Pro Landscaper March 2012 by Eljays44

Concept to Delivery March 2012

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINTAIN

Taking the elegance of an indoor ﬁreplace outside lights up the imagination Let’s Hear it from… Noel Farrer, Director of Farrer Huxley Associates

Portfolio See how four companies have designed and implemented their projects

Artiﬁcial grass – its quality and popularity are growing Published by Business intelligence

LANDSCAPING SOLUTIONS

HOT STUFF

Contents

March 2012

REGULARS

PORTFOLIOS 25

4 News shed

A round-up of news from the industry.

8 Association news

Updates from landscaping’s trade bodies, including eFIG.

12 Business tips GP Plantscape

Featuring: Paving costs, ISO14001 facts, disciplinary procedures and sustainability.

DeakinLock

21 Let’s hear it from…

Noel Farrer, Director of Farrer Huxley Associates.

41 Site Visit

Lawn cutting kit manufacturer Hayter Ltd.

Landscaping Solutions

Adam S Bailey Garden Design

48 Trading With…

Artiﬁcial grass franchise company Easigrass.

FEATURES Artiﬁcial grass Bryn Lee explains the beneﬁts of alternatives to natural grass.

Paving A stunning driveway or patio can

54 Latest kit

New machinery and products reviewed.

be achieved with natural stone paving.

60 Trending…

Joe Wilkinson looks at what’s different in the industry this month.

66 People 44 EDITORIAL editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk Director – Lisa Wilkinson lisa.wilkinson@pro-landscaper.co.uk Tel: 01903 234077 Content Manager – Joe Wilkinson joe.wilkinson@pro-landscaper.co.uk joe.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 234077 EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL Mark Gregory Chairman APL and Landform Consultants Jerry Gosney PPA Director and Editorial Consultant Sam Hassall LandPRO Ltd Stuart Marler TVG Landscaping Russell Eales Russell Eales Lawn Care Karl Harrison Exterior Solutions Ltd Keith Sacre Barcham Trees

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

The Little Interview, Events Diary and Look Out For...

50 ADVERTISING Business Development Manager – Jamie Wilkinson Jamie.wilkinson@pro-landscaper.co.uk Jamie.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 234077 Sales Executive – Luke Chaplin luke.chaplin@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 234077 Managing Director – Jim Wilkinson jim.wilkinson@pro-landscaper.co.uk jim.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 234077 GENERAL ENQUIRIES Tel: 01903 237779 CIRCULATION Subscription Enquiries: lisa.wilkinson@pro-landscaper.co.uk Tel: 01903 234077

MANAGEMENT Managing Director Jim Wilkinson Director Lisa Wilkinson

PRODUCTION Design and reproduction: Russell Cox Design & Production

Business Development Manager Jamie Wilkinson

Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, Gwent, UK

Marketing and Content Manager Joe Wilkinson Pro Landscaper is published 12 times per year by Eljays44 Ltd. The 2012 subscription price is £75.00. Subscription records are maintained at Eljays44 Ltd, County House, 3 Shelley Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1TT, UK. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Eljays44 Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts.

Published by © Eljays44 Ltd – Business Intelligence

Business intelligence

Eljays44 Ltd County House, 3 Shelley Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN11 1TT Tel: 01903 234077

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Leader

Exciting times ahead Welcome to the March issue of Pro Landscaper, this issue is again packed full – so much so that we have had to increase the size to a whopping 68 pages. The Portfolio section includes our first interior project and an amazing small garden in London. We also have a great interview with Noel Farrer, one of the industry’s most passionate advocates, plus a look at artificial grass, paving and much more. March looks to be a busy and exciting month; hopefully the bad weather is now all behind us. The winners of the APL awards will be revealed at a great venue, the Kensington Roof Gardens on 14 March, and Pro Landscaper “Please drop by will be at The Landscape Show and visit us at (15-17 March) at Olympia, The Landscape London, please drop by and Show (Stand A96) see us if you are attending – at Olympia from we will be on Stand A96. 15-17 March.” We hope that you like our new website www.prolandscapermagazine.com and are finding the continual updates of the news section valuable. Also remember to check out the Pro Landscaper Network: www.prolandscapernetwork.ning.com. Hope you enjoy this issue, please continue to let us know your thoughts. Have a busy and great month. Jim and Lisa Wilkinson editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk

In the April Issue of Pro Landscaper… Coverage of the APL Awards

DESIGN, BUILD AND MAINT AIN

March 2012

Let’s Hear Noel Farrer, it from… Farrer Huxley Director of Associates

Portfolio

See how four companies have designed and implement ed their projects

Artiﬁcial grass and popularity – its quality are growing

Let’s Hear it From… a leading landscape contractor

Concept to Delivery

Taking the elegance of an indoor outside lights ﬁreplace the imagina up tion

Published by Business intelligence

LANDSC APIN SOLUTION G S

Plus four inspirational portfolios demonstrating the ﬁnest garden design and construction

See us on facebook, twitter @ProLandscaperJW and join our LinkedIn group to stay up-to-date with all that’s happening in landscaping

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Tim Briercliffe, Director of Business Development at The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), represented the garden industry at the Drought Summit called by Defra Secretary of State, Caroline Spelman MP. According to the Environment Agency, well over half of England is at ‘high risk’ of drought in 2012 and the Met Ofﬁce has advised that ‘the chances of a wet or very wet March over the UK are lower than average’, with the three-month outlook being no better. At the Summit, the Government agreed

to focus on a National Drought Management Team and HTA will be ensuring that the voice of the garden industry and gardening public is clearly heard. The team will seek to bring about the consistency of communication between water companies that the HTA has been calling for since 2006.

The BALI Landscaping Show returns this year for its second outing on 19-20 June, at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. Ray Baxter from show organiser Brintex says: “Our exhibitors are very supportive of the fact that BALI is creating a positive platform for the industry to showcase their products while providing a good networking opportunity.” New exhibitor signings for this year include DMMP, Filcris, Marshalls Natural Stone, Perfectly Green and Pro Landscaper. www.balishow.co.uk

HOT STUFF

Have you signed up to the new Pro Landscaper Natural Turf feature Network? Log on to www.pro-landscaper.co.uk Focus on Builders and click the network tab to get Merchants involved in the latest member All you need to know about discussion trees by expert Keith Sacre Latest kit, including Fertilisers and Sprayers

More than half of England at risk of drought

Student award: call for entries Now in its third year, the Student Design & Build Award is a great opportunity to launch a career by showcasing your building and design skills to the public at next year’s Hampton Court Flower Show. Established in 2010 by Wyevale East Nurseries in conjunction with the RHS, the award emphasises plant selection and association alongside good design. All applicants should be undertaking horticultural

design courses from level 3 or equivalent through to Masters Degrees at the time of submission. Wyevale East is giving winning designers a free rein on choice of plants, with no budget restrictions on the plants used. Apply for the award at www.wyevale-east.co.uk.

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

News Shed

‘People should engage more at events’ Pro Landscaper interviews BALI Chair Elect, Chris Carr of Q Lawns.

How long have you been involved with BALI and in what capacity? I became a committee member for East Anglian Region in June 1994, upgrading to a member of the National Council in 1995. What was BALI like (when you joined) and how has it changed? Regional meetings started in a local pub. I was a ‘distance member’ until 2009 when I became board member responsible for Affiliates. My first meeting helped me see the value of increased sales and networking links. Looking back at your tenure as Chair, what difference do you hope to have made? Many organisations are in challenging times so to engage members is key. I’d like members to spend a little more time with BALI, to maximise its benefits.

Do you hope to get out and about as Chair and meet the grassroots members? Yes, I love our industry and faceto-face meetings. I get bothered when folks attend events and don’t engage. I see them as an opportunity to do some business. What role do you expect affiliate members to play in the association? Affiliate members have so much to offer and so much to gain. I developed a buddies system where the affiliate membership is split into nine people, who contact and aim to engage their buddies with the association. What is the ‘taster membership’ about? BALI Associate membership gives a taste of the membership benefits before making a decision to become fully involved. Will you continue discussions with other trade associations about working together? Trade associations have always talked together, and Paul Cowell

(current BALI chairman) has met with a collaboration of like-minded individuals with similar aspirations. I see this continuing. How is BALI celebrating the 40th Anniversary? The continuing growth and success of 40 years of BALI will be highlighted at the Anniversary Gala Dinner on 19 June to coincide with the BALI Landscape Show 2012. As Chair, what role will you play in developing the BALI Show? I was involved in the first BALI show and will continue to be in future shows. Affiliates take part in the meetings and planning process, which is particularly effective. How strong is the back office team at Landscape House? The Chairman is elected to represent its members, but this can only be carried out effectively with the support of all at BALI – from the Chief Operating Officer to the administration staff. BALI is their job and they love it. Strengths are built on their skills.

NURSERY NEWS Snow can really disrupt a nursery and landscaper’s business, as was the case in February when parts of the UK experienced a heavy downfall. When the elements lock up the ground they freeze plants in their pots and prevent ﬁeld-grown plants from being lifted. A day of snow and a week of cold weather means a week of lost income that may take many weeks or months of trading to recover. You can damage roots stuck in frozen soil and even bark can be torn off trees by ice. Other damage can occur that won’t be apparent till spring, such as the start of growth. So it’s vital to use a reputable nursery that supplies quality plants given suitable protection Our specialist growers in Europe suffered -20ºC temperatures, which can delay lifting of plants by two weeks. So we’ll have to wait for the thaw – but the muddy conditions will not be ideal for moving or cultivating soil or planting. Don’t plant a frozen pot or root ball, as once planted it takes alot longer to thaw. Be warned, I once mulched a bed covered in snow; the next year the plants’ growth were signiﬁcantly suppressed. By Nick Coslett, Palmstead Nurseries www.palmstead. co.uk

Green Technology

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Association News – BALI 1 Chris Carr of Q Lawns and TV presenter Tommy Walsh at the 2011 BALI Show.

2 Gold Medal-winning B&Q Chelsea Garden in 2011, built by BALI Contractor Willerby Landscapes.

BALI BRIEFING

n November 2011, at the instigation of BALI’s National Chairman Paul Cowell, the inaugural meeting of the Landscape Collaborative Working Group (LCWG ) took place at BALI Landscape House. Senior representatives of seven major bodies within the sector attended the meeting with a further seven organisations giving their support though they were unable to attend. Agreeing that the landscape sector needs to work together more closely in the key areas of marketing, education and policy, the LCWG has subsequently instigated mechanisms to promote the group and its key messages to the wider industry, to the public and to government policy-makers. Regular liaison between group members continues and meetings of the LCWG will be held as industry developments dictate. National Contractors’ Forum On the theme of collaboration, following discussions with the National Contractors’ Forum (NCF) – a group of inﬂuential major contractors working in the landscape and grounds maintenance sector – BALI is working towards supporting the group within the association, providing its members with a lobbying and promotional platform as well as running events on behalf of the group. The combined turnover of the NCF group members plus the other BALI major contractors that will be invited to become March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

All the latest news and forthcoming events in the association’s calendar. part of the group, once terms are agreed, is in excess of £1bn. They employ between them about 20,000 staff. Supporting our ‘domestic’ designers and contractors and promoting BALI and its members to the consumer market is a key objective of this year’s marketing plan for the association. And where best to trumpet the professionalism of BALI contractors and designers than the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, visited by thousands and watched by millions. While the designers of winning show gardens over the years have historically been the focus of media plaudits, the contractors that build the gardens have been largely ignored, despite winning many RHS medals. We will be redressing the balance on our stand in the new ‘Fresh’ area of the show by highlighting the success of the BALI contractors, and designers, whose Chelsea creations bring pleasure to millions and whose expertise represents the very best the landscape industry has to offer. Our supplier members’ products will be used to construct the BALI stand and BALI contractors and designers involved in the show gardens at Chelsea 2012 will be on hand to answer visitors’ questions about garden design and construction throughout the show. The build up to Chelsea will see BALI articles and promotions in consumer publications and BALI members should take every opportunity

to use the exposure of the BALI brand to promote their own businesses, wherever they are in the country. The Landscaping Show Plans for BALI 2012 – The Landscaping Show are gathering pace with confirmation that BALI Affiliate member Marshalls will have a presence at this year’s event at Stoneleigh Park on 19 and 20 June. A new BALI Show website at www.balishow.org.uk has just been launched, where you can find the programme of industry seminars, organised by BALI National Chairman Paul Cowell, which will be delivered by key speakers. Two important introductions to this year’s show are the staging of the WorldSkills UK Landscape Gardening Competition, project managed by BALI for some years now, and a new contractors’ zone – an important addition for contract specifiers keen to identify and talk to potential contractors. Visit the BALI website for full information, to register, or to exhibit. Finally, visit the BALI Pavilion at Ecobuild from 20 to 22 March, where BALI Affiliate (supplier) members and BALI will co-exhibit within the South exhibition hall at London’s ExCeL. In addition, at least a dozen BALI members will exhibit their own independent stands and take advantage of the impressive visitor profile of this international exhibition. Visit www.ecobuild.co.uk. www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

RH 'Bags of it' Pro Landscaper 1/2p:Layout 1

21/2/12

We haven’t just got top quality hedging.

21:25

Page 1

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We’ve got bags of it. At Readyhedge our hedging is grown to exacting standards and supplied in troughs or in our specially designed, easy-to-handle Readybags, spaced and ready to plant. For more information call today on 01386 750585 email simon@readyhedgeltd.com or visit www.readyhedgeltd.com You’ll find we’re ready when you are.

Fruit trees - perfect for the Potager! Mature trees, espalier, fan-trained and 'step-overs'. Apples, pears, plums, cherries, vines, figs, quince, kiwis and more. Hedges-for privacy and structure prepared units to form 'instant', clipped runs. Traditional yew and box, large laurels and both green and copper beech, native species and reliable conifers. Plants of the Mediterranean - and 'Planthunter' exotics - olives, palms and spikey plants for the arid and tropical look. Many gardens in sheltered and milder areas afford scope for stylish planting ideas. We also hold the largest selection of New Zealand tree ferns in the UK. Wall-trained shrubs and climbers grown and trained for immediate impact. The best flowering and covering plants, pruned onto 1.8m trellises or on canes at various heights up to 6m. 'Instant borders' - seasonal herbaceous plants, ferns and grasses - foliage and flowering plants, deciduous and evergreen, to add form, texture and colour for any location. The most pleasing varieties are selected and grown in our nurseries locally. New! Exotic specimen plants for interior landscaping Flowering and evergreen plants, containers, sundries & expert advice.

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Association News – SGD

CONFERENCE

PHOTO: MARION BRENNER

BEYOND BORDERS Saturday 28 April, Imperial College, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London SW7 1LU

Fresh thinking about planting and planting design.

hat’s new in planting design and where is planting going? If you are looking for answers to these questions or want to be inspired by some of the leading designers and plantsmen, then the SGD Conference – Beyond Borders – is the event to attend this Spring and with an illustrious panel of speakers it promises to be an engaging mix of inspiration and enlightenment. New approaches to planting have moved us beyond the constraints of traditional, height-graduated borders in recent years, with taller plants liberated from their backstop role at the rear. But if classic borders have been replaced by a host of options such as matrix and prairie-style, it would seem even these styles are now dated. Plants perform varied functions in design and there are many different routes for designers to achieve broadly similar goals. For some, the new mixed border revisits the role shrubs can play in pursuit of the holy grail of modern planting; year-round colour, low-maintenance/easy care. For others, planting is now a case of creating sustainable ecologies, pseudonaturalistic in style. Discussing this and many other topics will be the panel of speakers which includes: ● Tom Stuart Smith (MSGD) Tom is one of the country’s leading landscape and garden designers. His style successfully combines naturalism with modernity, and his notable success has produced a stream of gold medal-winning gardens and Best in March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Show awards at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. His practice has undertaken work ranging from large gardens and public parks to smaller private gardens. Projects in the public realm have included the Jubilee Garden at Windsor Castle, the Bicentenary Glasshouse Garden at RHS Wisley and the Italian Garden at Trentham. ● Raymond Jungles Raymond is an award-winning designer with a broad understanding of Florida’s native ﬂora. He studied under Roberto Burle Marx and a lasting mentorship ensued. His work combines great botanical richness with an underlying naturalism, based on an exploration of the relationships between the natural and built environments. ● James Hitchmough James is Professor of Horticultural Ecology at the University of Shefﬁeld. His work revolves around the application of ecological theory to the construction of highly sustainable, naturalistic

The panel of speakers includes Raymond Jungles (above), designer of the Ward Garden in Florida (left), as well as (below, clockwise from top left) Conference Chairman Cleve West (MSGD), James Hitchmough, Tom Stuart-Smith (MSGD) and Christopher Woodward.

herbaceous vegetation that involves native and exotic species as a cultural bridge between urban dwellers and their conception of nature. His public work stretches from the Eden Project to the London Olympics, where he co-designed the installation of 8ha native meadows. ● Christopher Woodward Christopher is an Art Historian and author and has been Director of the Garden Museum, London, since 2006, when he began a lively programme of exhibitions and events that explore contemporary garden design. ● Cleve West (MSGD) The day will be chaired by Cleve West. Trained by John Brookes at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Cleve has built a reputation for innovative garden landscapes. His creative use of space and harmonious planting, delivered with his characteristic dramatic sense of energy and inspiration, puts him at the forefront of contemporary garden design in the UK. “Planting is usually the best part of garden design. It breathes hope, energy and life to a space, often bringing about incredible transformation in terms of aesthetics and beneﬁts to the local ecology. But it’s not easy,” says Cleve. Book now To book your place, please contact the Society of Garden Designers on 01989 565 695. Book before Friday 9 March to receive an early bird discount. Download the booking form at www.sgd.org.uk. www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

The Association of

Professional Landscapers

Association News – APL

The judging panel, from left: Jason Lock, Adam Frost, Juliet Roberts, James Steele-Sargent, Jo Thompson, and APL Chairman/ Chair of Judges Mark Gregory

Celebrating the best of British landscaping.

LANDSCAPERS LINE UP FOR THE APL AWARDS

ith the Awards ceremony weeks away the judges have made their decisions and the shortlist for the Association of Professional Landscaper (APL) Awards 2012 has been announced. The Awards, sponsored by Bradstone for the sixth year running, recognise and reward the high standards of landscape contracting carried out by APL-registered members. The companies in the running are: ● Amenity Trees & Landscapes ● Arbour Design & Build ● Frogheath Landscapes ● Garden Art Designs ● Garden Builders ● Gardenlink ● GardensforLife ● Hambrook Landscapes ● Hillier Landscapes ● Keyscape Garden Design & Construction ● Millhouse Landscapes ● Muddy Wellies ● Nascentia Landscapes ● New Ground Landscapes ● Outdoor Creations ● RG Landscape Design & Construction ● Silvas Gardens ● The Millbrook Garden Company ● Topiarus Horticulture ● Twigs Gardens ● Vandenberg-Hider Landscape Design & Construction

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

● Wildroof Landscapes ● Woodbridge Landscapes This year’s judges are Mark Gregory (APL Chairman and Chair of Judges), James Steele-Sargent (Arun Landscapes), Adam Frost (Adam Frost Designs), Jo Thompson, (Jo Thompson Designs), Juliet Roberts (Gardens Illustrated magazine), and Jason Lock (DeakinLock Garden Design). APL Chairman Mark Gregory, who headed up the judging panel, comments, “The quality of projects entered never ceases to amaze me as does the variety of work carried out by APL members.” He continues, “There was plenty of energetic debate between the judges to arrive at the shortlist. We have some really exciting winners to announce at the awards ceremony next month.” The APL Awards presentation lunch, which was a sell-out event in 2011, will take place on Wednesday 14 March 2012 at the Roof Gardens, Kensington, London. New technology focus for APL spring networking event The APL is inviting landscapers to an interactive seminar and networking event at Classiﬂora, Essex on the evening of Thursday 8 March. Focusing on new technologies in the landscaping sector, the event will provide members with an excellent opportunity to get

SPONSORED BY:

together to listen, compare and share ideas and experiences. There will be presentations on resin-bound surfacing from Ronacrete, outdoor wireless lighting control from Light Symphony and water jet cutting from Marshalls. Attendees will get a balanced view as they will hear not only from the supplier, but also from a landscaper who has used the technology. HTA Business Development Manager Donna Hanlon comments, “The event promises to be lively and informative with a wide range of topics covered by well-known and experienced landscapers including Chair of the APL Mark Gregory, and APL members including Richard Penfold from New Ground Landscapes and Stuart Marler from TVG Landscaping. Their expertise is based on first-hand knowledge and will certainly inspire all delegates. There will also be time for discussion on issues raised.” The event takes place from 4pm until 7:30pm on 8 March 2012 and places cost £15 + VAT per person for APL members and £30 + VAT per person for non-members. For further details and a booking form for the APL Awards or the networking event at Classiflora contact the APL Events team by emailing events@the-hta.org.uk, calling 0118 930 3132 – or visit www.landscaper.org.uk. The APL will be exhibiting at The Landscape Show at Olympia on 15, 16 and 17 March. Come along and find out more about how you can benefit from APL membership. March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

pingv

Association News – eFIG 1 Colourful/unusual pots make any interior installation stand out.

2 Green walls have health beneﬁts without infringing on space. 3 Members of eFIG are qualiﬁed to advise on the wide range of plants suitable for interiors.

The future is bright for interior landscaping.

THE INSIDE TRACK

FIG, or to give us our full name the European Federation of InteriorLandscape Groups, is the industry association for interior landscapers. It is a not-for-profit organisation funded by membership fees. What is interior landscaping? Many people are confused by what interior landscaping is; the simple explanation is indoor planting in business from planted pots strategically placed to full-blown indoor planting. The industry is relatively small and thought to be worth around £70 million though no official statistics exist. More about eFIG Formed 11 years ago to represent this small but influential industry, eFIG has acted to promote the industry to a wide audience including opinion formers and the media. EFIG has developed training programmes which ensure that interior landscapers maintain and develop their professional skills; marketing programmes to promote the industry to other sectors and promote the benefits of plants to businesses; initiated annual awards for the best in Design/Installation and Maintenance of planted schemes and projects; and developed an information-full website where businesses can find interior landscapers near to them. The benefits of plants One of eFIG’s main areas of promotion has been to inform about the benefits that plants can bring to the working environment in particular. This is backed up by academic and March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

scientific research which has continued to grow over the 11 years until there is now a body of research finding that plants are, without question, good for us. Plants work alongside us all to keep us feeling good, healthier and happier while saving costs on absenteeism, keeping us calm, motivated, focused and more effective. These are all things that not only make us feel good, but that mean they save employers money. One piece of research, (published 2010) found that just one plant per person can make all the difference, lowering anxiety and depression by as much as 60%. We’ve known for 30 years that plants absorb toxins in a building, including CO2 , and currently research in the USA is focusing on how plants can reduce carbon emissions. The future Members of eFIG report that architects and designers are more on board with interior planting and the benefits it can bring. The rash of green walls has certainly stimulated interest all round, not only from these sectors but from

businesses too – especially those wanting to show their ‘green’ credentials. There is now a big recognition within businesses that plants are a cost-effective way to motivate staff and improve the whole well-being of their workforces. Up-coming trends The trend that the media have certainly picked up on is the green walls and roofs that are happening not just in the UK but all around the world. The beneﬁts of green walls include good use of space and a good way of including plants without infringing on workplace space; the green walls help to clean the air and keep workplaces healthy while at the same time reducing absenteeism, but they also act as stress busters, noise barriers and screens. Of course they add a great decorative effect too. Green roofs not only insulate the building but also help to conserve rainwater run-off, so go some way to energy conservation and the whole sustainable issue. Inside a building, apart from green walls, the trend is for colour. The wide range of pots and containers now available make even the smallest interior installation stand out. See eFIG at the Landscape Show Our chairman Kenneth Freeman of Ambius will be on the UKGBC Industry Panel on Friday 16 March at the Landscape Show and eFIG will have an information stand there. If anyone would like more information about us, please pop along and have a word. For further information please have a look at our website: www.eﬁg.eu.com. www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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Business Tips

HOW TO MAKE A PROFIT It is not possible to make a profit until you fully understand your costs. When your client asks you to submit a price for a job there are three questions that you need to ask yourself. Sam Hassall reports

1. How much is this going to cost me to do? 2. What is the minimum profit I am prepared to make on this job? 3. What is the maximum profit I can put on this job and still win it? The two latter questions and answers are a matter of your needs, risk and acumen. The first question is basically arithmetic and is the one we will deal with in this article. The Theory 1. There is no point in working if you are going to lose money. 2. You have to understand your costs.

IN LANDSCAPING table 2: costs for paving materials Paving units and costs per m2

Length mm Small element pavings: Clay Bricks PC Price £500/1,000

Width Quantity Cost mm /m2 /m2

Size 215 x 102.5 x 65mm On Flat Butt-jointed

215.0

102.5

45.38

22.69

Pointed

225.0

112.5

39.51

19.75

Butt-jointed

215.0

65.0

71.56

35.78

Pointed

225.0

75.0

59.26

29.63

200.0

100.0

50.00

25.00

200.0

60.0

83.33

41.67

200.0

100.0

50.00

8.50

On edge

Size 200 x 100 x 50 mm On Flat Butt-jointed

THE COSTS OF laying pavings

On edge

Using the previous cost investigations (see archive Table1), will enable you to estimate costs for the preparation phases. The final part is to lay your paving surface. Please note: ● All items listed are at cost – they do not include for any profit element. ● The labour rates used are £19.50 per man / per hour. ● The materials prices may vary depending on your supplier and quantities. ● Wastage is not included. ● Delivery costs are assumed as included; transport and offloading costs are not.

Precast Concrete Blocks

Butt-jointed 200 x 100 Butt-jointed Tegula 60-thick – sizes vary

21.00

Tegula 80-thick – sizes vary

24.50

Plain Pre-cast concrete slabs Butt-jointed 65-thick chamfered

400

6.25

23.50

50-thick

450

4.94

13.50

50-thick

600

2.78

9.25

50-thick

600

900

1.85

7.50

Textured precast or reconstituted slabs Marshalls Heritage imitation Yorkstone 38-thick

450

4.94

23.00

Marshalls Saxon reconstituted Yorkstone 450 x 450 x 50

450

4.94

25.50

Natural stone Paving

table 1: archive

Riven Indian stone

28.00

Subject

Pro Landcaper issue

Diamond cut Yorkstone – random lengths

65.00

Labour costs

September 2011

Chinese granite

42.00

Excavation costs

October 2011

Granite setts inclusive of joints

Bases for pavings

Nov/December 2011

New

120

69.44

31.00

Edgings to pavings

February 2012

Reclaimed

120

69.44

36.50

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

Business Tips

table 3: costs of bedding materials Granular bedding Sharp sand 50mm-thick 850 kg bags – by hand 850 bags – by machine Loose, 20t – by hand Loose, 20t – by machine Loose, 10t – by hand Loose, 20t – by machine Mortar beds Mortar mixed on site: 25-thick Mortar mixed on site: 35-thick

Cost /tonne

Cost /m3

m /hr

Labour Machinery /m2 /m2

Total (£)

42.00 42.00 19.50 19.50 24.00 24.00 Cost/m3 120.00 120.00

75.600 75.600 35.100 35.100 43.200 43.200

1.0 5.0 1.0 5.0 1.0 5.0

0.98 0.20 0.98 0.20 0.98 0.20

5.13 4.78 2.91 2.55 3.35 2.64

80.000 80.000

1.0 0.8

0.98 1.30

0.43 0.43 0.07

3.98 5.50

The cost of the mixing mortar is reflected in the Cost/m3 column above

table 4: Costs for laying-only of paving materials Type of paving Size 215 x 102.5 x 65mm On Flat Butt-jointed Pointed On edge Butt-jointed Pointed Size 200 x 100 x 50mm On Flat Butt-jointed On edge Butt-jointed Precast Concrete Blocks 200 x 100 butt-jointed Tegula 60-thick – sizes vary Tegula 80-thick – sizes vary Plain Pre-cast concrete slabs Butt-Jointed 65-thick chamfered 50-thick 50-thick 50-thick Textured precast or reconstituted slabs Marshalls Heritage imitation Yorkstone 38-thick Marshalls Saxon reconstituted Yorkstone 450 x 450 x 50mm Natural stone Paving Riven Indian stone Diamond cut Yorkstone – random lengths Chinese granite Granite setts inclusive of joints New Reclaimed All costs based on a three-man team www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

m2/hr

£/m2

2 1.5

29.25 39.00

1.5 1

39.00 58.50

2.1

27.86

1.75

33.43

4 4.5 4

14.63 13.00 14.63

2 2.5 3 3.5

29.25 23.40 19.50 16.71

3 3

19.50 19.50

1.25 1.25 1

46.80 46.80 58.50

0.75 0.6

78.00 97.50

There are hundreds of paving types available, but we are using the more common, everyday products as examples (Table 2). Bedding materials Each of the various bedding materials available comes with its own specific function and cost variation – Table 3 lists the costs of various materials at the point of laying the paving. Sands are selected for many of the small element butt-jointed pavings. Table 4 shows the typical laying rates (labour-only ) for high quality work. Laying Costs Factors that influence the cost of laying include: ● Transporting the materials. We have not allowed for this – allow a value per m2 for transporting bedding materials and paving. ● Complexity of laying pattern. ● Work rate: In all cases we have assumed an average work rate for high quality surfaces. ● Quality: We assume high quality domestic or commercial standard is required. ● Jointing requirements. –Where required on slabs stone or brick, these will obviously reduce the laying rate. ● Cleaning. Next Issue We will begin looking at the costs associated with soft landscaping.

ABOUT sam hassall Sam Hassall is the UK’s only dedicated specialist landscape cost consultant. As managing director of LandPro Ltd his range of services are to provide cost and implementation information to Landscape design professionals and Landscape contractors. Sam’s expertise is gained from his formal training and many years of experience in the landscape industry. As part of his portfolio Sam also compiles the Spon’s External works and Landscape price book and developed the market leading LiberRATE Estimating system which is available as a 90-day trial. Visit: www.landpro.co.uk for further details, or call LandPro Ltd directly on Tel: 01252 795030

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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Business Tips

A documented and compliant disciplinary procedure for dealing with unacceptable behaviour of employees is critical, explains Yvette Etcell.

grasp

As managers and employers, we are all required to deal with difficult people at times – either where there is a deviation from what is considered to be “acceptable” behaviour within a certain company framework, or perhaps more testing, where employees present specific management challenges because of the nature of their character. In the former situation, a robust and formalised personnel policy for capability review or disciplinary action is critical. Follow the appropriate procedure and the vulnerability to a successful tribunal claim is minimised. Apart from having a documented and compliant procedure for dealing with such behaviours, there are also some other key actions which need to be taken: ● Evaluate – investigate thoroughly and prepare to take timely action with the intention of realigning an employee’s behaviour to the acceptable standard. ● Document – as far as the courts are concerned, if it isn’t evidenced in writing it didn’t happen. Keep a detailed and dated record. ● Be specific and objective – “I don’t like your attitude” is too general and subjective. Use a specific example, such as: “When I asked you to do that, you rolled your eyes, folded your arms and huffed loudly – this is not an acceptable response to a reasonable request”. ● In terms of productivity/capability – agree specific goals and objectives that describe your expectations of the role. ● In terms of more serious misdemeanours that have progressed to a formal hearing, assess the facts before you. The question to ask yourself is do you have “a genuine belief on reasonable grounds” that the behaviour did www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

the nettle

occur? A disciplinary hearing is not a criminal investigation; however some employees may try to suggest such is a requirement. As part of a hearing at Gavin Jones, our employee tried to demand we needed CCTV camera footage from the motorway system to prove an incident had happened. Happily our tracking system and the complainant’s clear and accurate description of the driver, together with accurate recall of the registration number plate, was sufficient for us to come to the conclusion that we had “a genuine belief based on reasonable grounds”. ● Confront the problem as soon as practicable and follow the appropriate procedure – don’t delay or wait for the next digression. The purpose of the disciplinary process should always be viewed as a mechanism by which to encourage an employee back to appropriate behaviours. ● Take detailed statements from witnesses, signed if possible. ● Ensure that you maintain an independence within your process. The investigation, hearing and appeal should be heard by different members of staff. Do be courageous and be prepared to grant the appeal. If the person is a serial offender, they will trip up again and

the legal system will look favourably on an employer that has demonstrated a fair and reasonable process. Always adjourn before you give your decision – it is regarded as critical to the process of consideration. ● Be consistent in the application of the disciplinary procedure. Any mitigating circumstances, such as long-term good conduct can be taken into account when deciding the level of warning. ● If in doubt, take professional advice – any issues relating to duress, bullying, disability, equality of treatment etc could be potentially costly if not handled appropriately. So much for formal procedures for dealing with transgressions of lack of competence; perhaps the more thorny problems occur where employees present specific management challenges – for example, the malingerers, power-seekers, space cowboys, lone rangers, prima donnas, antagonists and clingers. It is also perhaps appropriate to consider the soundness of your recruitment process and positive performance management by appraisal or annual review – get this right and the frequency of use of the disciplinary/capability procedures will be by exception rather than a matter of routine.

ABOUT YVETTE ETCELL Yvette Etcell is Director of Business Development and HR at Gavin Jones Ltd. With an early career in sales, advertising, marketing and assisting with personal injury litigation she then took a career break to spend time with her family. Yvette spent five years with English

Landscapes as an Operational Contracts Manager (Coventry City GM/Cleansing contract), then as Area Manager with a portfolio of circa £5m/pa contracts. Yvette joined Gavin Jones Ltd in 2003 as Business Development Manager, was promoted to Company Secretary in 2008 and to the board 12 months later. Contact: yvette.etcell@gavinjones.co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Business Tips

GOINGGREENWITH

ISO14001

Jodie Read takes a look at the commercial, legal, and ﬁnancial beneﬁts of implementing an Environmental Management System which meets the requirements of the ISO14001 standard.

In the February edition of Pro Landscaper we considered how implementing a formal Quality Management System to ISO9001 could prove beneficial to businesses. ISO14001 is a similar Standard which focuses on environmental performance. It can be implemented alongside ISO9001 (and other Standards such as OHSAS18001 for Health and Safety) or on a standalone basis. Like ISO9001, the decision to implement ISO14001 is a voluntary one. However, more and more landscapers are embracing it. Once again, the main driver (in our experience) is linked to the potential commercial benefits of being able to tick the right boxes when filling out Pre Qualification Questionnaires and associated tender responses. However, there are additional reasons that companies choose to pursue this green standard. LEGAL There’s a lot of environmental legislation. Without a structured framework in place, companies struggle to even know what legislation applies to them, let alone being able to demonstrate that they comply with it. But ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law. Despite the importance of legislation, we find that companies are unaware of their requirements, and can inadvertently break the law. Examples we’ve seen include a landscaping March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

company that burned off its waste (pictured) without first obtaining an exemption under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010. (Help on this matter is available via the Environment Agency website. See http://www. environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/ Business/D7_exemption.pdf). Most landscapers are aware that the storage, supply and use of pesticides is regulated (by the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986). However, without effective systems to ensure that operatives have been appropriately trained and hold the relevant certificates of competence, it is easy to fall foul of the law. These are just a couple of examples of breaches that we have encountered. Both were easily rectified, however, they could easily have been avoided in the first place. Clause 4.3.2 of ISO14001 requires organisations to “identify and have access to the applicable legal requirements” and Clause 4.5.2 requires periodic evaluation of legal compliance be undertaken, as well as records kept. In our experience, by knowing what legislation is applicable, and checking that the business remains compliant, companies

1 This company that carried out burning of waste was unaware of its need

for an exemption. 2 Simple changes such as recycling nursery pots can save money.

with ISO14001 are more likely to remain on the right side of the law. FINANCIAL By being aware of the way in which the business impacts on the environment, it is often easy to implement simple changes that save money. One landscaper introduced better waste segregation (resulting in improved re-use and recycling of nursery pots and compost bags) and was able to obtain a smaller skip, which cost less money to hire. The saying “you can’t manage what you don’t measure” is well worn, but it’s so true that it’s worth repeating. When considering environmental issues, it becomes apparent that measuring and monitoring key aspects can help a company reduce costs. Examples of measuring and monitoring activities that have a positive impact on finances include: ● Transport: by reviewing grounds maintenance teams’ journeys, one firm revised all of the regular routes to ensure grouping of jobs within geographic areas, resulted in fewer journeys and lower fuel costs. ● Energy: by understanding how and when energy is consumed, and by what processes (such as office lighting or greenhouse heating), companies have been able to identify opportunities for switching off appliances or changing operations in order to reduce energy consumption (and the associated cost).

ABOUT JODIE READ Jodie Read is Managing Director of Penarth Management Limited, which specialises in the provision of compliance consultancy and training for quality, environmental, and health and safety management. She and her colleagues help companies implement and maintain management systems, such as ISO9001 (Quality), ISO14001 (Environmental)

and OHSAS18001 (Health and Safety). The company is an afﬁliate member of the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) and Jodie is one of only a few approved ROLO health and safety trainers in the country. If readers have any queries regarding ISO14001 and how to derive real value from the Standard, please contact Jodie at jodie@ penarth.co.uk or telephone 029 2070 3328.

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

Business Tips

In addition to contributing to a better future for our planet, caring for the environment can save you and your business money and help to sell your services.

MATERIAL GAINS

SUSTAINABILITY The term ‘sustainability’ is beginning to appear on the better pre-qualiﬁcation questionnaires. My prediction is that being able to show that you run your business with regard to environmental sustainability will pay dividends in the future. The sustainable development of your business is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is necessary because global environmental degradation continues despite the introduction and enforcement of a multitude of environmental laws and regulations. Every aspect of what we do has an impact upon the environment, the local community and the wider community. Sustainable development requires us to understand these impacts and to manage our undertakings so as to reduce their levels to a point that is as low as reasonably practical or ideally so that all materials are from sustainable sources, are neutral, or have a positive effect. Most of the directors and managers that read this article will have an environmental policy in place. Now is the time to take the next step because the requirement to demonstrate how you are actively addressing your environmental aspects and their associated impacts is becoming more and more important. ‘Aspects and impacts’ are just the environmental management way to talk about hazards and risks. In the same way that a hazard is something with the potential to cause harm, an aspect is something with the potential to cause harm to the environment. A health and safety risk is commonly deﬁned as the result of likelihood x severity; how likely the hazard is to occur considered alongside how bad it would be if it did happen. www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

Environmental impact is very similar, so in the same way we must try to reduce a health and safety risk by the implementation of suitable controls. Not everything we do is a health and safety hazard but everything we do is an environmental aspect because it will change the environment in some way. Now let us consider the management of environmental aspects and impacts within a company in stages. STAGE 1 List the major things that you do. Here is my list for a contracting company: ● Run an office ● Operate a fleet of vehicles ● Operate a fleet of plant ● Produce green and woody waste material STAGE 2 For each of the points in stage 1, list the potential environmental impacts – for example, running an office: ● Use of electrical lighting and appliances ● Use of paper ● Production of waste paper ● Production of staff generated waste (refuse, food)

Sending waste paper for shredding and recycling has less impact on the environment.

STAGE 3 For each of the points in stage 2, list the ways in which you are controlling and reducing the impact. For example, the production of waste paper: ● Staff training in efficient practices ● Buy recycled paper ● Print on both sides ● Use scrap single-sided printed paper for draft printing ● Use scrap single-sided printed paper to make desktop jotting pads ● Provide waste bins for paper and cardboard only ● Send waste paper for shredding and recycling Thinking about this from a personal level, I wonder what it will be like for the children of my children to live on the Earth when all of the oil has gone, the jungle is something that is taught in history lessons, food is scarce and the air is difficult to breathe? We are in business for the same reasons as everyone reading this and we find that careful attention to sustainability can save us money, helps us to sell our service and gives us a feeling of making a contribution to a better future.

ABOUT PAUL ELCOAT Paul Elcoat is the founder of South Northamptonshire-based Elcoat Ltd and is an advisor to many companies in the landscape and tree industries. Since 2005 he has specialised in helping small contractors to increase sales and win contracts. He started his career in amenity horticulture and developed an interest in trees. He has been a climbing arborist, NPTC

Assessor and Veriﬁer and up until launching his own company he was a director for a large vegetation management contractor serving the domestic, highway and railway sectors. With an MBA, qualiﬁcations in health and safety and as a Chartered Environmentalist, he specialises in turning corporate responsibility into increased revenue. Contact: paul@paulelcoat.co.uk or telephone 020 7193 5611 / 07800 615 900.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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1 Correct speciﬁcation can avoid unsafe and illegal practices. 2 Is this legal?

LIGHTEN YOUR

Business Tips

LOAD

We’ve all seen them: the pick-up loaded with power tools and building materials towing a mini digger on a trailer; and the tipper with wooden extension sides laden with woodchip and towing a chipper. Are they legal? Do the drivers know what their vehicles’ limits are? You would hope so. We assume that those driving do so safely and legally; in compliance with trafﬁc regulations and loading capacities. In reality you still see a signiﬁcant number of vehicles on our roads operated above their legal capacity, posing real danger to other road users. ADDITONIAL TESTS Since 1997, anyone intending to tow a trailer weighing in excess of 750kg will need to pass a

further driving test. For landscaping and grounds maintenance operations this is a necessity. Combination options are extensive, but when you take into account axle loadings, towing capacities and gross weights they can also become extremely confusing. If you use vehicles weighing in excess of 3,500kg you must have an operator’s licence. If you tow trailers to move machinery, you may also be required to use a tachograph, but there are certain exemptions. The Freight Transport Association can advise and assist in achieving compliance in transport-related issues. So where do you start? The vehicle manufacturer’s plate will give details of axle loadings, gross vehicle weight (GVW) and gross train weight (GTW), but not what the after-market tipping or beaver-tail body weighs. www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

A significant number of vehicles are being operated on our roads above their legal capacity, which poses real danger to other road users, Angus Lindsay cautions. The only way to really know the un-laden weight of your truck is take it across a weighbridge. A standard single-cab tipper weighs around 2,200kg depending on the type of tipping body fitted, which leaves 1,300kg for the payload. Within this figure you must subtract the weight of the people in the cab. This could add up to 250kg, which gives an operational payload of around 1,050kg, equivalent to a pallet of turf or a large bag of sand. Palletised or pre-weighed goods make it easier for the driver to know the vehicle’s limit, but what about loose materials? On-board weighing systems are accurate and give axle load information but are expensive. A simpler solution is to load the vehicle to near its limit (including the driver and any staff), check it on a weighbridge, and measure the gap between the bottom of the tipping body and the ground. This gives a good indication of the vehicle at its gross weight. Remember, this distance will decrease if there is a trailer connected to the vehicle – nothing’s ever simple. Check the manufacturer’s plate on 4x4 pick-ups to find out what they can legally tow, it may surprise you. Also check the trailermanufacturer’s plate and make sure that it is capable of carrying the machine you are moving. A vehicle with a towing capacity of 2,250kg towing a plant trailer weighing 470kg and

carrying a mini digger weighing 1,850kg will be 70kg overweight. For the avoidance of doubt, weigh your trailers and mark the un-laden weights – now you know your vehicle and trailer combination un-laden weights. CHECK-LIST If you tow or carry a variety of machines, keep a check-list in the vehicle showing the un-laden weight, the weight(s) of the trailer(s) it tows, along with the weights of the machines being transported. You can then work out the best combinations to keep everything safe and legal. Take particular care with beaver-tail bodies ﬁtted to rear-wheel-drive truck chassis. These may be able to carry large machines, but can have an un-laden weight of around 2,500kg; with two operators and equipment this could mean a useable payload of less than 800kg, enough for a 48” mid-mount or zero-turn rotary mower. RAISING STANDARDS We all have different requirements, but we need to keep the operation safe, legal and professional. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) has spent several years raising the standard of heavy-goods vehicle operations on the UK’s roads. In 2012 it is turning its attention to lighter goods vehicles and trailer combinations. So, you have been warned.

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

During this time he also spent a year at Silsoe, gaining an MSc in Agricultural Engineering and Mechanisation Management. Returning to the UK he joined Glendale as machinery manager in l994 – going on to become Company Engineer – before joining The Landscape Group in 2009 as Group Head of Assets and ﬂeet. Contact: alindsay@thelandscapegroup.co.uk.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

North Row, a hidden courtyard in London’s west end, for client Peabody.

NOEL FARRER

Founding Director, Farrer Huxley Associates

After hearing Noel Farrer’s inspiring speech at the Palmstead Workshop last September, we tracked him down to hear about his philosophy on creating a better society through life-changing landscapes that reignite people’s relationship with nature and each other.

Noel Farrer is chair of the Policy Committee at the Landscape Institute and on the Design Council CABE national design panel. He expounds the need for landscape architects who are politically engaged and are ready to tackle issues such as the procurement process and putting a value on landscape. Tell us about Farrer Huxley Associates and your history. I formed Farrer Huxley Associates in 1995 after taking voluntary redundancy from the London Borough of Islington. It was at a time when the government was bringing in Compulsory Competitive Tendering – a way of using the private sector to get better value for money. It was a really tough few years when we started out, I learned very quickly that any

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

private supplier of public sector services needs to have a minimum of three years’ accounts, which of course I didn’t have. But with my experience working for both Islington and Haringey council, my approach to landscape architecture was very public spirited. I have always been interested in designing spaces that will improve lives – it may seem obvious but I have made a career trying to persuade many sceptics that this is true. So, the last 12 years of running Farrer Huxley Associates has been a great adventure as well as a lot of sacrifice and hard work. But I am really proud of what we have achieved – I currently have eleven staff, mostly landscape architects, who are all committed to the same mission that I am, and that’s a great position to be in. How does your practice secure work? I look to get myself into a position where I can influence how the procurement route is going to take place. So the first person I get alongside is the client. I impress upon them the importance of landscape in creating desirable spaces and I make clear that central to creating

quality landscapes, is having the right skills and the right people building them. How tough is it persuading clients that landscape is worth investing in? It absolutely is tough. Landscape is seen as ‘a nice to have’ and not an ‘essential ingredient’. As I always tell my own team, landscape architects have to be able to articulate why landscape is important – we need to learn how to talk about the soft outputs, things like beauty, desire and love. I try to design places that people can enjoy, explore and socialise in. But this is a hard sell, because from the perspective of the client, it can create a need for proactive management and the beneﬁts inevitably carry additional cost. I remember a scheme we were working on in a tough area of Tower Hamlets. We tried to design a social space with some seating for people to stop and enjoy the space. But for the client this meant introducing a potential problem into an area where they were not willing to make an investment of that kind. You see, we have a complete societal prejudice around our poor ➧

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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1 Priory Green estate in Islington for client Peabody.

2 Golden Lane Campus for client London Borough of Islington.

and deprived areas in the UK. The pressure is on our designers to put in robust, safe, inactive spaces that won’t attract use. But what this does is instead of dealing with the problem, it perpetuates it. So the role of the designer is to take the client on a journey. This is about structuring their expectations on what they are going to get and demonstrating to them that landscape has a unique ability to create places people either want to be in or aren’t afraid to be in. By creating spaces that people will use, you can radically impact the saleability of a place, for relatively little cost. Landscape is amazingly good value for money. But how do you judge that value? How do you value a child enjoying a playground every afternoon because it is a nice place to be? Or how do you show that because of the quality of a space, that child feels safe and because they feel safe there, they and their carers are happy for them to spend time there? Well the answer isn’t an easy one. In fact it is easier to say what the answer isn’t. The government has recently released a White Paper that attempts to put pounds and pence on the value of nature and this approach begins to take us into some dangerous territory. Landscape cannot be reduced to a monetary ﬁgure – as environmental and political activist George Monbiot argues, you can’t put love into a calculator and come up with a number. While this conclusion makes the life of a landscape architect harder, soft outputs lie at the heart of making landscape great.

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

Do you use specific contractors that you can trust to deliver your landscapes? Yes, it is all well and good having great design intentions, but if it is built poorly, the whole process is undermined. The importance of the strength of this chain can’t be underestimated. There are certain firms whose ethos is better than others, but often that passion comes from the individual. The construction industry is about people, not necessarily about firms. I have tracked individuals that I have worked with from firm to firm. But we always look for new people to work with. When choosing a contractor, it’s critical that they price the job to do it to the highest standard. I want it to be fair process so contractors feel like they can price robustly in relation to doing a good job. No one benefits from sharpening their pencil too much. But would it be fair to say the chain you just described often does break down? Is there a sense of landscape architects being superior to those around them? Oh God yes. We are a snobby bunch of professionals. It’s not right, but I think that is how it is. Paul Cowell from BALI inaugurated a meeting in November that brought together a whole range of organisations to look at the things that we have in common, that we actually never ever talk about. I went to that meeting and was totally convinced that this is a discussion we need to keep having. I therefore made it an item on my last policy meeting agenda at the Landscape Institute. I advised that we should really try and build those relationships. A lot of contractors are getting their own on full-time architects on board aren’t they? Yes, which makes me feel nervous because in

that instance your pay-master is the contractor. What are the contractor’s drivers? The biggest bottom line is they want to make as much proﬁt as possible. This is entirely understandable. The designer wants quality and the contractor wants to meet that quality but they also want to make money. If I’m independent, that’s a fair battle. I don’t think it’s as robust a place to be, if the person who pays you is the person you are trying to argue with. But you can understand why contractors want to do it as they can offer the whole package, design as well, then their package is more favourable. Of course, a one-stop shop. It’s all about convenience and life is only getting quicker. People want that. But I believe it must have the designer at the top. There are instances where it can work – if you take Mark Gregory for example, he is a contractor, but he is passionate about design. A lot of my designers don’t know how things go in the ground; they don’t have to put things in the ground. So bringing those two skills together can offer fantastic value for money, but my worry is that although there are exceptions, on the whole it leads to a dumbing down of the design. Unfortunately, our time ran out with Noel, he had to run off to another meeting. It is so great for our industry to have someone as passionate as he is and I’m sure we will hear more from him throughout the year.

CONTACT Farrer Huxley Associates Unit 4 Union Wharf, 23 Wenlock Road, London N1 7SB Tel: 020 7490 3625 Email: info@fha.co.uk Web: www.fha.co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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Boost your business efficiency and profitability with the Husqvarna P 520D. Compact design, low cutting profile and unique articulated steering delivers unbeatable trimming ability and manoeuvrability. Reducing time and cost, in tight spaces, around trees and bushes, under benches and against fences. In addition to superb mowing performance, this machine is competetively priced, robustly built and ergonomically exceptional for many years of profitable, highly productive, comfortable mowing. Also, a wide range of attachments makes the P 520D a versatile all-year round machine. For further information or to arrange a demonstration, please contact us on 0844 243 5263, scan our QR code or visit us on-line.

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GP Plantscape Close collaboration ensured installation of specimen trees in a large atrium in Edinburgh complemented the vision of its designer.

PERFECTSPECIMEN ABOUT GP PLANTSCAPE Family-owned and managed GP Plantscape provides quality interior and exterior landscaping solutions to businesses throughout the UK. The company is based in Lanark with depots in Fife, Newcastle and Manchester. It has worked on projects ranging from individual ofﬁces to large-scale ofﬁce networks, business parks and commercial property refurbishments, and provides gritting and snow-clearing services. GP Plantscape and GP Green Recycling have been shortlisted in the Lanarkshire Business Excellence Awards, to be announced this month. WINNER – INTERIOR LANDSCAPE, INSTALLATION In recognition of the high standard of work carried out at Standard Life House in Edinburgh, on behalf of client MITIE Facilities Management www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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1 GP Plantscape provides a range of internal and external services at Tanﬁeld, including the impressive roof garden. 2 Eight 4m-high Ficus Fibrosa trees were installed to create an internal tree-lined avenue. 3 The 48m-long atrium at Tanﬁeld is cascaded in natural light.

anﬁeld has always been a striking landmark on the cityscape of Edinburgh, but as a result of extensive upgrading its interior is equally impressive. The focal point is a stunning 78m-long glazed atrium creating a light and airy ‘hub’ with bespoke reception areas for meetings or relaxation, and coffee bar. GP Plantscape was able to use to its advantage the natural light which cascades into the feature atrium and install eight Ficus Fibrosa specimen trees throughout the space creating a natural avenue.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

THE BRIEF GP Plantscape was commissioned originally during the transformation of Tanﬁeld in 2009 by Niall Joyce, now Director at Savills Commercial Ltd. The team worked in collaboration with www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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architect Iona J Colquhoun at IJC Asset Management in Edinburgh. Working on Iona’s ideas and impressions to create a tree-lined avenue, GP Plantscape provided its horticultural expertise to deliver the desired vision. THE PROCESS GP Plantscape was familiar with the site having provided interior landscaping for the building’s previous owner, and this previous knowledge and experience enabled it to be fully involved in the transformation. After collaboration with the project design team and architect, our Senior Sales Consultant Andrea Nolan advised the most suitable specimen trees to complement their vision. Andrea has a wealth of horticultural knowledge from more than 29 years’ experience in the landscaping industry and has worked on a vast amount of projects of varying sizes and locations. Andrea’s reputation for bringing projects to fruition is highly respected

GP Plantscape was inspired to bring a little bit of nature indoors in the heart of Edinburgh by adding greenery to the workplace with natural trees that complement the architecture. as she is involved from the initial concept to design, installation and maintenance. Detailed planning with GP Plantscape’s highly experienced installation team in preparation for the project was vital to ensure the install was completed over the course of one full day during the project’s final building refurbishment. The eight 4m-high Ficus Fibrosa specimen trees were sourced from supplier Koberg, and these were transported to GP’s nursery where they were prepared for installation. INSTALLATION The refurbishment and refit of the Tanfield building was almost complete when GP Plantscape began its installation providing ease of access. As it was also the end of the clean-up process of the final refit, this ensured a clean www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

working space which was a great help when the team arrived to install the specimen trees. The trees were the final installation of the streetscape, thus ensuring no problems with dust. The physical installation involved planting the specimen trees into the purpose-built floor pits and, again, the trees chosen had to have suitable root balls to fit this space along with adequate room to grow. The floor pits provide individual watering systems to best maintain the trees’ health. As a matter of course, compost from GP subsidiary GP Green Recycling was used, which provides the trees with an organic and nutritious source of nourishment. MAINTENANCE GP Plantscape provides regular maintenance of the Ficus Fibrosa specimen trees in the

atrium. Each of the trees is supplied with its own self-watering system which regulates their water reservoir. The provision of this type of system allows GP Plantscape maintenance technicians to monitor the requirements of each individual specimen ensuring the correct amount of water is received and each tree’s feeding can be regulated. GP Plantscape is unique in that it has access to its own supply of organic compost from sister company GP Green Recycling – this compost supplies a good nutritional food source for the trees. GP Plantscape also provides maintenance of the exterior grounds at Tanﬁeld, including the roof garden, along with a variety of seasonal Christmas trees and decorations throughout the building.

REFERENCES GP Plantscape The Pleasance, Kirkfieldbank, Lanark ML11 9TG Tel: 0808 100 3120 Web: www.gpplantscape. com Email: enquiries@ gpplantscape.com

Architect IJC Asset Management

Email: iona@ijcasset management.co.uk Web: www.ijcasset management.co.uk Tanfield Web: www.tanfieldedinburgh.com Tanfield Property Management Savills, 1 Tanfield,

Edinburgh EH3 5DA Tel: 0131 558 5234 Web: www.savills.co.uk

Compost GP Green Recycling The Pleasance, Kirkfieldbank, Lanark ML11 9TG Tel: 01555 663234 Web: www.gpgreen recycling.com

Email: enquiries@gp greenrecycling.com

Specimen trees supplier Koberg Koberg BV, Klappolder 178-180, 2665 MP, Bleiswijk NL Tel: 0031 105296555 Email: info@koberg.nl Web: www.koberg.nl

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

HOLIDAY MAKERS DeakinLock Garden and Landscape Design A grand garden makeover at a holiday home in Suffolk has made it the ideal space in which to relax and entertain.

ABOUT DEAKINLOCK GARDEN AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN DeakinLock, a company owned and run by Chris Deakin MSGD and Jason Lock MSGD, is based in East Anglia but works throughout the UK. Chris and Jason’s strength in design and creativity, attention to detail, horticultural expertise and practical landscaping skills, combined with their passion for the business, has created a formidable and successful partnership.

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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eakinLock was briefed to create a garden in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, which will be easy to look after as it is used as a holiday home mainly in April and August. Primarily, the garden needs to look good in those months, but it is also essential to have a structure that provides interest throughout the year. We were tasked with improving the front garden to provide a grander entrance, to an otherwise uninspiring space, as well as provide a large deck at the rear of the house for entertaining and relaxing and to incorporate the client’s existing hot tub. The brief also included levelling the lawn and creating more interest within the garden, as well as incorporating an irrigation system to aid maintenance and a lighting scheme.

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MATERIALS SOURCING All the materials we selected as part of the design process, a slight issue was that Marshalls did not split out the contractor’s packs of Eclipse granite paving, which meant that we had to find a 600mm x 600mm unit to match the 800mm x 200mm units. Eventually with the help of our local supplier Kings Landscaping in Halesworth, Suffolk, we matched the paving with the Stonemarket product which is sold as an individual 600mm x 600mm unit and was a near perfect match to the smaller unit. The main contractor Vandenberg-Hider Landscapes, an APL contractor, was excellent, as it had to work round the schedules of the irrigation contractors and structural glass contractors, as well as the lighting contractor. Johan, Steve and John, as well as the rest of the Vandenberg-Hider team provided an excellent service, which made the whole process a relaxed one. STRUCTURAL GLASS The contact for the glass was provided through Mark Gregory. Glasszone Ltd is a very efficient company, although we were suprised at the cost of glass and weren’t sure how we would be able sell it to the clients. Luckily they were happy to run with the original idea and costs. The fit was absolute precision engineering, which meant that we had to rely on the main contractor to construct millimetre-perfect to our detail drawings to ensure the glass fitted. March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

TREE 18.14

WALL 6.18

TREE 17.69

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Absolute precision engineering was required for the glass screens, which meant the main contractor had to construct millimetreperfect to our detail drawings to ensure the glass ﬁtted.

Project size Approx 1,800m2 Contractors started on site End Feb 2011 Completed on site End June 2011 Cost Approx £110,000 www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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1 and 2 Before and during construction. 4 to 7 Granite paving provides crisp clean lines and is complemented by stone pots that house the client’s sculptures. Low hedges add

structure/screening and act as a foil for the plantings.

8 Toughened glass around the deck area provides protection without obscuring the views across the garden.

If it didn’t, basically we would have had to throw the unit away and start again – potentially an expensive problem. The irrigation for the garden started out as a simple project, but in the end our client agreed to a bore hole, which is now situated under the deck and feeds the irrigation. They also subsequently agreed to take the water into the house to use as their main supply. Coordinating the irrigation and bore installation, deck construction and the lighting meant that everyone had to be ﬂexible. LIGHTING We designed the lighting scheme, which our local contractor installed, providing lighting for all areas of the garden on a remote radiocontrolled system. The client had bought two stainless steel sculptures and wanted to include them in the front garden, which meant that we had to design two plinths to support them that would ﬁt inside the Urbis pots. Urbis supplied these to our design, which complements the pots and sculptures.

REFERENCES Designer DeakinLock Garden and Landscape Design Earsham Hall, Hall Road, Bungay NR35 2AN Tel: 0845 603 8716 Email: info@deakinlock. co.uk Web: www.deakin lock.co.uk

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Main contractor Vandenberg-Hider Landscapes Greenacres, The Street, Weybread IP22 5TL Tel: 01379 586313 Email: dawn@ vandenberghider.plus. com

Structural glass contractor Glasszone Ltd 18 Caxton Way, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 8UA Tel: 01923 218348 Irrigation and bore hole Irrigation and Water Ltd Unit 13, Penfold Drive, Gateway 11, Wymondham, Norfolk, NR18 0WZ Tel: 0845 543 8410 Email: info@irrigation andwater.co.uk Web: www.irrigation andwater.co.uk Lighting Contractor Addison Electrical 2 Presmere Road,

Pettistree, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 0JA Tel: 01728 747430

Pots Urbis Design 30 Full Sutton Industrial Estate, Full Sutton, York, YO41 1HS Tel: 01759 373839 Email: rm@urbisdesign. co.uk Web: www.urbisdesign. co.uk Paving Marshalls Tel: 0845 820 5000 for your local supplier Fencing Specialist C & J Balch

Derrybrook Farm Willows, Debenham, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 6PS Tel: 01728 860266

Plants John Woods Nurseries Main Road, Pettistree, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 0HH Tel: 01728 745145 Email: info@johnwoods nurseries.co.uk Web: www.johnwoods nurseries.co.uk Robin Tacchi Plants Ltd Fen Farm, Garbolisham, Diss, Norfolk IP22 2RL Tel: 01953 681312 Email: rtp@robintacchi plants.com Web: www.robintacchi

plants.com Ready Hedge Court Gate Nursery, Station Road, Eckington, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3BB Tel: 01386 750585 Email: simon@ readyhedgeltd.com Web: www. readyhedgeltd.com Deepdale Trees Ltd Tithe farm, Hartley Road, Potton, Sandy, Beds SG19 2DX Tel: 01767 26 26 36 Email: mail@deepdaletrees.co.uk Web: www.deepdaletrees.co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

DEFINING

FEATURES ABOUT ADAM S BAILEY GARDEN DESIGN

Adam S Bailey trained at University of Greenwich, qualifying with a First Class honours degree in Garden Design in 1997. With almost 25 years experience in horticulture, Adam manages a small practice in Eynsford, Kent, undertaking a wide spectrum of commissions from intimate courtyards to public parks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including a design for the 54-acre Cobtree Manor Park in Kent. Commercial landscape planning for housing developers and contributions to magazines supports the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creative portfolio.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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1 View from paving circle feature toward rear terrace of house. 2 View from terrace across the garden. 3 Stepping stones link the sculpture/water feature to the paved pathway and pergola.

Adam S Bailey Garden Design The designer successfully delivered his client’s wish-list of showpieces n common with a property barely 10 years’ old, the existing landscaping was very sparse, consisting of basic paved areas installed by the original housing developer and a minimal collection of fruit trees and planting close to the house. Consisting of approximately 6 acres, the site presented several demands, chieﬂy how to meet the aims of the client’s wish list of new terracing, water features, paved and decked areas, viewing platforms and play areas for the children, all within their budget and timeframe for completing the work. The clients, both business directors with several children, required that the garden met the needs of the whole family with the garden’s layout reﬂecting the demands of relaxed seating areas, play, wildlife and recreational areas. Matthew Fitzgerald, head of the main contractor, Hortensial Landscaping recalls the demands of the design, “The most challenging parts to the garden were the water features. Constructing the large modern water feature into the bank beside the house needed precise design and build for it to work. Replacing the old pond took patience, care and attention. The running stream and hardwood decking complemented the space and encourage the client to visit the far end of their garden.” CONCEPT DESIGN AND PLANS Following several initial site visits by Adam Bailey, Glen Surveys Ltd was commissioned to carry out a full land survey, which then formed the foundation for an array of sketch designs for discussion with the client before

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Concept plan: side elevation and aerial view

proceeding to the concept and planting plans. The ﬁnal design included the clients’ main priorities together with golf tee areas for weekend practice and the renovation of the existing extensive driveway and pond area adjacent to the meadow. Out of three tenders, Hortensial Landscaping of Faversham was chosen for both the hard and soft landscaping installations due to its expertise, competitive tendering and past industry recognition having obtained a gold at Chelsea. Continuous networked communication between the client, contractor and designer ensured that any changes were quickly and smoothly incorporated into the design. Existing

topsoil was retained within the scope of the design where the hard landscaping elements required it to be extracted and provided the potential for elevated, artistically designed land forms, effectively reducing waste from the site to the barest minimum. Due to the rural setting, it was decided at an early stage that key aspects of the planting would incorporate native species, including wild meadow areas further from the house which would increase bio-diversity and at the same time help to reduce ongoing maintenance. New hedging was kept to a strict list of native species, complemented in the woodland areas by the same approach to a purely native habitat.

REFERENCES Adam S Bailey Garden Design Unit 9, Home Farm, 3 Riverside, Eynsford, Kent DA4 0AE Tel: 01322 865566 Email: info@adams bailey.com Web: www.adams bailey.com

Hard landscaping contractor Hortensial Landscaping

23 Minster Rd, Faversham, Kent ME13 8HG Tel: 01795 539889 Email: sales@hortensial. co.uk Web: www.hortensial.co.uk

Paving and pathway aggregates CED Ltd (South East) 728 London Road, West Thurrock, Grays, Essex RM20 3LU Email: sales@ced.ltd.uk

Tel: 01708 867237

Balustrading Chilstone Tel: 01892 740866 Email: ornaments@ chilstone.com; architectural@chilstone. com Iota ‘Shaft of Light’ IOTA Garden and Home Ltd Wick Road Wick St

Lawrence North Somerset BS22 7YQ Tel: 01934 522617 Email: mail@iotagarden. com

Plants Palmstead Nurseries Ltd Harville Road, Wye, Ashford, Kent TN25 5EU Tel: 01233 813340 Fax: 01233 813071 Email: sales@palmstead. co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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NEW

FLAME

Landscaping Solutions Bold, architectural design and a ﬁreplace bring elegance to this contemporary London garden.

ABOUT LANDSCAPING SOLUTIONS Landscaping Solutions is a Surrey-based company dedicated to creating and maintaining ﬁrst class private gardens throughout London and the South East, helping designers and their clients to realise projects with minimum fuss and maximum attention to detail. Managing director Ben West is a Capel Manor trained garden designer and horticulturalist with experience working in the horticultural and construction sectors, both at home and overseas. The company’s most recent honour is a 2011 BALI Principle Award and it aims to add another RHS medal this year with a conceptual garden in the Hampton Court show. March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

he rear garden of this South London terraced house represents an average-sized project for one of our three-men teams at Landscaping Solutions. There was a bit more to this particular project than usual, but in terms of the size of the plot it can be regarded as a bread and butter job. Transforming a space this size always presents a number of stresses and strains. The first was for the designer; how to make the client’s brief come to life? We’ve worked successfully with Simon Thomas of the London Garden Design Company on many projects over the years. His design for this space was thoughtful and exciting. The client wanted it to be a space in which to entertain and one that would also provide entertainment. The strong geometrical layout and the structural planting would provide sharp symmetry and hold interest through the seasons while being low maintenance. The client visualised a contemporary space for relaxation and reflection, that flowed on seamlessly from the interior. The hard landscaping features would be bold and architectural. They wanted three distinct sections; a terrace area to the rear including a fireplace, a central water feature or pool and an open dining area next to the kitchen. Not forgetting storage, lighting, irrigation, seating and drainage considerations. Simon’s design incorporated the client’s entire wish list while also making the garden appear much larger. LIMITED ACCESS Work began with the clearance of the existing site and laying out the new design. Being a London garden, the only point of entry and exit was the front door and so all materials – including at least 10 tonnes of existing soils and turf, stone paving and a timber deck – passed through the property. One of our daily tasks involves making it look as if nobody has been in the house and that all the dirt and waste is somehow levitated into the skip – a part of our service that is extremely important to us. Once the space was cleared and the design laid out the garden started to take shape. As www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

1 The relaxed ambience at night is enhanced by subtle lighting on the boundary screening and beneath the step treads, as well as LEDs recessed into the paving and raised beds.

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Design plan drawing

with most small town gardens, the boundary lines were the first structures to go up, followed by the block work footings, paving sub-base materials and the pool base. It was decided that the fireplace wall would be in a raised position above the rest of the garden, so a terrace was created in the rear third of the space with steps leading up from the pool area. The foundations for the fireplace wall were reinforced with steel and vertical steel anchor rods were run up through the centre of the hollow blocks to accommodate the weight of the concrete. The exterior and all the remaining block work was cement rendered and painted in a pastel shade, while the interior of the fireplace itself and the chimney were rendered with a fire resistant cement fondue and painted black. To the rear of the fireplace wall a storage unit was created to house the gas bottle feed for the gas burner and other garden paraphernalia. The illumination from the flames brings a certain ambience and extends the functionality of the garden into the winter months. Creating the raised central water feature involved some creativity. The stainless steel David Harber water chalice alone cost around £12,000. In line with the clients’ vision, it was decided that the chalice would be a fitting centre focal point. Displaying the chalice in the best possible light involved constructing a circular rendered block work pool, which was treated inside with a fibreglass coating and finished with mosaic tiles. A bull-nosed sandstone coping finished the top of the pool picking out the detail of the bull-nosed sandstone step treads that lead to the upper terrace. Sawn mint sandstone was sealed and laid down to form the terrace paving throughout the garden. As this paving is porous and easily stained it was important to ensure the water from the pool did not overflow directly on to it. Therefore, a drainage-system was conceived whereby water could be drawn off from the pool via a submersible pump when necessary. Along the flanks of the raised terrace and around the water feature, bands of chipped www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

limestone are retained in ‘honeycomb trays’, adding an interesting contrast in detail. According to the client, these chippings can be walked on in stiletto heels without fear of stumbling over. PALETTE OF PLANTS The hard landscaping is softened with a restrained but never subdued palette of plants. Raised blocks of pleached Carpinus betulus on either side of the garden add height and structure. The strict lines of the screen fencing are broken by scrambling Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’ and then mended by the formal ranks of Buxus sempervirens and Taxus baccata hedging in the raised beds. Against this evergreen backdrop, clouds of summer colour gather in the form of herbaceous perennials such as Verbena bonariensis, Foeniculum vulgare ‘Giant Bronze’ and Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’. Rhythm

and punctuation is added to the scene with the inclusion of Stipa tenuissima and Iris palida. The planting is watered by a tap-mounted drip irrigation system feeding all the beds. At night the garden is illuminated by stainless steel light ﬁttings along the boundary screening, LED lights recessed into the paving and the raised beds, strip lights beneath the step treads and spot lights among the planting. The electrics are powered via a remote control system which allows the client to activate any of the light ﬁttings and the pump from wherever they happen to be, inside or outside the property. The clients were delighted with the results and the realisation of their vision. Following completion of the garden, the scheme was entered into the 2011 BALI National Landscape awards where we had the pleasure and honour of receiving the Principle Award in the £20,000£50,000 domestic garden category.

REFERENCES Landscaping Solutions 156, Fleetside, Molesey, Surrey KT8 2NH Tel: 020 8241 2402 Email: info@landscaping solutionsltd.co.uk Web: www.landscaping solutionsltd.co.uk

Paving, step treads, pool copings London Stone Vermeulens Garden Centre, Horton Road, Stanwell Moor TW19 6AE Tel: 01784 455433 Email: info@londonstone. com Web: www.londonstone. com

Water chalice feature David Harber Blewburton Barns, Hagbourne Road, Aston Upthorpe, Oxfordshire OX11 9EE Tel: +44 (0)1235 859300 Email: sales@david harber.com Web: www.davidharber. co.uk

Fire Prestigious fires Unit 2a, Westfield Craft Park, Westfield Road, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S62 6EY Tel: 01709 524162 Email: enquiries@ prestigiousfires.co.uk Web: www.prestigiousfires. co.uk

Hedging, plants, trees North Hill Nursery Scotts Grove Road, Chobham, Surrey GU24 8DW Tel: 01276 858800 Email: sales@northhill nurseries.co.uk Web: www.northhill nurseries.co.uk

Chipped Limestone; CED Stone Trout Road, West Drayton, Middlesex, UB7 7RS Tel: 01895 422411 Email: sales@ced.ltd.co.uk Web: www.ced.ltd.co.uk Irrigation system Landscapeplus

Unit 1 Kemble Business Park, Crudwell, Nr Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9SH Tel: 01666 577577 Email: help@ landscapeplus.com Web: www.landscapeplus. com

Lighting West London garden Lighting 42, Rusthall Avenue, London W4 1BP Tel: 07785 291552 Email: westlondongarden lighting@hotmail.com Web: www.westlondon gardenlighting.co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Plants

PLANTS

BUILDINGS NEED

There is a lot of evidence suggesting plants in buildings are a good thing both environmentally and for people. But how well is the message being communicated? asks Andy Boorman. s interior landscaping under a pressure from two directions, fashion and cost? Interior design is going through one of its minimalist phases and facilities managers are under constant pressure to reduce expenditure. Looking through office design companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; case studies it is a real struggle to find a live plant. Those displayed seem to be a bit of green brought in by workers themselves or just a token. Tasteful environments if you like that sort of thing, but rather sterile in my opinion. Indeed, looking through the exhibitors list for the Facilities Show at NEC in May there is just one interior landscaper. However, countering this is the strong interest in green architecture where plants both inside and outside of buildings are key. Interior landscapers and the industry body EFig, along with organisations such as Plants for March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

People, all stress the benefits of live plants. Has the message been diluted or is it not being communicated effectively? We now have a very good body of research evidence that indicates plants in buildings are a good thing both environmentally and for people. In 2011, I reviewed the scientific literature that reported on the effects of using live plants in buildings. I concentrated on direct measurable effects on people and the building environment rather than the biophilia hypothesis and similar theories. I found some 65 peer-reviewed papers, the majority published since 2000 in a wide range of journals including horticulture, environmental psychology, facilities management, health and even atmosphere science. Not as many compared to those that have researched nature and plants outdoors, but still reasonably impressive. The overall

impression is that plants in buildings are good for us and interior landscapers who claim this in their publicity should carry on and indeed strengthen their message. Bill Wolverton first undertook his research in the 1980s for NASA in the use of plants under simulated space conditions. He surprisingly found that many common house plants are rather good at removing toxins from the air. This work has been repeated by others over the years and it is now firmly accepted that live plants are effective at helping to clean a range of toxic and odorous chemicals from the air in buildings. Recent work, particularly by Professor Margaret Burchett and her team at the University of Sydney has shown that these effects apply to real offices and even places such as care homes for the elderly. It is now known that the plants themselves are important, but it is micro-organisms that live in the compost that do most of the hard work. This work has had recent applications in the design of biofilters to help clean the air in buildings. â&#x17E;§ www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

LANDSCAPE PLANTING ? Crowders Nurseries is one of the foremost suppliers, to many BALI Award Winners, of quality nursery stock. From cell grown trees to transplants, container grown shrubs to standard trees â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we can supply all your needs. For more information contact Tom Owen at Crowders Nurseries

Crowders Nurseries Lincoln Road, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5LZ Tel: 01507 525000 Fax 01507 524000 Email: sales@crowders.co.uk www.crowders.co.uk

Growing through caring

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Plants

The positive effects of plants in the workplace include improved task performance, increased productivity and a reduction in absenteeism.

Likewise it has long been known that live plants can help remove dust and microbes out of the interior environment, improve the relative humidity of dry air and alleviate problems with noise. This work was first undertaken by Professor Virginia Lohr and colleagues at Washington State University in the 1990s and also by Peter Costa of the Southbank University, London. It is worth noting that these environmental effects need relatively large numbers of plants â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a single braided Ficus is ineffective, but a jungle is not needed. It is probably better to use the rule of thumb put forward by the Australian scientist Richard Wood and his team at Sydney. They suggest a minimum of three specimen plants or their equivalent for 100m2

Live plants have been shown to reduce the recovery times of hospital patients and alleviate stress in GP and hospital waiting areas. of floor space, assuming a ceiling height of about 2.4m (8ft). In other words, to get the full physical benefits of live plants we should try to persuade clients to move away from the current minimalist fashion. RESEARCH FINDINGS The second broad area of research has been in the psychological benefits of plants in buildings. This has been carried out in many countries, including the USA, Britain, Scandinavia, Japan, Australia and Korea. Research, undertaken during the mid-1990s for their postgraduate degrees by Jane Stiles and Jane Russell of the Universities of Surrey and Oxford respectively, have been confirmed by more recent studies. This has been impressive in its range and March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

includes hospitals, care homes, shops, offices and even classrooms. Effects were sometimes small, but always statistically significant. It is now accepted that interior landscape plants can help us overcome physical discomfort, stress and even improve our tolerance to pain. Live plants have been shown to reduce hospital patientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recovery times and alleviate stress in GP and hospital waiting areas. In terms of workplaces, these psychological effects can often be measured as: improved task performance, increases in productivity, reduced absenteeism and greater footfall in shopping precincts. Live plants may even help us become more creative in our work. Researchers in China were able to demonstrate that people thought that green places were quieter and this had an effect on their heart rate and other physical measures. A broad review of the effects of plants on the productivity in the workplace undertaken in 2010 by Iris Baaker and Theo van der Voordt of the University of Delft, Holland, concluded that the research findings can be used by managers (and landscapers) to legitimise investment in plants in buildings. Combining all this research we can definitely say that live plants belong in buildings and their use could more than pay for itself. In terms of look and feel, visitors and users of buildings see interior plants as part of a welcoming and quality ambience. When talking to clients we ought to stress those who work where there is interior planting see their employers in a positive manner. This was reported by Malcolm Pitt, John Moores University, Liverpool in 2011. Plants are seen as belonging in buildings and play a part in delivering a quality indoor environment. Interior landscaping is now accepted as a valuable and integral part of a quality indoor environment. There is still much research that can be conducted, particularly using real-life indoor environments and with landscape

companies. As an example, no work has been conducted in hotels and hospitality areas. There is still much to be done on the role of design, added value, colour, flowers and floral displays. Furthermore, the effects of the levels, type and quality of maintenance is unexplored. One major outstanding area would be the attitudes and thoughts of facilities and corporate managers, those who take the decisions to install new schemes, maintain existing installations or get rid of provision. IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY Clearly live plants can benefit the users of an indoor space, particularly in relation to indoor air quality and a range of psychological factors. Under many conditions this can be translated into positive effects on productivity, task performance, absenteeism and so on. Live plants should be sold to facilities and corporate managers, as an effective tool in order to deliver many benefits to users of most indoor spaces. Indeed, the clear balance of evidence indicates that there should be significant savings in comparison to the cost of installation of plants and their subsequent maintenance. However, it is best to assume that these benefits are going to be most effective when plants are professionally selected and well maintained.

ABOUT andy boorman Andy Boorman is a lecturer and consultant in landscape management based in Essex. An experienced Green Flag Judge, Andy has worked on a variety of projects with landscape companies, local authorities and community groups. He has been interested in researching and building wildflower meadows for more than 10 years. andrew.boorman1@btinternet.com

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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DuPont Plantex tM

Reliable weedcontrol solutions

Five reasons to make DuPont™ Plantex® your preferred choice  Helps to reduce the use of chemicals in landscaping  Highly efficient weed and root resistance due to thermal bonding product technology  Maintains its performance over long life time  No risk of any substance release from the material  Quick and easy installation: can be cut to required dimensions by scissors or cutters without risk of fibre release from material over time

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Bi-coloured, brown and black non-woven Polypropylene weed control barrier for long lasting, highly effective and chemical-free weed control even against tough weeds such as couch grass, horsetail, bindweed. Ideal for application on slopes where it can be used covered as well as uncovered.

Aesthetic, naturally looking weed control fabric for steep slopes. An ideal choice for applications where mulch does not hold in place, as for examples slopes, hedges.

Provides efficient protection against invasive root growth. Quick and easy installation: can be cut to required dimensions by scissors or cutters.

Contact.landscape@dupont.com www.plantexpro.dupont.com

Site Visit

1 Aerial view of the Hayter factory in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. 2 Rear rollers ready for

SITE VISIT ayter Ltd was founded by Douglas Hayter, a builder by trade, born in Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire almost a century ago. He was also an inventor who pioneered the rotary lawnmower after becoming frustrated with a bar mower he had borrowed from a friend to clear some land for factory space. His first rudimentary rotary mower was built and neighbours were soon asking for him to make them one. In 1947, the Hayter Motor Scythe went into production and the business went from strength to strength. In 2005, Hayter, having become a supplier of high-quality niche lawn-cutting equipment, became part of the Toro group of companies, a US company founded in 1914 to cater for the golf industry. Together they service the turf industry as a worldwide leader in turf-maintenance equipment for the professional and domestic sectors. Toro, a premium brand, started out producing golf equipment and moved into supplying the residential market as well as developing attachments for mowers. Toro is also a major producer of snow blowers and irrigation equipment. Toro has seen significant acquisition and growth over 60-70 years and now has a $1.9 billion turnover worldwide. Toro is huge in the USA, but in the UK has historically been better known by turf professionals rather than consumers or contractors. From January 2012, the responsibility for sports fields and grounds has been transferred to www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

build at the Hayter factory. 3 Stocks of commercial cutter unit rear rollers.

HAYTER LTD

Trading since 1946, Hayter, now part of the US-based Toro group, has built a strong reputation for its trusted range of high-quality lawn-cutting equipment.

Lely (UK) Limited, the main golf and commercial equipment distributor for Toro within the UK. This includes products such as the highly regarded triple turf mowers previously branded Hayter that continue to be manufactured at Hayter’s headquarters. The 14.5-acre site in Spellbrook, Bishops Stortford, just off the M11 motorway, houses 160 employees. STRONG REPUTATION The partnership between Toro and Hayter is complementary, as they are positioned similarly in their respective markets. Hayter has built its strong reputation on producing high-quality consumer mowers and has been a major supplier to the grounds maintenance 3 industry for many years. The Hayter-branded portfolio includes electric, petrol 4 wheel, petrol rear roller and ride-on mowers for the consumer market as well as the Harrier 48 and 56 Pro for the professional contractor market. In addition, Hayter distributes a range of Toro consumer products including recycler mowers and zero-turn ride-ons, as well as machines for the landscaper and contractor markets including heavy duty walk-behind mowers, stand-on mowers and hovers. This landscape contractor sector is a key target growth area for Toro in next three years.

The company operates a multi-generational product planning process – a constant focus on product development throughout the USA, the UK and Europe. The business relies heavily on ‘VOC’ (voice of customer) and is constantly working with dealers and end-users to find out if new products fit with their needs – this system works all the way through the productdevelopment cycle. Products are tested with users before the final production stages so that tweaks can be made where necessary to provide a premium product. There can be up to eight products going through this cycle in any one year. Customer feedback is crucial to ensure the brand continues to develop and meet the needs of the user. Quality and strength plus lifetime running costs are a big deciding factor when buying equipment. Toro and Hayter are focused on making sure their machines continue to lead in these areas. Hayter has established an extensive network of around 800 authorised service dealers across the UK who are experts in servicing, maintenance and the supply of spare parts, as well as being an excellent source of advice and knowledge on all of their products. A dedicated customer support team at Hayter also ensures customers have the best after-sales support. ● For your nearest dealer please contact the Hayter head office on 01279 723444. www.hayter.co.uk www.toro.co.uk March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Weed Control

No fabric/no mulch

No fabric/with mulch

Plantex Cocomat

Plantex Gold

Plantex

Low-maintenance landscaping begins with the correct choice of weed control fabrics

eed control fabrics are enjoying increased use as an alternative to pesticides when it comes to controlling weeds in a variety of residential and non-residential applications. When selecting landscape fabrics, one can be confronted with a bewildering choice, however, not all landscape fabrics are the same. Here we highlight some important selection criteria. Weed control Weed control performance across the range of products on the market can vary dramatically. The more uniform the fabric, the better the resistance to allowing weeds to penetrate. The excellent results demonstrated by DuPont Plantex in preventing penetration are due to the advanced technology that fixes the fibres so strongly together that weeds find it incredibly difficult to pass through. Barrier to airborne seeds Weed growth comes not only from underneath the installed fabric, but is also generated through airborne seeds which are much more difficult to control. Therefore an effective barrier to airborne seeds should be considered as an important selection criteria for fabrics. Depending on the landscape fabric choice, the roots from airborne seeds may adhere to the fabric and thus may easily penetrate it. Consequently these weeds are much more difficult to remove, or when removed can risk damaging the fabric. Most airborne seeds are unable to grow their roots through DuPont Plantex and then into the soil, thanks to the advanced and robust structure of the fabric, so their removal is considerably easier. Water and air permeability Water permeability is an essential factor to March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

The advanced technology of DuPont Plantex makes it the ideal product for preventing weed penetration. ensure that sufficient hydration and nutrients/ fertilisers are able to pass through to nourish the roots of your desired plants. Furthermore, fabrics with good water permeability also minimise the risk of soil run-off and wash-away due to heavy rain. Air permeability is also a crucial property, it will result in healthier plants due to increased bio diversity within the soil. Life-time The life-time of a product is typically determined by the fabric durability, the choice of cover layer and its resistance to UV exposure. In terms of the ideal cover layer, high quality pine bark or gravel is recommended, but one should avoid undefined mixtures in order to minimise the risk of weed growth.

DuPont Plantex weed control fabrics are UV stabilised and, in the absence of direct sunlight, will keep performing for many years. Installation The installation principle is basically the same for all products. It is recommended to remove the existing weeds and to level the soil. The landscape fabric can then be unrolled on the soil, and if using several runs, it is recommended to overlap at least 10cm and fix with pins. Also make sure to fix the edges (2 pins per running metre are useful.) The main difference in the product variety often lies in the ease of cutting and the edge consistency after cutting. DuPont Plantex fabrics can be easily sheared by scissors or cutters, and the edges present no risk of fraying.

Germinated blackgrass seedlings through fabric after five weeks (Test result applied to a surface of 1m2) 1400

DuPont Plantex â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Proven weed control performance At the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experimental farm station in Nambsheim, France, DuPont has undertaken rigorous testing of DuPont Plantex weed control fabrics in an actual plantation test field using Alopecurus myosuroides (Engl. Blackgrass or Slender Foxtail) to evaluate the fabricâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance in application. (Results: Growth after five weeks)

1275

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DuPont Plantex Gold without mulch

DuPont Plantex Gold with mulch

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Artificial Turf

THE

UNREAL DEAL

Traditionalists will oppose the rise of ‘fake’ grass, but huge advances in the product means it looks and feels just like the real thing and is perfect for where natural grass won’t grow or areas subjected to intense wear.

hese days everyone is aware of the increasing popularity of artificial grass, especially into the domestic marketplace. Having spent more than 25 years within the industry, primarily in the sports sector, I cannot believe just how much it has improved in terms of aesthetics as well as performance. Although traditionalists will oppose the rise of ‘fake’ grass, there is no doubt it looks and feels just like the real thing and is the perfect solution for where real grass will not grow or where there is an issue of intense wear. Advances in the product are as a result of close working relationships between the manufacturers and professionals within the industry. You need look no further than the Easigrass group, which was the first pioneering company to introduce a dead grass infill into artificial grass in the UK marketplace. Just like with real grass, different domestic and sports requirements mean that a wide range of surfaces have been developed. For hockey where the focus is on a fastball roll, a shorter, curly yarn is used to enhance player performance. In football, a longer yarn is used allowing

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

the ball to “sit in” the top of the grass, for a slower ball roll. Designs for landscape turf have also benefited from improvements in both fibre technology and specialist machinery, with which complicated products can now be produced. In every market there are leaders and the same is true with the artificial grass industry. In sport the most advanced technical products have been designed in the UK and form the Rhino-Turf range of sports products. Likewise, for the domestic market Easigrass has the best range of products for every application. This, together with the fact that it is the only national franchise operation in the UK, means quality and service is available from

Designs for landscape turf have beneﬁted from improvements in ﬁbre technology and specialist machinery, with which complicated products can now be produced.

Cornwall to Scotland and is a factor that customers feel very comfortable with. Even governing bodies such as FIFA (football), IRB (Rugby) and the FIH (Hockey) are positive in their support of synthetic turf and have produced standards that products such as Rhino-Turf meet. Likewise, with the domestic market Easigrass has RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) Gold and Silver Gilt medals and has worked very closely with the Society of Garden Designers. More than ever, schools are finding that an artificial grass playground is a huge asset. A special shockpad can be placed under the artificial grass to bring safety to the system and should there be climbing equipment it can meet CFH (Critical Fall Height) regulations. This shockpad (25mm Saftey Pad) is becoming very popular in a standard garden installation, as parents like the idea that their children have a safer surface to fall on. So many possibilities and so many solutions. There used to be a saying about “smelling the grass,” well that’s the next challenge, because most else has been achieved. Bryn Lee, BLC Consultancy

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Artificial Grass

Why choose Namgrass? amgrass.com is the residential/ domestic arm of an artificial grass manufacturer that has been producing the highest quality artificial grass products for more than three decades. With the increase in popularity of artificial grass in the UK (and throughout the rest of the world) having these 30-plus years manufacturing experience to draw upon is more important than ever. “For 2012, we are focusing on quality more than ever before,” explains Rob Redcliffe, Director of Namgrass.com. “With a market as fast-growing as we see in the UK, the priority for us has to be the quality of the product that we offer. We are confident that our prices will always be competitive, because we operate beneath a single ‘umbrella’ – designing, manufacturing and distributing

all of our own products, which cuts out the ‘middle man’. This set-up enables us to really focus on producing the best possible products.’ Other advantages of this unique “vertically integrated” structure include… product exclusivity – by producing all of its own products, it means you won’t find them anywhere else, and all of the Namgrass products are manufactured in Belgium, which alone has its advantages. So now with an expanded range for 2012, and all products featuring Namgrass’s unique ‘Tuftlock’ system, heavy-duty latex backings and an unrivalled 10-year guarantee, there’s nothing stopping you from seeing (and feeling) it for yourself. For more information and free samples visit www.namgrass.co.uk.

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Interview 1

TRADING WITH…

EASIGRASS THE ARTIFICIAL GRASS COMPANY MD Anthony Gallagher and National Account Manager Matthew Spedding of Easigrass talk about the rise of the franchise network to the company’s market-leading status. Why choose Easigrass? At Easigrass we pride ourselves on having an unrivalled product range alongside exceptional levels of service. As the first company to introduce a natural beige root zone into our artificial grass products we see the real value in on-going product development, ensuring we remain market leaders. Whether you require our services to install the product or just supply, we guarantee to make the process as smooth as possible. Tell us about the Easigrass product range? The Easigrass product range contains five core products, all uniquely designed in Britain to exclusive specifications. Mayfair is our awardwinning grass and a real favourite among our customers due to its natural look and feel. We also have four other products: Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Multiplay – all of them suitable for different applications. What are the popular applications for Easigrass? We are discovering new and exciting March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

applications daily for Easigrass. The obvious favourite is the back garden, however, it is becoming ever popular in schools due to the safety factor, as well as balconies, shop displays and events to name but a few. What would be the highlight of all the Easigrass achievements? Easigrass made international history when we managed to work closely with the Royal Horticultural Society and had our scheme agreed for a show garden designed by top designer Tony Smith from Hortus Inﬁnitus for the 2010 Chelsea Flower show. We are absolutely delighted to say we still have a continued working relationship with the RHS which has embraced Easigrass for where natural grass will not grow. We are also delighted that Easigrass will be appearing again this year at Chelsea with a show garden in the new Fresh Gardens category. Name some of your aspirational installations. You may have seen Easigrass featured on BBC News last year, which was a fantastic installation

at the OXO Tower in central London on behalf of Harvey Nichols Restaurants. Another stunning installation would be at the Hempel Hotel in Bayswater, a top designer hotel in west London. We have also installed in Harrods of London, Selfridges and Canary Wharf to name but a few. What are the beneﬁts of joining the Easigrass Franchise Network? As an Easigrass franchiser, we supply you with what we call ‘Grass in a box business’. The Easigrass brand is seen as the most powerful brand within the artiﬁcial grass market and as an

Choosing the correct partners is by far the hardest part. We look out for accreditations such as BALI and APL, which is invaluable when selecting the right partners with good business practice. www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

Interview

1 The Hempel hotel in Bayswater, west London. 2 Easigrass works very close with the Society of Garden designers as shown in this image. 3 Anthony Gallagher (on right) and Matthew Spedding.

Easigrass franchisee you benefit from all the associations, showcases, endorsements and hard work that has gone into to cultivating such a respected and well-known brand. Talk to us about becoming a franchise member. When joining our franchise network you are furnished with a business plan to assist you in rolling out your Easigrass franchise within your designated territory. This business plan is priceless and is a route to success. You also receive on-going support, a dedicated backoffice team and constant training. How do you choose the correct partners? This is by far the hardest part. We look out for accreditations such as BALI and APL, as we find this invaluable when it comes to selecting the right partners with good business practice. Speed of response is measured along with quality of work and the structure of the business. An Easigrass franchise would suit a landscaping professional, home improvement or paving specialist. www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

4 Anthony at Chelsea Flower Show 2010 with garden designer Tony Smith.

Are there other companies that are part of the Easigrass framework? The Easigrass framework contains the most advanced and specialist businesses within their designated ﬁeld. Easigrass distribution looks after all domestic activity, including the supply and installation of landscaping products. Easigrass Sport specialises in the resurfacing and installation of sports pitches. Rhino Turf is a uniquely designed and tested range of sports products. Sports Maintenance Services is the market leader in the maintenance of synthetic and natural surfaces with state-of-the-art machinery. Other companies involved are Sports Surface Solutions, which specialises in the base preparation for sports pitches, and Bryn Lee who

runs BLC Consultancy and has more than 25 years’ experience within the artificial grass market. How did Easigrass grow to become the artificial grass market leader? From the start we ensured Easigrass established itself offering first class installations along with an excellent customer experience. We began with one installation team, then built those teams in order to facilitate the ever-increasing workload. We then sought endorsement to segregate ourselves within the market which has now developed Easigrass into a successful artificial grass business, installing on average 50-plus gardens a week in central London and distributing nationally and globally.

ABOUT ANTHONY AND MATTHEW Anthony Gallagher is Managing Director of Easigrass Distribution and has more than 25 years’ experience in the retail and construction sectors. During his career he has worked alongside some of the greatest business strategists in the retail sector.

At just 20 years’ old Matthew Spedding is National Account Manager at Easigrass, and since joining in August 2011 he has not looked back. Matthew has formed an invaluable partnership with Anthony in the roll out of the Easigrass national franchise programme.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Paving

Why settle for second best when you can have the VERY best? As the paving industry continues to evolve and less desirable flags and block paving products are being used in homes, offices and recreational areas around the country, Doncaster-based Natural Paving Products (UK) Ltd explains why going natural is the best option. atural Paving is an innovator and market leader in the supply of natural stone block paving, and its Fossestone collection offers a truly natural, alternative to concrete block paving. Fossestone does not wear away with use and will not expose aggregate – as with concrete, which is damaging the impact of the overall product quality and design. The stone is also significantly easier to look after and can be simply cleaned. Weeds will be a lesser issue too, with the smaller joints between each block compared with concrete meaning areas are less prone to seed germination in the sand joints. Fossestone comes in a range of colours, sizes and textures – many more than concrete, in stone such as granite, sandstone, limestone and the new quartzite products, and any design can be beautifully finished off with matching natural stone kerbs and edgings. FIRED EARTH RANGE As is the quality of its products, Natural Paving is partnering one of the UK’s leading brands, Fired Earth, to design an exclusive range of premium flags and block paving. These products will give designers, contractors and clients the opportunity to choose from the very highest quality and innovative natural stone materials. The Fired Earth range of flags is available in five colours, while the natural stone block paving is available in three colours. Also leading the range is the sawn Premiastone collection; a premium range of sawn and calibrated natural stone flags in March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

various colours, textures and ﬁnishes for those prestigious schemes that deserve that ‘little extra something’. This year will also see the addition of many more colours and textures to the Premiastone collection. In addition, the new Cragstone collection features many weathered ﬂags for an aged appearance, ideal for traditional or more established properties. Gino Bracco, sales director for Natural Paving Products, explains: “We are extremely proud of all our premium natural stone collections and end users get exactly what they pay for: a stunning driveway or patio with top quality, visually pleasing products that last. Additionally, adding natural stone to your house enhances and adds greater value to your property, making it a fantastic investment. “What’s more, if customers use one of our Approved Installers on the project, they will receive a 10-year product guarantee.” Unlike many of its UK competitors, Natural Paving Products is committed to investing in its supply chain and the people who work in it. The company is a founding member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, which ensures the operation from extraction to processing is carried out in a fair and ethical way. Natural Paving Products is a major supplier of high quality, ethically sourced natural stone landscaping products for contractors and garden designers across the UK, with sources right across the world including India, China and Turkey bringing some of the best materials and products to the UK shores. For more information call 0845 072 1150 or visit: www.naturalpaving.co.uk.

1 Premiastone Pumice. 2 York Grey.

3 Cragstone Teal. 4 Rustic Quartz.

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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Call us today on: 01335 372228 www.bradstone.com/assured Bradstone Assured scheme is subject to acceptance of an application form by Aggregate Industries UK Limited and acceptance of the Bradstone Assured terms and conditions. The terms and conditions are included with the Bradstone Assured application form but are otherwise available on request. All Bradstone products and services referred to in this advertisement are supplied subject to Aggregate Industries UK Limited terms and conditions of supply which are available on request. Bondpay is the registered trademark of Bondpay Solutions Ltd and is subject to Bondpay terms and conditions. For full terms and conditions please visit www.bondpay.co.uk and click on terms and conditions.

Paving

advice from bradstone

laying patterns

Recommending a laying pattern will ultimately depend on the customer’s choice of product and the size of their project, as Bradstone Director of Sales Mike Leeming explains.

f the customer’s garden is small, it’s best to advise keeping laying patterns simple to give maximum impact without making the garden look too busy. Often homeowners

are keen on grand plans which will actually end up making their garden look smaller, so it is really important that landscapers extend their expertise here.

With larger projects, laying patterns can be expanded into more detailed and decorative designs – for example, octagons and circle centre features. Customers will often forget to consider the finer detail to achieve a really good finish or the maintenance requirements for the design that they choose, so landscapers need to step in here too. It’s also another selling opportunity. One example would be suggesting the use of decorative aggregates alongside paving to create a clean finish and a low-maintenance garden. We find that Bradstone’s patio kits which contain all the paving required for a fixedsize project are popular with landscapers. Bradstone’s website has a number of suggested laying patterns for patios and driveways which are available to download. The website also features advice for installation and after-care to help you create the perfect patio for your garden. Visit: www.bradstone.com.

Project planning is easy with the Marshalls Paving Planner Marshalls is offering professional landscapers a helping hand with its innovative Paving Planner software. The easy-to-use CD offers access to a wide range of design opportunities from a vast library of laying patterns, and calculates exact paving quantities which reduces wastage and better estimates cost projections. With the Paving Planner, a wide range of project sizes can be input, including irregular shapes and curved designs. Paving flag sizes can be selected to suit the layout, and access to the entire Marshalls domestic range of paving and concrete block paving is enabled.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Even edgings and kerbs can be added and calculated. By following simple step-by-step instructions, the Marshalls software produces a full laying pattern and list of quantities, along with colour swatches of any chosen paving. For those concerned with the environmental impact of their chosen products, the Paving Planner automatically calculates the carbon footprint of the entire project. Once the design, paving, extras and carbon footprint have been calculated, an A4 print-out of the project gives an immediate summary of the project for the customer to see at a glance. The Paving Planner is also available online at www.marshalls.co.uk/pavingplanner.

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

bringing plans to life, naturally... Natural Paving Products is a leading supplier of ethically sourced, high quality natural stone landscaping products.

Our latest offering includes an exclusive range of Fired Earth Products. Contact us for our new 2012 brochure.

0845 072 1150 www.naturalpaving.co.uk Join us on facebook.com/natural.paving for latest updates

Latest Kit – Paving

Global design and engineering consultant WS Atkins is benefiting from a sustainable SUDS-compliant porous paving system as part of a refurbishment of its HQ in Epsom, Surrey. SUDSCAPE is a revolutionary hard landscaping system comprising a base layer of recycled car tyres, and top layer of UV stable resin mixed with a stone finish. Key to the project was the ability of the SUDSCAPE system to provide a specific surface colour that would effortlessly harmonise the new building with those already in existence. The system’s low-maintenance guarantee was also considered important. Peter Andrews of WS Atkins comments: “We were very pleased with the efficiency of the installation process, and the overall aesthetics of the system. The fact that SUDSCAPE is also SUDS-compliant and totally sustainable means that we have also minimised our carbon footprint and that’s an added bonus.” www.sudscape.co.uk Natural Paving Products, a supplier of quality, ethically sourced natural stone to the landscaping industry, is market leader of Fossestone natural stone block paving, a direct replacement for tumbled concrete block paving that offers a truly natural finish. The company’s exclusive range of natural stone products have been carefully designed and selected to give landscapers and clients the choice of the very highest quality of natural stone materials. There will be many new and exciting additions to the Premiastone and Fossestone ranges in 2012, including sawn and honed flags in various colours, additionally with a light textured finish. The Cragstone weathered range will also be increased, and look out for Rustic Quartz in both the Premiastone and Fossestone ranges too. www.naturalpaving.co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Stoneflair by Bradstone brings innovative textures, an array of shades and multiple new finishes to deliver choice and flexibility for landscapers and consumers seeking to create stylish, clever and distinctive outdoor spaces. Products include Cloisters, manufactured using moulds created from original, reclaimed stone from a 300-year-old building; Tuscany 3D, an addition to the popular Tuscany range which offers a contemporary offset patio; and Driveflair, a range of block paving with a high-quality close-textured finish. The extended Bradstone portfolio introduces further products to meet customers’ sustainability preferences. The ever-popular Panache range constitutes up to 83% recycled content and is now available in cream, fudge and chocolate shades. In addition to the diverse product range, Bradstone is helping landscapers to add further value to their service with creative design ideas and solutions which can be found on its newly designed website and in the 2012 brochure. www.bradstone.com

Ultrascape’s renowned mortar paving system is a range of bedding, priming and jointing products that are independently tested to ensure BS 7533-compliant performance; offering a paved construction life of more than 40 years. The system consists of Pro-Bed HS bedding mortar, Pro-Prime slurry primer and Flowpoint flowable grout. In addition, Cempoint gun-injected mortar, Joint Fix sand stabiliser/surface sealer and EP-R9 high-performance resinous mortar are also available. Ultrascape supports its customers with technical advice, can work closely with them at quotation stage, and its premium products have been chosen by many for an ever-expanding portfolio of projects nationwide. Ultrascape has developed a trusted reputation for quality and value-added service. Choose the Ultrascape system for added confidence where strength, durability and style matter. www.ultrascape.co.uk www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

v 56

Latest Kit – Planters

This elegant, classical design by Haddonstone is inspired by the designs of the Regency period, featuring leaf moulding to the rim and gadrooning to the bowl. Haddonstone’s range of classical and traditional planters includes urns, jardinières and troughs and can be used in small domestic gardens to large urban park projects. All Haddonstone designs are manufactured in Northamptonshire to stringent quality standards and come in a choice of colours including Portland, Bath and Terracotta. The company also offers designs in both wet-cast TecStone and GRC TecLite. A new catalogue will be available at the Landscape Show (stand A86) – RRP: £399. www.haddonstone.com Rocky Box Planters from Sally Bishton Garden Design are a unique, versatile range of planters. Stylish in the garden in groups planted with herbs, grasses or ferns, they are particularly good on garden tables, steps, terraces or balconies and are completely wind- and weather-proof. They look beautiful up close on a window sill with a houseplant or even cut flowers. The range includes gorgeous recycled glass pebbles in various colours, layered slate and stone, and all have a fixed galvanised planter inside for ease of use. Recycled glass pebbles cost £30 in various colours or made to order. Scottish pebbles, slate and rock cost £20. www.sallybishton.com

Urbis Design creates stylish contemporary plant containers with integral colours and finely finished textured surfaces that will stand in their own right as beautiful objects yet complement the planting and harmonise with the surrounding architecture. The advanced glassreinforced concrete technology enables Urbis to produce chunky architectural statements with a fraction of the weight of conventional cast concrete. This enables it to make strong durable frost-proof planters larger than conventional planters –ideal for tree planting. A wide range of finishes are available to suit any context: from traditional modernist concrete, to natural stone, or even rusted steel. Priced at £568.80. www.urbisdesign.co.uk A Place in the Garden is a company producing stunning zinc planters and objets d’art. The planters are made of heavy-gauge steel and dipped in molten zinc before being given an aged finish giving the appearance of lead. The planters are inspired by 19th century French and European estates; the collection also features designs that display simple clean lines and contemporary chic, which will add elegance to any rural or urban garden. One of the company’s most popular planters (right) is 120cm high and creates a stunning focal point to any entrance way. The cost is £435.00. www.aplaceinthegarden.co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Europlanters presents these stainless steel conical planters. Stainless Steel is a recognised material offering ‘a touch of class’ in the office, home and around the garden – it is tough, sleek and remains elegant through time. A brushed finish is more popular than polished as it diffuses the reflected light instead of mirroring the surroundings. These tall conical planters will draw attention anywhere and will last for many years. Prices are: 400/600mm, £224.95; 400/800mm, £289.95; and 400/1000mm, £349.95. www.europlanters.com

This contemporary Cube planter from Haddonstone is one of a collection of Art Deco, Modernist and Cubist inspired planters. A number of designs in this collection are manufactured in a unique form of GRC: TecLite, with thinner walls that are a lot lighter than normal cast stone, enabling use on balconies or roof-tops where weight issues are critical. Haddonstone also offers designs in both wet cast TecStone and traditional dry cast Haddonstone. Cube planters will be enhancing the Pro-Landscaper stand (A96) at this month’s Landscape Show. RRP: £230. www.haddonstone.com www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

40 58

Site Visit ATVs Wessex AT110 topper Wessex AF flail mower

Wessex manufactures quality accessories to complement its range of ATVs and UTVs.

he rapid growth in the use of the ATV in amenity, private estates, agriculture, forestry and other sectors has seen the development of a wide range of accessories. From mowers, toppers, and sprayers to spreaders and trailers, there is an accessory to suit virtually every task. Wessex ATV equipment celebrates more than 35 years of British manufacturing with a complete range. Its AF and AFC flail mowers are designed to complement ATVs and UTVs, offering heavy-duty performance with features well suited to controlling dense vegetation, long grass and for forestry and woodland areas. Maximum cutting power is delivered via three Z-section drive belts and a manual clutch. This

allows the mower to work in demanding conditions, making short work of cutting dense materials. With side-mounted (AF) and centrally mounted engine options (AFC), the mower is available in working widths of 1.2m and 1.6m. The cutting height has a range of 10-160mm with heavy-duty â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pattern flails mulching and evenly distributing the debris. There are four variations of wheel configuration to satisfy the legal requirements of European CE legislations, and stringent British HSE requirements. The Wessex AR series rotary mowers make ideal partners with ATVs and utility vehicles for cutting regularly mown areas and general pasture topping. Popular on private estates and

farms, the mowers can also work with ATVs in general landscape and amenity cutting. There is a large range with a number of different widths and wheel configurations. The AR has the wheels on the end of the deck, making it easy to hitch to the ATV and follow ground contours accurately for a close cut without scalping. There is a rear-wheel option for cutting close to fences and borders. They also feature a drawbar that is easily offset to either side and there are three overlapping rotors. The cutting height range is 25mm to 140mm and the engine options are Honda or Briggs & Stratton. For more information on the range of Wessex products visit www.broadwoodintl.co.uk.

All Terrain. All Weather. All Polaris. Whatever you need in an All-Terrain Vehicle, Polaris delivers. Now available with 2 years 0% finance* The widest range to suit all work tasks and lifestyles. Choose from the Ranger Side by Side 400, 500, 800 and diesel, to the six seater CREW and the Sportsman range.

True 4x4 utility in petrol, diesel and electric. Talk to your Polaris dealer for full details. 5% special discount for NFU members*

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS: *This promotion is for business purposes only. Available through Rural Finance Ltd for new equipment and is subject to credit acceptance and any qualifications in government or company policy. Finance is available on up to 80% of RRP or the balance to finance, whichever is the lower. Alternative cash flow match profiles are available on request. Administration fees are payable on all transactions. This offer is available until 31st March, 2012. Polaris withhold the right to withdraw this offer at any time. Written quotations are available from:- Rural Finance Ltd.19 Redwither Business Centre, Redwither Business Park, Wrexham, LL13 9XR Tel. 01978 660360

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Trending

Joe Wilkinson takes a look at what’s different this month. Newcomer Macmillan Hunter (Stand A60) is using the Landscape Show, Olympia, as the ‘launching-pad’ for a range of strikingly different contemporary sundials. Designer Alastair Hunter has drawn on his engineering experience in energy, aerospace and agriculture to create beautiful precision sundials. Stand exhibits will include Alastair’s ﬁrst ever sundial sculpture: Solar Time, a 2m-high award-winning design on sale for £2,500; and Orbit, a stunning limited edition of just 15 stainless steel and brass numbered sculptures each costing £3,750; and Noondial, a scaled down version of Solar Time. For further information, visit www.macmillanhunter.co.uk.

Meet Simon Taylor of Euro Grass BV at the 2012 Landscape Olympia show, Thursday 15 – Saturday 17 March. He will be discussing why architects and designers should make Natural Turf Grasses their first choice when specifying for projects. At Euro Grass, significant leaps have been taken forward to improve turf characteristics such as texture, colour, durability and general visual appeal. If you are considering soft landscaping surfaces for your next project, why not discuss the option on stand H16 and find out how you can improve your ‘green’ credentials?

The new Cushman Hauler range offers numerous features designed to make the professional landscaper’s job easier. A limited slip differential, which comes as standard, provides greatly improved traction on wet or loose terrain, and minimises possible turf damage from wheel slip. The Hauler 800 is available with either a quiet, 48-volt electric drivetrain or a high-torque, fuel-efﬁcient 9.7kW (13hp) Kawasaki engine and has a maximum capacity of 363kg, a 0.17m3 cargo bed. For larger jobs that require additional payload, the Hauler 1000, with its 48-volt electric drivetrain, provides a total capacity of 454kg and a larger cargo bed of 0.27m3. The Hauler 1200 is the largest vehicle in the range, with a 544kg capacity and a 0.27m3 cargo bed. Visit www.cushman.com. With 2012 being jam-packed with fantastic events, the year will also be a busy one for get-togethers. Findings by market research company GFK revealed that during the 2010 World Cup summer period, one in four UK households bought a beverage cooler. Keter, the world’s largest garden storage company, is anticipating that statistic will drastically increase in 2012 given all of this year’s summer events. And Keter has the Cool Bar to help get the party started. The cooler holds up to 42 cans or 25 bottles with ice, and can keep drinks cold for more than 12 hours.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Natural Paving’s new 2012 range of paving is now available via www.PavingSuperstore.co.uk for fast 2-3 day direct delivery. New products include a wide selection of increasingly popular contemporary styled products including sawn, honed-smooth sandstones along with sawn and sandblasted products. Other more unusual new products such as rustic quartzite and British sandstone will also appeal to customers looking for something different. Paving Superstore offers all major brands of paving including Marshalls, Stonemarket, Bradstone, Global Stone, Brett, Cemex, Pavestone and more for online or telephone ordering. Nationwide delivery takes 2-3 days and great savings can be made on bulk orders.

Designers on charity egg hunt to have crack at £2m total Andy Sturgeon has been chosen alongside leading lights in the art and fashion worlds to design a hand-crafted egg for the world’s biggest egg hunt, this Easter. The Fabergé Big Egg Hunt seeks to raise up to £2 million for charity and smash Guinness World Records for the most participants in an Easter egg hunt. Crafted in hammer-ﬁnished copper rings, Andy’s egg design is based on the ‘energy wave’ sculpture he has created for The M&G Garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. To take part in the egg hunt or to bid for Andy’s egg in the online auction visit www.thebigegghunt.co.uk.

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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Turf For Professionals With over 50 years experience in the turf industry we understand the high demands on turf professionals. With this in mind we have specifically tailored our products to offer the best possible service to every sector the turf industry nationwide. Whatever the turfing requirement contact Spearhead Turf today.

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Exhibition

Meet the professionals at Landscape 2012, 15-17 March 2012 at London Olympia. uilding on the success of last year’s show, Landscape is back in 2012 with an even stronger line of up exhibitors, features and guest speakers at the three-day garden and landscape exhibition at Olympia. As well as hundreds of exhibitors and products to see, there will be a comprehensive seminar programme held throughout the show by industry leaders such as Andrew Fisher Tomlin, Mark Gregory, David Harber, Lord Kenilworth Randle Siddeley and Sally Storey. Lectures on 17 March will be given by Anthony Bevaqua, Design Director of worldrenowned luxury home builder and restorer Janine Stone, and Hugo Bugg, RHS Young Designer of the Year 2010. Topics for the

seminars range from how to light your garden, how to maintain a living wall and the relationships between indoors and outdoors – so whatever your interests are, the Landscape exhibition is the place to be. Visitors will be able to see and experience all that’s contemporary and cutting edge in the world of horticulture. The show will be attended by landscape designers and contractors, architects, facilities managers, event organisers and ﬂorists, contract gardeners, interior designers and all of those who specify plants. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to rub shoulders with the stars of the future who will be exhibiting show gardens as part of the Graduate Gardens Scheme where, for the

Speakers will include (clockwise, from top left) Hugo Bugg, Sally Storey, Mark Gregory and Randle Siddeley.

ﬁrst time, graduates will be showcasing their skills at the Landscape show. The scheme is launched via colleges, schools and universities across the UK and offers graduates free space at the exhibition to showcase their talents, offering them real exposure, media attention and huge networking opportunities. Don’t forget to come and see the Pro Landscaper team at Landscape 2012. We will be exhibiting on stand A96 for the three days and look forward to hearing from and seeing everyone who attends. Tickets are still available for the Landscape Show. Visit www.landscapeshow.co.uk/register. You can also ﬁnd out more information about the show there.

CANAL Engineering “CANAL offered PAGE Architects solutions to enable us to realise our visions and concepts: Where other companies only highlighted problems, CANAL Architectural offered us solutions and in some cases showed us how much further we could take our designs in staircase and handrail design: CANAL is our first port of call when designing bespoke metalwork.” Mr George De Sousa, PAGE Architects

When it comes to creating uninterrupted views of a landscape, CANAL has the knowledge and engineering expertise to transform contemporary design ideas into magnificent glass and architectural metalwork structures that engage with their surroundings. CANAL has produced some extraordinary projects in the past featuring the multi-million pound Jersey residence that is one not to miss. This stunning multi-million pound new-build residence on Jersey boasts an astonishing view. The exterior has been finished with a side-fixed frameless glass balustrade running across the full width of the property; creating a seamless look that allows the beauty of the Jersey landscape to be reflected into the home. Each balustrade has a mirror polished stainless steel handrail running along the top of the transparent masterpiece, the handrail continues along the wall leading to the drive and on into the interior of the house contributing to the sense of integration between the building and its landscape; making a stunning statement. To find out why architects and specifiers choose CANAL as their partner for British made, bespoke architectural metalwork, visit us at The Landscape Show; Stand F6 or contact our technical sales team; canal@canalengineering.co.uk, www.canal.eu.com, 01159 866 321.

pro landscaper_Layout 1 24/01/2012 09:31 Page 1

The finest fencing for the spaces you create

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3 14114_BA_EuroGrass_Advert91mx135mm_v2.indd 1

28/06/2011 10:40

People Presentation plan perspective drawing of house and roof garden, for the SGD Design Student of the Year competition.

A passion for gardens and winning an SGD student award have propelled the designer into launching her own practice. I don’t seem to be able to resist a good competition, and winning the Society of Garden Designers’ (SGD) Garden Design Student of the Year was the perfect end to an exciting year. Funnily enough, my first official steps to becoming a professional garden designer also began with a competition. I have always been passionate about gardens and design, so back in 2009 I was searching for courses, and considering a handful of options. The Oxford College of Garden Design was on my shortlist, when it ran an international design competition (in association with the Daily Telegraph) to win a place on its brand new online course. I was fortunate enough to win, and accepted an offer to transfer my scholarship to the in-house course instead, which meant I studied at St Hughs College Oxford. A year of intense work (and fun) followed, with final hand-in dates for college of the first September. This gave me just enough time to entertain my course mates to a promised and well-deserved celebratory holiday at home

LOOK OUT FOR ...

SOPHIE DIXON

with me in Devon, before tackling the SGD Student competition. With only 10 days left before hand-in date – a couple of which I wasted by pretending I wasn’t going to enter – I eventually couldn’t resist, and knuckled down to design a wildlifefriendly roof terrace. The brief was to design an ‘environmentally aware’ and ‘ordinary’ garden. I chose to design a rooftop garden (plan pictured above) because I believe we need to re-think how every bit of outdoor space is used, and not save our ‘green thinking’ for traditional gardens. Roof gardens can be very unrewarding for wildlife, and I wanted to try and combine the eco credentials of a green roof with a more ‘human friendly’ outdoor living space. Most of all I wanted to prove that environmentally sensitive gardens needn’t be scruffy patches of wilderness – that they can, if desired, have clean lines and a strong, cohesive design. They can also provide everything the modern house-holder needs to enjoy spending time outside. I was delighted to win, and am now busy

setting up my practice, based in (but not limited to) the South West, and I am open to all sorts of opportunities. Recent projects have included a design plan/feasibility study for a 14-acre native wildlife and recreational park, and I am soon to start work on a 2-acre rectory garden near the coast. I love the design process, and the problemsolving aspect in particular. Arriving at practical solutions to difﬁcult issues is all part of the fun, and it’s very satisfying to think that what we do serves a very real purpose. Making spaces more usable as well as beautiful is extremely important to me. Over the next few years I hope to develop my business, and look forward to the challenges this will bring. I would love my work to be varied, and include both residential and commercial projects, as well as charitable works. I am also interested in photographing and writing about plants, people and their gardens. And more competitions? Well, just maybe. www.sophiedixon.com

DIARY MARCH 8 APL/SGD Networking Seminar, Classiﬂora, Essex www.landscaper.org.uk 14 APL Awards, Kensington Roof Gardens, London www.landscaper.org.uk 15 Barcham Seminar - Windsor Great Park Avenues, The York Club, Windsor Great Park

15-17 The Landscape Show, Olympia, London www.landscapeshow.co.uk

Bute Park, Cardiff Castle 24-26 The Commercial Vehicle Show, NEC Birmingham www.cvshow.com

16-1 Apr Ideal Gardens (Ideal Home Show), Earls MAY Court, London www.idealhomeshow.co.uk/gardens 5 Young Horticulturalist of the Year Grand Final, Royal Botanic 20-22 Ecobuild, ExCel, London Garden, Edinburgh APRIL 10-13 RHS Malvern 20-22 RHS Cardiff Show Spring Gardening Show, Malvern

Showground, Worcestorshire WR13 6NW www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events 16-17 Institute of Chartered Foresters National Conference – Future Forestry, CBI Conference Centre, London 22-26 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Chelsea Hospital, London

YOUR EVENT If you have a diary event you wish to publicise, email details to the editor: lisa.wilkinson@pro-landscaper.co.uk March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

People

THE

LITTLE INTERVIEW

A small insight into the world of other professionals in our wide and varied industry. If you would like to appear in a future issue please email lisa.wilkinson@pro-landscaper.co.uk NIGEL BOWCOCK

ARNOUD FIOLET Managing partner, European Turf Group www.europeanturfgroup.com What is the best thing about your job? The independence to create new structures and grow a business on a European scale. What made you want to get into the industry? When I started in 1996 in the synthetic industry it was sports and being active in a fun industry related to football and hockey. Challenges ahead in your work? Build a pan-European platform under the name of European Turf Group for innovative, high-end sports and landscape infrastructural products that can make a difference from a performance and sustainability point of view.

How is the bulk of your work made up? Obtaining the right products and getting them across in the marketplace. Current trends in the market? I believe the landscape market and synthetics will see the biggest growth during the next decade. Ease of use, aesthetics, water are key drivers that will only grow.

What is the best thing about your job? The ﬁnished project – it never fails to impress me what can be achieved by a team of dedicated, professional landscapers.

One thing you want to do before you’re too old? Visit New Zealand and South Africa.

What made you want to get into the industry? I spent my youth outside in gardens and parks and even when indoors spent my time looking out of the window.

Countryside or seaside? Countryside. Your proudest achievement? Marrying my wife and setting up European Synthetic Turf Organisation (ESTO).

JAN ALWAY fruit and vegetables in the garden.

Jan Alway Garden Design www.janalwaygardendesign. co.uk What is the best thing about your job? Creativity and meeting and working with interesting people. What made you want to get into the industry? Wanted to combine my lifelong interest in art, design and a passionate relationship with plants and the environment.

Acre Landscapes www.acrelandscapes.com

Your company’s plans for the next ﬁve years? To continue to expand our client base and build sound relationships with landscapers and contractors. How do you remain competitive? By researching and understanding our markets requirements and then remaining conﬁdent about our product.

Challenges ahead in your work? To maintain and increase our market share and the service/cost/competitiveness balance in these increasingly austere times. How is the bulk of your work made up? We’re increasingly securing work for large developers. We are involved in a large project in Chelsea using the latest landscape innovation, as well as soft landscaping projects for the Olympics. Current trends in the market? Increased competitiveness and last-minute contract awards, which is hard as we have spent years explaining the beneﬁts of long lead-ins. How do you remain competitive? Keep overheads down, buy top-quality products at realistic prices from an engaged supply chain. We use the latest methods and products to give us the leading edge. Staff training, retention and motivation also help us maintain a shared focus.

Challenges ahead in your work? At present I’m a pre-registered member of the Society of Garden Designers – my challenge is to gain Registered status.

Who are you inspired by? My ﬁrst gardening inspiration was Geoff Hamilton; presently it is Dan Pearson, Andy Sturgeon and Piet Oudolf but there are many other very talented designers past and present whose work inspires me too.

How is the bulk of your work made up? Garden design, planning and consultation.

Favourite song? Loving you by Minnie Riperton.

Your proudest achievement? My family.

Current trends in the market? More clients with a real interest in growing

Where’s your favourite holiday destination? What’s a holiday?

Favourite song? The Liquidator by Harry J All Stars.

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

Who are you inspired by? My father, one of the keenest gardeners. One thing you want to do before you’re too old? Win a Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal.

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

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For all your golf, sportsturf and landscape irrigation needs. Buy online at www.lws.uk.com

Tel 0845 230 9697 â&#x20AC;˘ www.lws.uk.com

www.pro-landscaper.co.uk

March 2012 | Volume 2 | Issue 3

New 1026R One Tractor. Many Possibilities.

Attach a brush or blade to the front using the John Deere Quick Hitch. Hook up a rotovator or ď&#x192;&#x;ail mower to the rear. Mount a loader to the frame or attach our exclusive drive-over AutoConnect mower deck to the centre. All without tools. The 1026R is as versatile as you want it to be. Now add 4-Wheel Drive, Power Steering and a deluxe suspension seat. So while itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing the hard work, you can enjoy the ride. Now available at your John Deere dealership.

JohnDeere.com

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Freephone 0800 085 25 22

15.02.2012 18:04:50 Uhr