Pro Landscaper June 2023

LET'S HEAR IT FROM Tivoli's CEO Nicola Keach

HIGH HOPES

Bluestone Landscapes' Lincoln Square roof garden

CREATING A BOND

Avoiding mortar mistakes with Gareth Wilson

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Professional Landscapers

OWelcomene of the biggest challenges in the industry, we’re often told, is finding the right candidates for the roles available. It takes skills, enthusiasm and having the right ethos for the company –and that seems hard to come by. The Landscape Institute’s Skills for Greener Places report found that more than half of businesses in the landscape sector have a vacancy which they’re struggling to fill. Some have even had to turn down contracts as a result.

The clock is ticking too. The landscape sector’s workforce is older than the UK average, found the report, and so those retiring may be difficult to replace. Why is our sector struggling to attract talent then? And what can we do about it?

For a start, better value ourselves – at least, that seems to be the suggestion of one of our features this month which looks at whether the grounds maintenance sector is in a race to the bottom. Tendering too low questions whether employees are receiving a fair wage. Not only that, but companies unable to fulfil the contract on the promised amount may end up losing it to someone else anyway – all of which doesn’t exactly paint the industry in a good light.

All of the above is unlikely to come as a surprise to many of you, and you may well be sick of hearing that the industry needs to better appreciate itself before we expect others to do so. But it never hurts to have a little reminder.

Nina

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

©Richard Bloom

6

Are garden designers feeling the pinch?

While some sectors are noticeably more confident in our UK Landscape Barometer this month, some garden designers have seen a drop in enquiries

13

Full House

Green-tech’s Mark Wood explains how the supplier’s latest addition to its urban tree planting range cements it as a one-stop-shop for these products

27

Looking to grow?

There may be small and simple changes you can make to your business to help prepare it for expansion, explains entrepreneur Garrett Wilson

CONTENTS June 2023

OPINION FEATURES

17

Beyond a Photo

We should be looking at gardens as more than spaces which need to be picture perfect and appreciate the seasonality of them, says Andrew Duff

18

Changing the Built Environment

Rather than an afterthought, landscapes are now at the forefront of placemaking, explains Maylim’s Thomas O’Mahony

24

5 Lessons from Interviews Having interviewed hundreds of candidates, business coach Alison Warner has picked up a few tips for the process which she passes onto our readers

43

Let’s Hear It From… Nicola Keach

Over the last 18 months, Tivoli’s CEO has been gearing up the company for growth, with big plans for the company to become a leader in the sector

49

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go!

It’s a competitive sector, but is the grounds maintenance industry in a race to bottom with its contract prices? And what could be the wider impact of this?

56

Made in the Shade

Canopies can be in all shapes and forms, as garden designer Georgia Lindsay explains, sharing her suggestions for futureproofing gardens

PORTFOLIOS

65

From City to

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 65

15

On a Career High

The rarity of the Civic Trust Awards makes them all the more special, says Chris Churchman, whose company was a recent winner

33

Getting into the Habit

Unsure how to check that your plant suppliers are as sustainable as possible? Nick Coslett suggests questions to ask nurseries to get the answers you need

82

Five Minutes With…Alex Lowenhoff

The landscape architect, a Pro Landscaper 30 Under 30 alumni, explains how he sees those in the industry as “city fixers”

71

High Hopes

77

Part of a Powerhouse

Serenity

Designed by Angus Thompson, this private garden in Buckinghamshire fit all the needs of the family as well as the recently redesigned house.

Bluestone Landscapes built a stunning rooftop garden at Lincoln Square in London, overlooking and complementing an iconic skyline.

A brownfield site in Manchester has been transformed into Mayfield Park, the first public park to be built in the centre of Manchester for more than 100 years

©Coco Wolf

©Rachel Warne

©Joanna Kossak

FEELING THE PINCH? Are garden designers

IN THE LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY

In the month of the King’s coronation, confidence had increased for nearly half (44%) of our respondents, up from 41% last month – not that the coronation had anything to do with it, as far as we know. And it’s unlikely the economy would have either. It remains smaller than pre-Covid levels by 0.5%, growing only 0.1% between January and March. And now, the Bank of England has increased interest rates to 4.5% in an attempt to put the break on rising prices.

The countdown to summer – the busy period, and when public attention turns to their gardens – is more likely to have played a part. The sectors where the most respondents reported a boost in confidence compared to last month are design & build, domestic landscaping and nurseries.

Other sectors, such as commercial landscaping, are less convinced; though one said that their conversion rate had increased because they had become more selective about the projects for which they tender.

The sector where confidence seems lowest is garden design; a quarter of garden designers reported feeling less confident than the same time last month, with one saying they had fewer enquiries now than before Covid – which suggests the boom caused by the pandemic is coming to an end.

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS MORE CONFIDENT COMPARED TO LAST MONTH

Design and Build

It’s a mixed bag, especially when it comes to confidence; half of the design and build companies said they are more confident than the same time last month, just 17% said they’re more confident than this time last year. None reported working on more projects in March 2023, compared to last year; the majority (83%) said the number hadn’t changed at all, and 33% said that there had been no change in enquiry levels compared to the same time last year.

SAY THEIR ENQUIRIES HAVE INCREASED 100% ARE LESS CONFIDENT

OF GARDEN DESIGNERS

NUMBERS 0%

Two markets are “notably active” though, said one company: “large country estates and gardens and high-end commercial design and build”. They said that the “small-to-medium sized domestic market is starting to quieten down.” Another, on the other hand, said that “all projects that disappeared in October last year have now reappeared, along with a regular amount of new ones.”

50% FOR Turnover

IS DOWN 33% Quotes Confidence 20% 40%60%80% 100%

The headlines for March 2023 are, on the whole, fairly positive. Sixty percent reported an increase in quotes from the same time last year, whilst 80% said quotes were up from the previous month. The majority also reported an increase in turnover and were more confident than last month too. “[The] number of enquiries coming in is still on the increase and turnover is growing at a steady rate,” said one. Another nursery said that this March ended far better “as the weather improved” despite starting off badly as a result of the wet weather. For another, the weather was a hindrance, stating "so much rain and little sunshine is killing demand this spring after a harsh winter”. Another saw “an unprecedented number of projects” pushed back to summer planting, driven by “construction material supply chain issues”.

Gardeners’ New World

DROUGHT AND FLOOD ARE RARELY OUT THE NEWS OR THE GARDEN.

Our actions in the garden contribute to the news. We still channel rainwater off our roofs and patios down storm drains. This leads to sewage overflowing into our rivers and seas. We still use drinking-quality water in both our kitchens and gardens, yet by 2050 demand for drinking water will outstrip supply.

How can we reimagine rainwater away from runoff to resource?

How can we integrate our solutions from roof level to ground level?

How do products and plants deliver rainwater solutions?

How does our landscaping practice meet Gardeners’ New World?

Join us to shape the conversation

ACO is partnering with the Royal Horticultural Show to explore domestic rainwater solutions through the RHS Resilient Garden at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Festival (4th-9th July 2023). Join us on the ACO Stand at Hampton Court to shape the conversation for Gardeners’ New World.

STAND HC277, RHS HAMPTON COURT FLOWER FESTIVAL, SURREY.

UK LANDSCAPES MAKES ITS THIRD ACQUISITION IN TWO YEARS

Grounds maintenance and arboricultural service provider UK Landscapes has acquired Wiltshirebased firm Cut N Clear (CNC) to further expand its presence in the South West.

This marks the third acquisition in two years for UK Landscapes and follows its purchase of Glasgow-based Euan Weir Landscaping in 2022 and Mid-Cheshire Maintenance of Northwich in 2021.

With more than 25 years’ experience in the landscaping sector, UK Landscapes provides services for several well-known clients including supermarket chains Marks & Spencer, Aldi and Asda.

ROUNDUP

Industry Updates

RHS TATTON PARK DESIGNERS TO “PUSH BOUNDARIES”

The deal will allow for the retirement of CNC’s owner Dave Gordon, who founded the business 20 years ago, and secure the jobs of all 12 staff.

Leigh Preston, managing director of UK Landscapes, says: “The acquisition of CNC will strengthen our footprint in and around the South West and integrate us into the local housing sector...We believe there is a real opportunity to disrupt the landscaping sector and create a sustainable and reliable operator offering consistently high levels of service. Our aim is to become the leading partner in the ‘green services’ sector.” uklandscapes.co.uk

FINANCIAL PRESSURES TAKE TOLL ON INDUSTRY’S HIGHER EDUCATION

Writtle University College is withdrawing two landscape architecture courses due to financial pressure. The college, which has been an accredited partner of the Landscape Institute for several years, will no longer offer its post-graduate Landscape Architecture MA and its MLA conversion programme.

Avariety of topics and issues will be highlighted at this year’s RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in July. Designers will tackle subjects from nocturnal pollinators to technology to suicide at this year’s show, which has seen a large increase in local participants.

A blackout tent with close-up projections will celebrate lesser-known pollinators in The RHS Nocturnal Pollinator Experience, designed by immersive technology artist Georgia Tucker and designer Sharon Hockenhull.

Last year’s RHS Young Designer of the Year finalist Rachel Platt will explore tech addiction among young adults in ‘J.Parker’s Chained to Tech Garden’. Designers Carolyn Hardern and Jon

Jarvis, on the other hand, will be raising awareness of the high suicide rates among construction workers with ‘Constructing Minds’.

‘The Macmillan Legacy Garden; by Lynn Cordall invites visitors to consider supporting the cancer charity with gifts in wills. Pip Probert’s ‘Alfresco Garden’ provides an entertainment space.

In the RHS Young Designer of the Year competition, 24-year-olds Ollie Pike and Nathan Webster and Camellia Hayes, 28, will compete for the title.

This year’s show will also feature for the first time the Long Borders category, which was popular at the RHS Chatsworth Flower Show. rhs.org.uk

The news comes despite the landscape sector being worth approximately £24.6bn to the economy in Gross Value-Added terms alone and growing twice as fast than the wider economy average (18% compared to 10% since 2010). This is according to an industry-wide assessment of skills and workforce issues in the wider landscape economy launched by the Landscape Institute (LI) in 2022.

Sue Morgan, chief executive of the LI, says: “This is such sad news for our sector and landscape industry. Our sector survey has clearly shown the demand and value of our skills in placemaking and addressing the biodiversity and climate change emergencies. To see yet another educational establishment drop essential courses is hard to understand.”

landscapeinstitute.org

L-R ALEX HIRST, LEIGH PRESTON, MARTIN DONNACHIE

NOCTURNAL GARDEN BY SHARON HOCKENHULL

THE LANDSCAPE SERVICE WINS BIG AT BBC GARDENERS’ WORLD SPRING FAIR

Landscape Service, as well as the Best Beautiful Border and Platinum Award to ‘Not all those who wander are lost’ by Furzey Gardens and Minstead Trust, which aims to provide training and accessible work experience for people with learning disabilities.

YOUNG PEOPLE IN HORTICULTURE ASSOCIATION REACHES 500 MEMBERS

ASouthampton-based company has been awarded Best Showcase Garden at BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair at Beaulieu last week.

The Landscape Service received the top award for its Nordic Retreat garden, which also scooped a Platinum Award. Managing director Luke Mills designed the minimalist garden as a temporary respite from the urban environment, with neutral colours, plants to create shade and natural hard landscaping materials.

BBC TV gardening presenter Frances Tophill presented the award to The

The Beautiful Borders competition asks entrants to plant and create design features for 9m2 plots. This year’s theme was ‘My Garden Escape’. Furzey Gardens and Minstead Trust were inspired by a poem from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The border features plants grown at Furzey Gardens, a stepping stone path, and a grand chair carved from the trunk of an old elm tree. Students from Kingston Maurward College in Dorset won the Spring Fair’s first inter-horticultural college competition. Inspired by the college’s Victorian heritage, A Wardian Garden won Best College Garden and a Platinum Award. All college teams were mentored by award-winning garden designer, Cherry Carmen.

Show assessor Richard Barnard says: “It’s great to have the colleges here at the Spring Fair. The quality of work is excellent and these brilliant students are the future of horticulture.” gardenersworld.com

FLEDGING NURSERY ANNOUNCES NEW PARTNERSHIP

Form Plants has announced that it will be taking on a new site to deliver a greater range of plants to its customers, following a new partnership with Flourish Plants.

The primary site of the nursery, which was founded three years ago, will now be located at Flourish Plants’ eight-acre site in Chobham, Surrey. Form Plants will also continue to have a small presence at its site at Dorney Court, Windsor. The two businesses will trade as Form Plants.

Jamie Butterworth, managing director of Form Plants, says: “I’m so proud that Form Plants is growing and expanding. It’s been an amazing few years, from supplying plants to 11 gardens at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2022 to battling hurricanes and drought. But by moving our main operation to the Surrey site, we will be even better placed to deliver for our customers. More space means more

plants, which means even better value and quality. We hope this shows to all our current and future customers that we are here to serve their planting needs.” formplants.com

Membership of the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA) has now hit the 500 mark after just three years. The association has also announced three new additions to its committee.

The YPHA was founded in 2020 to bring together those in the industry aged 30 or under. It was founded by Mollie Higginson, Liam Cleary and Natalie Porter. Abigail Stocker, Lilidh Matthews, Kyle Ross and Sarah Want have joined the committee over the years.

So far this year, Farplants’ Jeremy Costello has also joined the committee as strategy manager, Walberton Nursery’s Megan Warren-Davis has become the YPHA’s social media manager, and Outdoor Living Gardens’ owner John Tallis will support events, as well as future projects around training and education.

Warren-Davis says: “My goal is to help foster the supportive community that YPHA has created, which not only offers career opportunities and educational talks, but also contributes to making horticulture a fun and fulfilling field to be a part of.”

Member Jordan Weston, or the Bearded Botanist, became YPHA’s 500th member. “I am so glad I came across this group of young, likeminded horticulturalists and have been welcomed with open arms. It’s such an exciting time to be part of the horticultural industry and I’m looking forward to sharing this time with the members, getting to know them, sharing knowledge, and hopefully meeting up at various events throughout the year.” ypha.org.uk

NORDIC RETREAT BY THE LANDSCAPE SERVICE

JAMIE BUTTERWORTH

PROMOTION

RAINWATER REIMAGINED: from runoff to resource

For many years, our nation has been used to relatively cheap and readily available piped water not only to drink, but also water the garden and wash the car. When rainwater runs off roofs and patios, the assumption is to use stormwater drains as an effective exit. These beliefs have been shredded by boom-and-bust rainfall patterns, coupled with continuing population growth.

The result? Our news is now dominated with macro-level concern around water security, as sewage overflows into watercourses. In 2022, sewage entered our rivers 825 times a day on average, according to the Environment Agency. By 2050, based on current data, the UK will run out of drinkingquality water into our homes, as demand outstrips supply.

A disjointed approach

When it comes to our homes, these presumptions of readily available water still tend to shape current practice. Meanwhile, solutions,

knowledge and objectives around rainwater runoff are fragmented across professions, trades and the homeowner’s wish list.

For the homeowner, managing runoff is likely not even to enter their thoughts when creating their dream outdoor living space. Instead, the suggestion of drainage to handle patio runoff is an unwelcome expense, plus a possible eyesore to boot. Avid gardeners will focus on planting, but here the choice is more for display rather than the potential to cool our homes and diffuse rainwater runoff.

Reimagining rainwater at the RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival

To combat these issues, ACO has teamed up with the UK’s largest garden charity the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for the creation of The RHS Resilient Garden at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Flower Festival (4-9 July). The garden is designed by Tom Massey and built by

Landscape Associates. The garden (and accompanying book, published by Dorling Kindersley) transforms an aesthetically and environmentally unimaginative domestic garden into a biodiverse haven. Consequently, an integrated approach to domestic rainwater management is key to The RHS Resilient Garden and at the heart of the adjoining ACO stand.

ACO and RHS will take avid gardeners on a journey, from when rainwater first arrives at our properties to its final dispersal. The relationship with rainwater is reimagined away from a problem to be disposed of into a precious resource to be channelled, stored, enjoyed, slowed and dispersed, using the power of plants and products.

To illustrate further, impermeable roofs, patios and driveways become catchment areas to channel rainwater into storage and reuse. Channel drains feed rainwater gardens that overflow into soakaways, demonstrating how drainage combines functionality,

aesthetics and sustainability. If the site is compact, the soil heavy or the water table high, rainwater is slowed by green roofs and rainwater planters before its release into the sewerage system. Ground stabilisation products facilitate both permeability and durable access for allcomers, from prams to SUVs.

Only by talking together can we reimagine rainwater, develop innovative solutions and manufacture products to deliver them. So come and shape the conversation on the ACO Stand at RHS Hampton Court Festival or contact me at: acrichton@aco.co.uk

ANGUS CRICHTON

Angus Crichton is marketing manager for ACO Home and Garden. Having designed and installed a rainwater harvesting and infiltration system in his own property, he is convinced we need to reimage rainwater use in domestic properties in the face of climate change.

aco.co.uk/house-and-garden

With hosepipe bans already in effect and risks of droughts looming, Angus Crichton invites gardeners and landscapers to join the conversation on how rainwater is managed to help tackle the impact of climate change

Green-tech has long been cementing itself as a leading supplier to the UK landscaping industry, and urban tree planting is a large part of that. The Yorkshirebased company has been building its range of tree planting products over the last few years, producing urban structural tree soils and distributing a geocellular raft system. Now, its Green-tech Specifier arm has “completed” its range with a new addition.

TreeParker is a versatile urban tree planting cell system from Dutch manufacturer TreeBuilders.

Green-tech met the team at the GaLaBau trade show in Germany and saw an opportunity to bring the product to its own range and become the exclusive distributor of TreeParker to the UK and Irish markets.

The cell system was already proving popular throughout Europe and the Middle East, so it was a “tried and tested product that would stand up to the UK market and fulfil the needs of any specifiers or contractors looking for an urban tree planting system,” says Green-tech's business development director Mark Wood. A cellular system completes the offering: “We still manufacture the tree soil and have the raft system, and now we have the tree planting system too. We have solutions for every scenario now.”

HOUSE Full

Green-tech's latest addition ensures it is a one-stop-shop for urban tree planting products

Urban tree planting is a key market for Green-tech, with urban greening high on the agenda and urban tree planting playing a big part in that, explains Wood – especially for those who will need to comply with Biodiversity Net Gain in November and with the ambitious tree planting targets set by the government. Adding TreeParker to the range will help Green-tech react to what is likely to be a growing demand for these products. And as far as Wood is concerned, it’s the ideal solution for a variety of tree planting schemes.

“It’s a really simple, versatile product with only seven pieces to each unit: the base, four legs, a top and lid. Once you’ve backfilled the system with soil, you put on the lid and it’s complete. That gives a really open structured tree pit system which means if you’re having to plant trees in quite a congested area, where there’s lots of utilities in place for instance, you can work the system around these utilities without having to move them.”

The modular system can accommodate variable

heights between 400mm to 1500mm and can support pressure up to 550kPa and an axle load of up to 15t, without losing pavement integrity. It is made from recyclable plastics and can be installed in curves down to a five-metre radius without additional products.

The TreeParker also combines stormwater management and root growth, with up to 25% of the volume available for water infiltration. And Green-tech has plans to take this further with a new SuDS tree pit set to launch later this year which will use the TreeParker system and Green-tech’s bespoke, in-house engineered soil. In other words, whilst Green-tech Specifier has a complete range of urban tree planting products, there’s still more innovations to come, and Green-tech is determined to be leading the charge in the UK market. green-tech.co.uk

We have solutions for every scenario now

CAREER HIGH On a

Off the back of winning a remarkable accolade, Chris Churchman encourages others to be bold and enter the Civic Trust awards

This quarter I will depart from my normal musings around climate change to reflect on something more mainstream and probably career defining. On 3 April Churchman Thornhill Finch (CTF) was joint recipient of a national award from the Civic Trust for its work at Waltham Forest Civic Offices where architects Hawkins Brown designed the reworking of the office interiors while CTF designed the public realm, namely Fellowship Square. The Listed civic buildings, built during WWII, are outstanding in their own right – it's rather ironic that the reworking was achieved during covid, our next moment of national crisis. The offices provide a magnificent setting within which to craft a new contemporary set of spaces for today’s local people.

To receive such an award marks a highpoint in a career spanning over four decades. The Civic Trust awards are notoriously difficult to secure; few public realm schemes receive such an accolade. This year saw two projects honoured in this way – our Fellowship Square and Rankin Fraser’s Bowline – which is highly unusual; one is more common, and zero more often the case. The rarity of these awards makes them all the more special. CTF has secured Honourable Commendations before, but never a main award. To end a career with such an achievement leaves a sense of completeness; not to be honoured in this way would always feel like being worthy but not truly fulfilled. It would be like Pep Guardiola without the Champions League or Take That only getting to number two in the charts with Rule the World!

Of course, awards are never down to one person or one office; they only occur when you have a good delivery contractor and a supportive client. At Fellowship Square we were lucky to have both. ISG/Foran laid stone to standards that I have never seen before –anyone wanting to see exemplary stonework should visit. In Ocmis, we had a company which has craftsman in the use of water; without the fountains the space would be half of what it now is. However, most of all, the plaudits go to the London Borough of Waltham Forest and specifically CEO Martin Esom. It was his vision and his drive that pushed the project forward and maintained standards.

While awards are of course highly rewarding, the ultimate prize is always to see a scheme in use by a happy public – and at Fellowship Square we have been repaid in spades. Fellowship Square and the refurbished offices will serve the council well for another 50 years, it will be a place for happy hours spent and long-held memories amongst locals. I would urge those with noteworthy projects to enter your schemes to the Civic Trust; these are awards to which we should all aspire. After all, what is public realm if not civic?

CHRIS CHURCHMAN

Chris is a landscape architect with 50 years in the profession. His work at Elephant Park National Maritime Museum and Birmingham Green Heart is widely respected. Chris mixes design creativity with a passion for science. Work related to pollution mitigation has led to a wider understanding of the benefit of green infrastructure. Advocacy on climate change is now his focus, posting thought pieces to social media. Chris seeks to drive down wasteful greenfield development by raising awareness of our most valuable natural asset – soil. churchmanthornhillfinch.co.uk

©James Newton

The rarity of these awards makes them all the more special

FELLOWSHIP SQUARE

Gardens are beautiful throughout the seasons, not just in one perfect photo, explains Andrew Duff

PHOTOBeyond a

What is good design?’ is a phrase which is being discussed in the panelled boardrooms of some of our most illustrious professional bodies. What is all the fuss? Why do we need to start discussing what makes good design? After all, it’s subjective.

It wasn’t that long ago that there was a debate – and quite rightly so – about how people are portrayed in the press and on social media. This was sending a negative message to younger consumers, particularly about body image.

Thankfully, it feels like we have moved a long way since these conversations first started, and inclusivity and diversity has been fully embraced in so many areas of our lives. I am not for a minute comparing body image with how our gardens look, but there is a link.

to believe that it ever rains in these verdant visions. When I was a child (let’s not do the math) our lawns went brown in the summer just like the surrounding vernacular. Flowers bloomed gloriously and then gracefully dropped to the ground to make way for whatever beautiful seed-head, hip or berry was developing. My point is that a garden is not perfect. How do we design these incredible spaces whilst trying to meet the clients’ expectations of an Instagram filtered garden?

A garden is not perfect. How do we design these incredible spaces whilst trying to meet the clients’ expectations of an Instagram filtered garden?

Media, be it in print or on the web, tends to portray gardens as perfect manifestations outside; so perfect, in fact, that it is often hard

My little rant continues; in winter, some varieties of plants actually lose their leaves! From autumn glow to blustery chaos, light as a feather, that perfectly formed leaf detaches itself from its twiggy hand and floats to the ground with such elegance the Buddhists mention them as souls returning to earth. I know that what we see in the media is a moment in time; it is a garden through the eyes of an incredibly skilled photographer at some unearthly hour in the morning.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of what expectations we are trying to manage here. Nature is nature; most of us are designers because we love standing in a muddy field positioning bareroot trees as the rain hits us at 45°. We love the welcome sight of spring flowering magnolia; there’s even a #springmagnolia hashtag. But perhaps more incredible is when the waxy petals turn differing shades of coffee and treacle as the inevitable April rains approach. How beautiful that this makes way for the freshness of young leaf, smartly infused seedpods and the russet warmth of autumn before the magical circle starts all over again.

So, what is good? It is not a millisecond in time captured and backlit on our mobile phones. It’s nature, it’s seasonality, it is real gardens and real design with as much sun-dried lawn and mud you can throw at it!

ANDREW DUFF

An internationally recognised garden designer, Andrew Duff MSGD has been designing gardens for over 30 years. In addition to running his practice, he is managing director of the world renowned Inchbald School of Design and is co-chair of the Society of Garden Designers. sgd.org.uk

©MarianneMajerus

BUILT ENVIRONMENTChanging the

Open up your web browser and search for the difference between architecture and landscape architecture. The first thing that pops up is that architects design structures, while landscape architects focus on outdoor spaces around structures. This would suggest they are separate and not a true reflection of the roles and importance placed on all professions in restoring and creating places.

In reality, we are well past the days when the landscape was that bit left over after planning. Today, landscapes are a vital part of the built environment and are at the forefront of placemaking. Maylim benefits from the early involvement of landscape architects in projects, which provides the best opportunities

and Urban Greening Factors are elevating the idea, a shared aspiration exists to make places greener. This isn’t a new idea, and whilst there was a day when they were uncommon, living walls, green, blue and brown roofs are now a staple part of building construction.

inhabitable space of the buildings. Projects closer to home are also challenging the status quo. Roots in the Sky will be London’s first rooftop forest; Harris Bugg Studio designed this 1.4-acre urban forest of

for merging the landscape and built elements and delivering more productive outcomes.

In the face of climate change, buildings and landscapes are changing. Whilst policy and planning guidance such as Biodiversity Net Gain

The London Plan Policy G5 requires all significant developments to include urban greening as a fundamental element of site and building design. The policy introduces an Urban Greening Factor (UGF) to evaluate the quantity and quality of urban greening provided by a development proposal. This is now commonplace in all of Maylim’s London-based projects. The weight that designing for wellbeing, nature and climate resilience brings to the built environment means that it has only positive implications for how cities are built and maintained and, subsequently, the landscape industry's role in delivering these schemes. Landscape no longer means public realm, with parks and gardens on the ground floor. Buildings in both appearance and function are delivering vertical landscapes, improving the health of the environment through mitigating the urban heat island effect, filtering air, and reducing water runoff.

In Milan, Bosco Verticale by Boeri Studio deals with the concept of regenerating the lost landscapes on the ground within the

over 100 established trees and 10,000 plants to transform the former Blackfriars Crown Court into one of Europe's most extensive urban roof gardens.

The integration of architecture and landscape architecture is creating greener and more sustainable places. Landscaping is no longer an afterthought but an essential element that strongly influences the architecture and built environment. Landscaping is critical in delivering innovative and diverse spaces for people and nature to thrive.

THOMAS O’MAHONY

Thomas O’Mahony is managing director of Maylim, a BALI Grand Award-winning organisation, specialising in high-quality external works and landscaping schemes. Originally from a civilengineering background, Tom has over 30 years’ experience across a diverse range of landscaping, infrastructure and urban regeneration projects. maylim.co.uk

Today, landscapes are a vital part of the built environment and are at the forefront of placemaking

Landscaping is no longer an afterthought, says Thomas O'Mahony

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FROM THE WALKING AWAY great disconnect

Let’s get people back on our streets and back to social interaction, says Christopher Martin

Iam writing this article in the month of May which, for one means I have missed my deadline for this article; but more importantly, it means that I am writing this in National Walking Month, a Living Streets initiative that celebrates the health and happiness benefits of walking and wheeling more. As they rightly say, walking is one of the easiest ways to improve our health and stay connected to our community, helping us feel less lonely and isolated. And by swapping a short drive for a short walk, you can also help reduce air pollution, congestion and road danger – and save money in the process.

The idea that walking can help us stay connected is a hugely important one for us to focus on as urban designers, and one which grows in importance daily because we are living in a metacrisis of disconnection that has profound effects on our wellbeing.

For one, our addiction to digital dopamine hits and ever more instant gratification

disconnects us from others and hinders us from forming open and honest bonds with other people. The result of this disconnection is the mental health and loneliness crises that we see all around us in cities, and it greatly reduces people’s ability to develop their potential and truly enjoy life and, in the worst case, it costs them their lives.

Not only this, but our increasing need to seek solace in homogenous groups, and to place others who have a different view at the polar opposite end of the spectrum further disconnects us from the richness of our collective awesomeness.

We have seen this all too clearly in global politics over the last year, and we see it closer to home in the debate around interventions to reduce traffic in residential areas. The furore around Low Traffic Neighbourhoods is based on exactly this societal disconnect that we have created for ourselves. People are either complicit in putting up Stalinist Berlin Walls in our towns and cities, or they’re Oath Keepers protecting us from the WEF – it seems I am not allowed

to be someone who quite likes it on the whole, secretly wishes his Uber ride was cheaper on a Saturday evening, and can see all the many sides of the debate good and bad.

So, how do we fight this global disconnect? Because if we don’t, surely this will all get worse. For my money, the most impactful improvement to public life and society we can make is to encourage more people to spend more time on streets – increasing opportunity for social interaction, for spontaneity, and for city life. We need to make our cities the celebrants of walking so that we are better connected to our community, better connected to debates in society, and more aware of our collective awesomeness.

CHRISTOPHER MARTIN

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

urbanmovement.co.uk @ChrisCities

The most impactful improvement to public life and society we can make is to encourage more people to spend more time on streets

Photograph ©Chris Bruntlett

Hanging up my CHELSEA BOOTS?

My outlook on life has changed significantly over the 40 years or so of my career. In some ways that outlook has been affected by surprises or curve balls thrown in the path of that career, in other ways it’s about a better understanding of the profession gained through experience.

Chelsea 2023 will have been my last as an exhibitor. The production of a Chelsea show garden is a challenge for anyone but at almost 64 I have to consider the wider picture and the impact on my life rather than the pure excitement and satisfaction of delivering the exhibit.

I bumped into Cleve West whilst checking our plants at Hortus Loci before the show, comparing notes about how it feels at our age. He mentioned the impact that delivering a Chelsea garden has on

partners especially. My wife Barbara threatened to divorce me if I did another garden after our 2017 offering. Well, happily we are still together after this year’s delivery despite all the worry and stress.

The impact on normal life around the buildup to the show is also a consideration with clients sometimes having to take a back seat or in my case students who still need to graduate successfully with the benefit of my undivided attention.

Gavin and I have delivered five Chelsea gardens after the establishment of the London College of Garden Design, but I think the effect of this has been to encourage our graduates to follow suit. The show this year was full of what I like to think of as the next generation of young designers with a range of offerings – Tom Massey, Harry Holding, Camelia Taylor, Kathryn Holland, Will Williams, Rachel Reynolds, Joe Carey, Pollyana Wilkinson, Alexa Ryan-Mills, Joe Carey, Joanne Edmonds and Jane Porter have all passed through our doors on one course or another.

Charlotte Harris, our neighbour at the show this year with Hugo Bugg (I was his external examiner) was a graduate

of mine from Merrist Wood too. It makes me feel very proud to see such positive involvement from past students, making an impact at the show but also in their work at large.

Gavin thinks it’s his last Chelsea too, but he’s much younger than me and has time to change his mind.

David Dodd of The Outdoor Room

– our partners in crime at the show – is also ready to hang up his Chelsea boots. Things move on but what was certainly evident at this year’s show was a great sense of energy, of new thinking and optimism. I’m happy to pull back and watch from the side lines. A few months ago, John Sales, a great friend and figure within the world of gardens and show gardens, sadly died. He was chair of assessors in 1994 when I was invited to be an assessor for the RHS. Eventually, I became chair of assessors as he pulled back and retired. He was a charming man but also wise and philosophical, guiding me but also creating a continuous link back to Lanning Roper who had performed this same role in turn with John. I appreciate that great sense of continuity and look forward to watching with interest how that next generation performs.

Andrew Wilson considers the passing of time and takes a reflective look at probably his last Chelsea as an exhibitor

Andrew Wilson is a landscape and garden design consultant, director of the London College of Garden Design, and an author, writer and lecturer. lcgd.org.uk

ANDREW WILSON

ANDREW AND GAVIN SAVOURING THEIR LAST RHS CHELSEA GARDEN

©Charlie Hopkinson

The production of a Chelsea show garden is a challenge for anyone but at almost 64 I have to consider the wider picture and the impact on my life

rhs.org.uk/mhort

Master your future

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been training future horticulturists for over 200 years.

The RHS Master of Horticulture (MHort) Award is a degree-level programme open to candidates from around the globe. Highly regarded in industry worldwide, it provides an opportunity to develop a better understanding of business and operational strategies, management planning, and awareness of scientific, economic and social issues within the horticultural industry on a global scale.

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• Earn the right to use the designation MHort (RHS) after your name.

Applications open on 28 April for October 2023 start. Visit: rhs.org.uk/mhort | Contact: mhort@rhs.org.uk | Follow: @RHS_Learning

5 LESSONS

from interviews

One of my previous jobs was looking after resourcing for the UK and Ireland for Starbucks during its period of rapid growth, and I mean rapid; some weeks we were opening three stores per week! That's a challenge for any business – trying to develop sufficient people internally and find enough talent externally to fill all those vacancies, phew!

I obviously wasn't doing all the interviews; I had a fantastic team that looked after that eventually. But leading up to me recruiting my team, I did on average five district manager interviews every day. And as you can imagine, doing that many means you get a lot of practice!

SO, WHAT DID I LEARN?

Interviewing lots of people is not good recruitment. Have a robust selection process in place that filters out those who aren't a good match, so that you only see those that are strong potentials. This means that you use your time most efficiently.

Interviewing is actually the most subjective way of deciding if someone is right for your business, so always supplement an interview with something else, such as a practical assessment or a psychometric test (personality and/or ability).

It's far better to interview face to face in pairs; this enables you to focus on the candidate while the other person takes the notes. They will also inevitably see things that you miss and vice versa.

Always cast your net wide – advertise on job boards, social media and tell those you know that you are hiring so that you get the maximum number of applicants in the funnel to then sift.

Save valuable time by conducting 10-to-15 minute telephone interviews first before inviting anyone to meet you for a full interview.

Interestingly, 83% of respondents to my recent Instagram post said that finding good people was their biggest headache at the moment. Our experience at Evolve and Grow is that it is undoubtedly challenging at the moment, but not impossible; it's just taking longer – on average six-to-eight weeks compared to the previous three-to-four to find the right person, so hang in there!

To find out how Evolve and Grow can help you to grow your business, take our free BUILD system scorecard, which is available on our website: evolveandgrowcoaching.com

Alison Warner is founder of Evolve and Grow, a business coaching firm that specialises in the trades and construction industry. She is also the author of bestselling book ‘How to go from Tradesperson to Managing Director in the Construction and Trade Industries’. https://amzn.to/2QIb467

evolveandgrowcoaching.com

Having interviewed hundreds of candidates, Alison Warner shares the lessons she’s learned

ALISON WARNER

The Hemi Fire Bowl

London Stone Represents Unbeatable Value

Award-winning nationwide hard landscaping supplier London Stone is synonymous with putting customers first. Managing director Steve Walley explains more about its latest value-for-money announcement.

some materials that we previously reduced in January.

Steve, what’s the latest news on pricing?

We’ve just announced our latest raft of price reductions. Shipping rates are continuing to come down, and we’ve worked closely with our suppliers to negotiate some additional discounts on material prices too. As we vowed at the beginning of the year, and throughout the pandemic, these reductions are being passed on to customers without delay.

Which products are coming down in price?

Some of our bestselling products are included in the price reductions, as well as

Two of our porcelain ranges – Budget Italian and Project – are coming down, as are riven and sawn sandstones, tumbled sandstone, riven limestone, our Alpha and Kessel Garden ranges of clay pavers, plus DesignBoard composite decking.

How does London Stone represent value to trade clients?

There’s more to our offer than just a reduction in pricing. We have just opened an incredible new showroom in Hampshire and have two more sites – in Bristol and Greater Manchester –coming this year as well.

We also continue to offer free nationwide delivery on full packs and orders over £1,000 plus

VAT, as well as free grout and slurry on porcelain orders for trade clients. Unlike some suppliers, London Stone does not implement a split pack charge, which not only reduces wastage, but also means that customers only buy what they need to.

Our website is fully functional 24/7, and shows live stock levels, so trade customers –

many of whom work outside of our business hours – can benefit from our 15% online exclusive trade discount at their leisure.

London Stone offers a free 10-year Homeowner Guarantee across our entire porcelain range, which enables trade customers to give their clients peace-of-mind when specifying our products.

The recent news that we’re now certified as carbon neutral also offers customers a further source of trust in the business.

London Stone –How beautiful gardens begin www.londonstone.co.uk

info@londonstone.co.uk 01753 212 950

*all prices are exclusive of VAT

THE LOVELY GARDEN & ESSE LANDSCAPES

These reductions are being passed on to customers without delay

Looking to

GROW?

Landscaping companies are experiencing a perfect storm. Rising awareness of nature’s mental and physical benefits coupled with a recognition of the importance of home life in the wake of Covid, growing environmental concerns, increased residential construction, and lives that are busier than ever are all contributing to wider use of landscaping companies. In the UK, for example, the market size of the landscaping industry increased faster than the overall economy.

Given that, it is little wonder why landscaping companies have high expectations for growing their businesses. To enjoy success, though, there are important steps they should take to make their business stand out in a competitive market.

Start with a business plan and money management skills

First, landscapers should have a business plan. This pillar for successful businesses provides a roadmap that can lead the business to profitability. It also provides a framework to inform decisions, weighing them against how they can advance the overall business strategy. Companies that write a business plan typically grow 30% faster than those that don’t.

It is equally important for landscaping owners to possess the money management skills to prune expenses and mind the bottom line. Like all businesses, landscapers must know how to manage cashflow to handle payroll and other expenses, while maintaining profitability. They also must be able to estimate jobs accurately. Low estimates can lose money and hurt the company’s bottom line, while high estimates might lose lucrative projects.

Know your competition

For market rates and employee pay, landscapers must do their homework. Determine how much competitors charge for similar services, what they pay their employees, and what profit margin to strive for. This may mean making blind calls to competitors or checking their websites for pricing. If your figure is too high or low compared to the competition, adjustments may need to be made to win more jobs (whilst being careful not to undervalue the work).

Owners should also develop a simplified, effective quoting process that sets them apart from the competition. This process should simplify quoting and make generating a professional quote faster. Landscapers might consider investing in business software that offers quote templates customised with branding, up-to-date price books, and prior job history information. It is equally important to follow up quotes with polite reminders which can improve how quickly they approve and sign quotes, translating into winning more jobs.

Implement efficient scheduling

Next, landscapers should implement flexible, efficient schedules for their team. Again, field service business software typically features online scheduling tools. This enables owners to create schedules that are accessible to the entire crew and coded to provide the status of each job. It also provides the fastest routes to maximize crew productivity as they move from one job to another.

Focus on customer retention, marketing

Finally, landscapers should focus on customer retention and year-round marketing. Because it costs five times more to attract a new customer than to retain a current customer, maintaining good customer relationships is critical. Existing customers are more likely to pay for additional services since they already know the company and are confident in its work. Existing clients also want to see your business active in the market, which explains why year-round marketing is crucial. Proper branding, regular customer emails, using social media, networking, and other tactics enable landscapers to engage current customers, while attracting new clients. This keeps the company’s cash flow active while offsetting market conditions such as a poor economy or increased competition.

GARRETT WILSON

Garrett Wilson is the president and co-founder FieldBin. He has been a serial entrepreneur and expert at building and branding startups for more than 20 years. His experience includes multiple high growth startups, SaaS products, M&A, fundraising, and agencies that leveraged his deep knowledge in both B2B and consumer markets. fieldbin.com

Companies that write a business plan typically grow 30% faster than those that don’t

Planning ahead and making simple changes to become more efficient can help with expanding your company, explains Garrett Wilson

ONE-SIDED FLEXIBILITY Tackling

Oracle Solicitors’ Danielle Ryu explains the need for the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill

The UK is taking steps to address the issue of one-sided flexibility in the workplace with the introduction of the Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions) Bill. This bill proposes new provisions in the Employment Rights Act 1996, which would give workers and agency workers a statutory right to request a predictable working pattern.

Currently, there is no statutory right for workers to request a more predictable work pattern. This lack of predictability, particularly for casual workers, can lead to income insecurity, reluctance to assert basic employment rights, and an expectation of availability at very short notice. The Taylor Review of Modern Workplaces identified this problem as one-sided flexibility and called for action to address it.

Under the proposed bill, employers would be able to refuse requests for statutory reasons, but they would need to introduce processes for dealing with requests for more predictable working patterns. This means that employers in industries that rely on unpredictable working arrangements are still likely to be able to do so. However, the

UK government's Good Work Plan also addresses one-sided flexibility, introducing a right for all workers to request a more predictable work pattern.

If a worker's contract is for a fixed term of 12 months or less, there is a presumption of lack of predictability as regards the period of work. In this case, an application for a change of contract duration will be regarded as being for the purpose of achieving a more predictable work pattern. Workers and agency workers can make a maximum of two statutory applications during any 12-month period, and no application to vary terms and conditions can be made if another statutory application to vary terms and conditions is proceeding.

Currently, the right to request flexible working is only available to employees with at least 26 weeks' continuous service. Under the proposed bill, workers would need to have been employed by the same employer (whether under the same contract) at some point during the month immediately before a prescribed period ending with the making of the application.

Once employers receive workers' applications, they must deal with them in a reasonable manner and notify the worker of the

decision within one month of the application being made. Employers may only reject the application if they consider some of the grounds apply, such as burden of additional costs or detrimental impact on the business. If workers' employment cease during the decision period, employers may reject their application on certain grounds.

The Workers (Predictable Terms and Conditions)

Bill and the Good Work Plan represent important steps towards addressing one-sided flexibility in the workplace. Workers deserve a more predictable work pattern, and these proposals will give them the right to request one while providing employers with the ability to refuse requests for valid reasons. It's time to tackle one-sided flexibility and promote more secure and stable employment for all.

ORACLE SOLICITORS

Oracle Solicitors is an award-winning law firm with a deep understanding of the landscape industry and expertise in employment, commercial, litigation, property and contract law. Oracle Solicitors, founded in 2002 has since grown to include offices in London, Belfast, Birmingham, Manchester, Frankfurt, and Addis Ababa – please visit: oraclesolicitors.co.uk

Workers deserve a more predictable work pattern, and these proposals will give them the right to request one while providing employers with the ability to refuse requests for valid reasons

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KEEPING YOUR TEAM SAFE ON UNEVEN GROUND

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PART ONE

BOND Creating a

The warmer weather and lighter nights are now in full swing, and don’t we all feel better for it? Warmer temperatures are encouraging people to venture out into their gardens and, in some cases, as they walk over their patios for the first time in a while, they are finding loose pavers beneath their feet; this issue is especially prevalent with porcelain patios.

A couple of recent joint expert witness surveys I inspected had large areas of pavers that were loose. On the first survey I met the contractor and the client onsite, and we had a brief discussion where the contractor told me they had used SBR and cement bonding mortar to bond the paving, which raised a red flag for me straight away. I can honestly say at this point too that the contractor had done a top-notch job with some great detail involved in the project. Other than the loose pavers, I could not find fault anywhere.

Lifting several paving slabs, I found that not only did they lift with little resistance other than the grouting holding them in place, but the SBR bonding mortar had not been fully applied, only partially coating the back of the slab. It was also very thinly applied.

Two mistakes had been made here which certainly contributed to the loose slabs: the thin application of bonding mortar and not applying bonding mortar to the whole of the back of the slab, leaving a ring around the perimeter of the slab that had no bonding mortar applied.

Bonding mortar should be fully applied to the back of paving slab so as to gain maximum surface area adhesion and to avoid water collecting via capillary action under the non-bonded area of the slab; this can’t cause freeze thaw contraction and expansion delamination.

Many contractors leave a ring around the perimeter of the paving slab so that they don’t get bonding mortar on their fingers and mark the slabs. To avoid getting bonding mortar on your hands, buy a Grabo or a sucker cup and attach it to the face of the slab. Lay the slab upside down on a wheelbarrow or a bucket and apply your bonding mortar. Applying bonding mortars with a float instead of a brush will help you achieve an even coating of bonding mortar at 2mm thickness which is what I recommend, or filling the lattice on the back of the slab.

A 2mm thickness of bonding mortar for porcelain paving slabs is important, so that you have enough bonding mortar to coat the back of the slab and to coat the bedding mortar too. All too often I see slabs with little bonding mortar on the backs as the mortar bed has absorbed most of the bonding mortar. I had the pleasure of working alongside an Italian tradesman two years ago and he poured the bonding mortar on the mortar bed, which he explained was the preferred way in Italy so as to get a thicker application. It made sense to me, especially as the Italians have been laying and making porcelain since the 14th century. How could I argue?

GARETH WILSON

Leaving college at 17, Gareth has worked in the landscape industry since 1989. Progressing onto high-end projects, he has picked up 7 RHS gold medals. He is a member of multiple professional bodies. He provides technical and product advice to large companies, mentors and trains contractors and garden designers in landscape construction and on show gardens logistics across the UK. Gareth also provides mediation services, he is a member of the BS7533:102 committee and is an industry awards judge. gkwilsonlandscaping.co.uk

In the first of a two-part series, Gareth Wilson shares some of the common mistakes with bonding mortars and how to avoid them

Bonding mortar should be fully applied to the back of paving slab so as to gain maximum surface area adhesion and to avoid water collecting via capillary action under the non-bonded area of the slab

Training the Talasey way

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‣ Installation of Composite Decking, Cladding & Fencing

‣ Installation of Artificial Grass

‣ Basic Site Setting Out & Preparation

‣ Installation of Porcelain Paving Materials

‣ Installation of Stone Paving Materials

talasey.co.uk

AN EDGE YOU CAN TRUST

Gardeners across the world have discovered, for many years now, the unobtrusive attractiveness of EverEdge.

THE HABITGetting into

Nick Coslett continues his green theme with questions for plant suppliers

Plant source

Does the nursery propagate their own plants so reducing plant miles? Or do they buy in young plants from specialists and grow on? What percentage of plants are imported from Europe or further afield? How do they ensure plant quality from these sources?

Water

What is their source? Rainfall or run off harvesting and a borehole are better than using mains drinking water. How is it stored? Do they ensure economic usage and what methods are used for eliminating water borne pathogens?

E.g. Phytophthora, Phoma and others.

Plastics

Planting is usually the last thing to happen on site and, although I’m biased, it makes the project. What questions do you, as a procurer or specifier of plant material, need to ask your suppliers? I suggest you need to know about the issues growers and nurseries face with regard to sustainability of their operations. So, ask why, what, where, when and how.

Are pots made of recycled plastic and what percentage? Do they use black pots? Although these are recyclable, only specialist centres can do this otherwise the carbon in them is rejected by the infrared waste scanners and they fall into the incineration pile. Or are they taupe? Or other colours without carbon which are recyclable via kerb side household waste? Do they recycle their used and waste plastic?

Field grown stock

Energy

How has the nursery reduced its energy use/has it assessed its carbon footprint? How much energy usage is needed for propagation? Are plants grown on with or without extra heat (i.e. in unheated tunnels or glass?) Are delivery vehicles up to date and ULEZ compliant?

Biosecurity

What biosecurity precautions are taken? Are they Plant Healthy certified or registering and on the pathway?

Do they have a quarantine area or period of monitoring imported stock before it is issued to customers? Do they give their staff specific biosecurity training?

Growing Media

Are they using peat? Compost retailers have had to go peat free this year. Professional peat use was to be ended in 2030 but has just been brought forward to 2026 because peat bogs are major carbon stores and extraction releases CO2. So, what is the growing media being used by your grower? UK growers may already be peat free or moving toward it; however, European growers have not even started to look a peat-free growing media. Peat has long been an economic and ideal medium, but peat-free media is often comprised of composted bark, wood fibre, coir, and some with recycled green waste compost, although this can be inconsistent.

Pest and disease control

What systems do they have in place to ensure plants are free of pests and disease? Are they using pesticides or biological methods? How are they working to when fewer and fewer pesticides will be available? Do they subscribe to a service which advises them on dissemination of research and development? How do they train staff to recognise plant problems?

These suggested questions and the answers given will help you to judge their desire, position and success on the sustainability journey. Does it match with your own?

How often are trees transplanted or undercut? Tree production is demanding of soil – are fields given a fallow rest period or green manure to put back organic matter and nutrients?

Staff

Are staff given regular training to upskill and develop? Do they have apprentices or use a local college for training?

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

NICK COSLETT

BETTER

together

When I was a child, I was a member of the He-Man Club – what a great group to be a part of! That club doesn’t exist now, but instead I am member of a number of horticultural societies. Times are tough for these UK societies. Gardeners may have increased by three million people, according to the RHS, but this hasn’t translated to a spike in garden/horticultural group membership.

In March this year, I became president of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society – more affectionately known by members as the Caley – which is Scotland’s national horticulture and gardening charity. It is a huge honour and privilege to be in charge of an organisation that has been running for more than 200 years. Most, if not all, of Scotland’s most famous plantspeople, gardeners, designer and horticulturists have been members of the Caley and impacted on our contribution since 1809. The history alone appeals to me, but I concede that it isn’t reason enough for most to join a society as a member.

How then do they appeal to new members? It is all very well to say ‘modernise’ and it is true that many groups do need to be more open to technology, contemporary payment options, like QR code scan-to-pay, or indeed something more modern than paying by cheque!

That alone isn’t enough, though. Instead, one of the things most clubs need to do better is to remove any concerns that many inexperienced gardeners have that they will look foolish in asking a question, or if they don’t have any previous knowledge. Even the most welcoming and friendly of groups has a disadvantage of not being as safe and unassuming as a Google search. To overcome this is not likely an easy proposition, but as you, dear reader, and I know all too well, horticulturists and gardeners are largely very helpful, very generous and all too keen to support those learning about how to grow and tend for plants and gardens. We need to make this message the one that prospective members see, then club and society offerings need to be community focused, inclusive, unburdened by excessive jargon and more than just a plant and/or gardening group, but a community group. A culture shift for many, but if some smaller groups are to survive, an essential change.

Modernity, to some groups, I have seen translate as terrifying, but to others it enables them to thrive. Forums, WhatsApp groups, working parties, courses, events, visits, talks, demonstrations, guest speakers, fun competitions, charitable and community benefitting projects and much more are the new lifeblood of a group now. Giving new members the opportunity to benefit from the support of more experienced members in a judgement free and nurturing environment is so important to not just finding but keeping new members.

So, I ask you, the experienced professionals, to consider supporting local and national groups, either as a member or through expertise, advertising to your clients or in any other way you can. They may well need help to change, but I’m sure most are willing to secure their futures. We have been known through recent history as ‘A nation of gardeners’ and that’s no bad thing. We are, however, at a crossroads, where a traditional route to support gardening entrants, young, future horticultural and landscape professionals and career changers into our industry is under threat of disappearing from a lack of support. I hope that industry will look to support our clubs and societies in any way we can. It will have a huge impact on the industry long-term and on our reputation as good gardeners and horticulturists for generations to come.

LEWIS NORMAND

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

Let’s engage and retain members of our societies, says Lewis Normand

Giving new members the opportunity to benefit from the support of more experienced members in a judgement free and nurturing environment is so important

TREATED LIKE DIRT

Healthy soils are essential –they clean our water, they capture carbon, they grow our food and yet we treat them like dirt.

In England and Wales, more than two million hectares of soil are at risk of erosion and four million hectares at risk of compaction. Intensive farming has caused arable soils to lose approximately 40% to 60% of their organic carbon through relentless tilling and disturbance from vehicles and around 300,000ha of soils in England are contaminated –containing various toxins ranging from lead to asbestos.

For such an important and diminishing resource, it’s amazing that we place such little value on it, or thought to its care –replenishing organic content, encouraging biological activity, or avoiding compaction. We seem eager to cover it in concrete or,

even worse, plastic grass – both smothering the life and value out of topsoil.

Bringing topsoil onto a site could be a positive step but, even here, an unwary landscaper can end up deep in the proverbial. In so many schemes where the plants fail, the finger so often points to the plants rather than the soil they are trying to grow in. In a recent survey of soils promoted to the landscape industry as premium products, almost half did not reach the British Standard and were deemed as not fit for purpose. Two samples were

even found to contain carcinogens. So, what can we do to avoid the pitfalls of poor soil?

First of all, we should try to protect and reuse the soils already available. If there is a new hard surface to be laid, consider removing the topsoil and using this elsewhere. If retaining on site for later reinstatement, learn how to correctly identify, segregate, and stockpile topsoil and subsoil. Where heavy equipment is needed, or if there might be lots of tracking back and forth, use some ground protection mats and ensure soil decompaction is done to aerate the soil once the work is finished. Try to build in ways to replenish soils perhaps

Soil can make or break a scheme, so Terry Smithson explains how to ensure you choose the right one

With increased recycling of green wastes and fewer developments on greenfield land, the last decade has seen a big increase in soils available from other sources

through a top dressing or by adding organic mulches.

For many projects there is often little suitable soil left on site, especially on new-build developments where topsoils are sometimes removed entirely. Importing topsoil is often the best solution, but with a broad range of ‘soil-based’ materials sold as topsoil in the landscape and construction industry, it can be difficult to know you are purchasing product that is fit for purpose.

There are essentially three main varieties of topsoil available – natural topsoil, skip waste soil or manufactured topsoil – each with their own risks and benefits. As you might expect, natural topsoils usually come from greenfield sites with the ‘as dug’ tag line often used to create an expectation of quality. The great thing about natural soils is that they should contain a wide range of microbes, including fungi and bacteria, essential for healthy plant growth. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that even some of the best agricultural soils can become clumpy, nutrient deficient, and compacted if not managed carefully.

With increased recycling of green wastes and fewer developments on greenfield land, the last decade has seen a big increase in soils available from other sources. Skip waste soil, sometimes sold as general purpose or screened topsoil often comes from site clearance operations and, although this will usually have a component of topsoil or subsoil, it may also contain many other fragments like brick, concrete and other build materials. This might be fine for ‘filling a hole’ but with the risk of low fertility or high levels of contaminants, may not be suitable for growing plants never mind visual appeal or safety!

In their simplest form, manufactured topsoils are created by blending two ingredients to create a rooting medium,

often this will be a mix of composted green waste [PAS100] with sand and be positioned as a ‘blended loam’. This raises one of the major challenges for the landscape industry which is to understand that not all blends are the same, as some topsoil manufacturers add other ingredients including natural soils, and peat-free soil conditioners, to create an ideal growing medium.

Manufactured soils can often be a better alternative to natural topsoil as it can be blended ‘on demand’ and in a way which suits the landscape scheme; for example, providing more acidic conditions, high organic content, or slow-release fertiliser, or build in stringent testing to avoid contamination.

On the other hand, without effective quality control measures, the manufacturing process can also allow contamination with unsuitable materials like skip waste or soil from polluted greenfield sites. Organic content derived from municipal composting schemes can be highly variable, for example, with a much greater proportion

of kitchen waste in the winter causing very high salt levels.

Thankfully, avoiding these problems and selecting the best quality topsoil can be very simple. Make sure you purchase soil, suited to your needs, from a reputable supplier. They should be able to provide you with paperwork to show where the soil has come from and be able to prove that it is safe and has been tested to the British Standard (BS3882:2015).

As the foundation for a great landscaping scheme let’s make sure that we take the care to protect our soils and enhance the places we create from the ground up.

Terry Smithson, MCIEEM, biodiversity manager for Rolawn, is an expert in biodiversity with a passion for protecting the planet’s natural habitat. Terry draws on extensive experience in the nature conservation sector, and degrees in Zoology and Ecology, to lead Rolawn in meeting its environmental goals. Understanding the value of soils and their importance in nature restoration he is working within the landscaping industry to ensure that manufactured topsoils can enhance our environment.

rolawn.co.uk

TERRY SMITHSON

Make sure you purchase soil, suited to your needs, from a reputable supplier

GREEN-TECH

Green-tree Bioretention Soil

Green-tree Bioretention Soil is manufactured from recycled organic matter, sand and minerals. It has been developed around the CIRIA SuDS manual guidelines for filter media in a rain garden or other SuDS application. Green-tree Bioretention Soil uses the highest quality sands and green composts. It provides an efficient permeability rate to avoid waterlogging on the surface area but holds sufficient nutrient levels and organic matter to support the vegetation used. Substrate samples have been tested by and data is supplied in conjunction with STRI. green-tech.co.uk

check RAIN

WOODHORN GROUP

Earth Cycle PAS100 Aquatic Soil

Earth Cycle PAS100 Aquatic Soil is a sandy loam topsoil that is produced with Woodhorn Group’s PAS100 compost which is an organic certified compost by Organic Farmers and Growers. It provides good support for the growth of vegetation in ponds and bog gardens and slowly releases nutrients over time.

woodhorngroup.co.uk

BURY HILL LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES Range of SuDS Soils

ECO SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

Composts and soils

Rain gardens are designed to capture, infiltrate, and treat stormwater runoff. The type of soil that is suitable for rain gardens is permeable and well-draining. The ideal soil mix for a rain garden is a blend of compost, sand, and soil. Compost adds organic matter and nutrients to the soil, which helps to increase its water-holding capacity, while sand improves drainage and helps prevent compaction. Eco Sustainable Solutions provide composts and soils which can be mixed with sand to create a prefect rain garden. To determine the appropriate soil mix, a landscaper would need to know the soil's infiltration rate, the amount of rainfall in the area, and the size of the rain garden. They would also need to consider the plants that will be used in the rain garden and ensure that the soil mix is appropriate. Finally, they would need to ensure that the rain garden is appropriately graded to ensure water flows towards the garden, and that overflow paths are designed for heavy rainfall. thisiseco.co.uk

BOUGHTON

Extensive EX1

(NBS specified)

EX1 is composed of recycled, unused, crushed brick and PAS100 compost. EX1 is designed to be free draining, porous, and lightweight. Due to its structure, EX1 should be installed at a depth of 80-150mm. Extremely versatile, Boughton’s EX1 is able to support a wide variety of plants across a range of climates, with sedums thriving in particular. It is also a very environmentally friendly product, composed entirely of recycled material. boughton.co.uk

Rain gardens are a type of Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS). Bury Hill has a range of SuDS Soils including two topsoils which, subject to drainage requirements, are signed off as suitable for rain garden schemes. Requirements will vary subject to local environmental conditions; clients in Wales are mainly concerned with high levels of hydraulic conductivity and design their planting schemes accordingly, whilst in London, clients are often more concerned with attenuating water and are looking for moderate drainage properties from their rain garden soil. As with all soil purchases, a soil specification written for your project is ideal and should one of Bury Hill’s SuDs Soils not quite fit the bill, it has data for many other blends to choose from. buryhilltopsoilandlogs.co.uk

©Martha Redman/STRI

Find the most suitable soil for any rain garden

BIORETENTION SOIL

LIVERPOOL RAIN GARDEN

SUPERSOIL

AQUATIC TOPSOIL

BURY HILL RAIN GARDEN SOIL

EX1

AS K THE EXPERTS

Does putting employees’ health and wellbeing as a priority have to cost money?

Ken White explains how low-cost initiatives can go a long way

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of prioritising employees' health and wellbeing in the workplace. As the old saying goes, "health is wealth" – and when it comes to the workplace, this adage couldn't be more true. Employees who are healthy and happy are not only more productive and engaged but also more likely to stick around. That's why many employers are starting to put health and wellbeing as a key part of their overall business strategy.

However, there is often a misconception that to do so has to come at a high cost. This is simply not true. While some initiatives or programmes may require financial investments, many low-cost or even no-cost options can be implemented.

For example, encouraging employees to take regular breaks throughout the workday to reduce stress and promote relaxation doesn't cost a thing. Similarly, providing healthy food options in the workplace can be a low-cost way to promote healthy eating habits.

Another low-cost initiative that can be implemented is to encourage physical activity during the workday. This can include encouraging employees to walk during their lunch break or offering yoga classes. Not only do these types of initiatives promote physical health, but

The panel

HOLLY YOUDE

Chair of the APL, Holly Youde, is a director at Urban Landscape Design in the North West and The Landscape Academy, a purpose built training centre dedicated to landscaping in the UK.

JAKE CATLING

they also provide opportunities for socialising and team building. Promoting a culture of work-life balance is another way to prioritise employee health and wellbeing. Employers can offer flexible work arrangements, such as remote work or flexible hours, to help employees manage their personal and professional lives, which can lead to reduced stress and improved mental health. While some initial costs may be associated with implementing health and wellness programmes, the potential long-term benefits can outweigh the costs.

Investing in employee health and wellbeing can reduce absenteeism, increase productivity, and improve employee retention. In the long run, these benefits can translate into significant financial savings for the organisation. It can also enhance an organisation's reputation and help attract and retain top talent. Businesses can distinguish themselves from their competitors by prioritising employee health and wellbeing and creating a more attractive workplace culture.

In short, putting employee health and wellbeing as a priority doesn't have to be a costly affair, and investing in it can reap significant long-term benefits.

So, go ahead and prioritise your employees' health and wellbeing –it's not only the right thing to do, but it can also make good business sense.

Jake founded his domestic landscaping company, The Landscaping Consultants, aged just 24. He is now a BALI board director and the BALI South Thames chairman, and has delivered various awardwinning gardens and outdoor spaces.

KEN WHITE

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

ROSEMARY COLDSTREAM

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

SARAH EBERLE

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

While some initiatives or programmes may require financial investments, many low-cost or even nocost options can be implemented

“WE ARE AMBITIOUS, WE DO WANT TO GROW AND BECOME A LEADER IN THE SPACE”

CEO Nicola Keach sees the ground maintenance industry as gearing up for change and plans for Tivoli Group to be part of that

Nicola Keach is kickstarting a journey of growth for the Tivoli Group. Since joining as CEO around 18 months ago, she has been putting the “foundations” in place for the independent grounds maintenance provider to become a leader in its field – but with a wealth of experience in the services industry, Keach is cautious that it’s not a sprint to the finish.

We’re speaking the day before the King’s coronation, ahead of the second Bank Holiday in as many weeks and amidst a busy period for Tivoli, so we’re tight on time – not that Keach allows you to feel that way. If anything, she seems more than happy to chat about the industry on which she has built an illustrious career.

Keach went into facilities management straight out of university. She worked in the public sector for a couple of years before making the

switch to private, working in facilities management for the NHS, which she says was beneficial in understanding how that sector works. Following that, Keach went to work for public services behemoth Serco when it was a “small company” operating predominantly in the UK – it's now a global provider with a revenue of £4.5bn last year.

After spending 16 years in a variety of roles and sectors at Serco, from healthcare to education, and from operations to business development, Keach felt ready to take on her next role. She joined French utility company Engie as managing director for its healthcare business before becoming divisional CEO for all its services across the UK and Ireland and finally becoming the UK CEO, responsible for £3.5bn turnover and 15,000 employees. There, Keach also worked on aligning Engie to its net zero targets.

“That was exciting, starting to understand the energy transitions that hopefully not only the UK is on but hopefully the rest of the globe, and understanding the importance of that,” says Keach, adding that every which way you cut, her career has had a services theme, all amounting to her latest role at Tivoli.

In the facilities management companies where Keach has worked previously, grounds maintenance had been outsourced; but it’s part of the services industry and therefore part of Keach’s passion, and she has plans to grow Tivoli both organically and through acquisitions. The group made its first acquisition – Sodexo Horticultural Services –back in January 2021 to build its presence in the private sector, having been acquired itself by private equity firm Sullivan Street Partners

three years earlier. It was previously part of facilities management giant ISS.

Keach was brought on board in November 2021 to help further its growth. She’d taken a call “out of the blue” from the investors and there were a few key reasons she ended up accepting the position of CEO. Firstly, and unsurprisingly, that it was a services business, and one where the standards were continuing to rise as customer expectations rose.

“Covid was huge for the industry; people started to recognise the importance of public space.

So, another part of my decision was that this is an industry that’s going to change, and I can play a part in that – it's exciting.”

Adding to that is Tivoli’s potential to grow. Keach says she saw in Tivoli what she saw in Serco when she first joined and thinks it could go on its own “exciting journey”.

“It’s a new business, and in

the role that I’d be doing I could work with the team to develop a strategy and a culture focused on service delivery. I’ve always enjoyed working in the services industry because of the people aspect of it; I enjoy working with teams and empowering them. The Tivoli model is around self-delivery; we’re not an organisation which subcontracts. Our first way of working, the core of our work, is undertaken by our staff, and being involved with our people is important to me.”

Being a female CEO in this space can’t be easy though, I suggest. After all, the CEOs of the majority of large grounds maintenance companies in the UK are male.“It’s not only grounds maintenance,” says Keach.“When I was CEO of Engie, a lot of people saw that as very unusual, particularly in the energy space. So, it’s a transition and it’s great to see. I saw this week that Skanska has announced a new female CEO, which is again unusual.”

Whether the CEO is male or female, it shouldn’t make a difference, says Keach. “It comes down to the skills and experience of the CEO, and I’ve been welcomed with open arms by everybody within the business.”

Another part of my decision was that this is an industry that’s going to change, and I can play a part in that –it's exciting

It possibly helps that there is little room to doubt Keach has the skills and experience, and the ambitions to match. For more than a year, she has been ensuring that the foundations are in place for Tivoli to start its journey of growth, starting with putting in the right systems to help Tivoli deliver a great service to customers and on time. “We’ve put in a new system – The Hive – that allows us to schedule jobs and capture data in real time, which is something our customers have been asking for. It also enables us to improve our work schedules particularly as conditions change, so we now have a dynamic tool that will help us deliver to our customers.”

Linked to this is amending its national recruitment processes to a more local level, “trying to get the right people to support these areas.”“Our Tivoli model is very much based on directly employed staff, so we’ve been working hard to attract the right staff and retain them.”

On top of this, Keach spearheaded an equipment review which has resulted in a large replacement programme to make sure the kit its operatives are using is safer, more efficient and more environmentally friendly (Tivoli is in the process of setting its green targets that will be announced this year).

imagine is a really sensitive area. The electrical equipment is far quieter, more discreet, and both our staff and the clients are really positive about those changes. It’s the first few steps that can quite often be the most difficult ones for everybody to take, but it feels as if everyone is now on that journey, and we’ll start to see that change across the industry.”

There is a cost to switching and “moving in the right direction, and certainly for smaller providers, that’s going to be a real issue,” says Keach.

Then there’s the organisation of the company itself. To better enable it to grow, Keach has switched Tivoli to having a regional focus. “We now have four regions across the UK, and we’ve been working towards empowering those regional teams to give them everything they need so that they can focus on the customers in that region. That’s been really successful over the course of the last year.”

“In the last 18 months that I’ve been in the role, the equipment providers have certainly moved on from an environmental stance. So, we have spent some time with all the leading manufacturers in the space and it’s been really good to see how they’re embracing the change. So, the options available to us, particularly around the handheld equipment, have really opened up.

“We’ve recently introduced some electrical equipment into our Tunbridge Wells contract and into the cemetery, which as you can

“It’s how we balance some of the negative impacts we have in terms of our carbon footprint; how we flip that and consider what we can do that would help the environment – our biodiversity offering, changing the

1 A Tivoli team on a social value planting day

2 Wildflower meadow created by a Tivoli team

3 A site in the North West maintained by Tivoli

4 New machinery for 2023

5 RAF Northolt team medals

6 Tivoli team at the BALI awards ceremony 2023

Our Tivoli model is very much based on directly employed staff, so we’ve been working hard to attract the right staff

frequencies of what we do, and generally becoming more environmentally friendly – we all play a part in our journey to Net Zero.

As I said, one of the things that attracted me to the industry was the ability to make changes and move the industry forward, and it’s around this environmental space that we’re going to start seeing this change. We as an industry need to consider how we can provide a solution that’s appropriate for today and future generations to come.”

This is just the start of the journey for Keach.“We’re ready to build the house; the foundations are really strong. My experience tells me it’s better to continue to make sure that the foundation is strong and then grow, rather than proceed at pace and then regret it later.”

Keach might not be rushing to the top but make no mistake that the plan is for Tivoli to get there. “We are ambitious, we do want to grow and become a leader in the space, so we have spent a considerable amount of time working through that growth strategy and being really clear about it. There’s always a temptation to think that you can be in every space, in every sector, and we’re giving that some thought in terms of the sectors and the services we want to grow into.”

Tivoli is developing its arboricultural business, for instance, and has recruited a “very experienced business development team” over the first quarter of this year too to now support that growth. “That takes us into this year, and hopefully we’ll be able to do

more for our existing customers, as they’re the most important, but also develop new relationships over the course of the year.”

This will be the organic growth for Tivoli. “Working with our existing customers is without a doubt our number one priority. By providing a great service to those, that will hopefully naturally lead to growth, either through additional sites for our customers or new services.”

Its national presence and regional focus will aid its growth, says Keach. But that doesn't mean acquisitions aren’t on the cards.“We wouldn’t and don’t rule out acquisitions; as and when they come along, we’ll consider them both from a capacity and capability point of view, but most importantly whether they fit from a cultural perspective.”

There are also the challenges the grounds maintenance sector is facing to consider too, inflationary pressures being one which has taken its toll across the entire services industry. “They have been acute in the sector in terms of staffing pressures and labour challenges, but also the cost of fuel and diesel over the course of it.” Petrol hit a record average price of 191.53p per litre last summer, and diesel 199.03p. It might have come down since, but the cost of fuel remains high.

“That has caused a real issue that we’ve obviously had to work on with our customers, whilst they’re experiencing their own pressures. We’re trying to work through

that challenge in a true partnership, and that’s certainly going to continue for a couple of years.

“We have end users who, perhaps as an impact of the pandemic, have spent more time in public spaces and they’re wanting to see standards raised – that’s balanced with inflationary cost pressures that we have and our customers have.”

And as Keach alluded, recruitment is also a challenge in fulfilling these expectations.“We, as an industry, need to find solutions to make it more attractive. We all talk about and look at the age profile of our staff and the diversity; we may have a female CEO but attracting diversity is a real concern. We need to think about how we can map out career paths and flexibility at work. I’ve started to talk to the team about how we can work closer with colleges to try to find the future of grounds maintenance. It’s certainly key for us, in terms of our delivery model. But it’s key for all the industry, in terms of how we encourage people to work in the industry.”

Seeing Keach at the helm is a start, as is working with clients to avoid inflationary pressures taking their toll on pricing and leaving the grounds maintenance industry undervalued. Keach is determined for Tivoli to reach its full potential, and to have an impact on the industry – that journey starts now.

7 Tivoli Arboriculture – new Merlo Roto with Westtech Grapple Saw 8 Tivoli Arboriculture

We need to consider how we can provide a solution that’s appropriate for today and future generations

ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET,go!

Is the maintenancegroundssector in a race to the bottom?

Ever heard of a competition in which no-one wants to win? That’s what the grounds maintenance sector has inadvertently found itself entered into, it seems. Back in March, Ground Control’s CEO Simon Morrish wrote in The Times that it is "a tough and very price-conscious market with something of a 'race to the bottom', which we do not want to get sucked into". And he’s not the only one who thinks companies are being dragged towards an unappealing finish line. Companies tendering with impossibly low prices to win contracts has been happening for a while, says David Newman, managing director of Newman Landscapes. “The issue has been in the industry for many years.”

So, what – or who – is driving this race? And could there be a wider impact on the industry if we don’t change direction? "During times of inflation and economic hardship there is always a temptation to buy revenue in order to offset the erosion of gross margin but this is a really dangerous game to play given it is a shortterm fix to a long-term business issue,” says Jason Knights, managing director of Ground Control.

Inflation remains above 10% in the year to March, according to the ONS, and higher prices are putting everyone under pressure.

Julian Ransom, managing director of 4th Corner Landscaping, says customers wanting to spend as little as possible and go for the cheapest contract isn’t necessarily new, but it’s possibly more common at the moment. “As budgets get tighter, there is a tendency for everyone to assume there's less money to go around, and so that does also have a downward pressure on pricing.

“Sometimes you can see in a tender package the direction that they're heading in, and then you know that it’s going to be price based and that there's going to be a bit of a battle to come in below budget, which is a self-defeating exercise.”

That’s not to say clients are to blame, says Ransom. “Clients will do their best to try to balance what they perceive to be quality against budget. They can tend to look for the cheaper contract, but not always. It’s a bit cyclical too. Customers will have an experience of getting the cheapest quotes which doesn’t work out very well because the supplier is unable to supply the prescribed standard for what they’ve quoted. So, there’s two parts to play: there’s educating the customer and there’s valuing our product.”

When we do see very low bids securing contracts that are below cost price, they are often being awarded to businesses with the boldest growth ambitions

Tim Howell, Managing director, Mitie Landscapes

Does size matter?

Those going in with the cheapest quotes are typically the behemoths of the grounds maintenance sector, says Newman. “The issue we have is that larger companies or corporations go in at such a rock bottom price that we can’t compete with them. They go in really cheap because bigger firms have bigger buying power. Then they pick up all the other jobs which make them money.”

Newman Landscapes has lost work as a result of this ‘race to the bottom’, but the cyclical process Ransom suggested means it typically comes back around. “Nine times out of 10, we’ll come second or third in the tender and then the client will contact us six months later to say there’s no mobilisation plan in place yet, can we come in and do it on our price? So, we normally get some work out of it anyway,” explains Newman.

“Our aim is to get to a larger company size and show them how to do it. We need to bring more horticulture back into the industry, bring people back into it.”

For Tim Howell, though – managing director of Mitie Landscapes, one of the biggest companies in the sector – it is not down to how large the company is but its aspirations. “Where this behaviour

is taking place, I don’t believe that it’s driven by business size. Rather, when companies make bold statements about rapid business growth or ‘doubling in size’; this in turn puts pressure on sales teams to deliver these results, leading to more aggressive (and unsustainable) contract bidding. When we do see very low bids securing contracts that are below cost price, they are often being awarded to businesses with the boldest growth ambitions.”

Acquisition-heavy companies are making it more difficult for SMEs, adds Quality & Service’s managing director Sue Payne, mentioning the likes of Biotecture being purchased by Mitie last year and Nurture Landscapes Group which has just bought CGM Group – its eighth acquisition in the past 12 months and its largest since it purchased Gavin Jones five years ago. Whilst she makes it clear this is not an attack on these companies, Payne adds that it is “harder to compete against the bigger guys because they will always undercut you. And if they can confidently undercut, purely on price because of economies of scale and everything else, that makes it more and more difficult for the smaller companies. “There are benefits to SMEs. An awful lot of

them are being bought up on a regular basis, which is a shame because if there’s a monopoly, you’re left down to three or four big guys with no alternative. All these acquired companies will have been wonderful, because otherwise they wouldn’t have been acquired; but that gets lost because you can’t have 50 companies all working their different ways inside an organisation.”

Payne says that Quality & Service streamlines its costs as much as possible whilst continuing to pay its staff the London Living Wage – and without the overhead costs of the larger companies, it can remain competitive on price. But “if one of the big guys wants a contract, they will go all out to get it. We're very lucky that we have clients who have bought into us and are as passionate about it as we are and want to allow us to work in a certain way, to allow us to develop their site for the future to create a legacy.

“There's always a risk that people will try to race to the bottom, and I'm trying not to. We have to value what we do and this is the price tag we put on the value of what we bring to the table. If you want a Fiesta, you'll buy a Fiesta, if you want a Land Rover, you go and buy a Land Rover and you pay the difference.”

Ready for battle

“It’s a fight for the little man at the minute,” agrees Newman. “You’ve got to be prepared to walk away. You’ve got to be prepared to get your pricing right and only win one out of 10. You have to know what you’re worth.

There's so much business out there; there are opportunities to find the right business for each company, but that takes hard work

Julian Ransom, Managing director, 4th Corner Landscaping

You wouldn’t go and work for free, and there are clients who understand this and will pay more to get a better quality service. But some larger companies are buying businesses and are only interested in building their portfolio.”

Howell says he recognizes Mitie’s responsibility as a larger landscapes provider, though, and how it can play a “key role in setting industry standards and this includes areas such as pricing. We take this responsibility seriously and won’t bid on contracts that aren’t financially sustainable. Instead, our focus is on using our investment in innovation and technology, as well as our scale and being part of a wider Group, to deliver the best value for customers.”

Ground Control aims for “controlled” growth without securing contracts with low bids too. “Ultimately, our people, culture, cash management and prioritising productivity above all else is critical to ensuring sustainable returns and the prevention of a nosedive,” says Knights. “The creation of value from the centre is very important to Ground Control as a business and vital to ensuring the success of individual units.

As a business, we’ve invested heavily in our supply chain as well as central overheads in order to achieve controlled growth to steer clear from this ‘race to the bottom’.”

Eager to avoid a blame game, Ransom simply says companies need to be “responsible” when tendering.

“There’s a responsibility to your staff, your shareholders if you’re big enough, to your clients –there’s a big responsibility in getting it right, and I have no sympathy for anyone going in who's on the race to the bottom because it's not a strategy that really serves anyone well, possibly with the exception of the company who does it.

“There's so much business out there; there are opportunities to find the right business for each company, but that takes hard work. Just don't throw your hat in every ring and throw in the cheapest price.”

Building relationships

Companies also needed to be prepared to have conversations with their clients when the initial price is no longer viable to avoid absorbing the

cost of rising prices, says Newman, who ensures he has a good relationship with clients on fixed contracts to discuss when the cost needs to be adjusted. “It's being completely transparent. The profit margin will still stay the same because inflation has gone up along with your running costs.”

Working closely with customers is key for Mitie too. Howell says it encourages clients to consider the “contract value” rather than the cost. “This includes demonstrating that the lowest price can end up costing a business more in the long run – be that due to a less reliable service, lower quality, reduced productivity levels, or by having a negative impact on the environment or biodiversity. If innovation and efficient work practices drive better customer value, I’m all for it!

“On a practical level, we have strict governance in place for the sales and bidding process to ensure we only bid at a value that will ensure we can deliver a reliable and high-quality service for the contract.”

“It is a very competitive industry,” says Tivoli’s CEO Nicola Keach. “We are really clear that our prices have to meet the service delivery that the client requires; it’s working with clients to try to work through what they can afford balanced with a drive for higher standards that we’re seeing. It’s important for all of us in the industry to try to ensure that we’re providing the service that meets the customer’s needs, and we’re seeing companies that have provided a cost and then haven’t been able to deliver the service – and that’s not good for anybody.

There's always a risk that people will try to race to the bottom, and I'm trying not to. We have to value what we do and this is the price tag we put on the value of what we bring to the table

Sue Payne, managing director, Quality & Service

It’s not good for the industry, it’s not good for the customer either, and ultimately the end user. We all have to take that responsibility in the right way and at the same time try to meet the challenges that exist for our clients, in terms of the cost pressures that they have.”

After all, as Keach suggests, it’s not just companies that could struggle but the industry as a whole. Contracts ending up back on the market before the end of the term “not only damages the reputation of the company involved, but of the wider industry too,” adds Howell. “If companies persist in setting unrealistic growth agendas, and achieve that through underbidding work, it may take years for the industry to recover. The people we need to employ and train for the future will look elsewhere for careers, supply chains won’t invest in innovation, and the industry will be driven to a lower value, lower aspiration workplace and service. This does a huge disservice to the importance of landscaping to

our country and our communities and doesn’t recognise the role we play as an industry, providing fantastic career opportunities, creating great spaces for people to work, shop and relax, and helping boost our environment and personal wellbeing.”

The next generation

The industry is already struggling to attract new talent. More than half of businesses in this sector have a hard-to-fill vacancy, found a recent report by the Landscape Institute. Some have even had to turn down contracts as a result. A growing appreciation for green spaces following the pandemic could be an opportunity to turn the race around. “People do value their green spaces much more and how they’re maintained,” says Ransom.

“There’s always work to be done, but if there’s a race to the bottom on a contract, then we won’t be getting involved in that contract. There’s no value in us going in cheap; it just doesn't work

for us, it doesn't work for our customer, it doesn't work for the residents, and for us, as a family regional business, it would give us reputational damage because the bottom line is you can't deliver the quality on an undervalued service.

“It's a core service provision, maintaining spaces for everyone; we all live and use these spaces, they're vital, and the service needs to be respected and understood.”

Ransom says he understands the temptation for companies that are keen to win business to go in cheaper to build volume, but they need to consider the wider impact. “The more companies that are avoiding it and are promoting best practice, best skills, best training, the better. As an industry, we need to promote ourselves; the hard work on the ground – the moving, the hedge cutting, the general maintenance – is not the glory end of the business, but it is critical to how a park looks for the coronation weekend, for example. And that’s really important.”

So, if the race to the bottom continues, it could be that everyone in the industry ends up losing out as a result.

It's a core service provision, maintaining spaces for everyone; we all live and use these spaces, they're vital, and the service needs to be respected and understood

Julian Ransom, Managing director, 4th Corner Landscaping

Kress’ new range of battery powered kit could help move the commercial sector towards a petrol-free future

Landscape gardeningWITHOUT PETROL

As a matter of personal choice and, in some parts of the world, by law petrol powered lawn equipment is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Throughout the last decade, millions of homeowners decided to purchase batterypowered or manual garden care tools instead of petrol-powered ones. In late 2021 in the US, California lawmakers voted to phase-out the sale of petrol-powered lawn equipment by 2024, making it the first state in the US to do so. Other states and countries will follow. Even if it’s a great idea to reduce the pollution, noise and hassle associated with petroleum power, is it possible to maintain beautiful, healthy grounds and gardens without petrol powered tools?

Know your options

A generation ago alternatives to petrolfuelled lawn equipment included corded electric and manual tools. Both options work well for compact landscapes or domestic requirements, but for larger gardens and

certainly for professionals, more power and range are required.

Battery-powered lawn equipment

The early arrivals of rechargeable battery powered mowers, blowers, trimmers, and chainsaws were seen by many as less powerful, more expensive versions of lightweight corded electric equipment. But battery tech rapidly improved to compete with petrol power, so that today’s lithium-ion rechargeable battery powered equipment really is an effective, cleaner, quieter alternative to petrol. Bypassing the ongoing costs of petrol as well as the ongoing engine maintenance equalises the initial price difference in as little as a single season.

Kress is leading the charge with a breakthrough innovation in batterypowered technology, built to deliver the performance and power of petrol. For decades, petrol-powered gardening and landscape equipment has been a reliable choice for commercial use, due to most batterypowered equipment being incapable of matching or surpassing the benefits of their petrol counterparts. This is coupled with the fact that innovation in battery technology has remained slow in meeting the dynamic and ever-growing demands of professional gardeners. Gardening and landscape professionals have tended to veer away from batterypowered equipment due to excessive

Kress is leading the charge with a breakthrough innovation in batterypowered technology, built to deliver the performance and power of petrol

charging time before continued use, the high expense associated with the limited lifecycle, and unreliable performance quality.

future must rely on energy storage, energy distribution and an integrated system. It’s time for an energy system evolution - the new Kress system can fulfil that need.”

As a part of the well-stablished Positec family of brands, Kress is recognised for its superior German engineering that has been synonymous with reliability, quality, and industry leading standards for over 50 years.

Natural areas

Despite growing concerns that the air and noise pollution associated with petrol-powered equipment is having a severe impact on the environment, professionals have been forced to pick an option that provides economical advantage in terms of power and uninterrupted operation.

Tackling the current limitations of battery head-on with a ground-breaking opportunity, Kress is taking the transformation from petrol to battery to the next level, creating a stronger, faster, quieter, more affordable option, that is specifically designed to meet the demanding needs of commercial landscapers and is set to drive battery-power technology forward to a brighter, more efficient future.

The new commercial Kress 8-minute Cybersystem™ battery platform has been engineered to have the fastest re-charge of any commercial battery system available, has twice the power output of standard lithium-ion batteries and has been developed with heavy-duty use in mind. It is batterypower as we have never seen it before.

With a petrol-free future on the horizon, and recent soaring prices in the UK, the latest evolution in Kress’ battery-powered technology is a remarkable, timely development for gardening and lawncare professionals, radical new technology that can help protect their planet and pocket, without compromising on performance.

“Everyone is waiting for a change in professional gardening and landscaping equipment; petrol will soon have to be replaced and, for that reason, Kress has come up with a powerful solution, built for a future-focused industry.” says Don Gao, chairman and CEO of Positec Group. “The

This new line of Kress commercialgrade outdoor power equipment, powered by its exclusive cordless battery technology, is a revolutionary development and highlights the commitment towards a future that will forever eliminate the need for petrol-powered equipment.

Robotic lawn mowers

Taking it a step further, the introduction of robotic lawn mowers could become the next revolution in lawn care. Rather than using more power, these programmable smart devices use less power, more

No-mow lawn spaces and natural landscape zones continue to grow in appeal as consumers seek alternatives to conventional lawns. Natural areas become micro-habitats for migratory birds and other local wildlife, while nicely buffering the home in green space. For best results, these easy-care spaces still require a bit of maintenance, such as seasonal mowing, weeding out invasives, and light pruning.

Landscape gardening without petrol

Petrol-free gardening can require some adjustments, but they may not be as dramatic as you think – this new line of Kress commercial-grade outdoor power equipment, powered by its exclusive cordless battery technology, is a revolutionary development and highlights the commitment towards a future that will forever eliminate the need for petrolpowered equipment.

efficiently. Mowers like the Kress Mission robotic mowers mow the lawn at programmed times, multiple times per week, so that the grass always looks great. Gaining hours of extra time back, Groundskeepers simply trim the edges as needed, and then use their time more efficiently treating and feeding the lawn as well as on other jobs.

Choosing OPE from Kress means there is no need for compromise on performance. Their lightweight, efficient, and powerful rechargeable tools are well positioned to take on the work that is currently performed by petrol-powered tools. In the light of cleaner air and less noise, the future of landscape gardening and maintenance looks brighter than ever. kress.com

Made in theshade

explores shade solutions to futureproof gardens

Summer is fast approaching and if this year is anything like the last, we need to be prepared for ever-increasing temperatures.

More often than not my clients ask me to include a shaded area into the design and I always recommend adding one; this might

be harnessing the existing shade or designing a new shaded zone to retreat to.

Optimising the light and shade in our gardens is crucial to their success. We devote a lot of time to getting the ‘right plant in the right place’; choosing the optimum position to place your seating requires the same careful consideration.

The position of shade is constantly changing and tracking the movement of the sun in each garden is important. Creating the perfect position for shade in the morning is going to be futile by the afternoon. Finding the right shaded spot between midday and 4pm, when the sun is at its most powerful, is the challenge.

We are also mindful of not wanting to create unnecessary shade to areas of the garden where we want to maximise the sun loving plants. It’s a fine balance but if you carefully consider the right proportions, the

perfect combination of light and shade can be achieved.

My preferred seating spot would be under the dappled shade of a tree or catching shards of glistening light under a vine covered pergola. Nothing can match gentle light as it filters through the green canopy.

Shelley Hugh-Jones’ garden (left) illustrates this perfectly, utilising the existing oak tree. It was the only element retained when transforming the garden and casts beautiful large pools of gently swaying shade. Adding trees for shade would always be my first choice; not only are you helping to mitigate the effects of climate change, but you are adding shade for future generations to enjoy.

Smaller gardens don’t always have the option of adding large trees so we need to be creative with the shade solutions we can offer.

Garden designer Georgia Lindsay

Optimising the light and shade in our gardens is crucial to their success

SHELLEY HUGH-JONES GARDEN DESIGN

Adding a living structure such as canopy of parasol trees, otherwise known as umbrella or roof form trees, can produce the ideal natural garden architecture.

Lucy Wilcox and Ana Sanchez-Martin’s beautiful French inspired design (left) forms a discerning timeless solution. Parasol trees provide year-round interest to enjoy through the seasons. Deciduous trees are the preferred choice, letting sunlight through in the winter and filtered shade in the summer months. Hornbeam is ideal with the central leaders cut away; the lateral branches are then trained over bamboo or steel frames. Liquidambar styraciflua is another wonderful choice with its maple-like amber leaves. Malus ‘Evereste’ is fabulous if you want a showy froth of white blossom in the spring and the bonus of attracting wildlife with crab apples later in the year.

If we look back through the history of shade in our gardens, the traditional simple parasol would have been the first choice, and it still has its merits today. It gives you the ultimate flexibility and ease of use when needed, allowing you to track the sun and easily re-position to create shade throughout the day just where it’s needed.

A simple light weight parasol such as these beautifully screen printed and embellished examples from The East London Parasol Company make a playful addition and allow clients to be able to place it in the optimum position needed. Flexible shade options can allow planting versatility without casting permanent shade.

For ease of use, a cantilevered parasol can be a great solution with swivel and tilt options. However, one of my pet hates is the bulky weighted bases which, aside from being a trip hazard, look unsightly.

When integrating a parasol into a garden we will often place the housing for the pole below ground level or insert into a planting bed. Here in one of our London gardens (above) we concealed the base below the deck platform for a more streamlined solution.

As we increasingly use our gardens like an outdoor room and an extension of our home, creating a sense of privacy and seclusion is also a requirement. Shade solutions can fulfil both briefs by creating shade as well as the illusion of a ceiling for a cosy garden room vibe. I love the reading nook

3 of the best... CANOPIES

Provender Nurseries

Liquidambar styraciflua

A conical tree with large maple leaf like foliage that turns to dramatic autumnal colour. Height reaches approximately 25m

Price: From £200, depending on form and size. provendernurseries.co.uk

East London Parasol Company

Lexham Terracotta Round Bamboo Parasol

Handmade in Bali, this terracotta-coloured parasol features a hand carved pole with gold painted accents and brass pegs and fittings.

Price: £399 eastlondonparasols.com

London Stone

Metal Pergolas

London Stone offers a range of stylish, affordable aluminium pergolas available with or without retractable sides, in grey or white colours.

Price: From £1,463.40 londonstone.co.uk

*all prices inclusive of VAT

(left) designed by Tom Howard Garden Design & Landscaping. The simple structure with swing seat is so inviting and provides the ideal retreat on a blisteringly hot day.

Nothing can match gentle light as it filters through the green canopy

©Clive Nichols Photography

©Joanna Kossak

TOM HOWARD GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING

LUCY WILCOX AND ANA SANCHEZ-MARTIN

GEORGIA LINDSAY LANDSCAPE & GARDEN DESIGN

THE EAST LONDON PARASOL COMPANY

Project by garden designer Adam Vetere

A partially open, slatted pergola can harness the sunlight by casting dramatic linear shadows, as seen below in a garden designed by Gina Taylor of East London Garden Design. The simple painted softwood construction offers a cost-effective solution while ticking all the boxes with its simple elegance. The vertical structure also allows planting to cling and soften the hard edges, which in turn enhances the shade.

Tom Howard’s beautiful cedar louvered structure below captures the light and shade by casting a soft filtered light into the dining zone. The slatted shade adds a more restful glow to the al fresco experience.

Permanent structures facilitate the option of adding lighting and heating. Another of Tom’s gardens above demonstrates this beautifully. Pinpoint spotlights are recessed into steel cantilevered ribs of the structure. A corridor of light is cast down to illuminate the outdoor kitchen and dramatic pots. Our clients often ask us for a low maintenance option and a powder coated metal structure may be the best solution in this case. This versatile model has been thoughtfully integrated into this cantilevered terrace (right). Designed by Adam Vetere Landscape and Garden Design, the modular structure is sunken down and surrounded by

abundant planting to help soften the aluminium form into the landscape. The pergola from London Stone has side gauze blinds that can be lowered on all sides to ground level and a louvered roof that can be opened and closed manually depending on the weather. High spec remote controlled models are also available containing heating and lighting to complete the garden room experience. Being armed with a wealth of shading solutions for all tastes and budgets means we are able to help our clients to futureproof their gardens so they can continue to enjoy all areas in the face of soaring temperatures.

Georgia Lindsay Landscape & Garden Design is an awardwinning practice with a passion for creating innovative, bold designs. With a background in theatre design, drama and ingenuity are woven through every design creating innovative transformations, which bring her clients' stories to life. There is often a cross pollination of planting ideas that emerge from her childhood in South Africa with unusual combinations which encourage biodiversity to work in harmony with the landscape. georgialindsay.co.uk

GEORGIA LINDSAY

Our clients often ask us for a low maintenance option and a powder coated metal structure may be the best solution in this case

©Ellie Walpole

TOM HOWARD GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING

EAST LONDON GARDEN DESIGN

ADAM VETERE LANDSCAPE AND GARDEN DESIGN

TOM HOWARD GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING

©Joanna Kossak

UNDER COVER

Explore canopies for everything from commercial schemes to outdoor dining areas

ARTFORM URBAN (BAILEY STREET FURNITURE GROUP)

Upfit

Best suited for: Corporate, academic, and healthcare campuses as well as hospitality and residential schemes.

Upfit is an adaptive structure with a modern style and endless flexibility to transform spaces into small community hangouts that invite people to create experiences. Upfit transforms underutilised spaces on corporate, academic, and healthcare campuses and within public and transport areas into sought-out destinations that provide power, light, surfaces, and shelter from the elements – all the things that people need to live, learn, work, care, play, and travel outdoors. artformurban.co.uk

Cuby MMCITÉ

Best suited for: Parks, gardens, campuses, outdoor offices

The durable and strong frame is the basis for an almost unlimited chameleonic transformation of this modular system. A closed cell surrounded by wood isolates the user from the outside world; the louvre wall turns the hiding place into full transparency in one go. Or would the client prefer plants that climb the walls? They can relax on sunbeds, eat on a dining table with benches or get some work done in an outdoor office with LED lighting and USB charging – this is just a fraction of what can be found inside. It's a strong response to the demand for more intimacy in public space. mmcite.com

Pinela Deluxe DEPONTI

Best suited for: Terrace and outdoor dining area

The Pinela Deluxe from Deponti is an aluminium louvered roof with a convertible effect. The panels of this veranda can be easily moved to one side with the push of a button. When open, the Pinela Deluxe offers maximum light. When closed, the roof is perfectly resistant to various weather conditions and offers shade on sunny days, offering maximum flexibility for the user. deponti.co.uk

CARIBBEAN BLINDS

Classic Outdoor Living Pod™

Best suited for: Residential (large garden) or commercial (restaurant)

Designed for those who want to live life outdoors, the innovative Classic Outdoor Living Pod™ provides the ultimate all-weather, outdoor living space that gives the customer complete control of the elements, 365 days a year. Its streamlined louvers – which rotate up to 150° and stop at any position – offer an open-air alfresco feel when left fully open, and ensure a completely water, wind and even snow-tight roof when closed. Whether installed as a freestanding structure or a direct extension of the property, this bioclimatic pergola will give the impression of an outdoor ‘room’ whilst providing flexible shade and shelter. cbsolarshading.co.uk

Fulfilling the need to award those in the industry that would otherwise go unrecognised

Who can enter?

People can either enter themselves, or nominate a colleague, manager or industry contact, whether that be in the supply chain, a subcontractor or from anywhere else.

The nominee must currently work in the sector, and must have been with their current company for at least the last 12 months.

The idea is that this initiative shines a light on those that show true commitment which may have gone unnoticed until now.

When is the award ceremony?

The awards will be presented at a lunchtime champagne reception at FutureScape, Wednesday 22 November 2023.

Wednesday

RIGHT FROM THE START

It’s not news that the landscaping industry is being encouraged to design more sustainably. There has been a change taking place for years now, though arguably now the accelerator is being pushed down further, and the introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain is a prime example of how designing sustainably is becoming no longer simply a choice but a legal necessity. Those creating our outdoor spaces need to be more aware of the impact their landscape will have on the environment; the biodiversity metrics, the carbon footprint and the water usage have all become data that must be taken into account – and Vectorworks wants to help its users to do that.

“It’s no longer a question of whether you want to do it anymore; you’re going to have to do it, and we’re all going to have to do our share. So, we think it’s imperative for us to make it as easy as possible for our customers,” says Katarina Ollikainen, product planner for Landmark, Vectorworks’ software specifically created for landscape design.

That’s not limited to the UK, either. Eric Gilbey, product marketing manager for the landscape industries, says that when he first started at Vectorworks just over 15 years ago, sustainability wasn’t talked about as part of

the design process. But wider objectives and initiatives launched across the US, where Gilbey is based, are now considered and incorporated into the software. Take The Sustainable SITES Initiative, or SITES, a rating system introduced for assessing the sustainability of a landscape. Gilbey started to look at how Vectorworks could accommodate initiatives such as these and realised that the technology was already available to do so within the Vectorworks platform. The Heliodon tool, for instance, allows you to put in the coordinates of the site and analyse the sun and shade throughout the day and at any time of the year for that location. “You can use that to be more specific in your plant specification and the materials that you are going to use from the beginning – and that’s the main part of what we’re talking about; we don’t want

sustainability to be an afterthought,” says Ollikainen. “So, you can use tools to analyse the sun and shade and how the water is going to run off the site with a slope analysis, for instance, for stage one and two in the design process.”

Then there’s the cut and fill option. “You want to make sure that the soils are the same chemistry and biology and so on. So, the ability to cut and fill with the soil on the site, instead of trucking soils in or out, is really helpful for soil management,” says Gilbey. “We’re here to point them in that direction, where they can make sure that all the material cut from the site is managed on the site.” Users will also be able to measure the carbon footprint of cut and fill, as digging into the ground releases carbon into the atmosphere.

Eric Gilbey and Katarina Ollikainen share how Vectorworks is enabling users to create more sustainable designs right the way through the process

Designing sustainably is becoming no longer simply a choice but a legal necessity

DANILO MAFFEI, FAPLD ANALYSES HIS CLIENTS’ SITES FOR SUN, PART-SHADE, AND FULL-SHADE WITH MULTIPLE HELIODON OBJECTS.

ANALYSE TERRAIN FOR CUT/FILL WITH VECTORWORKS LANDMARK. IMAGE COURTESY OF HOLCOMBE NORTON PARTNERS

Adding materials to the initial design has a number of benefits too, including identifying solar reflectance to try to reduce the urban heat island effect in the area. “You have the ability to use a higher solar reflectance so that the material is not absorbing all the sun’s energy and becoming a heater; it’s actually reflecting it to keep it cooler,” said Gilbey.

“Plus, the slope allows you to make sure that it’s accessible for those who have different abilities, which might not sound necessarily sustainable, but it’s a human condition and it’s supporting the human condition or other life that is sharing the site,” said Gilbey.

It all goes hand in hand, adds Ollikainen. “It’s important to look at it as a holistic solution instead of just looking at only carbon or only Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). You have to have all of those things in your mind when you start designing, and Landmark helps you to use the site and the resources you have in the best way.”

“We are striving toward a tool where people can see numbers such as biodiversity gain early on so that they can design and be aided by these from the beginning. They can immediately see the difference a material makes, such as putting in a wildflower meadow instead of a lawn,” said Ollikainen.

For some, it might be surprising that a global software company is so in tune with developments in and needs of the landscaping industry, but Vectorworks has invested in industry specialists and practitioners to join its teams. It also continuously communicates with customers, and people who have been at the forefront of creating Building with Nature projects, for instance, and have been involved in the development of a BNG calculator.

“The customers are really our biggest asset because they tell us what they need,

and then it's up to us to make sure that we can take that into the software and do our best with it,” says Ollikainen.

“It’s not just a general design software solution; it’s landscape focused,” adds Gilbey. “It gives us more of that onus to ensure we’re doing the right thing with design to get a better-performing landscape out of it.”

Needless to say, Vectorworks has further plans to integrate sustainability into its software.

This includes values such as biomass and BNG for landscaped areas and allowing users to easily get the data out of the model and into a data sheet.

“Our team continues to work toward developing and providing even more features to aid in sustainable design, tying everything together to make the process of

incorporating sustainable practices more seamless,” said Ollikainen. “There are some big, exciting things to come in the future, so watch this space!”

If you’re interested in learning more about what Vectorworks is working on at the moment – or even suggesting your own ideas – you can visit the Public Roadmap page on their website: vectorworks.net/public-roadmap

ANALYSE TERRAIN SLOPE WITH VECTORWORKS LANDMARK. IMAGE COURTESY OF HOLCOMBE NORTON PARTNERS

We are striving toward a tool where people can see numbers such as biodiversity gain early on so that they can design and be aided by these from the beginning

ANALYSE TERRAIN FOR SURFACE DRAINAGE WITH VECTORWORKS LANDMARK. IMAGE COURTESY OF HOLCOMBE NORTON PARTNERS.

Strulch was developed at Leeds University by Dr Geoff Whiteley. It is made from wheat straw, is an earthy brown colour has a neutral pH and lasts on the surface for up to two years.

Strulch stops weeds germinating by blocking light, retains moisture in the soil and the added minerals and texture deters slugs and snails.

13.5kg bags of Strulch are available on pallets of 12, 25, 40 and 48 bags.

Delivered around the UK within 4 working days.

Trade discounts available

PROJECT DETAILS

Spanning one and a half acres, this Buckinghamshire property needed a new lease of life. The existing house was knocked down and redesigned by Spratley & Partners Architects, and the half-acre garden needed to match the new, more modern exterior. Angus Thompson Design was tasked with creating a family garden with both entertaining spaces for the adults as well as a lawn for the young children to play which could also serve as an event area in the future, with space for a marquee.

From city to SERENITY

ANGUS THOMPSON DESIGN PRIVATE GARDEN, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

1 Poolside lounge seating

to add privacy whilst also creating the impression that the woodland was part of their outdoor space. They also wanted the children’s play equipment and an existing playhouse to be accommodated, and the design of the terrace to suit al fresco dining for around eight people.

necessary. For the materials, the clients preferred sawn stone and a grey colour scheme. For the front garden, granite setts or similar were discussed, and the idea of a curving drive with garden elements around the house proved popular, providing there was space to turn a vehicle comfortably.

angus thompson design

ROOKWOOD VIEW 2: REVERSE AXON

Taking the plunge

It was decided that the existing pool would be retained, despite being in a “challenging position,” says Angus Thompson.“It’s not quite aligned with the house, which has strong geometry.” A bold design response was needed, so Thompson used strong axial gestures of sawn and tumbled Yorkstone around the pool to link to the architecture of the house and seamlessly flow into the path leading to it.

For the children’s play equipment, it was decided that a dedicated space would not be required as it would not be relevant in a few years’ time as the children would outgrow it. The existing playhouse was kept, and the equipment left within view of the kitchen window, though off centre with the trampoline screened by planting heads whilst still being visible from the kitchen.

The large ‘zonal’ terrace takes its cue from the architecture, using sawn stone where seating and dining are positioned , whilst

softened with cobbles for a more traditional feel with sawnstone paving beneath the table and chairs, responding to the architecture and including planting such as Amelanchier multi-stems and perennial underplanting.

3

Iris sibirica and Astrantia ‘Roma’ help to add colour to the garden, whilst herbaceous perennials such as Heuchera villosa

4

OUTLINE DESIGN

5

2 Axonometric sketch of rear garden

Swimming pool framed in ‘Combedale cobbles’

Sawn stone ’tongue’ within larger terrace by perennial borders and multi-stem Amelanchiers

Kitchen view of the new Spratley & Partners house

‘Autumn Bride’ and Allium nigrum provide a paler, more contemporary tone.

Budding gardeners

The existing mature woodland at the end of the garden allowed the garden to feather out from formality closer to the house to informality towards the end; from manicured lawn to wildflower fringe to woodland. Holly hedging was used to subtly mark the boundary to the woodland.

Driven by sun and semi-shade requirements, the planting scheme had an emphasis on length of season, seasonality and relatively low maintenance, though the clients were keen to learn and to introduce their children to gardening.

The clients had moved from London and were new to gardening, but Thompson says they were open to introducing seasonality and softness to the garden. They have even started a herb garden to teach their children to grow their own. This, for Thompson, was the most satisfying part of the project; to see the clients take pride and invest in their new outdoor space.

6 Terrace path of Combedale cobbles

7 View back to house from wider woodland garden Photographs ©Rachel Warne

ABOUT

In 2004, Angus graduated from the Inchbald School of Garden Design with the Principal’s Award, where he is now a guest lecturer. His Oxford studio has built a reputation for creating beautiful, multi-layered gardens of quiet elegance, and holds an RHS Gold for the ‘Nature Ascending’ garden at Chelsea Flower Show. angusthompsondesign.com

REFERENCES

Contractor Gardenlink gardenlink.co.uk

Hard landscaping Artorius Faber artoriusfaber.com

Trees Deepdale deepdale-trees.co.uk

Perennials

Arvensis Perennials arvensisperennials.co.uk Crocus crocus.co.uk

Furniture Cane Line cane-line.co.uk

HOPES High

BLUESTONE LANDSCAPES LTD

LINCOLN SQUARE ROOF GARDEN

After purchasing a penthouse apartment on the eighth floor of new development Lincoln Square, the clients wanted an instant green “oasis in the sky” that would look lush and well planted from the outset. It needed to have two seating areas and a dining area with views across the London skyline, with Lincoln Square located on the edge of the city’s iconic Covent Garden.

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value

£100k+ Build time 3 weeks

Size of project Around 160m2 Awards

BALI National Landscape Award

Bluestone Landscapes incorporated the seating areas and dining space, as well as smaller areas adjacent to the bedrooms to sit peacefully and reflect upon the elevated landscape and city beyond.

The lighting creates a breathtaking, unexpected ambience on the London skyline with multistemmed trees adding to the complex silhouette. It was chosen to offer illumination but also to highlight focal planting in the raised planters to create drama and interest, whilst the seating was picked by the client to offer practical yet elegant furnishings in an exposed environment.

With triple aspect terraces and regimented glass facades of the apartment, planting was sought to create privacy whilst also maintaining key views overlooking the city skyline including St Paul’s Cathedral.

Using carefully selected trees, shrubs, and planting, Bluestone Landscapes designed custom-made interconnecting planters, forming organic, flowing borders around the perimeter of the apartment’s terraces. The divisions between the key spaces provided a celebrated punctuation through a range of specimen trees, and this was extended where necessary by the use of freestanding pots.

The planters and pots were finished in a neutral, acid etched patina in a light grey tone. Due to their height and size, Bluestone utilised both polystyrene, Leca

and a lightweight soil, while the exposed north, east and southfacing aspects of the planters required a robust, automated irrigation system.

Plants included evergreen shrub Euonymus japonicus 'Jean Hugues' and perennial Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ear), whilst the ball of Prunus lusitanica (Portugal laurel) added another dome to the skyline and the Pinus sylvestris 'Watereri' towers above a sea of Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender). Osmanthus x fortunei was also planted alongside, Osmanthus x burkwoodii, Sorbus commixta ‘Dodong’, Cornus mas, Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ and Phillyrea angustifolia.

1 Luxurious dining located on top of the world ©Coco Wolf

2 Erigeron glaucus ©BSL

3 Geranium 'Rozanne' ©BSL

4 Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' ©BSL

5 Dining and seating areas nestle within the lush planting ©BSL

6 Larger specimens create interest amongst lush planting ©Coco Wolf

7 At certain angles, one can forget how elevated the garden is ©Coco Wolf

8 The city’s skyline creates a breathtaking backdrop ©Coco Wolf

9 Lavender shadows dance against steely tones ©Coco Wolf

Due to the weight of items such as the specimen trees and soil a large mobile crane unit was required for items weighing in at around one tonne. Challenging logistics involved orchestrating a mammoth 'lift' requiring a central London road closure with associated permits, and a finite one-week time slot, to position the gardens constituent parts by crane. A precise lifting schedule for the key components of planters, soil, specimens, and plants, arriving from various sources into the city, required months of planning to achieve a relatively stress-free build with the lift completed slightly ahead of schedule.

Initials hopes of using the on-site crane that had been used by the building’s construction company did not work to the schedule of the sourcing of the plants and getting the planters constructed and delivered; but Bluestone Landscapes managed to overcome these issues and deliver the desired green oasis in the sky to its longstanding client.

10 A peaceful corner for reflection ©BSL 11 Euonymus japonicus 'Jean Hugues' provides a perfect wind break while elevating privacy ©Coco Wolf

REFERENCES

Chairs and tables

Coco Wolf cocowolf.co.uk

Plants and trees

Deepdale Trees Ltd deepdale-trees.co.uk

Tendercare tendercare.co.uk

Tamar Nurseries tamarnurseries.com Europlants europlants.net

Soil Freeland Horticulture Ltd freelandhorticulture.co.uk

Lighting Wishbone Exterior Lighting wishboneexteriorlighting. co.uk

Irrigation

Irrigarden irrigarden.co.uk

ABOUT

Bluestone Landscapes is the partnership between the awardwinning landscape design team of Jane Hudson & Erik De Maeijer, and the seasoned landscape contractor Dorel Talpos who formed Bluestone Landscapes Ltd to formalise over 20 years of collaboration on numerous projects. Working in North London, Hertfordshire and the surrounding counties, its discrete, unique service offers clients the simplest way to achieve a perfectly considered and expertly crafted garden. bluestonelandscapes.co.uk

LIVING WALL & ROOF GARDEN MAINTENANCE

PRITCHARD & PRITCHARD

Location: London

Pritchard & Pritchard is the UK-wide expert in design, installation and maintenance of all types of green infrastructure including green roofs, living walls and roof gardens. An exciting opportunity is currently available for an enthusiastic applicant to join the living wall and green roof maintenance team in London working on commercial and domestic properties. This role will suit someone with good plant knowledge, and/or experience of horticulture. Alternatively, a recognised horticultural qualification would be required.

LANDSCAPE OPERATIVE GLENDALE

Location: Herefordshire

Civic Trees operates on a national basis from a dual depot/office facility in Radlett. Founded in 1963, Civic Trees pioneered the UK market in the supply and planting of large mature trees and made commercial tree moving a viable business, investing heavily in bespoke machinery to allow for the largest trees to be relocated at a competitive cost. It is now seeking landscape operatives/tree planters to join its team. Candidates will have ideally experience in soft landscaping and will be required to contribute fully in the delivery of the high quality and visual works performed by the operational teams.

TREE AND WOODLAND PROJECT OFFICER

BEDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL AND CHANGE AGENTS UK

Location: Bedfordshire

Bedford Borough Council is looking for a tree and woodland project officer to work within its award-winning parks and open spaces delivery team. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter with arboriculture knowledge, experience in stakeholder engagement, and will be able to demonstrate skills in communication, IT and organisation. The role offers the opportunity to inspect trees, make recommendation issue works to external contractors and liaise and deal with customer enquiries.

ARBORIST CLIMBERS (2 VACANCIES)

HINCKLEY & BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL

Location: Leicestershire

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council is looking for independent and self-motivated arborist climbers to join its green spaces team. Its arborist climbers play a vital part in the care and maintenance of trees at parks and green spaces across the borough and applicants must be committed to improving public open spaces and working with local communities to make a positive difference to a high profile and priority service of the council. The council is looking for a suitably qualified candidate with previous climbing and chainsaw experience who has the skills to work safely and effectively to improve its green spaces.

Part of a POWERHOUSE

THE MAYFIELD PARTNERSHIP MAYFIELD PARK, MANCHESTER

PROJECT DETAILS

Project cost

£23m

Build time 21 months

(December 2020 –

September 2022)

Size of project

6.5 acres

Centuries of industrial use had left Mayfield riddled with contaminants. The brownfield site had become a derelict part of Manchester, situated close to the city’s main train station. Thanks to the Mayfield Partnership, though, the area is now unrecognisable. It has been transformed into a biodiverse haven with the landscape at its heart, and there’s more to come.

Mayfield Park is part of the first phase of a 24-acre development that will see the delivery of residential, commercial and retail buildings. It is the first public park to have been built in the centre of Manchester for more than 100 years and provides a space for nature and people, along with recognising the industrial heritage of the site and taking into consideration the potential impact of climate change.

Water and wetlands, trees and wildflowers, long lawns, play areas and rain gardens create a high-quality landscape

scheme that was installed before construction of any of the new buildings had even begun. Designed by London-based Studio Egret West, the 6.5-acre park is free to access and has been called “a blueprint for 21st century innovation in public parks and green spaces.”

Once complete, the whole Mayfield development will deliver 13 acres of public realm, as well as 1,500 new homes, extensive office space, 56,000 sq ft of cafes, bars and restaurants, a mobility hub and a 650-key hotel. The team behind it is the Mayfield Partnership, a public-private partnership comprising Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, LCR and U+I, Landsec’s regeneration company.

Go with the flow

Ingrained in Mayfield Park is the idea that it needed to be a “unique, world class statement park that celebrates the site’s post-industrial character.” Soft landscaping was to dominate the park, with a varied sequence of spaces catering for all kinds of activities and age groups. There was to be a mix of informal urban green spaces and

more natural, wild areas. Overall, it needed to be inviting and fun, with visitors able to use it regardless of weather and season.

Running through Mayfield Park is the River Medlock, one of the three founding rivers of Manchester. From the outset, the meandering shape was integral to the design and character, influencing how different zones were created and organised. The landscape scheme needed to celebrate the river and its potential to act as a pathway through the site and a connector to neighbouring districts was to be promoted.

A slide winds across the river as part of the unique play area designed by play specialists Massey & Harris, which also includes six play towers reflecting industrial chimneys and tunnels referencing old railway arches in the local area, capturing the character of Mayfield.

The Partnership wanted people to be brought closer to the water, with floodable areas and softer river edges. A one in 100 year plus climate change flood scenario had to be accommodated and, to safeguard access

during this scenario, a ‘dry’ edge around the perimeter of the park was proposed.

A geomorphologist was brought in early in the development to assess how the river could change over time to assist with flooding, but also to ensure the velocity of the water was appropriate in different places. As a result, ‘riffles’ – or shallow areas where water can flow quickly past rocks – were

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created with gravel to provide nooks and crannies for small fish. Hydroseeding has been used to create vegetative banks along the river too.

Parts of the river were previously concealed by culverts; these have now been opened up, with high walls taken down and embankments created to provide a wet-dry habitat for a new ecosystem to reside.

1 River crossing and slide over the River Medlock ©Jarrell Goh

2 The Mayfield Lawn @Richard Bloom

3 River Medlock with culvert lid removed @Richard Bloom

Terraced garden looking towards the Mayfield lawn @Richard Bloom

Play chimneys ©Jarrell Goh

Suspended crawl net linking two of the play chimneys @Mark Waugh

Evening view across the reclaimed footbridge @Richard Bloom

Cutting carbon emissions

An ecologist was commissioned to specify native flora and fauna for the river corridor to ensure that the species introduced would not cause problems for the local and existing wildlife. A wader area for birds has been introduced, as well as log piles for insects, hibernacula and bird and bat boxes. Since, kingfishers, sand martins and bats have been spotted around the park and brown trout in the river. An ecological report says the park provides a significant net gain in biodiversity, with further flora and fauna monitoring programmes to commence in 2023.

Across the 6.5-acre park, 63,000 plants were incorporated and 140 trees of 40 different species. Native varieties such as hawthorns, birch and willow are mixed with less commonly planted species such as Arbutus. A wildflower meadow and ornamental grasses were also planted, all to create a softer, more natural setting to encourage biodiversity.

sustainability, the reconfigured design kept all the trees, plants, shrubs, flowers and the beauty of the river working within the constraints of the budget whilst still delivering excellence.

8 Wildscape area @Richard Bloom

9 Jetty over the River Medlock @Richard Bloom

10 Victorian hog back beam amongst planting

ABOUT

The park was made possible by The Mayfield Partnership, a public-private partnership between developer U+I; Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and LCR. It was designed by Studio Egret West. mayfieldmanchester.co.uk

REFERENCES

Landscape architects and designers

Studio Egret West studioegretwest.com

Civil and river engineers Buro Happold burohappold.com

Lead contractors PP O’Connor ppoconnor.co.uk

Structural engineer Civic Engineers civicengineers.com

Soft landscaping contractor Ashlea Landscaping ashlea-landscaping.co.uk

Soil scientist Tim O’Hare Associates toha.co.uk

Play specialists Massey & Harris masseyandharris.com

The environment was at the heart of the project, with sustainability being a key focus. The reuse of 80% onsite materials, where possible, is estimated to have reduced carbon emissions by 230t. Take the hogback beams used to support the old culvert over the river; these are now being used to support three new bridges as well as being scattered across the site as “industrial sculptures”. Most of the old river walls were retained and repaired, whilst the wells from a former brewery on the site are being used to water the park, saving three million litres of water and one tonne of carbon a year.

The park was originally designed to be built in three phases at a higher cost than the £23m grant awarded by the government as part of its Build Back Better initiative that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result of this, every aspect of the original design was revisited to see where it could be adapted without losing the essence of the initial creative vision. With a reinforced focus on

Five minutes with ALEX LOWENHOFF

Pro Landscaper catches up with 30 Under 30 alumni and Outerspace’s Alex Lowenhoff

Can you tell us a little about your role and Outerspace?

My official title is landscape architect. In addition to this, I am the studio’s climate action champion, tasked to push climate-conscious designs within the practice. We hold regular climate action workshops to assess and review progress and discuss our next steps. I research and provide feedback to the team through further reading and attending relevant conferences such as Footprint Plus & The Festival of Place.

Outerspace is a practice based in southwest London. We predominantly work on projects throughout the capital, but have been known to venture up north and to the Midlands. We have a couple of projects up in Nuneaton at the moment, for example.

How else do you go about tackling climate change?

We published our Pledge for the Planet back in April 2022. We put that front and centre on the website to give it the credence it deserves. That pledge is broken down into three themes; Projects, practice and profession. The first of those is how we mitigate our impact on the planet in terms of our projects, and is the most complex of the three but is where we can make the most difference. ‘Practice’ relates to our studio footprint. We worked on getting our studio’s carbon footprint down to net zero, and achieved that last year. ‘Profession’ is more involved with speaking out and promoting good practice, collaborating with other

professionals that we work with on a day-to-day, and our clients. An example of that is going out and giving a CPD (Continual Professional Development) workshop to clients on biodiversity and greening of developments and the importance of it, discussing challenges and workarounds to make positive change.

In the past year, we’ve had workshops as a team about the circular economy and how we can reuse materials already on-site, which has been really interesting, and it’s not just green – it saves the client money too. Normally, every site is a bit of a gold mine. For example, during the pandemic, at the height of material shortages and longer lead times, we worked on a university project. They wanted the enhancements completed before freshers, but it was already springtime, so it was a case of appraising what assets they already had on campus and trying to work with that because of supply chain shortages at the time.

Part of that was moving furniture from one part of the campus to another. Or using

We work tirelessly to unpick these mistakes with the aim of creating happier and healthier towns and cities for now and future generations

UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON

these giant pots that were out of the way down a back alley, and putting some new plants in.

What do your CPDs encompass?

I organise our internal CPD programme by inviting experts in with a focus on upskilling the team to deliver low carbon, low waste designs. I’ve also delivered CPDs to the team on Climate Literacy and Circular Economy in Landscape Architecture.

What motivates you?

When I think of the role of modern-day landscape architects, I see us as city fixers. We strive to mend society’s urban planning mistakes such as mass urban sprawl, car-centric cities, culverted rivers, greenfields lost to paving and spaces that force out “undesirables”, which ironically creates unsafe public spaces. Every day at Outerspace we work tirelessly to unpick these mistakes with the aim of creating happier and healthier towns and cities for now and future generations. I am

determined not to make yet more problems for the next generation of city shapers to undo. The climate and biodiversity crisis are the most pressing global issues of our time. We have the science; we know what to do and what is needed now is radical action. A lecturer’s words from my university days still resonate with me: ‘if we don’t act now what will the next generation say? How will we look them in the eye when we knew what was happening but did nothing about it?’. This was said less than ten years ago, but the narrative has already changed. It’s not just the next generation’s concern anymore, the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss are being felt now. Since beginning

a career in the built environment I’ve discovered what a profound effect the industry has on the planet, we have a huge responsibility to make real change.

What are Outerspace’s plans for the future?

We’re looking at where we want to be in ten years' time. We’ve broken down our objectives and split up the tasks. One of those is sustainability.

It’s quite exciting that I’m being given the time at work to research and push it within the practice. It makes it a lot easier to balance with my day-to-day duties when that’s actually considered part of the role. It’s more formalised as opposed to saying ‘we’ll try to be sustainable’ we can properly look into it and apply it.

What is your ultimate career goal?

I followed this career path as I wanted to create happier and healthier cities. Along the way I’ve discovered the detrimental impact which our industry is having on the planet and plan to address these challenge head on, taking others with me if I can. Therefore, the ultimate goal is to deliver truly climateconscious designs and inspire others to push their own planet pledges forward.

Every day we work tirelessly to unpick these mistakes with the aim of creating happier and healthier towns and cities for now and future generations

The ultimate goal is to deliver truly climate-conscious designs and inspire others to push their own planet pledges forward

UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON

OUTERSPACE WERE WINNERS OF THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT PRACTICE <20 STAFF AWARD AT THE PRO LANDSCAPER BUSINESS AWARDS, 2019

Meet Bianca - a unique and breathtakingly beautiful Limestone quarried by the same family for generations in the heart of Portugal. The irresistible quiet tones with distinctive crystal veining are perfectly balanced and complemented by a natural flamed finish.

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