Pro Landscaper June 2018

Concept to Delivery

June 2018

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

Let’s Hear it From PAUL HERVEYBROOKES CLEAN, GREEN & SUSTAINABLE Anji Connell

PEDESTRIANFOCUSED DESIGN Urban Movement Inside

PLANTERS focus

Healing horticulture HELMSLEY WALLED GARDEN, YORK

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WELCOME

Concept to Delivery

June 2018 | Volume 8, Issue 6 DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

Welcome to June 2018 As I write we’re just days away from RHS Chelsea, and by the time you read this the show will be in full swing. What is significant about this year in particular is the rise in the number of women designers taking part, as the show has traditionally been more heavily weighted towards males. With 13 women and 15 men competing for medals in 2018, we now have a much more balanced offering – well done to the sponsors for taking the ‘leap of faith’. We’re sure medals day will be more exciting than ever, and are filled with anticipation. Good luck to everyone involved – we look forward to seeing the fruits of your labours, and we’ll be reporting on the medals in next month’s issue.

Another hot news topic is plastic; the debate continues while ways to dispose of it responsibly are

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

investigated. On a recent nursery visit, we were appalled to witness customers dumping used pots in the car park – yet another issue that nurseries are having to deal with. Much of the current younger generation is growing up with a heightened sense of fear around the state of our planet and its future, so this should bring some hope that a solution will eventually be found.

In May we launched this year’s Pro Landscaper 30 Under 30: The Next Generation, and entries and nominations are already coming in thick and fast. The task of choosing the final 30 gets tougher every year, which shows that our industry is attracting some great people. If you’ve been thinking of entering or nominating

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

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

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June 2018

Let’s Hear it From

PEDESTRIANFOCUSED DESIGN Urban Movement

PAUL HERVEYBROOKES

Inside

CLEAN, GREEN & SUSTAINABLE Anji Connell

PLANTERS focus

Healing horticulture

HELMSLEY WALLED GARDEN, YORK Cover final.indd 1

17/05/2018 15:38

a colleague, think no more, and visit our website (www.prolandscapermagazine.com) to download the application form. Also last month, we launched a brand new initiative to recognise the great work being produced for under £20k – the small project BIG IMPACT awards is now open for entries. Further details about the awards can also be found on our website.

Finally, if you’re visiting the Pro Landscaper LIVE event in Leeds on Thursday 14 June, we very much look forward to seeing you there.

Have a great month,

@jimeljays

@lisaeljays

Design – Kara Thomas Pro Landscaper is proud to be an affiliate member of BALI

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

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

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

The Association of

Professional Landscapers

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

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

Cover image ©Colin Dilcock

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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CONTENTS

June 2018 INFORM

29

8 Agenda How would you best handle conflict resolution?

10 News Our monthly roundup of industry news

15 Moving Forward at Glendale The business’s plans for the future

18 plants@work Leaf Awards 2018

Concept to Delivery

Reporting back from this year’s celebration

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

24 Chelsea Diaries

June 2018

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

Let’s Hear it From PAUL HERVEYBROOKES CLEAN, GREEN & SUSTAINABLE Anji Connell

PEDESTRIANFOCUSED DESIGN Urban Movement

xx

Inside

PLANTERS focus

Ed Burnham and Robert Barker count down to the 2018 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

26 30 Under 30 Noticeboard

Healing horticulture

Updates from previous winners

29 Let’s Hear it From Paul Hervey-Brookes

32 Company Profile

HELMSLEY WALLED GARDEN, YORK

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45 Healing Touch

Bridgman & Bridgman

Pro Landscaper visits the reopened Helmsley Walled Garden in York

34 Landscape Architect’s Journal Urban Movement

36 View From the Top

INSPIRE

51

Never blame the weather for your difficulties, says Nick Temple-Heald

39 Different Strokes

54 French Fancy The extensive grounds of a French manor house are transformed

58 Ebb and Flow

There’s still a place for face-to-face communication, Angus Lindsay tells us

43 Setting Forth Adam White reports back from the first of BALI’s Professional Designer Webinars

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Cool greys and flowing water provide a place for calm reflection

61

66

Come Outside Creating a summer-ready space for an architectural Seventies property

Clean, Green and Sustainable Anji Connell takes a look at some of the most stylish eco-friendly garden furniture

68

Green City Injecting swathes of greenery into the new Dickens Yard developmen

Andrew Wilson untangles garden design and landscape architecture

40 The Lost Art of Conversation

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RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2018 This year’s installations and show gardens

71

Show Garden Diary Lee Bestall takes us inside a Chelsea build

74

Lighting Five impressive lighting installations

77

Garden Buildings How to choose an outdoor building

79

Planter Focus Behind the scenes at The Pot Company, plus top-selling planters and a look at WoodblocX’s Malvern project

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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CONTENTS

EDUCATE

109 Pro Landscaper Business Awards: Winner Profile Gillespies

110 Outside the Box Jeff Stephenson highlights some of the issues with box hedging

113 Embrace the Flood Parks can combine natural space with flood barrier properties, says Peter Wilder

114 Bright Lights Robert Webber on the benefits of using professional lighting installers

117 Forging Connections Artisan forges can be a valuable resource for a landscaper, says Sean Butler

119 Product DNA

61 NURTURE

89

Nurture News News from the UK’s growing sector

90

Kew Temperate House The story behind the restoration of the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse

92

Designer Plants Jean Wardrop and Alexandra Stevenson’s Victorian-inspired design for the Hampton Court Flower Show 2015

94

Friendly Fungi?

Peter Thurman asks whether the claims made by mycorrhizal fungi products stack up

97

Dog Days

98

Scale and Harmony Ian Drummond shares an award-winning Indoor Garden Design installation

101 Playing it Safe Advice from Jackie Herald on planting choices for children’s play spaces

102 Soils for Tree Pits Tim O’Hare Associates and Green-tech tell us how to prepare tree pit soils to ensure establishment

Growtivation Earthworx Groundrings Gravel

120 Brushcutters 123 Pedestrian Mowers 124 What I’m Reading Olivia Kirk reviews Andrea Wulf’s ‘The Brother Gardeners’

126 Look Out For Ross Conquest

130 Little Interview Quick-fire questions to the people who make up our industry

Planters

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104 Nursery Interview Griffin Nurseries

Flowering dogwoods make a great alternative to crab apples and cherries, says Andy McIndoe

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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INFORM

SPOTLIGHT ON

CONTRIBUTORS

Nick Temple Heald

Peter Thurman

Adam White

Jeff Stephenson

Chairman, idverde

Principal, Peter Thurman Consultancy

Director, Davies White Ltd

Head of horticulture and aftercare, Bowles & Wyer

An indecisive climate over the past few weeks has left Nick reflecting on his 33 seasons working within the UK horticulture industry, in particular on the rule that idverde abides by – ‘never blame the weather’. With this in mind, Nick shares expert advice on what you should really be focusing on when Mother Nature intervenes, which should keep you from feeling under the weather.

This month, we welcome consultant Peter Thurman, who delves into the discussion around commercially produced mycorrhizal fungi and whether it should really be marketed as an ‘essential’ soil additive. While mycorrhizal fungi’s held to provide plants with water and nutrients, Peter explores how the research around products is often more hopeful than conclusive.

Collaboration is a hot topic in the landscape industry, and BALI has taken this on board, hosting its first ever Professional Designer Webinar Series aimed at supporting garden designers and landscape architects.

Adam White and Andrée Davies were on the inaugural panel, discussing their business partnership.

His column this month discusses the success of this webinar and his optimism for the future.

Jeff Stephenson looks back on a lifetime of encountering threats to Buxus, including box sucker, box blight and the box moth caterpillar from Asia. Reflecting on the devastation these can cause, Jeff proposes a number of alternatives, which garden designers can suggest to clients – but admits that none of them match up to the classic box appearance.

idverde.co.uk @idverdeUK

thurmanconsultancy.com @LAGUSCELLO

davieswhite.co.uk @davies_white

bowleswyer.co.uk @BWaftercare

INSPIRE

Other contributors Andrew Wilson Garden designer and lecturer

Andy McIndoe Leading horticulturist

Peter Wilder Principal, Wilder Associates and Survey Drone Ltd

Angus Lindsay Head of fleet, idverde

Ian Drummond Creative director, Indoor Garden Design

Robert Webber Founder, Scenic Lighting

Anji Connell Interior architect and landscape designer

Jackie Herald Designer and freelance writer

Sean Butler Director, Cube 1994

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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INFORM

AGENDA HOW WOULD YOU BEST HANDLE CONFLICT RESOLUTION?

Within every industry the issue of conflict resolution arises. We ask what people would recommend is the best way to handle conflict resolution – and how to avoid conflict in the first place.

David Sewell Director, The Garden Makers

The best way to handle conflict is to avoid it in the first place. Most disputes arise from a lack of communication, and there are classic flashpoints: lack of detail in the specification, not agreeing on the cost of ‘extras’ when they occur, and not starting or finishing when you

KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR CLIENT’S BODY LANGUAGE AND WHETHER THEIR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION STARTS TO CHANGE IN TONE promise are just three of these. I make every effort to avoid these with highly detailed specifications and written mini quotes for the extras. I also try to avoid promising anything, 8

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Pro Landscaper / June 2018

but explain why, and I communicate the minute anything changes. The rest is down to empathy – keep an eye on your client’s body language and whether their written communication starts to change in tone.

If you sense a problem, confront it, no matter how uncomfortable it is. Of course, sometimes a dispute does arise when clients are unreasonable or products fail, and things can reach an impasse. In that case, the APL has a dispute resolution procedure that should be engaged. I’ve never needed it, but it’s reassuring to know that it’s there.

Amanda Patton Owner, Amanda Patton Landscape & Garden Design

Most of the conflict that I’ve experienced has been when clients have misunderstood, made assumptions, gotten stressed out with mud, and all sorts of other understandable but incorrect beliefs. It’s not always easy getting to the root of what they’re unhappy about, so good listening skills play a part here – but it’s important to do this in person, or at least on the phone. However reasonable you think you’re being in an email, if the client is already feeling antagonistic, they will hear that in what you’ve said, even if it wasn’t your intention! Words can be twisted when

written, and it can make the matter worse.

Taking the time to really listen, and using a bit of appropriate humour, has generally diffused potentially difficult situations. On one occasion, an apology from me (it was minor, but it was my fault!) surprised the client so much that it took all the wind out of his sails.

Martin Shaw Managing director, Walmsley Shaw

It is essential to defuse any element of conflict in the first instance, otherwise you have lost control of the situation. Differences of opinion will always arrive, but it is unusual that these cannot be negotiated to a sensible conclusion.

It is a great help if any paperwork is as all-encompassing as possible, and if terms and conditions leave little doubt as to what is expected from clients or suppliers. It is necessary to build good relations with your designers and suppliers, who will be happy to assist you with any problems – and, of course, a confrontational attitude towards clients is not going to make for a harmonious project. Meeting any disagreement or problem immediately when it arises minimises the impact it has; if left, it can grow. Dissatisfaction and, usually, expense then follow. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 16:28

INFORM

Phil Tremayne General manager, APL

APL

response

It is always unfortunate when something goes wrong with a project and causes the client to complain. After all, no contractor sets out with the intention to deliver a bad job. Because the APL is a member of TrustMark, its members are able to benefit from a discounted Alternative Dispute

MEMBERS OF THE APL ARE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM A DISCOUNTED ALTERNATIVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICE Resolution (ADR) service. The complaints process is started by the APL gathering evidence from the client and contractor.

This is then presented to the APL Complaints Committee, which decides on the best course of action. Quite often, a visit to site by an independent inspector to verify the points raised is the best course. The committee will then come back with a series of proposals. If these are not accepted, the natural route is through ADR or the court www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Agenda.indd 9

system. The APL also has a facility that allows the contractor to raise a complaint against their client, should there be a dispute around withholding funds unreasonably. Both options are free and included in the membership rate.

Owen Baker Technical officer, BALI

BALI

response

BALI has experience in handling and resolving conflict between landscape designers or contractors and their clients through the BALI Dispute Resolution Service. While we hope they never need it, this service is available to all BALI Contractor and Designer members, and offers a thorough, unbiased, desk-based review of a scheme or project. For conflict resolution to work correctly and reflect the intentions of all parties, it relies heavily on the submission of a complete narrative and

THE BALI DISPUTE RESOLUTION SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TO ALL CONTRACTOR AND DESIGNER MEMBERS, AND OFFERS A THOROUGH, UNBIASED, DESK-BASED REVIEW evidence file. The client and contractor or designer must submit a full suite of evidence, including design, photographs, specification and commentary. Conflict resolution requires expert knowledge.

The BALI disputes committee, which is chaired by the chief executive and comprises the technical officer, quality standards officer and various BALI board members, has the technical knowledge and experience to review evidence from the client and professional, and from this write a fair, unbiased report. If a resolution cannot be reached, then we would refer them to an independent adjudicator.

NEXT MONTH How can small companies take the next step?

Have your say: editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / June 2018

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INFORM

NEWS Designs revealed from Ann-Marie Powell and Matt Keightly for RHS Wisley gardens

The BALI South Thames region committee is excited to announce that it will be hosting a Charity Summer Ball at the end of August.

The event will take place at the Brighton Hilton Metropole hotel on Friday 31 August and will be a James Bond-themed black tie

natural healthcare or relaxation.

Ann-Marie Powell’s Wildlife Garden will draw inspiration from the British Isles’ natural environments, demonstrating the importance of plant diversity in supporting British wildlife. Her World Food Garden will be a contemporary plot-to-plate experience, inspired by the traditional vegetable garden but using innovations to educate – including a maze of edible discovery and a café garden. Working with Wisley’s teams, Ann-Marie’s designs will be filled with take-home inspiration for encouraging a healthy ecosystem and nurturing a vegetable patch. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) has appointed Gillespies to develop a ‘Public Realm Strategy’ that will guide the design of streets and parks in Ebbsfleet Garden City.

Over the next 15 years, the Garden City will provide a major new commercial centre, an improved public transport system, seven city parks, and up to 15,000 new homes.Gillespies will work closely with the EDC

to develop design processes, evaluation tools, planting strategies and design guidance for a range of street typologies, public squares and parks. The guidance will develop recommendations for design principles, materials, design details and site furnishings that will be used to instruct the design and implementation of the public realm.

Gillespies will also craft a complementary planting strategy based upon the landscape character assessment, picking up on the themes of ‘Edible Ebbsfleet’ and Kent’s agricultural heritage, as well as integrating sustainable urban drainage systems and green streets. www.gillespies.co.uk

BALI South Thames region to host Charity Summer Ball affair. The evening will include a charity auction, live music, a DJ and a three-course meal, and is a great opportunity for members (and non-members) to come together for a fun-filled evening –

©2018 Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Ann-Marie Powell and Matt Keightley have revealed their designs for three learning gardens around the National Centre for Horticultural Science and Learning on the Hilltop at RHS Garden Wisley, set to open in 2020.

Matt Keightley’s Wellbeing Garden will be a series of ‘garden rooms,’ enticing visitors to explore the ways gardens can be used for physical and psychological therapy,

Gillespies to put the ‘Garden’ into Ebbsfleet Garden City

while raising money for the BALI Chalk Fund. Please contact lisa. wilkinson@eljays44.com or any of the BALI South Thames committee for further details and ticket orders.

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INFORM

30 years at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for Mark Gregory The excitement of RHS Chelsea is extra special this year for Landform Consultants founder Mark Gregory, as he celebrates 30 years at the show. Returning as a designer for the first time in eight years, he’s going back to his roots for the ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ garden.

Mark, who grew up in East Yorkshire, is delighted to be showing the world a slice of the place he calls home. “Most people who know me know how proud I am of my roots, so creating the Welcome to Yorkshire Garden is an

incredible honour. I hope I am able to do justice to the beauty of Yorkshire’s landscape. This show has a very special place in my heart, so bringing the two together is a match made in heaven.”

His garden will capture the sights, smells and tastes of the Yorkshire Dales, with a woodland area, lush pastures, a cultivated cottage-style garden around the bothy, and a tumbling beck.

Mark was recently voted Most Influential by his peers at the Pro Landscaper Business Awards, who

NEWS IN BRIEF New Green-tech website

hailed him as a great leader who inspires the next generation and his peers. He also lectures all over the world, delivering workshops and seminars for the SGD, BALI and APL. He is a past board member of BALI and a former director of both the HTA and the APL, as well as a regular RHS Judge and Assessor. www.landform consultants.co.uk

Outdoor Creations celebrates 10th Anniversary Outdoor Creations, the Kentbased landscape design and build company led by Graeme Carpenter and Ramon Lawal, celebrated its 10th anniversary this month. The company employed just six people when it was set up in 2008, but has grown over the past decade and now employs more than 20, turning over in excess of £1.2m.

The company plans to mark its anniversary with an all-staff alignment day and a belated celebration of its national BALI Principal Award win in December 2017, which brought the number

of national awards won by the company to eight.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to all our clients over the years, it’s been a real privilege to work with them and help to create so many wonderful gardens,” said Graeme and Ramon. “We’d also

small project

like to thank our many suppliers, collaborative partners and designers, who choose us to build their gardens. Equally, we’ve been very fortunate to have attracted such a skilled and dedicated team.

“The business has grown substantially over the years and we are very proud of what we have been able to achieve through teamwork. We look forward to developing our business further, enabling Outdoor Creations to continue its steady and sustainable growth for many years to come.” www.outdoor-creations.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com/spbi

Green-tech has announced that its new website, which has been in development for the last 10 months, has gone live.

It brings products from all of Green-tech’s brands together and will provide visitors with improved browsing and a better buying experience. www.green-tech.co.uk

JPS Landscape Design promotes landscape designer JPS Landscape Design has announced the promotion of Chris Hull to senior landscape designer. Chris joined JPS in 2016, and will be responsible for the delivery of all studio projects and site works, as well as overseeing the development of junior studio team members. www.janinepatterson.com

Arbordexperts Trex Deck Installer Awards open

This summer, Trex composite decking installers can showcase their work during the first Arbordexperts Installer Awards.

The awards are open for entries, and installers have until 28 September 2018 to submit their projects for consideration via the Arbordeck website. www.arbordeck.co.uk

R ENTE NOW

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INFORM www.prolandscapermagazine.com

NEW ON THE

Design inspiration with David Keegan

website

Pro Landscaper sits down with David Keegan of David Keegan Garden Design, to discuss his work inspirations and his feelings on being presented with an International Landscape Design Award.

How does winning industry awards benefit a landscaping business?

In the words of Cube 1994’s Sean Butler, “Industry awards give you a USP and validation for discerning clients who want their gardens to be built by the very best in the industry”. He also tells us about the attraction that awards have for garden designers.

DIARY

OF A CHARTERED LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT

Laura Welborn-Baker

Handling design budgets with Catherine MacDonald

We speak to Catherine MacDonald about handling budget expectations, and ask for her top tips on reducing project costs without compromising design.

A look into Kingston Landscape Group’s nursery

The Otter is one of two nurseries owned by Kingston Landscaper Group. We take a brief look at this 18-acre site in Ottershaw, Surrey, which holds an average of 20,000 plants and focuses on herbaceous perennials.

Chartered landscape architect Laura Welborn-Baker, one of Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30 in 2016, provides us with a quarterly update on the University of York’s £500m, 20-year campus masterplan as it goes into its first phase, along with a number of other projects across the university

I

t’s been a busy few months at the university. This week the ducklings have arrived on campus, and despite the lack of spring weather, we’ve still got daffodils and the landscape is starting to look much greener.

The spring bulb meadows we planted last year are looking really colourful, and the cowslips by the lake on Campus East are a glowing field of yellow.

Over the last three months, I have been working closely with

12

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Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Make Architects on the university masterplan, which will shape the campus over the next 20 years. It’s an exciting time, as the first few projects are currently in development; these include large tree planting, new halls of residence, and the creation of a new gateway entrance. I have also been part of discussions with Historic England about the significance of the original Sixties landscape, and the setting of the buildings on Campus West.

Cycling is a huge part of life in York, and the university has a

number of interesting cycle routes that link to the city centre and the wider Yorkshire landscape – Sustrans’s Route 66 from Manchester to Spurn Head runs through the campus. Currently, I am working with York City Council to implement a ‘Boris bike’ style scheme, which will form part of our Sustainable Transport system and allow students, commuters and visitors to access the university in an efficient (and healthy) way, without the need to own a bike.

It’s still in the early stages, but it’s a great scheme.

Over the next three months, I will be implementing the new signage and wayfinding strategy across the university. It is a £500,000 project, and started on site mid-May. If all goes to plan, it will be complete and ready for the new intake of students at the end of September. There’s only a few hundred signs to put up between now and then!

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 13:01

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Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (l/100km) for the Ford Ranger Limited Double Cab 2.2 TDCi 160PS 4X4 Manual shown: urban 34.5 (8.2), extra urban 44.1 (6.4), combined 40.4 (7.0). Official CO2 emissions 184g/km.

The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results (EU Regulation 715 /2007 and 692/2008 as last amended), are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience. *If you trade in any Car or Commercial Vehicle that is registered up to and including 31st December 2010 you can receive between £2,000 and £7,000 (Excl. VAT) Scrappage Saving off the Recommended Retail Price of a New Ford Commercial Vehicle. Offer available on Ranger, Transit Courier (Excl. New Transit Courier – 2018.75MY), Transit Connect (Excl. Tourneo and New Transit Connect – 2018.75MY), Transit Custom (Excl. New Custom – 2018.5MY), Tourneo Custom (Excl. New Tourneo – 2018.5MY) and Transit models only. New Ford Commercial Vehicles must be contracted between 1st April and 30th June 2018 (the “Contract Date”) and registered between 1st April and 31st December 2018.

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INFORM

NEWS EXTRA:

MOVING FORWARD AT GLENDALE Pro Landscaper finds out the plans for the green service provider, after the death of founder Tony Hewitt earlier this year

I

t was inevitable, after the sudden and unexpected death of Tony Hewitt, the founder and driving force behind Glendale’s parent company Alston Investments for the past 25 years, that changes would need to happen – not only in the business’s management structure, but also in its strategy.

We met with three of the business’s directors, Alex Paterson MD, Mike Brunskill MD North and Adrian Wickham MD South, to find out about the changes “Tony was unparalleled in terms of his energy, enthusiasm, desire, and ability to spin lots of plates at the same time,” Alex Paterson tells us. Tony also had great insight into how to keep the business moving forward, and over the past two years the management team has been working on the business’s strategy and future direction; this is now being implemented ahead of the original plan, perhaps because of the circumstances.

Alston Investments has simplified the overall structure of the company by grouping its array of businesses into related sectors. The business strategy for Glendale is primarily based around giving the company – predominantly a public sector business – a more balanced outlook in terms of clients.

The new Glendale business, which has been driven by the agreed strategy and reshaping of the Alston Investments Group, means the

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Adrian Wickham

Alex Paterson

TONY WAS UNPARALLELED IN TERMS OF HIS ENERGY, ENTHUSIASM, DESIRE, AND ABILITY TO SPIN LOTS OF PLATES AT THE SAME TIME grounds maintenance and arboricultural enterprise is now joined by landscape architects and has a design and build capability. It is working on major infrastructure projects and urban redevelopments.

“The restructure is partly down to the additional companies that have joined the Glendale brand, which is where Glendale wanted to get to,” says Alex. “It continues the 25-year journey, and of course we recognise that public sector work is decreasing and being replaced by the private sector. We can now offer the full service: design, build, operate and maintain.”

Mike Brunskill

Alex explains the new setup of Glendale: “Previously, the business was based on four regions. This has now been integrated into two regions, with the two managing directors, Mike and Adrian, managing the geographical areas and pulling together the sales and operational aspects of the business. This gives us the opportunity to build on our presence in each region and better serve our customers. It also affords us the ability to change, diversify and grow efficiently in response to regional variations in our market, and the sales opportunities those variations might present.”

Mike Brunskill has been with Glendale for 22 years and heads up the northern region, while Adrian Wickham is MD for the southern region.

Adrian is coming up to 20 years with Glendale, and his progression within the organisation is testament to its internal management system.

Alex joined Glendale just under three years ago as operations director, and now directs the Pro Landscaper / June 2018 15

17/05/2018 10:01

INFORM

whole of the business. Joining Alex, Mike and Adrian as directors is Larry Jones (previously MD of MITIE and Glendale), as non-executive board member.

“We intend to run the North and the South as subsidiary businesses because of what already has been, and what will be, added,” says Alex.

“While the business grows, it’s really important to have senior leadership, and with the loss of Tony and the complexity of the group, this is even more important. Working this way also gives each region a focus, and both Adrian and Mike will add drive and determination to move the business forward in their respective areas.”

The organisation will continue to put high priority on recruiting and developing its workforce, and there will be a continual push to develop the apprenticeship scheme, as well as Glendale’s internal management development programme. “We value our people, engage and empower our brightest, and create an open and transparent environment where the staff take ownership and responsibility,” says Alex.

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WE VALUE OUR PEOPLE, ENGAGE AND EMPOWER OUR BRIGHTEST, AND CREATE AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE STAFF TAKE OWNERSHIP Today’s staff also need to have the right equipment and systems – another area in which Glendale continues to invest and improve. Alex believes it is paramount that their systems remain fit for purpose. “We have also changed the way we reward and incentivise the team, our focus on health and safety, sales quotes looking outside the common territory, and of course growing the business,” he says. “We want to make sure our teams are flexible, agile and not constrained by ‘one size fits all’.”

These objectives have to reflect Glendale’s and the Hewitt family’s ambitions to continue Tony’s vision for the next 25 years, and to generate and continue to deliver value.

Glendale will continue to play a role within the wider industry, supporting BALI GoLandscape and the National Contractors Forum. “The idea that collectively we are strong should enable the industry to help push for the correct legislation,” says Alex.

Glendale is still very much in the early stages of its transformation, but this management team is highly focused on delivering its goals, to keep Glendale at the forefront of the UK landscaping sector.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 10:02

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INFORM

Judge Bill Peebles presents Best Design & Installation Interior Project to Craig Edser of Indoor Garden Design

Leaf Awards

2018

Images from Kobalt Music

We present the highlights from this year’s event – the first Leaf Awards under plants@work’s new branding Biophilia has been a buzzword for some exceptionally well executed, including matching time, with evidence that it makes a difference plants to planters. You can read more about to the occupants of a building – reducing this installation in Ian Drummond’s column on absenteeism, cleaning the air, lowering stress page 100 of this magazine. and improving productivity.

Indoor Garden Design also scooped Best plants@work’s Leaf Award-winning Maintenance Project for its care of the planting companies understand how to add biophilia to at UBC, where more than 100m of planting premises large or small. On Thursday 26 April spans 12 floors. Caring for this site requires one 2018 at the Southbank Centre in London, 40 technician to be in attendance six days out of Leaf Awards were presented for installation and every fortnight. Again, Greg Redwood found maintenance planting projects at various sites the project in immaculate condition. around the UK, covering Best Green Wall everything from office Design & Installation PLANTS@WORK MEMBERS buildings to hotels and (Outdoor) Project was ONCE AGAIN LEAD THE WAY IN shopping centres. awarded to Biotecture INTERIOR PLANTING AND GREEN Ltd for its green wall This year, three ‘Best WALLS, BRINGING THE OUTSIDE installation at Veolia in Category’ additional IN AND CREATING GREAT awards were made, for RERF, Leeds. The Best Design & Installation green wall varies from BIOPHILIC SPACES Interior Project, Best 14m to 26m in height.

Green Wall Design & Installation (Outdoor) The planting provides a significant contribution Project and Best Maintenance Project. to the local biodiversity of the surrounding Best Design & Installation Interior Project landscape. Around 110,000 native and was won by Indoor Garden Design for its wildlife-friendly plants, many of them evergreen, installation at Kobalt Music, which was a give year-round coverage, and the wall also mixture of matching floor-standing and desktop houses habitat boxes for wildlife. Visiting judge containers in natural, anthracite and grey. Large Rob Sterling said that the wall perfectly reflects architectural plants filled the floor-standing pots, the eco-friendly function of Veolia RERF’s while desktop bowls were filled with mixed recycling and energy recovery work. complementary planting. Judge Greg Redwood For the full list of winners, please visit commented that the design was stylish and www.plantsatwork.org.uk

Bill Peebles presents Best Green Wall Design & Installation (Outdoor) Project to Mynhardt Potieger of Biotecture Ltd

The green wall at Veolia RERF

Bill Peebles presents Best Maintenance Project to Renata Zdyb of Indoor Garden Design

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www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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16/05/2018 11:16

ASSOCIATION

INFORM

NEWS

BALI briefing Five Stars for BALI’s RHS Malvern Garden Trade Stand The RHS bestowed a Five Star award on BALI for ‘The Secret Garden’ in the trade stand category at this year’s RHS Malvern Spring Flower Show.

The 20m2 plot impressed judges with its design and construction, rich planting, and attention to detail. ‘The Secret Garden’ was designed and planted by BALI and Associate Designer member

BALI’s Wayne Grills & Carly Button

Jane Bingham of The Cheshire Garden, and built by BALI Registered Contractor Isola Garden Design.

BALI hits the mark with inaugural webinars BALI hosted two webinars in May. Up first was BALI’s General Data Protection

Regulation Awareness (GDPR) Day on 2 May; Mike Holland, marketing director for OlsenMetrix Marketing, covered the new regulation and what it means for UK businesses.

On 9 May, members of BALI, the SGD and the LI hosted a webinar – the first in a new series of design-focused Professional Designer Webinars.

‘Setting up a Design Practice’ was the theme, and the 30 attendees represented all three trade bodies, from students and landscape architects to managing directors and garden designers.

BALI supports OHRT’s Skills Needs Analysis project BALI’s chief executive Wayne Grills attended an Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable (OHRT) meeting to discuss the phase one development of the Skills Needs Analysis study. Phase one of the project will seek to analyse the skills of UK ornamental horticulture businesses. The findings will inform the ORHT’s strategy, help to prioritise future action, and support the case for lobbying to government. www.bali.org.uk

plants@work outline Leaf Award winners As we write this column, we are still excited by our recent annual Leaf Awards event, where 40 entries were considered worthy of awards by our independent panel of

Bill Peebles presenting Best in Category to Mynhardt Potieger of Biotecture Ltd for its green wall at Veolia RERF

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Association News.indd 21

judges. One of the judges, Bill Peebles, had travelled from Scotland to be at the event, and was on hand to present the Best in Category awards.

You can see a fuller report on this event on page 16 of this magazine.

National Plants at Work Week Over the next month we will be busy putting the final touches to our sixth National Plants at Work Week campaign; this year’s event will run from 9-13 July 2018. We will be notifying members about the plans for our main ‘pop-up’ event and

the results of our Favourite Office Plants of the Year 2018.

Watch this space!

Last year’s pop-up green telephone box

asking them to get involved promoting plants and their benefits in the workplace.

Last year this involved popup stands, plant giveaways, a school visit and leaflet handouts.

National Plants at Work Week will also see us launch our latest book, full of information, research and guest articles, as well as announce

The EILO Conference The EILO Conference will be coming to the UK in September; EILO is the European Interior Landscape Organisation, and coordinates annual conferences in member countries every year. This year is the UK’s turn, and the conference will be in London from 20-22 September. Save the date – we will keep you posted about the programme. www.plantsatwork.org.uk

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INFORM

RHS report

RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, Derbyshire (6-10 June) The newest RHS show, held in partnership with Wedgwood, is set to host a range of exhibits on the Chatsworth Estate grounds – including an installation of Phalaenopsis

Artist’s impression of the UK’s largest display of Phalenopsis orchids, by Ula Maria

and a floral river of Cosmos.

A virtual reality experience created by 3D expert and VR designer Simon Mabey, together with Manchester Museum and Manchester University, will submerse visitors as they sit among the flowers, experiencing different orchids through the eyes of an insect. www.rhs.org.uk/showsevents/rhs-chatsworthflower-show Plant Society Show, RHS Garden Wisley (16-17 June) A day out featuring more than 20 different plant societies and all the garden favourites, including delphiniums, clematis, sweet peas, irises, dahlias, alpines, fruits and vegetables,

Dahlias at RHS Garden Wisley ©Tim Sandall

hostas, carnivorous plants, bonsai and cacti. Visitors will hear from experts, take part in free propagation, pruning and plant care demonstrations, and find out what to cook with their produce throughout the year. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/ wisley Outdoor Theatre, RHS Garden Rosemoor (31 May-14 August) In association with the Plough Arts Centre, five outdoor theatre

performances for children and adults alike will come to RHS Rosemoor. Immerse yourself in stories from classic and modern-day authors such as Emily Bronte, Robert Louis Stevenson and David Walliams. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/ Get Set, Grow! Half-term family fun, all RHS gardens (26 May-1 June), times may vary There will be plenty to keep little green fingers busy at the four RHS Gardens this half-term, with activities including planting seeds, garden trails, arts and crafts, as well as storytelling. www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/ whats-on-at-rhs-gardens www.rhs.org.uk

SGD bulletin SGD Student Awards – open for entries The 2019 SGD Student Awards are now open, for entries and this year will be judged by award-winning designers Andy Sturgeon FSGD and Debbie Roberts MSGD of Acres Wild, as well as Arabella St. John Parker from Homes & Gardens magazine.

Categories are available for both commercial and residential design projects,

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Nicky Burridge – Winner of the Student Design Commercial Award, SGD Awards 2017

and the judges will be looking for outstanding design skills and a clear understanding of the brief originally provided.

There is no remit, no size and no limit to the type or number of entries you can submit.

To enter, you must be an SGD Student Member in 2018, or have progressed from Student Member to Pre-

Registered Member since 1 September 2017.

There is plenty of time for you to enter your submissions this year. Discounted ‘Early Bird’ fees are available to anyone who registers their entry before 13 July 2018, and the final deadline to register is 10 August 2018. The actual project submissions are not due until 31 August 2018.

Sheila Jack – Winner of the Student Design Domestic Award, SGD Awards 2017

The awards are the perfect springboard for any new designer’s career, and an ideal opportunity to raise your profile – start planning your entries today. Visit the SGD Awards website to download the ‘Entry Information’ document and an entry form www.sgdawards.com. www.sgd.org.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 08:53

INFORM

APL update ‘What Lies Beneath’ at Ascot Spring Flower Show Ascot Spring Flower Show, held from 13-15 April, hosted the APL garden ‘What Lies Beneath’, designed as an educational landscape. The public was invited to walk onto the garden, in which exposed sections of hard landscaping/ decking and artificial grass

revealed the construction methods and layers needed to achieve a solid finish. There was a great response to this element, which included the pleasure of being able to walk onto and explore the garden.

The garden was designed

by Claudia De Yong and built

by Simply Green Landscapes.

Thanks to our sponsors London Stone, Creepers Nursery, Easigrass, The Posh Shed Company, Burgon and Ball and Garden Trading.

The show was also home to this year’s ‘Young Gardeners of the Year’ competition, pioneered by David Domoney. The Best in Show Trophy was taken

home by Capel Manor College, and the People’s Choice Award

by Myerscough College.

Young Landscapers Award The four contestants for the BBC Gardeners’ World Live Young Landscaper Award, held in conjunction with the APL and sponsored by Marshalls, have been announced: • Jacob Botting and Lawrence Senior (Bespoke Outdoor Spaces) • Dan McGeoghegan and Ryan Bell (The Plants & Paving Company) All contestants have been through, or are attending, the APL Apprenticeship scheme at Myerscough college, and three have been finalists at the APL’s

World Skills UK Landscaping competition (WSUK).

The two teams will build show gardens designed by Diarmuid Gavin. Each involves a variety of techniques and materials, requiring an array of skills and craftsmanship.

They will have to choose materials to match the design brief, and will also spend a day selecting plants at J. A. Jones & Sons. The competition aims to promote excellence and support up-and-coming landscapers, encouraging them to engage with high profile projects.

Read more about WSUK, the competition and the APL Apprenticeship scheme at www.landscaper.org.uk

Parks Alliance matters

Tackling litter This is a busy time of year for parks; Parks Alliance members will be enjoying the fact that the long winter is now behind us – even if some of the damage to spaces is still clearly visible and requires some TLC! At the time of writing, stories of litter problems in green spaces have hit the headlines. Is a sunny bank holiday weekend to blame for

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Association News.indd 23

a ‘one off weekend’, or are we seeing a worrying trend in litter proliferation?

Different parks deal with litter in different ways; some encourage visitors to take litter home and some provide bins at every opportunity. Whatever the approach taken, the cost of managing litter is rising, and we can only hope that the proposed introduction of a

plastic bottle refund scheme and more effective enforcement will reduce it.

Fields in Trust recently published a report entitled ‘Revaluing Parks and Green Spaces’, which provided an economic valuation of parks and green spaces. For example, they are estimated to save the NHS around £111m per year based solely on a reduction in GP visits, and they deliver an estimated £34.2bn worth of wellbeing benefits per year. This reinforces what we already know: parks matter. Parks and green spaces are valued highly by communities, and provide a quantifiable benefit to their local population.

TPA recently teamed up with 38 Degrees to petition the Heritage Lottery Fund to ringfence funding for parks in its new funding programme. We would like to thank the 225,000 people who signed the petition, and we hope that HLF will consider this when planning how best to fund heritage in parks in the future. www.theparksalliance.org

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THE

Chelsea Diaries

Designer Robert Barker and contractor Ed Burnham give us final updates before their debut Chelsea appearances – be sure to check back next issue and find out how they got on...

Ed Burnham Burnham Landscaping Garden The CHERUB HIV Garden: A Life Without Walls Designer Naomi Ferrett-Cohen Sponsor CHERUB We’re on site – and not without the usual butterflies in the stomach, and a slight air of nervousness among the team. The planning is done, so the fun bit now begins. It goes without saying that every

member of the team is working hard and putting in long shifts to get the garden built – but at the same time, the laughter on site is keeping spirits high.

It never ceases to impress me how ambitious other people’s builds are. Obviously, this can come with its own problems, and ours is no

exception. I’m pleased to say we are working through what are minor issues, such as swapping trees for larger ones and altering the positions of features ever so slightly to make everything work better.

This happens in almost every garden, and is essential in order to get the best results.

One of the best perks about being on site is the relationships that have been formed – not only with the incredible team of people I’m working with, but also our awesome neighbours, who have shared their knowledge and often their time to help and chat about decisions. My fellow Chelsea diarist

Robert happens to be just two plots away from us, and it’s safe to say we’ve made a lifelong

friendship. It’s easy to focus on your own garden and keep your head down, but the journey is all the better for being involved with the fantastic people that surround you.

Perhaps that goes for life in general. www.burnhamlandscaping.co.uk

Robert Barker Robert Barker Garden and Landscape Design they are far too important to speak to the likes of me – and that may well be the case – but on the whole,

Garden Skin Deep Contractor Terraforma Landscapes Sponsor The Skin Deep Group When I showcased ‘The Red Thread’ garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Show in 2016, everyone kept telling me that I was lucky to be at the show because all the designers and landscapers look after each other,

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and that it wasn’t the same at Chelsea. The idea that Chelsea was a show where everyone looked out only for themselves stuck with me, and so it was with trepidation that I entered the grounds on the first day of the build – but I am so happy to say that this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Of course, as with anything, there are certain people who think

the support has been amazing. This may sound completely contrived, as I have been sharing this diary page with Ed Burnham over the last few months, but I can safely say that Ed and his team epitomise why it is so amazing to be part of a show. Even

with the best laid plans, you will find you need help, and Ed and his team have bailed us out and offered support on numerous occasions.

My advice to any designer thinking about creating a show garden is to be a good showground neighbour – but also surround yourself with people who will be there when you need them.

Creating a show garden is an endurance race, but with support from the right people, you’ll get to where you need to be. www.robertbarkerdesign.com www.skindeepgarden.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 09:46

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16/05/2018 14:44

30 UNDER 30

INFORM

noticeboard ON THE DRAWING BO ARD...

WHAT’S NEW?

LUKE MILLS

ALEXANDRA NOBLE

Director, The Landscape Service

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be commissioned for some great schemes. I’m currently working on a new 20-dwelling development in Swanage, as well as a residential build in Winchester and a commercial development in Southampton, to name a few. Going forward, I will be looking to launch a new service for garden designers. This would be a detailed design service, taking an approved design plan and producing specification and construction packages for tender and build.”

Alexandra has designed a garden for the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2018. The Continuous Path garden is to encourage deep thinking via a continuous path with no start or end point. Its aim is to slow one’s pace and mind, and encourage a sense of being ‘in the moment’.

Find out more about Alexandra’s garden next month in our RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2018 preview.

ANCA PANAIT Landscape architect, AHR

ACHIEVEMENTS

ASHLEY GREEN

Key account manager, John O’Conner

Just days after the May issue arrived with readers and we announced his progression to business area manager on the noticeboard, Ashley was promoted yet again to key account manager at John O’Conner. Congratulations again, Ashley!

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Garden designer

Anca, who is now a chartered landscape architect, is focusing on freelance work and is collaborating with the RHS for Gardening Scotland to create an interactive and productive garden. Designed as a hybrid between a stand and a show garden, the ‘Grow your Space’ exhibit will engage visitors, inviting them to play an active role in the construction of the garden. In support of the ‘Greening Grey Britain’ campaign, the design suggests an alternative to grey areas and unused walls, enticing people to grow their own plants and food.

RICK PORTER Managing director, Strata Garden Design & Landscaping Ltd

“Since becoming a 2017 30 Under 30 winner, the company has gained accreditation as an approved installer for Millboard. I am pleased to say that we continue to be invited to tender for some exceptionally high-end landscaping projects by respected garden designers and architects. It’s a real compliment to be trusted with projects of this calibre by professionals within our industry. We are currently working on a project that we won partly due to the 30 Under 30 award. The project is Phase 1 of some extensive landscaping to a prestigious local wedding venue.”

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 09:23

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

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Let’s Hear it From

PAUL HERVEYBROOKES Garden designer, plantsman, RHS judge and mentor – as well as owner of home and garden shop Allomorphic – Paul Hervey-Brookes takes a rare break to talk to us about how his passion for plants led to his successful career, and what his show garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show means to him

F

ollowing the success of his show garden at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2017, Paul Hervey-Brookes will be designing a second show garden this year for sponsor Viking Cruises – this time at Chelsea.

Inspired by the Scandinavian way of life, The Viking Cruises Wellness Garden will highlight the cycle of the spa and how this allows Scandinavians to better experience the landscape, plunging into cold water year-round and being closer to nature.

“I wanted to talk about how the landscape affects us,” says Paul. “All of the plants are either native or naturalised to Scandinavia, with lots of edible plants, as well as a sauna and plunge pool.”

The garden sees Paul return to Chelsea after four years away from the show, and will be an Artisan space. “I don’t need to prove I can create a big garden – I made one of the largest ever at Chatsworth last year – and I thought about how www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Let's Hear it From.indd 29

most people have small spaces now, and how gardens will get smaller,” he tells us. “So, I quite liked the idea of designing an Artisan garden as a realistic space, rather than a weird pastiche garden which is completely out of touch with the average garden. I thought it would be more of a challenge.”

I RECENTLY EXPLAINED TO THE YOUNG DESIGNERS THAT WHETHER YOU HAVE ONE OR 60 GOLD MEDALS, YOU WILL STILL BE NERVOUS WHEN THE ASSESSORS COME Though now experienced in the creation of show gardens, Paul’s first foray into design was, in his own words, “terrible”. “It was at the Malvern Autumn Show in 2008. I thought about how it would look visually, but without practical application. It was an exercise in how not to do it,

but it did teach me lots of valuable lessons – sometimes, what has gone wrong is a lot more useful to you than what went right.”

Despite this experience, the garden helped Paul to realise his interest in design, and see how plants could be coupled with this – initially, his strong passion for plants meant that he wanted to work as a grower. Paul went on to study landscape architecture at the University of Gloucestershire, having already gained horticulture qualifications from Pershore College and later the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

He now boasts multiple achievements, which are a far cry from Malvern 10 years ago; he has won numerous RHS medals, and has had opportunities to create show gardens on the international stage – including at the Gardening World Cup in Japan (in 2013 and 2014) and the Melbourne International Flower Show 2016.

Paul was also one of a handful of designers with a garden at the inaugural RHS Chatsworth Flower Show last year, where he scooped not Pro Landscaper / June 2018 29

16/05/2018 10:06

INFORM

only a Gold medal but also Best Show Garden and the highly coveted Best Construction Award for contractors GK Wilson.

The IQ Quarry Garden was created to celebrate the centenary of the institute and – as Paul mentioned earlier – is one of the largest gardens to be created at an RHS show, measuring 28m x 18m. It was such a success that sponsor Institute of Quarrying awarded a fellowship to Paul.

“It was a complete surprise to me,” he says.

“I wanted to create a garden for them, which we decided would be inspired by rather than replicating a quarry, but I also wanted to tackle the negative connotations of quarrying and to say that there is a way that it can be done responsibly. The fellowship felt like a ‘thank you’.”

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The garden was later relocated to the National Memorial Arboretum. Though Paul has always been careful to ensure that each of the elements from his show gardens are relocated for use elsewhere, this was the first time he had used all of the elements to recreate an entire garden. “The shape of the

THE DESIGNERS I HAD READ ABOUT AND FOUND INTERESTING, SUCH AS GILLES CLÉMENT, MADE WHAT WAS IN THEIR HEAD AND WAITED FOR THE RIGHT PROJECT TO COME ALONG

relocation site was completely different – it was very linear, and for me it did something really important, connecting two buildings at the arboretum which had not previously been linked.”

Paul will be at Chatsworth again this year with The Brewin Dolphin Garden, an installation inspired by the Chatsworth Estate’s past. Planting will include references to the landscape that would have existed before the village was removed to make way for the famous Capability Brown landscape.

Using his knowledge and experience to help others, Paul will also be mentoring those taking part in the RHS Young Designer of the Year competition at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2018, for the fifth year in a row. In the six months before they create their gardens, Paul will talk them through their designs and take them to nurseries and other shows, which he says is a big part of the process and usually leads to a few design changes.

“If I’m designing a garden in the given year, I invite them to come and observe – not just to help, but predominantly to observe the different people you need in your team. No one ever makes a garden on their own. We also take them to a show to look at what was successful and unsuccessful in other people’s gardens, and it’s at this point that they realise they need to get a photograph of the garden and make changes.

“I see them at the start of the build and make sure that they know it’s okay to make on-site changes – it’s a rare garden that goes from paper to built form without a change – and then again at planting, to make sure they’re happy and that the plants are looked after. I also see them before assessing, to go over what they are going to say – the presentation to the assessor is not an exercise in what went wrong and what you’re making do with, it’s an exercise in saying what went well and what has been changed for the good of the garden.”

As an RHS Show Gardens Assessor and Judge, this is an aspect in which Paul is adept – but he still feels the same nerves as a debut designer does when his own gardens are being assessed. “I recently explained to the young designers that whether you have one or 60 Gold medals, you will still be nervous when the assessors come, because the garden is something you will have lived with for one or two www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/05/2018 10:03

INFORM

years. It is the most important thing you will present to your peers and to the media that year, so you will be nervous.

“I know I will go through this at Chelsea this year, even though I’ve been on the other side of the judging, but the job of the judges and the assessors is not to make you feel nervous – it’s to get the best possible outcome.”

Alongside his involvement with the RHS, Paul runs his practice, Paul Hervey-Brookes Associates, which was founded in 2006 and focuses on both UK-based and international projects. All of these projects are carefully chosen so that they are of interest to Paul.

“The designers I had read about and found interesting, such as Gilles Clément, made what was in their head and waited for the right project to come along. I knew that was what I wanted to do, so right from the start I only undertook projects that interested me.”

To compromise, Paul will always look to include an element of the client within the design, as well as an element of the building or surrounding landscape – and, of course, an emphasis on plants. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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THERE AREN’T MASSES OF PEOPLE WHO GET TO MAKE A LIVING OUT OF WHAT WAS FIRST OF ALL THEIR PASSION. IN THAT RESPECT, I AM VERY LUCKY On the consumer side, Paul is working with UK paving supplier Bradstone to provide garden owners with inspiration, and to help the brand become more widely recognised within the consumer market. Bradstone Design was launched six years ago after Paul had designed his first Chelsea garden for the suppliers, and his work with the company includes creating aspirational blog posts, and involvement in project development and the Bradstone Assured Installers programme.

Paul also set up Stroudbased homeware and garden store Allomorphic in 2016, which he compares to a show garden in the sense that a team is required to make it work, rather than just one person.

“I was convinced that it needed to be

more than just a shop that bought items and sold them on, so we sell a lot of artisan products and have our own branded range of products now,” he tells us. “It shares one of my core values – being the best possible quality it can be, but being within reach of people so they can actually afford and enjoy the products.”

What little spare time Paul has is spent in the garden, but he also has an interest in art, particularly paintings: “I love meeting artists who can inspire you just by the way they think,” he says.

“When the days are slightly more onerous than I would like, I try to remember that there aren’t masses of people who get to make a living out of what was first of all their passion. In that respect, I am very lucky.”

1 Paul Hervey-Brookes 2 IQ Quarry Garden 3-4 RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2017 5 The Viking Cruises Wellness Garden

CONTACT Paul Hervey-Brookes Associates 11 Lansdown, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 1BB Tel: 01452 767498 info@paulherveybrookes.com www.paulherveybrookes.com

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16/05/2018 10:04

INFORM

COMPANY

PROFILE

Chris Bridgman, managing partner of prestigious green roof specialist Bridgman & Bridgman, explains how the company became a success in its field, and its ambitious plans for the future

How was Bridgman & Bridgman founded?

It was established in 2006 by myself and my father Neil to provide the family with job security within the landscaping industry, building on firm foundations in horticulture and commercial soft landscape construction.

How did it develop from there?

In 2007, the business grew in the commercial sector with soft landscape subcontracting opportunities from Kings Landscapes, Hasmead PLC, Continental Landscapes and Ground Control, to name a few. This gave us the opportunity to work on some world-class projects, including BBC Television Studios, London’s Olympic Park and Athlete’s Village, and Terminals 3 and 5 at Heathrow Airport.

Two years later the business expanded again, but this time into the green roofing sector

THE BUSINESS HAS REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF WASTE IT SENDS TO LANDFILL BY 93% THROUGH COMPOSTING AND CHIPPING ALL GREEN WASTE THAT CAN BE REUSED AS MULCH

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BRIDGMAN & BRIDGMAN

in numbers

Established 2006 Employees 10 Breakdown 70% green roofing, 30% soft landscape construction Awards 1 Green Apple Environmental Award, 1 Milton Keynes Business Achievement Award, 1 Buckinghamshire SME Award, 2 Green Roof of the Year Awards, 1 European Green Roof Beauty Award on a national level, following an opportunity from Frosts Landscapes. This paved the way for future prestigious projects, such as the installation of the largest turf roof in Europe, in addition to around 250 of our own green roof installations across the UK each year.

We became the first and only qualified living roof installer in mainland Europe in 2014, and two years later, in our 10th year of trading, we won a Business Achievement Award, a Best UK Green

Chris Bridgman Roof Award, a National Environmental Award, a European Green Roof Beauty Contest and a Britain in Bloom Gold Award.

How did success in the green roofing sector impact the business?

Success in the green roofing sector has provided the business with the opportunities not only to innovate our operations, but also to contribute to national and global-level innovation.

The installation and maintenance of green roofs on urban buildings helps to reduce flash flooding by absorbing excess water, and also recreates lost habitats.

In terms of operations, the business has reduced the amount of waste it sends to landfill by 93% through composting and chipping all green waste that can be reused on planted areas as mulch. Wood from the tree-cutting team is reused on biodiverse roof installations to create habitat log piles, and pallets and packaging from the landscape team are reused to build bug hotels for roof gardens.

What services do you offer outside of green roofing?

We continue to work on commercial soft landscape installations while the green roof market grows sufficiently for us to solely concentrate on installing and maintaining them.

Are you a member of any associations?

GRO – the Green Roof Organisation.

What geographical areas do you cover?

From Stornoway to Ramsgate and beyond.

How do you encourage corporate social responsibility?

Last year, we pledged to make a difference in www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/05/2018 09:10

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Wolverton – our home, and where the company’s HQ is based – for MK50, Milton Keynes’s 50th anniversary. We funded colourful MK50 bunting and flags for the shopfronts, and we put in our own team and resources – valued at over £6,000 – to help the town win its first ever Gold award in the RHS Britain in Bloom competition, which it had entered for the past 11 years.

WE ARE AIMING TO BECOME A NATIONAL LEADING GREEN ROOF INSTALLER BY 2020, MAKING IT OUR MAIN OPERATION local Secret Garden, which raised more than £1,890 for garden volunteers.

Each year we support the annual MK Rugby Club European cycle rides by providing support vehicles and drivers. We also donate a tree to the senior citizens club each Christmas, and are friends of the MK Dons Sports Education Trust (SET) and MK Theatre of Comedy.

qualification for commercial installers and system suppliers, working with GRO, Lantra and roofing industry partners.

Our team’s skills, horticultural experience and training gives us an advantage over our competitors, and puts us in good stead to increase our current turnover fourfold by the turn of the decade.

1 Europe’s largest turf roof with Frosts Landscapes 2 International Festival Chapel 3 The Playhouse Theatre, Embankment 4 Glasgow Hospital roof garden with Frosts Landscapes 5 Garden room, Hammersmith 6 Penthouse apartment, Brick Lane

We also continue to lead on the Don’t Rubbish Wolverton campaign by providing vehicles and staff for town clean-ups, and have been the main sponsor of the town’s free-entry firework display for 12 years. We even sponsored and organised a week-long, free-to-attend illumination event within the www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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What’s next for Bridgman & Bridgman?

We are aiming to become a national leading green roof installer by 2020, making it our main operation. Last year we set up our own growing nursery in Milton Keynes, which has created employment, supported apprenticeships and offers opportunities for work experience students. This year, the focus is on creating a recognised industry-led green roofing

CONTACT Bridgman & Bridgman LLP, 26 Cambridge Street, Wolverton, Milton Keynes MK12 5AJ Tel: 01908 579080 Twitter: @BridgmanLscapes Email: info@bridgmanlandscapes.co.uk Web: www.bridgmanlandscapes.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 33

16/05/2018 09:11

Venn Street, Clapham

INFORM

Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow

Clapham Old Town The Pavement

LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECT’S JOURNAL

London-based practice Urban Movement is transforming cities with its pedestrian-focused approach

U

rban Movement has a strong ethical base, aiming to create sustainable towns and cities that are fully inclusive, accessible and economically viable. No project highlights this better than Glasgow’s Avenues initiative, which Urban Movement has been heavily involved in.

Developed by the council as part of the Glasgow City Centre Strategy and Action Plan, the Avenues initiative proposes dramatic improvements to the quality of the city centre, placing people firmly at its heart, with plans to enhance the public realm and create a network of pedestrian and cycle routes.

Approximately £115m is being invested to deliver the Avenues initiative, also known as the Enabling Infrastructure Integrated Public Realm (EIIPR) programme. Following Urban Movement’s appointment to undertake the commission two years ago, the practice created a detailed city centre map from which each street was assessed in terms of its social, environmental and economic investment return.

Core Avenues – streets that benefited the city most – were then selected to be designed and delivered over the next 10 years. Concept 34

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designs were undertaken for the first work stages to demonstrate the overall improvement to the city centre, and provide a greater understanding of the likely expense.

Two years on, work has begun on the first Avenue, Sauchiehall Street. This will act as a pilot for the rest of the scheme, showcasing its benefits. The project, which encompasses the western, non-pedestrianised section of the street and five connecting side roads, will aim to transform this area into a more attractive, safer and inclusive landscape over an 18-month period.

AESTHETICALLY, WE FALL SOMEWHERE BETWEEN CORPORATE AND GUERRILLA IN AN ATTEMPT TO CREATE A VERNACULAR FOR THE PUBLIC REALM Segregated two-way cycle lanes and continuous footways are just some of the improvements that will help form the network.

Pedestrian space will be increased, as most of the street furniture is to be located on the verge, and a mixture of deciduous trees will be planted along the avenue, with shrub beds acting as a SuDS system for rainwater runoff.

Urban Movement has built up a strong relationship closer to home with Lambeth Council – for whom it has carried out a number of successful schemes – as well as a great reputation for public realm work, including streets, public spaces and transport interchanges. The transport and public realm team at Urban Initiatives, which went on to form Urban Movement in 2011, was commissioned by Lambeth Council in 2006 to carry out a large design study of Clapham’s Old Town neighbourhood.

The first phase of this project, Venn Street, opened the same year Urban Movement was founded, and was one of the first schemes to be considered by Transport for London’s (TfL) new Design Review Panel.

Prior to the practice’s involvement, parking created a number of issues in Venn Street, with outdoor restaurant seating and pedestrian space being restricted by kerbside parking. Following the success of a local food market, for which the road was closed by the council every month, the decision was made to seek a weekly weekend closure for the market, and for the public realm to be redesigned to prioritise pedestrians and create more room for business frontages.

Urban Movement negotiated with TfL to relocate resident and business parking bays to both ends of the street, and to mount streetlights www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Crossrail Abbey Wood ©Fereday Pollard Architects

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Aerial view: Crossrail Abbey Wood ©Fereday Pollard Architects

Brighton Station

Venn Street, Clapham

and signs on buildings. Plates indicating a Restricted Parking Zone, Lambeth’s first, were used rather than painted road markings.

The Clapham Old Town Landscape and Urban Realm project won multiple awards, including Best New Public Space at the London Planning Awards 2015. Costing approximately £3.5m, most of which came from TfL’s Major Schemes fund, the final design followed public consultations and worked closely with council officers and TfL to create a new town square with a range of public realm improvements.

One of the most prolific elements of the project is the ‘Copenhagen Crossing’, which uses similar details to those used in some mainland European cities. This version was unique to the UK in that the footway runs across the mouth of the junction without warning pedestrians that they are crossing a carriageway, as vehicles naturally slow or stop for the crossing. This was such a success that it featured in the 2016 edition of TfL’s Streetscape Guidance.

Further work for Lambeth Council included developing proposals for a new public space outside Brixton Police station, Canterbury Square, which at the time was surfaced entirely in asphalt and dominated by parked cars. An existing mature London plane tree became the focal point of Urban Movement’s design, and by www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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the time the scheme was completed in summer 2016, the asphalt had been replaced with self-binding gravel and the surrounding footway had been widened and decluttered. Seating, cycle stands and litter bins were all introduced, as were timber balancing posts and small climbing boulders for children.

Clapham Old Town

The practice is now working on designing the public realm at Abbey Wood station, situated at one end of the new Elizabeth Line (formerly known as Crossrail), which will be opening to the public this year. The urban realm project, estimated to cost around £2.5m, will be completed the following year, and will prioritise pedestrians and cyclists – providing new infrastructure for both, including a new signalised crossing. Public plazas at station entrances will include seating, cycle parking and wayfinding information, and the main

station entrance will be surfaced in granite planks sympathetic to the Harrow Manorway flyover, which it is accessed from.

“We are rigorous and critical in our analysis, challenging accepted norms and taking nothing for granted,” says Urban Movement landscape architect Ian Hingley. “We like to design each project from first principles and never offer generic solutions, as every project is unique.

Aesthetically, we fall somewhere between corporate and guerrilla in an attempt to create a vernacular for the public realm.”

This is an interesting approach that, judging from the level of the work the practice is undertaking, has proven hugely successful. Over the summer, the team will be speaking at several conferences, as well as travelling to Glasgow to work on the Avenues project; later in the year will be in Ljubljana for its annual study tour. An extremely forward-thinking practice, which is having a remarkable impact on our cities.

CONTACT Urban Movement Tel 020 3567 0710 Email: hello@urbanmovement.co.uk Twitter: @UM_Streets www.urbanmovement.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 35

16/05/2018 09:15

VIEW FROM THE TOP NICK TEMPLE-HEALD

When it comes to landscaping and grounds maintenance, there are more significant influences than the weather, says Nick Temple-Heald As I write this on a Saturday in the Yorkshire Dales, with rain lashing at the window and unable to see the pub opposite, let alone the hill beyond, I reflect that this is my 33rd ‘spring’ in the UK horticulture industry. Letters written in expressing wonderment and disbelief will be most welcome.

IN EVERY SEASON, THERE WILL COME A PERIOD WHEN KEEPING THE CUSTOMER HAPPY AND KEEPING CONTROL OF COSTS BECOMES A MAJOR CHALLENGE It has been a bit of a mixed start to what grounds maintenance folk might call ‘the season’; first, bitterly cold and late snow, then a record-breaking heat wave, and now torrential rain and back to cold. Consequently, schedules are a bit all over the place, and for sure in early

May the grass will be growing like billy-o. Trying to write articles in advance represents a challenge in itself – I am sure things will be quite different by the time you’re reading this.

One thing I can say is that, in those 33 seasons here in the jolly UK, there have never been two alike. That’s why, early on in the development of The Landscape Group, we established a rule that has endured within idverde today. That rule is: ‘We don’t blame the weather’.

It is all too easy to attribute poor performance, either financially or in the eyes of our customers, to poor weather. The reality is that – with a couple of exceptions in those 33 years – the difference between a good season and a bad one is marginal by the time you get to the end of it. In every season, there will come a period when keeping the customer happy and keeping control of costs becomes a major challenge as Mother Nature intervenes.

For me it was no different in the early days, when I knew that if I ran out of stock of

Gro-Bags by May Day, I’d be in deep trouble for three months!

I know that, if you are a manager on the frontline, this time of year can be difficult and worrying. Seasonal variations, however, are transitory, and are not the important thing in the long term. What matters is continuous year on year growth, or should I say improvement (growth is only a good thing if it was your intention to grow!). Which of these companies would you prefer to ‘invest in’?

I am immensely pleased that, following its recent change of principal investor, a portion of idverde remains in the hands of its senior management teams in France and the UK. When I say ‘invest’, I don’t necessarily mean money: we all make an investment in the company we work for every time we sit down at our computer or pull on our work boots. If you care, then that is important, whether you own the company or not – so choose your investment just as wisely.

ABOUT NICK TEMPLE-HEALD Nick Temple-Heald is chairman of idverde in the UK and a member of idverde’s group board in France.

Together, idverde employs some 5,000 people in France, England and Scotland and it is the largest landscapes business in Europe.

www.idverde.co.uk

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16/05/2018 13:40

INFORM

DIFFERENT STROKES ANDREW WILSON Andrew Wilson explores the interface between landscape architecture and garden design – disciplines that are so close, yet so different The London College of Garden Design is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and our summer Info Burst evening lectures have been handed over to various organisations to help them consider their relationship to garden design and garden designers.

Our first evening, held back in April, created a lively debate; we gave the floor to the Landscape Institute, with President-Elect Adam White, Andree Davies, Nilufer Danis and Sam Martin discussing the territory shared by garden designers and landscape architects. All four speakers have a foot in both camps, which could make the next two years of Adam’s presidency quite interesting for the two professions.

THE OLYMPIC PARK WAS CITED AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW PLANTING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A PUBLIC SPACE, AND WAS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN GARDEN AND LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS What came across was the crisis of identity that exists within landscape architecture as a design discipline – an important consideration as the Institute nears its 90th anniversary. What really resonated with me was the fact that this identity issue seemed pretty much the same when I graduated in landscape architecture in 1984. In part, the Landscape Institute has to encompass all its member disciplines and, unlike the SGD, it therefore cannot be solely dedicated to the art and design of the landscape. This issue is highlighted each year in the difference between the respective award ceremonies of the two organisations. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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The debate ranged between the loss of soul or sense of place in public landscape design settings, and how much of this was through a decrease in planting and planting design – which, in turn, was led and influenced by the widespread desire to have the lowest maintenance costs and operations possible.

In a sense, our public spaces are becoming increasingly bland, and frequently less green.

Although maintenance is a key consideration in garden design, planting design will always be a significant aspect of any garden. Garden planting for scale, and changes in light and shade levels, colour and texture, all introduce a range of sensory stimulations and atmospheres, which many of our public spaces now lack. The Olympic Park was cited as an example of how planting can contribute to a public space, and was in fact a collaboration between garden and landscape designers – but six years on, how much of this approach has made it into our public realm spaces?

The sense of engagement with our clients also came into the discussion, with garden designers taking a more person-centred interest. This may be a reflection of the tendency for a garden designer to work with individuals or smaller groups of people, as opposed to a corporate or commercial body or organisation, where the actual user group may never be encountered. When the garden designer crosses from private ownership to more public usage, the personal touch or approach would produce quite a contrast in style and communication.

Asked to discern what was specific to the landscape architect’s approach to design, the response was a good understanding of place or the site and its context, good research into the site and its makeup, circulation and functionality, clear conceptual design, an understanding of materiality and planting, and the design of engaging and uplifting spaces.

All very good and agreed, but also all identifiable in our teaching and syllabus on the Garden Design Diploma at LCGD. Our students and graduates in the audience all recognised these terms and techniques, and use them in the development of their design solutions – so landscape architecture cannot therefore claim them as unique.

Is this my landscape architectural background synthesised into garden design teaching at LCGD, or is it that we are distinct parts of the same profession, with greater commonality than division? Discuss.

Pictured: Commercial landscape scheme in Milton Keynes, Phase 1 ©Wilson McWilliam Studio

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

www.lcgd.org.uk

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 39

16/05/2018 08:31

INFORM

THE LOST ART OF CONVERSATION ANGUS LINDSAY

Technology is no replacement for an old-fashioned person-to-person chat, says Angus Lindsay In the early days of writing for Pro Landscaper, I wrote an article entitled ‘It’s good to talk’, in which I discussed the merits of face-to-face communication over other forms of electronic communication. This, I suppose, is a follow-up to that article, borne out of an increasing frustration with people who fail to communicate and increasingly rely on technology as the answer to all problems.

It could be me getting old, but for the last 50 years, talking to people has always stood me in good stead. While I accept that technology does make our lives easier, I don’t need an all-singing, all-dancing spreadsheet to tell me that the delivery of my vehicles or machinery is going to be delayed – I need someone to pick up the phone and tell

me what they are doing about it. It does seem that businesses communicate less as they develop and expand, not just in our industry but across the board. Departments or regions don’t speak to each other, resulting in wasted time, money and resource.

With email now the preferred method of communication, there is a culture 40

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of ‘write email, press send, job done – not my problem!’.

I find that it’s better to discuss an issue and confirm by email, rather than assume or dictate and send an email which can be misunderstood or misinterpreted, causing more problems. I’m sure we’ve all waited at home for a delivery, having been informed via text or email that you can expect it between 8am and 6pm, only to receive a text at 2.30pm telling you that it has been delayed and you need to reschedule. Try speaking to somebody at the delivery company and you end up in the black hole that is automated reception: “Press 1 for deliveries, press 2 for complaints, press 10 for despair”.

Several incidents over the past few weeks have prompted this article. Materials being delivered to the wrong site because somebody didn’t read the delivery instructions – what use

WITH EMAIL NOW THE PREFERRED METHOD OF COMMUNICATION, THERE IS A CULTURE OF ‘WRITE EMAIL, PRESS SEND, JOB DONE – NOT MY PROBLEM!’ is 20t of bark mulch at a first-floor office complex? Machinery not being delivered on time, despite having been ordered well in advance of the start of the growing season – which, as far as I’m aware, and despite global warming, always starts around the end of March. Given previous years’ experience, why are machines not in the country, with the suppliers and ready to be delivered?

Similarly, changing suppliers can sometimes be fraught with headaches – not least a new supplier’s lack of understanding of your business, your clients or the effect the weather can have on operations. It’s always interesting the first time you meet a new

supplier: in they come, all sharp suits and shiny shoes, promising the earth in terms of KPIs, Smart Solutions and APP-derived real-time reporting suites (whatever they are!), and of course they understand our business because they have a garden at home.

Unfortunately, when it all goes wrong, it’s always somebody else’s fault – usually the person who didn’t read the one email out of the 287 they received that day. Generally, a simple conversation could have saved a lot of frustration and headache.

Maybe I’m being a bit of a dinosaur – but as I’ve said in previous articles, I’m all for technology as long as it’s introduced in a balanced fashion, and with the necessary communication and stress tests to ensure that it works and delivers the promised improvements, efficiencies and savings. Otherwise, what’s the point?

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

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

Contact: angus.lindsay@idverde.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 10:38

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16/05/2018 11:26

INFORM

SETTING FORTH

ADAM WHITE Adam White reports on the first of BALI’s Professional Designer Webinar Series, ‘Setting up a Design Practice’ In February I attended the Society of Garden Designers Awards and was lucky enough to sit with SGD Chair Sarah Morgan and BALI Chair Wayne Grills. It was a brilliant evening, and one of the topics we agreed on was that we would like to see more collaboration, shared training opportunities and joint celebration of the landscape profession. I am delighted that this conversation has led to the Professional Designer Webinar Series – a series of live online webinars facilitated by BALI, aiming to support garden designers and landscape architects.

The first took place in early May, and is still available to listen to via catch-up on the BALI website. Myself and my business partner Andrée Davies joined an all-star cast of landscape and garden design professionals to discuss the highs and lows of establishing your own design practice. Sarah Morgan MSGD represented sole traders, Emma Mazzullo CMLI MSGD spoke about running a limited company and delivering international projects, and myself and Andrée discussed running a partnership.

The webinar was chaired by Marian Boswall MBALI MSGD, who is both a landscape architect and a garden designer, and Board Design Director for BALI. Registration was simple, and once the delegates were sent a

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preregistration link they could check in to the auditorium and read more about our speakers and their backgrounds. Listening to each designer, it soon became apparent that, regardless of how they establish their practice, everyone faces similar challenges in the first few years.

AN ALL-STAR CAST OF LANDSCAPE AND GARDEN DESIGN PROFESSIONALS DISCUSSED THE HIGH AND LOWS OF ESTABLISHING YOUR OWN DESIGN PRACTICE The liabilities of being a sole trader as opposed to a limited company were discussed in some depth, particularly around the personal liability of sole traders. Both Andrée and I operated as a partnership for the first year before establishing Davies White as a limited company in 2009, and one key reason for this was to protect our own personal assets.

Sacrifice was another topic discussed; as a self-employed landscape professional, the line between your working and personal lives will blur. Your downtime becomes ‘light’ business time – but your time ‘in the office’ feels more like personal time, because you want to be there.

Marian pointed out that, as a self-employed landscape professional, you are an entrepreneur.

Since you’re deciding where the money goes, you can set your own salary – but many entrepreneurs don’t even take a salary during their first months of operations, waiting until there’s a steady line of revenue backing them up.

Helen gave a really good insight into operating as a sole trader, talking about having to wear dozens of hats, make decisions you’ve never made before and delve into subjects you’ve never considered. Part of

being the boss of a landscape or garden design practice is stepping out of your comfort zone – often multiple times every day.

The best piece of advice was on the benefits that can be gained from professional bodies.

Make sure you join or register with BALI, the SGD or the LI; they provide structures, mentors and online support. Davies White Ltd has benefited

Marian Boswall

Emma Mazzullo

Sarah Morgan

Adam White & Andrée Davies

from being Chartered Landscape Architects and a Registered Practice with the LI; it has helped us secure insurance policies, provided CPD training, and given us access to the procedures and contracts required to deliver projects effectively.

The first webinar attracted more than 40 listeners, and all panel members agreed that it was a step in the right direction. I am optimistic that this joined-up approach is the way forward to help educate, train and empower all members of our industry.

ABOUT ADAM WHITE FLI Adam White FLI is a director at Davies White Ltd, a double RHS Gold Medal, double People’s Choice and RHS Best in Show award-winning Chartered Landscape Architects practice. He is a Fellow and President Elect of the Landscape Institute.

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

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 43

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INFORM

Healing touch Pro Landscaper visited Helmsley Walled Garden in York shortly after it opened for the summer to discover more about its restoration, its roots as a kitchen garden, and how horticultural therapy is at the heart of everything it does

S

ituated at the bottom of the North York Moors with Helmsley Castle as its backdrop, Helmsley Walled Garden is both steeped in history and set in an idyllic location, with an impressive 200m-long double herbaceous border making it a quintessentially English garden.

Helmsley Walled Garden has constantly evolved since it was built more than 250 years ago. Originally a kitchen garden to the neighbouring Duncombe Park, the five-acre space fell into disrepair in the Eighties. Local woman Alison Ticehurst took on the challenge of restoring it in 1994, with the aim of providing horticultural therapy. The restoration continues to this day under head gardener Lisa Rennison, who joined in December. Lisa worked tirelessly, alongside volunteers, to ensure the garden was ready to open to the public at the end of March. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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A harsh winter of heavy rain and snow meant there were several setbacks, including it taking four whole months to prepare the Hot

IT’S MORE OF AN INSPIRATIONAL THAN ASPIRATIONAL GARDEN – IT GIVES VISITORS IDEAS TO TAKE HOME, EVEN THOUGH THIS GARDEN IS MUCH BIGGER THAN THE AVERAGE PLOT Border that runs the length of the garden. As well as cutting back over the winter months, Lisa was keen to make the garden more self-sufficient, and has introduced new compost bays. “It will take a while to develop, but we will

be using more mulches in the future,” she tells us. “We also introduced a small leaf mould bay to be used in propagation or on specific beds.”

Lisa, who used to work on the National Trust’s Passport to your Future programme, managing historic gardens, is using her previous experience to develop Helmsley Walled Garden in other ways. These include bringing bat and bird boxes to the garden, to improve biodiversity.

The maintenance regime will also be adapted: “One of my visions is to be more environmentally and wildlife friendly, so we won’t scalp the garden to the ground – we’ll leave enough for the invertebrates.”

Horticultural therapy With more of a naturalistic than manicured approach, the garden is already a thriving habitat for wildlife, with a wildflower meadow of annual Pro Landscaper / June 2018 45

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INFORM

mixes. Annuals are used in areas infested with ground elder whilst Lisa works to eradicate it, a strong focus in the next few months.

Horticultural therapy is central to the life of the garden; it welcomes those with a range of physical and mental disabilities.

The enclosed nature of the space makes people feel safe and secure within it, and allows those with disabilities to learn basic horticultural tasks in a social environment.

Some go on to become regular volunteers as part of Lisa’s team.

As a recognised charity, Helmsley Walled Garden relies on its volunteers. “We have both independent volunteers and supported volunteers who work with the horticultural therapists,” explains marketing manager Tricia Harris, who also works in the garden at least one day a week. “We could not do it without them.”

Lisa adds: “A lot of my time is volunteer management, and because of that, we have to restrict volunteering to three days a week, with four or five volunteers a day.”

Maintenance and horticultural therapy take place year-round, so Helmsley needs to make enough money to fund this during the summer months, when it’s open to the public. It acts as a social enterprise, funding social care through entry fees and plant sales.

Apples and pears The garden also sells juice from its orchard and the fruit trees dotted around the site, which comprise around 150 apple trees, a selection of pear trees, and plum, damson and cherry trees – as well as red and white currants along the north wall. The apple trees include a multitude of northern varieties, though Lisa is keen to introduce more local Yorkshire types to the 46

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HELMSLEY WALLED GARDEN IS BEAUTIFULLY COMPARTMENTALISED, WITH EACH SECTION HAVING A UNIQUE SELECTION OF PLANTS AND OFFERING A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE garden. There is already a small Yorkshire collection around the community plots, consisting of trees that have either been discovered in Yorkshire within the last 250 years, or that have come from elsewhere but do well in a northern climate.

At the time of Pro Landscaper’s visit, the pear trees were starting to bud, and cider apple trees had recently been planted at the request of the juicing team. Of the 97 varieties of apple, one, Sevas Taholme, is a mystery to the team; Lisa suspects it was introduced to the garden

by Hilary Wilson of the Cumbrian Fruit Group.

“We have a Hilary Wilson collection,” she tells us. “I met her last year while working for the National Trust. She has done a lot of work in Cumbria, discovering old apple varieties, and has come to Yorkshire to do a similar thing.”

One of the orchard’s aims is to give visitors an insight into what they could achieve in their own gardens, showing the different ways fruit trees can be grown. “It’s more of an inspirational than aspirational garden – it gives visitors ideas to take home, even though this garden is much bigger than the average plot,” says Tricia.

Compartments with character Helmsley also has a working kitchen garden whose walls are clothed in fruit trees, which produce fruit and vegetables for the café. A cut flower border that includes Zinnia, Astrantia, Gaillardia, Achillea and Helianthus provides centrepieces for the tables, prepared by those in horticultural therapy.

We then come to the Clematis Garden, where more than 100 varieties of Clematis were planted six years ago. There is also the former Peony Garden, which is being developed in memory of Alison, who passed away in 1999.

A late summer garden, it features plants such as Aster, and will be tackled over the upcoming months with weeding and further planting.

Lisa and her team are also looking to create two new gardens, one of which will be a traditional cottage garden including plants such as Digitalis and a Yorkshire apple tree – as well as a drystone wall, depending on funding.

The second garden will be family-friendly, but rather than a playground, it will have more of an educational angle. An alphabet of plants and a storytelling area will be key components, as well as a sensory aspect. This is intended to bring in more families to the garden as repeat visitors.

Helmsley Walled Garden is beautifully compartmentalised, with each section having a unique selection of plants and offering a different experience for the visitor. The Physic Garden is one of the most alluring of these and has become a focal point for Tricia, who is both a professional horticulturist and a trained marketer. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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HORTICULTURAL THERAPY IS STILL ONE OF THE GARDEN’S KEY OBJECTIVES; IT WELCOMES THOSE WITH A RANGE OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DISABILITIES “North Yorkshire is littered with the remains of Benedictine monasteries dissolved by Henry VIII,” she tells us. “These would all have had physic gardens, as hospitality was part of the Rule of St Benedict – to feed those who turned up at the monasteries and to treat them if they were sick, using plants from these medicinal gardens.

“Our physic garden is a homage to this. Each bed deals with a different body part or ailment, such as stings and burns or headaches, and is planted up with the herbs that would treat those illnesses. One of our charitable aims is to promote horticulture, and so this is one of the ways to do this without being overbearing. The physic garden also contains an area of contemplation, surrounded by a hedge with a large bench where people can come to sit and reflect.”

Alongside looking after the physic garden, Tricia spends the majority of the week marketing the garden. Within the first year of taking on the marketing, having started out as the assistant head gardener, Tricia doubled the visitor numbers.

She is looking to sustain this, four years on, through partnering with other organisations such as the North York Moors National Park, which is working with Visit Britain and Visit England to build partnerships with tourism boards in Europe.

Though it continues to adapt and develop 24 years after Alison began the restoration of the garden, the key objectives of Helmsley Walled Garden remain the same: the maintenance and restoration of the garden, the promotion of horticulture, and the provision of horticultural therapy. We look forward to seeing how the garden continues to evolve.

1 Laburnum and castle 2 Hot border 3 Lisa Rennison 4-6 Physic garden plants 7 Apple Day juice display 8 Laburnum arch in the snow 9 Tulips in the orchard www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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FRENCH FANCY

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FIONA STEPHENSON DESIGNS A magnificent series of linked spaces brings this French manor house to life

EBB AND FLOW

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PORTFOLIO

GREEN CITY KINGSTON LANDSCAPE GROUP Extensive landscaping adds a natural touch to the Dickens Yard development in Ealing

E

aling in West London has undergone a transformation over recent years, through massive investment into retail, residential and office space. With a fast service direct to Paddington, both Central and District lines just minutes away and the new Crossrail station due to open later this year, the area is ideally located.

To take advantage of this potential, developer St George commissioned Dickens Yard as a mixed-use residential and retail development. Nestled among three listed buildings – Ealing

PRINCIPAL AWARD

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www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Town Hall, Christ the Saviour Church and The Old Fire Station – there are 700 apartments with private courtyards, terraces and balconies; at street level, there will be retail and community use space.

Kingston Landscape Group (KLG) delivered high quality landscaping in the urban realm, as well as exceptional landscaping in communal areas for residents. Works on the communal and retail areas started in 2010, while the final residential phases – including the installation of green roofs, terraces and podium gardens across eight different locations – are due to be completed this year.

provide instant impact.

The scheme consisted of mature trees and blocks of evergreens planted en masse within a box hedging parterre. The trees – including evergreens such as Magnolia grandiflora and Quercus ilex – were under-planted with herbaceous perennials and evergreen groundcover. The main podium terraces also contained specimen trees (Ligustrum lucidum ‘Excelsum Superbum’), sourced Project value from a Tuscan nursery.

In excess of £1m Exposed roof terraces across different Build time levels were included in 2010-2018 the later phases. Here, Size of project KLG included quarter 2,800m2 standard Ilex crenata, under-planted with Brachyglottis

PROJECT DETAILS

Planting and materials Early phases included public realm planting around the retail and ground floor developments, with mature trees being a major feature of the design. During the later phases, St George selected block planting, which KLG augmented in order to 52

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‘Walberton’s Silver Dormouse’, Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’, Hebe Garden Beauty Blue and Choisya ternata ‘Sundance’. KLG does not often use artificial grass, but did use a high quality product in some of the smaller, shaded areas due to its durability and low maintenance.

KLG used matte black GRP planters from Europlanters, which were integrated with seating.

Providing a clean and simple look, the black was chosen to set off the planting. Durable and lightweight, they were ideal – especially as they needed to be carried to their position by hand.

The team installed green roofs made from sedum matting with aluminium edging; these offer an environment for insects and birds, help with carbon footprint and surface runoff, provide sustainable urban drainage, improve water quality for other uses, and offer insulation, noise and fire prevention. Although inaccessible to residents, the green roofs are an integral part of the scheme due to the biodiversity they will bring. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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PORTFOLIO

REFERENCES Soft landscaping Kingston Landscape Group (KLG)

www.klguk.com Client St George

www.berkeleygroup.co.uk/propertydevelopers/st-george Architect JTP

www.jtp.co.uk Landscape Architect Townshend Landscape Architects

www.townshendla.com

Lightweight topsoil/substrate Greenscape

www.greenscape.eu.com

1 Roof terrace 2 Level 1 east terrace

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Irrigation Systems Company (ISC)

3 Heritage Court retail area

www.klguk.com www.water-it.com

4 Victoria Lane shopping zone

Plants and trees

5 Block F sedum roof

Challenges Located in the centre of Ealing, access caused difficulties: getting material to site and to the various roof levels meant that all materials needed to be moved onsite by crane and hoist, or manually through the buildings. In addition, last minute changes to schedule for the removal of cranes meant that KLG’s work needed to be brought forward at very short notice.

Despite the challenges, this former car park in the heart of Ealing has been transformed into a bustling mixed-use development with communal gardens, stunning roof terraces and wildlife habitats, winning KLG two BALI Awards in 2017 – including a Principal Award for its work on the project.

Irrigation

The Otter Nursery

6 Central podium courtyard

www.theotternursery.com

7 Herbaceous planting

www.deepdale-trees.co.uk

8 Climbing roses, level 1 courtyard

Deepdale Trees Sempervirens

www.sempervirens.co.uk Robin Tacchi Plants

www.robintacchiplants.com

ABOUT KINGSTON LANDSCAPE GROUP

Sedum matting green roofs

Kingston Landscape Group (KLG) provides commercial soft landscape installations and grounds maintenance for main contractors, property developers, local authorities and private clients. From stunning roof gardens to open space improvements, KLG offers a full range of landscaping services across London and the South East. www.klguk.com

Greenscape

Images © Paul Upward inof@paulupward.co.uk

Waterproofing and drainage systems were installed by Irrigation Systems Company (ISC), while the irrigation, aggregates, topsoil and planters were installed by the KLG team.

www.greenscape.eu.com GRP planters Europlanters

www.europlanters.com Artificial grass Easigrass

www.easigrass.com

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17/05/2018 11:48

FRENCH FANCY FIONA STEPHENSON DESIGNS The extensive gardens of a French manor house are given an incredible makeover, in sympathy with the house’s history and surrounding landscape

B

uilt in 1865, Maison de Maître is a dwelling in a medieval stone village winter; it also contends with in south-west France. It was prevailing winds from the north-west, and has a unkempt when first seen by the hot south-facing courtyard and meadow slopes. owners in 2003, but they were won over by the The garden also had to thrive in heavy clay soil, stone buildings, rural setting and rolling views. and the acquisition of three additional parcels of Transformed by Fiona Stephenson Designs, its land from 2004 onwards required integration. garden – ‘Domaine de Cambou’ – now provides a foreground to the views, Design and build and a connection to the Fiona’s design divides the wider landscape. garden into 12 areas, with The property and its layered lines of planting used outbuildings and grounds to link and frame different are available for holidays, sections of the garden. weddings, retreats, and events – and Maison de Rose garden allée and Project value Maître will soon be using breakfast terrace Approx. €250,000 the garden as a healing and Approaching the property, Build time learning tool for courses box hedging formalises the 2004-2015 and workshops. border to the Maison, with (some parts ongoing) old vines and climbing roses Site covering the pergola at its Size of project The site presented a entrance. Terracotta tiles line Approx. 5,000m2 number of challenges. the allée, and the lilac-blue of Five-metre-high brambles Rosa ‘Pacific Dream’ attracts concealed several rusty comments from passers-by. vehicles that had to be Beds are filled with purple removed using tractors to reveal the site for irises and Wisteria, saturating the air with their analysis. Situated where the Mediterranean fragrance in May. They are followed by Lavandula and Atlantic climates meet, the garden is ‘Hidcote’, and then Aster x frikartii ‘Mönch’. subject to strong variation in rainfall and Planting to the road side of the property temperature, reaching 40°C in the summer provides screening, with cascading rosemary months and falling to -15°C at time over and red roses covering the stone top of a

PROJECT DETAILS

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redundant well.

A common lime provides shade, while a fruiting cherry is the endpoint.

As roses thrive in heavy clay soil, Fiona selected rambling rose ‘Ghislaine de Féligonde’ for the breakfast terrace. Teamed with Wisteria, its fragrant, semi-double apricot blooms cascade from the balcony in early summer. White Rosa ‘Félicité Perpétue’ and ‘Climbing Iceberg’ add to the romance, and are underplanted with Nepeta faassenii, Santolina chamaecyparissus, Alchemilla mollis and drifts of Chasmanthium latifolium. A found stone trough planted with Sempervivums and Stipa tenuissima creates an intimate finishing touch.

Pigeonnier garden and boules courtyard Between the breakfast terrace and boules courtyard, the north-west-facing pigeonnier garden is full and abundant. An olive tree, climbing roses and Clematis provide privacy to the pigeonnier suite, while a hand-forged gate by Dominic Hesp divides it from the terrace.

1 Gazebo in the meadow overlooking the view 2 Steps up to the pigeonnier 3 Swimming pool with view to pigeonnier 4 Roofless barn with ornamental horse statues 5 The meadow and gazebo from the house www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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©Adam Parker

WINNER The People’s Choice Award

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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A number of traditional 19th-century stone buildings surround the south boules courtyard, all at different angles. Large ‘castines’ (crushed limestone) and smaller grass rectangles edged with timber sleepers allow the borders to regularise this geometry. The right-angled beds flanking the pool’s entrance symmetrise the space, emphasised further with strong linear planting. Stipa tenuissima, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Blue Spire’, Verbena bonariensis and Kniphofia ‘Alcazar’ were all chosen for their long seasonal effect, drought tolerance and colour contrast against the stone walls. Blue irises provide early summer colour and form, the contemporary planting contrasting with the traditional property. Liriodendron tulipifera holds the frame of the roofless barn, which houses two heavy wooden horse statues and a vine press.

Orchard and pool A bistro table in the orchard is surrounded by raspberries, plums, Phlomis fruticosa, Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ and other fruits. Beyond this, a 16m-long pool required ingenious geometry to fit it into the corner plot. Raising the ground level of the pool area by 500m helped to preserve the sunset views to the west, reduce the quantity of excavation and soil removal, and diminish the impact of the 1,100mm-high compulsory perimeter protection. The pool is surrounded by lush, tropical-inspired planting, including Trachycarpus fortunei, Hibiscus moscheutos, Pittosporum tobira, Arundo donax ‘Variegata’, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Zebrinus’ and Miscanthus sinensis ‘Cabaret’.

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North courtyard The north courtyard was purchased in 2006.

Initially, the plot was so overgrown that two ancient cars were hidden around the sapling ash, as well as an abandoned haywain – its dilapidated wheels still sit in the courtyard. To connect this parking area to the front door and extend the rose allée, a textural linear planting bed was introduced. Clouds of Rosa ‘Vesuvia’ surround the gate marking the corner of the property, and rusty fern fence panels divide the space between public and private. A rectangular bed creates a focal point and is filled with planting lines that change with the seasons.

Spring and early summer bring orange Helianthemum and Aubretia, followed by Stachys byzantina, Rosa ‘La Sévillana’ and Echinops ritro. In late summer to autumn, Aster × frikartii ‘Mönch’, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Flamingo’ and Sedum ‘Matrona’ take over.

Neil Lossock’s laser-cut rusted steel fern panels create division and privacy between the north courtyard and sunset garden. Alternating cut and plain panels allow for the rhythmic planting of Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ and Stachys lanata, with the panels casting fern-shaped shadows.

Lagerstroemia grid and sunset gardens Lagerstroemia indica is planted between the fern fence and open lawns to the west; this area is linked to the sunset gardens by a line of Hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ on the north-facing barn wall, while the sunset gardens themselves contain leaves and flowers in hot colours, with textural foliage.

Paths, meandering through meadows Across the lane, a pair of rusted iron ‘trellis urns’ flank the entrance to the meadow walk, forming a threshold to the landscape beyond. Sweeps of planting flank meandering paths on a huge scale.

The semi-wild borders are an experiment in colour, texture and form; they include Oenothera speciosa ‘Siskiyou’, cascading rosemary, wild red poppy, night-scented stock, love-in-a-mist, snow-insummer, cardoons, Phlomis russeliana, Rosa ‘Opalia’, Iris germanica and clary sage.

ABOUT FIONA STEPHENSON DESIGNS

With 30 years’ experience, Fiona Stephenson Dip. IGD MSGD is a professional landscape designer for residential and commercial projects.

Fiona prides herself on delivering beautiful, imaginative and practical designs, and works with passion and vision for each space she approaches. She has won several RHS Gold and Silver-Gilt Medals for Show Gardens, and in 2017 won a Society of Garden Designers Award. www.fionastephensondesigns.com

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PORTFOLIO

Timber steps lead to a bench; southfacing, this is the warmest place to sit in winter, backed by a wall of boulders retrieved from the excavation of the fosse septique.

Leading down to the gazebo, an allée planted in 2007 contains mixed fruiting and decorative trees, holding the edge of the field.

Gazebo and views to south-east Fiona placed the gazebo in the corner of the field to invite exploration to this part of the garden. Soggy in winter, parched in summer and munched by deer, the gazebo’s surrounding gardens were the most challenging of the scheme. The setting for the gazebo was created by mowing generous pathways around the wild meadow. Quince, Rosa ‘La Sévillana’ and various Nepeta were established on a raised level of imported soil, and work beautifully with masses of Rosa ‘Opalia’, Stachys, Pennisetum macrourum, and tall, white irises. Looking out over the distant views, wide skies and rolling hills, the gazebo is best appreciated at dusk and dawn as the golden light plays on the structure.

6 The allée across the front of the house 7 The Dominic Hesp gate

REFERENCES Design Rusted iron ‘trellis urns’ (design)

Laser-cut rusted steel fern panels

Fiona Stephenson Designs

Neil Lossock, Dragons Wood Forge

Contractor (construction and planting) Plants and trees Terracotta planters Small terracotta tiles (allée) Railways sleepers (timber steps) Crushed limestone ‘castines’ (driveway, boules court etc.)

Sylvie Gravier, Jardins des Bastides

www.jardinsdesbastides.fr

Swimming pool (build) Limestone poolside paving Simon Vigne, La Palotienne

www.lapalotienne.com Gazebo

Purchased in 2010 at French trade fair MAISON&OBJET

www.maison-objet.com/en/paris Wooden horse statues Trade Secret

www.trade-secret.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 2 Fiona Stephenson.indd 57

www.dragonswoodforge.co.uk Hand-forged gate Rusted iron ‘trellis urns’ Dominic Hesp, West Country Blacksmiths

www.westcountryblacksmiths.co.uk Decorative ironwork items Milan Gravier, le Marteau et l’Enclume

www.marteauetenclume.com

Photographs ©Alex Moira (www.alexmoira.com)

www.fionastephensondesigns.com

Circular table and chairs (boules courtyard) Cedar Nursery

www.landscaping.co.uk Teak poolside sun loungers Cyan

www.cyan-teak-furniture.com Pergola over front door and stone planters Inherited with the house

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PROJECT DETAILS Project value £42k Build time Six weeks Size of project 250m2

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www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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PORTFOLIO

EBB AND FLOW HABITAT LANDSCAPES LTD A contemporary water rill garden to complement a sleek new glazed extension

H

aving used award-winning Nicolas Tye Architects to design a contemporary glazed extension, the owners didn’t want to cut corners on their garden. The extension offered a striking and eclectic contrast to the existing dairy barn, and now required a much larger, lower patio, with the upper garden also undergoing a revamp. The Habitat Landscapes team was invited to realise the design and transform the garden into a space that did justice to the sleek new structure.

The design needed to provide ‘flow’ around the garden, allowing access to the top area for storage and the oil tank, and to a newly located side gate. Although the lower area already had warm and rustic aged bricks, which formed the old building and a high wall, the lower patio had to have the ‘wow’ factor of the extension, picking up on its design lines. Fitted seating, and a water feature that could be enjoyed from all aspects, was also required, with lighting a key part of this. In the upper area, the garden became more linked to its rural surroundings, so

a ‘less is more’ approach was desired. Having worked with both Nicolas Tye Architects and Habitat Landscapes before, Sue Gilbert of Sue Gilbert Gardens by Design took on the task.

Design and build The design linked the paving and transition to the upper garden with the house’s new footprint. This was framed by the existing high, old brick walls, creating a natural lower space for a much larger patio. Rather than simply creating a flat expanse of paving, Sue broke up the paved areas with pebble channels and a new water rill. The narrow channels and paving layout made the space feel larger, while also drawing the eye away from the complex angles of the building in relation to the boundaries. One of the biggest challenges was to ensure all the channels worked consistently with uniformed paving. Wider, more generous steps completed the design, allowing improved access to, and an open view of, the upper garden.

Materials Some time was taken to liaise with the client when it came to finalising materials, resulting in the choice of London Stone ‘Urban Grey Porcelain’, which has a textured finish and provides an excellent colour relationship to the house. This paving formed the steps and the cladding of the raised beds that framed the patio.

To bring the warm brick together with the cooler stone, Habitat suggested using treated cedar from Silva Timber. In the upper garden, the feel changed to softer materials, with the greys

1 The new patio and water rill 2 A view from the upper level 3 Lighting in the rill and under the seating 4 A sculpture by Ian Gill, “Embrace” 5 The lower garden at dusk

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PORTFOLIO

repeated using Marshalls ‘Argent’ block paving to form a non-slip path to the rear gate and storage area. The infills for the channels in the patio were given impact using black polished pebbles, softening to ‘Wivenhoe’ gravel for the upper gravel garden areas. Softwood timber was used to create arches, linking parts of the upper garden and creating height.

Special requirements and challenges The water feature required extensive planning: at 5.6m long, and fabricated in one piece, it had to be positioned early on in the build. Given the site’s limited access, and the fact that a series of hoists were needed to manoeuvre it, this was tricky in itself – but also meant that the levels and layout for the paving pattern and falls had to be perfect. This attention to detail came down to a few millimetres in tolerance.

Access also presented an ongoing challenge for the team. There was only one route into the garden, and this was also the main vehicle access channel for all of the dairy’s barns. This meant that timed deliveries, removals using small lorries and constant communication with other residents was needed, to ensure no one was inconvenienced.

The result is a seamless installation that has the ‘wow’ factor the clients hoped for. A final touch was the addition of the garden’s millstone. Part of the water feature, and harking back to the house’s original function as a dairy farm, it was tailor-made by London Stone at Habitat’s request, and engraved with a personalised tribute to a much-loved pet.

BEFORE

6 One set of the feature arches and path 7 The upper garden pre-works 8 The lower garden pre-works

ABOUT HABITAT LANDSCAPES LIMITED Craig Nester started Habitat Landscapes in 2011, and quickly established a good reputation for the quality and excellence it brought to every build. The company has grown steadily, with Lee Goulding becoming joint director with Craig in 2016. The business has won several awards, both regional and national, and continues to expand and broaden its horizons in terms of project and company size. www.habitatlandscapes.co.uk

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REFERENCES Contractor

Metal fabrication

Lighting

Habitat Landscapes Limited

PSJ Fabrications

Lighting For Gardens

Design

Timber

Turf

Sue Gilbert Gardens

by Design

Silva Timber

George Davies Turf

www.habitatlandscapes.co.uk

www.suegilbert.co.uk Paving London Stone

www.londonstone.co.uk Setts Marshalls

www.marshalls.co.uk

www.psjfabrications.com

www.lightingforgardens.com

www.georgedaviesturf.co.uk

www.silvatimber.co.uk Crowthorne

www.crowthornefencing.co.uk

Plants

Aggregates

www.acorn-mk-nurseries.co.uk

Bradshaws (Haynes) Limited

Sculpture

Acorn (MK) Nurseries

www.scbradshawhaulage.co.uk Stone Warehouse

Ian Gill

www.iangillsculpture.com

www.stonewarehouse.co.uk

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PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS Project value £100k Build time Eight weeks Size of project 600m2

COME OUTSIDE GOLD

PROJECT VALUE £60,000-£100,000 SOFT LANDSCAPING

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LANGDALE LANDSCAPES LTD A tired and uninspired Kent garden is regraded and streamlined to help its owners make the most of their outdoor living space

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PORTFOLIO

T

he clients called on Langdale Landscapes Ltd to transform their garden into an inviting space that offered seamless indoor-outdoor living. The existing landscaping was very dated and in a poor state of repair, detracting from the fantastic architectural property, which was built in the Seventies. Designer and colleague Nic Howard of We Love Plants restyled the garden to give the clients a lifestyle space that would really draw them to spend time outside.

1 Seamless indoor-outdoor living

Design and build The garden’s multilevel areas presented a challenge when it came to breaking up the stark lines of the rear terraces so that they connected with the sizeable garden, which originally felt very separate. The design, however, managed to resolve this problem, creating an amazing space that flowed well.

The concept was to create three very distinct spaces: a main area by the kitchen, a lower deck linking with the indoor swimming pool, and a projection pushing out into the garden, where the clients could be immersed in large borders. These areas enabled the team to break up the solid lines at the back of the house, producing intimate spaces that link with the wider garden and blend with the borders – which are filled with perennial plants for season-long flowers.

The team worked with two key materials: Millboard decking and porcelain paving. Both are hardwearing and feel great underfoot. The result is a tactile space that encourages the user to wander out in bare feet.

The main lawn had been levelled at an awkward angle to the house and looked wrong when viewed from the property; Langdale Landscapes completely regraded the area, blending the levels to create a lovely large lawn that synthesises with the new scheme.

To complete the build, the team installed a lighting scheme that highlights features such as the steps and large Pyrus calleryana ‘Chanticleer’ trees planted within the deck and paved areas.

Materials The deck by the kitchen was constructed using concrete blockwork pillars, set onto concrete foundations to support the decking frame. The frame – constructed with 150mm x 50mm timbers and bolted together with coach bolts – 62

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2 Planting to benefit bees 3 Entertaining area 4 Making the most of levels

was then fixed to this, and completed with Millboard Smoked Oak decking, secured to the frame via lost head stainless steel screws.

The terrace areas were built using concrete rafts as the sub-base, reinforced with steel mesh. These were paved with Khaki Porcelain paving slabs, which were laid in a staggered bond with 3mm joints.

Millboard Smoked Oak decking was also employed for the projection that reaches out into the garden. A typical deck construction, it uses timber posts set onto concrete pads, with a 150mm x 50mm softwood timber frame bolted together. The decking was then fixed in place using lost head stainless steel screws.

Special requirements The garden’s south-facing orientation meant that the terraced areas became extremely hot during the summer, so a Renson structure was incorporated into the design. Positioned

directly outside the property’s kitchen-diner, it allows the clients to dine alfresco and entertain guests.

Langdale Landscapes installed infrared heaters, extending the use of this space into the night.

An enthusiastic apiarist, the client wanted a planting scheme that would keep the bees happy. The team created sweeping borders that bring the scheme together and set the garden within the landscape.

ABOUT LANGDALE LANDSCAPES LTD Langdale Landscapes Ltd covers the Surrey-Kent border, creating spaces that enhance its clients’ lives.

Pushing the boundaries with incredible designs, it achieves spaces that are as beautiful to be in as they are to look at. It has built two trade gardens at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and achieved the highest accolades in its category. www.langdalelandscapes.co.uk

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PORTFOLIO

BEFORE

REFERENCES Contractor Langdale Landscapes Ltd

www.langdalelandscapes.co.uk Contact: Nik Edser 01732 700199 / 07809 639155 Design We Love Plants – Garden Design by Nic Howard

www.we-love-plants.co.uk Contact: Nic Howard 01883 744020 Paving London Stone

www.londonstone.co.uk Decking Millboard

www.millboard.co.uk Oak posts for handrail Scott Partnership

www.scottimber.co.uk Renson structure (including Infrared heaters) Garden House Design

DURING BUILD

www.gardenhousedesign.co.uk Lighting Collingwood Lighting

www.collingwoodlighting.com Lawn Jubilee Seeds & Turf

www.jubileeseeds.co.uk Plants How Green Nursery

www.howgreennursery.co.uk Furniture Clients’ own

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ADVERTORIAL

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17/05/2018 13:12

CLEAN, GREEN &

INSPIRE

Anji Connell takes a look at some of the most ingenious and innovative sustainable garden furniture pieces on the market

SUSTAINABLE

“Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful; but if it is both necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful,” – a Shaker quote.

An astounding 300m tons of plastic are produced worldwide each year, and, of that, it’s estimated that eight million tons enter our oceans. Two thirds of the world’s fish stock suffer from plastic ingestion, and there are now 200 ‘dead zones’ in the sea, where no life exists. If things carry on as they are, the plastic in the world’s oceans will weigh more than the fish by 2050.

In a mission to rescue some of this waste, Claire Rendall’s collection of eco-friendly sofas, garden chairs and tables for Van De Sant has been created from salvaged ocean plastic, following the ‘circular economy’ philosophy.

This involves using easily grown renewable matter that is locally available and recyclable, while employing the least amount of energy consumption possible; it must be safe and non-polluting, have a long lifespan, and be recoverable and able to be regenerated.

“Working with a sustainable state of mind creates value and improves social, economic

Van de Sant Oslo

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Tribù’s Mood collection

and health aspects,” says Robert Milder, Van de Sant founder. “Designing our furniture from scratch, using recycled content, puts all those aspects to the forefront, and changes a traditional industry to become part of a sustainable circular movement.”

Electronic waste (e-waste) is another rising problem; every year, thousands of Extremis broken household Anker appliances are thrown away and replaced, with most not being recycled and instead going to landfill. With this in mind, KaCaMa Design Lab created Stool Zero, a stool made from discarded plastic electrical housing and recycled fan covers wrapped in scrapped electric wire, with salvaged wooden legs crafted from abandoned freight crates.

Similarly, Dirk Vander Kooij’s furniture is manufactured from discarded electronic appliances such as mobile phones, computers, and televisions, as well as 3D-printed recycled materials. His candy-coloured Melting Pot Table looks like a 3D version of an abstract painting, but look closer and you’ll notice the outlines of the old toys and videotapes that were used to make it.

His lights take inspiration from the

Fresnel lens used in lighthouses, searchlights and navigation lights, with his latest lamp designed as a gold celestial body that concentrates light into a narrow beam.

It takes 50 years to grow a teak tree to a usable size, and Tribù’s Mood collection, which includes chairs, sofas, tables and benches, is made from teak grown on sustainably managed plantations in Java. It also uses Tricord, a composite material that is fully recyclable and resistant to outside influences such as frost, water and UV rays.

Teak is an incredibly hard timber and requires little maintenance – simply wash it down with a mild detergent, hose it off, and it will dry quickly.

Extremis markets itself as ‘carefully made in Belgium with respect to the eco-efficient use of materials’. “First of all, we only launch a product if it has the potential to become a design classic and won’t be thrown away, as that is the most eco-friendly way,” they told me. “It should be aesthetically timeless, iconic even.

“Secondly, the materials need to age well and resist the elements for decades. We believe everything has a function and is not just for decoration. We always choose the most durable option in materials and manufacture, as well as packaging and transport. Our products are easy to keep in shape and

Dirk Vander Kooij Meltingpot Bistro Table Mediterranean

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16/05/2018 09:40

Zaha Hadid Architects for Nagami: 3D-printed chairs

INSPIRE

Loll Furniture Weltevree beach rocker Zaha Hadid Architects ‘Bow’ for Nagami

repair. We use simple fastening tools. Since we began in 1994, we’ve applied the principles of the circular and the repair economy.”

Making its official debut at Milan Design Week, Nagami will present four 3D-printed chairs designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, Ross Lovegrove and Daniel Widrig. Zaha Hadid Architects’ ‘Bow and Rise’ chairs are 3D-printed in polylactic acid plastic, which is biodegradable, non-toxic and made from renewable resources such as corn-starch. US company Loll Designs, meanwhile, makes furniture that redefines comfort and style, all in a contemporary aesthetic and made from 100% recycled plastic – mostly milk cartons.

Inspired by nature, Filipino-born Kenneth Cobonpue’s furniture is handmade using traditional craftsmanship that is deeply rooted in Filipino culture. Using sustainable and eco-friendly materials, Cobonpue believes there is an environmentally friendly solution to absolutely everything that we do: “Sustainability is essential to our brand; we strive to express it with our piece. We have to rethink the way we produce, consume, and dispose of things.

Extremis Hopper Shade www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Loll Furniture

Porky Hefer recycled plastic nest

We can’t continue to be wasteful and uncaring about our environment.

“My mother had a furniture-making workshop at the back of our house where we were weaving wicker, bending rattan and staining them naturally. We were eco before we even knew what the word meant. I’ve continued this tradition of craftsmanship to this day. Because our pieces are primarily handmade, we consume minimal energy. This model I believe is more sustainable than others.”

Weltevree develops innovative products with honest materials that last a lifetime. The Tablebench is a multifunctional and modern interpretation of the classic picnic table, designed by Israel-born Jair Straschnow. It comes in a two or four-seat formation and is made of Accoya wood, an eco-friendly and sustainable choice.

Other sustainable Weltevree options include The Patio High Back, a shielded, intimate and stylish seating solution designed

by Bertjan Pois. Part of a five-piece set, also in Accoya wood, it is lightweight and flatpacked in three colourways. The Beach Rocker, meanwhile, combines the iconic beach chair

Weltevree Tablebench

comfort with a rocking motion.

South African designer Porky Hefer makes human-sized nests from woven plant stalks, inspired by the hanging nests created by weaver birds. Crafted in South Africa using local materials, they can be hung from trees or ceilings by ropes, and have cushioned interiors that create sheltered spaces for relaxing or sleeping. One of these saw Porky collaborate with Zimbabwean Nelson Banderson to make a nest from truck tyres that are handsewn together, and should last for 40,000 years!

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

www.anjiconnellinteriordesign.com

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INSPIRE

PREVIEW RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2018 Steve Porter, head of gardens and landscape at Chatsworth, tells us about his involvement in the Wedgwood: Emergence installation, and how his team prepares the magnificent grounds of the Chatsworth estate ahead of the event Can you tell us a little bit about the installation and how you’re involved?

It has been masterminded by Carl Hardman, a drystone specialist and chairman of the Derbyshire Dry Stone Walling Association. Carl does a lot of work for us here at Chatsworth and we have a longstanding relationship with him.

When we first started discussing what we could do with Wedgwood at the show, and how we wanted to create an installation using a traditional craft, Carl naturally came to mind.

We decided to create something exciting using different types of stone and an amazing drystone wall.

How does it link Chatsworth and Wedgwood?

Wedgwood wanted to create something that was traditional in terms of how it was produced, but still at the cutting edge of design – so Carl is taking the traditional craft of creating dry stone walls but is adding a different, more modern twist.

A lot of the stone is being gathered from the estate. The design is mainly a drystone wall and a large boulder to show the raw material, which is broken down to form drystone walls, but one other element is a huge fin of glass in the middle of the wall.

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It is one of the biggest pieces of glass produced in this country; it’s a lens to look at the house through, but it also represents Chatsworth’s long history with glasshouses.

One of the largest freestanding glasshouses in the world was constructed here in 1840 by then-head gardener Joseph Paxton.

How large is the maintenance team at Chatsworth?

There is a team of eight looking after the parkland where the show sits. Adjacent to the show, and within the boundary of the estate, is 105 acres of garden, looked after by a team of around 20 gardeners. We also have various trainees, and more than 50 volunteers who come in each week to help.

and is a really important vista. The RHS wants to utilise that setting, and so the challenge is bringing a large-scale event here, building it, and taking it down without impacting too much on the landscape.

The RHS has designed the show to fit with the contours of the ground, so it’s not all on a grid system and is quite sympathetic to the landscape – but obviously it still has an impact.

We have started to put down ground protection and have done a lot of work to understand the sensitive areas in terms of archaeology and flood potential. We have avoided these, and the RHS will put down trackway to protect the ground where access is required.

How do you go about preparing the grounds for the flower show?

The showground is right in front of the house, and we want it to be a fantastic green parkland. It was originally designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown back in the 1760s,

What action has to be taken following the show?

Where they build the show, we take up the turf and store it to bring back after the show. We also reseed areas that have been disturbed, and it quickly goes back to a green parkland again.

Wedgwood: Emergence Designer Carl Hardman Sponsor Wedgwood Headline sponsor Wedgwood has commissioned an installation that highlights its history with Chatsworth House dating back to the 18th century.

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Show gardens Now in its second year, the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show will take place from 6-10 June at the glorious Chatsworth Estate. Among the highlights is one of the UK’s largest orchid displays in the Great Conservatory, and a mass planting of more than 12,000 Cosmos for visitors to walk among in front of Chatsworth House. There will also be five stunning show gardens and two striking installations

CCLA ‘A Family Garden’ Designer Amanda Waring & Laura Arison Contractor GK Wilson Landscape Service Sponsor CCLA A space for families to relax in, this garden aims to encourage appreciation of biodiversity through its informal planting of ornamentals and edibles.

The John Deere Garden: celebrating 100 years of tractors Designer Elspeth Stockwell Contractor David Greaves Sponsor John Deere Celebrating 100 years of tractors, The John Deere garden will feature a circular sculpture of 100 golden tractors, and will mimic fields of corn with a display of Molinia caerulea.

The Macmillan Legacy Garden Designer Michael Coley Contractor Smartscape Cardiff Ltd Sponsor Macmillan Cancer Support Centred around a large oak tree rising up from broken paving, this garden is inspired by Macmillan’s work, and highlights the importance of legacy. It features stone from a quarry within the Chatsworth estate.

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Installation The Brewin Dolphin Garden Designer Paul Hervey-Brookes Contractor GK Wilson Sponsor Brewin Dolphin Inspired by the past of the Chatsworth Estate, this garden reflects the village which was removed from the area to make way for the famous Capability Brown landscape, with a contemporary timber pavilion at its centre and both decorative and native ethnobotanical plants.

The Great Outdoors Designer Phil Hirst Contractor GardenStyle Sponsor Phil Hirst Garden Design Ltd, Allgreen Group, Handspring Design, Knowl Park Nurseries and GardenStyle The Great Outdoors celebrates the natural environment of Sheffield and North Derbyshire; it uses oak for numerous hard landscaping elements, including a pergola, paving material and a feature screen.

Hay Time in the Dales

Designer Chris Myers Contractor Creations & Installations Sponsor Johnsons of Whixley and Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust As well as a reflection of life in the rural Yorkshire Dales, Hay Time in the Dales is intended to highlight the importance of wildflower meadows and the fact that 97% of wildflower meadows in the UK have disappeared.

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17/05/2018 13:40

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16/05/2018 11:34

LEE BESTALL’S

INSPIRE

Show Garden Diary By the time this issue arrives with readers, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be in full swing. To celebrate, Lee Bestall takes a look back at the build of his show garden last year, ‘500 Years of Covent Garden’

January 2017 My initial visit to site in January 2017 was with our operations manager Jamie and our contractor Jon from JPH Landscapes. We paced out the site and checked out the levels. The levels on Main Avenue are pretty good, but there is more of a fall than you might imagine – during the show it appears flat.

4 May The first day of the build begins on 4 May 2017, and when we arrive on site the RHS has cleared the turf and dug out some rough levels for us, removing the soil to one of its stockpiles for after the show. Day 1 also sees the area marked out, and the delivery of the Carpinus hedging.

5 May

6 May

Our garden was at the end of Main Avenue, and the RHS asked us to cover as much of the white structure behind us as possible, up to a height of 3m. To do this, we constructed a raised platform to support a 2m hedge.

The three 40-year-old apple trees arrive from Belgium (via Hortus Loci) to take pride of place in the garden. These were fed every three days with Maxicrop, to promote further leaf development. I had them delivered early as they required large machinery to offload, and it gave them time to settle into their new environment.

7 May

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The giant Taxus spheres were forked into position, and the first three steel posts were set into concrete for the magnificent archways – reminiscent of Covent Garden.

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INSPIRE

12 May

14 May

Over the past few days, we’ve been busy constructing the London brick walls, sawn Yorkstone copings, reclaimed cobbles and reclaimed Yorkstone slabs.

The apple trees are finally placed; it takes four of us to manoeuvre them, even with the help of forks!

Lee’s top Chelsea tips

Feed all evergreens with Maxicrop throughout the build period Allow 25 plants per square metre for herbaceous plants Use 3L perennials – or bigger Have a backup plan!

Many of our flowers didn’t bloom in time, so we had to substitute them last minute

17 May 16 May Planting gets underway. Although we used an external construction team for the build, we did all of the planting with our in-house team, just as we would with any project.

The weather changed as soon as the plants arrived – all the planting days were so cold and wet! Many of the plants struggled to come into flower for the beginning of the show, and they certainly didn’t make an appearance on judging day.

Most of the plants are in by now. Finishing the garden well before the show opens is advisable as it gives the plants a chance to settle into each other, resulting in a more natural finish.

18 May

Show time!

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17/05/2018 11:07

C RE E PE RS all about plants

WHOLESALE PLANT SALES • INSTALLATION SERVICES TAILORED BUYING • DESIGN SERVICES www.creepersnursery.co.uk • • info@creepersnursery.co.uk Spinney Hill • Addlestone • Surrey • KT15 1AD • 01932 821626

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16/05/2018 11:38

MOONLIGHT DESIGN

PORTFOLIO INSPIRE

©Moonlight Design

Location: Surrey

This garden had many unique features that made it complex to light. Moonlight Design installed more than 400 Hunza lights with colour-changing DMX-controlled LED fittings, and installed a chemical-free misting machine for the garden’s subtropical section.

The scheme can be controlled by the client’s iPhone, dimming areas to suit with a choice of more than 16m colours to uplight the house.

WWW.MOONLIGHTDESIGN.CO.UK

LIGHTING

JOHN CULLEN LIGHTING Location: Notting Hill

The brief was to enhance the landscaping and create a magical space. The hard landscaping is uplit with 1W Lucca uplights and the steps with Riena floor washers, while Starlighters and Kew spotlights illuminate the trees.

The planting is brought to life with Hampton floodlights, which can be respiked as it grows, and garden room is lit from within with Syon spotlights and a wood fire.

WWW.JOHNCULLENLIGHTING.COM

LANDSCAPEPLUS

Location: Merchant Square, London

©Garden Club London

Landscapeplus worked on Merchant Square in Paddington Basin, where a floating pocket park was built on the Grand Union Canal.

The lighting was a significant component, used to define the spaces, identify the water’s edge, and create the right ambience at night. Using Aurora Flexible LED Strip Lighting and Collingwood Spike Spotlights and Wall Lights, Landscapeplus was able to create the desired look.

WWW.LANDSCAPEPLUS.COM

LIGHTING FOR GARDENS Location: Welwyn Garden City

This garden involved a water feature and porcelain paving, as well as pleached trees along two sides of the boundaries; these were to be uplighted, to add a sense of drama and a soft glow. The water feature and slate walls were also lit from beneath.

Uplighting was achieved using 12V Elipta compact spike spotlights, made from marinegrade stainless steel with warm white 30° LED lamps.

WWW.LIGHTINGFORGARDENS.COM

STONE GLOBE LIGHTS Location: Deanshanger

The client wanted something to sit on the low retaining walls. Stone Globe Lights were chosen in 280mm and 380mm, in a colour finish that complemented the hard landscaping. Globe Lights affix to all hard landscaping, with a marine-quality stainless steel spike used in the soft landscaping. The lights are IP65-rated, non-corrosive, and UV and frost-resistant. WWW.STONEGLOBELIGHTS.CO.UK

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17/05/2018 09:29

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Alitex

Griffin Glasshouses The first thing to consider is the positioning. The purpose of a glasshouse is to grow plants, so maximising light is essential.

The design should also take into account the plants that will be grown, and make sure that they have the right conditions to flourish. Then come the aesthetics: the style needs to be in keeping with the surroundings and nearby structures or properties. Griffin designs can be tailored to exact specifications, colours, materials and measurements to ensure the glasshouse becomes a true feature.

WWW.GRIFFINGLASSHOUSES.COM

Alitex always asks these questions when speaking to clients: • What do you want to grow?

• Do you want to sit and work in your greenhouse?

• Do you want to store and overwinter plants?

• Do you want it freestanding or as a lean-to?

• Do you want to grow year-round?

These questions will help inform the design. WWW.ALITEX.CO.UK

Garden buildings Suppliers tell us what designers need to discuss with clients before they order a garden building

Gabriel Ash Buy the largest the client can afford – however large it is, it will never be big enough. Consider its main purpose, too – is it for growing, leisure, storage, or a combination? This will determine whether a greenhouse, lean-to, plant house, vine house or potting shed is required. Orientation and growing requirements should also be considered, as well as aesthetics.

WWW.GABRIELASH.COM

Summer pick

Scotts of Thrapston A summerhouse can create the perfect focal point, and the following will need to be considered: • Does the building need to be traditional or contemporary in design?

• What is the ideal size, shape and colour required?

• Can the supplier offer base plans and CAD drawings?

• Does the supplier have a proven track record with respect to quality and customer service?

WWW.SCOTTSOFTHRAPSTON.CO.UK

Caribbean Blinds UK Louvered roof pergolas are the modern garden room with a twist.

Constructed from corrosion-resistant aluminium, which is maintenance free and can be finished to any colour, the roof fins open at the touch of a button and can be rotated to provide shade while also allowing ventilation. Screens and panels to the sides can be lowered for privacy and protection from the sun, as well as wind and rain. Suitable for clients looking for a multi-use structure – for outdoor lounging and dining, hot tubs, an outdoor kitchen and even a gym – and can be installed freestanding or lean-to attached to the property.

WWW.CBOUTDOORLIVING.CO.UK

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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We are a leading supplier of planters, burners and water features with over 30 ranges to choose from and over 150,000 pots in stock at our warehouse in the Kent countryside. No minimum order!

www.thepotco.com

sales@thepotco.com 01892 890 353

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Planters

Ten companies share their top-selling planters – from classical styling to modern corten steel finishes

URBIS DESIGN Urbis Lily Bowl

Price: On application The SGD award-winning Urbis Lily Bowl has been Urbis Design’s bestselling product for many years. Not only is it a standout water feature, it also makes a stunning planter.

The Lily Bowl is available in a plethora of finishes, and in four different sizes.

WWW.URBISDESIGN.CO.UK

POTS AND PITHOI Iraklis 84x84cm

CHILSTONE

Price: £550 Handmade Iraklis come in five sizes, from 50x50cm to 85x100cm, and its generous proportions make it a versatile planter for any plant or shrub. Handmade in Crete, the pots are fired in ancient brick kilns, in which the heat reaches more than 1,150°. This high heat means they are able to withstand UK winters, while the kiln flames create beautiful textures and colours.

They weather beautifully, and improve with age.

WWW.POTSANDPITHOI.COM

George IV Tazza and Pedestal

Price: £149; pedestals vary Portland Stone, Bath Stone, York Stone, Ragstone or light grey This urn has a classical design with hand-finished features. With a 57.5cm diameter, it is large enough to make an impact, but small enough to be used as a feature finial.

WWW.CHILSTONE.COM

THE POT COMPANY

Florentine Planter 100cm Price: £438 Terracotta While they are styled in the classic Tuscan manner, updated manufacturing techniques mean that Terracino planters offer the durability required for the rigours of modern day use.

Available in diameters of 20-100cm.

WWW.THEPOTCO.COM

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REDFIELDS S/S Lead Planters

Price: From £300 Natural lead patina or buffed and oiled lead These lead planters are designed for large plants and roof garden schemes that cannot use full-weight lead planters.

Constructed from 304 stainless steel and fully clad in lead.

WWW.REDFIELDS.CO.UK

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Planters POTSTORE Fibreglass Bowl Planter

Price: From £485 Black/Grey or Anthracite, other colours available to order These extra-large bowl planters are available in diameters of 120-200cm, and are perfect for large projects where space can be utilised effectively – or as centrepieces for any scheme. Perfect for indoor or outdoor use, they are available in Black/Grey and Anthracite (other colours on request).

WWW.POTSTORE.CO.UK

IOTA

Corten Square Planter

Price: From £350 Available in three sizes, as well as other shapes and custom manufacture Corten steel planters have many benefits: they have an industrial feel but are not harsh or cold, and their coppery tones add depth and contrast. Durable and maintenance-free, they are in demand for both domestic and commercial use.

WWW.IOTAGARDEN.COM

HADDONSTONE Box Planters

ROUND WOOD OF MAYFIELD Fibrestone Classic Box

Price: £583 Faux-lead Fibrestone is a recently developed and innovative material that provides all the benefits associated with fibreglass, such as durability and strength, while avoiding its lightweight feel. The faux lead Chelsea Box Planter is available in in sizes from 30cm-120cm. With a classic Georgian panelled design across each of its four sides, this is the perfect planter to bring a traditional and classic touch to any design.

WWW.ROUNDWOOD.COM

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Price: From £75 Portland, Bath, Terracotta and Slate Contemporary in design, the new Box Planters offer a quality planter at an affordable price. This stylish design is manufactured in Haddonstone’s TecLite material to ensure that stone thickness, and thus weight, is kept to a minimum. With a range of sizes and colours available, the versatile Box Planters are suitable for many gardens and landscapes – whether traditional, classical or contemporary.

WWW.HADDONSTONE.COM

GARDEN HOUSE DESIGN

Luna Bowl Fibreglass Planters

Price: From £72 Nine core colours, plus the ability to choose from the RAL Colour Chart The Luna Bowl lends itself to any style. It has great proportions, and is available in four sizes, nine core colours, and in a textured matte finish. It looks great as a standalone design feature, incorporated into a flowerbed, or on a plinth.

WWW.GARDENHOUSEDESIGN.CO.UK

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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STONE

STEEL

COMPOSITES

NEW Zinc-clad steel planters

THE PLANTER SPECIALIST

We offer a wide range of stocked designs, plus a trusted bespoke THE PLANTER SPECIALIST manufacturing service for projects large and small.

We offer a wide range of stocked designs, plus a trusted bespoke manufacturing service for projects large and small.

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Planters • Water bowls • Furniture www.urbisdesign.co.uk

New Large Lily Bowl Planter, 1500mmDia x 500mmH

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Garden Design by James Aldridge

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Planters

PORTFOLIO

Interview Pro Landscaper speaks to Katie Weller, general manager at The Pot Company, to find out about how the business has developed, its work with Thrive, and its plans for the year ahead

Katie, tell us a bit about the company…

The Pot Company has been established for more than 30 years, with the current owner taking the reins around five years ago.

Previously, the company was ticking over, but there was very little in terms of marketing and getting new stock. The new owner has changed that, and we now have a lot more staff and stock. We’re getting out into the industry as much as we can, going to trade shows and so on.

Do you sell to trade and consumer?

In 2016, we made the decision to be tradeonly. We were supplying to garden centres, which meant that consumers could continue to access the products, and we could provide a better service to our trade customers if they were the only ones making orders.

How important is it to maintain relationships with your customers?

We often get new customers – sometimes they will just order once because they want a specific product, and sometimes they’ll become repeat customers. We have many returning customers, who we’ve built relationships with; they can phone us with a vague idea, and we’ll offer guidance and suggest pot options. Others prefer to visit the warehouse and have a look around.

What have been some of your most prestigious projects to date?

We usually have a presence at the RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court Palace Flower Shows. In 2016, we supplied The Harrods 82

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British Eccentrics Garden at Chelsea, designed and built by Diarmuid Gavin. At Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, we usually supply three or four of the show gardens, supporting customers who’ve worked with us all year. We were also involved with the DIY SOS Big Build at Great Ormond Street Hospital – a garden was constructed in the centre of the building, and we supplied the planters. It was a fantastic project.

What will you be involved with this year?

This year, we will again have a large presence at Chelsea, supporting a customer of ours. As we’re trade-only, it can be difficult to have a trade stand at shows, because there is such a large consumer audience. Generally, we’ll support our customers, and they’ll have literature about our products and where they can be purchased.

Are there any plans for growth?

We’ve been expanding for the past five years; every month we’re doing more than the same month the previous year. It’s a busy environment and we’re continuing to expand in 2018. We’ve just got our pots into Hillier garden centres, and we’ve launched a new pot with Thrive, a charity that uses gardening as therapy. It’s the charity’s 40th anniversary, so we’ve created an anniversary trough with its logo on, and 10% of the revenue will go directly to the charity.

In 2017 we announced the launch of The Heritage range, incorporating period features from English Heritage properties, and this year, people will be able to order those products.

CONTACT The Pot Co Ltd. Maynard Farm, Lamberhurst Quarter Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 8AL Tel: 01892 890 353 Email: sales@thepotco.com

www.thepotco.com

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The Poetry Lover’s Garden The highest expression of our art

We created an elegant chaise longue, water feature and gate for our client’s Silver Medal-winning garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017. Made from stainless steel, each piece required intricate cutting, precise welding and painstaking hand-polishing. Skills in which we’re

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

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Planters

PROJECT DETAILS Size of project 590m² walled garden Planters supplied WoodBlocX bespoke modular designs

Project focus The new Health and Wellbeing Garden at RHS Malvern The WoodBlocX modular system was installed at last year’s RHS Malvern Flower Show as part of its permanent Health and Wellbeing Garden For the RHS Malvern Flower Show in 2017, WoodBlocX was tasked with constructing curved raised beds within the Malvern Showground as part of a project for the new Health and Wellbeing Garden. The initial designs were devised by Jekka McVicar, RHS Ambassador for Health through Horticulture.

The garden formed the focal point of the new ‘Live Well’ zone at the RHS Malvern Show and was inspired by the increasing need for reflection and escape from the stresses of modern life. The design sought to preserve and share the vital knowledge of how horticulture and its associated therapies can help to soothe the mind, body and soul.

WoodBlocX is a unique, patented system of interlocking timber blocks that can be used to create almost any external structure. The BlocX are made from sustainably-sourced Scots pine and fitted together using recycled plastic

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dowels. WoodBlocX harvests and manufactures all its own timber, which allows full quality control throughout the production process.

As part of their free design service, WoodBlocX put together a full CAD package to visualise Jekka’s design. All components were pre-drilled and delivered to site within three days for the installation team. It took the team only four days to install the garden infrastructure, before Jekka and her planting team were able to come in and bring the space to life. A sustainable and flexible design solution was paramount for the planters, and the WoodBlocX system was a perfect fit.

The Health and Wellbeing Garden is in support of Pathways, a work-focused day service for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Pathways uses gardening and the environment as an educational tool to introduce young adults to the working world. Clients of Pathways gain vital skills for entering the working world, including trust, communication, interaction with peers, and taking responsibility for themselves and others.

For more information, please visit www.woodblocx.co.uk.

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A unique, patented system of interlocking timber blocks that can be used to design and create almost any external structure

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KEW GARDENS Inside the newly restored glasshouse

DESIGNER PLANTS

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JEAN WARDROP AND ALEXANDRA STEVENSON A show garden with a Victorian influence

DOG DAYS ANDY MCINDOE

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Flowering dogwoods to bring floral drama

NURSERY INTERVIEW

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GRIFFIN NURSERIES How the business built its reputation, and what the future holds

NURTURE NEWS (P89) PETER THURMAN (P94) IAN DRUMMOND (P98) JACKIE HERALD (P101) TREE PIT SOILS (P102)

NURTURE

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Readyhedge.

The home of variety.

The Readyhedge range of instant hedging is unrivalled in the UK, giving designers and landscapers all the choice they need from over 25 varieties, available at varying heights in one-metre troughs or in our unique Readybags, ready-spaced and ready to plant.

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NURTURE

NURTURE NEWS Johnsons donates plants to two award-winning Harrogate Flower Show gardens Johnsons of Whixley has donated £600 worth of plants to two award-winning gardens from the Harrogate Spring Flower Show – £300 worth of plants to the charity Horticap’s ‘All Characters Great & Small’ show garden, and £300 worth of shrubs and herbaceous plants to Yorkshire Garden Designs for its ‘Eden’ show garden.

The nursery has a longstanding relationship with both Horticap and Yorkshire Garden Designs; students at Horticap regularly visit it, and it has supplied plants to Yorkshire Garden Designs for 10 years.

“We have an excellent relationship with Horticap and Yorkshire Garden Designs, so we were excited to donate plants to their show gardens at this year’s Harrogate Spring Flower Show,” said Johnsons of Whixley’s Ellie Richardson.

“The gardens they have created are fantastic, and show lots of skill and creativity. We’re looking forward to our continued work with the designers, and can’t wait to see what they create in the future.” www.nurserymen.co.uk www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Hillier commissioned to create majestic display at Chelsea Hillier is to create a special display at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The company, which has received 72 consecutive Gold medals, has been commissioned by the Royal Horticultural Society to create a display at the entrance to the Great Pavilion.

‘A Royal Celebration by Hillier’ will be designed by Sarah Eberle, who is also designing the main Hillier garden within the Pavilion.

It will celebrate the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which takes place on the weekend that Chelsea begins.

Regally themed plants, such as Lavandula ‘Regal Splendour’ and Cotinus ‘Royal Purple’, will adorn corten steel staircases supplied by The Pot Company, with Hillier trees also featuring.

Around 2,500 plants will be used within the installation, which will resonate with the Hillier garden inside. “It is a privilege to be able to

create the display in honour of the Royal Wedding, and to expand our Chelsea repertoire beyond the main exhibit,” said Sarah Eberle.

Hillier will also be showcasing three new plants, which all complement the rustic theme of its main garden, ‘Stihl Inspiration’; these are Eryngium ‘Blue Waves’, Salvia ‘Rhythm and Blues’ and Hydrangea aspera ‘Gold Rush’.

Finally, 15-year-old art prodigy Kieron Williamson will be appearing on press day to paint the Hillier garden. His paintings will be auctioned online to raise money for The Wessex Cancer Trust. www.hillier.co.uk

Hortus Loci championing Chelsea stalwarts and new talent Specialist plant and tree nursery Hortus Loci is no stranger to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and 2018 looks as though it will be its busiest to date.

While the nursery is providing plants for a plethora of gardens, designer Tom Massey’s garden is among the most anticipated, and will showcase predominantly Mediterranean plants, supplied by Hortus Loci. The garden aims to highlight the plight of refugees supported by The Lemon Tree Trust, and will feature four large lemon trees.

A mix of rising stars and established horticultural talent keeps the Hortus Loci team on its toes – from the minute the show

gardens are announced in November until the show closes.

Hortus Loci CEO Mark Straver, along with his Chelsea show plant team, have hectic schedules to ensure the plant material in all gardens is perfect for 21 May. Chris Beardshaw and Jo Thompson are repeat clients who have achieved Gold medals with Hortus Loci plants, and the pressure is always on to maintain the high plant quality.

“Chelsea is immense for us; it’s as much our showcase as it is the designers’,” said Mark.

“It’s the ultimate shop window, and each year we show our retail customers how to get the Chelsea look. We feature the

colour combinations that were prevalent, and have hundreds of the very plants that we grew for the show available for sale.” www.hortusloci.co.uk

SEND US YOUR

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

01903 777 570

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NURTURE

KEW GARDENS

TEMPERATE HOUSE The freshly restored Temperate House at Kew Gardens is now open to the public, following five years of extensive rework

O

n 5 May, Kew reopened the doors of its largest restoration project to date: the Temperate House.

Home to 10,000 of some of the rarest plants from the world’s temperate zones, the glasshouse is a spectacular structure, twice the size of Kew’s Palm House, and has emerged retaining its Victorian splendour while embodying cutting-edge engineering.

The restoration The Temperate House had not had a significant restoration since the Seventies, and a 2011 assessment found that repairs would need to start within three years. The doors closed in August 2013, and for the last five years the structure has been hidden by 180km of scaffolding and a tent-like structure large enough to cover three Boeing 747s.

The restoration involved 69,000 elements being removed and cleaned, repaired or replaced. This included repairing the building’s framework and replacing all 15,000 glass panes, as well as restoring the ironwork and paved flooring. A total of 5,200L of paint was required, covering 14,080 square metres.

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REOPENS

The plants The plants present a stark message; despite being the foundation of life on earth, they are falling prey to a variety of threats. The Temperate House tells the stories of the plants that Kew has rescued, and the journeys they undertook to reach their safe new home.

Entering the glasshouse, visitors embark on a round-the-world adventure. They might find themselves in South Africa, where they will see the cycad Encephalartos woodii – the ‘loneliest tree in the world’. Another treasure is the Dombeya mauritiana, thought to be extinct in the wild until Kew plant-hunter Carlos Magdalena found one growing in the highlands of Mauritius. He was able to return with cuttings, and Kew is now the only place in the world that has this tree in w Ke cultivation.

Visitors will also BG ©R encounter Taxus wallichiana from the mountains of Nepal – exploited for the Taxol market, it is now subject to clonal propagation to help conserve it in the wild.

“This is world class horticulture, science and design working together to create something truly impressive,” said Richard Barley, Kew’s director of horticulture. “I’m most excited that it

©Jeff Eden RBG Kew

Funding, contractors and consultants • In 2011, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded Kew a development fund of £890,000 to go towards the Temperate House restoration project, followed by a further £14.7m in March 2013.

• The main contractor for this extensive project was ISG, one of the world’s most dynamic construction services companies.

• Donald Insall Associates was the lead architect for the restoration, having previously worked on other projects at Kew, including the Palm House, the Campanile and the Marianne North Gallery.

• Leading engineering, design, environmental and consultancy company Ramboll was lead consultant and conservation engineer for the project, carrying out a major survey of the ironwork to identify deterioration and creating an extensive series of drawings and diagnosis for its repair. is for everyone, from young to old, for budding gardeners or aspiring artists, for those making a pilgrimage from great distances, and for our local community. We hope every visitor will see plants in a new light.” www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 09:31

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NURTURE

Agave and Aeonium

Platycodon & Ipomea

Designer PLANTS Jean Wardrop and Alexandra Stevenson created a stately space influenced by Victorian gardening and Yardley London

Designed by Jean Wardrop and Alexandra Stevenson, ‘A Growing Obsession – The Yardley London Perennial Garden’ for RHS Hampton Court Flower Show 2015 was a collaboration between English floral fragrance house Yardley London and Perennial, the charity for horticulturists. The garden concept took inspiration from Jane Loudon’s 1840 book ‘Instructions in Gardening for Ladies’, which marks the beginning of the British gardening obsession, as more people began to enjoy gardening as a pastime around this period.

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Designed to be admired from the terrace that leads down to the garden, the planting was influenced by the book and paid homage to Yardley’s key floral fragrances. Gently banked flowerbeds display floral scroll patterns alongside paths for promenading, while a cooling fern collection is set into Pulhamite rockeries – both ferns and Pulhamite were fashionable garden features during the Victorian era. The feature glasshouse exhibits a modest range of exotic plants, as well as a patterned moss ‘rug’. Planting highlights include: Crataegus coccinea The two specimen trees were named Jane and John Loudon. Originally imported from America in 1683, its name (lectotype) was attributed to John Claudius Loudon. Loudon believed a garden should have non-native plants and

specimen trees, and be recognisable as a work of art.

English lavender Lavender was the first fragrance that Yardley launched in 1770.

Pelargonium ‘Attar of Roses’ and Nemesia ‘Fragrant Gem’ Pelargonium ‘Attar of Roses’ and Nemesia ‘Fragrant Gem’ are situated in the urns on the terrace and produce a delightfully delicate floral fragrance, in line with that of Yardley’s.

Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ and Penstemon ‘Apple Blossom’ This selection is excellent for attracting bees, and has a relatively long season of flowering – especially if they are deadheaded. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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NURTURE

Penstemon & Pelargonium ‘Apple Blossom’ Zantedeschia and orchid collection, with moss rug

Crataegus coccinea

Plant list

Salvia nemerosa ‘Caradonna’

ABOUT JEAN WARDROP Jean Wardrop started designing gardens in 1997, and graduated from Greenwich University in 2000 with a first-class honours degree in Garden Design. Jean has won awards for show gardens at RHS Hampton Court 2014 and 2015, and an APL garden at Gardeners World Live 2016. Jean was awarded APL Designer of the Year 2018.

www.wardropdesigns.co.uk

ABOUT ALEXANDRA STEVENSON Alexandra Stevenson has over 10 years’ experience in landscape architecture in the UK and Australia. Alexandra worked in partnership with Jean on the award-winning RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2015 and BBC Gardeners’ World Live 2016 show gardens.

www.alydandra.co.uk

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• Aeonium arboreum and Aeonium arboreum ‘Schwarzkopf ’ • Agave americana ‘Mediopicta Alba’ • Agave victoriae-reginae • Ajuga reptans ‘Black Scallop’ • Alchemilla erythropoda • Alchemilla mollis • Arachnoides aristata ‘Variegata’ • Asplenium scolopendrium • Asplenium trichomanes • Athyrium ‘Ghost’ • Athyrium ‘Ocean’s Fury’ • Athyrium filix-femina and Athyrium filix-femina ‘Dre’s Dagger’ • Athyrium niponicum f. metallicum • Athyrium otophorum var. okanum • Blechnum brasiliense ‘Volcano’ • Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ • Bryophyte • Campanula carpatica • Campanula poscharskyana • Carpinus betulus • Cosmos ‘Sonata Pink’ • Cosmos ‘Sonata White’ • Crataegus coccinea • Delosperma sutherlandii • Dianthus ‘Fusilier’ • Dianthus ‘India Star’ • Dianthus ‘Silver Star’ • Dryopteris affinis and Dryopteris affinis ‘Pinderi’ • Dryopteris erythrosora • Epimedium x rubrum • Erigeron karvinskianus • Ficus lyrata • Fuchsia ‘Moody Blues’ • x Heucherella ‘Kimono’ • Hosta ‘Halcyon’ • Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ • Howea forsteriana • Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’

• Ipomea batatas ‘Sweet Caroline Raven’ • Jubaea chilensis • Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ • Leucobryum glaucum • Liriope muscari • Lysimachia nummularia ‘Aurea’ • Muehlenbeckia complexa • Nemesia ‘Fragrant Gem’ • Pachysandra terminalis • Passiflora x violacea ‘Victoria’ • Pelargonium ‘Angel Eyes’ • Pelargonium ‘Apple Blossom’ • Pelargonium ‘Attar of Roses’ • Pelargonium ‘Deerwood Lavender’ • Penstemon ‘Apple Blossom’ • Penstemon ‘Pinacolada Violet’ • Pittosporum tobira ‘Nanum’ • Platycodon ‘Astra Pink’ • Polypodium vulgare • Polypodium cambricum • Polystichum setiferum ‘Herrenhausen’ • Polystichum polyblepharum • Rosa ‘Wildeve’ • Rosa ‘Anne Boleyn’ • Rosa ‘Noaschnee’ • Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ • Sedum cauticola ‘Coca-cola’ • Sempervivum arachnoideum ‘Ruby Hearts’ • Soleirolia soleirolii and Soleirolia soleirolii ‘Aurea’ • Thymus pulegioides ‘Bertram Anderson’ • Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’ • Verbena ‘Tapien Pink’ • Viola cornuta • Zantedeschia ‘Pink Cloud’ • Zantedeschia ‘Pink Persuasion’

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 93

16/05/2018 09:08

Peter Thurman, principal at Peter Thurman Consultancy, questions whether mycorrhizal fungi soil additives are worth using

M

ycorrhizal fungi live in a symbiotic relationship with temperate woody plants in the wild by wrapping around or penetrating their roots. They release enzymes, which break down nutrients into forms that are easily utilised by the plant. They also collect water and proliferate in the nooks and crannies between soil particles, extending the root volume of the host. In return, they get a home, and the photosynthetic processes of the host plant send down sugars to the fungi as food.

Are mycorrhizal inoculants nothing but snake oil?

Amanita muscaria

©Alpental

There is no doubt that mycorrhizal fungi are vital organisms in nature – but now they are commercially produced and marketed as essential soil additives. Do they work, though? I can’t find convincing evidence that they perform the same role as mycorrhizal fungi in nature.

Some researchers suggest that dressing the soil with them is pointless, as a plant’s roots need to be injected with mycorrhizal fungi to be effective. There is also a significant possibility that they are killed or depleted by simple ground

cultivation, chemical spillage, soil degradation and compaction, excess pet urine, low soil humus levels, and even fertiliser applications.

There are thousands of different species of mycorrhizal fungi on the planet, and the majority are host-specific; species that are ‘mates’ with 94

Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Peter Thurman.indd 94

FRIENDLY FUNGI? Peter Thurman

oaks are unlikely to latch on to crab apples or tulip trees – let alone conifers or roses! Yet most products contain only two or three different fungi, which the supplier hopes will be responsive. Others are sold as do-all, fix-all cocktails, suggesting they are suitable for a wide range of species. The packaging contains little factual information, and the claims appear to be based on hope, rather than informed research.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI ARE VERY HOST-SPECIFIC How can you tell if the species you buy comes from an area similar to the soil at your planting location? Alien types can inhibit the growth of some species – is it a good idea to import foreign species of fungus into a site?

It can also be hard to determine quality.

Some manufacturers count ‘propagules’ instead of ‘spores’, which may include root fragments and other inert materials – so the active spore count could be much lower. And what about ‘shelf-life’? They are heat sensitive, so if the packaging is left in storage, in a shop, out in the sun or on a delivery vehicle for too long, high temperatures could kill live spores.

Most manufacturers’ research has been done in controlled environments and on nursery stock

Mycorrhizal strands growing from a plant root

©Cleantech Solutions

NURTURE

production. As sterile potting soil has no natural fungi, adding mycorrhizal fungi is a good marketing ploy. Studies have shown that adding mycorrhizal fungi to this type of environment can have positive short-term results. Remember that the main value of these fungi is to help provide plants with water and nutrients. Many nurseries, however, over-water and over-fertilise, cancelling out any potential benefits of the fungi.

I have failed to find any well-designed trials that have been peer reviewed and replicated independently by those who would not benefit financially from positive results. While mycorrhizal fungi are a vital part of natural ecosystems, it has not been proved they will survive being added to landscapes such as streets, domestic gardens, public parks or golf courses.

When applied at the time of planting or around mature plants, will the host be in the best condition to exploit any benefits offered? Kew Gardens is finding that through creating a mycorrhizal-friendly environment around plants by mulching and creating non-compacted soil conditions, the airborne mycorrhizae spores just turn up, survive and happily proliferate naturally.

This in an edited version of an article written

by Peter Thurman (UK) and Len Phillips (USA) in 2015. The full version is available with reference citations from Peter Thurman on request.

Left: Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric, is mycorrhizal on pines and birch in forests – but have you ever seen it fruiting around such species in an urban street or on a manicured lawn?

ABOUT PETER THURMAN Peter Thurman is a landscape designer, tree, environment and horticultural consultant, teacher and writer based in East Sussex. He holds chartered status in arboriculture, forestry, horticulture and the environment and lectures at The London College of Garden Design and on the Kew Diploma course.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/05/2018 08:52

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03/05/2018 17:21 16/05/2018 14:06

NURTURE

Flowering dogwoods make a great alternative to the often-planted cherries and crab apples, says Andy McIndoe

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here are few more captivating sights than a flowering dogwood in full bloom – the way the blooms cascade down the branches, the poise of the flowers, how they flutter in the breeze. Its stunning floral display lasts far longer than that of most flowering shrubs and trees, and may be followed by colourful fruits or glowing autumn foliage colour. Despite their attributes, however, dogwoods are overlooked in favour of widely planted cherries and crab apples.

DOG DAYS Andy McIndoe

Cornus ‘Porlock’ fruit

varieties have ascending, arching branches and semi-evergreen foliage and are best grown as multi-stemmed specimens. They freely produce creamy white bracts, which turn pink before falling and are followed by red, strawberry-like hanging fruits in autumn.

The North American dogwoods, varieties of Cornus florida, have a reputation for succumbing to disease, even in their native habitats. They have a stiffer, pagoda-like habit, and interesting layered branches as they mature.

Cornus florida are hardy subjects and thrive

Cornus kousa var. chinensis

The flowering dogwoods, Cornus,, produce tiny, insignificant flowers that are carried in dense round clusters. These are surrounded by large, showy bracts – not truly petals. However, ‘bract’ is a botanical description; as far as most of us are concerned, Cornus has elegant showy blooms all along the branches in early summer.

There are many varieties, particularly of Cornus kousa, and these are the most commonly planted. They have a shrubby habit when young, taking on a more tree-like stature as they mature. Cornus kousa var. chinensis is the most widely available; it has large, creamy white blooms that blush pink when planted in sun.

For smaller gardens and courtyards, Cornus kousa ‘Miss Satomi’ is the best choice. One of the few pink-flowered varieties of the Chinese

The memorably named Cornus ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’ is a hardy, compact and upright shrub with large, gently waved pure white bracts

Cornus florida f. rubra

where they experience a definite winter dormant period. They flower most profusely where the wood is ripened by summer sun. Cornus florida f. rubra is a lovely form with waved, rosy pink bracts and spectacular fiery autumn foliage.

Cornus ‘Eddie’s White Wonder’

in late spring, and spectacular scarlet autumn foliage colour. It is a good alternative to a more traditional flowering tree in a small garden. Its biggest drawback, as with most Cornus, is that it has little presence when first planted as a young pot-grown specimen. However, give it a year or two and it will quickly establish itself as the star of a planting scheme.

Of all the flowering dogwoods, Cornus ‘Porlock’ and ‘Norman Hadden’ are the easiest and most reliable. These two almost identical

Growing conditions Cornus are generally easy to grow on moist, but well-drained, fertile soils with the addition of plenty of organic matter. They are not successful on shallow chalk soils, and are at their best in neutral-to-acid conditions. Cornus also do not do well in exposed, windy sites, but thrive in small, sheltered gardens.

No pruning is required, and is to be avoided.

If you do need to prune to control size or shape, do so immediately after flowering. Never subject them to the indiscriminate trimming.

ABOUT ANDY MCINDOE

Cornus kousa ‘Miss Satomi’

dogwood, it has a lower, more spreading habit.

The arching branches carry salmon pink blooms that are paler in shade, richly coloured in sun. It also displays stunning autumn colour, given sufficient direct light. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Cornus ‘Porlock’

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

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

Twitter: @AndyMcIndoe

www.andymcindoe.com

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 97

16/05/2018 08:39

NURTURE

Ian Drummond takes us through Indoor Garden Design’s award-winning design and installation for Kobalt Music

I

t’s been a busy time over the past few months, so it was good to attend the plants@work Awards (formerly efig), which gave me the chance to meet up with colleagues, review trends, have an opportunity to look back over the previous year’s projects, and make a mental stock-take of what’s been achieved.

We were fortunate at Indoor Garden Design to win two of the three biggest awards for Best Project 2018, one of which was for the design and installation of Kobalt Music, the offices of a dynamic and talented group of young millennial music producers. It was an interesting project because they didn’t want anything obviously ‘corporate’, and they instinctively understood the science and concept of biophilia and how a connectedness with nature was vital to the homely vibe they wanted for their offices.

On top of this, stylish and contemporary design was fundamental.

The interior of Kobalt Music is gleaming white, with polished concrete floors, natural wood elements, exposed industrial ventilation pipes, and blackest grey window and door frames; as such, it is the perfect canvas for dramatic planting.

The scale was impressive, so boldness was key, but because there wasn’t an opportunity for permanent planting to be built 98

Pro Landscaper / June 2018

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SCALE AND HARMONY Ian Drummond

into the project, we had to focus on interesting and visually striking single/groupings of planters to provide as much focal interest as the plants within them, and this became a key part of the design.

We sourced stone-look planters in matte black, grey and cream to reflect the interior palette, but chose a series of elongated, sensual curved shapes to contrast with the straight lines and sharp angularity of the building.

Playing with proportions is a current trend, and flouting traditional rules on plant-toplanter scale can work to great effect – if carefully chosen, it is often the smaller plant that has the greatest impact.

Sansevieria is a key plant for this look (left). Planted on a one third plant/two thirds planter scale, its pointed, rigid leaves appear to twist

and flicker outwards from the top of the planters, like a burning green torch – the plant and planter working in dramatic harmony with one another.

PLAYING WITH PROPORTIONS IS A CURRENT TREND, AND FLOUTING TRADITIONAL RULES ON PLANTTO-PLANTER SCALE CAN WORK TO GREAT EFFECT In other parts of the building, we reversed this scale, choosing Monstera with huge, perforated leaves to billow out from the confinement of simple matte-black bowl planters. We positioned them in areas flanked by stark white walls, and took advantage of spotlighting to create grey shadows that play on floors and walls around them – which, in turn, adds another monochrome dimension to the scale. The shadows, like the plant itself, are constantly changing. As each bright new leaf emerges and begins to unfurl, the shadows alter and the scale shifts afresh – creating a sense of biophilic harmony in which creativity can flourish.

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

www.indoorgardendesign.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/05/2018 08:53

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NURTURE

I

can’t remember at what age I knew to reach for the nearest dock leaf whenever I got stung by a nettle, but it became second nature in my rural childhood.

Even so, nothing prepared me for the extreme discomfort of the contact dermatitis that erupted after a sunny day’s planting last summer: a reaction to planting Euphorbia, Hedera, Agapanthus? Or perhaps a combination?

Ironically, this happened just as I and my colleague Shenagh Hume RN, who specialises in allergy, were finalising a report on toxic, irritant, prickly and allergenic plants to avoid using in a children’s garden proposed for a cancer centre.

Boys burying feather treasures

These days, many schools, parks and playgrounds are coming into LINE (Learning in the Natural Environment), with the benefits of connecting with green spaces recognised as a critical aspect of public health and wellbeing. To achieve a happy balance of risk, challenge and play, what criteria might we apply to a planting schedule? The assessment of ‘risk’ in planting is more complex than that of play structures, which are visible and measurable (such as the ratio of critical fall height to landing surface softness).

In optimising the species selection for the job, people must be factored into the ‘Right Plant Right Place’ equation. In the case of playful planted spaces, that means taking into account the ages of children and likely activities, as well as proximity; here are a few examples demonstrating some of the criteria at play.

Hide and seek is a perennial favourite. In low budget break-through-the-tarmac infants’ playground projects, ‘green fountains’ of bamboo work well as a maze or imaginary jungle, offering soft shade and swishing sounds for a sensory experience. As most bamboos are www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Jackie Herald.indd 101

PLAYING IT SAFE Jackie Herald

monocarpic – flowering just once in their lifetime – they have very little potential to trigger pollen allergies; I have had no problems with Phyllostachys aurea. However, leaves of some species can leave tiny cuts in the skin, much as the edge of a sheet of paper can, and the fine hairs on culm sheaths can trigger skin rashes.

Alternatively, what about a clipped hedge maze with a bit of seasonal interest? Escallonia,

THE ASSESSMENT OF ‘RISK’ IN PLANTING IS MORE COMPLEX THAN THAT OF PLAY STRUCTURES, WHICH ARE VISIBLE AND MEASURABLE

Sensory perceptions

have lovely berries, though, and when assessing risks of toxicity, it is necessary to be more mindful of berries and leaves than of flowers. The leaves and seeds of the female Taxus are poisonous, but the red ‘berries’ (arils) surrounding the seed are harmless, while the leaves are tough and unlikely to be eaten. The arils are attractive to children, who might be tempted to pick and eat one – but because the seed is hard, it is seldom chewed or even swallowed, so the risk is low.

Two of my favourite plants for edging paths and tumbling down walls are prostrate rosemary and the lambs’ ears of Stachys. But what of the soil and mulch, which could harbour mould spores and bacteria that are harmful to vulnerable people? Children with cancer, for example, have weak immune systems, and their skin may be very thin and fragile. Sterile topsoil is available for school gardens, and in certain circumstances, low-allergen, low-toxin groundcover planting might be better than a gravel or chipped back mulch. Let’s face it: some part of most plants may be poisonous, and you never can be sure of what’s lurking in the soil – so children (and their parents) should learn to be mindful, without being fearful.

Immersion in a living landscape is essential for wellbeing, and is proven to assist recovery from illness – provided, that is, the presence of allergens, toxins and irritants in plants are not kicked into the long grass, but fully considered in relation to the space and the opportunities it offers for lifelong learning.

ABOUT JACKIE HERALD

Tree fern stepping log trail

with a choice of white, pink or red flower clusters in summer, is a good option for allergy-friendly planting. Or, if choosing a dioecious species such as Taxus baccata, I would specify a known female cultivar that produces no pollen. It does

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

www.extra-room.com

Images ©Jackie Herald

Risks around allergens, toxins and sharp edges should all be taken into account when planting up children’s play spaces, says Jackie Herald

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16/05/2018 09:27

NURTURE

Soil consultant Tim O’Hare shares his tips on preparing tree pit soil to ensure successful transplanting

T

ransplanting is one of the most stressful things a tree can endure. Minimising this stress reduces the risk of poor establishment, and getting soil conditions right is an important part of this process. A tree pit is the transition between rootball and site soil; over time, the roots will grow into the site soils, but only if they recover from transplanting. To minimise stress, the soil must offer aeration, drainage, plant nutrients, water attenuation and healthy soil microbe population. Intervention may be required, depending on existing soils, topography, hydrology, and other factors.

Regardless of the level of intervention, keep tree pit design simple, and minimise soil disturbance.

Soil types Sandy soils generally provide the most flexibility.

They remain non-plastic at higher moisture contents, and are less prone to compaction and structural degradation. Clay-dominant soils can be used provided they are in a friable, nonplastic state when handled; silty soils are least suitable, as they have weak structural strength and suffer from self-compaction.

SOILS FOR British Standard for Topsoil (BS3882:2015) and DEFRA’s Construction Code of Practice for the Sustainable Use of Soils on Construction Sites (2009) support this approach.

Flooded tree pit with floating mulch

Tree pit at the Olympic Park – tree rootball sits on subsoil and will be surrounded by topsoil. More than 4,000 trees were successfully planted at the park using this approach

Small rootballs For smaller rootballs (up to 300-400mm deep) that are being planted into undisturbed ground, it is better to minimise the tree pit’s size to limit destruction of the soil’s structure. The pit should be as shallow as possible, usually only requiring excavation to the depth at which the rootball will sit. If a machine is used to dig, make sure to decompact the soil in the pit’s base, where the excavator bucket often causes smearing and compaction. After placing the rootball, the pit can be backfilled with the excavated topsoil, with any soil ameliorants evenly mixed in.

Exposed tree pit soil profile showing anaerobic soil conditions in lower portion

Soil depths The uppermost metre of soil is most critical for root establishment; it must have an adequate structure and not be over compacted, as this reduces aeration, drainage, water attenuation and root extension. It should be made up of both topsoil and subsoil. All too often, trees are planted in topsoil only, which causes problems with anaerobism – resulting in tree failure.

A topsoil depth of 300mm is usually ample; certainly 400mm should be the maximum. The 102 Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Tree pits.indd 102

Large rootballs Larger rootballs need deeper pits, requiring excavation into the subsoil. It is not always sensible to backfill with the same subsoil, especially if it is heavy – better to use a sandy subsoil to sit the rootball on and surround it.

Sandy subsoils will better support the rootball’s weight, and prevent later settlement. A coarser

sand with narrow particles will maintain porosity below the rootball, ensuring good aeration, drainage and water storage. Roots will happily grow into sand, as it is full of oxygen and water.

Tree pit drainage considerations To prevent waterlogging and anaerobism, tree pit design should ensure that water input is equal to or less than water output. Input could include rainfall, surface water runoff, a shallow water table and irrigation; output includes tree root extraction and transpiration, surface evaporation, and percolation into surrounding soils. These factors are influenced by the tree’s size and species, the climate, the soil’s drainage potential and the soakage potential of the underlying strata.

Soil investigation and a review of the landscape proposals are essential to determine which drainage options are best. Options include mounding the pit to shed water away from the upper rootball, incorporating a mini soakaway in its base, or connecting it to a positive drainage outfall.

The method for improving pit drainage must be decided early in the design process. Drainage is often considered only when the landscape contractor is due to start planting; the options are limited at this point, as drainage infrastructure will probably not be in place.

ABOUT TIM O’HARE Tim O’Hare, principal soil consultant of Tim O’Hare Associates LLP, has advised on soil specification and tree pit design for numerous projects throughout the UK, including the Olympic Park, Kings Cross Regeneration, Crossrail Park and Eastside City Park.

www.timohare-associates.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 10:32

NURTURE

TREE PITS Barry Browne, project development manager at Green-tech, tells Pro Landscaper how to prepare a tree pit that will provide the optimum conditions for tree growth

I

ncorrect tree pit design and the wrong choice or use of soil are two major factors behind tree failure.

Most trees specified for UK projects are shallow lateral-rooting: 90% of the root structure will develop within the top 500mm of soil, while the remaining 10% grow deeper to provide anchoring and tapping roots. However, many tree pits are specified too deep, with soil levels outside of their normal profile or the advised British Standards. It is common to see a tree pit with the nutrient soil layer at the bottom of the hole!

Nurseries work hard to produce the healthiest selections for sale and use within the landscape industry. When a tree is lifted from this perfect environment and placed into a new, harsher environment, it is immediately put under transplant stress.

Making incorrect choices when preparing the tree pit further increases this stress.

• Tree pit size You need to consider the available volume and look for a species that will grow and flourish within that space. If faced with a constricted area in a scheme where single pits are not possible, look to link the trees through a shared trench. As a rule, trees should be transplanted no deeper than the soil in which they were grown. The tree pit’s width should be at least three times the diameter of the rootball.

• Correct soil It is essential to prevent soil compaction within the tree pit in order to protect the tree’s root growth. You also need to choose a growing media with an open structure to ensure the correct levels of water, oxygen and nutrients are transported through the soil to the tree’s roots. Waterlogging will most certainly kill your tree. Where possible, plant your tree in nutrient-rich topsoil that complies to BS3882:2015; if required, build up the lower level of the tree pit with a suitable BS8601:2013 subsoil, to provide a good anchoring material. This is a better match for natural soil profiles.

Topsoil has aerobic microorganisms that aid the breakdown and absorption of nutrients; if this layer is too deep or overly compacted, there won’t be enough oxygen to sustain the organisms and the soil will become anaerobic, which can lead to tree death.

• Provide a load-bearing surface Optimum root growth spreads from the trunk outwards, close to the soil surface, so most of the tree’s integral root structure will be near the surface and needs to be protected from vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Consider choosing a load-bearing structure such as Green-tech’s ArborRaft System which, when

installed within hard landscaped areas, allows 70t/m² to pass over it. The ArborRaft System sits in a raft position near the top of the tree pit and provides an air gap between the hard surface and the tree’s roots. This encourages root growth, but prevents the roots from growing towards the surface. At this level, the moisture and oxygen in the soil is naturally replenished from the surface, keeping the microorganisms alive, and the soil in peak health.

TOP TIPS

So, what should we do?

• Mirror nature Try to mirror the environment.

You are planting something natural in a sometimes-unnatural environment. A plant will always follow the path of least resistance; create the correct environment for your roots and they won’t look elsewhere.

• Drainage Ensure a drainage test has been completed and, if there are drainage concerns, check that these have been addressed and accounted for in the design.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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CONTACT For further information please contact: Green-tech 01423 332 100

www.green-tech.co.uk

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NURTURE

Pro Landscaper meets Rupert White, founder of Griffin Nurseries, to discuss its plans for the year ahead How and when did the company begin?

I founded Griffin Nurseries in 1989, having worked for others. I borrowed £20,000 and rented two acres of empty field. Nearly 30 years later we’re still here, and we now have a total production of 35 acres.

INTERVIEW

GRIFFIN NURSERIES quality and efficiency. We have just taken delivery of a small articulated loader to better handle all the Air-Pot topiary we grow, and this summer we are building an extra 2,000m2 of container beds for our Taxus topiary.

What does the company pride itself on?

Quality, service and customer care. We were a small nursery, and we needed to differentiate ourselves to be able to compete. We’re growers first and foremost – most of the plants we sell have been grown here. Our openground trees are always pruned to give the best structure – important when some have been in production for 15 years or more. For our potted stock, we use the best composts, and have a drip irrigation system to ensure the plants reach the customer in the healthiest condition. Since day one, we’ve focused on quality first, and we’ve stuck with that as we’ve grown. That dedication is in every aspect of the business, which has helped us build a loyal customer base and have a low staff turnover.

What have you got going on at the moment?

We try to have a continuous investment programme – we’re always looking to improve

Will you be attending any shows this year?

In the past we have exhibited at all sorts of shows, but this year we are concentrating on FutureScape. In previous years, the autumn show has been great for meeting designers and landscapers.

Do you think it’s important to attend industry events and shows?

We try to visit as many industry events as possible, and with a very uncertain plant health and regulatory landscape ahead of us, it’s more important than ever. We also host industry groups at the nursery – just last week, the Southern Growers group visited.

What’s the most prestigious project you’ve been involved with?

It would be difficult to single out just one.

We’ve worked with designers on numerous high profile projects, including some of the largest private residences in Britain. We take a great deal of pride in what we do, and try to treat every project as a prestigious one.

104 Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Nursery interview.indd 104

What’s your proudest achievement?

Building the tallest retractable roof production greenhouse in the world is certainly up there.

I won the IPPS Richard Martyr award in 2000 and was able to visit nurseries on the West Coast of the US, many of which had Canadian Cravo houses. I was struck by how much better than glass that growing environment was for nursery stock. We grow big specimens, so I wanted a clear gutter height of six metres – without realising that that was 30cm bigger than even the monster at Princeton Nurseries. Worse was to come when the greenhouse erectors dropped out, leaving us to build it ourselves. That was a massive undertaking, with a 10m-high gable and 24,000 moving parts in the one-acre roof. It was worth it in the end, though – a game-changing project that now allows us to grow large evergreen specimens without winter damage. This comes in handy, considering the spring we’ve had.

CONTACT Griffin Nurseries, New Barn Farm, Rake Road, Liphook GU30 7JU Tel: 01428 741655 Email: enquiries@griffinnurseries.co.uk

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www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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16/05/2018 13:47

JEFF STEPHENSON

110

The pests and diseases threatening Buxus – and potential replacements

BRIGHT LIGHTS ROBERT WEBBER

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The benefits of using expert lighting installers

FORGING CONNECTIONS SEAN BUTLER

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Why landscapers should make more use of artisan forges

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EDUCATE

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16/05/2018 13:54

EDUCATE

WINNER PROFILE Gillespies

Winner: Landscape Architect Practice (sponsored by Tobermore)

We look at why Gillespies received the Landscape Architect Practice Award at the Pro Landscaper Business Awards 2018

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ounded more than five decades ago, Gillespies has become one of the world’s leading landscape architecture practices.

It is no stranger to awards, having won 11 Landscape Institute Awards to date, among others, and it has now added a Pro Landscaper Business Award to its trophy cabinet.

One of the reasons Gillespies topped the shortlist was the evidence for its commitment to promoting from within; the partners themselves have risen through the ranks after joining the practice as graduates. Staff also receive a number of benefits, including long service awards such as enhanced annual leave.

GILLESPIES IS WORKING HARD TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY, SOCIETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE AREAS IT WORKS WITHIN The prolific practice also supports the Landscape Institute in a multitude of ways.

These include being a part of the institute’s Apprenticeship Trailblazer Initiative, which is helping to create a post-secondary school landscape apprenticeship scheme – encouraging alternative routes into the industry for those from all backgrounds.

Kamila was supported through her degree in Landscape Architecture

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

PLBA winner Gillespies.indd 109

CPD training

Karina Coombes and Kate Hase at the Pro Landscaper Business Awards

Volunteer planting at Maple West – Gillespies provided bulbs

Graduates are also supported to achieve full chartership, both financially and professionally, and part-time employment is offered to those completing studies such as MAs in Landscape Design. Staff from overseas are supported in converting their overseas qualifications to UK equivalents, and all staff are encouraged to become involved in industry-led initiatives outside of the practice.

The judges praised Gillespies on its pioneering research and training in BIM, and the importance it places on remaining at the forefront of developing landscape design. It is currently investing in a BIM Implementation Plan to bring all technical staff up to BIM Level 2 requirements, starting in the London office and aiming to extend it across all UK offices by the end of 2018.

Community consultation

Great Manchester Run

Gillespies is working hard to have a positive impact on the economy, society and the environment in the areas it works within. The company volunteers bulb donation and planting at Maple West and undertakes a number of charity runs including the Great Manchester Run and runs for The British Heart Foundation.

These are just a few of the initiatives and programmes Gillespies is focusing on to create a commendable working environment and help the wider community. With 70% of its year-onyear turnover based on repeat business, it also boasts incredible client retention and unprecedented growth, with the most recent financial year showing its largest growth yet.

There’s no doubt 2018 will be yet another fantastic year for Gillespies, and we’ll be sure to follow its progress.

Karen Lees teaches a Year 6 class at Whittington School

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 109

16/05/2018 08:57

Box foliage looking healthy – but on close inspection, webbed leaves and an emerging caterpillar can be seen (centre)

EDUCATE

With the list of threats to Buxus apparently growing by the day, Jeff Stephenson takes us through the major suspects – and suggests some alternatives Not too many years ago, we were using Buxus in gardens with impunity. Nowadays, however, due to box blight and box tree caterpillar, designers think twice before using it, while clients and gardeners increasingly contemplate replacing it with something less troublesome.

As a child, the only issue I recall on the box in my family garden was the appearance of waxy white deposits on fresh growth in late April-to-May; if this was not removed, the leaves would deform into cabbage-like shapes in late summer. This was the sign of box sucker (Psylla buxi). I’d investigate the axils with a twig to wheedle out the nymphs, cottony threads emanating from their abdomens. I didn’t view them as pests, just another interesting facet of the garden. The nymphs had developed from overwintered eggs laid the previous year.

During my early career, an issue I infrequently encountered was box spider mite (Eurytetranychus buxi), particularly during drier years; this was highlighted by small, pale yellow dots and stripes on the leaves, caused by the mites’ feeding activity. It was unsightly, but generally not serious. Another pest I’ve rarely

Characteristic feeding patterns caused by box spider mite Previous evidence of mussel scale on woody stems

Box tree caterpillar showing its easily identifiable stripes

110 Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Jeff Stephenson.indd 110

OUTSIDE THE BOX encountered is mussel scale (Lepidosaphes ulmi). Looking like 3mm-long mussel shells, these are found on woody stems, occasionally spreading to the foliage, and can cause plants to die back as vast quantities of sap are extracted. This pest isn’t host specific, being found on other woody species.

I didn’t encounter box blight (Cylindrocladium buxicola) until early 2012, when I noticed a couple of yellow-brown, almost circular patches 30-50mm in diameter on two newly planted topiary balls. They were associated with black lesions on the stems. I immediately recognised the disease, but despite my attempts at control (removing all

A CLIENT RETURNED FROM HOLIDAY TO FIND THEIR CLOUDPRUNED BUXUS OVERRUN WITH HUNDREDS OF BOX MOTH CATERPILLARS fallen leaves, cutting out necrotic sections while sterilising my secateurs) it rapidly spread, assisted by splashes from raindrops. Complete removal (in sealed bags) was the only option.

The blight was increasingly encountered on numerous sites for the next couple of years, and took time to be brought under control – helped greatly with the introduction of new plant tonics.

Then, during mid-summer 2015, I found a couple of greenish-yellow, black and white striped caterpillars on a Buxus sempervirens in Kensington. Not recognising it, I took a picture to investigate later; the RHS website identified it as the box moth caterpillar from Asia (Cydalima perspectalis). My main concern was that infestations could strip plants back to skeletal outlines, and I alerted my staff. Later that summer we took a call from a client who had returned from holiday to find their cloud-pruned

Regular inspections are needed

to keep a check on box tree Buxus overrun caterpillars. Look for webbing and frass (droppings) with hundreds of them; around the same time, it hit the news, and from then on I encountered it on multiple occasions.

Close inspection, picking off and early spraying is now common practice, with my teams reporting when any are found. No matter how persistent we are, though, a look into neighbouring gardens often reveals a scene of uncontrolled devastation on the Buxus, providing a source for re-infestation.

Other physiological issues associated with Buxus include drought stress and light starvation.

The former is indicated by bronze-coloured foliage, or foliage exhibiting chlorotic banded

An alternative to box: Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’

margins; the latter causes total death on one side, where topiary sits against the walls of buildings.

Due to caterpillar damage, alternatives to box are often sought. Those that I have suggested for clients have included Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’, Ilex crenata, Lonicera pileata, Lonicera nitida and Sarcococca spp. Another option is Euonymus japonicus ‘Jean Hugues’. All of these are useful, but none, unfortunately, have the same classical appearance that box provides.

ABOUT JEFF STEPHENSON With more than 29 years’ experience in horticulture, Jeff Stephenson (Dip.Hort. (Kew) Hons MCIHort) heads up the horticulture and aftercare division of Bowles & Wyer.

He joined in 1996 and has worked on small installations, soft landscaping and gardens maintenance for the vast majority of their schemes.

www.bowleswyer.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/05/2018 08:42

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EDUCATE

We need to change our approach to flood defence, says Peter Wilder – an outside area can be both a natural space and a flood barrier

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ast year, Jeremy Purseglove revisited his 1988 publication ‘Taming the Flood’ to examine how our response to flooding had changed in light of a wider understanding of climate change and mankind’s relationship with nature. His book eloquently describes how our obsession with dredging and defending our rivers has exacerbated the effects of flooding – all at the expense of a rich and diverse habitat in our cities and countryside. We can no longer accept an urban environment where our rivers are encased in concrete and surrounded by a ‘green desert’ of manicured lawns and desolate parks.

In 2002, I was part of the team bidding for the masterplan of the London Olympics venue in the Lower Lea Valley. It was one of my first opportunities to work alongside engineers in formulating an approach to the removal of flood defence walls, and the reconnection of rivers with their floodplains. This approach was applied by the eventual masterplanner, Aecom, and signalled a shift in the UK’s approach to urban design. It is one of the few examples in the UK where landscape was regarded as an asset, not just in aesthetic terms, but in terms of its ability to provide flood storage, rainwater treatment and an improved microclimate.

The flood debate rolls on, dividing people into those who wish to see no change to their parks and open spaces for flood alleviation, and those who only wish to see large scale infrastructure built for flood protection. As strategic landscape architect on the Hampstead Heath Ponds Project, I was able to understand the division between the communities that exist above and below the flood line. In a debate that was carried out over two years, little consensus was reached over the best way to protect London from flooding, and the Heath from destruction.

The ponds – artificially created from the Heath’s clay and mining deposits – were neither natural nor built to function as flood defences, and a £15m programme ensured that they were capable of withstanding a Probable Maximum Flood event. The local resistance to large scale flood www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Peter Wilder.indd 113

EMBRACE THE FLOOD infrastructure is representative of a wider debate on whether our parks should be natural spaces or flood barriers.

Experience tells us that they can be both.

The Gui’an Innovation Park in China, a collaboration between Wilder Associates, Tsingua University and BRE, is a prototype ‘Sponge City’. It has been designed to demonstrate the role of green infrastructure in the public realm. Where traditional urban masterplans have swept away wetlands and levelled the terrain, the Gui’an Park has retained traditional land terracing and flood meadows to control and treat rainwater runoff. Ex-tea terraces now host a range of plants, from bamboo to native grasses; these soak up pollutants washed away from roads and other hard surfaces, and prevent them from entering urban water courses

WE CAN NO LONGER ACCEPT AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT WHERE OUR RIVERS ARE ENCASED IN CONCRETE

‘Embrace the Flood’ garden in summer

and abstraction aquifers.

I am returning to Hampton Court this year to reconsider my approach to landscape design, 27 years since my first garden there in 1991. ‘Embrace the Flood’ is a collaboration with Giulio Passarelli, a landscape architect specialising in the design of natural swimming pools and biofiltration systems, who recently joined Wilder Associates. It demonstrates the role of gardens in contributing to flood storage and biodiversity.

Ultimately, ‘Embrace the Flood’ considers that our landscape should be far more than just a receptacle for our infrastructure requirements.

Environment design should allow one to participate in the changes that occur throughout the seasons, and through the fluctuations of the water level between drought and deluge. Incorporating a host of native and non-native plants that thrive on periods of inundation, the design aims to fill in the missing part of urban landscape that exists between wet and dry.

With thanks to our sponsors: Skidmores of Hertford Pictorial Meadows Biomatrix Water

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ABOUT PETER WILDER Peter Wilder is principal of Wilder Associates, a multi-disciplinary practice that provide landscape, urban and environmental planning. He is a BRE Associate, a visiting lecturer at Oxford Brookes, Greenwich and Tsingua University.

www.wilder-associates.com www.survey-drone.co.uk ‘Embrace the Flood’ garden in winter

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 113

17/05/2018 11:51

EDUCATE

This month, Robert Webber discusses recent innovations in LED lamps, as well as the importance of using a lighting expert to install them Thank God I have a good team of guys! It’s only a small team, but invaluable. Life is as hectic as ever at Scenic HQ, and there’s far too much for little old me to do. Sharing the load across the team helps to give everyone responsibility, ownership of all the contracts, and brings us closer together.

This month, I’d like to share a little nugget on LED lamps. I’m so glad that technology is moving at a rapid pace, and we can now offer far warmer light colours – those with colour temperatures ranging from 2300K through to 3000K are virtually indistinguishable from the old halogen lamps we loved.

We use lots of light fittings that have integral lamps – that’s lamps built into the actual fitting, on a printed circuit board.

We call them COB (Chip On Board).

These are the lights that tend to have the highest IP ratings, so they can be used anywhere in the garden; whether it’s in trees, on spikes or underwater, it’s the same fitting.

However, they do have a drawback when it comes to manipulating, controlling, diffusing and honing the light – it can be difficult to do that with an ‘off the shelf’ product.

That’s where we tend to combine the knowledge of the past with the innovation of future, using an older-style light fitting (by older, I mean an MR16 2-pin lamp holder, which most

BRIGHT LIGHTS I’M SO GLAD THAT TECHNOLOGY IS MOVING AT A RAPID PACE, AND WE CAN NOW OFFER FAR WARMER LIGHT COLOURS laypersons would call a low voltage light), and combining it with the latest types of lamps. It’s the best of both worlds for all concerned, and gives us full control over the amount of visible light (lumens), its colour, beam angle, and life length – all important elements when you’ve created a good name for yourself. That means we can specify great products first time, without knowing much about the actual planting and features we will be enhancing. It’s a new way of working when you have a professional by your side.

I teach at various colleges, telling students how to specify the right fitting, but actually, the lamp itself is the organic, movable element of

lighting design. The fitting is just a canister for the lamp, which does all the work – it’s the wine glass in which to pour the finest red. It’s easy to teach someone how to choose the right glass, but incredibly difficult to teach them to choose the right wine! You get the picture.

That’s where you should be able to turn to your trusted lighting installer to provide the perfect accompaniment to your design. I’ve said it a thousand times – if you don’t trust them, then don’t use them! I hope that, together, we will all raise the standard of the industry I love and am so invested in.

ABOUT ROBERT WEBBER Robert Webber is the founder of Scenic Lighting, a specialist exterior lighting company based in Berkshire.

He designs and installs garden lighting throughout the UK and internationally. Robert can be contacted on rob@ sceniclighting.com or via his mobile on 07766 051 000.

www.sceniclighting.com

114 Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Robert Webber.indd 114

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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30/04/2018 09:50 17/05/2018 16:02

EDUCATE

Sean Butler on the benefits of building a relationship with a local artisan forge – and shows us some examples of the great work they can do Having an open mind and thinking outside the box will keep your ideas fresh and your gardens looking unique. Often overlooked, a local artisan forge can solve many problems for you. They are full of creative people just like you, with a fantastic positive attitude, and will hand-forge bespoke metalwork for your gardens from a simple sketch.

At Cube, we are lucky to have three such forges within a 15-mile radius, which we have been using for the last 24 years. Robby Cannon in particular has become a good friend – I am in his workshop almost weekly, and he rises to every challenge I put to him. A few weeks ago, I was designing a project and wanted a floating table to come out of a wall, so I sketched the dimensions down and then went along to see Robby. He raises his eyebrow as I walk in, but always with a smile. After looking at my sketch, he asked: “Why don’t other landscapers and designers use forges and artisans more?”, and we had a discussion about it. Maybe the obvious isn’t always so obvious, sometimes.

FORGING CONNECTIONS

the angle iron frame is filled with a clear epoxy resin. We tested it with 127kg resting on the end of the cantilevered angle iron frame, and it only moved 5mm; when we set it into position, we offset the level to allow for the calculated load of 127kg.

and 2015 (Image 3), winning Gold and Silver-Gilt Medals and a People’s Choice Award. Using laser-cut steel sheets, both gardens had infinity pools. Hours of research and development went into the pools, and the forge ensured the steel was the right thickness and strength to create the effect required.

Other metalwork features we have commissioned include pergolas, stairs, gabion baskets and obelisks. These features often create focal points in the garden and can be powder-coated or allowed to rust for a warm tone. Once you find your go-to artisan forge, you’ll find the possibilities are endless.

OFTEN OVERLOOKED, A LOCAL ARTISAN FORGE CAN SOLVE MANY PROBLEMS FOR YOU

Image 1 shows the floating table during construction, created from a heavy duty box metal main frame and angle iron top frame. Box metal is used here to reduce movement once www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Sean Butler.indd 117

The forge also helped to create the infinity pool chamber for the water feature in our recent BALI Award-winning garden (Image 2).

The metal main chamber had to have an inner and outer frame, with two smaller subchambers; one to house the pumps and the second to house the fibre optic lighting. Both sub-chambers are easily accessible, with recessed manhole covers.

I also used the forge to create water features for our RHS Chelsea gardens in 2012

ABOUT SEAN BUTLER Sean Butler is a landscape designer and director of Cube 1994. With a background in civil engineering, Sean has an in-depth understanding of the design, construction and maintenance of the physical and naturally built landscape. www.cube1994.com

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 117

16/05/2018 08:34

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Pro Landscaper / June 2018 119

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EXPERT VIEW: WHAT DO YOU ADVISE YOUR STAFF WHO ARE WORKING OUTDOORS IN THE SUMMER MONTHS? The safety of our staff is our priority, so we advise

condition of their skin and seek medical advice from a

them to take sensible and practical precautions to

doctor if they notice any changes.

avoid skin damage as a result of working in the sun.

SIMON FOLEY HEAD OF QHSE, IDVERDE

advised to take regular breaks out of the sun and to drink

sun – particularly areas that may be more susceptible to

plenty of water to avoid dehydration, the effects of which

burning, such as upper arms or legs – and wearing a sun

can be serious and can affect the ability to concentrate,

hat to protect the head, ears and neck from the worst of

drive, and work safely. We provide information on heat

it. In addition to this, we recommend staff wear sun

exhaustion and sunstroke to our staff so that they can

cream, ideally with a SPF of 30 or higher, on exposed

keep an eye on their own health, and that of

skin, and that they remain vigilant on the long-term

their colleagues.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Pedestrian mowers.indd 121

Colleagues working outdoors in warm weather are

These include keeping skin covered and protected from

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 121

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EDUCATE

WHAT I’M READING Olivia Kirk, Olivia Kirk Gardens

OLIVIA KIRK Title The Brother Gardeners Author Andrea Wulf Publisher Windmill Books My current favourite book is ‘The Brother Gardeners’ by Andrea Wulf. It is subtitled Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession; I have found that during researching plants that were introduced into the UK during the reign of Queen Victoria for my show garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival this year, the history of plants has become quite an obsession for me.

Botanical revolution The book brings to life the horticultural and botanical revolution led by famous names such as Carl Linnaeus, Hans Sloane, Benjamin Franklin and Joseph Banks, who nurtured an international community where plants and ideas could be exchanged across vast distances.

Reading this book, I have been inspired to create a living history garden that shows how, during the existence of Royal Worcester, the numbers of plants that arrived in Britain provided gardeners with an ever-widening choice of plants from far flung corners of the world – changing the British landscape forever.

I had already bought Maggie CampbellCulver’s book ‘The Origin of Plants’ in order to research plant histories for the show garden, and this book came up on a ‘you might also like’ suggestion. Usually I ignore these messages, but having previewed the first few pages, I was hooked; I saw it would be an inspiration for my historical courtyard garden.

Historical anecdotes

The Collectors Garden at RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2018 celebrates the regeneration of the Royal Worcester buildings, which will open at the end of June as a performing arts and crafts centre. Royal Worcester began in 1751, and although my show garden celebrates the Victorian era to tie in with the show’s celebration of the 1851 Great Exhibition, my research has taken me back further for the courtyard garden I have designed at the Royal Porcelain Works. For this, I have chosen to celebrate the new plant introductions that turned the British people into a nation of gardeners in the 18th century.

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There’s not a favourite chapter, but many favourite anecdotes. I had never thought about the effect on plant collectors of the long winter freeze of 1739-40, which saw the famous frost fairs take place on the River Thames. Many American rarities, grown from seed and used in the parklands of wealthy estates, were lost, including nearly all of the North American Magnolia grandiflora.

The first Magnolia grandiflora to flower in Parsons Green two years before the great freeze had London’s gardeners swarming around it with great excitement: the 18thcentury botanist Philip Miller wrote in his

gardening dictionary that “almost every person who is curious in gardening is desirous to have this beautiful tree in their garden”. The larger estates, with their magnificent hothouses, were better placed to protect their tender plants; Robert James Petre had one hothouse that was entirely given over to the production of large numbers of pineapples. Even during this harsh winter, his harvest was uninterrupted, and he managed to supply his friends with their annual treat of one pineapple – “still so rare that they were often not eaten but passed around to show off at parties”.

In her introduction to this book, Andrea Wulf describes moving to London from her hometown of Hamburg, and being amazed to find that gardening was considered an interesting topic of conversation amongst her young friends. In Germany, she explains, gardening is something that pensioners do, with the rest of the population preferring to live in apartments. This book is the result of her becoming acquainted with the contents of her own garden, and discovering the extraordinary histories behind her seemingly ordinary plants.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/05/2018 08:47

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EDUCATE

LOOK OUT FOR...

ROSS CONQUEST Pro Landscaper meets Ross Conquest, founder of Conquest Creative Spaces, to discuss starting his business, industry awards, and his advice for young people considering a career in horticulture

Ross, you founded your business aged 18 – why did you decide to become selfemployed so early on?

I was made redundant when my boss at the time took on his son. I believe that, as a result of that, there wasn’t enough work for everyone – but maybe I was just terrible at landscaping!

What was the process of establishing a new business like, as a young person?

You don’t learn how to run a business at school, so I learned the hard way that you can be great at landscaping but terrible at business. It’s something that requires immense determination – especially when you’re the last to get paid.

Are things such as Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30 helpful for young people?

Absolutely, and I think it’s great that you get behind us. Let’s hope that more industry friends keep rolling through it, such as previous winners Adelle Ford, Jake Catling and Jacob Botting.

What would you recommend young people get involved with, to help their career progression in the industry?

Becoming a member of a professional landscape body, such as the APL or BALI, is a great starting point. The APL will approve and vet your business with official procedures and training – it has been wonderful to me, and I really can’t fault it. Building show gardens is another great way to see if you’re serious, so get some experience 126 Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Look Out For.indd 126

with regulars at the shows. Be positive and work hard – landscaping is not for the lazy.

You have already won several industry awards – what does that mean to you, and how have they been beneficial?

Winning awards is great motivation to remain focused. They reassure me that I’m doing something right, and fuel my passion. In terms of the business, it gives us a real confidence,

BUILDING SHOW GARDENS IS ANOTHER GREAT WAY TO SEE IF YOU’RE SERIOUS OR NOT, SO IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO GET SOME EXPERIENCE WITH REGULARS AT THE SHOWS and has opened doors for us with some great designers. It also gives us more freedom with what we want to do moving forward. I’m blessed to be shortlisted for awards and be able to attend the events – what’s not to like about drinking with your friends to celebrate working hard?

I was in complete shock, and it’s such an honour, especially among landscaping peers.

It’s another reason to stay focused and inspired, and I hope I do Matt and everyone proud.

What have been some of your greatest achievements to date?

Last year, winning a Gold Medal at Chelsea for the ‘Mind Trap Garden’ was up there: I got to collaborate with Conway Landscapes and Habitat Landscapes, and to ER INN 2016 work alongside designer Ian Price.

W It was a really fun build, full of drama and unexpected problems, so to get the Gold was exhilarating. As well as my daughter Marley, the birth of my son Ozzy recently is my current greatest achievement.

You were awarded the inaugural Matthew Bradley Memorial Cup at the APL Awards – what did that mean to you?

What’s next for you and your business?

As well as lots of exciting projects close to home in Sussex, we are currently working with Cormac Conway again on the build of ‘The Embroidered Minds Epilepsy Garden’, designed by Kati Chrome for this year’s Chelsea. We’ve also designed our own garden, ‘Across the Board’, for BBC Gardeners’ World Live, and we’ll begin building that in June. Then we’ll be heading to Hampton Court to build Pollyanna Wilkinson’s ‘A Very Modern Problem’ garden, alongside Burnham Landscaping. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

16/05/2018 09:49

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12 issues Additional supplements Weekly newsletter For more information www.prolandscapermagazine.com t 01903 777570 e info@eljays44.com

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JOBS

For full details on all jobs, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk.

Call 01903 777 587 or email ellie.downes@eljays44.com with your vacancy.

For full details on all jobs, please go to www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

Call 01903 777 580 or email laura.harris@eljays44.com with your vacancy

HEAD GROUNDS PERSON UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX Location: Colchester, Essex

An opportunity has arisen to join the University of Essex. Responsibilities will include: managing more than 30 acres of football, rugby, lacrosse, crocket, synthetic and tennis facilities; calculating fertiliser and seed requirements; managing stock levels; analysing sports facilities standards and usage and producing reports on findings; holding briefing meetings with the grounds manager and deputy grounds manager; and scheduling maintenance works. You will have an excellent understanding of working with natural and artificial sports surfaces; experience operating grounds machinery and equipment; Level 3 in Sports Turf Maintenance or Sports Ground Maintenance or equivalent; Certificate in Safe Use of Pesticides (NPTC PA1 & PA6); awareness and knowledge of Health and Safety legislation and manual handling.

LANDSCAPE FOREMAN

WEBSTER & SON LANDSCAPES LTD Location: Stockport, Cheshire Webster & Son Landscapes is a family-run business based in Stockport, Cheshire.

It requires a landscaping foreman over the ga eof 25, who must have the following: a full clean driving licence; a CSCS card; tree and shrub knowledge; a minimum of three years’ site experience. You must be able to understand and scale off an architect drawing, and work both alone and as part of a team. First aid training is an advantage, but not essential.

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

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

APPRENTICE LANDSCAPE GARDENERS

LANDSCAPE FOREMAN

THE OUTDOOR ROOM Location: Cowfold, West Sussex

The Outdoor Room is looking to recruit apprentice landscape gardeners who are enthusiastic, reliable, hardworking, keen to learn, and have some interest or experience in landscaping or horticulture. The ideal candidate would be local to the Sussex area, work well as part of a team, and be able to use their own initiative to work independently. They need to be physically fit, as the work is physically demanding and outdoors, regardless of the weather. Duties will include assisting with all aspects of setting out, preparation and landscape construction, including paving, decking, fencing, and soft landscaping such as tree and shrub planting, lawn installation, etc. A recognised qualification in landscaping and/or horticulture will be obtained through day release to college. You must have GCSE Maths and English at Grade D or above, or equivalent.

GREENART GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING Location: Wallingford – working across Oxon, Berks and Bucks Reporting to the owner-manager and leading a team of landscapers, the objective of this role is to manage individual landscaping projects on site, including the construction of a range of hard and soft features of a garden design – on time, on budget and to the level of quality set by the designer. You must have: a minimum of five years’ practical experience, with a formal qualification in landscaping an advantage; PA1 and PA6 Certificates, with chainsaw and 360 digger tickets an advantage; a full, clean driving licence required, with trailer towing qualification an advantage.

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

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

LANDSCAPING TEAM LEADERS

DIRECTOR OF VEGETATION MANAGEMENT

Atlas Green is looking for landscaping team leaders to oversee the successful implementation and completion of landscaping projects; translate site drawings into landscape delivery across the team; ensure work is carried out to the highest standard, in accordance to any instructions and specifications; and ensure team members and vehicles adhere to site and appearance rules. You must have relevant horticultural and industry qualifications, proven leadership experience within a similar role, and a full driving licence and CSCS card (B + E Towing advantageous). You must be self-motivated, organised and methodical.

This person will build Glendale’s vegetation management and utility arboriculture business, expanding its reach into similar utility vegetation management arenas such as road, water and rail infrastructure, and taking responsibility for development and performance.You must have experience at a senior management level within a relevant sector, including business development, P&L responsibility and leading senior managers and teams.You also need: an excellent understanding of vegetation management operations and/or bidding and the critical success factors in a low-margin, high-volume environment; a proactive approach to the management of health, safety, environment and quality; experience of service operations management/contracting; and experience managing a large, geographically diverse workforce.

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

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

ATLAS GREEN Location: Batley, West Yorkshire

128 Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Jobs June.indd 128

GLENDALE Location: Chorley, Lancashire

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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PEOPLE

ANTHONY ROBERTS Soft landscape senior contract manager, NT Killingley Ltd www.killingley.co.uk

Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

Inspirational – they play a huge role in promoting our industry.

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

Holland – green space and landscape is an important part of everyday life there, respected and appreciated by the public. I love the landscape in the UK, but I am disgusted by the volume of litter on our road verges.

What would you blow your budget on?

Regular maintenance to road verges (see above!).

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Tim Smit – I was fascinated by the story of The Lost Gardens of Heligan.

One thing that you think would make the industry better?

Recognition of skills; landscapers should be able to achieve nationally recognised qualifications in all landscape disciplines.

130 Pro Landscaper / June 2018

Little Interview.indd 130

Best piece of trivia you know?

In the Eighties, Pablo Escobar’s Medellin Cartel was spending $2,500 a month on rubber bands just to hold all its cash.

Role model as a child?

Colt Seavers from The Fall Guy – I wanted to be a stunt man!

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

i

MICHAEL JOHN MCGARR Director and head designer, Warnes McGarr & Co www.warnes-mcgarr.co.uk

Garden shows/ show gardens – inspirational or not?

Absolutely! I love doing show gardens because it lets me unleash my creativity.

Couldn’t get through the week without…

Morning coffee!

Your favourite joke?

What do you call a French footballer playing on a Nintendo? Thierry on Wii.

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

Last year I was really inspired by arid desert landscapes and went to see some amazing cacti in hotter climates.

What would you blow your budget on?

A high-end grill and woodfired oven for endless outdoor eating.

Best invention in recent years?

Mountain bike dropper (seat) post.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet Professor Nigel Dunnett –

I love his planting at the Barbican.

One thing you think would make the industry better?

Better awareness of environmental and ecological issues, and better regulation at planning level.

Best piece of trivia you know?

A polar bear’s fur is clear to reflect the snow – not white!

Role model as a child Superman.

Your favourite joke?

Doctor, doctor I’ve got strawberries stuck up my bum… Doctor says: “I have cream for that.”

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

17/05/2018 09:41

PEOPLE

SIMON SMITH Regional manager, Glendale www.glendale-services.co.uk

Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

Yes, 100%. The art of the possible from the impossible is inspiring to anyone who sees it.

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

Italy, the birth place of design,

on a level which is amazing.

One thing that would make the industry better?

Reliable weather!

What would you blow your budget on?

Personally, an Italian sports car Lancia Fulvia!

Role model as a child?

My grandfather, and the former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Ossie Ardiles.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Monty Don.

Couldn’t get through the week without...

My family, and my breakfast

DAVID LOY

RICHARD BICKLER

Owner, Your Garden Design

Company director/owner, Green Envee Ltd

www.yourgardendesign.co.uk Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

Inspirational.

What would you blow your budget on?

Instant trees and elements – they give a real sense of permanence.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Beth Chatto (who sadly passed away recently) – her planting ethos was spot on.

One thing that you think would make the industry better?

To become more appealing to

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Little Interview.indd 131

the younger generation.

Best piece of trivia you know?

Prince Charles is paid one daffodil a year as rent for his lands on the Isles of Scilly!

Role model as a child?

Geoff Hamilton!

Couldn’t get through the week without…

My wife!

Your favourite joke?

The English weather...

Best invention in recent years?

The iPad.

latte on the way to work.

Best invention in recent years?

The smartphone. It’s amazing what we all now take for granted. When I started work we had a pager and a phone card!

That wasn’t that long ago...

www.greenenvee.co.uk Garden shows/show gardens – inspirational or not?

They can be – with a good range of shows up and down the country, they account for all tastes/budgets and give some great ideas.

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

Italy.

What would you blow your budget on?

Infinity swimming pool.

The one person in the industry you’d love to meet?

Diarmuid Gavin.

One thing that you think would make the industry better?

More help from government/ leading industry figures for smaller businesses.

Best piece of trivia you know?

The Amazon rainforest produces around a fifth of the world’s oxygen.

Your favourite joke?

My therapist says I have a preoccupation with vengeance. We’ll see about that...

Best invention in recent years?

Electric cars.

Pro Landscaper / June 2018 131

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