Pro Landscaper March 2023

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The Association of Professional Landscapers

WWelcomeelcome to Pro Landscaper’s fourth annual Green Issue, an edition – you guessed it –focusing on our industry’s dedication to its sustainable and environmental credentials.

Our March 2023 edition is jam-packed with sustainability projects large and small, from show gardens to suppliers to residential projects, while we also address the controversy surrounding artificial grass. This month’s contributors are donning green, too; Tim Howell ponders to what extent biodiversity has evolved from a moral issue to a compliance issue, while Noel Kingsbury tackles climate change.

On a global scale, there is a real chance that in 2023, sustainability initiatives could be tested by economic uncertainty and consistent inflation. It becomes all the more paramount, therefore, that we all ensure we are doing our bit in the face of these adversities.

On a separate note, the Pro Landscaper Business Awards are fast approaching – I can’t quite believe we’re only weeks away! After such a fantastic welcome to the landscaping industry, I’m very much looking forward to meeting many of you for the first time. For the 2023 iteration, our awards will be moving venues and taking place at Old Billingsgate, London. We hope to see you there!

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

©Joanna Kossak

Tim Howell

Lawn

Andrew Wilson

"Colorless

Christopher Martin

Green

Simon Richards Ask

Biosecurity:

Worst-case

Is

Lewis Normand

The

Matthew Haddon

Prioritising Going

Are

Anatomy

Sustainable

96 98 101 103 104 106

What I Learnt From a Global Coffee Chain That I Still Utilise Today

Alison Warner

Go With the Flow

David Strows

The Problem With Porcelain

Gareth Wilson

Talking Terms of Transfers

Oracle Solicitors

Bark and Mulch

The benefits for landscaping

Composite Decking Popular products on the market

Five Minutes With Katherine Lee

CONTRIBUTORS

ADAM STEWART

Adam Stewart, one of Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation winners, wonders whether contractors could work together – literally – to address the skills shortage in the industry. utopialandscapeshp.co.uk

ALISON WARNER

Trades coach Alison Warner considers the lessons she learned whilst working for a global coffee shop chain that could be applied to any business today. evolveandgrowcoaching.com

DAVID STROWS

Moisture might be the cause of a few problems on site, but David Strows – vice chair of the APL – puts forward his suggestion for resolving this issue going forward. artformlandscapes.co.uk

KATIE FLAXMAN

Landscape architect Katie Flaxman is also focusing on water, as her practice Studio 31 considers the best ways to reduce its usage on projects amidst a changing climate. designstudio31.co.uk

MARCUS WATSON

While the government considers how best to bring biodiversity to the fore, Marcus Watson offers tips for land-based professionals to tackle the loss of it themselves. ground-control.co.uk

NOEL KINGSBURY

Not for the faint hearted, Noel Kingsbury’s article explores what he calls ‘worst-case scenarios’ from global warming and suggests how the industry’s role may change as a result. noelkingsbury.com

SIMON RICHARDS

Simon Richards asks us to reconsider the design of our public parks and green spaces to be more welcoming for wildlife, more flood resilient and better adaptable to the changing climate. landstudio-uk.com

TIM HOWELL

Biodiversity will soon be a legal requirement for new developments, as of November, which presents the start of a huge opportunity for our industry, explains Tim Howell. mitie.com

CAMDEN HIGHLINE GETS GREEN LIGHT

Planning approval has been granted for the first section of the Camden Highline, running from Camden Gardens to Royal College Street. It will see the transformation of a section of disused railway into a new elevated urban park for London.

In total, the Camden Highline will run for 1.2km, connecting the existing visitor appeal of Camden Town with the emerging destination and transport links

ROUNDUP

Industry Updates

AIPH YOUNG INTERNATIONAL GROWER OF THE YEAR 2023 ANNOUNCED

of King’s Cross, and helping to knit together neighbourhoods around them. The elevated public walkway is forecast to bring new local green space for 20,000 people, along with health and wellbeing benefits worth £10.9m over the project’s lifetime, according to the team behind it.

The community initiative, which started out as a crowdfunding campaign, is the culmination of public engagement that has taken place over the last four years,

REDEVELOPMENT PLANS AGREED FOR SANDRINGHAM WEST

Plans have been agreed to transform an area inside the formal gardens at Sandringham.

The garden area to the west side of Sandringham House kept as a large expanse of lawn in recent years, is to be transformed into a new “climate friendly” topiary garden, with work set to commence in the coming weeks.

Once the site of a formal ‘parterre’ garden in the 1800s and subsequently used for crops as part of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign in the Second World War, this area of the garden will now have a decorative aspect and bring increased naturalistic planting to the area to improve biodiversity.

Eliot Barden, production and education manager for Majestic Trees, received the Young International Grower of the Year Award at an International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) awards ceremony held in Essen, Germany.

This award is a part of the AIPH International Grower of the Year (IGOTY) Awards 2023, which rewards and celebrates the best of the best in ornamentals production.

The Young IGOTY category recognises vibrant individuals, aged 25-40, who will lead the industry into

the future. Entrants were participants of Jungle Talks’ Pro Manager Mastercourse.

Winner Eliot Barden began his education in the subject via a Royal Horticultural Society evening class at the age of 15. He subsequently studied at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens before joining Majestic Trees in 2018.

Barden comments: “It means a lot. Thanks to Jungle Talks I’ve seen a lot of production in Holland, in various different sectors, and winning the award is the cherry on the cake. The award is a great recognition.” majestictrees.co.uk

Working to a plan by award-winning landscape design and build company Landform, an acre of land will be cleared, redeveloped, and replanted in the coming months. The plans include the redeployment of topsoil and turf removed from the initial works to be ameliorated and re-used.

The newly developed garden will introduce new species that are more robust, hardy and better able to withstand the impact of new weather patterns. It will include the introduction of new plants and flowers, a maze of new paths and the regrading and straightening of sloping banks.

The new landscaping is expected to be complete and open to visitors by the end of May 2023. sandringhamestate.co.uk landformconsultants.co.uk

©Hayes Davidson-JCFO-vPPR

ELIOT BARDEN (LEFT) WITH LEONARDO CAPITANIO

LAWN GARDEN

with lead architects – and designers of the New York High Line – James Corner Field Operations, local architecture practice vPPR, the Camden Highline team, and community engagement specialists Street Space.

The Camden Highline charity is now looking for major donors to come on board to support with the £14m cost of the first section of the project and get construction work underway.

Simon Pitkeathley, CEO of Camden Highline comments: “To go from a Google Earth printout, sellotaped together on our

table, to now a real designed thing with planning permission is amazing. I want to say a huge thanks to everyone who has come with us on this exciting journey, particularly the design team, who have done an incredible job, and all the donors who backed us through the riskiest stages of the project.

"We’re now shovel ready but need your help to continue the momentum and raise the money to deliver this amazing park in the sky.” camdenhighline.com

BONINGALE NURSERY PUT UP FOR SALE

British nursery Boningale has announced that it is on the market. The business produces container grown plants on around 80 acres over five sites in Albrighton, Worfield; Codsall in Shropshire; its Brookhaven site near Coventry; and its Melville site in Edinburgh.

The business turns over almost £10m of nursery stock through its three brands: Boningale Nurseries, which supplies the commercial amenity market; Viridis Plants, which suppliers garden designers and contractors; and Worfield Plants, for the garden centre sector.

The sale is prompted by the health concerns of the current chairman, Tim Edwards, who unfortunately does not

Online exclusives

Head to prolandscapermagazine.com

Land-based and environmental skills charity Lantra has unveiled its new website to “attract new talent and retain existing expertise in the sector”.

Lantra wound down the provision of a career information service in England back in 2014, when government funding

have family members succeeding him in the business. A statement from Boningale reads: “This is a rare opportunity to purchase a business that is a significant producer and supplier to the UK amenity market. A business willing to invest in the acquisition and further development of Boningale would be well placed to become the major player in this marketplace.” boningale.co.uk

was cut. Nine years on, it is using its own cash flow to become a trusted source for career information across a wide range of land-based industries.

The new website is the first in a series of focused activities. Two full-time members of staff have been appointed to drive the careers agenda forward. Lantra’s chair of trustees, David Llewelyn says: “Lantra’s new website is designed to provide an easily accessible tool for people to explore their career options and training pathways.

“This will enable us to give people the information they need, literally at their fingertips. We’re confident the new website will provide convenient, relevant and accessible information for people wanting to start a career in the great outdoors, and for those already working in the sector who want to progress their career to the next level.” lantra.co.uk

FROM FOOTWEAR DESIGN TO GARDEN DESIGN

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week, Amy Nightingale – second year horticultural apprentice at RHS Garden Rosemoor – shares her experience retraining in horticulture. prolandscapermagazine.com/ from-footwear-design-to-garden-design/

IN CONVERSATION WITH MATT O’CONNER

John O’Conner’s managing director speaks with Pro Landscaper about the company’s apprenticeship scheme and his role as East of England National Apprenticeship Ambassador. prolandscapermagazine.com/ in-conversation-with-matt-oconner/

THE ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY’S PLEDGE IS NOT ENOUGH

Simon Richards, founder of Land Studio, questions whether the government’s Environment Plan go far enough when the starting base is one of crisis. prolandscapermagazine.com/ the-environment-secretarys-pledge-tocreate-more-green-spaces-and-enhancebiodiversity-is-not-enough/

LANTRA LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE TO “ATTRACT NEW TALENT”

CHANGE IN SEASON putting a spring in our step

IN THE LANDSCAPING INDUSTRY

This month, the barometer has brought to light some positive news: confidence is on the rise from last month, and enquiries and turnover from December 2022 are either the same or on the up from the previous year.

With spring around the corner, could the rise in the confidence this February compared to January be an indication of a spring market boost? This February, we have seen 29% of respondents claim that they felt more confident (graph below), up 12% from January. Despite this jump being lower than last year and in 2021 – when 50% and 57% reported feeling more confident respectively than the previous month –this jump in confidence could be an indication that the spring season will bring new hope to the industry.

For the last three years, there has been a rise in confidence from January to February. This year, one respondent puts it down to being “poised for spring’s new interest and projects.” Whilst it’s not possible to predict exactly how the economic turmoil of the last few months

will pan out, other media outlets are certainly giving it a go. In February, the Guardian claimed the “UK can expect year of stagnation after narrowest of escapes from recession,” despite reporting just one month beforehand that the “Impending UK recession could be twice as bad as anticipated”.

Previous years have hosted their own challenges such as Covid-19 and Brexit. With the cost-of-living crisis being the main challenge of 2023 thus far, it will be interesting to see what spring will bring this year. As one respondent says: “We are still waiting to see what effect the cost-of-living crisis will have on work.”

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS MORE CONFIDENT COMPARED TO LAST MONTH

BY THE NUMBERS

Enquiries

Nationally, enquiries seem more stable than they were in 2021. The majority (80%) of respondents reported an increase or no change in the number of enquires they have received compared to the previous year. This is a 13% hike in the number of respondents reporting the same in 2021. However, enquiries themselves do not equate to turnover or projects, as one respondent says: “We still have a number of projects still being decided on by clients (stalled for [the] last five months) and new enquiries [are] still coming in and then possibly joining the stalled queue.”

The number of enquiries implies that there are still clients who wish to have work done; however, conversion may be stalled by concerns over the current financial climate.

In December last year, more than a third (36%) of respondents reported a decrease in turnover from the previous year – this is up 7% from those who reported the same in December 2021. One respondent claimed there was a “definite slowdown” towards the end of last year due to what they called “the Truss effect” – assumedly the somewhat tumultuous 49 days of Liz Truss being Prime Minister – and high inflation “which makes work much more expensive”. As shouts of an impending recession turn to fading whispers, both the domestic and the commercial sector might start to see enquiries convert to projects on the drawing board –but it remains to be seen.

John Chambers is part of the Green-tech Ltd. family

NIGEL DUNNETT

is our client NATURE

Our gardens, cities and wider landscapes are on the front line of environmental challenges like biodiversity loss and changing climate. With sustainable design they can be a huge part of the solution. Landscape design, build and management requires long-term thinking. It needs to be delivered in a way that serves the wider ecological environment. Landscape professionals need to be informed to make the right decisions.

The brainchild of two landscape architects Arit Anderson CMLI and Marian Boswell FLI, the Sustainable Landscape Foundation (SLF) has been founded to unite the landscape industry on this task that we all face – designing and managing the land in a changing world.

The two pitched the idea to me at the Pro Landscaper Business Awards in 2017 – I was sold and agreed to join them on their journey to unite and inform the wider profession. Since then we have gathered a team of industry leaders, scientists, investors and influencers who are keen to push to unify the benchmark of what makes sustainable landscape design and management.

Joining us as trustees of this new charity are my business partner and fellow landscape architect Andrée Davies FLI, professor of horticulture from the University of Sheffield Nigel Dunnett FLI, business expert Lisa Anderson and founder of the Sustainable Restaurant Association and Net Zero Now, Simon Heppner.

One objective of the Sustainable Landscape Foundation is to develop

a process by which landscape professionals can gain SLF accreditation for the landscape projects they design, build, manage and maintain. Gaining a rating for each project could be linked to recycling, specification, use of materials, aftercare and biodiversity enhancement. There is a lack of information out there and as a board of trustees we realised the industry and profession needed an impartial, light-footed approach without layers of hierarchy to wade through. We already have the support and endorsement from of all the key landscape and garden professional bodies and trade organisations.

In partnership and collaboration with these organisations, the Sustainable Landscape Foundation will facilitate workshops to encourage more sustainable best practice. The foundation also aspires to be the home of an online sustainability hub – a place that can help guide and support individuals and companies to make more informed decisions around sustainability when designing, specifying, building and managing green spaces.

Are you a developer, contractor, supplier, planner, landscape architect, garden designer, gardener, a sole trader or multidisciplinary practice? Are you interested to know more and help us grow? You can make a difference right now! Visit our new website (sustainablelandscapefoundation.com) and sign up to join to be more involved.

Adam White FLI PPLI is a chartered landscape architect and director at Davies White Ltd. He is a fellow and the past president of the Landscape Institute. He is a director of the Sustainable Landscape Foundation and the chair of the LI’s College of Fellows. davieswhite.co.uk

ADAM WHITE

As a trustee, Adam White shares the launch of the new Sustainable Landscape Foundation

We realised the industry and profession needed an impartial, light-footed approach without layers of hierarchy to wade through

GREY TO GREEN, SHEFFIELD BY

Sustainable landscape management, Surrey Hills AONB

Turning off

THE TAP

Katie Flaxman explains how Studio 31 is creating landscapes for reduced water consumption

Four of the five warmest summers on record have occurred since 20031. Last year, in particular, was an exceptional summer climatologically, breaking the all-time temperature record with temperatures exceeding 40°C2. Such extreme heat, in what is usually a mild climate, left the world in no doubt of the onrushing impact of climate change.

The consequences of these hotter, drier weather patterns are enormous environmental and ecological changes as well as detrimental impacts on a huge range of resources, including one of the most precious of all – water.

water attenuation ponds and building in water sources for habitat creation. Water consumption heavily influences our planting schemes, and we continue to research successful climate resilient planting strategies. This is an enormous challenge in biodiversity terms due to the relatively narrow range of plants which can survive both the unprecedented hot, dry summers and the oftenfreezing temperatures of British winters. Add to this the need to consider bottom-up trophic cascade in the conservation of native flora and fauna and you can see the size of task.

We are looking to reduce (with a view to eliminating) the need for irrigation within our planting schemes. We attempt to plant in such a way as to make viable, spot hand watering within the first growing season and consider soil and environmental conditions once established through the lens of water consumption.

and lowers ground temperatures making it easier for plants to thrive. Indeed, it has been shown that increasing the height and density of ground cover decreases soil temperature significantly3 – a significant factor in both water retention and plant success.

We also look regularly at the viability of wetland creation. To date, this has included blocking land drains to create site specific wetland meadow or wet woodland landscapes and has had the dual benefit of increasing water retention and improving ecological diversity.

As water becomes an ever-scarcer resource, landscape architecture has an incredibly important role to play in the conservation and management of water. It is yet another way in which landscape architects are custodians of nature and truly can have significant positive climatological impacts from the ground up.

References

1 Met Office (2002). metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/ press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2022/ joint-hottest-summer-on-record-for-england

2 UNDRR (2022). preventionweb.net/news/ met-office-review-uks-record-breaking-summer2022#:~:text=Years%20from%202000%20 onwards%20are,%2C%202018%2C%202006%20 and%202003.

3 Song, Y T, Zhou, D W, Zhang, H X, Li GD, Jin YH and Li, Q. Effects of vegetation height and density on soil temperature variations Chinese Science Bulletin, 2013, 58 907-912

Water has, for some time now, been a key focus at Studio 31 and is increasingly becoming a founding principle on which we design our landscapes. We consider this within overall site water management, sustainable drainage systems, use of ecological

Achieving watering-free planting in the face of such extreme temperatures is an ongoing challenge. We therefore support this planting strategy with the implementation of rainwater harvesting systems which utilise buildings and structures to store rainwater from wet winters for use in the drier parts of the year.

In wider areas of landscape, the growing up of wildflower or grassland habitats both reduces the high water need of turfed spaces

KATIE FLAXMAN

Katie Flaxman is cofounder and director of Studio 31 Landscape Architects. Studio 31 is an award-winning, adventurous and environmentally conscious landscape architecture practice working across the residential, public realm and health sectors. designstudio31.co.uk

Water has, for some time now, been a key focus at Studio 31 and is increasingly becoming a founding principle on which we design our landscapes

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

Who can enter?

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

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

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

When is the award ceremony?

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

NATURE SAYS: “give us the space, and we will finish the job”

In December 2021, I wrote about how we are at the foothills of the sixth mass extinction of species.1 Whilst we have a very long way to go before we reach the 95% extinction rate seen in the Great Dying, the International Union for Conservation of Nature predicts that all critically endangered species and two-thirds of endangered species may be lost within the next 100 years.2 The UN predicts that, without drastic action, one million of today’s species will be extinct by 2039.

This extinction event will be very different to all previous ones because it will be caused by humans rather than external cataclysmic events such as asteroids hitting Earth and colossal volcanic activity. What is more, the rate of extinction of species is so rapid that nature’s built-in defence mechanism – evolution – cannot keep up. The biodiversity loss expected by 2070 is such that, in the best-case scenario, nature will need three to five million years to recover to current biodiversity levels.3 Put simply, extinctions are not easily reversible.

On biodiversity, the UK fares worse than the global average: decades of farming

intensification and urban spread have halved natural levels of biodiversity, with one quarter of England’s mammals and almost a fifth of UK plants threatened with extinction. Today, the UK enjoys only 53% of the natural wildlife and fauna that existed before the industrial revolution.4

Why is biodiversity important? In essence: without it, there is no future for humanity. We are wholly dependent on delicate biodiverse natural ecosystems for the water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe. Biodiversity is our most valuable but perhaps least appreciated resource. In a straight-talking video for the Royal Society, Sir David Attenborough tells us about the importance of biodiversity to humans, pressing us to urgently protect the biodiversity hotspots and equally rebuild biodiversity wherever and however we can.5

Is COP15 the answer?

The biggest biodiversity conference in a decade, COP15 is the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Co-hosted by Canada and China

and with nearly 200 countries represented, the purpose of this jamboree was for humanity to strike a deal on protecting and restoring nature, putting humans on a path to living in harmony with nature by 2050.

A deal has been struck with nearly all countries (the US and Vatican City being notable exceptions) signing an agreement which, if implemented, could mean significant changes to the way we work, grow food and involve local communities in conservation.6,7 The deal includes targets to protect 30% of the planet for nature by 2030 (this headline target is known as ‘30 by 30’), reform environmentally damaging subsidies, and restore 30% of the planet’s degraded terrestrial, inland water, coastal and marine ecosystems. Urgent actions were also agreed to halt the extinction of species known to be under threat and also to promote their recovery.

Sounds like a good start, right? Kinda. The agreement is worthless if it is not implemented and governments in previous decades have never met a target they have set for themselves on nature.8 The most biodiverse countries tend to be poorer, and the less biodiverse countries tend to be industrialised and richer. As always, perhaps, the sticking point appears to be around the funding mechanism to pay for these new conservation targets, but a workaround was found with rich countries agreeing to provide

Marcus Watson explains why biodiversity must be protected and repaired and how land-based professionals are ideally placed to provide the leadership the world needs

The biodiversity loss expected by 2070 is such that, in the best-case scenario, nature will need three to five million years to recover to current biodiversity levels

$30bn of funding for biodiversity by the end of the decade.

In this way, COP15 was meant to be nature’s Paris moment, but Greta Thunberg’s ‘blah, blah, blah’ speech9 could be closer to reality if governments fail to implement the agreement or, worse still, go against its spirit. It is of note that of the nearly 200 countries in attendance, only 115 heads of state were present.

Whilst the UK was well represented, Rishi Sunak and Thérèse Coffey could not attend. On 7 December 2022, the opening day of COP15, it was reported that a new coal mine in Cumbria had been approved to the consternation of observers at home and abroad who saw the UK as a leader in sustainability.10 New oil and gas exploration licences being granted in the North Sea,11 untreated sewage polluting Britain’s rivers and beaches and a general lack of reporting on COP15 in the mainstream media all add to Greta’s argument and undermine biodiversity recovery. We cannot rely on governments alone to provide the answers; business and individuals must play their part too.

Biodiversity recovery is complex, and it will take the whole of society to take responsibility and help. The good news is that businesses want to help,4 even if they are typically unsure how they can. The land-based industries are well placed to help and to advise their customers and the communities they serve in protecting and rebuilding biodiversity. In this way, our industries are not only able to do the doing, but they can be the trusted friend and educator, becoming a force multiplier in the quest for nature’s recovery. There are very practical things that we do in our everyday personal and business lives to help nature. For instance, in designing landscapes and advising our clients, we can choose to:

• Switch to low carbon processes, products and policies (climate change and the consequent acidification of oceans is a significant contributor to biodiversity loss). For example, switch to electric tools, vehicles, ban short-haul flights, offer offsets to clients etc.

• Favour natural, habitat-rich, planting and soft landscaping vs. overly manufactured, synthetic or hard landscapes.

• Ban artificial grass from designs and

schemes to eradicate landscapes devoid of live but not of maintenance, waste and pollution (some sports pitches might be an exception to this rule).

• Reduce manicured lawned areas that are high in maintenance, low in biodiversity and thirsty.

• Favour native plants that are resistant to the climate conditions we expect to experience as the world gradually warms up.

• Insist on peat-free certified materials.

• Favour planting schemes that require little or no irrigation

• Establish wildlife ponds, refuges, habitats, corridors and design in pollinator pathways

• Start a bee-keeping club at work or at home (native bees only!)

• Set aside for wildlife 30% of your external space at work and at home. Even better if you and your neighbours agree a continuous 30% across property boundaries.

• Encourage your suppliers to put biodiversity and climate change at the forefront of their customer offering. If they cannot or will not do this, switch to suppliers that want to be part of the journey.

• Establish biodiversity education events in the communities you serve. Not only will this help raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity, but this will give your business added credibility and gravitas as you come to be seen as experts on the subject.

This list is incredibly simple to conceptualise and implement at little or no cost to most individuals and businesses, although I appreciate that artificial grass manufacturers may find it more challenging. In addition to enhancing biodiversity, such schemes offer other benefits such as reducing surface water flooding, sequestering carbon – which is needed to tackle climate change – not to mention the great social, spiritual and wellbeing value that nature and open spaces hold for us all.

What I am advocating here is a rebalancing in favour of nature, pollinators, wildlife – wherever they may be. We all have the power to make a difference, and however small our

actions may seem, “a grain in the balance will determine which individual shall live and which shall die – which variety of species shall increase in number, and which shall decrease or finally become extinct.12” On that latter point, we will be wise to consider that it could be us.

References

1 “Stopping the Sixth Mass Extinction”, Pro Landscaper, Dec 2021, issuu.com/eljays44/docs/december_2021/28 .

2 “Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’; Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’”, UN report, 6 May 2019, un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/05/ nature-decline-unprecedented-report/

3 Aarthus University, “Mammals Cannot Evolve Fast Enough to Escape Current Extinction Crisis”, Science Daily, 15 Oct 2018, sciencedaily.com/ releases/2018/10/181015154435.htm

4 “Time to Act – Why Business Must Step up to Address the Biodiversity Crisis”, Ground Control Report, Dec 2022, ground-control.co.uk/biodiversity/download-report/

5 Sir David Attenborough, “Why is Biodiversity Important?”, The Royal Society, Oct 2021, youtube.com/ watch?v=GlWNuzrqe7U

6 “COP15: Historic Deal Struck to Halt Biodiversity Loss by 2030”, The Guardian, 19 Dec 2022, theguardian.com/ environment/2022/dec/19/cop15-historic-deal-signed-tohalt-biodiversity-loss-by-2030-aoe

7 “COP15: Nations Reach 'Historic' Deal to Protect Nature”, BBC News, 20 Dec 2022, bbc.co.uk/news/scienceenvironment-64019324

8 P. Greenfield, “World Fails to Meet a Single Target to Stop Destruction of Nature – UN Report”, The Guardian, 15 Sept 2020, theguardian.com/environment/2020/ sep/15/every-global-target-to-stem-destructionof-nature-by-2020-missed-un-report-aoe

9. Greta Thunberg, “Blah Blah Blah”, speech at the Youth4Climate Conference in Milan, Sept 2021, youtube.com/watch?v=ZwD1kG4PI0w

10 “First UK Coal Mine in Decades Approved Despite Climate Concerns”, BBC News, 7 Dec 2022, bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63892381

11 “UK Defies Climate Warnings with New Oil and Gas Licences”, BBC News, 7 Oct 2022, bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-63892381

12 Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species: By Means of Natural Selection or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life”, Penguin Classics, 2009.

MARCUS WATSON

Marcus Watson joined Ground Control in 2011 and led the company for close to a decade, handing over the reins to Jason Knights in Jan 2021. Marcus remains with Ground Control as non-executive director and a shareholder. As a council member for the CBI and a member of the CBI’s Decarbonisation Committee, Marcus champions the voice of business, entrepreneurship and environmental sustainability. Marcus believes that business is a force for good and that business leaders have the opportunity and duty to build a vibrant and more sustainable economy that cares for our environment and the communities we live in, allowing us to lead prosperous, fulfilling lives without mortgaging our children’s futures. ground-control.co.uk

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COLLABORATION? Is this the year of

Or is collaborating the future, period? During the last quarter of 2022, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find skilled employees to join our business.

I have spoken with numerous company directors at different levels within the industry, and we all seem to be in a similar position. It is an employee’s market – i.e. people joining a landscaping company have a plethora of companies to choose from and they can also choose to go with the highest bidder.

To segue slightly, employee pay is a topic up for discussion and I want to save this for another article; however, it’s concerning that companies desperate for staff and in a panic might be paying over the odds for someone who isn’t worth their salary, in terms of the value they provide. This seems to be the case not only with skilled staff.

Unfortunately, there is a shortage concerning labourers as well; the reason why is pretty clear. We as an industry aren’t doing

enough to promote how great a career in landscaping is, and what opportunities are available. I hear so many people making bold blanket statements about the new generation and their lack of enthusiasm for work, when in reality there is still a percentage who do want to learn, upskill and progress. The ignorance of not employing and putting time into the younger generation will hamper the industry, because who will follow us? More needs to be done to strike up engagement and showcase what we do! When planning out my future projects and business model, I was wondering how to facilitate the high volume of work without the skilled employees I require. With designs laid out on my floor, I looked at the skilled areas within each job and asked myself who I can ask to help me progress each project. I reached out to a few landscaping friends who have since agreed to help out. It’ll be a mixture of one person designated to a project based on

their specialist skillset, and in some cases, a few of us will join together on one project. This approach ticks all the boxes and I feel could be the way forward for many. Not only are you engaging skilled workers that you trust, but you get the opportunity to work alongside peers, learn new techniques and share ideas. From a social media and marketing perspective, it will also help promote the business of all parties involved. Another positive is that by subbing out certain elements of the project, you're not tied into employee contracts which could be a saving grace if work did dry up as you're not left with high overheads in wages. Although perhaps not a long-term solution, there’s a lot of work out there, so we should come together to help each other grow the industry as well as our businesses.

STEWART

Adam Stewart has been involved in the landscaping industry for more than six years, during which time he has set up his own company, Utopia Landscapes, based in West Sussex. Inspired by the challenge of running his own business, Adam's vision, passion, and drive, have enabled rapid growth and the business is APL and BALI accredited. Adam won Pro Landscaper's 30 Under 30: The Next Generation award in 2021. utopialandscapeshp.co.uk

Not only are you engaging skilled workers that you trust, but you get the opportunity to work alongside peers, learn new techniques and share ideas

There’s a shortage of skilled labour. Could collaboration be the interim solution, questions Adam Stewart

ADAM

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Taking Opportunities

Biodiversity is still an emerging theme in the minds of most businesses, but a changing regulatory landscape, driven by The Environment Act, is ushering in a new era that will present a growth opportunity for landscapers.

According to the 2019 Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group Futures Report, the wider horticulture industry delivers £28.8bn of value to the UK economy. A new biodiversity boom would likely have a trickledown effect that would add value from the nursery trade right through to installation and maintenance.

This is an exciting time to be in our industry. At Mitie Landscapes, we’re building our business around the global issues of decarbonisation and biodiversity. Many of our customers (64%) tell us that biodiversity, landscaping, and carbon removal are focus areas for them in 2023 and they’re looking to us to help them develop this path.

That’s why we have created our own best practice landscaping hub at our HQ in Bordon, Hampshire. Bordon is one of Mitie’s net zero sites, having removed all

gas, installed electric vehicle charging, and rainwater harvesting for washing equipment. We’ve also added a living wall, constructed by our specialist green wall business, Biotecture, which joined the Mitie family last February to help us meet the demand for urban greening. Urban greening is a huge environmental and commercial opportunity. In research we commissioned in January, two-thirds (66%) of people who live in cities said they want to see more greenery where they live, with over a quarter (26%) feeling demotivated by the lack of nature. Strikingly, over two-thirds (67%) of residents are considering moving out to a greener area to be closer to nature – if businesses and planners want to keep people in cities, it will present a significant commercial opportunity for landscapers. Businesses outside our metropolises have a role to play too when it comes to supporting biodiversity. A major customer sums up the mindset we need, perfectly. They have a manufacturing plant that happens to be near a nature reserve. By adding woodland and meadows to their site they’re effectively extending the nature reserve to also encompass their manufacturing plant, providing additional habitats for invertebrates, birds, bats, and mammals.

There’s so much opportunity to support Britain's biodiversity but to have meaningful impact, it needs to happen at scale. That's where businesses such as Mitie come in. By offering predominantly self-delivered services for customers we take ownership of how our people operate – ensuring the vehicles our colleagues drive and the equipment they use are tools for success. But most importantly, we ensure our people are well trained and supported to grow.

It will be our people that move our industry from a grounds maintenance model to a more scientific approach. And that must be driven by data. By the time biodiversity net gain requirements come into place, it will be harder and costlier for organisations to demonstrate progress without the right baseline.

By collecting ecological data now, we can inform the design and installation of innovative solutions, whilst maintaining, monitoring and managing these ecosystems effectively. This is how we can nurture the seeds of our flourishing new landscaping industry at the scale we need to make real-world impact.

TIM HOWELL

Tim joined Mitie in 2002 to launch the landscapes business. Over the past two decades he has developed the strategic direction of the business to help realise substantial growth. Mitie Landscapes delivers grounds maintenance and landscaping, green walls, winter services, gritting, and tropical interior plants solutions to a range of large blue-chip organisations throughout the UK. mitie.com

There’s so much opportunity to support Britain's biodiversity, but to have meaningful impact it needs to happen at scale

Tim Howell explores how biodiversity is moving from a moral issue to a compliance issue, and how the industry can deliver this sea change

andLAWN ORDER

Iremember a series of short films made by the BBC many years ago, one of which featured a homeowner obsessed by his lawn. It was mown frequently to golf green standards and the edges cut regularly with scissors, every blade getting individual attention. Does this seem excessive? My experience with clients over my design career is that they have become more distanced from nature and its cycles but increasingly obsessed with order and control to an almost clinical extent.

This is a difficult concept to apply to the natural world, especially if we are seeking increased diversity in the habitats known as gardens. We have a significant cultural past that encourages us to exert control. We have delivered this historically by the organisation or geometry of layout, creating a logic to the garden or a sense of grandeur perhaps, or symmetry.

In our planting this need for control revealed itself in other ways with plants not simply being pruned but topiarised, perennials tidied up and cut back ready for winter and the ornamental lawn, acting as a centrepiece – a neat, often sacrosanct monoculture.

Gardens have changed significantly over the last century, but the lawn remained a key feature in our collective psyche allowing it to persist, though there is a significant difference now that means that perhaps its time is up, or that the lawn as we know it is not long for this world.

The last century has seen significant stylistic changes from the very formal, through softer arts and crafts symmetry, the

asymmetry of modernism, post-modernism and so on. These movements and styles relate primarily to the aesthetic of the garden affecting layout, compartmentalisation, colour theming, spatial sequences or materiality and architecture.

Our current change of direction towards a more sustainable world, to ecological planting and habitat re-instatement, compensating for their loss in the wider landscape, to urban tree planting and rewilding are all signalling a sea change, meaning that untidiness is to be valued and promoted as the new paradigm. Science is on our side in this endeavour, but are our clients listening?

Many rely on the advice of parents or grandparents when planning a garden. Unless those older generations are well read and have managed to stay up to date, then their guidance is fundamentally out of date. As James Hitchmough pointed out several years ago at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, many reference books deliver a similar obsolete message, also being influenced by earlier key texts.

The RHS itself has managed to dramatically change its outlook and message as a great influencer in gardens and gardening, but that aesthetic of definition, control and order is a difficult one to shift.

Ultimately, it may well be climate change that forces our hand as a nation. With lawns that resembled sand dune communities last year, along with hosepipe bans and water shortages in many areas, the reality of our current situation should be a wake-up call for everyone.

ANDREW WILSON

The lawn is virtually a British institution but under threat as a feature of our gardens, admired and reviled in equal measure. What does the future hold, questions Andrew Wilson

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

Untidiness is to be valued and promoted as the new paradigm. Science is on our side in this endeavour, but are our clients listening?

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“Colorless green ideas SLEEP FURIOUSLY”

Intelligent investment in our streets tackles numerous crises, highlights Christopher Martin

This month we’re celebrating the Green Issue here at Pro Landscaper. You’ll be thinking of luscious planting, majestic trees, rolling Capability Brown landscapes, maybe even conjuring up images of The Hay Wain. But the green I want to focus on this month, is money.

This is because, as I am sure hasn’t passed you by, we are in an affordability crisis, not to mention a climate crisis, obesity crisis, a housing crisis, and a mental health crisis just to name a few. We are at a very difficult junction, and because of this, coupled with the added financial pressures we are facing, we need to ensure that we use our available resources to tackle these crises in the most cost effective and efficient ways.

We need interventions by political leaders to target the areas that yield the most benefit for the most people. How we shape cities has to be governed by what yields the maximum return on investment for people and society, from the space we have available, and if 80% of public space in London is streets, then streets are on the front line of investment opportunity.

services. Targeted investment in streets enable people to move about in more cost-effective ways, alleviating transport poverty.

We need

We need to view streets as the valuable assets they are – to move away from nostalgic or learned behaviours and views of what streets are and ensure that streets are delivering a public good at the very least. And we must not see this public good as a cost to be negotiated away once planning permission has been obtained, or concept designs supported. It should be the benchmark that all new developments and streetscape projects meet. There is a need for a publicly recognisable scheme that makes people immediately aware that proposals – neighbourhood developments especially, but also streetscape design projects – will be good for them and deliver a public good, much like the Lion Eggs symbol that aimed to eradicate salmonella. This recognisable scheme is what we need to release the energy of the private sector and put value in the service of values. By aligning society and community behind a common view, ambition and outcome, we can make it profitable to be part of the solution and costly to be part of the problem.

Investment in streets can help us better manage surface water, seeing water as an asset rather than an inconvenience. We need investment in streets to target the urban heat island effect to make cities better places to live. As well as a host of environmental factors, streets can also tackle social isolation and loneliness, Donald Appleyard showed us how in the 1960s. And moving beyond physical and mental health, in the last quarter of 2022, 86% of UK adults said they were concerned about day-to-day living costs, with 54% being very concerned, yet our streets and neighbourhoods on the whole require people to drive to access opportunity, leisure, and essential

CHRISTOPHER MARTIN

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

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

to view streets as the valuable assets they are – to move away from nostalgic or learned behaviours and views of what streets are

GREEN SPACES

of tomorrow

Landscape architect Simon

King Charles recently unveiled his plans to create a new biodiverse garden on his Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Whilst the design of the garden is formal in composition, the planting design will include over 5,000 yew tree hedging plants, lavender and thousands of herbaceous plants, with a focus on robust and hardy plants better suited to withstanding the impact of climate change and our changing weather patterns.

Creating a better, more sustainable world by enhancing the environment and finding solutions to tackle the climate emergency should be at the core of what we as landscape architects and engineers should consider on every project.

As climate change becomes an ever-increasing threat, our urban streets, parks and buildings must find ways to adapt and become more resilient. In Britain, we have a rich heritage of public parks and green spaces and they offer our communities access to fresh air and provide intrinsic environmental and recreation benefits.

But they could be so much more. We think they could serve an important ecological role in helping to enhance biodiversity and provide essential green and blue infrastructure for local communities and wildlife populations. By creating wilder, more natural parks with a greater variety of flora and fauna, our towns and cities can help promote climate resiliency as well as increase the quality of life for their communities.

The benefits of such projects go beyond climate resiliency; they also aid in reducing air pollution and noise levels, filtering water runoff from impermeable surfaces, increasing physical activity, providing food sources for humans and wildlife, as well as offering a refuge for native species to thrive.

With climate change already having a major impact on many city parks, it is crucial that we start taking steps to create more appropriate green spaces now to ensure the longevity and expansion of these beneficial ecosystems.

Creating these parks of the future will require sustainable planning and

management. This includes incorporating climate-resilient designs such as green and blue roofs and living walls; utilising xeriscaping techniques to reduce water usage; creating habitats with diverse flora and fauna linked to extensive sustainable drainage networks, minimizing disruption from development activities; and ensuring that park users are respectful of the environment around them.

While these projects may be challenging to implement, the payoff is significant in terms of climate change mitigation, flood resilience, improved air and water quality, biodiversity conservation and enhanced mental health.

The towns and cities of the future will need to prioritise green infrastructure investments and ensure these projects are effectively implemented. Only through careful planning and a commitment to climate resilience can we create wilder, more natural parks that can withstand climate change. With this effort, we can make sure parks and open spaces benefit our communities for generations to come.

SIMON RICHARDS

Simon Richards founded Land Studio in 2016 to create a nature-led landscape architecture and engineering practice with a key aim of connecting people with nature whilst maximising the potential of the land they work on. Land Studio is based in Chester and North Wales and works throughout the UK. landstudio-uk.com

Richards shares why creating wilder, more natural parks could unlock the future for our towns and cities

By creating wilder, more natural parks with a greater variety of flora and fauna, our towns and cities can help promote climate resiliency as well as increase the quality of life for their communities

AS K THE EXPERTS

How can I convince clients to choose a more sustainable garden?

Knowledge is power when it comes to encouraging clients towards environmentally friendly alternatives, explains Sarah

Ialways tow the honest line, no beating about the bush – I tell ‘em straight! As with everything else in life, it’s about clear and effective communication. However, do it with a great deal of respect for their views and opinions and lead them to a responsible choice.

Saying ‘no’ to a request requires a positive and attractive alternative.

As we know, there are no problems, only solutions, and sometimes these involve compromise on both sides. Compromise has a bad reputation, but sometimes it creates the best solutions with all parties feeling listened to. In this situation, the client is gently lead and, on gaining confidence, will often jump fully on board. As we know, people are

The panel

HOLLY YOUDE

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

JAKE CATLING

Eberle

generally unsure and fearful of the unknown. We need to be prepared for these conversations in advance (hopefully we won’t need to be) but scrambling around for viable alternatives when put on the spot is not a professional look and will not build confidence. Make sure you have done your research and know your subject. I find that clients are welcome to innovation and responsible design and construction, but they need to have confidence in your knowledge in leading them to alternative solutions. Don’t forget the power of suggestion and hopefully clients will act in a positive manner and ultimately take responsibility with pride.

Clients can become quite excited and animated if you are. Make the most of a challenge and understand that this will increase your understanding and knowledge too. Accept difficulty and challenge as a protagonist of excellent design, as the greater the problem, the greater the potential solution that arises from in-depth research and development. Very rarely do clients respond poorly, and after lots of discussion and detail if they still want to proceed against your advice, I kindly suggest I am not the designer for them.

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

KEN WHITE

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

ROSEMARY COLDSTREAM

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

SARAH EBERLE

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

People are generally unsure and fearful of the unknown. We need to be prepared for these conversations in advance

FAKE OR BREAK?

Despite years of condemnation from environmental groups, 2022 felt like the period in which the artificial grass debate finally reached boiling point.

It was the year that saw Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, move to ban artificial lawns in housing developments. However, it should be noted that this will not extend to homeowners or sports pitches, and will therefore have no effect on the reported 29% of households considering the switch to artificial grass.

That’s on top of an estimated 10% of UK homeowners who have already implemented fake lawns, which equates to over 24 million households.

2022 also saw Plastics Rebellion pen an open letter to Defra, campaigning to ban sales of artificial grass in the UK entirely, while the Royal Horticultural Society announced in May that fake grass would be prohibited

A mid ever-increasing controversy surrounding the green credentials of artificial grass , Pro Landscaper contemplates pros, cons and alternate solutions

at the Chelsea Flower Show because it did not fit with its stance on biodiversity and the environment.

A matter of convenience

All-weather aesthetics, a lack of mud and maintenance and drought resistance have persuaded homeowners to install artificial grass for a number of years. Yet while the products on the market in 2023 are a marked improvement on those first seen in the 1960s, its recyclability remains a major source of ire from environmental groups and media alike.

In November, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled against Perfectly Green, an artificial grass supplier which marketed one of its products as “recyclable”.

The ASA said at the time, “it doesn’t matter if something is recyclable in principle; what matters is if there are actual facilities to recycle it. If these facilities don’t yet exist, then this product isn’t currently recyclable.”

All-weather aesthetics, a lack of mud and maintenance and drought resistance have persuaded homeowners to install artificial grass for a number of years

Perfectly Green accepted the ruling, adding that: “We do expect such facilities to be available in the next few years.”

Indeed, there does not appear to be a viable method of recycling artificial grass – at least in the UK. Supplier Royal Grass has established a partnership with Danish recycling company GBN AGR to offer its customers the opportunity to have their fake lawns collected and recycled. It would appear the initiative is available only in the Netherlands and Belgium, though Royal Grass has previously stated its intention to expand the offering to other countries. “At a later stage, we want to reuse the recycled plastic for the production of new artificial grass to complete the circle,” it said in 2022. But what is it that makes artificial grass so difficult to recycle?

“It is a technically difficult process because the blades of grass and the cloth to which the blades are attached are made of plastic while the underlayer is usually made of latex,” Royal Grass explains. “These different materials first have to be separated before the artificial grass carpet can be recycled.

“Separating the different materials is an expensive process and most recycling companies do not have the technical capacity required for this. GBN AGR however has developed a patented technique to separate and recycle the different materials.”

The supplier was unavailable for comment when approached by Pro Landscaper for an update on its recycling expansion plans.

Sustainable alternatives

Pro Landscaper asked Lynne Marcus and Charlotte Howard for two alternate garden designs for projects that might typically implement artificial grass

LYNNE MARCUS

A shady garden for a wheelchair user

• Pathways through shade-tolerant planting beds, designed to be wide and smooth enough to take a wheelchair, offer a wonderful opportunity to be immersed in nature. Path materials could include a boardwalk (recycled wood or eco wood), self-binding gravel, which becomes mossy in the shade adding to its charm, paving bedded into gravel to increase traction but still allow water to penetrate the soil.

• Planting could be lifted into linear or curving, single or varied height raised beds to better envelop the meanderer, to reach out and touch.

• A canopy of ornamental trees creates a natural pergola to enter and low maintenance, shade tolerant shrubs, ferns, grasses, perennials and bulbs knit together to create ever changing form, texture and movement. A small, woodland seating area should be incorporated to park in and share a glass of wine with friends.

CHARLOTTE HOWARD

A hay fever sufferer in the city has little time for gardening but wants a green space in which to relax

• Hay fever is one of many examples of an increase in allergies and sensitivities which is linked to the many toxic chemicals we are exposed to every day, including plastics. Pollen travels for miles, so encasing your garden in plastic and destroying the soil (which can actually help build your immunity) unfortunately doesn’t work.

• Grass is the most common hay fever trigger. The best way to avoid reactions is to stop grass from producing pollen, and the easiest way to do this is regular mowing. If you don’t have the time to mow, you can employ a gardener for several years or buy a robo mower for much less than the price of plastic lawn!

• Avoid wind-pollinated plants and, when it comes to shrubs, opt for non-flowering Pittosporum, Viburnum 'Opulus' and V. bodnantense ‘Dawn’. Pear trees are also great. Choose female versions of dioesious plants which only bear fruit, not flowers.

Separating the different materials is an expensive process and most recycling companies do not have the technical capacity required for this

UNLOCK THE SECRETS TO STUNNING LANDSCAPES WITH TALASEY

THE LANDSCAPE INSTITUTE? WHAT NEXT FOR

Following a well-documented and turbulent year for the Landscape Institute (LI) and former president-elect Brodie McAllister, both parties claim they are keen to “move on” in 2023. Unfortunately for all involved, this may well be the only thing they can agree on.

It is now eight months since McAllister was due to take over as president, yet from the outside, it does not appear that that dispute has made meaningful progress. The former president-elect

continues to call for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM), and the LI remains relatively tight-lipped.

Speaking to Pro Landscaper, the pair provided contrasting reports on the organisation’s AGM in December. The LI described it as a “positive close to 2022”, while McAllister called it “difficult”, claiming an “unprecedented” number (“nearly 100”) voted not to accept the Annual Report of the Trustees, while a further 54 apparently abstained.

“Unhappy members have submitted a formal complaint claiming that the format of the AGM was not in accordance with official guidance. According to Charity Commission requirements, a meeting is only valid if people can see and hear each other and if most trustees are present to ensure accountability. During the Zoom meeting, it was not possible to see who was present and also the chat function was disabled so that members could not communicate. There was a technical problem preventing many from participating in the Q&A.”

HE SAID

HE SAID

THEY SAID

“Nearly 250 people attended online. We allocated significant time to answering members' questions on the activities of the Institute over the past months and had a robust discussion about the conduct case. All the motions were approved and in closing the meeting, the vice president made it clear that the Institute was a modern, supportive professional body that would not hold with the conduct and behaviour demonstrated by the former president-elect nor that of his group of supporters, and that it would continue to address any conduct matters as part of its role as a self-regulatory body.

McAllister claims that, presidency queries aside, questions covered high staff turnover, spending exceeding income, poor support for the library and archive and why there was no in-person AGM. “I believe this is indicative of a deeper problem within the LI, that there has been a failure to deliver on strategy and that parts of the Institute are dysfunctional. This situation has been building up for some time and I had hoped to be able to help restore it to the organisation so many of us loved and passionately supported for years. The Universities are not receiving the support they deserve, the branches are becoming defunct, our public sector members are not acknowledged and many members are not renewing their subscriptions including the parks sector. If the LI continues to be divided, I fear for the future of the profession.”

“The vice president emphasised that the matter of the conduct case was closed and that the Institute needed to move on from this and focus its attention on the priorities for the vast majority of our members that we have heard in last autumn’s nationwide events. Namely showing the value of the profession in tackling the major challenges we face as a profession and in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.”

THEY SAID

As legal disputes continue, Pro Landscaper provides an update on the state of play at the Landscape Institute in 2023

EGM ahead?

McAllister claims that over 130 senior members, including seven past presidents, have petitioned for an EGM requesting independent arbitration over the “ousting and then defamation of incoming president”.

He believes an EGM would be the “first step towards resolution and constructive reconciliation”. “Lessons learned from an EGM would be vital,” McAllister says. “They would build on an independent review which happened years ago and was supposed to ensure future disputes were avoided, yet has not been properly implemented.”

The former president-elect accuses the Board of Trustees of “persistently refusing” to hold ‘peace talks’ with “those who feel that there has been injustice and that the actions have not been fair and

proportionate or in the interests of the Institute’s members as a whole”.

He continues, “The Institute’s future cannot involve ignoring this, believing it has had its way behind closed doors so will move on, because fundamental questions remain unanswered and a significant group of members do not feel they can trust anyone except a truly independent arbitrator. Without this, a stain on the Institute’s reputation lingers.”

An LI spokesperson did not directly address the issue of the EGM, instead focusing on its wider aims for a new chapter in 2023.

“The profession has an important opportunity to influence how the country takes forward its growth and climate and biodiversity agendas and to

CHRIS CHURCHMAN, MEMBER OF THE LI

For some of us, 2022 was incredibly challenging. However, out of that adversity came an understanding that there was a shared concern about needing to speak up for what is valuable to us. An Institute is only strong if as members we are willing to engage, to call out falsehoods and misinformation. The narrative that emerged toward the back end of the year was a reaffirmation of what collectively we stand for. I suspect

that jointly and individually we have emerged much stronger from the process, painful as it was at the time. The way forward has to be to build a body that is progressive, inclusive, collaborative and representative.

Our Institute is at the threshold of entering the most exciting, most opportunistic time since it was formed, but to grasp the possibilities it offers we need people who can look forward with a clarity of vision, who have the foresight and imagination

drive growth in our sector. This is the Institute’s priority for 2023,” the spokesperson said.

“Our focus will be on delivering our new corporate strategy and programme of work which builds on the clear priorities we identified through our workshops with members last year and the sector skills survey research.”

The LI intends to announce plans for its 2023 Officer and Council Elections following its Advisory Council meeting at the end of February.

to seek out and embrace new lines of enquiry, new thinking, new avenues.

Climate change will drive a pace of change across society which none of us have witnessed before and we need an Institute which is focused on rising to that challenge. That might mean a different Institute, it might need to offer different ways to engage with it and it might involve a process of transformation which will take time, but we need to be willing companions on that journey.

The way forward has to be to build a body that is progressive, inclusive, collaborative and representative

The profession has an important opportunity to influence how the country takes forward its growth and climate and biodiversity agendas and to drive growth in our sector. This is the Institute’s priority for 2023

LI spokesperson

The Institute’s future cannot involve ignoring this, believing it has had its way behind closed doors so will move on, because fundamental questions remain unanswered

Brodie McAllister, former president-elect

.”

Pro Landscaper sits down with 30 Under 30 alumna and award-winning garden and landscape designer Alexandra Noble

After a number of TV and radio features and a host of RHS show garden exhibits, it’s hard to picture Alexandra Noble working on anything but garden and landscape design. It’s for this reason that her qualifications make for somewhat surprising reading.

She initially undertook an Art Foundation at Brighton University before achieving a Bachelors and Masters in Architecture from University of Bath. “At the time, I was actually tempted to go into sculpture or fine art,” says Noble. “From a very early age, I always loved visiting unusual spaces and buildings. I was always fascinated by architecture wherever I travelled.”

She spent six years in Bath, which she describes as “an inspiring place”. “I loved the studio environment and all of the creative collaboration that comes with it,” Noble shares. “During the course, we were often partnered with structural engineers to ensure that what we were designing could actually translate into reality. It was such a valuable experience.”

Even as she began studying her Masters degree, Noble still had not considered landscape architecture as a career. However, the course’s focus on urban design ultimately resulted in an unexpected change in direction. “I really enjoyed the more landscape-focused projects,” she explains. “One project, in particular, had us designing a park in London, and I began to think that I was perhaps on the wrong path.”

“THE POPULATION HAS FOUND SOLACE IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY WITHIN GARDENS, PARKS AND THE WIDER LANDSCAPE. GREEN SPACES HAVE NEVER FELT MORE VITAL FOR OUR WELL-BEING

Thankfully, the pivot to landscape design was not a dramatic change of career paths. “Naturally it does require a different knowledge base, but there are plenty of transferable skills,” Noble explains.

A foot in the door

Towards the end of her Masters, she began applying to landscape architecture practices, eventually landing a job in London. It was around this time that Noble entered – and was victorious – in a One Show competition and her standing in the industry began to grow.

The win gave her the opportunity to design a garden for Hampton Court Palace

Flower Show in 2014, which she describes as “an amazing experience and a great introduction to the industry”.

“It was fantastic because I got to meet many contractors as well as other designers on-site,” Noble says.

“I was mentored by Adam Frost who guided me through plant selection and explained the ins and outs of show garden installation." With confidenceever growing that she was where she wanted to be, Noble studied for an RHS Level 2 qualification in Horticulture at Capel Manor in Regent’s Park.

“I’ve been interested in plants ever since I was a child,” she explains. “I have fond memories of my grandpa talking me through all the fruit and herbs he was growing in his

garden, and that always stuck with me. Even so, I certainly felt I needed to acquire more horticulture knowledge. Though my interest and excitement were growing, I felt on the back foot at that moment in time. I definitely didn’t feel ready to launch my own business.”

“After the [Hampton Court Palace Flower Show], I decided that I needed to work for other designers and companies for a while, to build that knowledge and experience.”

As a result, Noble spent almost two years at the studio of Luciano Giubbilei and subsequently freelanced for Jo Thompson. She was named in Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30: The Next Generation in 2017 – incidentally, the year she decided to open her own business.

Setting up shop

Having initially been keen on the idea of freelance work – giving her freedom to travel – she instead decided to launch Alexandra Noble Design. “I’m not entirely sure what triggered it,” Noble says. “I got to a point, I suppose with growing confidence, where I thought I’d like to give my own business a try.”

Six years on, it’s fair to say that the garden and landscape design practice — which specialises in residential projects — has been a resounding success. Noble’s reputation has taken her beyond London, with various projects stretching far across the UK.

Her conceptual approach “reimagines traditional perceptions of garden design”, balancing minimalism and maximalism with the use of structural lines and flower-rich planting.

Noble’s designs begin on reams of tracing paper and see many iterations before reaching finalisation. From this exhaustive process comes a space designed to appear effortless; exacting hardscaping softened by an “overspilling abundance” of flowers and verdure. The designer’s gardens have been featured on numerous programmes such as Gardener’s World and BBC Radio 4. Not content with her debut at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, she has gone on to exhibit show garden installations at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Chelsea in Bloom.

Noble does not hesitate when asked for her proudest career moment to date — despite an impressive list of options to choose from. “I was ecstatic to win the People’s Choice at Hampton Court in 2018,” she shares. “It was quite a low-budget project due to the small space, and it was fantastic to know that the public reacted so well to the design.

I was ecstatic to win the People’s Choice at Hampton Court in 2018... it was fantastic to know that the public reacted so well to the design

"It was early days for my business, so it was great to have that really warm reception. That’s definitely been the highlight of my business career.”

After such success in a short space of time, however, Noble continues to implement her architectural roots as inspiration for her designs. “There’s always an architectural element to it,” she explains. “I really enjoy the materiality side of things. But I don’t want planting to seem too architectural. I want it to be quite wild and natural.

“It’s a mix of those two elements. At this moment in time, I’m a very plant-focused designer. I want to incorporate the maximum amount of planting space that I can in a garden.

"It wasn’t always the case – I think it’s something that’s happened as I’ve matured as a designer. Gardens where you’re surrounded by green and immensed within the plants are the most successful in my opinion.

Noble’s top tips fordesignersaspiring

 “I would recommend getting to grips with one of the CAD programmes. In my design process, I sketch everything out by hand. But as soon as that gets firmed up and I want to do a planting plan or measure drawing, CAD is invaluable. That’s my number one tip. It really helps you speed up the process when it comes to revisions on site or due to an indecisive client!"

Like many in the horticulture and landscaping industries, the Covid-19 pandemic brought a surge in business which would appear to have only increased Noble’s reputation further. “I had some projects cancelled just after lockdown was announced,” she explains.

“It was a little bit quiet in that immediate month, but enquiries picked back up fairly quickly.

“Over the past couple of years, the population has found solace in the face of uncertainty within gardens, parks and the wider landscape. Green spaces have never felt more vital for wellbeing.

“On a domestic scale, I’ve noticed an increase in clients desiring an informal, natural feel within their urban plots. This wilder aesthetic might be celebrated, for example, via environmentally beneficial practices, such as

1 The Health and Wellbeing Garden at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2018. Build by Burnham Landscaping ©Alexandra Noble

2 Planting design at a residence overlooking Hampstead Heath ©Alexandra Noble

 "If you are able, work at a practice you admire and ensure you learn and understand how they run projects. Get a feel for working in a team and understanding the software they use."

 "Look out for opportunities via the RHS or BBC Gardeners World. The shows are fantastic, and there are often sponsored opportunities for new designers to create borders or show gardens. I found it so helpful to be able to speak to the public, meet potential clients, and get portfolio imagery early on."

There’s always an architectural element to it, I really enjoy the materiality side of things. But I don’t want the planting to seem too architectural.

I want it to be quite wild and natural

leaving seedheads over winter, mowing less frequently, allowing plants to grow between paving, and welcoming mosses and lichens.

“As a practical example of promoting sustainability, I’m strongly advocating the environmental benefits of a natural lawn for those clients who request artificial grass, and declining commissions should the client be adamant that artificial grass is the only way forward.

I’m also reinforcing the message to clients and friends outside the industry about the importance of peat-free and organic growing methods.”

Her consistent and dedicated approach to sustainability is demonstrated by a 2020 interview with Vogue. “The projects that strike fear into my heart are the ones where people request artificial grass,” she said at the time. “I do sometimes think, ‘Have you looked at my website?’”

More excitement ahead

Inevitably, the pandemic-driven bubble did eventually burst, replaced by the cost of living crisis, but Noble shows no signs of slowing down. “I’ve noticed a real increase in the price of garden construction from when I started my business six years ago to present day – it’s completely understandable and reasonable in the context of everything that is going on. Unfortunately, our money doesn’t go as far as it used to!”

Noble is now looking forward to an "exciting” 2023. “I have a few London projects in the diary. I also received a show garden enquiry and I have a potential project in Tuscany… fingers crossed!”

3 Balcony of Blooms at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. Build by The Landscaping Consultants. ©Alexandra Noble

4 West London courtyard with Prunus ‘Accolade’ ©Arnaud Mortimer/Home Exposure

Gardens where you’re surrounded by green and immersed within the plants are the most successful spaces

An outdoor room for FOR RETIRING

ANDREA NEWILL GARDEN DESIGN PRIVATE RESIDENCE, BERKSHIRE

With retirement imminent, the clients for this West Berkshire-based space were looking for both the house and garden to suit their new lifestyle. They commissioned an architect to design an extension for the house, which would enlarge the kitchen and include new bifold doors extending across this new addition. Floor-to-ceiling glass panels looked out onto the garden, which would be redeveloped once the extension had been completed.

The extension opened up the interior of the house to the garden, and so the redesign of the garden needed to make the most of this, with a strong connection between the interior and exterior. The style

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value

£120k

Build time 6 months

Size of project 270m2

was to be contemporary, with a varied palette of textures and materials to add interest and contrast with the planting.

Though the garden was small, the design needed to include well-defined functional areas, with spaces to accommodate dining, lounging, a fire pit and a space to grow vegetables. A water feature was required as well as lighting. There also needed to be focal points, which was achieved by careful placement of sculptures, along with walkways to garden areas hidden from view, which gave the illusion of more space.

The original design also needed to consider the potential addition in the future of a studio and hot tub, though the client decided to add these in once the build had started.

Planting was to be naturalistic with swathes of perennial planting and grasses to soften the hard landscaping, with feature multi-stemmed shrubs and trees mostly for screening. The roots of mature lime trees under tree protection orders in the neighbouring garden had to be taken into consideration for any landscaping works.

Connecting spaces

Responding to the brief, Andrea Newill Garden Design created a great connection between the house to the garden, with a large raised dining terrace and a level threshold to the new kitchen-diner via bifold doors. A further seating area was positioned to the side of the house with a cantilever bench set into raised planters.

Unity was achieved with porcelain paving matching the kitchen, as well as being used to clad the planter. The roots of the neighbouring lime trees were protected by retaining the ground level with aluminium retaining walls – powder coated grey – which also created a strong structural impact in the garden. In addition, matching aluminium planters were

used against the house and acting as dividers within borders, as well as for growing vegetables. A large grey aluminium water table was also positioned amongst the planting. Bands of charcoal granite setts contrasted with the porcelain, and a grey aluminium pergola with an awning provided a lounging area around the fire pit, with an adjacent hot tub and another pergola framing the path leading to the studio.

The soil was gravel over clay, and so it was decided that the team would work with this medium rather than replacing all the existing soil, with the addition of organic matter. Subsequently, plants were chosen with drought tolerance in mind, which was fortuitous with the drought and high

temperatures that followed the spring planting. The palette comprised an array of perennials and grasses, with multi-stemmed trees such as Arbutus unedo, Acer griseum and Cornus kousa selected as feature plants, with pleached Carpinus screening the property to the rear. The colour palette was chosen to complement/contrast the dark grey aluminium raised beds and planters. Bulbs were planted in the following autumn.

1 Cedar bench in porcelain clad planter

2 View across the raised terrace to the studio

3 Sofa set positioned around the fire pit

4 The bespoke sculpture provides a focal point

5 The bespoke aluminium arch frames a path leading to the studio

Supply challenges

Construction of the new garden began late in the summer of 2021 and was scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. However, supply chain issues caused by the pandemic meant that there were delays in some of the materials being delivered as well as price increases to contend with. The landscape team was also working on multiple projects, so there were periods of inactivity. A plant supplier (not listed in the references) then proved to be unreliable, delivering plants in a “substandard condition” and others turned out to not be the variety specified, so replacements were required – a challenge Andrea Newill says she has not encountered in more than 20 years in the industry.

However, the plants were replaced and material substitutions with shorter lead times were sourced, allowing the build to be completed at the start of last year and creating the perfect space for the now-retired couple.

REFERENCES

Landscape contractor J Drewe Landscapes jdrewelandscaping.co.uk

Lighting and all electrics Scenic Lighting sceniclighting.com

Fire pit Solus Décor solusdecor.co.uk

Aluminium retaining walls, water table, aluminium planters Adezz adezz.com

Pergola and bespoke arch Harrod Horticultural harrodhorticultural.com

Porcelain paving and sawn granite setts London Stone londonstone.co.uk

Studio Green Retreats greenretreats.co.uk

Hot tub Walfins walfinshottubs.co.uk

Pleached trees Kingsdown Nurseries kingsdown-uk.com

Sculpture Mark Stonestreet mstonestreet.com

ABOUT

Andrea Newill is an award-winning garden designer with more than 20 years’ experience in designing beautiful, practical gardens. Andrea’s designs ensure that each new garden is in accord with its house and surroundings, whilst maintaining core principals of sustainability, ecology and value for money. andreanewill.co.uk

6 Garden blends seamlessly with the house extension 7 Hydrangea 'Annabelle' features amongst shade-loving planting in the raised beds Photographs ©Anna Omiotek-Tott

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PROJECT DETAILS

Project value

£521k (£454k construction, £67k maintenance)

Build time

6 months

Size of project 2,600m2 (soft landscaping) Awards

BALI National Landscape Award 2021 Winner

THE BARRaising

Seven high-rise buildings overlook the podium landscape at Canada Gardens. The private public realm, also known as ‘plot E03’, forms part of the wider masterplan for Wembley Park, one of London’s newest neighbourhoods. It sits on the fourth floor, above a 160-space coach park with the iconic Wembley Stadium as a backdrop.

GODDARDS (LANDSCAPE CONTRACTORS) LTD

E03 CANADA GARDENS, LONDON

The new elevated oasis, situated in Brent, needed to provide spaces for families, pets, children to play and areas for residents to work from home. Summerhouses with electricity and WiFi were included for the latter, as well as a BBQ and a bar area for the residents to entertain. To encourage residents to grow their own produce, allotments and raised beds were created,

with greenhouses and sheds with tools. Wembley Park has set up a gardening club to help share skills to make the most of the space.

Seasonal interest

Goddards (Landscape Contractors) Ltd took the first delivery of plants in November 2019 and had to tackle a global pandemic before

being able to complete the soft landscaping at Canada Gardens in 2020. The carefully chosen planting scheme includes herbaceous perennials such as Liriope muscari, Geranium macrorrhizum and Alchemilla mollis, as well as grasses such as Libertia formosa and Carex comans ‘Frosted Curls’. Shrubs include Ilex crenata, Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ and Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus Group', with ferns Polystichum aculeatum and Asplenium scolopendrium being woven into the scheme.

The planting needed to look as mature as possible, to give the impression of it having

been there for a longer period of time. So, 100 individually tagged extra heavy standard and semi-mature Airpotted trees were planted. Each of the trees, such as Amelanchier lamarckii, were around four metres in height and at least 20cm in girth. Not only do they add height and visual appeal, but they also add a layer of privacy for residents. For further screening, apartments on the same level as the podium landscape have small courtyards lined with evergreen hedging. There is also a large area of lawn, around 800m2, and two areas of artificial

grass for the ‘dog parks’ on site, each fenced off with planting around the edges. To create seasonal interest, the bulbs were chosen to flower throughout the year, with some in early spring, late spring, early summer and in the autumn. These included Galanthus nivalis, Narcissus cyclamineus 'February Gold'. The majority of the trees are native and flowering, with the intention of enhancing the biodiversity of the area. This is supported by insect houses, big hotels, as well as hibernacula and refugia for beetles, with plans to add beehives to the gardens as well.

Head for heights

Plants, trees and shrubs all had to be carefully chosen for the site, thanks to its location as a podium landscape and the impact of being surrounded by high-rise buildings. The apartments overlooking open spaces each had to have three-metre-high glass screens which not only get incredibly

1 Looking North across the podium

2 Raised planters and a bespoke timber workstation set within tree planting belt

3 View of the outdoor kitchens and clubhouse

4 Planters and workstation set within shrub beds

hot but also reflect sunlight, scorching the ground. The long block of flats along the southern boundary and three blocks at a 45° angle create shade at certain times of day and leave bright sunlight at others, whilst some areas receive no direct sunlight at all. Maintenance can be somewhat challenging as a result, with watering schedules adapting to the site’s needs.

Goddards maintains the sight three days a week using hand tools or battery powered equipment to keep noise to a minimum. The site is accessed via a small service lift, so the operative tends to plan ahead, carrying out tasks little and often rather than all in one go and utilising a tool store where Goddards can charge the batteries on site.

With no irrigation designed into the scheme, Goddards created a ‘leaky pipe’ irrigation system and installed an irrigation tube for each tree should additional watering be required. Each

planting bed also has a rainwater harvesting tank to create a more self-sufficient site and minimise water consumption.

It’s not just planting which had to be carefully considered for the podium gardens. Weight loading was a key concern, so specially formulated lightweight topsoil and subsoils were supplied, which had to be craned – along with all the other materials – up one side of the landscape. A small forklift was then used to transport the materials around the site, though some still had to be handled manually.

Nearly three years later, Canada Gardens is a thriving space for its residents, with additions such as a gardening club and beehives all part of plans for a continually enhancing oasis.

REFERENCES

Landscaping Goddards (Landscape Contractors) Ltd goddards-landscape.co.uk

Design PRP Landscape prp-co.uk

Plants Tamar Nurseries tamarnurseries.com

Trees

Lorenz von Ehren Nursery lve-baumschule.de

Compost, subsoil and topsoil Bourne Amenity bourneamenity.co.uk

Subsoil and topsoil MCM mcm-se.com

Mulch AHS Ltd ahs-ltd.co.uk

Tree anchoring systems Platipus Anchors platipus-anchors.com

Turf Lindum Turf turf.co.uk

ABOUT

Goddards (Landscape Contractors) Ltd is an established landscaping business with more than 40 years’ experience in the commercial and residential sectors. It offers soft landscaping and grounds maintenance as well as environmental, ecological and tree surgery services and runs its own nursery in Surrey for contract growing and containerisation services. goddards-landscape.co.uk

5 Private ground floor terraces screened with planting

Photographs ©Gary Britton Photography Ltd

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OF AGE Coming

CHILTERN GARDEN DESIGN

RESIDENTIAL GARDEN, AMERSHAM, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

With the clients’ children now in their late teens, they decided to upgrade the garden into more of an adult-focused area, with less space for play. They wanted a contemporary look but to avoid a minimalistic or clinical feel.

Towards the start of the first lockdown, the family had converted their garden room into the ideal ‘chill out’ space, with a pool table, TV, and a bar with draught beers on tap. With lockdowns behind us, they wanted it to be more for entertaining, dining, lounging and relaxing by a warming fire.

The rear of the house had been extended to create contemporary open plan living, with anthracite framed bi-fold doors giving extensive views into the garden from the kitchen and dining room areas. It was crucial to improve these views

PROJECT DETAILS

Project value

£170k

Build time 3 months

Size of project 600m2

and ensure the garden held the eye and could tempt people outside to explore further for a good proportion of the year.

Paving issues were to be addressed, as the existing paving was poorly laid and shifted, particularly the steps, and a smooth, durable path was required round to the rear of the bar to allow for beer deliveries. They wanted to retain a good-sized lawn space, to renovate an existing but dilapidated shed, and to improve the lighting scheme with functional and atmospheric lighting where necessary.

Undercover dining with a cooking space was requested near to the garden room, along with relaxed seating area for 20 people which would include a gas fire bowl to provide warmth and a focal point in the evenings. The clients would use their existing furniture for this space. For the planting, the clients wanted interest from early spring

right into the autumn, as well as evergreen structures and pollinator-friendly additions. The naturalistic planting was to be full and effusive, contrasting a sharp, contemporary style to the rear.

Down the line

The design bringing together these ideas is mostly linear, with clean lines and the large expanses of paving being broken up with small design details with draw the eye down the length of the garden.

Unused hardscape on the west side was removed to allow for more softscape – both lawn and planting – and seldom-used garden games were screened by clever mobile hedges on castors.

The level changes were reworked to create three wide and elegant steps up from the existing upper terrace to the deck, which

allows visitors to ‘float’ up to the final entertaining space under the pergola.

The bio-climatic pergola allows the family to entertain for a much longer season, with light, heat and shelter extending its use into cooler and wetter days and evenings. The outdoor kitchen positioned at this end of the garden allows the family to make full use of the entertaining space, easily accommodating barbecues for 20 or more people, with plenty of space for circulation around the dining table and into the bar for additional seating.

Views down and across the garden and back to the house have all been enhanced with planting. The main feature planting bed between the lawn and the entertaining spaces features naturalistic planting with a long season of interest, and strong zingy colours planted in bold drifts amongst textural grasses and selected structural shrubs and evergreens to hold the

scheme together all year round. It is broken up by a curvaceous path which snakes around the existing magnolia tree and round to the access point at the rear of the shed, providing hardstanding all year round to the beer store.

More than this, the path ties in the dark brick details that cut through the large format paving of the main terraces with the rest of the garden, and leading the eye through the planting, drawing the visitor in to explore further. The dark grey picks up on the contemporary anthracite door and window frames on the rear of the house, matching the planters too.

1 Contemporary entertaining spaces for all seasons

2 Sculptural focal point nestled in planting

3 Fire terrace captures the afternoon sun

4 Curving clay paver path invites exploration and constrasts with porcelain terrace and steps

5 Lighting enhances use of spaces into the evening

Planting design

At the heart of the of the garden is a large lawn in a formal arched shape, edged with steel, which means that the space still feels inviting for family games and play, whilst also setting off the surrounding planting, acting as a foil. At the apex of the arch a contemporary sculpture forms a focal point nestled amongst grasses and perennials, whilst a trio of standard liquidambar trees create a structural backdrop to the garden, underplanted with a range of lower growing grasses, ferns and perennials.

The west-facing border is quieter in summer, primarily planted with ferns and the repeating rhythm of six Acer palmatum ’Shin Desho-Jo’ which are green in summer. In spring and autumn this border comes alive with the Japanese maple foliage turning bright pink to steal the scene from the main borders at the start and end of the growing season.

The main planting beds are filled with an effusive prairie style mix for maximum seasonal interest, in both colour and form. The colour scheme was bright and zingy with hot pinks, purples and lime greens mingling with soft grasses to add energy to the space. These grasses include Stipa gigantica, Miscanthus sinensis ‘Kleine Silberspinne’ and Pennisetum ‘Fairy Tails’, with shrubs such as Callicarpa bodinieri var. Giraldii 'Profusion', Euphorbia mellifera and Euphorbia wulfenii

For the perennials, Chiltern Garden Design incorporated Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’, Lychnis coronaria, Echinacea purpurea ‘Pow Wow’, Geranium ‘Rozanne’, Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’ and Agastache barberi ‘Blue Fortune’. The main delivery of these was delayed, resulting in a truckload of hot,

dry plants arriving having been stuck in the lorry for days. These were planted late into the evening, with the client completing it over the weekend. All the existing hedging and the magnolia tree remained, and a number of Buxus balls and small olive trees were also kept. Through the planted area, permeable paving was laid and metal edging was used instead of concrete haunching. The impermeably paved area of the garden was reduced and a number of pollinator-friendly and habitatforming plants were introduced. The old paving that was removed was given to a family member to be re-laid, so that it didn’t end up in landfill. Through contemporary hard landscaping, softened with a series of planting, Chiltern Garden Design has recreated this garden as a space far more suitable for this family in Amersham.

REFERENCES

Landscape contractor J&S Scapes jands-scapes.co.uk

Versilia porcelain paving and composite decking by Millboard London Stone londonstone.co.uk

Titan Septima clay pavers by Vande Moortel Country Supplies countrysupplies.uk.com

Decorative outdoor tiles Artisans of Devizes artisansofdevizes.com

Fire table Solus Décor solusdecor.co.uk

Pergola by Biossun Cedar Nursery landscaping.co.uk

Laser cut panels Decori decori.co.uk

Planters Europlanters europlanters.com

Dining furniture by Royal Botania Indian Ocean indian-ocean.co.uk

Trees Deepdale deepdale-trees.co.uk

Chiltern Garden Design is the brainchild of Sam Proctor. Sam loves to create diverse and beautiful gardens in the market towns and countryside of Chiltern Hills. With a focus on client satisfaction, detail, atmosphere and style, Sam excels in bringing together disparate requirements to create a harmonious vision and seamless execution. chilterngardendesign.com

Perennials, shrubs and grasses Robin Tacchi Plants robintacchiplants.com

Bulbs Kingsdown kingsdown-uk.com

ABOUT

6 The bio-climactic pergola creates an idyllic spot Daytime photographs ©Nigel Proctor Photography (night photograph ©Chiltern Garden Design)

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2023 Special Features

Made in Britain

Highlighting the benefits of buying from British manufacturers, including sustainability and environmental impacts.

Demos and displays

Showcasing a range of product installs as well as Q&As with the experts.

Training, Education and Employment Village

To ensure we are offering the industry information it needs to continue its growth.

Urban Greening Zone

WITHOUT Contact the team to book Tom Dennison tom.dennison@eljays44.com 01903 777581 Colette Newby colette.newby@eljays44.com 01903 777585 Suzy Hall suzy.hall@eljays44.com 01903 777579

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Event

Taking the plunge

With more and more people wanting a pool in their garden, Dan Adams from Clear Water Revival takes a look at the swimming pool trends for the year ahead

The popularity of home swimming pools over recent years has soared. The ‘lockdown years’, coupled with glorious summer temperatures, provided a period of reflection as homeowners adopted a new way of living. With an increase in home exercising too, these factors have combined to create a growth in demand for swimming pools.

Counter Currents

So far this year, over 30% of our swimming pool enquiries have discussed incorporating a counter current. This increase in popularity is driven partly by a desire to maximise the home pool use for fitness and cardio training, and also partly to reduce the required footprint and water volume of the pool without reducing functionality which keeps install and running costs lower.

A counter current moves water within the pool, providing a similar sensation to

swimming against the tide, allowing users to swim in a stationary position. These can be integrated into the shell wall of the pool itself for a minimal aesthetic or can be temporarily fixed to the pool wall when in use, then removed and stored afterwards. There are several different brands, but typically we install the EVASteam or Hydrostar from European manufacturers. Both are available with different turbine strengths to allow amateur and professional swimmers to feel fully exercised and use in-pool turbines rather than external pumps, which means that the swimming current is smoother, lower noise and lower splashing, giving the client a much more realistic swimming experience.

Fibre Optic Lights

Modern fibre optic pool lights have several benefits over the old bulb lights or indeed the newer LED lights. Available in white or RGB, fibre optics emit a different kind of light that is softer and gentler to create a warm and welcoming swimming pool area. As well as creating an inviting ambience in and around the pool, fibre optics have several significant maintenance benefits too. Most

importantly, the ‘Light Source/Driver’ is housed separately in an accessible place like the plant room, and connected via fibre optic strands to the housing in the pool which means that there are no bulbs within the pool to change and therefore no need to drain the pool down to change or fix electrics at the pool side.

Finally, there is a ‘side emitting fibre’ option which instead of firing the light out the end, sends the light glowing out of the sides allowing them to be set in channels to create bars of light rather than traditional spotlights. They are typically more costly than other solutions, but flexibility, ease of maintenance and aesthetics, mean they should be considered.

Air Source Heat Pumps

It has been a common story that heating a swimming pool is expensive. But cost is relative and depends on several factors: what is the target temperature? How quickly do you want the water to heat up? How long is a swim season required (the colder winter months being much more expensive to heat a pool)? And importantly, what are you heating it with?

The world has moved on from direct electric heating or gas boilers coupled to heat exchangers. Air Source heat pumps are a viable, very quiet, cost-effective method for heating a swimming pool. Similarly to the well-known house variety, a pool air source heat pump uses electricity, and through refrigerants and compressors, steals heat from the air and transfers it to your pool water. Exact performance efficiency is hard to pin down as it depends on how big the pool and the ASHP are; how well insulated and covered the pool is; and a number of other factors. But if installed correctly, it is a very efficient heating method.

One Piece Pools

Pool shells are imagined as expensive concrete or block-built structures designed to keep pool water in and keep ground water out. They can take anywhere between two and six months to build and require a lot of complex design work. The concrete and steel used to construct them are not the most ecofriendly materials. However, there is an option that can build and install in a month, arrives fully water-proofed, doesn’t need tanking or tiling, and will bring your project cost down by 15% to 30% – one-piece pool shells.

Older varieties have a slightly patchy reputation, but one-piece pools have, with the advent of new materials and technologies, become a real visual contender which

deserve to be considered by anybody looking to install a small or medium sized pool. Our shells can be recycled and use a lot less concrete when they’re installed. In short, they look great, install quickly – excellent for any complex building programmes – require no tanking/tiling wet trades, and bring down costs. What’s not to love?

Smart Home Integrations

Home automation and the internet of things is expanding rapidly; very few areas of our lives are untouched, and pools are no exception. Swimming pools have various elements that can be integrated to work with smart home systems – be that Loxone, Control4, KNX or one of the other myriad varieties. Lights, covers, pool temperatures and pool cleaners are some of the main options to be controlled via apps or house system. Beyond those examples, a pool owner can automate pool filter backwashing cycle, removing the need to physically go to your pool’s plantroom to initiate the filter cleaning cycle.

POOLSIDE PRODUCTS

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Lighting for Gardens

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Air Source heat pumps are a viable, very quiet, cost-effective method for heating a swimming pool

BIOSECURITY: are we taking it seriously?

It is a hard fact that UK nurseries do not grow sufficient plants to meet the demand, not just for garden retail but also the wholesale trade feeding the garden design and landscape construction sectors. To meet this demand the landscape industry is dependent on plant supplies from across Europe and this, according to many, makes up 50% or even more.

UK nurseries who grow and trade the elements not grown here have mostly adapted to the post-Brexit requirements and red tape of advance notice of import to Defra/APHA, use of importing agents, phytosanitary certificates and additional haulage logistics. These have come with costs which the customer is having to pay, alongside some latent basic price rises too.

The price of some popular landscaping plants which could be considered “cheap as chips” have finally moved off their almost static prices from 20 years ago as growers need to meet the cost increases of basic materials and the living wage rises.

From the onset of the single market in 1992, barriers and phytosanitary restrictions to trade were removed and, as a consequence, the UK received a tidal wave of plant pests and pathogens, mostly on live plant imports (see Figure 1). These include: the

horse chestnut leaf miner, Phytophthora ramorum, oak processionary moth, ash dieback (also arrived on the wind), eight toothed spruce bark beetle – just to name a few of the 24 counted to date. Government also lists more than 1,000 potential threats to UK plants on its plant risk register. The threat from plant pests and diseases was quite high profile a few years ago but now appears to have lost some of its momentum. This poses the question, is our industry taking plant health seriously enough?

Our government is taking biosecurity seriously since being stimulated into action by the arrival of ash dieback disease in 2012. It has appointed a chief plant health officer, Professor Nicola Spence CBE (right), to lead on plant health. I have been speaking with Nicola to get an update on the government’s position. Under her leadership the number of plant health inspectors has increased by 200 since Brexit. In 2022, these inspectors carried out more than 80,000 inspections based on their risk analysis (see Plant Health Risk Register) and made over 500 plant pest interceptions requiring destruction and 1,600 interceptions for non-compliance to the import regulations. (Details can be found on the Plant Health portal – Action List.)

FIGURE 1: GRAPH SHOWING A CUMULATIVE INCREASE (COUNT ON LEFT AND TIME ON THE BOTTOM) IN THE NUMBER OF NEW PEST AND DISEASE OUTBREAKS AFFECTING TREES SINCE 1971. THE FREQUENCY OF OUTBREAKS HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE 2002 (FORESTRY COMMISSION)

Nick Coslett caught up with the UK’s chief plant health officer Nicola Spence to discuss the government’s next steps to prevent pests and diseases entering the country

The threat from plant pests and diseases was quite high profile a few years ago but now appears to have lost some of its momentum

XYLELLA FASTIDIOSA

These interceptions include plants and seeds for food production/use as well as trees and shrubs for amenity horticulture. The concern for landscape sector is trees and imports of Xylella host species.

Defra has just published a fresh plant biosecurity five-year strategy (2023 to 2028) which encompasses the devolved government areas too. It is also working with industry stakeholders, trade bodies and the Plant Healthy Certification Scheme who have updated their five-year plan too. This strategy is focused on four key outcomes:

As the UK is an island, it is easier to monitor the import of plants through the border crossing points. Although implementing the full post-Brexit Border Control Points – where plant loads, based on risk analysis, would be physically inspected before forwarding on to the importing nursery/ company – has been postponed for the moment. Plant loads will have already been visually inspected at the point of export across the water and given a clean bill of health in the form of a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC).

Physical UK plant health inspections are currently being done at the receiving nursery (point of destination) where regular importers have almost weekly inspections. If suspicious plants are found samples are fast tracked to the lab, but confirmation can take 10 to 14 days before the importing nursery can either release plants to trade /customers or destroy (at their cost) the plants.

Nurseries have become more plant health orientated and this awareness is percolating down to customers as well. However, only 32 nurseries and one public garden have become certified under the industries Plant Healthy Management Standard in its first full year of establishment. Although there are costs, certified members benefit from an audit of their systems, which upskills their own staff

and gives confidence to customers. There are hundreds of nurseries importing plants which should be performing to this Plant Health Management Standard – is yours? Therefore, there is still work to be done to increase awareness. Nicola said they are working toward making a Plant Healthy Certification a mandatory requirement for all public plant procurement (currently it is encouraged for tree planting schemes) and this would vastly increase uptake.

There is a useful free self-assessment tool on the Plant Healthy website where landscape architects, garden designers, landscape contractors, nurseries and public gardens/ collections, can assess their awareness and biosecurity risks (planthealthy.org.uk).

Defra values the benefits of all UK plants at an annual value of £15.7bn and is engaging with the general public to increase plant health awareness and citizen science with a Plant Health Week in May with International Plant Healthy Day on 12 May. The updated five-year strategy comes with some extra resources and, in addition to a new plant health laboratory at Alice Holt, there will also be a £5m investment in a Centre for Forest Protection. Government is currently focused on tree planting and forestry and less so for amenity/ornamental planting. There are grants for tree planting and after last year’s drought and subsequent planting failures, and

funds for restocking too. While there is also a Tree Production Innovation Fund for nurseries to improve their tree production, there is lightweight encouragement for nurseries to close the import gap by increasing UK production.

The importance of biosecurity to our industry has not gone away and there are still very real risks to UK plant health by importing infected plants. Those involved in procuring plants from reputable nurseries, please continue to engage in best practice and encourage those to gain the Plant Healthy Certification as a priority. Consider whether there are alternative UK-grown plants which can be utilised in schemes rather than imported plants. Our industry’s past record of introducing plant pests is not good and we must all remain aware and vigilant.

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

NICK COSLETT

1. A world-class biosecurity regime

2. A society that values healthy plants

3. A biosecure plant supply chain

4. An enhanced technical capability

The importance of biosecurity to our industry has not gone away and there are still very real risks to UK plant health by importing infected plants

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WORST-CASE scenarios

Climate change – we are all talking about it, but what might it actually mean? Much of the discussion centres around 1.0 or 1.5 or 2.0°C increases in temperature and what that might mean in terms of weather, drought stress, a different range of trees we should be planting and more, with the assumption being that there is a linear relationship between what we are doing to the atmosphere and temperature.

But what if the link is not like this, and that we have already destabilised the global climate system, and it has now got to the point of no return, with endless feedback loops making for hotter and hotter conditions, with all the consequent outcomes for life on earth – including us? This scenario may sound apocalyptic, but it is one that is being seriously considered by some climate scientists. 'Uninhabitable Earth' is one frightening possibility.

'Worst-case scenarios' may sound alarmist, but not to give them serious consideration would be a failure of our responsibility to each other and the global environment. Those of us in the landscape industry will face particular challenges, and so we have a special responsibility to consider these scenarios. In many cases it will be us who will be faced with the task of helping humanity cope with an increasingly testing situation.

Rising sea levels, severe regional droughts and rising temperatures would force many millions of people away from their homes. The results could be vast swathes of refugee camps and shanty towns. This forced move is already being dubbed 'the great displacement'. Many of our landscapes would be transformed. Land that is not being used to grow crops or serve some other use will come under enormous pressure to be turned over to food production.

Integrating micro-plots for growing vegetables or even calorie crops like cereals may become an essential skill in the landscape designer's toolkit, while the knowledge of how to create and maintain soil fertility part of the landscape contractors' skillset. Any non-productive areas will need to 'earn their keep' as morale-boosting ornamental greenery

for an increasingly tightly packed and severely stressed humanity. There will be little space for nature – what nature that remains will need to be managed tightly by us to ensure the survival of maximum biodiversity, and much of that may have to be the biodiversity that suits us.

The one positive here, and one that particularly concerns us, is the fact that there is only one technology proven to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere – tree planting. There is indeed some evidence that rapid tree growth following civilisational collapse has happened before. Growing trees could potentially suck huge amounts of this key greenhouse gas out of circulation, but it will need to be done on a massive scale. Selecting sites for tree planting, integrating trees more closely into environments where conventionally we have not grown trees, selecting species, overseeing their growth, managing them – all will be key tasks for our profession. We indeed may be the ones who can save the world?

NOEL KINGSBURY

Noel Kingsbury is a freelance designer, writer and researcher who has long promoted naturalistic planting design. He also teaches at Boston Architectural College. noelkingsbury.com

'Uninhabitable Earth' is one frightening possibility

Growing trees could potentially suck huge amounts of this key greenhouse gas out of circulation, but it will need to be done on a massive scale

The landscape industry’s role may evolve with the changing climate, says Noel Kingsbury

GREENWASHING? Is the government

Lewis Normand considers whether the government’s new environment plan goes far enough

As Kermit the Frog once famously sang, ‘It’s not easy being green!’ That said, it is probably easier now than ever before with the wealth of information on ways you can save energy, reduce waste, plant trees, eat local and so on. We all know that what we are doing isn’t enough to stop climate change progressing. We missed the boat and have missed every target thereafter to slow climate change worsening.

So, the question remains, should we bother to continue our mitigation efforts? Or, should we focus our scientific endeavours on making liveable our changed environment? The UK government has at a number of times been at odds with its previous policies on environmental protection; with re-opening fossil fuel extraction and protecting rivers only to allow vast amounts of raw sewage to be dumped into them being good examples.

As I write this, Defra minister Therese Coffey is launching the latest environment initiative on behalf of the government. A 10-goal plan called the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023, which is a revision of the 2018 25-year plan. Interestingly, having looked back at the 2018 plan under Michael Gove, the objective aims were much more specific than the broad brushstrokes of the new plan. Way back in the innocent, pre-Covid year of 2018, we were told specific problems would be met with

specific actions; now, we have a 25-year strategy which lists aims. Virtuous and important aims, but without much in the way of specific actions to realise them, other than when discussing those specifics already written into law, like making offshore wind farms easier to establish.

The primary goal of the new 10-point list of objectives is ‘Thriving Plants and Wildlife’, which is the dream of the environmentally conscious, but naïve when accepting that temperature has risen, and continues to as well. Most native plants and wildlife are now under threat, with a 2020 statistic of 11 of the 47 mammal species in the UK at critical risk of extinction and world animal populations having declined by 69% in the last 48 years (WWF 2022). The same is true of native plant species where decline is the only pattern we can see for decades. The aims of this revised plan really don’t do anything to change much that could benefit plant and wildlife, with the possible acceptance of the restoration of 35,000ha of peatland in England and Wales; 35,000 is a number that also appears when discussing the square miles of marine

waterways protected by the government in 2018. Famously (infamously) the government allowed them to be damaged by vast amounts of raw sewage which were dumped directly into waterways, with 2022 seemly a particularly bad year. It turns out that sewage companies were allowed to dump raw sewage into English waterways for a combined total of nearly 9.5 million hours of pumping between 2016 and 2021 according to the Environment Agency data. I want policy to lead the way, not spend too much time self-congratulating or ducking and diving to avoid difficult issues as this document does and instead come up with progressive strategies that have measurable targets.

I was pleased to note that Biosecurity Net Gain is mentioned again in this document and the November 2023 date reaffirmed as the date it will be enshrined into law. Sadly, there was no more detail on how it will be implemented, measured, or overseen when in place.

A lot of work is yet to be done clearly and we need strategies made based on well invested research, not hopes and dreams, or worse still thinly veiled lies.

LEWIS NORMAND

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

Way back in the innocent, pre-Covid year of 2018, we were told specific problems would be met with specific actions; now, we have a 25-year strategy which lists aims

PICTURE The bigger

It’s the traditional realm of most designers – replacing what is found at a site to create a new and coherent whole. The general design process remains unchanged for this final stage, but our approach ensures we keep biodiversity in mind when developing the design. This allows us to factor in opportunities and interventions wherever we can.

The first job is to pull back and view the site in the context of its surrounding landscape. This can be done simply on your phone with Google Maps and identifying wildlife corridors such as hedgerows, trees, or nearby watercourses so you can see the

There is a standard checklist of wildlife-friendly interventions which most of us can now list without the need to go into huge detail here:

• Add as many trees (of appropriate mature size) as can be sensibly accommodated

• Add a pond (or another pond, or ephemeral water holes)

• Use the right plant in the right place (not just to save the client money and maintenance effort but also to minimise soil disturbance so that soil biodiversity can thrive for the benefit of the biosphere as well as for the plants we add).

garden not as an island but instead as part of the landscape. Then, once on site, you can draw in your focus to see what is in surrounding gardens, parks, or fields, and how these features interact through the garden and the landscape beyond.

You may therefore view the garden as a series of interlinking habitats. These could be grassland (lawn or borders), woodland (an orchard perhaps), water (a pond), and scrubland (shrub-based planting). How we arrange these habitats creates aesthetic beauty and impacts how wildlife can move through the space. Our selection of what habitats are appropriate will therefore

wildlife which lives within them (and migrate through them). Biodiverse design is not therefore a proscriptive list or a specific visual style. It is an awareness that alongside beauty and creativity, and irrespective of contemporary or traditional leanings, interventions can be made which seek to increase biodiversity (through habitats, food sources, corridors, and the removal of poisons from the gardening regime). Even something small can make a big difference. Incorporating bee bricks into a garden wall, planting night-scented plants to draw in the moths, ensuring that low lighting is positioned not to impact the flight paths of bats that will follow the moths, or even just adding a few extra species to the planting scheme to extend the season of available nectar would all be a great starting point.

Biodiverse design starts with a few simple additions to a plan, but it will lead to so much more.

draw on what complements the wider landscape, as well as perhaps adding back a habitat present in the past that’s now much reduced. Ultimately, though, our choices should make sense.

I won’t continue with that list here but instead want to re-emphasise that gardens are shared spaces – shared by the people who own and care for them with the

MATTHEW

Matthew Haddon is a garden and landscape designer, and is the creative director at Haddon Studio, a design studio committed to creating contemporary gardens, naturalistically planted, where people and wildlife coexist. haddon.studio

HADDON

Once on site, you can draw in your focus to see what is in surrounding gardens, parks, or fields, and how these features interact through the garden and the landscape beyond

Matthew Haddon closes his series with a focus on how the wider landscape should inform your design

advice and information visit our website or call us:

Flowing water can fit anywhere THE OASE WATERCOURSE SET

With or without a pond, OASE’s modular watercourse set allows you to add moving water to any project. Fully customisable, a watercourse can be made to any size and shape. Even projects with limited space can enjoy the sound and sight of flowing water.

OASE has created a cohesive set of products that will help you install a functioning watercourse. Once the course has been dug out and fleece and liner is laid (both available from OASE) the feature will begin to take shape. At the top of the watercourse place the OASE spillway. The spillway block allows you to create a waterfall without a header pool. This ultra-strong box is designed with a raised lip that prevents debris falling into the water. The box can then be hidden with cobbles and stones. The spillway will evenly disperse water creating a uniformed cascade effect.

At the bottom of the course a hole is dug which will house the Maxima blocks (the reservoir system) and a pump vault. Maxima blocks are extremely durable and are perfect for creating hidden underground reservoirs. 96% of each Maxima block is able to be used for water storage and they can take over 10,000kg of weight.

OASE has taken elements from our largest and most prestigious fountain installations and scaled it down for your projects. OASE’s waterscaping product range is easy to use, perfect for any space and reliable.

GOING PEAT FREEPrioritising

Professional horticulture might be exempt for now, but a ban on using peat is looking ever more likely by 2030. The government announced last August that sales of peat to amateur gardeners in England will be banned from 2024, and it pledged to help the professional horticulture sector speed up its transition to peat-free alternatives, recognising that it faces “additional technical barriers that will take longer to overcome.”

There are growers, though, which are already taking the leap. Take Greenwood Plants, which says it is on track to be fully peat free by the end of this year. One in four plants are already potted in peat-free compost, which managing director Melanie Asker says the nursery plans to ramp up as it enters the growing season. “As growers of around six million plants a year, this is a huge undertaking, but we are fully embracing the peat-free challenge.”

As is Kent-based How Green Nursery, which managing director Simon Sutcliffe says is “well on [its] way to achieving peat-free status.” Whilst the majority of its home-grown and bought-in plants continue to be grown in peat, it is currently ‘growing on’

in peat-free alternatives. It has been trialling these for the last 15 years before settling on its “current recipe” 18 months ago.

“We are now really happy with the quality of the plants and losses are minimal,” says Sutcliffe. “Importantly, water consumption has not increased from the days of using peat. Our growing media contains mainly bark fibre which has the ability to retain water during the summer months.

“A lot of peat-free compost is based around coir fibre that isn't great at holding water – water being a valuable and sometimes scarce commodity with extremes of weather. Coir is also shipped halfway around the world, so the carbon footprint is not good.”

And carbon is, after all, one of the biggest reasons the industry is looking to address its use of peat.

Peatlands are the UK’s largest carbon store and extraction releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Not only that, but it also disturbs habitats in the wider landscape and reduces the peatland’s ability to mitigate flooding. As such, the government’s goal is to restore 35,000ha of peatlands by 2025, with only 13% in a near-natural state at the moment.

Following government proposals back in 2011 to address the degradation of peat bogs, Nicholsons – a landscape company in Oxfordshire which has its own 22-acre nursery – started incrementally trialling peat-free alternatives on all its crops. Last year, it accomplished growing all its production potting in peat-free compost.

One of the challenges in switching has been around managing water and nutrition. There have also been some “rooting ‘issues’” and a “difference in crops”, which plants director Merlin Brooke-Little says “have not

always been to the crop’s detriment but have been different to the peat standard.”

By slowly switching over to peat and monitoring the process, Nicholsons has developed a better understanding of how different crops require various levels of water and nutrition, but Brooke-Little says that managing the compost and the feed in extremely hot weather is still a “learning process”. “Finding the sweet spot of enough

As growers of around six million plants a year, this is a huge undertaking, but we are fully embracing the peat-free challenge

Melanie Asker, managing director, Greenwood Plants

Nurseries are striving towards peat-free status in a bid to fight climate change – but it’s not without its challenges

NICHOLSONS

water at regular intervals over leeching nutrient does require constant attention.

“The compost mix will have been adjusted several times over the years to account for wetting agent, base fertiliser and amount of CRF (controlled release fertiliser) per m3 We have had concern over the heating of the compost when held in bulk bags and when tipped loose – sometimes the heat would be such that the CRF would have been activated. Regular turning and cooling of the compost have helped.”

To tackle rooting being poor and more noticeable in the top five to 10cm of its pots, where the crop tends to dry out the most, Nicholsons now puts bark mulch on its crops to help maintain a better equilibrium in that layer. It’s a series of trial and error for these nurseries, and Bernhards Nurseries is arguably ahead of the curve. The nursery, situated in Rugby, switched to producing all its plants peat free 10 years ago, having felt the need to change from its customer base. It swapped peat for Melcourt Silvamax, which managing director John Marsden had years of experience with and felt would be best suited for the wide range of plants and trees grown at Bernhards.

“Working with Melcourt, we selected the right mix, CRF content and any additives to suit, and got to work,” says Marsden.“The first few years we had some small issues, but it was simply a learning curve. [Scottish minister] Neil

Gray was a great support, really helping us to tweak our production to suit. The overall technical back up was a great help, and over the past decade the professional Silvamix media has continued to improve.”

Bernhards water usage has reduced, perhaps surprisingly, as a result. It waters more frequently but for shorter periods, reducing its water usage by on average 7% each year. “The media feels ‘more open’ due to having a higher ‘air filled porosity’ (AFP) than peat,” says Marsden. “We have also noticed that we get fewer losses from water logging, reducing wastage due to this. In some cases where we know we will be potting hungrier plants that may be in the pot longer, we may ask for a slightly higher amount of CRF to be added to the blend.”

The biggest problem for nurseries at the moment, though, is finding suitable peat-free compost for seedlings, explains Sutcliffe. “We and other growers are finding this the ultimate challenge as heavy losses are being incurred at the moment. Once we nail this issue, our status will be totally peat-free.”

Then there’s also the “hesitance of other growers both here and especially abroad to make the switch,” he adds. “We outsource plants for our clients, and all but one supplier is still growing in peat.”

For Asker, the challenge Greenwood Plants expects to face as a commercial grower is getting a reliable and consistent supply of peat-free growing media that is economically

viable.“Our trials involve exploring new types of growing media to support our annual production – we are trying different commercially available peat-free growing

media. The trials allow our production team to tweak the growing media composition to get the pH, nutrient levels and structure right, as well as alter the irrigation programmes to compensate for the lack of moisture-retaining peat” – all of which seems fruitless if the suitable alternative is not available in vast quantities.

This is potentially where the RHS’ new £1m five-year to research sustainable alternatives to peat in large-scale commercial settings comes in. It has appointed peat-free postdoctoral fellow Dr Raghavendra Prasad to help horticultural trade transition to sustainable growing media by working with five growers which collectively produce more than 46 million plants each year.

Professor Alistair Griffiths, director of science and collections at the RHS, says: “It’s vital that the RHS works collaboratively with the industry and government to research new, peat-free growing media technologies. We know there are already many peat alternatives out there, and even more as yet untapped, so we need to collaborate to develop and share best practice guidance to ensure that peat –which when intact can store carbon for thousands of years – stays in the ground.” And ensure the government’s target of restoring 35,000ha of peatlands by 2025 seems more within our reach.

We need to collaborate to develop and share best practice guidance to ensure that peat – which when intact can store carbon for thousands of years –stays in the ground

Professor Alistair Griffiths, director of science and collections at the RHS

At the heart of our symbols key is a collaborative effort between industry experts, designers, and contractors to provide the landscape community with a powerful tool for creating outstanding designs.

Download different versions of this key: https://www.hudsonlighting.co.uk/drawing-symbols.php

SETTING SIGHTS ON NET ZERO

Has GreenBlue Urban always strived for sustainability?

Whilst sustainability is a relatively recent concept, GreenBlue Urban has always taken pride in fulfilling its purpose which is to care for all who live, work, and play in the urban environment by establishing the future urban landscape.

Our core business is to assist in the establishment of healthy urban trees, and for the past 30 years have continued to do so successfully on a global scale, enabling urban trees to attain species potential lifespans.

With the current climate emergency crisis that continues to threaten our endangered ecosystems, the time to act is now – we need to leave our environment in a way that ensures there will be enough resources left for our future generations to have healthy fulfilling lives.

When did it start ramping up its efforts, and how?

GreenBlue Urban’s efforts to create a circular economy, with ambitions and plans as a supplier to reach net zero

In moving to our current headquarters in East Sussex back in 2015, the bespoke site design not only enabled continued growth, but consideration was also given to the construction of ‘Green Buildings’ with the use of efficient materials, energy efficient power including solar, water recycling via the onsite SuDS pond, incorporating natural light, the use of hybrid/EV vehicles and of course becoming largely paper-free and eliminating single-use plastic.

With the increasing awareness of the importance of green infrastructure, GreenBlue Urban has been at the forefront of research and development, finding new and innovative ways of harnessing the power of green and blue, altering our grey and engineered urban environments for ever, for the benefit of all.

What have been its biggest focuses to lower its carbon footprint?

GreenBlue has always had a culture of continual improvement and has recently brought the manufacturing of our core products in house, giving tighter control on processes, machinery, materials, and reducing emissions by use of solar energy.

Over the years, several changes to core products have led to reduced material usage – tighter operations have also aided stringent and efficient distribution with strong lead times.

Having recently been attributed with the Made in Britain provenance, the global leading Soil Cell RootSpace is now accredited by the BBA (British Board of Agrément) and has an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration). Focus now resides in enhanced renewable energy and assessing external logistic for UK distribution to further reduce our emissions.

Marketing manager Louise Page shares

GreenBlue Urban has been at the forefront of research and development, finding new and innovative ways of harnessing the power of green and blue

EAST SUSSEX HQ

Have any of its products evolved as a result? Absolutely!

GreenBlue has always been proud to use 100% recycled and recyclable materials within its UK manufacturing processes. Material sourcing has evolved to fully utilise UK based raw materials, which fully supports the Circular Economy principle, reducing waste and pollution. This also includes repurposing from marine and landfill waste, bringing further environmental benefits to all.

Continued innovation has also seen us develop into new areas of business, so not just supporting Green and Blue Infrastructure, but now Smart Space –sustainable street furniture, off-grid street lighting and Air, introducing EV charging and Air Quality Planters.

What have been the biggest challenges in reducing its carbon footprint?

There is often a trade-off between the reduction of the carbon footprint and the cost of production, and this can be because of lack of investment in renewable energy. Often the challenge is changing attitudes towards more sustainable practices along with the implementation of measuring and monitoring carbon emissions which can of course be quite time consuming. A greater

investment into electric vehicles and a UK wider distribution network would be a good start, but changes are happening across our industry, albeit maybe slower than some others.

Above all the long-term political agenda in implementing and enforcing regulations is still a little hazy in how we are going to tackle the climate change issue for our future generations. The short-term political cycle works against long term planning for major changes required.

How is GreenBlue Urban continuing to focus on becoming more sustainable going forward?

We are pleased to say that we are deeply involved in integrating sustainability into the overall business strategy and decision-making processes, working closely across the business in achieving sustainability targets to reduce our carbon emissions, energy, water-use and waste. To achieve carbon neutrality by offsetting is a worthy achievement; however, the long-term net-zero goal will require continuous investment, monitoring,

Green Blue S ecap riA

What are now the key ‘green’ facts about GreenBlue Urban which potential clients should know?

• Sustainable materials: Products are manufactured using 100% recycled materials.

• Renewable energy: Solar and off-grid lighting, with a goal to achieve 100% renewable energy.

• Biodiversity conservation: Infrastructure to preserve natural habitats, pond life, variety of tree species, wildflowers. Staff also volunteer for local environmental improvement projects.

GreenBlue is delighted to announce it has been operating as a carbon neutral business since 2020 and endorses the following ‘green’ processes: GreenBlue

• Sustainable supply chain: Sustainable material sourcing, reducing waste from landfill.

• Carbon offsetting: Continued reforestation, carbon capture, using our own methodologies.

• Energy and water efficiency: LED lighting, recycling greywater as part of a SuDS solution.

• Sustainable transportation: Promoting the use of public transport, car sharing, hybrid and electric vehicles.

• Sustainable operations: Reducing waste by recycling and composting.

enhanced efficiencies and collaboration with other organisations to drive our efforts industry wide. It’s also important to encourage employee involvement, stakeholders, and the local community to provide an understanding of actions being taken to address these issues so that everyone fully “buys in” to the concept, in view of enhancing today’s environment to protect tomorrows.

Discover more by visiting: greenblue.com/ gb/about-us/adapting-to-climate-change/ Contact GreenBlue Urban greenblue.com hello@greenblue.com @GreenBlue.com

Creating healthier urban spaces in harmony with nature.

The long-term net-zero goal will require continuous investment, monitoring, enhanced efficiencies and collaboration with other organisations to drive our efforts industry wide

ROOTSPACE INSTALL

ARE SHOW GARDENS REALLY going green?

This year’s Chelsea is set to be the most sustainable yet . What changes has the RHS made to achieve this, and how are designers responding to the challenge?

Show gardens are facing more scrutiny than ever. Gone are the days when a garden could be showcased for a week, after months of work and a hefty budget, then thrown into a skip. Emphasis is being placed on these gardens going beyond show week and having a legacy.

With this in mind, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has ramped up its sustainability efforts by making it compulsory for all gardens to be relocated after its shows this year. “Going back over the years, there was the odd story of these gardens living on, but in 2023, every single garden has to have a relocation plan, which could be as a whole or in pieces,” explains Sarah Poll, RHS head of shows

development. A selection of the gardens will then be visited by members of the RHS shows team at their new home.

Relocation is one of the terms of applying for the new Project Giving Back, an initiative where private funding gives charities the opportunity to highlight their message with a garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. One of the gardens this year is the ‘Centre for Mental Health’s The Balance Garden’ designed by Steve Williams and Jonathan Davies, which will be taken to a pocket park in Tottenham once the show has closed.

The garden will use reclaimed materials and a substrate design with recycled aggregates to be seeded up to create climate-resilient

meadows which Davies says are “low maintenance and affordable”. “That's one of the key messages of the garden, that it’s affordable because of these pioneering techniques. So, we’re working with the local waste facility that’s supplying a lot of the recycled aggregates, which also blends into our larger concrete pieces that we’re repurposing as benches and boulders. The whole idea is that it doesn’t look like waste but looks like a really high-end Chelsea garden.”

Both say that Project Giving Back offers designers such as themselves the opportunity to showcase such ideas. “It's showing a whole new wave of gardening to a different audience, an audience who are almost crying out for a new wave of gardening and we fully feel we're a part of that movement, so it's going to be a really exciting time,” says Davies.

Carbon calculations

Ensuring the gardens are relocated is just one of the changes being made by the RHS. “We want to introduce carbon calculating, so we want all of our show gardens to provide us with a carbon calculation,” says Poll. Whilst not compulsory for this year’s gardens, a sample number have been asked to provide the calculation this year, if they can, with the hope of bringing it into the panel selection stage in the future.

One of these gardens is The Fauna & Flora International Garden designed by Jilayne Rickards, who has considered at each stage how to create it with the lowest carbon footprint possible.

“Inevitably, we are creating a footprint, there’s no way about that, but

let’s see how we can reduce it as much as possible,” says Rickards.

To achieve this, suppliers need to be scrutinised, says Rickards. Producing a carbon calculation allowed her to discover the part of the garden with the highest carbon footprint. This turned out to be the raw metal for the gabion cages, which Rickards and Tecwyn Evans – whose company Living Landscapes is building the garden – then switched some for a different construction method. This is just one swap Evans will be making to have a more positive environmental impact. A dry stone wall, for instance, will be created without concrete; instead, soil and rubble will fill the voids. In fact, the garden will be entirely cement free. Living Landscapes will also be using electric generators rather than diesel for the power tools and CED Stone Group has donated big boulders, which are a waste product from a farm in Scotland, which will then be returned to the company after the show.

No materials will go to landfill, says Rickards, who was inspired by a research trip to Rwanda where Fauna & Flora has a gorilla conservation project on which the garden is based. The community would use local materials and avoid waste.

“They use a lot of eucalyptus and bamboo which can be chopped down and grows back really quickly, so it’s a hugely sustainable way of using building materials. So, we were reflecting on some of

that in our garden as well through the construction.”

For Evans, the concept was already aligned with his own work for clients. He refuses to use skips on his projects to minimise waste and encourage reuse. “Chelsea to me has always been a very wasteful environment in the sense of the money’s that invested into these show gardens, which are beautifully constructed but cost a fortune and then they’re thrown away.”

Evans and Rickards are therefore keen to show that an impressive garden can be built sustainably, though are unsure whether the garden would have even been selected for the show 10 years ago. Perhaps an “Artisan garden”, says Tecwyn. “Or it might have been a token gesture,” adds Jilayne. “But I think the RHS is embracing what we’re really trying to do here.”

Trialling techniques

They won’t be the only ones trialling new construction methods at this year’s Chelsea. Landscape Associates will be building four gardens at the show and managing director Richard Curle says he will be using the opportunity to “push boundaries in terms of finishes and details” which can then be brought into everyday practice.

For one garden, Curle will be combining rammed earth with a small amount of concrete. “A general concrete wall is probably about 25% cement, whereas this method is 10%, so it’s using way less concrete. We’re also trying to replace cement with a product called Cemfree, which is, as I understand it, a by-product from blast furnaces which binds aggregates together in the same way that cement does but producing 85% less carbon.”

Instead of concrete, Curle is also going to be using screw piling, which he has used on projects before, and which can be moved when the garden is relocated. He says Chelsea has changed since he first started building show gardens more than 20 years

It's showing a whole new wave of gardening to a different audience, an audience who are almost crying out for a new wave of gardening and we fully feel we're a part of that movement

Jonathan Davies, on the impact of Project Giving Back

ago to encourage such practices.

“The garden still has to stand up to scrutiny, but also has to be removed and relocated, which can be a challenge.”

On top of carbon calculations, the RHS has enhanced its selection panel to include lead contractors who exhibit at the show and are judges, as well as its sustainability manager Malcolm Anderson, to catch any issues at the application stage and offer more sustainable solutions. The RHS will also be sending out its “sustainability survey” earlier to exhibitors to better capture information and has a “sustainability think tank” taking place in March. This will include key contractors, designers, Anderson and other partners to gain a better understanding of what could be done at shows and how the RHS can drive that forward for future show seasons.

“I really feel like the difference is happening, that the industry itself is wanting to get there, so we want to be able to make sure that they can do that and give them the opportunity to do that, to make sure that we’re supporting them. We’re learning from each other, and we want to work closely with them,” says Poll.

Outside the RHS

The impetus for change is not just down to the RHS, though. Harrogate Flower Show has also been working towards making its shows, and the gardens exhibiting, as sustainable as possible. Show director Nick Smith says the organisers of the events –held in the spring and autumn – are “proud to nurture northern talent” but have become increasingly conscious of their environmental impact.

Whilst the shows work with a number of charities which tend to take a few of the

materials at the end of the show, organisers decided post-Covid to take more control, particularly for the spring event which features the show gardens.

“For this year, we have two separate opportunities, one of which we call ‘creative borders’. We’re in control of that by creating the borders ourselves, so the raised timber beds are filled with soil, and we then offer a sponsorship value to each individual to come along to design and plant their own border. We then dismantle the borders at the end of the show and store them to build again for next year,” explains Smith. The second opportunity is the show gardens.

“We’re much stronger on looking at a legacy for our show gardens. One example is we have a local business improvement district this year, and that garden feature will be going straight from our show into the middle of Harrogate town to be a feature for the summer floral celebrations.”

BBC Gardeners’ World Live is also reducing its footprint. “I think that we have come a long way in terms of being 'sustainability inclusive' in all of our show gardens and beautiful borders,” says Bob Sweet, horticultural director of BBC Gardeners’ World Events. “We proactively

encourage re-use, upcycling and sustainability in the planting schemes. We often advise our entries to design and build for re-use following the show and, for example, we use reconstituted green waste compost as our planting medium. At our Spring and Autumn Fairs there is no excavation and therefore the use of timber, as opposed to concrete, is much more prevalent.”

Sweet adds that whilst the events are on a par with the “other largest UK shows”, this doesn’t mean to say that more couldn’t be achieved.

“There is more to do in striking the happy balance between the health and safety requirements of building structures with strong footings as opposed to minimising waste and using temporary structures. We have strived throughout the show to minimise the use of plastics and wherever possible we are committed to providing sustainable solutions. This is an evolving process, which together with the peat elimination programme will take time to perfect.”

Standing up to scrutiny

Last year, ITV’s Love Your Garden presenter Frances Tophill made her show garden debut at BBC Gardeners’ World Live with an extremely low impact design which scooped the title of Best Show Garden.

Commissioned by the BBC and Gardeners’ World Live, Frances’ Garden needed to celebrate the BBC’s centenary, but also to focus on the theme of the show that year – sustainability. Tophill was looking to create a “post-apocalyptic” space based on how much the world could change in 100 years, with a nod to the industrial roots of Birmingham, where the show is held.

It’s imperative we think about how we can use show gardens in a positive way to put out a positive message and not just images of wealth and luxury lifestyles. We’ve got to get beyond that

Darryl Moore, Cityscapes

CENTRE FOR MENTAL HEALTH’S THE BALANCE GARDEN DESIGNED BY STEVE WILLIAMS AND JONATHAN DAVIES AND BEING CONSTRUCTED BY STEWART LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION

THE FAUNA & FLORA INTERNATIONAL GARDEN DESIGNED BY JILAYNE RICKARDS AND BEING CONSTRUCTED BY LIVING LANDSCAPES

Nearly everything in the garden was reclaimed, says Tophill. “It was using pieces of industry – bits of steel girder, old chains, cement mixers, metal, glass and old sinks –and reimagining them to create a sustainable garden filled with plants that were useful to pollinators and wildlife. Even items that were new, such as the hexagonal matting to make the pathways wheelchair friendly, were all made from recycled materials.”

Tophill says it was really important that if the garden was being touted as sustainable then it had to be as environmentally friendly as possible – especially as a TV personality who would likely face scrutiny for her first show garden. It was “really challenging,” she says. The large mature trees, for instance, were from Hillier in Southampton, more than 100 miles away. Tophill genuinely sounds disappointed that this was the case, but they were grown peat free and taken back to Hillier to be reused.

“I wanted to think about every element – all the plants being grown peat free and organic, everything coming from as near to Birmingham or where I live in Devon or where Rupert [Keyes, who built the garden] lives in Pershore as possible, so that we’re reducing our air and land miles and our diesel.”

All the items were returned or went to a new home to be reused, so that by the end of the show, only a small pile of rubble and timber remained. Tophill says she’s aware of the “hypocrisy” working for a garden makeover programme which somewhat promotes the idea of having a new garden but adds that Love Your Garden is working each year to be more sustainable and that in her own personal life she prefers a “messy” garden. "We just need to get over that idea that it's mess and seeing it instead as natural.”

What’s next?

There’s arguably a part everyone can play, from show organisers to those working within the landscaping industry. “It would be really good if there was a central storage space where materials could go,” says garden designer Darryl Moore, whose company Cityscapes focuses on the reuse of materials. “Setting that up is quite challenging, but that would be ideal – a depot where all materials, not just from show gardens but also real gardens, could go, and designers and contractors could then shop these cheap materials or get them for free. Even starting with just an online presence could be a start to the whole process.”

It all begs the questions as to whether we should be creating show gardens at all. “There is a benefit in showing good design and well-made gardens to show how important gardens can be, but not at the expense of the environment,” says Moore. “So, if they’re done in a sustainable way then that can be really good, where we show the creativity in doing that and try to inspire others to do the same. There’s no way we cannot face up to this question anymore, though; it’s imperative we think about how we can use show gardens in a positive way to put out a positive message and not just

images of wealth and luxury lifestyles. We’ve got to get beyond that.”

Chelsea and other shows present a chance for designers and contractors to not just influence the public but the industry too.

“We can inspire designers and landscapers and others in the construction industry that we can do things differently,” says Rickards. “I’m very pleased to be part of the show this year because the RHS has of course published its sustainability policy, so the trickle down from that to your application is very obvious. The show this year is really homing in on different techniques and how we can be more sustainable throughout, so I think it’s going to be a really impressive show...Chelsea is changing to not just be a pretty flower show anymore where everything is beautiful to actually having some really strong messaging coming through.”

That’s not to say that there aren’t still obstacles to overcome. “The budgets which get ring fenced for relocation are nowhere near enough to relocate a garden; you're normally looking at 10% of the overall cost of the garden to build it and install it to then pack it back onto the lorry, transport it, potentially to the other end of the country, and rebuild it, and it's just not achievable,” says Curle.

“The other issue is that it becomes a bit London centric, or at least the south of England, if you’re talking about Chelsea because of the haulage costs and the carbon impact of moving loads of materials all over the country.”

The RHS’ sustainability think tank at least provides the opportunity to address these concerns, as it becomes more important than ever for ideas, techniques and practices to be shared to ensure show gardens continue to have a more positive impact on both visitors and the environment.

Chelsea is changing to not just be a pretty flower show anymore where everything is beautiful to actually having some really strong messaging coming through

Jilayne Rickards, on the impact of RHS policy changes

Corten steel installations

Residential project, Cambridgeshire

Outdoordesign are delighted to have worked with designer Colm Joseph in bringing to life the vision for this stunning garden project. A unique focal point is the superb sculptural corten steel monoliths framing the pathway to the garden. The project also includes understated yet beautifully made signage and water features – all in a minimalist style and perfectly proportioned within the environment. Whatever the season the corten steel works beautifully within the various open spaces.

For more information visit: www.outdoordesign.co.uk

Whatever you can imagine, we can make it a reality in metal

To discuss your ideas, email outdoordesignmail@gmail.com or call James Booth on 07860 456159

CREATING SHOW GARDENS to last

Recycled materials

The bright pink and orange pavers were created using ‘Crystalpave’, made from recycled glass, and the pavilion and large colourful planters were constructed from recycled steel content. The products needed to be structurally strong to withstand potential damage.

Considering sustainability early on allowed Cityscapes to create a show garden which could be relocated and survive for years to come

Cityscapes has long been promoting the reuse of show garden materials. Founders Adolfo Harrison and Darryl Moore started the social enterprise just over a decade ago to encourage and showcase best practice for creating more sustainable public spaces. To do this, they collected materials from shows that may have otherwise been discarded.

Take the Remix Garden project at the Oxo Tower Wharf in London. “We took a whole show garden from Chelsea, designed by Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam, and gave it to four young designers to sequentially remix into four different versions over the summer to show how materials could be used in different ways,”

explains Moore. The Cloudy Bay Discovery Garden then featured at an RHS show in the autumn before ending up in local community gardens. The project was constructed by Gardenlink and supported by charity St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots initiative, which helps those who have experienced homelessness to develop horticultural skills – both of which came back to play a part in Cityscapes’ own show garden at Chelsea in 2022.

The St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots Garden was years in the making, with the new Project Giving Back initiative – a grant-making scheme where charitable organisations can apply for funding to promote their cause through show gardens at Chelsea – giving it

the opportunity to be brought to fruition at the show last year.

Cityscapes created an inclusive urban pocket park to celebrate the long-running relationship with St Mungo’s and to showcase the Putting Down Roots programme, but it also put the environment first with a focus on reusing materials. “There’s no way around it; everyone’s got to be addressing sustainability and thinking about it right from the outset,” says Moore.

“For the last 10 years, Cityscapes has been about creating public spaces but also bringing sustainability to the fore,” adds Harrison. “Darryl and I met through going to conferences, and we would both say how we couldn’t understand how a garden could be seen as contemporary if it didn’t consider sustainability because that’s an essential part of daily life. Cityscapes has always been about sustainability; and through that, we’ve learnt how difficult that can be to put into practice.”

Donated products

Even using reclaimed materials has its challenges. A few materials were donated to Cityscapes from the previous Chelsea, which took place in September having been delayed a few months by the pandemic. From Arit Anderson’s The BBC One Show and RHS Garden of Hope, Moore and Harrison were able to take clay pavers, and scaffolding boards were offered from Marie-Louise Agius’ RHS COP26 Garden.

Despite these materials being donated and free of charge to use, they can end up being more expensive than off-the-shelf alternatives, says Harrison. “Crocus very kindly allowed us to store the materials there; without them, we wouldn’t have been able to use those free materials. There were petrol shortages that September, and you always find out last minute which materials are available and then have to find a heavy goods vehicle to collect them – which is hard in the middle of Chelsea with all the logistics – and then get them transported to site. Crocus were very generous.”

Materials then have to be taken to their new destination in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way possible, and people need to be present to take the deliveries and unload the lorries. Sustainability can therefore not be an afterthought, says Harrison; retrofitting sustainable ideas is “missing an opportunity”. “By thinking about sustainability early on, you’re already being more creative; it introduces a narrative into the garden and strengthens the narrative that’s already there.” Even if you’re not sure of what the materials are going to be, consider the strategy for sourcing them, he adds. “They need to be there right from the get-go, or you’re always going to be playing catchup. We know this through a decade of Cityscapes and going to show gardens;

used timber from an old fence it had dismantled at a client’s garden to create new fencing for the Chelsea garden, giving it a new lease of life and painting dynamic panels to match the pink and orange theme.

Reclaimed wood Contractor Gardenlink

There’s no way around it; everyone’s got to be addressing sustainability and thinking about it right from the outset

Low carbon concrete

For the concrete bench beneath the pergola, Cityscapes specified a cement alternative which reduced CO2 by 80% compared to normal concrete. “That took quite a bit of research and conversations with people to find the materials and ensure there would be enough structural strength in the bench. It’s a long-lasting material which is robust for a public space. We had to think about these elements because not only were we designing for the show, but we were also designing for the garden’s location after the show. In fact, it went to two locations, so it was designed as a real pocket park and not a show piece,” says Moore.

Paving offcuts

“A few years ago, we visited London Stone and they had a skip of paving offcuts which were going to be thrown away,” shares Darryl. “We decided then that we had to do a project which used these offcuts, so discussed this with London Stone and got different types of stone.” It’s one thing spotting this opportunity, but another bringing it to fruition, says Harrison. London Stone was immediately happy to support us with the offcuts, but we were then going back and forth to choose the different stones which all had their own calibrations and specifications. An enormous amount of work went into it, as it did with the concrete and metalwork.”

Photographs ©Joanna Kossak

Moveable planters

Rather than being a decorative addition, the handles on the planters served a greater purpose, allowing them to be easily moved into the garden and to their new location after the show. “The breakdown is the most destructive process, it’s the part of the garden that makes it hard to relocate,” says Harrison. With this in mind, the planters were also hand painted, so that they could be easily touched up if needed once the garden had been rebuilt in London Bridge and in the future. They were created by Cake Industries, as was the pergola. “The pergola was important because in public spaces where you’re surrounded by tall buildings it can be very hard to make the space intimate. So, the pergola creates a sense of enclosure and intimacy, as well as with the surrounding trees.”

we’ve seen it where gardens have been promised a second home and they all go to landfill.”

“We had to think at the design stage and analyse every step of the process as to how things could be made in a way that they could be transported easily without any sort of loss or damage,” adds Moore.

“Everything that went into the show garden was to be used again afterwards."

Bright

futures ahead Moore says not only is reusing the garden part of Cityscapes’ ethos, but it’s also now part of the funding criteria for Project Giving Back. “The gardens have to go somewhere else afterwards, which wasn’t really a problem for

us as we’ve done a lot of work with the business improvement district Team London Bridge.

“We spoke to a lot of people in the London Bridge area to see whether there were appropriate spaces to relocate the garden and, in the end, two sites became available; one is King’s College on the Guy’s Hospital campus, where a lot of the planters and the plants went to create a almost a maze in the central courtyard. The rest of the materials went to a site on the side of Southwark Crown Court, so right by where HMS Belfast is moored. There were three different walled-in spaces through which we created a pathway; they’re all linked through the same materials and plants. We created another wooden

Lighting

Landscapeplus supplied some of the lighting for free – a crucial aspect for creating a public space. Low energy LED strips were used in the fencing to reduce power consumption, and were angled downwards to reduce upward spill pollution whilst ensuring functional illumination.

bench there as well using the same wood.”

It can be a lengthy and laborious process to gain the appropriate permissions to relocate a show garden to a public space, though, so Harrison recommends starting this well in advance to ensure all the stakeholders are placated and the contracts are secured in good time. “You have to satisfy all the stakeholders’ needs, so in the end, you’re not really relocating a garden but creating a new one. If not satisfying the stakeholders’ needs, there’d be no reason for them to maintain it and keep it alive for as many years as possible – and there’s nothing sadder than a garden that’s unloved.”

Whilst it might not necessarily be easy, St Mungo’s Putting Down Roots Garden shows the possibility of creating show gardens with a reduced carbon footprint and the opportunities for these gardens to last far longer than a week. As with other Cityscapes projects in the area, Moore maintains a close ongoing relationship with stakeholders to ensure that the garden will evolve as intended over the coming years.

By thinking about sustainability early on, you’re already being more creative; it introduces a narrative into the garden and strengthens the narrative that’s already there

Night photograph ©Darryl Moore

Sustainability SHOWCASE

These three companies are going above and beyond to reduce their carbon footprint

ECO SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

What steps has your company already to made to become more environmentally friendly?

At Eco, we strive to live up to our name. Our sites are powered by our very own renewable energy sources such as our solar farm, CHP and AD plants. By using these renewable energy technologies, we are reducing both our reliance on fossil fuels and our on-site operational emissions. Waste management is our speciality, and in 2021 we diverted almost 160,000t of waste away from landfill, instead putting it to use in energy recovery or recycling it into new landscaping products.

GREENWOOD PLANTS

What steps has your company already to made to become more environmentally friendly?

We are passionate about preserving the carbon-rich peatlands that are vital in the fight against climate change, so we have pledged to grow 100% peat-free by the end of 2023.

We introduced our innovative G Cycle scheme in 2021 where clients are reimbursed for wooden packaging that we collect and reuse, minimising wastage. We

How are your products ‘sustainable’?

Our PAS100 composts are produced by expertly recycling green waste into useable composts. Eco’s ultra-sustainable SuperSoil combines local recycled soil with our recycled, nutrient-rich compost, removing the need for fertilisers that can damage the soil’s long-term productivity and ability to effectively store carbon.

What have you found to be the biggest challenge in going greener?

Diesel for our machinery is our biggest challenge and alternatives like HVO, while great, are very costly. We are looking at exploring more hybrid machinery; we already have a hybrid excavator of which the hybrid technology reduces its diesel usage by 20%, preventing seven tonnes of CO2 from being emitted each year. The electricity it partially runs on comes from our CHP. thisiseco.co.uk

GEORGE DAVIES TURF

What steps has your company already to made to become more environmentally friendly?

We’ve begun to invest in alternative and sustainable solutions for turf distribution, and our aim as a leading turf supplier is to continue to proactively source sustainable solutions. We want to be at the forefront of innovations to offer customers the best possible solutions.

How are your products sustainable? We already guarantee naturally produced turf without the use of harmful plastic mesh. We’re also looking into the first ever plant-based netting option, and our ultimate ambition is to use 100% natural materials by 2025. We recently extended our product range to include artificial turf and conducted extensive research to ensure we can supply 100% recyclable options.

What have you found to be the biggest challenge in going greener? We manage our own fleet of lorries and only deliver within a hyper-local 40-mile radius of our two bases to give us the most control over our environmental impact. This is a challenge, but it reinforces our commitment as a business to going green.

georgedaviesturf.co.uk

actively harvest and recycle water with the aim of being 100% self-sufficient by the end of 2023. We have invested in a pot washing machine so that we can reuse plastic pots.

We have initiated several sustainability practices such as switching to electric forklifts, investing in electric and ultra-low emission vehicles, reducing landfill waste, supplying biodegradable sundries and adding state-of-the-art sprinkler systems.

Our charity initiative, Greenwood Community, donates plants to charities, schools and community organisations to create green spaces with enhanced

biodiversity. Greenwood was named ‘Sustainable Business of the Year 2022’ at the Central South Business Awards.

What have you found to be the biggest challenge in going greener?

The cost of commercially available peat-free compost is higher than standard compost. greenwoodplants.co.uk

PROMOTION

Key aspects and user benefits

Lightweight efficiency

Weighing in at 1,254kg, Toro’s LT2240 is 214kg lighter than the next in the commercial triple cylinder mower range from Toro. Its lightweight credentials mean it’s even more suited for transportation between sites and thanks to the reduction in weight, fuel consumption is 41% lower. And with diesel prices the highest they’ve been in at least a decade*, this is a big consideration for the times.

Number-crunching productivity

The following combine to bring the productive performance grounds professionals demand. The CrossTrax 4WD hydraulic closed loop transmission system provides four-wheel drive by diagonally linking each front wheel to the opposing rear wheel; the hydrostatic traction pump provides infinitely variable speed in forward and reverse, and a ground speed of up to 22km/h (14mph) means there’s a mowing rate of up to 2.2ha (5.4 acres) per hour.

Wide range of customers and applications

As a commercial triplex mower, the LT2240 needs to meet

hugely varied end user needs. From local authorities, large institutions and contractors through to estate owners, schools and landscapers, it mows everything from litter strewn roadside verges, amenity and parkland, manages golf roughs and keeps winter sports turf in check with a height of cut of 12mm to 80mm (1/2" to 3 1/8”).

Narrow transport width

With a 195mm narrower transport width, the LT2240 brings increased site accessibility, productivity and ease of use to its customers. Passing through narrow gateways and under bridges and navigating tricky mowing areas pose no problems for the LT2240, meaning work in urban areas can take place without logistical difficulties.

Cutting unit technology

A Mk.3 cutting unit designed with increased number of blade/bedknife contact points promotes even cylinder wear and superior impact resistance and is suited for everything from fine-turf applications to densely packed, overgrown municipal grass. The option of upgrading from 8" to 10” cutting units ensures its

units and accessories to fine-tune the machine for the specific needs of the job.

Engine adjustment for lower purchase price

The LT2240 was designed with an engine adjustment to bring it below 19kW meaning it does not need a diesel particulate filter. This simple adjustment brings many benefits to the end user – the mower can still meet customers’ needs with less horsepower but being sub-19kW keeps the purchase price lower.

Additional features

Extremely bright and designed to last the life of the mower, the full LED lighting kit with brake lights on the LT2240 means road use isn’t a problem throughout the year. There’s also an optimised hydraulic system, independent cutting units, an intuitive Infocentre and full-folding ROPS.

*As of January 2023, confirmed via RAC figures.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine Kubota D1105

3-cylinder diesel, liquid-cooled diesel engine, 18.5kW (24.8hp) net @ 3000rpm. Stage V engine

• Fuel capacity 45.7L (12gal)

• Steering Hydraulic rear-wheel steering

• Cutting width 762mm (30”) to 2120mm (83.5”)

• Weight 1254kg (2733lbs) with full fluids + fuel, & 200mm six blade cutterheads

• Instrumentation

Indicator lights for engine temperature, hydraulic oil temperature, engine oil pressure, battery and glow plug, fuel tank level indicator, hydraulic oil tank sight glass

CONTACT

Reesink Turfcare

1-3 Station Road, St Neots, PE19 1QF Tel 01480 226 800

Email info

@reesinkturfcare.co.uk

Web reesinkturfcare.co.uk

Facebook facebook.com/ ReesinkTurfcareUK

Twitter @ReesinkTurfcare

Toro's latest offering is both lightweight and versatile

AluExcel Gives the Edge to Battersea Power Station

AluExcel landscape edging from Kinley was chosen for the redevelopment of this iconic London landmark, where it brings lasting definition to the development’s soft and hard landscaping features.

AluExcel was chosen as the preferred product due to the quality and thickness of its 6005A aluminium alloy construction which will guarantee many years of attractive, maintenance-free landscape edging.

This versatile product can be shaped easily to follow sweeping curves but stays firmly in place when installed. It is lightweight and easy to install without a concrete foundation or haunching and is suitable for:

Blocks and pavers

Asphalt and tarmac

Imprinted and plain concrete Resin-bound and loose gravel Wetpour rubber and other safety surfaces

t: +44 1580 830688

e: sales@kinley.co.uk kinley.co.uk

Available from stock in mill finish for 2-3 day delivery, AluExcel can also be custom-made in an Anodic Bronze or Stainless Steel-effect finish or powder coated in RAL colours to match a colour scheme.

WHAT I LEARNT FROM A GLOBAL COFFEE CHAIN that I still utilise today

How much of what you do today did you learn many, many years ago? When I first started out running my own business 13 years ago, I almost discounted all the valuable experience I had gained working for some really great companies. A few months into working with all sorts of small businesses, a light bulb went off and I realised how fortunate I had been in terms of the personal development I had gained.

From that day on, I completely changed how I was working with clients and the programmes became much more focused on sharing these experiences, business models and systems.

Many of these I still use today with my construction and trade clients to help them get what I call the 'sausage machine' flowing; in other words, ensure that everything runs smoothly from the point of enquiry to winning the job, to completing it and taking payment. This came from two different projects I was involved in whilst working for a well-known global coffee chain:

• The first involved mapping out the customer journey from when the customer entered the store, to joining the queue, to being served, paying and collecting their coffee. We went into this in the smallest of details, timing each step and measuring the interaction between the team member and the customer. I was a district manager in the City of London at this time and each second you could speed up this process literally meant more money in the till; speed was of the essence in the city!

• The second one I got involved with when I was part of the global resourcing team, and I was lucky enough to go out to Seattle to be a part of it. Again, it involved mapping out the journey from when a candidate applies for a job, through to being telephone interviewed, face to face interviewed and offered the role.

It was based on something called LEAN methodology, the same technique that Toyota used to increase productivity, and again it was all about making the process more efficient to ensure that we provided a great candidate experience and didn't lose out on good people.

So, where can things be improved in your business? Where are the bottlenecks? What really frustrates you and keeps you awake at night? Mapping out your customer journey is a great exercise to do with your team to understand from their perspective where things are getting stuck and/or could be improved.

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

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

evolveandgrowcoaching.com

ALISON WARNER

Two projects still influence the way Alison Warner advises her clients

Mapping out your customer journey is a great exercise to do with your team to understand from their perspective where things are getting stuck and/or could be improved

FLOW GOwith the

As we all know, there are many ways to build a garden, but as I am sure we are all equally aware, not all gardens are made equal.

One issue that repeatedly raises its ugly head is that of damage caused by moisture retention within construction layers. This is generally the result of a failure to the flow of sub, or surface water into account when specifying the elements that make up the overall construction.

Moisture related failure causes many thousands of pounds of damage every year

and, as well as being potentially damaging to a landscaper’s reputation and finances, they also cause considerable distress for the clients.

So, what can be done to deal with these issues?

Well, luckily, it’s quite simple. Water can be our best friend and our worst enemy, it is an essential ingredient in most bound construction, but too little or too much can destroy a mortar and cause significant damage to the surface material. Therefore, it is probably the single most important thing to consider during the design process but is all too commonly underestimated or overlooked.

Traditional bound pavement construction using sand and cement mortar is designed to work with surface drainage; however, this relies upon the construction to be watertight, and when taking into account factors such as weather conditions, inconsistency of on-site mixing, quality of aggregates, variations in the porosity of surface materials and thermal expansion, in reality it can be quite difficult to achieve.

Another requirement of traditionally bound construction is the collection and redirection of surface water, which generally requires the installation of pre-formed drainage and a soakaway or attenuation system. And, as if that wasn’t enough to deal with, the surface of some paving materials such as porcelain has a tendency to retain water and can cause safety concerns during the winter months.

So, what are the alternatives to traditionally bound construction?

Of course, where suitable, a more environmentally friendly and sustainable option – and my personal method of choice –

David Strows offers advice to avoid moisture being an issue when building a garden

Water is probably the single most important thing to consider during the design process but is all too commonly underestimated or overlooked

is to use an unbound construction. It does require the paving units to be thicker than those used in bound construction, but it can be a very efficient way of removing surface water and returning it back to the subgrade whilst protecting the paving surface from moisture related damage. Also, as the materials have not been bound, they are easy to reuse or sell on.

However, if the design requires a bound construction, an excellent solution to many of the aforementioned issues is the use of permeable proprietary bedding and jointing mortar. Widely used in domestic and commercial environments in Europe, it has been slow to be adopted into the UK

domestic environment, which is surprising, as permeable mortar has many benefits. Generally made up of 2mm to 6mm crushed igneous rock and cementitious binder, permeable mortar allows water to flow freely through the jointing between the paving units and into a free draining base and sub-grade or, to be directed toward a sub-surface drainage or attenuation system. This is notably advantageous in the case of paving that has a water retentive surface such as porcelain. When creating a recent project, the very helpful people at Steintec assisted us in the design and implementation

of a large, raised terrace and a series of porcelain clad steps laid on to a concrete base. The system was designed to capture the surface water within the construction and direct it toward a rainwater harvesting tank via a series of pipes, leaving the surface free from any excess moisture and, so far, it has been very successful.

As well as meeting the requirements of BS 7533 and SuDS, common issues such as picture framing and efflorescence, largely caused by moisture being drawn upward through the lower construction layers to the surface of the paving, tend not to be found when using a permeable mortar design; this is also the case with damage caused by freeze/thaw cycles as the open nature of the material allows for expansion of any moisture within it. These qualities can be particularly useful when specifying a natural stone paving surface.

So, what does it the cost?

Of course, you get what you pay for, and yes, it is more expensive than sand and cement. But in my experience, the cost of the material is offset by its ease of installation, structural integrity and lifespan. The materials generally arrive onsite in separate bags of aggregate, cementitious binder and jointing mortar and all that’s required is to empty the prescribed number of aggregate bags and binder into the mixer and add water. There is very little waste, and importantly, the mix is always consistent and has a guaranteed strength rating.

For more information about why permeable mortar is important to the success of traditional and SuDS-type pavement construction, we found Steintec to be incredibly helpful in the design stage and with providing on-site training, but of course, there are other manufacturers.

So, good luck with your next project and don’t forget to go with the flow!

DAVID STROWS

David Strows is the current vice chair of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) and a member of the BS 7533 committee, currently assisting with the creation of part 102. Based in Buckinghamshire, David has owned a design and build landscaping company based in Buckinghamshire for 30 years and is a member of the PGCA. artformlandscapes.co.uk

Widely used in domestic and commercial environments in Europe, it has been slow to be adopted into the UK domestic environment, which is surprising, as permeable mortar has many benefits

The problem with PORCELAIN

Porcelain paving continues to be popular, but Gareth Wilson has encountered numerous mistakes with its installation

Asignificant part of my work as an expert witness covers porcelain paving. Although this paving has been around for some 11 or 12 years now, it started its huge rise in popularity in the UK around 2016. Porcelain paving is manufactured in many countries around the world, with the quality of the slabs varying, usually depending on the country in which they are manufactured, with Italy and Spain being the market leaders in quality, closely followed by India.

Something many landscapers new to laying porcelain don’t grasp that is that it is a completely different animal from all other paving materials, requiring a different skillset, cutting equipment, fall rates and actual knowledge of the product itself.

The list of issues which crop up is extremely long, but I’ve put together a list five of the most common here.

Incorrect fall rate is a clear number one on my list of recurring issues on my expert witness travels. It is quite alarming the number of times I walk on a porcelain patio that is covered in puddles, or water hanging on the leading edge of a slab with surface tension due to insufficient fall. The Industry Best Practice at this time of writing is 1-60 fall rate, although some suppliers do state a 1-80 fall rate. The BS 7533:102 document due out in the spring, which I have been working on myself, should settle any arguments either way. As it stands now, lay your porcelain to 1-60, unless the manufacturer’s specification says differently.

Porcelain paving slabs have a tendency to chip in two ways, with the first way being an installation chip which is often very noticeable, such as in Figure 1, and should be replaced rather than installed/ laid regardless.

The next type of chipping issue occurs when cutting paving slabs, such as in Figure 2. This type of chipping is commonly attributed to cutting with a blunt disc, not using water whilst cutting, and using an incorrect disc for cutting the porcelain. On the other side of the coin, poor quality porcelain is also prone to chipping. Remember that vitrified porcelain in general is far more likely to chip than a full/thorough body slab. Application of bonding mortar or slurry primer, in old money terms, is the next issue. Whether the bonding mortar isn’t thick enough and with paving slabs debonding, the bonding mortar is applied very thinly with a watery consistency as in Figure 3. Bonding mortar should be at least 2mm thick and applied to the whole of the back of the slab and not leaving a ring around the edge which can lead to issues down the line, especially in frosty weather. I have to say as well that it’s not uncommon for me to find no bonding mortar applied at all.

Finally, uneven grout gap widths are very common, yet there is no excuse not to get them even. I always used window packers of tile spacers myself, but there are other spacing methods now, such as the self-levelling and spacer combined systems.

Leaving college at 17, Gareth has worked in the landscape industry since 1989. Progressing onto high-end projects over the years, he has picked up 30 RHS medals, including Gold at Chelsea. Gareth is a member of multiple professional bodies. He provides technical and product advice to companies, mentors and trains landscapers across the UK, and provides arbitration and mediation services. Gareth is an online and on-site mentor in landscape construction for contractors, garden designers and show gardens. gkwilsonlandscaping.co.uk

GARETH WILSON

Many landscapers who are new to laying porcelain don’t grasp that it is a completely different animal from all other paving materials

Figure 1: Installation chip

Figure 2: Chipping due to cutting

Figure 3: Thin bonding mortar

Garden Gazebo Collection

The M&M Timber round timber gazebos are UK designed and manufactured to suit every size and style of garden or play area, available from 3m up to 6m. Accessories include tables, benches, cushions and curtains, with a choice of timber, cedar or thatch roof.

Hedges & Large

Garden Building Range

Bring your fountain to life at night with Otterbine’s Lighting Systems.

Introducing MIDI-RGBW Lights for Otterbine’s Fountain Glo™. These 9-watt light sets offer a cost-effective way to add rich colour to your fountains. Pairs perfectly with Otterbine’s 1-5hp aerating fountains to give lavish, vibrant light to accentuate any pattern with a variety of coloured displays and sequences. Takes your venue from day to night in style. reesinkturfcare.co.uk

TUPE is a set of regulations (the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (as amended)) that has the effect of transferring employees’ terms and conditions over to a new employer.

When does TUPE apply?

TUPE is triggered when a “relevant transfer” takes place; that is:

a) a business transfer: transfer of a business (or part of a business) where there is a transfer of an economic entity that retains its identity (such as the takeover of a company by another); and/or

b) a service provision change: a client engaging a contractor to do work on its behalf, reassigning such a contract or bringing the work “in-house”.

However, it does not apply to a transfer of shares only. There are exceptions to the concept of ‘relevant transfer’ (such as the transfer of purely administrative functions in a public authority context), but we will not concentrate on these technical exceptions in this article.

TUPE does not generally apply to transfer of employees’ entitlement to pension benefits. There are (again!) technical exceptions (such as in public sector-related contracts, or schemes not related to benefits for old age, invalidity or survivors).

TalkingTERMS OF TRANSFERS

affects employees

The effect of TUPE

All employees employed by the original employer (transferor) immediately before the transfer (and assigned to the business or part of the business being transferred), transfer to

the new employer (transferee) on their existing terms and conditions of employment. The new employer also inherits the other rights, liabilities and obligations related to those affected employees.

Potential claims

Dismissals will be automatically unfair if the principal reason for the dismissal is the transfer itself. However, dismissals will be treated as fair where a clear (and compelling) economic, technical or organisational (ETO) reason, justifying a change to the workforce, is shown. Under TUPE, both the new and old employers must inform and consult with the employees or related union/ representatives who may be affected by the transfer. The information and consultation requirements include:

• Information on any measures to be taken by the transferee following the transfer

• Detailed information about the potentially transferring employees (known as “employee liability information”, to be passed from the transferor to the transferee) Failure to comply with information and

consultation requirements can be an expensive error, as claims can be brought by the various parties affected (including between transferor and transferee) as a result.

Employees have the right to object to the transfer by informing their original employer (regulation 4(7)); if they exercise this right, there is no dismissal, and their employment contract will terminate on the transfer date.

The new employer can only make changes to the transferred employees’ employment terms in limited circumstances (essentially, where there is an ETO reason).

TUPE is often considered to be a quite daunting and complicated set of regulations. However, following clear processes can lead to a smooth transition.

ORACLE SOLICITORS

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

Dismissals will be automatically unfair if the principal reason for the dismissal is the transfer itself

Jason McKenzie and Danielle Ryu of Oracle Solicitors explain the term ‘TUPE’ and how it

BARK & MULCH

AHS LTD

Our most popular bark is the 8-35mm Contract Ornamental, which is a mixed conifer bark with a high percentage of spruce. All our barks and mulches are from renewable or sustainable sources.

• What are the benefits to plants and shrubs?

Weed suppression; the bark creates a layer or barrier on top of the soil depriving weeds of sunlight. Bark also reduces evaporation from the surface of the soil and aids water permeation from rainwater. It will decompose, releasing nutrients into the soil.

• What is its shelf life prior to use? Depending on how the product is stored it could last several months prior to use. We would suggest keeping the material dry stored.

• For which projects is it best suited?

As a general overview, we would recommend a general bark mulch such as this for planting beds for the reasons above. We also supply a Fine Composted Bark which is a single year mulch that breaks down into a soil improver after a season. ahs-ltd.co.uk

HALLSTONE

Our mulch consists of responsibly sourced conifer bark, primarily spruce. We only source sustainable wood products, which are FSC® certified (FSC-C147081).

• What are the benefits to plants and shrubs?

It prevents moisture loss, suppresses weed growth, helps to extend plant life, and increases nutrients into the soil, hence improving plant and shrub health.

• What is its shelf life prior to use?

Several months, depending on dry storage conditions.

• For which projects is it best suited?

Our Hallstone Bark Mulch is an effective product that not only enhances the look of any given landscape; it also aids the longevity of plant life. It can be used for general purpose landscaping schemes in many areas including domestic gardens, perfect for any upcoming client projects. hallstonedirect.co.uk

ECO SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS

The woodland mulch at Eco is created by screening woodchip which gets tipped by local tree surgeons who put their branches and trees through chippers & shredders.

• What are the benefits to plants and shrubs?

Mulches are fantastic for the bed and borders. They help to retain moisture in the hotter, drier summer months. In the winter months, a layer of mulch will help retain heat in the ground and protect from frost.

• What is its shelf life prior to use?

Shelf life of mulch is hard to determine as there are many variables which will contribute to the breakdown of material. We at Eco recommend “topping up” mulched areas annually either in the autumn or in the spring. There will be areas of the garden which rot a little faster and these will need refreshing more frequently.

• For which projects is it best suited?

Mulches would mainly be used to complement a planting scheme given that mulch can assist with suppressing weeds and creating interest within the border. thisiseco.co.uk

BURY HILL

Bark products come from the outer layer of trees and Bury Hill can help with pine, spruce and mixed conifer barks, which come in different grades from fine to 45mm+.

• What are the benefits to plants and shrubs?

The primary benefits are the suppression of weeds, protecting your soils from capping, the retention of moisture and a decorative appearance. Additionally, there's the provision of organic matter, which, as the bark breaks down will benefit the soil structure, helping to maintain an even soil temperature and slowing down the movement of water during storm conditions to protect both soils and plants from waterlogging.

• What is its shelf life prior to use?

The lifespan of bark as a mulch would be around one to five years, depending on particle size and type of bark being used.

• For which projects is it best suited? Our featured bark is one from our ‘Maritime’ range, which our clients love to use on prestigious schemes where maximum decorative impact is required.

buryhilltopsoilandlogs.co.uk

Suppliers share the benefits of bark & mulch products ideal for landscaping

Maritime bark

Hallstone bark mulch

Woodland mulch

8-35mm Contract Ornamental bark

TREX TRANSCEND Arbor Forest Products

Can you tell us what the composite decking boards are made of?

Trex composite decking boards comprise 95% recycled wood fibres and plastic. Trex Transcend is a professionalgrade product and is suitable for heavy duty applications, spanning both the residential and commercial sectors.

What is the guarantee?

When installed correctly, Trex Transcend comes with a leading manufacturer’s residential warranty of over 25 years.

What are some of the top tips for installation?

Trex products are known for offering ease of installation, but top tips include:

• Utilise Trex fixing systems such as the Pro Plug Composite Deck Screw and colour match Deckfast Fascia Screws for a seamless finish

• All Trex boards are unique, so lay each one out before they’re installed to ensure you’re happy with the look

• All deck boards must be installed with a 6mm side-to-side gap and with a 6-13mm gap between the boards and objects such as garden walls

• Breaker boards add dimension to a deck, but also mean boards don’t have to be butted up against each other.

Where is the decking manufactured? The Trex Transcend range is manufactured in the USA. As well as being one of the biggest recyclers of plastic bags in the USA, Trex takes several steps to create a sustainable manufacturing process at its plants such as recycling factory runoff and using vegetable-based oil hydraulics. arborforestproducts.co.uk

Competent in COMPOSITE

PIRANHA DECKING

Talasey Group

ALCHEMY BSW Composites

Can you tell us what the composite decking boards are made of?

Alchemy composite decking is manufactured from a blend of wood flour, recycled materials and stabilisers. Our products are also capped in a market-leading layer of HDPE to ensure that the surface is both scratch and stain resistant.

What is the guarantee?

All our products come with credible and traceable UK-based warranties. Our hollow Habitat+ board has a 15-year warranty, while our solid Urban board has a 20-year warranty in residential applications and a 10-year warranty in commercial settings.

What are some of the top tips for installation? A deck is only as good as the substructure, so it’s vitally important to install deck boards at the appropriate joist centres, which are detailed in fitting guides. We recommend using our colour-coded screws and accessories for a seamless finish, while you can watch our step-by-step installation guide for a quick and straightforward installation.

Where is the decking manufactured? Our decking is produced in Telford, right here in the UK. bswcomposites.co.uk

Can you tell us what the composite decking boards are made of?

Piranha Decking contains a blend of 60% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified recycled hardwood fibres and 30% high performance HDPE plastic, along with 10%

additives, which include colour, bonding agent etc. to help give Piranha Decking an outstanding technical performance. This results in strong, hardwearing composite boards that will not rot, warp or split. Our Terrafuzion decking features a heavy duty protective capped layer, giving a maximum performance against stains and scratching and providing added protection against fading & weathering, providing the boards with an extra long life.

What is the guarantee?

Piranha decking comes with a 25-year domestic warranty for Terrafuzion and 10-year domestic warranty for Hunter.

The Piranha warranty is applied to the composite decking boards only and does not cover the installation.

Some top tips for installation?

Preparation is key! Ensure you read our installation and understanding guides for the best tips and step-by-step advice on how to undertake the installation correctly, as some composite decking systems may vary slightly in how is best to install them.

Where is the decking manufactured?

Piranha Composite Decking is manufactured in the Far East. piranhadecking.co.uk

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

SKILLED LANDSCAPER

ANDREWS LANDSCAPING

Location: Surrey

Andrews Landscaping is a Guildford-based design and build company specialising in residential and commercial projects in Surrey and the South East. It is looking for a passionate skilled landscaper to join one of its teams. Ideally, you should have a minimum of five years' experience in the industry; have a passion about creating beautiful gardens; be skilled at the main aspects of landscaping; be able to speak knowledgably to clients; and manage a team of landscapers.

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

RESEARCHER/BUSINESS REPORTER ELJAYS44

Location: Sussex

Eljays44 is a media, publishing and events business. Established in 2011, Eljays44 and its brands established itself as the go-to channels for all things related to the horticulture and landscaping sector. The researcher/business reporter will report into the editor of our flagship publication, Pro Landscaper. Responsibilities include producing/managing data for our UK Landscape Barometer, preparing a cohesive report each month and compiling engaging, relevant content for a new Business Section in Pro Landscaper magazine

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

CONSTRUCTION SITE MANAGER LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATES

Location: London, Surrey

Landscape Associates is a landscape design company, that works predominantly in Greater London and surrounding areas. It is looking for staff members who are passionate about delivering high quality landscapes. You must have an excellent level of finish and a keen eye for detail. The role would entail working on site independently as well as part of a team and help to train junior operatives. You will have the opportunity to work on a range of projects such as show gardens, podium landscapes and domestic gardens.

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

GROUNDS MAINTENANCE OPERATIVE, HEATHROW GLENDALE

Location: London

Glendale is seeking grounds maintenance operatives to work for its Heathrow Airport contract. You will work across Heathrow Airport and nearby locations such as Compass Centre landside and supporting the Heathrow Airside team. Duties include, conservation maintenance, grass cutting, hedge trimming, shrub bed maintenance and litter as required. These are full-time, permanent positions.

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

GARDENER

RUFUS RAWLEY LTD

Location: London

Rufus Rawley is an established high-end garden design and maintenance company working in private gardens in Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster. It is looking for gardeners to join the team. On offer is a salary between £23k-£30k PA (depending on experience), 28 days paid holiday per year (inclusive of bank holidays), and further professional training where appropriate.

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

MEDIA SALES EXECUTIVE

ELJAYS44

Location: Sussex

Eljays44 is focused on connecting the UK landscaping industry, using different channels including events, exhibitions, digital and print products, research and more. You will be joining the team as one of six members of the commercial team to play a pivotal role in its continued growth. The role will be split between outbound prospecting and managing a key account client base – with the main responsibility to deliver revenue growth across our media brands.

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

SKILLED HARD LANDSCAPER

LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATES

Location: London, Surrey

Landscape Associates prides itself on its high quality standards, and has been delivering RHS Gold medal-winning gardens for over 10 years, achieving ‘Best in Show’ at RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2022. Through its commitment to delivering high standards, it enjoys good working relationships with leading designers and architects. You will support project supervisors on site to work independently as well as part of a team. You will have the opportunity to work on projects such as show gardens, podium landscapes and domestic gardens. For more details, please go to horticulturecareers.co.uk

GARDENER IN PRIVATE GARDENS AND ESTATES

ALAN SARGENT

Location: Nationwide

Alan Sargent is looking for someone with a creative eye, high-quality garden management experience, excellent plant knowledge and horticultural skills. An experienced gardener is wanted to work across several country estates and newly designed gardens. The successful candidate would be working in teams of two or three on site. It is looking for someone who is passionate about horticulture and has at least three years’ horticulture experience.

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

Five minutes with KATHERINE LEE

Hampshire-based garden designer Katherine Lee shares her journey into garden design and the true value of creating these spaces for clients

How did you first get into horticulture?

I was given an area in the garden when I was quite small and I’d let myself out the house to play and move around the plants and I’d ask to go to the garden centre. I had my first garden when I lived in Sheffield, in a little terraced garden which was a traditional patch of lawn with plants around the outside; I dug up the whole thing and created a perennial meadow of long-flowering plants. Everywhere I’ve lived I've done something in the garden.

Has your career always been in garden design?

I’d trained as a chartered accountant and travelled throughout the world, including a spell in Australia. I then started my own business, which I did for 10 years before a wake-up call, when I decided it was time to retrain. I did this in 2018 at the London College of Garden Design, which I’d heard about listening to a podcast one night on which someone had done something very similar – gone from the corporate world to horticulture.

How did you set up your own practice?

It was during the course, which was a bit of a busy juggling act, but I loved it, and I graduated with distinction, so I was chuffed. During the course, one of my friends and I said if we got through it, we’d do a show garden together. So, we applied for Hampton Court and were accepted, which was brilliant – then Covid-19 happened, and Hampton Court was cancelled.

It was an incredible experience, though, because we saw what was needed for a show garden and it enabled me to apply that to my client work. I’ve been really busy thankfully, and I have plenty of loyal clients locally in Hampshire as well as in London and Surrey.

Do you have a particular design style?

I’m definitely a plant-led designer and am conscious of how construction is, by its nature, quite destructive, so I’m cognisant of the hard landscaping we’re putting into a garden and always thinking about the habitats and drainage and plants to include. I try to make the garden as easy as possible for clients to manage; not everybody who comes to me is a gardener, and one of the most rewarding things for me is seeing those people going from being almost plant-phobic to becoming really interested in the passage of time within the garden and seeing how things develop and taking pride in seeing their plants mature.

Which project are you most excited to be working on?

I’ve been working on a Japanese courtyard garden. I’d never done a Japanese garden before and there were limitations to the space; it’s on the side of the hill, on chalk, so is quite a sloping site. It’s surrounded by high walls too, so it’s very protected but also quite shaded. The client was an older lady who had always wanted a Japanese garden. She’d recently been bereaved and had moved

house. I designed the garden according to what she wanted, plus my input, and brought in a contractor for the hard landscaping. She loved the quirky modern twists, but it was when I planted it up that she turned to me, her eyes filled with years, and said how it was the first time she’d felt at home since everything that had happened. It shows how people connect to place in a really profound way.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

After looking after the dogs, the children, the garden and exercising, there’s not a massive amount of time, but I do like to hike and I’m a keen reader as well; I run a couple of book clubs. One has turned into a bit more of a wine club, but I don’t think that’s uncommon!

CONTACT

Katherine Lee Garden Design

Tel 07531 375 759

Email hello@katherineleegardendesign.co.uk

katherineleegardendesign.co.uk

One of the most rewarding things for me is seeing those people going from being almost plant-phobic to becoming really interested in the passage of time within the garden