charger in a sequential manner. It is also fully scalable so you can start with a solution which will

EGO POWER PLUS PGX1600W

charge as few as three batteries and scale up as your requirements grow without needing to change the complete charger just through the addition of charging modules – all of this from a single power outlet too. There is peace of mind with our app that, through scheduled charging, completion reminders and charging alerts, power is available when needed.

"Usage data gives users the ability to optimise their power requirements against actual usage; and anticipate any seasonal changes to their power needs. Our new charging solutions are definitely at a stage where grounds maintenance companies can now fully consider switching to battery power and leaving petrol in the past.”

As Kress’ marketing says, we’re now in a post-petrol era – and with the significant developments that have gone into making battery power a viable option, we are inclined to agree.

EGO POWER PLUS

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PROMOTION

O

ver the last decade alone, outlook and perspectives on health and safety have evolved significantly.

When Thomas Lanaghan first joined the industry 20 years ago, his peers and employers would have sniggered at the use of PPE and mocked those who didn’t follow the short cuts within the trade.

Protective clothing, goggles and facemasks are just some of the things that were not regularly used or maintained. Labourers were expected to work for hours on end, getting the job done as soon as possible, going home for a soak in the bath at the end of the day, only to repeat the cycle the following morning.

They were long days and gruelling conditions which strained mental and physical health and triggered a series of lasting injuries.

Now, working as a product specialist for Makita and providing health and safety training alongside product demonstrations to all aspects of the industry, Lanaghan has 20 years’ worth of experience and injuries to prove to the future generations why safety and self-care are, in fact, the most important things.

Redefining

WORKPLACE SAFETY ©Ollie Dixon

Safety, sustainability, and success.

Going beyond the classroom, Makita’s 'Be Safe' course inspires hands-on learning and revolutionises safety standards across the industry

Merrist Wood College and University Centre in Surrey. By not only being able to pull from his own personal anecdotes to give students and apprentices honest and realistic expectations, but by working with Makita, he is able to guide future generations, and those who will essentially become the target market for some of the most beneficial products for both productivity and wellbeing.

Founded over 100 years ago, Makita remains one of the leading manufacturers of power tools, garden machinery and accessories. Since ceasing the production of all petrol engine products globally in January 2022, Makita specialises in providing battery powered, cordless solutions for the building, construction, and outdoor landscaping.

It’s constantly refining its battery and charging technologies, to support greener and cleaner products for the industry, as

well as provide the performance and power that tradespeople need as well as the run time for any application.

The ‘Be Safe' course for Grounds Maintenance, Landscaping and Forestry Products developed from Makita’s City and Guilds approved Correct and Safe Use of Electrical Power Tools Be Safe, drives home the safety philosophy for good outdoor site operations practice.

It covers the right way to select and handle Makita equipment, health and safety risk management, and PPE policies.

Regulated by the law and UK industry standards, students are encouraged to handle the tools, ask questions, and engage with Makita’s experts while becoming totally familiarised with modern garden machinery.

It includes an hour-long presentation, full of anecdotes, examples, experiences, and a Q&A session, followed by a hands-on trial of the products. The ‘Be Safe' course visits

Batteries work better now than they ever used to; they’ve come a long way in two years and battery is now the only way forward

In the landscaping market, Makita works with everyone, from independent sole traders, all the way through to large landscaping corporations, travelling across the UK to various levels of capabilities and education within the industry. Lanaghan works closely with the

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PROMOTION the Merrist Wood College and University Centre each year. Usually working in intimate groups of 10-15 students and apprentices from across the horticultural, arboriculture, and landscaping courses.

Business engagement specialist, Sarah Markham, has worked with the college for the past 12 years, “connecting learners with employer partners to help develop their employability skills as they prepare for their future careers in the industry”. Markham has been working closely with Makita to ensure that all existing students and new starters are given the opportunity to attend the training session and receive the certificate.

With a steady flow of new students each year, the college has been a working, land-based college since the end of the second world war when the government wanted to make sure that we as a country could stand to feed ourselves and so pushed for the training of farmers and horticulturists. By teaming up with Makita and by participating in these courses, Merrist Wood can ensure that it is preparing its students to the best of their abilities.

Aiming to primarily reduce accidents, incidents, and casualties, the 'Be Safe' course Be aware of powerlines.

Ensure tools are safe.

Stand on a stable structure.

Always wear PPE. Familiarize yourself with the tool.

Extra care of cutting blades.

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As a manufacturer and supplier of leading battery-powered, cordless machines currently on the market powered by lithium-ion batteries, Makita is confident that “the professional’s choice is cordless.”

According to Lanaghan, “batteries work better now than they ever used to; they have come a long way in two years and battery is now the only way forward.”

Holding high levels of energy that will work for long periods of time without needing to be charged, Makita has seen a significant increase in the popularity given the flexibility and improved safety these models offer.

With battery being touted as the more sustainable option, users do not have to worry about the safe transportation and storage of fuel and are not exposed to harmful emissions. Investing in these tools can also be more cost effective over time, as there is no need to purchase new batteries with every tool. With Makita, professionals have access to a wide range of machines, making it easy to find a tool suited to every job. This means that landscapers can make sure that they are using the right tool for the task and maximise their productivity and on-site efficiency.

Perfect for college displays, the cordless machines are often lighter and better balanced. They produce lower vibration and noise levels, so users have better control and are at a reduced risk of developing associated health issues, such as Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), hearing loss and tinnitus.

This not only makes cordless machines a much safer option for operators, but better for the environment too since they do not emit exhaust fumes and odours during operation. These products can be showcased without the need for power cables, plugs and electrical outputs allowing Lanaghan to take the students out of the boundaries of the classroom, put the tools in their hands and allow them to explore the full potential of the machines.

Taught in preparation for real life, students are provided with the appropriate PPE such as ear defenders, goggles, and more, before being let loose to add their very own flair to the local hedges and gaining that authentic experience.

Gone are the days of video displays and a classic ‘show and tell’ with Makita; those who attend the course have access to a wide range of machines, making it easy to find a tool suited to every job. Operatives can make sure that they are using the right tool for the task and maximise their productivity and on-site efficiency, all with the knowledge of how to 'Be Safe' and stay safe. makitauk.com

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WORK

smarter A

Connected solutions give users the advantage when it comes to best understanding, and keeping track of, their tools

nyone who has an Apple product likely understands the of each machine is synced with a maintenance schedule, making it benefits of connecting all devices; from an iPhone to an easy to complete tasks at the optimum time and reduce downtime.

IPad to an iMac, they can all be linked to one user, who "For Stihl machines the schedule is automatically applied, and for can keep track of them and gather data from each. third party machines the schedule can be created by the customer.

Why should it be any different with outdoor power For large fleets, Connected is a great alternative to a paper-based equipment? At least, that seems to be the records system, as it’s easy to keep track of the inventory thinking of some manufacturers. and store information such as the maintenance Take Swedish brand Husqvarna, which history, invoices, and who is responsible Having accurate introduced the concept of its connected for each tool.” information on which solutions at its annual Living City event in Since its initial launch, Stihl Connected products are used and 2015, launching them the following year. has grown significantly. In 2020, it began which are not can help “Initially, the connectivity came from integrating Connected into its AP System a sensor being purchased separately and batteries – its professional offering – and a fleet manager make attached to the product. This option is a year later it introduced a second type the correct purchasing still available but with the development of Connector – the Smart Connector 2 A. decisions when the time of our professional battery range, we have “The 2 A plugs directly into the control comes to renew started to build the sensors into the module of some of the AP System tools and their fleet machines from new as standard,” explains can collect an even wider variety of useful James Walker, national key account manager information. We regularly introduce James Walker, national key account manager at at Husqvarna UK. improvements to the App and Portal too, Husqvarna UK “Each year, more and more of our pro battery to further enhance the user experience.” range has Fleet Services™ connectivity as standard.

Complacency certainly wouldn’t pay, with competitors You can also connect our full range of Pro robotic mowers hot on the heels of both Husqvarna and Stihl. EGO Power Plus, and have full control of them from this system.” a solely battery power tool manufacturer, will be launching its own Fleet utilisation is a huge benefit for any customer, says Walker. connected products in early 2024 to coincide with the launch of its “Having accurate information on which products are used and EGO Connect app for domestic customers and its EGO Fleet app in which are not can help a fleet manager make the correct purchasing the spring. This will provide businesses with full tool visibility over decisions when the time comes to renew their fleet. On top of this, aspects such as tool usage, tool location and tool health status as well it can be used to track whole life ownership costs, from point of as many more innovative features that our customers have come to purchase through to servicing and repairs to give an accurate record expect from EGO, says IoT product manager Andrew Frohock. from a workshop point of view. This can help make a more informed decision with regards to the repair or replacement of a faulty or damaged machine.”

German manufacturer Stihl wasn’t far behind bringing its own smart solution to the British market, launching Stihl Connected in 2019. At the time, the system comprised of the Smart Connector, the Connected App and the Connected Portal, explains Stihl GB’s product executive Reuben Wilson. “Once secured to the machine, the smart connector records the runtime and sends the information to the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth. On the Connected App or Portal, the runtime is synced to the tools maintenance schedule, meaning important tasks such as greasing gearboxes or changing fuel filters happens exactly when required.”

First and foremost, it’s a fleet management tool designed to improve machine maintenance, explains Wilson. “The working time

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FEATURE

In the past two years, we’ve seen an increase in the demand for all Connected products, particularly amongst professionals with large fleets to manage

“We have spent a lot of time with facilities and estate management companies, local authorities, small business owners and domestic users to fully understand what Reuben Wilson, product executive, they need and expect Stihl GB from a connected product.

Many companies provide connected solutions but most offer very little in the way of genuine user benefit. Putting the customer at the centre of our connected product platform enables us to deliver a service that brings them a multitude of benefits and ensures that it is a solution that they can implement as a regular part of their work.”

Those benefits will vary from user to user, says Frohock; but overall, the connected solution aims to provide confidence that they are getting the most from their investment. EGO’s market research shows that users are looking at run times and durability of products to maintain performance throughout the working day.

“Ultimately, our connected solutions will ensure that our products can deliver these requirements, especially for heavy commercial users. All Ego users will benefit from the enhanced user experience connectivity will bring, the ability to control and adjust tool settings from your smartphone, servicing, and maintenance reminders to help keep our machines running at their best for longer, and easy access to support and diagnostics should something go wrong,” says Frohock.

For trade and commercial customers, EGO Fleet will provide greater insight into the tool inventory. “Power management allows users to optimise their battery charging and gives peace of mind that power will be available when and where it is needed, regardless of daily power requirements.

"Comprehensive inventory management allows for both live and historic visibility of tool status and availability, reducing downtime and allowing for optimal work planning. Greater insight into machine lifecycle allows for informed decisions to be made when it

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comes to many aspects of inventory optimisation through sound procurement planning.”

It already sounds like connected solutions tick all the boxes, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for this technology to develop, and that’s exactly what kit manufacturers are exploring. Stihl, for instance, is looking forward to “some great developments,” particularly in the areas of battery management, shares Wilson.

“For example, by the end of 2024 all AP System batteries will have Connected integrated as standard, with the ability to see the battery’s health status. In the past two years, we’ve seen an increase in the demand for all Connected products, particularly amongst professionals with large fleets to manage, and we anticipate it will continue to grow strongly in the next five years.”

There are so many ways that the technology can develop, says Husqvarna’s Walker – he lists product security, CO2 tracking, HAVS management and noise exposure, but says these are just a few of the possibilities. The grounds maintenance sector might have been a bit slow to embrace connectivity so far, but “those who have embraced our system have engaged with it to a great level, more often than not ensuring their entire fleet is connected to our system.”

Then there’s EGO, which is somewhat at the start of its connected journey, but We’re just which sees huge scratching the surface potential. “If solutions are deemed to be of what can be achieved valuable and with connected important by the products and the future industry, then is looking extremely demand will increase interesting exponentially. We’re just scratching the Andrew Frohock, surface of what can be IoT product manager, Ego achieved with connected products and the future is looking extremely interesting.”

Now might be the time to embrace smarter solutions – after all, data is power.

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WHAT’S NEW? MAKITA

DUH606 18V LXT 600mm Cordless Brushless Hedge Trimmer

•T he cast aluminium deck ensures the mower is robust, stable and performs to a high standard throughout the working day •T he dual battery ports provide Peak PowerTM to the mower when more energy is needed, while the 1600W motor has ample torque to handle tough mowing tasks • 3 in 1: mulch, side discharge or collect in the 85L grass bag • Front and back cutting height adjustment from 25mm to 105mm • Simple and clear cockpit showing battery capacity, drive speed adjustment and blade engagement. egopowerplus.co.uk

•C ompact and lightweight design • 600mm one sided blade, with top bevel tooth and two sharpened edges • Blade speed of 4,000 strokes per minute • 20mm max cutting capacity • Compatible with Makita’s PDC01 portable backpack power supply for extended run times makitauk.com

KRESS

CyberTank Portable Power Station KAC875E •8 -minute CyberSystem DC-DC charger provides energy needed for charging any Kress 60V or or Kress 60V CyberPack for the whole day • Fast charging, enabling users to charge Kress’ CyberSystem battery to 100% in eight minutes • LCD panel charging indication and diagnostic reminder indicate battery status • GPS and 4G capability linked to Kress Commercial App to provide functions such as anti-theft and tool tracking • Waterproof and durable, with a forklift base design for ease when moving kress.com/en-gb

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LMX5300 PRO X Lawn Mower

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HUSQVARNA

Multi Rack Charger (40-C1000X4) •C apable of simultaneously charging up to four Husqvarna Bli-X 36V batteries directly at the work site • H igh charging power and parallel, smart charging with load balancing for efficient charging and high uptime •A ctive battery cooling during charging offers short charging time and extended battery lifetime • All-weather functionality (IPX4) for reliable outdoor charging • State-of-charge indicators (LEDs) on the outside of the charger provide real-time battery status updates husqvarna.com/uk

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FEATURE

Manufacturers continue to grow their battery powered ranges, from tools to charging solutions, there's something for any landscaper

STIHL

FSA 200 brushcutter •O ne of the most powerful battery powered brushcutters in Stihl’s AP System • Boasts a power output up to 60% higher compared to the FSA 135, ensuring efficient and versatile cutting • Available in bike handle and loop handle models, with the latter featuring a quick-release handle clamp, allowing easy adjustment to accommodate users of varying heights • Three speed settings allow users to tailor their cutting experience for different materials, maximising battery life and overall efficiency • Incorporates a mesh air filter that provides optimal motor cooling to enhance durability as well as facilitate easy cleaning stihl.co.uk/en

EGO POWER PLUS

STX4500 & BCX4500 PRO X Grass Trimmer/Brushcutter • Available in both loop and bike handle versions, the commercial grass trimmers are suitable for landscapers, facilities operations, and municipal users • A carbon fibre shaft for greater strength and stability while reducing weight • Equipped with a Rapid Reload head and 2.7mm twist line the tool is simple to load with line when empty reducing downtime in the field (2.4, 2.7 & 3.0mm line compatible) • Three speed – tool speed can be controlled via the handle meaning the tool runtime can be increased when working on light loads, or speed can be increased for heavier working loads at the touch of a button.

• Can be used with the brand-new EGO Connect App for a personalised experience egopowerplus.co.uk

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MAKITA

CE001G 80VMax XGT 355mm Cordless Brushless Disc Cutter • No load speed of 5,300rpm • Max cutting capacity of 127mm making it suitable for use on larger workpieces •W ater supply kits can be connected for dust suppression •L ow vibration mechanism provides comfort and safety when in use •A ctive Feedback Sensing Technology automatically shuts down the power to protect the operator and the machine if the rotation speed suddenly slows down makitauk.com

HUSQVARNA

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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OPINION

The new president-elect of the Landscape Institute, Carolin Göhler, sets the scene for an exciting year ahead

A

s the Landscape Institute (LI) looks ahead to another year of connecting people, place and nature, we do so in safe knowledge that 2024 will be a vitally important year for the landscape professions and related industries.

Our role as connectors, strategists, and storytellers will remain essential in our collective ambition to impact the biggest challenges for society – from climate emergency and biodiversity restoration to public health and wellbeing, and the sustainable management of land alongside housing, agriculture, infrastructure, heritage, and more.

2023 was a challenging year across the built and natural environment sectors. Our own members continue to be affected by impacts in the wake of Brexit and wider international unrest, with knock-on effects on procurement, supply chains and rising costs putting increasing pressure on landscape-related businesses.

The UK’s ongoing political inconsistency, and its impact on policy and investor sentiment, has had an unsettling effect on our members’ businesses and project planning, while skills and labour shortages continue to beset their ability to meet project demands.

Indeed, these are concerns that we know are shared by our partner membership organisations across the industry.

Despite these challenges, the LI looks ahead with confidence that we are building from

strong foundations. Our recent 30th anniversary Awards spotlighted the incredible work of our members and gives us great inspiration in our power to make the world a greener, fairer, more beautiful place to live.

Addressing the combined emergencies around climate, biodiversity and health remains our priority. As we move through 2024 and beyond, our focus will be on building an inclusive, progressive institute, with policy engagement, membership and education the key drivers of our success. In the next year, our current strategic priorities of people, membership and systems will put our members’ essential skills at the heart of everything we do. Our eight pledges to members, alongside ongoing membership and stakeholder engagement, will guide us as we launch a digital operational infrastructure, and a new five-year corporate strategy.

We look forward to reporting on emerging collaborative work on embodied carbon in the landscape sector, as well as with Natural England on green infrastructure standards, and ongoing collaboration with the sector’s other professional institutions. Leading the ‘Adaption and Resilience’ workstream as part of a Construction Industry Council cross-sector climate action plan will remain an important focus, as will expanding our new Landscape Character Assessment (LCA) database.

2024 will be an important year for environmental policy, not least with a general election imminent, and we are pleased that legislation on Sustainable Drainage Systems and BNG (Biodiversity Net Gain) will finally be rolled out. These are vital steps towards more sustainable development, but we

Addressing the combined emergencies around climate, biodiversity and health remains our priority

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©National Trust

Making an IMPACT must ensure that we demand more of both incumbent and future governments.

Last year, we made great strides in opening up more routes into the landscape professions and in developing the talent we already have.

We welcomed the first graduates of the first cohort of Level 3 Technician apprentices as Technician Members of the Landscape Institute (TMLI), and launched the LI Academy.

We expect labour and skills challenges to continue into 2024, as requirements for projects across a huge range of specialist criteria become increasingly difficult to meet. Rising to these challenges, the LI will continue to expand its accredited partners and apprenticeships, and we’re excited to continue work on launching the Level 7 apprenticeship.

We will continue our work and support on ‘Access All Areas’ too – a joint charter signed by five associations as a public declaration of commitment to positive change on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, as well as continue to meet actions from a MoU on EDI we signed with other professional bodies in these sectors. 2024 could herald positive change, if we all join together and make our work count.

CAROLIN GÖHLER Carolin Göhler FLI is presidentelect of the Landscape Institute, with her presidency due to run for two years from June 2024. She has over 35 years’ experience as a chartered landscape architect and horticulturist, and over 10 years’ experience as a CEO in the charity sector. landscapeinstitute.org

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

67

OPINION

Do we want

Could our public spaces be more of a force for good, wonders Christopher Martin

'PASSIV' SPACE? A

new year is the perfect time to discuss new ideas to address the problems we’ve been staring at for a long time.

Watching a new episode of Grand Designs recently, I found myself learning a lot about Passivhaus Premium accreditation; the careful construction needed, the onerous testing requirements, the mind-bending spreadsheet models and calculations, and the commitment and drive needed to deliver something that creates value rather than just taking all the time.

This is of course important because buildings are a significant source of carbon emissions – accountable for 35% of total global energy consumption, consuming and taking assets away from the planet and society and not giving back.

Over the life of this accreditation more generally, attitudes have evolved, and technologies invented and become more accessible. So, it is only right that we ask more of the most inventive and raise our collective ambition for what good looks like.

Now, in addition to the established ‘Passivhaus Classic’, there are ‘Passivhaus Plus’ and ‘Passivhaus Premium’ standards and these essentially make a building into a net contributor of energy – ‘plus’ sending some back to the grid and ‘premium’ sending a lot back. For this article, I am going to sweep over the fact that the UK Grid currently caps the amount individuals can give/sell back to the grid, and indeed this also being the Business Leadership and Battery Power special, I hope some budding

THIS BIRD IS FITTED WITH ENOUGH HYDRAULIC TURBINES AND SOLAR CELLS TO POWER AN ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD. ©HARETH POCHEE, ADAM KHAN, LOUIS LEGER, PATRICK FRYER

business entrepreneurs are developing battery storage solutions for just this emerging problem. Instead, I want to talk about projects outside the home. Why do we not set the same standards, or even the same demonstrable aspirations, for public realm projects?

Good public realm and street design projects – like architectural – look to do good as well as look good; look to deliver a public good and give back to the planet and society rather than just take and exploit. With this in mind, should we also be looking to do more around energy creation in public spaces? By this, I don’t mean sticking wind turbines everywhere (but why not in some places?) or covering parks with solar panels; but why not have a children’s play park capturing some kilowatt hours when we jump on the swing or rock on the seesaw? Thinking like this could also extend to public art, and again I don’t mean the Angel of the North

Good public realm and street design projects look to do good as well as look good; look to deliver a public good and give back to planet and society rather than just take and exploit

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

should be relaunched with flapping wings; but when we commission and install public art, can we integrate ways to capture energy from the sun, wind, or water?

So, I have arrived at AssertivSpace because our public realm is already very passive when it comes to harnessing potential energy around it. AssertivSpace needs to incentivise and promote designers to develop solutions that harness energy from our footsteps, capture the heat energy from the cigarette bin, or collect the energy from rainwater running into SuDS.

CHRISTOPHER 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; past vice chair of the UK Urban Design Group; and is a member of the United Nations Planning and Climate Action Group. urbanmovement.co.uk @ChrisCities

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OPINION

A YEAR OF

With the new year comes the eagerly awaited Biodiversity Net Gain legislation, which Lewis Normand would like to see rolled out in domestic settings too

change?

H

appy New Year to you all.

Lang may yer lum reek, as we say in Scotland. This is a traditional New Years’ greeting, meaning long may your chimney smoke (in other words, prosperity to you).

As I write this, I am just back from another FutureScape, where I hosted two excellent panels, one on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and another on biosecurity.

There are lots of really positive changes for the industry in BNG, creating jobs and benefitting the local and wider environment.

And, as always, there are lots of challenges in biosecurity; but industry is really leading change here and controlling its own destiny, which I like a great deal. The Plant Healthy Scheme, implementing the vision of an industry collective known as the Plant Health Alliance, has established a framework of how businesses can best operate to maintain good trade, while maintaining biosecure premises for the greater good of all.

Whilst I firmly believe that growers and other horticultural businesses are generally pretty good at this and most understand the value of stringent plant health standards in their work, it will likely be that biosecurity risks come through the less well self-regulated areas of shed stores and supermarkets, unregistered

eBay and Amazon plant sellers and the fly-by-night characters selling plants at the side of the road – even plant exchanges at horticultural groups and people selling plants at markets and car boot sales could be major plant pest or pathogen spreaders. We must be vigilant, and we must try to get as many people as possible to commit to high standards of biosecurity assessment and risk prevention. I see the Be Plant Healthy campaign being a real success and most larger UK wholesale nurseries are either already signed up, or in the process of being approved as a Plant Healthy business.

In terms of BNG, I write this on the eve of the new legislation becoming law, which is a real step forward in terms of a positive focus on the built environment. From January 2024, new developments and commercial redevelopments will be required to contribute positively by a factor of 10% to the biodiversity of the site they are building on. It might not seem like much, but when you consider the endless developments that have been undertaken within the last 50 years where green space was removed and

I see BNG legislation as one of those important moments in time that will change the direction of how we operate

never returned to a space, this matters; 10% may seem an arbitrary number, and indeed it is, but it represents a commitment to the environment in our larger building works.

Personally, I would like to see this plan rolled out into domestic developments too. All the people concreting over front gardens to make endless driveways, putting artificial lawns down to stop maintenance – these all should be of a bleak past and prevented from happening without that 10% contribution on top of the biodiversity removed from a space. I suspect that domestic legislation will be slow in coming, if at all, but if we are really committed to trying to improve the planet, or at least damage it less freely, it is the kind of uncomfortable but necessary step we need to take.

I see BNG legislation as one of those important moments in time that will change the direction of how we operate. It is strange that it is coming from a government that wantonly pollutes rivers and waterways with raw sewage, but we must not look a gift horse in the mouth.

I believe we will see even more creative ways to introduce biodiversity to spaces being developed, with living walls, living lamp posts and more vertical surface greening than ever before.

Creativity is so often the mother of invention, so I am sure we will see new techniques, material resource and specialisms develop from this new approach to housebuilding and development.

Larger housebuilders have already been developing creative solutions to add that extra 10% to biodiversity in their developments.

Long may it continue.

LEWIS NORMAND

LEWIS HOSTING THE 'BOOST FOR NATURE: DELIVERING BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN' SEMINAR AT FUTURESCAPE 2023

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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.

prolandscapermagazine.com

OPINION

Reworking

REWILDING ‘Rewilding’ has been somewhat repurposed, and not always for the better – but public spaces can benefit when managed well, explains Noel Kingsbury

R

ewilding has become a buzzword much heard over the last few years, but rarely has a word moved so quickly from 'interesting and radical new concept' to 'cliché'. Originally it was being used to describe the return of quite large areas of land to something like it would have been before human intervention, with the return of large mammal species, including keystone predators like wolves.

Whittling it down to smaller scales divests it much of its meaning and radicalism as a word and concept.

However, it has changed in meaning, and we are stuck with that. So, what does it mean to 'rewild' the local park, or any other reasonable size body of managed landscape? People are right to be suspicious. Back in the 1980s, the concept of 'wildlife gardening' was seized on by some local authorities as an excuse to cut back on maintenance under the cover of creating 'biodiversity areas'.

The resulting unkempt grass and weeds did little to create public confidence in the idea.

Simply 'letting go' opens managed landscapes to the process of succession, the replacement of one community of plants by another until we end up with mature woodland.

If managed properly it may not be a bad thing in some circumstances.

It's how you do it, and how you explain it to the public, that makes it a success or a failure.

An early stage of succession sees a landscape dominated by short-lived species which can seed prodigiously – it is the seed of these that spread into surrounding landscapes and gardens and create problems. However, in reality, most designed landscapes are at a more mature stage, and this is less likely to happen – any

Rewilding as a management tool in skilled hands, does have genuinely creative possibilities

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'rewilding' will be more about rough grass, perennial weeds, brambles and bindweed. The most successful management of these situations that I have seen have been where there is a clear distinction between areas that are 'wild' and areas that are regularly managed by mowing and strimming. The existence of the mown areas conveys a clear message – that everything here is intentional. This can be surprisingly attractive; one park I know in Germany has big robust perennials and shrubs growing in a matrix of ground elder, all very clearly demarcated by regularly mown grass. Ground elder does not seed, and it is partially suppressed by plants taller than it is. The herbaceous layer gets a once-a-year mow and that's it.

The succession process offers numerous possibilities of being stopped at a particular point, so creating the possibility of imaginatively sculpting a landscape with 'rewilded' vegetation at various heights and plant combinations. The least-managed areas will eventually become dominated by trees and shrubs; the most-managed would be rough grass. Mown and therefore clearly intentional paths helps make it clear to the public that this is how it is meant to be. I know of one municipality in Spain (Girona) that is doing this very creatively over substantial areas, with a patchwork of different habitats emerging, all achieved with very limited resources.

Rewilding as a management tool then, in skilled hands, does have genuinely creative possibilities.

NOEL KINGSBURY Noel Kingsbury is a freelance designer, writer and researcher who has long promoted naturalistic planting design. He also runs the education website gardenmasterclass.org. noelkingsbury.com

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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OPINION Landscape architects should consider being part of the long-term ‘development’ of a space, suggest Gabrielle Shay and Kerrie Mckinnon

Taking

RESPONSIBILITY

T

he industry term ‘garden maintenance’ is gradually becoming obsolete, with ‘garden aftercare’ now widely embraced.

This subtle shift in language reflects the perspective that a garden is not a static entity requiring routine maintenance to uphold a fixed appearance over time, but rather a dynamic, evolving living environment.

Despite this rebranding, for the client, an expectation gap can often emerge after project sign-off. This gap may be attributed to failed communication between landscape architects and clients regarding the realities of garden aftercare and its associated costs, whether in the public realm or private residential settings.

Tiptoeing around additional consultant costs associated with providing ongoing involvement often results in landscape architects not being involved at all after handover. There is concern that clients, having already invested in the design stages, may be reluctant to pay for a service that goes beyond the handover stage. Perhaps the assumption is that the responsibility of aftercare should lie solely on the gardener, absolving the landscape architect from that ongoing conversation.

Rebranding aftercare as ‘garden development’ could shift the client's mindset, emphasising that, despite the initial expenses for consultants, a garden is never truly

finished. Advocating for landscape architects to be involved in long-term garden development from the appointment stage is crucial. This could include maintenance plans that are well-thought-out and identify an 'approach' rather than a fixed treatment. The goal is to create a plan that can be revisited and improved in response to unexpected developments, with the aim of making the landscape more self-sufficient over time.

This involvement should empower gardeners through collaboration with the design team in the early stages, utilising their maintenance knowledge instead of adopting a one-size-fits-all approach. We should champion the skills and intuition of gardeners, facilitating long-term planting development through their observation and direct experience, whether they live or work in the landscape.

This sensitive approach to landscape recognises the evolving nature of landscapes and the ongoing collaboration required for their sustained beauty and functionality.

Let’s imagine landscape architects being more involved in aftercare, adopting a more observant and sensitive approach. Refraining from repeatedly removing the same perennial weed may contribute to sustainable garden practices, for example. Each plant, even seemingly persistent ones, may possess unique

Rebranding aftercare as ‘garden development’ could shift the client's mindset, emphasising that, despite the initial expenses for consultants, a garden is never truly finished

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

value in the overall ecosystem. The suitability of a place might not solely rely on intentional plantings but also on what spontaneously thrives in the environment.

Delving into the details of where efforts are best concentrated and determining the time required to "develop" the garden at its optimal performance is an important element in the financial sustainability of a space. Addressing specifics like budgeting for bulb planting, topiary pruning, arboriculture, and pond maintenance is crucial for the viability of a project. Exploring costs in detail could open up possibilities for engaging specialists in each area, resulting in a more deliberate and skilful approach, allowing for a balance between manicured sections and wilder, more natural areas.

Establishing a long-term relationship with the landscape architect, gardener, and client facilitates a continuous learning process. This enables the discernment of what works and what doesn't, and this accumulated knowledge becomes an invaluable asset for informing and enhancing future projects.

STUDIO SUPERNATURAL Studio Supernatural is a landscape architecture practice based in London and Leeds.

Gabrielle Shay is a landscape architect, with years of experience in taking domestic projects from concept to completion and leads both private and commercial projects in the studio from London.

Kerrie Mckinnon is a chartered landscape architect with over 10 years’ experience, working on a wide range of projects in South England and Leeds.

She leads the public and some of the commercial projects within the studio from Leeds. studio-supernatural.co.uk

prolandscapermagazine.com

INSPIRING

OPINION Clare Matterson, explains how the upcoming RHS Chelsea Flower Show is encouraging school children to engage with horticulture

©RHS/Oliver Dixon

the next generation

A

t this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024 we’re incredibly excited to feature, for the first time ever, a garden designed by children for children. The innovation and imagination of children knows no bounds and pupils at Sulivan Primary School in London will create an RHS No Adults Allowed Garden that provides an immersive experience for children to scramble over boulders, splash in the stream and dive into jubilant planting.

Whilst RHS Chelsea brings new ideas and inspiration, it also reaches out and provides an immeasurably important platform to share our love and joy of gardening whilst promoting all the positive benefits that gardening can bring to school children.

Creating this exciting garden highlights our work with schools and teachers to help engage every young person in growing, nurturing and protecting nature. Not every child in the UK has access to a garden and their school gardens might be their only experience with nature – an opportunity to breathe fresh air, to take a moment to experience the sights and smells of the outdoors, to get their hands dirty planting seeds or harvesting vegetables.

CATHERINE, PRINCESS OF WALES, ON SAVILLS GARDEN

CATHERINE, PRINCESS OF WALES, PICTURED WITH SCHOOL CHILDREN FOR THE FIRST RHS CHELSEA CHILDRENS PICNIC

At the RHS, we don’t want children’s experience of plants and nature to be on an occasional basis – we want greater hands-on

prolandscapermagazine.com

children’s garden will be a special experience for all the children involved, which ignites an interest in gardening that will be with them forever; that it will help others to re-imagine their gardens with children in mind and build a greater understanding of our major nationwide initiatives to engage and encourage children of all ages to garden both in school and at home.

With the generous support of the Mohn Westlake Foundation, we will be developing our education programmes nationally. Already the RHS Campaign for School Gardening engages with over 32,000 schools and groups, and working with the foundation will allow us to develop our school workshops further, reach a wider range of schools and develop new programmes to give teachers skills and confidence to engage pupils with gardening.

Following RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the RHS No Adults Allowed Garden, will live on at Sulivan Primary School in Fulham to be shared with other local schools to enjoy for many years to come.

S/ ©RH

©RHS/Oliver Dixon

We don’t want DESIGNED BY MARK GREGORY AT RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW 2023 children’s experience experience in As well as the RHS No Adults Allowed of plants and nature school that will Garden, we’ll also be organising our hugely to be on an occasional recognise the popular RHS Chelsea Children’s Picnic again basis – we want greater importance of this year inviting local schoolchildren to hands-on experience in horticulture to experience the show gardens first hand and both their take away lasting memories of connecting to school that will recognise physical and nature through gardening, sparking their the importance of mental wellbeing. curiosity with plants and, we hope, inspiring horticulture I hope that this a lifetime interest in gardening.

CLARE MATTERSON

Pa ul Deb ois

Clare Matterson CBE is the director general of the RHS. She was previously executive director of engagement at the Natural History Museum and spent 17 years with the Wellcome Trust leading its work in engagement, education, policy and strategy.

Clare was awarded a CBE for services to public engagement and a Fellowship to the British Science Association for outstanding contributions to public engagement and was named on GQ's Most Connected Women in Britain in 2015. rhs.org.uk

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

73

OPINION

HARD

lessons to learn Andrew Wilson considers how garden designers of the future need to embrace hard materials in their work

Q

uite an interesting trend has revealed itself over recent years concerning the attitude of new or hopeful designers coming into the field of garden design.

It has long been the case that most would-be garden designers are firstly interested in plants and later by the concept of garden design in its wider sense. In making this journey many are apprehensive of hard materials and construction to say the least but over recent years this attitude is evolving into an aversion, with our first term teaching sometimes having to disarm students of this negativity.

Planting design obviously deals principally with plants; but garden design has to encompass the functionality of the garden at its foundation with construction and materiality playing an essential role in that consideration. Most contemporary clients want to use their gardens for leisure and social interaction with friends and family; most will need secure boundary treatments, storage or work areas, driveways and parking areas. In larger properties areas of paving need to be larger in scale to cope with the size of the property and the number of entrances that need a paved access.

None of these elements can be delivered with planting and without these surfaces or structures few gardens if any will work for today’s clients. Many students worry about sustainability or permeability but many feel that the hardscape is simply using up valuable planting space.

Certainly, hard landscaping loses out completely to plants in the biodiversity stakes, attraction of wildlife, the filtration of pollution and so on; but it is possible to strike a balance. We can design in permeability, although the important aspect is what we do about drainage within our gardens. We can specify more sustainable materials or select local or UK-based materials (sustainability can be interpreted in so many ways).

Good hard landscape design is not about excessive use in the garden and never has been, although occasional posts on social media

LARGER AREAS OF PAVING NEED BOLD AND COMPLEMENTARY PLANTING SUCH AS THIS SURREY GARDEN BY ANDREW WILSON & GAVIN MCWILLIAM

might suggest otherwise. The garden needs to be a balance of hard and soft with paved areas balanced with rich planting masses, trees for scale and height, shade and atmosphere.

For beginners there is a love affair with what they perceive to be softer materials such as gravel or paving that combines in some way with planted joints and gaps between stepping stones. Whilst internet image searches produce some arresting images these combinations are not always functional and can lead to a weaker overall construction in terms of longevity. These details can often prove more expensive especially in terms of labour and compromise the health and sustainability of the planting squeezed between the joints. Gravel is a great material but not always appropriate for heavily used surfaces.

With some local authorities now asking for permeable paving solutions for rear gardens as well as front gardens we have to steer a careful path to deliver good, long lived and sustainable surfaces that also meet the client need and complement, or perhaps even enhance, the planting design in the process.

Garden design has to encompass the functionality of the garden at its foundation

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Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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. lcgd.org.uk

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LAST WORD

Little INTERVIEWS Pro Landscaper asks quick-fire questions to gain a small insight into the people who make up our industry. To take part, email content@eljays44.com

OLIVIA WARREN-BENGER Commercial director, Tony Benger Landscaping

RACHEL BAILEY MSGD Director and principal designer, Rachel Bailey Garden Design

ADAM STEWART Director, Utopia Landscapes

Winner Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2023: Commercial Landscape Company

Winner Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2023: Garden Design Company of the Year

Winner – Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2023: New Company (Under 2 years old)

Would you recommend entering for a business award?

Absolutely, it's well worth spending the time entering an award; it allows you to step back and appreciate how far you have come both as a company and within the industry. Winning commercial landscaping company is something that has been recognised by our customers, especially as they are looking for high quality and trustworthy landscapers – working with an award-winning company gives them that comfort that we will be committed to the job.

What did you gain from entering the Pro Landscaper Business Award 2023?

Wider recognition of our garden and landscape design practice alongside our sustainability focus and ethos.

Time to reflect on how our business is performing and what we have achieved over the previous year(s), and some amazing feedback from the judges! The process of entering focuses your mind to consider your business: how it is performing and what you have achieved.

How has winning a Pro Landscaper Business Award benefitted your business?

We gained further recognition for all of the hard work we put into building the company. It's a unique selling point with clients that distinguishes our services, as well as helping with differentiation in the market, setting our business apart from competitors and enhancing our business’ credibility, adding to our already trustworthy reputation.

Plans for the new year?

Continuing to work with our lovely clients in both the aftercare and development side of our business as well as the creation of new regenerative gardens and landscapes. I am looking forward to helping to develop the skills of the designers I work with, helping them to move through the Society of Garden Designers accreditation pathway too. I am now also a qualified Building with Nature Assessor; this means I can assess the adherence of developments – from small community-led projects to large developments – to the Building with Nature standards that puts nature at the heart of new development in a way that’s good for people and for wildlife.

Biggest challenges in 2023?

Due to the amount of pressure I put myself under as well as the team, striving for perfection and being admittedly impatient, we’ve been trying to take on too much and I’ve found that, for myself especially, I’ve been burning out as a result. However, in the new year, we look forward to welcoming back Nicole MatthewsOlaciregui, our ‘queen of behind the scenes' who recently graduated from LCGD with a distinction in planting design, meaning we can really delve into the plant side of things and offer our clients an even better service and experience than ever before. We can’t wait for Nicole’s return and getting back on track as a team.

What were the biggest challenges in 2023?

Due to the increasing cost of landscaping materials and customers having limited budgets, the negotiations are rising. The cost-of-living crisis is something affecting us all, so we’re having to be strategic, ensuring we minimise waste and reuse wherever possible, working with the client to make the most of their budget.

What are you most looking forward to in the new year?

The launch of Tony Benger Landscaping Academy, alongside a few large commercial housing and infrastructure projects as well as some nice show home projects.

prolandscapermagazine.com

Pro Landscaper | January 2024

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