Pro Landscaper November 2014 by Eljays44

Concept to Delivery

November 2014

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN INSIDE...

LET’S HEAR IT FROM GARDEN DESIGNER

SHOW GUIDE

2014

MATTHEW CHILDS

VECTORWORKS LANDMARK 2015

PLENTIFUL PLANTING COMPLEMENTING HARD LANDSCAPING

SHORE LANDSCAPES

A CLEAN SLATE

R FO D TE 2014 PPA S I Independent TL R O Publisher Awards

SH “Business Magazine of the Year”

Cover Oct h.indd 7

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WELCOME

Concept to Delivery DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN INSIDE...

November 2014 | Volume 4, Issue 11

SHOW GUIDE

2014

Welcome to November 2014

November 2014

LET’S HEAR IT FRO M GARDEN DESIGNER

MATTHEW CHILDS

VECTORWORKS LANDMARK 2015

PLENTIFUL PLANTING COMPLEMENTING

HARD LANDSCAPIN G

SHORE LANDSCAPES

A CLEAN SLATE Cover Oct h.indd

R FO ED 2014 PPA IST Independ TL ent OR Publisher Awards

“Business Magazine of the Year” 21/10/2014 15:17

As we write we have just found out that we have been shortlisted in three categories at the 2014 PPA Independent Publisher Awards. We are extremely proud to announce that Pro Landscaper is up for Business

ALL ENQUIRIES Tel: 01903 777 570 Eljays44 Ltd 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA EDITORIAL editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk Editor – Lisa Wilkinson lisa.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 579 Editorial Assistant – Iszara Morgan iszara.morgan@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 570

Magazine of the Year; FutureScape for Event of the Year, and Pro Landscaper and FutureScape have been shortlisted for Media Brand of the Year. We really hope that we can pick up something at the ceremony in December but overall it’s fabulous that the landscape industry has been recognised by our peers in the publishing world, and validation that we are delivering the correct type of publication for the sector. It’s also exciting that FutureScape is now just around the corner; we’re looking forward to the amazing line-up of speakers and additional events, along with the chance to catch up with the top suppliers to the industry. Make sure you have the date – Tuesday 18 November, in your diary. It’ll be well worth the visit. As the winter sets in, now is the time to start thinking about working ‘on’ your business. It’s hard to concentrate on the internal workings of your company, when from March to October you’re probably

ADVERTISING Business Development Manager – Jamie Wilkinson jamie.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 588 Account Manager – Luke Chaplin luke.chaplin@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 584 Sales Executive – Amber Bernabe amber.bernabe@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 581 Horticulture Careers – Jorjia Nye jorjia.nye@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 587

Equipment Editor – Joe Wilkinson joe.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 577

Accounts Assistant – Lisa Woollard accounts@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 570

Subeditor – Toby Wilsdon toby.wilsdon@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 578

Managing Director – Jim Wilkinson jim.wilkinson@eljays44.com Tel: 01903 777 589

EDITORIAL ADVISORY PANEL Mark Gregory Chairman of APL and Landform Consultants Sam Hassall LandPRO Ltd Russell Eales Lawn care expert Karl Harrison Decking expert David Dodd Hard landscaping expert

MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Tel:01903 777571

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Subscription enquiries lewis.dan@eljays44.com

working dawn to dusk and weekends too, to keep your clients happy and the money rolling in. When the weather is inclement, try to think of it not as lost income, but time to focus on other elements, such as marketing, updating or creating social media pages, getting those accounts up to date or perhaps having a company day with your staff for team building, strategy forming and ideas sharing. On that note, let’s all just hope winter 2014 isn’t too harsh and you can work most of the way through it... Look forward to seeing you at FutureScape, please do come and find us for a chat, you might even be interested in being involved in one of our People features, just ask us for details.

@jimeljays

Design – Kara Thomas Olivia White Amy Downes

@lisaeljays

Pro Landscaper is proud to be an affiliate member of BALI

Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, Gwent, UK Published by ©Eljays44 Ltd – Connecting Horticulture Pro Landscaper’s content is available for licensing overseas. Contact jamie.wilkinson@ eljays44.com

The Association of

Professional Landscapers

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

Pro Landscaper is published 12 times per year by Eljays44 Ltd. The 2014 subscription price is £95.00. Subscription records are maintained at Eljays44 Ltd, 3 Churchill Court, 112 The Street, Rustington, West Sussex BN16 3DA, UK. Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Eljays44 Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts. Whilst every effort has been made to maintain the integrity of our advertisers, we accept no responsibility for any problem, complaints, or subsequent litigation arising from readers’ responses to advertisements in the magazine. We also wish to emphasise that views expressed by editorial contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers. Reproduction of any part of this magazine is strictly forbidden.

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

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

21/10/2014 15:25

CONTENTS

November 2014

News Shed Round up of industry news

10 News Extra Jonathan Ward reporting on the happenings at the recent Young Horts conference

14 Association News The APL reports on the finalists for the WorldSkills show this month; the voting for the SGD Awards is still open; the hunt for the BALI chairman is still underway, whilst the BALI Awards are just weeks away; RHS release an update to the Horticulture Matters report; Efig discuss their trip to Holland

OPINION

19 SALTEX: The End Of An Era? Angus Lindsay shares his views on SALTEX’s move

20 Building a Show Garden What’s in it for the contractors, asks David Dodd

23 A Fascinating Selection Andrew Wilson looks at the process of designer selection for Chelsea

24 View From The Top Phil Jones takes a look at the value of BALI membership for the ISS

Concept to Delivery

November 2014

DESIGN, BUILD, AND MAINTAIN INSIDE...

LET’S HEAR IT FROM GARDEN DESIGNER

SHOW GUIDE

2014

VECTORWORKS

27 How To Survive And Thrive As A Garden Designer

Janine Pattison shares her extensive knowledge of building a successful career as a garden designer

28 Survive, Grow and Diversify Justin Paxman explains how studying business management led to an improved business model

29 Reputation Matters Simon Ayers on ways in which you can build a good reputation

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

CONTENTS.indd 4

Chris Burke talks to Charlie Benton about the benefits of Rated People

Lee Maddock gives an overview of options for different ways to invest your money

PLENTIFUL PLANTING COMPLEMENTING

34 Compulsory Work Place Pensions

HARD LANDSCAPING

A CLEAN SLATE

30 Top Rated People 32 Investing Your Money In A Different Way

LANDMARK 2015

SHORE LANDSCAPES

BUSINESS TIPS

MATTHEW CHILDS

R FO D TE 2014 PPA IS Independent TL OR Publisher Awards

SH “Business Magazine of the Year”

Cover Oct h.indd 7

What happens next? Peter Yardley from Brighton Williams explains

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37 Not Your Job?

ARE YOU GOING? NOVEMBER 18 FutureScape Sandown Park Racecourse www.futurescapeevent.com

DECEMBER 05 BALI Awards Grosvenor House www.baliawards.co.uk

Steve Clarke advises on trying a new sales approach to help boost profits TECHNICAL

38 Plentiful Planting The best plants and planting schemes to complement the hard landscaping in a small urban garden

40 Looking Across The Landscape of Vectorworks Landmark 2015

Tasmin Slatter reviews Vectorworks Landmark 2015

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

21/10/2014 15:47

CONTENTS

CONTRIBUTORS

NURSERY

61 Nursery News News bites and information from around the country, including Nursery Notes from Tamata

63 Plantsman’s Plot Autumnal plants and trees from nurseries around the country

65 Nursery Factfile

Angus Lindsay Head of Fleet at The Landscape Group David Dodd Landscaper and lecturer

Andrew Wilson Garden designer and lecturer

A nursery factfile with Majestic Trees

67 Malvern Show Report Jonathan Ward reports on the Malvern Show

69 Garden Buildings Latest products from a selection of brands for garden buildings EQUIPMENT

71 Equipment News 75 General Latest Kit

43 43 Let’s Hear It From

PEOPLE

78 Little Interview Q&A with a selection of readers

80 Trading With Harrod Horticultural Andrew Barringer gives an insight into products and services

Matthew Childs of Matthew Childs Design PORTFOLIO

SHOW GUIDE

49 Another Level Blue Tulip Design transforms a run-down walled garden into an outdoor dining area with a clean, modern design

52 Harbour Life Janine Pattison Studios creates a landscape in keeping with a multi-million pound residence in one of the most desirable roads in Poole, Dorset

56 A Clean Slate A garden transformation coordinated with the rebuild of a property, providing hard landscaping for entertainment

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

CONTENTS.indd 5

Seminars

Let’s Hear it Live

The Beauty is in the Build

The Detail is in the Design

The Passion is in the Plants

100 The Great Tree Debate 103 View from the Top 106 Map 109 A-Z of Exhibitors

Phil Jones MD of ISS Facility Services Landscaping Janine Pattison Garden designer

Justin Paxman Landscaper

Simon Ayers Chief Executive Officer of TrustMark Chris Burke Insight & Monetisation at Rated People Lee Maddock Chartered Financial Planner Peter Yardley Corporate pensions specialist Steve Clarke Sales mentor

Lucy Summers Garden designer, writer and journalist Tamsin Slatter Director of Vectorworks Training Jonathan Ward Photographer and garden writer at Ginger Horticulture

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

21/10/2014 15:47

NEWS

NEWS SHED Inspiration and collaboration emerge as key themes from AIPH Congress

Over 100 delegates from around the world participated in the 66th International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) Annual Congress held in Qingdao, China from 15-19 September 2014. Opening the congress AIPH President, Vic Krahn detailed the many initiatives being developed within AIPH and said: “This is a unique forum for bringing together the common challenges

News Shed.indd 6

we face and to identify new ways to grow this industry that is so critical for people and planet.” During the Environment & Plant Health Committee debate, members presented the challenges their industries are facing relating to the use of water. Commenting on the discussion AIPH Secretary General, Tim Briercliffe commented “We have demonstrated this week that water truly is a global challenge for the horticulture industry. There is not a single member that cannot list problems with availability, quality and pollution”. Robert Prince from Nursery Garden Industry Australia opened the debate and agreed that: “Each member has their own strategy for dealing with water problems. Discussions like this mean we can share what we are doing, learn from each other and overall become more effective.” www.aiph.org

Landscape gardener impresses judges at UK Worker of the Year Jez Young, a landscape gardener and builder from Ceredigion in Wales, is competing to become Dickies’ UK Worker of the Year. Jez, up against six other workers from across the UK, was questioned about why he deserves to win this year’s prestigious title. As part of the experience, the Welsh landscape gardener was also taken on a tour of the Suzuki headquarters, and out for a drive in the Suzuki S-Cross, one of the prize options for this year’s winner. Jez said: “I was nervous but

it’s an honour to be chosen to be one of the finalists. I can’t wait for this year’s finale now.” Maurice Morton, Sales and Marketing Director at Dickies said: “This year was definitely the most competitive judging day. All the finalists presented themselves brilliantly, which is a huge credit to them.” Jez set up his gardening business, Jez Young’s Secret Gardens but spends the majority of his time on civil engineering projects.

Society of Garden Designers appoints new chair The Society of Garden Designers (SGD) has appointed Philippa O’Brien MSGD as its new chair. Philippa will take up the role this month, replacing Juliet Sargeant MSGD who steps down after two years as Chair. A Registered Member of the SGD since 2006, Philippa joined the society more than 20 years ago and is currently a member of the SGD Council. In addition to running her own garden design practice, she is an active member of her local

Beekeepers Association and is an enthusiastic allotment holder. Speaking of her appointment she said: “The SGD covers an extraordinarily diverse and talented range of individuals, being chosen to represent them is a huge honour. Thankfully I don’t have to do this alone, but with the amazing team that make up our council.” Philippa will be guiding many initiatives into 2015 including a revision of the SGD website, the introduction of a new stand for RHS Chelsea and the launch of the first SGD book. www.sgd.org.uk

20/10/2014 16:01

NEWS

Horticulture Matters’ report updated The recent update of the report, Horticulture Matters 2014, highlights the achievements of the past year and outlines the areas of focus for 2015. Key priorities include improving the perception of careers in the sector, supporting schools in the delivery of horticultural qualifications and working with government to secure funding for plant-science research. Speaking at the YoungHort conference in London, RHS Director General Sue Biggs said: “As a sector we want to share our passion for the industry. Horticulture contributes £9 billion

to the UK economy every year, and employs around 300,000 people across a variety of disciplines. However, 70% of businesses say that they struggle to find the skilled workers they require and 83% put this down to the poor perception of horticulture in schools and colleges. Over the past year, the horticulture sector has made some significant advances, which are highlighted in our report, but we can’t rest on our laurels; there is much vital work that needs to be done.” Read Horticulture Matters 2014 at www.rhs.org.uk/ horticulturematters

Discussion leads to promise of costings benchmark for landscape industry A recent workshop in Kent attended by 300 delegates delivered a promise to create the first ever ‘benchmark’ to calculate the cost of maintenance for designs and schemes. Host Nick Coslett of Palmstead Nurseries, says his company wants the industry’s help in filling out maintenance workload/costings for existing designs, which could then be shared and used as benchmarks: “I think we have identified a strong demand across the industry to give higher

News Shed.indd 7

value to the longer term care of plants and provision of benchmarking,” he says, “which will help give designers tools to engage in the discussion with clients, thereby protecting their capital investment.” After he surveyed 100 landscape professionals in May this year, Coslett adds, he found that 80 per cent ‘were keen to have a formula or better guidance on how to cost maintenance’. www.palmstead.co.uk

Integritas gains ground with ninth BALI Award Integritas Landscapes has been honoured with its ninth BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) Award for its ground maintenance work at Goodman’s Hatfield Business Park, Hertfordshire. The company was named winner of the ‘Ground Maintenance – Limited Public Access’ category. Set on 400 acres at the former Hatfield Aerodrome, Hatfield Business Park includes a series of intimate meadowland footpaths, as well as water features and ample lawn space. On the award win, Integritas Area Director, Mark Lusty added: “Winning our ninth award is fantastic news because it clearly demonstrates our long-running commitment to exceptional standards.” Hatfield Business Park has been maintained by Integritas since its initial development in 1999 and the permanent six-man team has recently been bolstered with the addition of an apprentice working towards an NVQ 2 in Amenity Horticulture. www.integritaslandscapes.co.uk

NEWS IN BRIEF SGD Student Awards Finalists 2014

Jiyoung Kim - Writtle College Sascia Lord - London College of Garden Design Damien Michel – London College of Garden Design Joanna Midwinter – Duchy College Sid Stratton - Hadlow College Toni Twentyman – Duchy College

New website launch for E.P.Barrus Ltd

E.P. Barrus Ltd has launched its new corporate website, enhanced functionality, navigation and design features. www.barrus.co.uk

HTA Board welcomes new Director Sandy Shepherd from Ball Colegrave has joined the HTA Board as a Director.

Trustmark launches new tradesman app

TrustMark launches ‘Talk to your tradesman’ app. Download it free at www.trustmark.org.uk/apps

Brett Landscaping go ‘beyond paving’

Brett Landscaping has attributed the success of its commercial paving operation to a range of services and tools – for architects and speciﬁers.

20/10/2014 16:02

NEWS

Double gold for Glendale at South and South East in Bloom awards

Two Glendale-managed parks in Waverley have won gold at South and South East in Bloom Awards. The company is celebrating gold medal wins for Gostrey Meadow in Farnham in the small parks section, and Phillips Memorial Park in Godalming in the large parks category. Paul Ford, contract manager at Glendale, said: “At Glendale we not only aim to set a standard but to constantly better ourselves, and these latest awards are proof of the dedication and hard work of our teams. The in Bloom awards are not only about sustainable environments but sustainable communities too, and we’ve always been proud of the way we work with the community to maintain spaces which can be enjoyed by all.” This year’s South and South East in Bloom awards received a record 400 entries from across Kent, East and West Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, North Dorset and East Wiltshire. www.glendale-services.co.uk

News Shed.indd 8

Bowles & Wyer scoops four BALI National Landscape Awards Bowles & Wyer is delighted to have received four BALI National Landscape Awards in 2014. The first scheme in the over £250K category was for a private grade two listed manor house in Hertfordshire with the brief to draw together the elements of barn, house and entrance to create a suitable setting. The second nomination in the over £250K category was for a private home in Wimbledon designed by Russ Canning Associates with

Bowles & Wyer carrying out the landscape construction that would see two existing gardens transformed into one; and the third garden, in the over £250K category, designed by Jane Brockbank is in Hampstead north London with a brief that the gardens should reflect the elegant Sir John Soane inspired architecture of the house but would also introduce some more

contemporary elements. The fourth nomination in the Grounds Maintenance (private) section under £50K is for a home in Kensington London. Bowles & Wyer has held this contract for over 15 years and it’s a great example of what can be achieved through continuous and sensitive maintenance of the site. John Wyer said of the BALI Award nominations, “We couldn’t be happier, it means a lot to be recognised by the industry, after all no one knows better the work that goes into these projects than our peers.” www.bowleswyer.co.uk

ISS assists in makeover for veterans horticulture therapy garden Armed Forces veterans attending Gardening Leave’s horticultural therapy project at Auchincruive near Ayr will find it easier to sow seeds and plant vegetables soon, thanks to ISS Facility Services Landscaping. Based in the grounds of SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College), the garden is being transformed to make it more wheelchair-friendly and easier to use for veterans. Specially-designed raised wooden vegetable and herb beds are being installed by ISS throughout the site and garden paths are being re-laid to make

access easier. The project will take over a month to complete and will be carried out by staff from ISS’s North Region. Heather Budge-Reid, Chief Executive of Gardening Leave, said: “We’re extremely grateful for the continued support of ISS. This

year we remember those we lost 100 years ago but we are also remembering those who still live, and live with the invisible wounds of war,” she added. Phil Jones, Managing Director, ISS Facility Services Landscaping said: “Our relationship with Gardening Leave began in 2010 and since then we have supported three major garden projects, making it possible for Gardening Leave to transform the lives of veterans in many different environments across the country.” www.isslandscaping.co.uk

20/10/2014 16:02

natural finishes

incredible technical performance low maintenance little or no moisture absorption clean cut edges

stonemarket launches range of vitrified paving combining exceptional looks and performance with low maintenance visit stand 95 + 96 for more information www.stonemarket.co.uk

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15/10/2014 12:28

NEWS EXTRA

Set up through social media towards the end of 2013, YoungHort is a movement with the aim of offering mutual support to young horticulturists and to help school leavers find their way through the maze of career opportunities within the sector. It also seeks to change the perception that horticulture is just for those without qualifications. The inaugural spring conference was the first opportunity for many people to meet in the flesh as opposed to in the virtual world. The conference was attended by 100 people and following its success, YoungHort has tripled in size with 300 attendees at its autumn conference, held in Battersea. With a line-up of speakers to rival almost any horticultural event, some of the top horticulturists in the country showed the diverse opportunities in the industry. Andrew Fisher-Tomlin kicked off the conference, explaining his passion for design and where he draws his inspiration from. The audience learnt that many of his influences come from the fashion world, including such names as Karl Lagerfeld and Victoria Beckham. These names may

News Extra 2.indd 10

YoungHort Autumn Conference 2014 FOR YOUNG HORTICULTURISTS Jonathan Ward reports on the second YoungHorts conference, which took place in September at Battersea Park, London and saw a trebling of numbers

WE HAD A GREAT LINE UP OF SPEAKERS HUGELY ENJOYED BY ALL ATTENDEES AND GUESTS sound out of place in this context but he held the audience’s attention and showed that all aspects of life can stimulate ideas, not only those directly related to your field. The top speaker of the day was without doubt George Hassall, who stole the show from the more experienced speakers in the room as he shared his influences and career plans. George is eight years

old and won this year’s RHS School Gardener of the Year. Many of the speakers explained that horticultural skills can provide opportunities worldwide. Faye Steer spoke of how her previous roles have led to her current position managing the flower and vegetable production at Chatsworth House, a job that George had said he wanted earlier in the day.

The final speaker was the irrepressible James Wong, who delighted the YoungHorts by making himself available to talk with them personally after the conference. He presented several slides showing how plants can be used to improve the urban environment and as with many of the speakers, James told of how his life and work in horticulture has allowed him to travel the world. Sue Biggs, Director General of the RHS used the event to launch the new Horticulture Matters Report and the conference also marked the official handover of the management of the Grow Careers initiative from Leigh Morris to Raoul Curtis-Machin. “The YoungHort Autumn Conference went extremely well. We had a great-line up of speakers hugely enjoyed by all attendees and guests. The day was a big success and we can’t thank everyone enough who helped us put it together.” - Fiona Willets, YoungHort Ambassador said. The next conference is pencilled in for March next year, watch this space. This year’s conference is available to view on the YoungHort website: www.younghort.com

21/10/2014 12:57

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17/10/2014 10:23

r it

18 Y A D S E U T 2014 R E B M E NOV 5pm 9-

Sandown P a Racecours rk e, Esher, KT10 9AJ

seminar room 1

INVITE ONLY Mark Gregory Phil Jones

– Landform Consultants – ISS Facility Services Landscaping Philippa O’Brien – Chairman of Society of Garden Designers David Dodd – The Outdoor Room Dan Flynn – gardenlink Ltd John Wyer – Bowles & Wyer Janine Pattison – Janine Pattison Studios Robert Field – Chairman of BALI Andrew Wilson – Wilson McWilliam Studio Nick Temple-Heald – The Landscape Group Matt O’Conner – John O’Conner Grounds Maintenance

ROOM 1

– 9.30AM

ROOM 1

Tecwyn Evans

– Living Landscapes

Richard Bickler

– Arbour Design & Build

Dan Riddleston

– Bowles & Wyer

Ed Belderbos

– Belderbos Landscapes

Helen Elks-Smith – Elks-Smith Garden Design Jason Lock – Deakinlock Garden Design Patricia Fox – Aralia Design Amanda Patton – Amanda Patton Landscape & Garden Design Sean Butler – Cube 1994

Let’s Hear it

ROOM 1

– 3PM

David Dodd

– The Outdoor Room

– 11.30AM

ROOM 1

– 10.30AM

ROOM 1

– 2PM

Keith Sacre Vince Edwards Steve McCurdy Deric Newman

– Barcham Trees – James Coles Nurseries – Majestic Trees – Glendale Civic Trees

Rae Wilkinson

– Rae Wilkinson Garden and Landscape Design – Deakinlock Garden Design – Palmstead Nurseries – Hortus Loci

Chris Deakin Nick Coslett Robin Wallis

patricia fox

sabine victor

sam hassall

liz male

john wyer

‘Spatial Design Creates Feel Good Gardens’

‘costings’

‘trustmark’

‘the way forward’

room 1 -4pm

room 2 -9:30am

room 2 -10:30am

room 2 -11:30am

room 2 - 3pm

WWW.FUTURESCAPEEVENT.COM

Room 2 – 10.30am

FUTURESCAPE LATEST.indd 2

21/10/2014 16:10

bigger

more exhib itor than ever s

150 Exhibitors in one place, on one day

karl harrison

Paul Hensey

janine pattison

dusty gedge

steve clarke

‘decking’

‘sketch up’

‘How To Survive (Or Even Thrive) As A Garden Designer’

‘green walls’

‘sales & marketing’

room 2 -4pm

room 3 - 9:30am

room 3 -10:30am

room 3 -11:30am

room 3 -2pm



Tweet us @FuturescapeUK to find out about the event and reconnect after it’s all over

For any queries about the event or travel, please don’t hesitate to email Lewis.Dan@eljays44.com

FUTURESCAPE LATEST.indd 3

To keep up to date with what’s happening, check out our FutureScape Facebook page and give us a ‘like’

For any information call Kim Horsman on 01903 777 599

21/10/2014 16:11

Association

NEWS

BALI-NCF The hunt for a chairman is hotting up, with two candidates putting their names forward and now subject to a vote by the group’s members. The new chair will

BALI briefing be responsible for representing BALI-NCF, a group of national landscape and grounds maintenance contractors, and furthering its aims and objectives, which include lobbying and the promotion of industry best practice.

ROLO course for those wishing to apply for its new Labourer’s Card once they have completed the HSE touch screen test. The UKCG have also accepted ROLO as being compliant with its own training requirement.

ROLO The tender process for the review and rewrite of the current ROLO Health and Safety Awareness course and the development of a supervisor and management level is now underway. Once a contractor is appointed, the aim is to have the rewriting completed and the new course in place in the early spring. This comes as CSCS accepts the

BALI Awards Just weeks away and tables at the BALI National Landscape Awards are going like hot cakes. With a tremendous winning line up of BALI members’ schemes, the Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House on Friday 5 December promises to be a very special event. This year’s Awards host (previous incumbents include Lord Coe, Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, Clive Anderson, Giles Brandreth, Huw Edwards and Hugh Dennis)

RHS report Horticulture Matters report one year on The RHS, along with the rest of the horticultural sector, has released an update to the ‘Horticulture Matters’ report

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

Association News.indd 14

launched in May 2013, which outlined the steps the industry and government should take to address the growing skills crisis in the sector. The update, Horticulture

Matters 2014, highlights the achievements of the past year and outlines the areas of focus for 2015. Key priorities include improving the perception of careers in the sector, supporting schools in the delivery of horticultural qualiﬁcations and working with government to secure funding for plant science research. Speaking at the YoungHort conference in London, which was attended by 300 young horticulturists, RHS Director

BALI Who’s Who Directory 2015 BALI’s yearbook will be published in time for Christmas. This invaluable guide to BALI’s professional membership – designers, contractors and suppliers of landscaping products and services – also carries in-depth articles from the industry’s experts and opinion formers, including Professor James Hitchmough of the University of Shefﬁeld, landscape architect Dominic Cole, and Amenity Forum Chair Professor John Moverley. The Who’s Who Directory is not only a mine of information but an excellent read too and is sent to all full BALI members, landscape architects, public and private sector speciﬁers, government departments and other relevant organisations.

RHS/Alex Stoneman

Coping with Slopes With three weeks to go before the BALI-NCF workshop at Severn Trent’s Draycote Water reservoir in the Midlands, no further bookings for the event are being taken as 135 people have signed up to attend – something of a record. But don’t worry if you’ve missed the boat this time, the event will run again in the spring a little further up country, subject to demand. Email jonathan.tame@ bali.org.uk to express your interest in attending; details will follow in the New Year.

will be announced shortly. If you still haven’t booked your place at the landscape industry’s premier awards, there’s still time. Go to www.baliawards. co.uk and order online.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/10/2014 16:11

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Keeping up-to-the-minute eﬁg has always offered members the opportunity to keep up to date with the latest skills. With this in mind, last week’s two day trip to Holland offered members a little general shopping but also some great workshops for additional stimulation.

plant varieties at the cash and carry there. This continued in the afternoon at Nieuwkoop Europe’s in-house cash and carry and their house of artiﬁcial plants and ﬂowers. Friday saw the group visit PTMD, a new container supplier for inspiration.

Shopping around Shopping entailed looking for accessories at Basics & Trends in Aalsmeer Cultra Centre as well as discovering many new

Workshops The group attended two green wall workshops, one at Nieuwkoop and one at Fachjan. They learnt about two different systems and were able to talk about their own experiences and, of course, ask questions. At Fachjan the group also

One of the Green Wall workshops

General Sue Biggs said: “Over the past year, the horticulture sector has worked hard with government, employers and educators to reverse a potentially terminal trend. We’ve made some signiﬁcant advances which are highlighted in our report, but we can’t rest on our laurels. There is much vital work that needs to be done.” The Horticulture Matters industry group will continue its campaign throughout 2015, with a particular focus on

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Association News.indd 15

working more effectively with the government and continuing to focus on key promises, giving priority to apprenticeships, engagement with secondary schools, inspiring young people and career changes. Please visit www.rhs.org. uk/horticulturematters to read Horticulture Matters 2014. RHS London Secret Garden Sunday Christmas Special The RHS is welcoming the Christmas season by holding the

Nurseries The tour was organised for eﬁg members by Koberg BV and Nieuwkoop-Europe BV and included nursery tours as well. Nieuwkoop’s own greenhouses are always full of interesting varieties and the inclusion of Fachjan in Koberg’s offering meant more to see too. As well as their big trees, seas of Sansevieria and other plants at Fachjan, the group also visited a fully automated orchid nursery. Here they watched the day-to-day workings of the

ﬁnal in a series of special shows designed to inspire Londoners to grow, eat and celebrate the best of British seasonal produce. The ﬁnal RHS Secret Garden Sunday show, held in Westminster on 2 November, will be called the RHS Secret Garden Christmas Special. Visitors will be able to start their Christmas shopping in a fun, festive setting complete with carol singing, real reindeer, Santa in his grotto, delicious food, mulled wine and a series of creative workshops.

Ian Drummond, eﬁg’s chairman lost in a sea of Sansevieria

nursery and were introduced to many new varieties of orchids. Future training Fachjan has offered eﬁg members a full day’s training on moving and pruning big trees in 2015. Both Ian Drummond (Indoor Garden Design) and vice chair Chris Jenkin (Enterprise Plants) agreed that the trip had been a success and that members were stimulated and learnt a lot. Working Christmas Trees Week As you read this we will have just completed our ﬁrst ever Working Christmas Trees Week promotion. We will be able to report more fully on this including monies raised for charity in next month’s edition.

RHS/Carol Sheppard

efig outline

learnt about big trees including the many varieties available, importing and timescales. All very important for project specifying. Much interest was shown in a new substrate that Fachjan offers, called Zeoponic. It falls somewhere between hydroculture and compost and made an impact with several of the group who wish to trial it.

Visitors will also be able to gain tips, industry tricks and gardening advice on how to get the most out of winter planting. Please visit www.rhs.org. uk/Shows-Events for more information.

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 15

20/10/2014 16:12

ASSOCIATION NEWS

APL WorldSkills UK finalists set to compete at Skills Show The 2014 WorldSkills UK Landscape Gardening finalists are ready to compete at The Skills Show from 13 to 15 November at the Birmingham NEC, where one of them will win Gold and be crowned ‘Best in the UK’ in front of 75,000 people. Richard Carden from Reaseheath College, Sam Burks of Bishop Burton College, Dean Thomson, Jonathan Buchanan and Ronan McLarnon of CAFRE all went through to the final after successfully completing the APL Landscape Gardening competition at the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park in July and they will compete in the final at

APL update The Skills Show. The Skills Show is the nation’s largest skills and careers event, helping to shape the future of the next generation. The highlight of the show is the WorldSkills UK National Competition Finals, with the best of the best bringing skills to life. The APL is the new organising partner for the Landscape Gardening section of the WorldSkills UK competition, which is one of more than 70

UK-wide skills competitions ranging from landscape gardening to engineering, electronics to the arts. These are all designed by industry experts and targeted at apprentices, college and university students, trainees and employees. The aim of the competition is to inspire young people and adults to be ambitious in developing their skills to the highest level. Entering the competitions is proven to catapult entrants’ careers, build on their skills, test their

are eligible for entry into the People’s Choice Award, run in conjunction with Homes & Gardens magazine. With projects ranging from a multi-sensory garden for a rehabilitation centre in Wiltshire to a tiny roof garden in the heart of London, there is plenty to choose from. To ﬁnd out more about the gardens competing and to cast your vote, visit the SGD

Awards website: www.sgdawards.com. Voting closes on 31 October 2014 and the winner will be announced alongside the winners of all the other SGD Award categories at the ceremony on Friday 30 January 2015. Look out for tickets for the

The Landscape ﬁnalists at Tatton 2014

knowledge and showcase their potential to employers. For more information visit www.theskillsshow.com

SGD bulletin Voting for SGD People’s Choice Award 2014 is still open As part of the SGD Awards, the 15 ﬁnalists in the Residential, International, Public and Communal, and the new Pocket Garden Award categories

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

Association News.indd 16

Awards Ceremony, which go on sale shortly. 1 Cleve West MSGD. Photo by Geoff Corani 2 Debbie Roberts MSGD. 3 Rosemary Coldstream MSGD. 4 Sue Townsend MSGD. Photo by Marianne Majerus.

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14/10/2014 16:31

OPINION

SALTEX

THE END OF AN ERA? As SALTEX prepares to move to the Birmingham NEC next year, Angus Lindsay reminisces about times passed, gives an overview of the final show at Windsor Racecourse and hopes for the continuing relevance and success of the exhibition in the future. SALTEX is on the move up to the Midlands in November 2015; a brave move on the part of the organisers, especially as this traditionally outdoor show will now find itself within the confines of the NEC. This time of year is better for me as the season should have calmed down (that could be wishful thinking on my part).Taking it indoors and reducing it to two days? I’m not so sure, particularly as the BIGGA show at Harrogate takes place at the end of January. It’s all a little too close together. This year’s show was the most compact I’ve seen and whilst dealers and manufacturers put a lot of effort into displaying a wide range of equipment, there seemed to be an air of resignation about the future of the event and much reminiscing over past years. Long-term attendees will remember Concorde flying over the showground. People watched it streak through the sky on its way to the States, an engineering masterpiece to be proud of. Now the A380 regularly hauls five times as many people over the site and people still marvel at the technology

We won’t be able to do this in the NEC!

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Angus Lindsay.indd 19

keeping over 500 tonnes airborne. You won’t get that at the NEC. I appreciate that plane spotting shouldn’t be the key determiner of where to hold SALTEX but we are an outdoor industry and prefer to view equipment in its working environment. An indoor event will handicap this. Viewing equipment on a visual display is all well and good but you lose that all-important interaction with the product. Readers of my previous articles will know that I have advocated a move north to get more people from across the country to attend. My preferred venue would be the Royal Showground at Stoneleigh, which ticks all the boxes and has served the agricultural industry for many years.

VIEWING EQUIPMENT ON A VISUAL DISPLAY IS ALL WELL AND GOOD BUT YOU LOSE THAT ALL-IMPORTANT INTERACTION WITH THE PRODUCT Enough moaning about something I have no control over. On to what there was to see on the ground this year. In a year when the major manufacturers were attending, there were a couple of significant machines on display. John Deere’s replacement for the much-loved 1445 broke cover in the form of the 1570/80. Apart from the obvious styling, the most significant change is the engine, with increased power yet lower emissions. Not to be outdone, Kubota showed their revised F Series mowers. Ransomes released an all-new tri-deck ride-on machine with the MP493/MP653, a formidable machine that addresses many of the shortcomings of its predecessors and looks ready for business. Timberwolf showed their latest sub 750kg chipper, the TW230, which boasts several large machine components in a

lightweight package – a bit of an engineering masterpiece. It was good to see an array of multi-purpose equipment attracting a fair share of interest. Manufacturers from Finland, Denmark and Italy displayed a range of tool carriers standard on much of the continent and capable of an array of tasks from materials handling to road sweeping.

So despite concerns over the future of SALTEX, this year’s show had a fair bit to offer and showed that dealers and manufacturers still see considerable value in displaying their wares. I hope the move doesn’t affect the future of this show as it is an important asset to our industry, and one of the few occasions when manufacturers, suppliers and end users get together to discuss the issues of the day. It also allows people to compare equipment from several manufacturers and even try it out. It would be a shame to lose this. ABOUT ANGUS LINDSAY As an agriculturist, Angus spent several years working on arable farms in Scotland before joining VSO in Egypt, implementing a mechanisation programme, managing field operations for a commercial cotton plantation in Nigeria and as a contract instructor for Massey Ferguson in Yemen. During this time he also spent a year at Silsoe, gaining an MSc in Agricultural Engineering and Mechanisation Management. Returning to the UK he joined Glendale as machinery manager in 1994 – going on to become Company Engineer – before joining The Landscape Group in 2009 as Group Head of Assets and Fleet. Contact:

alindsay@thelandscapegroup.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 19

20/10/2014 16:06

OPINION

BUILDING A SHOW GARDEN...

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE CONTRACTOR? David Dodd discusses how building a show garden at RHS Chelsea can be a rewarding experience for the contractor in more ways than one, but advises you check it’s also commercially viable One of the questions asked by the RHS to all new applicants for show gardens is ‘who’s going to build it?’ For a couple of the regular sponsors, that’s an easy one to answer, but for others, it may take a fair bit of time and negotiation. So, as a regular show garden contractor myself, before committing, the first question I always ask is ‘What’s in it for my company?’ I hear so many stories of small landscape companies being asked to build a show garden for designers who either haven’t got the budget they wanted from a sponsor, or who haven’t got sponsorship at all and are simply relying on the good nature of the contractor to work for free,

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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often on the promise of loads of projects after the show. Okay, this may not be the case for Main Avenue at Chelsea, but show gardens aren’t all about Chelsea! Money? It sounds mercenary, but I’ll always ask ‘what’s your budget?’ This to me is reality. However, a huge budget isn’t the main draw that makes us decide. A few years ago we had a keen gardener come to us with a £350k budget, but his design was so awful, I simply didn’t want to put my name to it. We have done a couple of show gardens at cost, or even a slight loss (ouch, that word always smarts with me). However, this was balanced by what else they led to. Yes, we had subsequent, profitable projects from them and we marketed the gardens ensuring good publicity, which also directly led to more work. Publicity? Always make sure you have in writing exactly what you expect from the designer and sponsor. We fell foul of this with a certain well known DIY store failing to recognise The Outdoor Room for having built their Chelsea Garden this year. The contractor plays a massive role in the success of a show garden and yet you never hear of them being acknowledged on the television, or in the press. It’s therefore essential that you have a marketing strategy of your own, which may include the hiring of a PR company. Make sure you have the rights to use photography for advertising purposes and to put on your website and agree with the designer/ sponsor that you have acknowledgment as the contractor in any brochure or leaflets to be distributed at the show.

Pride? Don’t get this confused with ego... it isn’t! I will take to my grave the enormous amount of pride in myself as well as my staff, for having been part of a team that has built gold medal winning gardens at the finest flower shows in the world. Staff Morale? If we’ve got a decent medal, the buzz around the company is phenomenal. The staff and all involved are hugely proud of themselves and their efforts. The young trainees get the chance to work at the highest levels and the craftsmen and plants people get to showcase their skills and workmanship to a global audience. Our staff always stays in a hotel near the showground for the nineteen days we’re building at Chelsea, and despite missing their families, there is a real sense of camaraderie and team building created. The overtime they earn is pretty hefty as well! Building any show garden can give a great deal of pleasure, but also a great deal of pain if it doesn’t go to plan. It’s certainly not for all, as it can take up an enormous amount of costly resources and time months in advance. So, if you do want to do it, make sure it’s worth your while! ABOUT DAVID DODD David Dodd has been in the landscape industry since the age of 17. After having studied and then taught at Merrist Wood College, he set up The Outdoor Room in 1995. In 2013, he went into business with Landscape Architect, Joe Perkins to form Longview Design Ltd. David has also lectured in design and construction for over 20 years. www.theoutdoorroom.co.uk

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20/10/2014 09:51

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15/10/2014 11:12

OPINION

A FASCINATING SELECTION Andrew Wilson looks at the process of designer selection for Chelsea and whether sponsors might from time to time look beyond the Chelsea regulars or change their methodology. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when decisions are made – I mean all sorts of decisions but especially those in which Chelsea sponsors choose their designers. It’s very difficult to know exactly what sponsors are looking for when approaching them cold and sometimes just as difficult to know even when you have been shortlisted for a pitching process. One sponsor this year simply asked for something different. I’m not sure exactly what they meant by different – something outrageous or revolutionary perhaps but a designer could spend a great deal of time thinking ideas through for such a wide open brief only to lose out at the final hurdle.

DESIGNERS ARE NOT ONE-TRICK PONIES, THEY ARE CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVERS WHO REGULARLY DEAL WITH CLIENT BRIEFS AND PRODUCE ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS For first time sponsors, the RHS tends to suggest three or four designers who have a show garden record and might be a good fit for the company. This works well as at this stage the sponsor has little idea of who would work for them. Most designers would be happy to pitch or at least to meet and liaise with a potential client in this way and this can often be the start of a successful working relationship. For existing or seasoned sponsors, I question whether this is a workable template although many continue to find their designers in this way. We had several sponsors enthusing over this www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Andrew Wilson.indd 23

year’s Cloudy Bay garden at Chelsea, enjoying the planting, commenting on the materials, build quality and drama of the garden and so on, only to find that we were later selected as one of four or five designers invited to pitch for next year. If you like what you see and the team who produced it; why not save everyone a shed load of time, effort and money by approaching them direct? Designers are not one-trick ponies, they are creative problem solvers who regularly deal with client briefs and produce alternative solutions. Ask a designer who impresses to produce two or three options rather than asking five designers to produce an idea each. In the former case, the selected designer wins and the others don’t have to work hard only to lose. With the latter, one designer wins but three or four are ultimately wasting their time with designs that might never see the light of day. It’s possible that this smacks of laziness on the part of sponsors although most would say it keeps their options open, I’m sure. As for the Chelsea regulars such as the Telegraph or Laurent Perrier, I am fascinated by their designer choices and wonder how they make their shortlists. How many designers do they shortlist and do they invite them to pitch competitively? I know that Luciano Giubbilei was recommended to Laurent Perrier by Tom Stuart-Smith but would he have been on their radar had this connection never been made? Luciano had never designed a Chelsea show garden before his appearance in 2009. With hindsight it was a bold decision that has produced three Gold medals and a Best in Show in three attempts. Perhaps more sponsors should step out of the box in this way. As for the Daily Telegraph, I’m sure their designer selections are made some years in advance but what criteria do they use? Some say having won a Gold medal is a pre-requisite but Tommaso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz designed for the paper this year on the back of a previous Silver Gilt award. Perhaps I’ll write a letter to the editor and see where it gets me!

ABOUT ANDREW WILSON Andrew Wilson is a landscape and garden designer and a Director of Wilson McWilliam Studio. He is also a Director of the London College of Garden Design, an author, writer and lecturer. www.wmstudio.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 23

20/10/2014 09:06

OPINION

VIEW FROM THE TOP Having attended the BALI AGM in September, Phil Jones assesses the pros and cons of BALI aligning itself with other ground based associations

What do you want from your trade association? Comfort from knowing you are being well represented? A sense of pride in being part of a credible organisation? A feeling you get being part of any club or society with a common cause? Maybe the feeling of comfort that comes from belonging. Or just value for money? I have just read that our new BALI Chairman is reported to have said he would welcome a merger with the Association of Professional Landscapers (if the membership were in favour). This comes as a number of land-based associations are beginning to say more publicly that it would make sense to consider moving closer together. I have no issue with the principle of sharing resource and common goals (if the goals we have are indeed common). The concern I have heard expressed most often has been from BALI members worried about being influenced by other, not necessarily like-minded bodies. I went to the BALI AGM at Windsor recently, my first for a few years. I felt I needed to support BALI, having made a number of observations about the association in recent years. Having seen our BALI Board in action there, I feel I should warn all other trade associations thinking of moving closer to us. In my case, the feeling of comfort comes

Over the last two years, BALI has had a golden opportunity to provide all-encompassing support to members of all categories, not just the small firms. Taking the National Contractors Forum under the wing of BALI provided the chance to unite the process, which was THE CONCERN I HAVE HEARD larger perfect. But that just EXPRESSED MOST OFTEN HAS BEEN contractors gets people to the FROM BALI MEMBERS WORRIED ABOUT with the room and makes BEING INFLUENCED BY OTHER, NOT smaller sure they have the members, right badges. NECESSARILY LIKE-MINDED BODIES with BALI The lack of promising to represent the massive grounds engagement, clarity and management maintenance industry (and the higher professionalism at this particular meeting was membership paying companies) more astounding. It felt more like a scene from the effectively. Parish Council meeting in The Vicar of Dibley. The lack of activity has been disappointing, So, a warning is due to anyone who seeks if unsurprising. It was never a realistic to join forces with BALI. You will need to be expectation of the existing BALI team, able to lead the process and to lead indefinitely although it should have been possible. From thereafter. I think BALI needs to find unity BALI’s point of view it avoided the larger within its own ranks before seeking allies members feeling so dissatisfied that they further afield. considered breaking away. One of the standout moments from the Members were also asked at the AGM to AGM was our new Chairman stating that give a mandate to the Board to increase fees during his tenure he intended to focus on without referring to members each year. I, for championing the cause of smaller domestic one, need that comfort of being valued before landscape contractors. I wait to see how he we spend time discussing those sorts of things. intends to achieve this and create unity. from being part of a well-run, professional organisation. I left Windsor Racecourse with a feeling of anything but that. It’s not difficult to put on a well-run AGM, or any meeting. I’m not talking here of the administrative

ABOUT PHIL JONES Phil Jones is Managing Director of ISS Facility Services Landscaping and is based at the company’s head office in Woking, Surrey. He gained an HND in landscape construction and moved into grounds maintenance early on in his career, further gaining an MBA. He has been with the company since 1987 and as well as running the landscaping business he also sits on the UK operational management board of ISS Facility Services. Follow Phil Jones: @philjonesISS Follow ISS Landscaping: @ISSLandscaping

www.isslandscaping.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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15/10/2014 14:25

BUSINESS TIPS

HOW TO

SURVIVE & THRIVE AS A GARDEN DESIGNER

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS In a continuing series of articles, Janine Pattison MSGD MBALI, shares her extensive knowledge of building a successful career as a garden designer The phone has started ringing and you have won some good commissions but the deadlines are tight and you know you will have trouble meeting them all. Is there any way other than working longer and longer hours? Getting someone to assist you might make all the difference. You could get someone to answer the phone, organise your diary, type up proposals, quotes and plant lists, order materials, chase suppliers or do the books. This can free you up to take better care of your clients and have more time for designing. Alternatively, you could look for someone to help with designing or drawing your designs up into CAD. The issue with this is that you need to find the right person and be confident they will be reliable and work to your standards. Employing people is not to be undertaken lightly. As soon as a job offer is accepted, a whole range of legal obligations such as Health and Safety, holiday and sick pay, parental leave and Employers’ Liability Insurance kick in. Another way of expanding your practice is to look for a designer in a similar situation and combine your resources. This could be an informal arrangement to pass each other work or combine resources on a larger project with the two www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Janine Pattison.indd 27

businesses co-existing as separate legal entities with their own trading names, premises, assets etc. There are several successful examples of this in our profession and the big advantage is the informality of the arrangement, meaning it

YOU NEED TO FIND THE RIGHT PERSON AND BE CONFIDENT THEY WILL BE RELIABLE AND WORK TO YOUR STANDARDS

can be dissolved at any time. Potential problems could be liability, profit splitting, design styles, ambitions for the joint venture and confusion in the eyes of the client about who was in charge. An informal arrangement could be very good for new designers as the profession can be very lonely and the support and encouragement could make all the difference. A formal partnership is a legal arrangement and certain statutory obligations must be met, for example filing accounts and having a dedicated bank account for the partnership. Legal advice should be sought before

embarking on any venture and this article is only intended to give general guidance. Finding the right person to go into business with is the difficulty. It requires immense trust to throw your lot in with another person - not unlike a marriage really! You will be jointly liable for the debts of the partnership so if anything goes wrong you could lose a great deal. Again, there are good examples of award-winning partnerships where the combined strengths of the designers exceed what they could achieve individually. Another business structure available to you is the limited company - this has the advantage of being a separate legal entity and shares in the company can be sold. A number of directors can be appointed and the company can purchase assets and employ staff. Strict rules govern the running of the business and annual accounts need to be filed with Companies House. Your suppliers and potential clients will see you as a larger and more professional set up and it may help you to be considered for projects they would be reluctant to award to a ‘one man band’. ABOUT JANINE PATTISON Janine Pattison MSGD is a multi award-winning garden designer and horticulturalist who trained with English Heritage at Eltham Palace in London and at Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester. A registered member of the Society of Garden Designers, the British Association of Landscape Industries and the Garden Media Guild, Janine is also a highly qualified RHS horticulturalist. www.janinepattison.com

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 27

20/10/2014 16:16

BUSINESS TIPS

Justin Paxman explains how studying business management at Askham Bryan College led to an improved business model with an effective social media presence and ultimately growth into new product areas. Restructuring our business in 2011 was hard-hitting and eye-opening, with new strategies in personnel and project management, renewed focus in our sales approach and for the first time, a marketing and social media programme. Following academic success at Askham Bryan College, I was eager to apply my business management skills to Paxman Landscapes at the earliest opportunity. Three years of recession had cost us a third of our revenue and with a new vision for each of our target sectors (hard landscaping, soft landscaping and grounds maintenance), it was important to communicate messages tailored to each. We moved premises, reviewed our overheads and realigned job functions to focus on key areas for growth and development. We set realistic forecasts and worked closely with our team to achieve them. Their support was vital and got us through these tough times, strengthened by our reputation and loyal customer base.

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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SURVIVE, GROW & DIVERSIFY GROWING...

Up to this point, we had relied upon repeat business and word-of-mouth. We had only been communicating with our existing customers and known contacts and although our bottom line remained stable, we knew that the only way to grow and flourish was by extending our customer base. We needed to throw the net wider. In order to maximise our reach and have a “shop window” for potential clients, it was important to promote a strong brand. Our showcase was a new website with content we could control in-house, feeding it with case studies, feedback and an ever-growing project gallery to improve our credibility and engage with new audiences. Rebranding and launching the website in December 2011, we also joined BALI, adding to our trade membership already held with the APL. Belonging to trade associations is a ‘win-win’ if you put the effort in. You get support, promotion and networking but it’s never about paying your fee and just sitting back, waiting for business. As social media virgins, it was vital that we didn’t dive in and just create “noise”. Our presence had to have impact, engage and be relevant to our audience so I did my research and selected the most effective networks. Within the first year of social media activity, enquiries increased by 70 per cent. Backed by the Paxman team, our conversion of these into contracts began to solidify. By the end of year two, enquiries had almost quadrupled. Furthermore, these were quality

leads – the right enquiries from key client targets. The Linkedin platform continues to be a key component of our social media plan, particularly within commercial landscaping. We work with a marketing partner who manages our online content, shares regular news updates across our social media platforms and builds on our existing and prospect database with powerful e-marketing campaigns. This consistent multi-platform approach is paramount in keeping the Paxman brand at the top of newsfeeds – and it’s great for search rankings too. Google “dementia friendly gardens” and you’ll find us on the first page. Our messages are fine-tuned to each network’s audience. Our Facebook content has a subtle, inspirational feel; our Twitter feed combines punchy updates with newsworthy shares; our Linkedin profile focuses on contract and industry activity honed for a professional audience. In September 2013, we took another bold step and launched a product range and installation service, Grass Greener artificial grass. From its launch, with a comprehensive marketing communication plan we continue to win business and gain momentum within the regional domestic market. Social media expertise has helped transform the range from an unknown entity to a blossoming brand in the landscaping marketplace. And there’s yet more to come for the Paxman and Grass Greener brands... ABOUT JUSTIN PAXMAN Justin Paxman is the Director of Paxman Landscapes, commercial and domestic landscapers, founded in 1999. With turnover in excess of £1million, they provide design, construction and management services across the North and UK. APL and BALI members, they launched Grass Greener artificial lawns last year. Justin is married with four children and is a Huddersfield Giants fan. www.paxman-landscapes.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/10/2014 16:31

BUSINESS TIPS

It’s important to instil confidence in any prospective client. Having an up to date website, good timekeeping and smart presentation are ways you can build a good reputation says Simon Ayers, Chief Executive of TrustMark A solid reputation is worth more than money. Without question, it’s vital for landscapers if they are to succeed in this competitive industry. Managing your reputation is increasingly important and firms need to play an active role in guarding theirs if they are to secure future work. First impressions count People have usually already decided if they would like to give a particular contractor the job before they have even walked in the door. First impressions count so make sure you get yours right. A professional website with relevant case studies and testimonials, returning calls promptly, showing up on time in clean attire all form part of this. Stick to the standards In such a competitive industry, it’s important to differentiate yourself and demonstrate commercial capability and technical competence. This gives customers confidence that their work will be completed on budget, on time and to the

MANAGING YOUR REPUTATION IS INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT AND FIRMS NEED TO PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN GUARDING THEIRS IF THEY ARE TO SECURE FUTURE WORK

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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REPUTATION MATTERS specified standards. TrustMark is a scheme where its 14,500 registered firms make a commitment to work to Government-endorsed standards and sign up to a code of practice that includes insurance, good health and safety practices, technical competence, good trading practices and customer care. Only landscaping businesses that pass all the criteria are accepted. Getting the right accreditations Membership of a recognised trade body such as the Association of Professional Landscapers will not only reassure potential customers of your professionalism but it will ensure you are kept up to date with the latest legal and regulatory requirements and are following industry good practice and guidance. Having the correct accreditations is a vital to any firm’s reputation. Know your limits and don’t be tempted to take on work you’re not legally or professionally competent to carry out. Customer feedback Feedback offers peace of mind to potential customers and can be a deciding factor when choosing a contractor. A business becomes more credible if consumers can find information about it online and read positive reviews by people who have had a good experience with it. There is, however, a need for a system that

combines codes of practice and quality checks to back up consumer feedback. TrustMark now has a customer feedback facility on its website to ensure it meets the needs of consumers as well as being fair, honest and transparent. Letting customers know that you take their feedback seriously will improve customer satisfaction and allow a firm to be recognised by consumers. Do as you would be done by Communication is key to maintaining a good rapport with customers. Never forget the golden rule to ‘treat customers how you would like to be treated’. Active listening is an essential part of communicating effectively and this should be continuous throughout the project. If a problem or issue arises, you can be sure to address it immediately. Having a full and open conversation at the start of every job will ensure a successful working relationship with your customers and could result in repeat work or referrals. By improving your reputation, you are helping to protect and grow your business. Every time you complete a job and the customer is happy, you are increasing your chances of securing the next. For further information or to keep up to date with developments, visit www.trustmark.org.uk

ABOUT SIMON AYERS Simon Ayers is Chief Executive of TrustMark, the only Government-endorsed scheme where you can find tradesmen throughout the UK for all home repair, maintenance and improvement work. www.trustmark.org.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 29

20/10/2014 11:46

BUSINESS TIPS

Chris Burke talks to one landscaper about the pluses of joining recommended trade websites, that are beneficial to both the tradesman and the customer Charlie Benton is a man who knows how to make opportunities. With his twin brother, he joined Rated People – the UK’s largest online marketplace, connecting homeowners with nearly 26,000 trade members nationwide – when no other landscapers had. Now he’s landed a slot on ITV’s This Morning for Benton Landscapes.

Charlie Benton

TOP RATED PEOPLE: CHARLIE BENTON Work wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t have the chance to put myself out there.

fencing, can we call you back in spring to re-turf our garden?’

How did you find out about Rated People? We were having a cup of tea with some builders. They said we should check it out so I took a look – the only cost was a small subscription fee. There are quite a few landscapers on Rated People now, but I didn’t know of any using it then, so I thought, ‘I’m in there’.

What changes have you noticed in landscaping jobs over the past few years? People are spending more on their garden. I don’t think customers really know the cost of a garden transformation but they want to make the best of their gardens, which is great for us landscapers. More people are thinking, ‘We might be staying here longer than expected, so let’s do something with the garden and enjoy it.’

How did your business begin? Our family was always in the garden: Mum growing fruit and veg, Granddad looking after the allotment and teaching us how to make the most of a garden. I remember when I was at school thinking, ‘I want to cut grass for the rich and famous’. But building a business was difficult. We had no qualifications and when we approached people, they looked at us and thought ‘you’re too young and inexperienced.’ They wanted experienced professionals. We had to start from the bottom and climb up. We went self-employed, gained qualifications in horticulture and finally realised, ‘hang on a minute; we’ve got a business here!’

How has your experience with Rated People been? Rated People gives customers confidence in you. They can rate you so you know and they know that you’ve got to do a good job. It takes years to build a reputation but it can take five minutes to ruin one. Now, I use Rated People when I know I have a quiet couple of weeks ahead of me. For winter work, I rely on a lot of maintenance. Last year we experienced strong winds so all these fences, sheds and trees coming down kept me going. Nearly all of those jobs came off Rated People. People went on there to find professionals without having to trawl the internet and make loads of phone calls.

What was your business like before Rated People? When I was starting out, I wondered what I could do to promote my business without paying a fortune. Advertising costs money and for a small business, it’s an expense you can’t easily afford.

What is your business like now? It’s just blooming and Rated People has obviously helped. I even subcontract work due to demand. Most of our customers are new so I ask: ‘where did you find us?’ They call back saying, ‘you’ve done a lovely job on our

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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What future plans do you have? Chelsea Flower Show, Hampton Court – we aspire to have show gardens there as we are so passionate about gardening. I want to do big gardens I can put my name to. I want to be known nationwide and would love our own gardening brand – gardening tools, compost and maybe even DIY garden plans... watch this space!

ABOUT CHRIS BURKE Chris joined the Rated People Group in 2011. He is responsible for the Group’s Insight & Monetisation function, the primary purpose of which is to monetise insight via pricing, tariffing, marketing, proposition, product development. In the commercial sector, Chris has previously held senior strategic and profit and loss responsible marketing positions. Prior to this, Chris was a consultant with L.E.K. Consulting. Chris holds an MA and MEng in Engineering from Churchill College, Cambridge University. www.RatedPeople.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/10/2014 11:27

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BUSINESS TIPS

INVESTING YOUR MONEY IN A DIFFERENT WAY Have you thought about investing your money in a different way? Lee Maddock gives an overview of a range of options With interest rates providing low returns for savers, investing in stocks and shares is something many would like to do but are put off by the assumption they would need to start with a large amount of money. The reality is that a small investment allows you to gain confidence without making a major commitment and match the level of risk you are comfortable with. Investing is a medium to long-term business. Before you tie up your money, you need to be satisfied that you have enough set aside for emergencies. If you need access to your money in the short term – typically 5 years – you should keep it in a bank account so you don’t risk your capital. If you have debts then it may be better paying those off first. The interest rates you will be paying are likely to be higher than the returns you can expect from investing. If you’re not sure about investing, it is worth bearing in mind that you are probably already doing so without realising it. If you own your own home then you are investing in the property market. If you have a pension, it will be invested in a range of assets such

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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as shares, bonds, commercial property and commodities such as oil and metals. Most people use some sort of investment vehicle that invests on their behalf and below are some of the characteristics of the most common ones: ● Unit Trusts, OEICs (Open-Ended

Investment Company), Investment Trusts and Investment Bonds. These funds predominantly invest in shares. Some may invest in a particular industry, country or region whilst others will invest in the whole market. They can be the most flexible type of product, allowing you to get your money out at any time. However, some products may have penalties attached to early withdrawal. ● Pensions

Pension funds invest in shares, bonds, property and cash. You get tax relief on money you invest in a pension and recent changes mean there are now a variety of options available to you at retirement. A pension is usually seen as the standard way to save for retirement but it is just one of the options. ● NISAs (New ISA)

A NISA can invest in cash and/or stocks and shares and allows tax-efficient growth. Sheltering your investments in a stocks and shares NISA is a tax efficient way of entering the stock market and you can invest as little as £50 per month. Over time, you can build a substantial portfolio that does not attract any tax on withdrawals. The annual allowance for investing in NISAs has recently been increased to £15,000 per tax year. Chartered Financial Planners recommend having a portfolio of investments. That way if one investment performs badly, you

A SMALL INVESTMENT ALLOWS YOU TO GAIN CONFIDENCE WITHOUT MAKING A MAJOR COMMITMENT AND MATCH THE LEVEL OF RISK YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH have others to fall back on. Diversification also means you can have short as well as long-term investments. Tax status is another important consideration. You need to factor in the personal tax implications of each investment to get a true picture of the return you are likely to make. It is a good idea to consult an appropriate professional such as a Chartered Financial Planner about the tax implications of any investment. It’s also a good idea to review your portfolio annually. Circumstances change, so it makes sense to check that it still represents the best investment for you. Risk Information Investments can go down as well as up. You may get back less than you originally invested.

ABOUT LEE MADDOCK Chartered Financial Planner Lee Maddock trained as an accountant and having spent a majority of his career working at organisations such as Aegon Scottish Equitable and AXA, is now Director at Millbank Financial Solutions which specialises in financial planning for SMEs, as well as personal finance issues including longevity, retirement planning and family / business protection. www.millbankfs.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/10/2014 12:37

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13/10/2014 11:04

BUSINESS TIPS

COMPULSORY WORKPLACE PENSIONS? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? You should now know your Staging Date and the timescale you have to work to to set up your Qualifying Workplace Pension Scheme. What happens next will depend on your circumstances, cost and your approach as an employer. Peter Yardley, experienced corporate pensions specialist explains Employers with existing pension provision Your existing workplace pension scheme may be able to be used or amended to become your Qualifying Workplace Pension Scheme. Your financial adviser or pension provider will be able to advise on this. This is possibly the easiest approach and you may be able to modify your scheme to cover the whole of your eligible workforce. Your existing provider should be able to offer terms, with Annual Management Charges (AMC) capped from April 2015 at 0.75 per cent. These charges are inclusive, covering administration and investment charges and come from the members’ individual pension pots. The AMC does not make any provision for adviser charges or payroll expenses. If your pension scheme is a Defined Benefit (Final Salary) arrangement, different auto-enrolment rules apply and you should seek advice straight away.

Employers with no existing pension provision If you do not have a pension scheme or cannot alter your existing arrangement, you need to act quickly. It will take time to set up a new scheme, the number of providers offering auto-enrolment schemes is limited and those that do may be selective about which businesses they take on. Once you identify a suitable provider, you will need to supply the required employer data so that they can offer terms. The cost will depend on which salary definition you choose (see the table below). To ensure you fully understand the implications of your choice, you should seek professional advice during this process. NEST and alternatives Alternatives are available if you cannot secure terms from a pension provider. The National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) is a government-backed scheme, legally obliged to accept every employer, regardless of workforce, earnings or contribution levels. NEST provides simplified administration, has a charge of 1.8 per cent on every contribution and an ongoing AMC of 0.3 per cent. The investment approach is designed to meet the needs of low to moderate earners. NEST currently has a maximum contribution limit of £4,600 per year, so may not be suitable for your entire workforce, however, you Minimum Employer Contributions (from October 2018)

Total Minimum Contributions (from October 2018)

Band Earnings for 2014 – 2015 between £5,772 and £41,865

Tier 1 – Pensionable Earnings

Basic Salary

Tier 2 – Pensionable Earnings

85% minimum (on average) of Total Earnings

Tier 3 – Pensionable Earnings

Total Earnings

Salary Definition

Description

Qualifying Earnings

Minimum employer contributions start at 1% or 2% (depending upon definition chosen) from Staging Date to October 2017, then increase to 2% or 3% from October 2017 to October 2018. 34

Lynn.indd 34

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

can run a NEST scheme alongside another qualifying pension arrangement. There are other organisations offering similar arrangements to NEST, such as The People’s Pension and Now: Pensions. The terms and conditions of all these arrangements vary and it is wise to seek professional advice. Salary Sacrifice A Salary Sacrifice arrangement can be a way of reducing the cost of auto-enrolment to both the individual and employer. In this case, the employee legally forgoes part of their salary by letters of exchange. The employer makes an additional contribution to replace the foregone salary. No NI contributions are paid on the forgone salary, reducing costs to both employee and employer. Salary Sacrifice schemes are not suitable for everyone as the reduced salary can affect a number of other benefits, including state benefits. Do it well There is a lot to consider. Communicating effectively with your employees can have a positive impact on how they perceive you as an employer. If you are not prepared or do not fully understand your options, it can lead to over-complicated solutions, costing you time and money. Ensure you take the right steps for success. Steps for success ● Engage your employees ● Take the simple approach ● Seek professional advice ● Involve payroll early ● Don’t leave it too late

ABOUT PETER YARDLEY Peter Yardley is an experienced corporate pensions specialist and is a Fellow of the Pensions Management Institute. He is Head of Corporate Development at Brighton Williams & Partners in Bristol, and provides pensions advice to both large and small businesses across the UK. Visit www.brightonwilliams.com/ auto for more details on auto-enrolment.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/10/2014 10:21

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17/10/2014 10:59

BUSINESS TIPS

NOT YOUR JOB? THINK AGAIN! How about trying a new sales approach? Engage and build relationships with your clients and you will see a rise in profits, says Steve Clarke The world has changed – and it’s not going back. Sales is no longer exclusively one person’s job within a business. It’s fast becoming everybody’s job. Buyers are more informed than ever before; all the technical information, research, reviews and recommendations are constantly available in the palm of their hands thanks to smart phones and tablets. No longer does the salesman have the upper hand in terms of information and knowledge. Gone are the old days of the old ABC of sales... Always Be Closing, and that’s a good thing. We have moved from a world of Caveat Emptor (buyer beware) to one of Caveat Venditor (seller beware). Not only does the customer have a mine of information at their fingertips, but they have the means to communicate their experiences with the world in a heartbeat.

SALES IS NO LONGER EXCLUSIVELY ONE PERSON’S JOB WITHIN A BUSINESS

Consumers want a fair deal from people they like and trust. Persuading people to buy what we have is a natural thing. To sell today is to serve, to sell more you simply need to serve better. To see an increase in sales, we must improve all round communication. All staff that have any contact with customers, no matter how remote, should learn the new ABC of sales – Always Be Caring. Every business as I see it, now has three distinct sales teams: ● The regular

● The reluctant ● The referral

For your business to thrive, not just survive, you must have a strategy and tactical plan for each of these very different sales teams. The regular sales team This is the traditional sales force. It may involve retail staff, perhaps business development consultants or telesales people. I don’t believe we work in either the B2B or B2C space any more, (business to business, or business to consumer). For sales to soar, try thinking about P2P instead: people to people. Sales teams who start to find it tough to compete and win business often point straight to pricing or fierce competition – this is rubbish. They need to learn how to connect and engage with people at an emotional level. Very few people just buy on price. Of course we’re price sensitive, but that’s just one factor. The reluctant sales team This group includes any of your staff that have even the slightest contact with your clients or prospects including the finance team, admin staff or IT support. These people are very much in sales today. They probably don’t realise it but they can have a huge influence over sales.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Always Be Closing

Always Be Caring



People buy from people they like and trust. These people need to recognise that being in sales is not a dirty word. If they believe that your company, products and services are great, then would they suggest their own mum buys from you? Of course, they’d make a strong case and recommend the best thing for her, right? Again, this needs to be explained, taught and practised but the impact can be immense.

FOR SALES TO SOAR, TRY THINKING ABOUT P2P INSTEAD: PEOPLE TO PEOPLE The referral sales team This consists of your happy clients. They will give referrals and recommendations. These can come in the form of written testimonials, video clips, posts on social media; the list is almost endless, but it’s incredibly powerful, when worked with a strategy. If you want to see sales and profits soar regardless of the economy or your competition, you must create and implement a strategy and tactical action plan for each of these three key areas. If you’d like help with this, just ask. ABOUT STEVE CLARKE An exceptional sales mentor and sought after motivational business speaker who draws upon his own first hand experiences. He built his last UK business to £30m in annual sales in just eight years, sold out and retired at 45. Now he helps businesses around the world generate more leads, more sales and more profits, and with less blood sweat and tears. www.eurekasales.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 37

21/10/2014 09:21

TECHNICAL

PLENTIFUL PLANTING

THE BEST PLANTS AND PLANTING SCHEMES TO COMPLEMENT THE HARD LANDSCAPING IN A SMALL URBAN GARDEN

There are lots of tips and tricks to creating the wow factor in a small urban environment. Lucy Summers explores some easy ways to create the perfect match between hard landscaping and planting schemes. You might remember we were talking previously about creating and editing a planting wish list. Plants edits are absolutely critical in any urban planting design. A small town garden is never going to support a broad range of planting, so it’s no good deluding yourself it can. Planting one of every plant your clients’ fancies is going to detract from the overall theme and although you have to understand your clients’ floral biases, as a landscaper it’s your job to create a simpatico planting style. Try to keep up with plant trends and new introductions to seduce your client with vegetative or floral brilliance, rather than continually relying on tried and trusted planting schemes, no matter how good they are. Original soft landscaping schemes will earn your clients’ respect – planting is a bespoke thing and they will be undeniably flattered you’ve created something completely 38

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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unique to them and their outdoor space. Sanctuary planting is well-worth considering. Rarely are there alluring ‘borrowed’ views in an urban environment so using new planting to create or camouflage the boundaries invokes a feeling of privacy, peace and sanctum in the hub of the city.

A SMALL TOWN GARDEN IS NEVER GOING TO SUPPORT A BROAD RANGE OF PLANTING, SO IT’S NO GOOD DELUDING YOURSELF IT CAN Let’s start with colour. Colour matters hugely because different colours not only reflect light differently, but also create a unique perspective. Bold colours excite and when planted near the house shorten our perspective. They create a full stop or a long pause. That’s all very well if you wish your garden visitor to dwell a while in that spot, but if you want to lead them further into the garden, tempt them down to your BBQ area or make them pay unwitting homage to all your design skills, you’d do better employing pastel colours using plants that draw the eye www.prolandscapermagazine.com

21/10/2014 09:29

TECHNICAL

ORIGINAL SOFT LANDSCAPING SCHEMES WILL EARN YOUR CLIENT’S RESPECT – PLANTING IS A BESPOKE THING AND THEY WILL BE UNDENIABLY FLATTERED YOU’VE CREATED SOMETHING COMPLETELY UNIQUE TO THEM AND THEIR OUTDOOR SPACE

and extend the view. Hellebores are a landscaper’s dream providing both subtle and bold colour combined with architectural foliage. Try Helleborus Winter Jewels™ ‘Red Sapphire’ for strong colour or Helleborus Winter Jewels™ ‘Sparkling Diamond’ for subtle inspiration. Plant texture has a big role to play. Again, small leafed plants reflect light very differently than those with larger foliage. Larger leafed plants, including coniferous choices are more successful in absorbing noise, so make a good choice for urban landscapers seeking to muffle traffic sound. Don’t get lazy and err into the broiling waters of leyandii – how about giving the blue cedars a whirl? Juniperus communis ‘Compressa’ is ideal for small spaces and is about as aristocratic as they come. Grasses and sedges are a godsend to modern urban landscapes and Carex ‘Spark Plug’ provides excellent architectural mileage with distinctive spiky cream and green variegated foliage. Miscanthus sisnensis ‘Morning Light’ is classy, whilst Astelia ‘Silver Shadow’ offers smart metallic silvering providing fashionable, low-maintenance ground cover for image conscious townies. Exotic gardens may be the garden of www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Lucy Summers.indd 39

choice for many sheltered gardens; exuberant lush foliage plants provide romantic depth in the shadows. Ferns, gingers and fatsia are plush plants for creating that ‘Raffles’ style. Try Fatsia ‘Spider’s Web’ teamed up with blistering red and explosive orange cannas with their fabulous hefty, veined foliage for dramatic en-bloc planting. Sedum ‘Chocolate Drop’ has moody brown-black architectural presence whilst the glaucous hues of Sedum ‘Class Act’ add textural low-level interest. New Zealand flax scores highly for sculptural impact. Let me introduce Phormium cookianum ‘Black Adder’ it’s a stunner and a worthy addition to containers and borders or simply brilliant for creating sharp-edged focus in smart urban spaces as well as Mediterranean borders. Team that up with the achingly bright gold foliage of the imposing Aralia ‘Sun King’ and you’ve got a winning combination on your hands. ABOUT LUCY SUMMERS Lucy Summers is a garden designer, writer and journalist. She has seen commercial success through a variety of business ventures that embrace landscape design, winning Gold and Silver medals at the renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

www.lucysummersliving.com

Image Credits: www.plantipp.nl www.ﬁtzgerald-nurseries.com /www.terranovanurseries.com

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 39

21/10/2014 09:29

TECHNICAL

LOOKING ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE OF

VECTORWORKS

LANDMARK 2015

Tamsin Slatter reviews Vectorworks Landmark 2015, the latest release of the leading landscape design software. Improved modelling, enhanced collaborative capabilities and a new mobile app are some of the features that make this the best version yet. Vectorworks Landmark is the leading software for landscape design. Used by landscape architects, landscape designers and garden designers alike, the ability to produce designs in

2D and 3D has always been a key benefit. Combined with a large plant database and site modelling capabilities, the software enables designers to work quickly and efficiently. In 2D, Vectorworks software’s functionality produces beautiful drawings and high quality, professional documentation. With graphic styles including gradients, tile and image fills, stipples, and hatching, attractive 2D drawings are at the designer’s fingertips. Combine this with exclusive sketch rendering to change hard-lined drawings into soft, hand-sketched illustrations and these capabilities enable the creation of accurate technical documentation

and compelling presentations. In 3D, easy to use modelling tools allow the user to push, pull, blend, twist, sculpt, deform or punch holes. With the intuitive interface, users can design from any 3D view, the software automatically recognising the appropriate working plane as the user moves their cursor. Users of SketchUp® will find these capabilities familiar and enable them to be productive very quickly. In addition, a whole range of hybrid 2D/3D objects and tools enable fast and efficient production of accurate working drawings together with fully rendered models. The latest version of Vectorworks Landmark offers even better capabilities to designers, so let’s take a look at the three major areas of development. Better Site Modelling and Planting Vectorworks Landmark has always had the capability to produce site models from a survey that includes 3D points. Now, in Vectorworks Landmark 2015, working with site models is even more precise and intuitive. Whether by angle, percentage or ratio, the varied batter slope option provides greater control when setting terrain-modifying areas on the site. We love the new, interactive feature that helps you identify and correct conflicts within the site

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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www.prolandscapermagazine.com

20/10/2014 11:57

TECHNICAL

model. Lastly, the Landscape Area tool now calculates areas based on the surface slopes of any site model. The steeper the slope, the greater number of plants required. New options for roadways help users achieve greater precision when laying out different configurations of roadways or paths. For example, the Roadway tool makes it easy to create and modify straight and curved roadways, while the Roadway Custom Kerb object provides powerful editing and joining options for practically any configuration, including roundabouts and complex junctions. Working with plant resources in Vectorworks software has always been dynamic and graphically rich. With Vectorworks Landmark 2015, this is even more straightforward. Designers can now navigate visually through all the plant libraries with symbols, 3D images and model options via the new viewable directory. The new Tight Outline option enhances the display options for massed groups. The Existing Tree tool has been enhanced, including canopy definition with north, east, west and south measurements so the user can more capably represent and report the shape of existing trees. This, along with new data fields makes it easier to work to BS 5837. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Collaboration With Others When it comes to design tools, Vectorworks is renowned for its ability to exchange data and geometry during the design process. With many choices for importing and exporting models, drawings and data; users can collaborate with partners and explore ideas using many different tools, regardless of their preferred technology. With 2015, the scope for collaborative workflows has increased. Improved SketchUp support with the import of textures, opens up the wealth of SketchUp developed objects for increased use within designs. For those of you thinking of entering the next Miniature Garden Show or looking for a different way of presenting your designs, there is enhanced support for exporting STL files, making workflows with 3D printing even smoother with less effort. The support for AutoCAD®-based collaboration, already excellent, continues to improve. There are import and export enhancements, increasing the range of objects that are accurately interpreted, making it easier to share work with architects or surveyors on AutoCAD systems. Moving on to working with PDF documents, designers will see further improvements. Vectorworks 2015 eliminates the need to edit PDFs before import as the user can now crop them within the programme. They can also take advantage of the option to enable/disable snapping for PDF page objects. On export, new efficiencies will reduce the required steps and enable export of files directly into PDF/A format. Presentation and Rendering Already well known for its presentation capabilities, Vectorworks 2015 builds on this success story. Garden and Landscape Designers now have the option to set a default render mode and projection when moving to a 3D view, which speeds up the 2D/3D drafting process. In addition, textures are now linked with hatches. This means you can render in hidden line mode and reveal a simple hatch on your textured wall or paving. There is even more OpenGL control in 2015. For example, the designer can create elevation drawings in black and white simply by using the new option to turn off colours, with shadow and

texture effects to enhance the presentation. Drawing of edges has improved within OpenGL with customisation available through the expanded Draw Edges option. Sketchy artistic edges can now be applied to any render style, including photo-realistic. The mobile app, Vectorworks Nomad now supports 3D viewing of Vectorworks files, meaning that designers and their customers can fly over, walk through and zoom in and out of textured and shaded 3D models on a tablet device. Vectorworks 2015 sees a new mobile app for all Vectorworks users. The Vectorworks Remote App connects your mobile device to your Vectorworks desktop using a remote connection plug-in. When using the app, you can interactively use the device like a remote to view, navigate and present your designs without having to be at your desktop. This is great for group reviews and presentations.

1 Tree and planting enhancements. ew curtain wall system, and artistic 2 N rendering options. 3 Roadway objects. 4 Gradient opacity control. 5 Slope aware landscape area.

ABOUT TAMSIN SLATTER After a 20-year career in IT, Tamsin trained as a garden designer. Escape from the corporate world with the chance to work with nice people, learn about plants and how to draw was a dream come true and Tamsin found Vectorworks invaluable. She now delivers courses and masterclasses to designers, helping them to work faster and more efficiently. Tamsin’s book, Residential Garden Design with Vectorworks Landmark 2015 will be published later this year. To find out more, contact Design Software Solutions on 01635 580318.

www.vectorworks-training.co.uk

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INTERVIEW

Let’s Hear it From

MATTHEW CHILDS

Matthew Childs tells us about the roundabout route that led him to a career in garden design and how experience gained earlier in life is relevant to the practical and creative sides of his life’s work.

1 Light at the end of the tunnel, RHS Hampton 2012. 2 Sensory Garden, Ham Day Care Centre. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Let's Hear it From 2.indd 43

We understand you didn’t go straight into garden design. That’s right. I had a year travelling after uni and then I got caught up in the dot com boom. When the bubble burst, I found a job in advertising. It was my first time living in London and it was a really buzzing environment. I learnt a lot about client facing skills and budgeting, dealing with big projects and different types of customers. Garden design wasn’t on my radar at all. I don’t regret those years in advertising, the

skills I learnt have been so beneficial to setting up my own business. When did you decide to change careers? It wasn’t a quick decision. I was caught up in the London bombings in 2005 and was lucky to get out alive. I knew I had to make the most of every day from then on. Life can have a way of just happening to you; a comfortable salary, responsibilities and a mortgage mean you just keep going. That event made me stop and Pro Landscaper / November 2014 43

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INTERVIEW

think. I’d been feeling unfulfilled in my agency role for a while and it was time to be creative. I went to Chelsea for the first time in 2007 and I was in awe. I just knew this was what I wanted to do. There was a financial commitment and a lot of risk but my partner was fully supportive. With some changes of lifestyle, I was able to take a whole year out to study for a diploma in garden design at KLC.

PEOPLE CAN BE UNREALISTIC ABOUT COSTS AND DON’T ALWAYS LOOK AT THE GARDEN IN THE SAME BUDGET CATEGORY AS A ROOM SUCH AS A KITCHEN

Why did you choose KLC? I really liked the fact that it was an intensive vocational course that gave students the design skills to start practicing straight away. You can’t learn everything in one year, but the course gave me a really good foundation in lots of different aspects of design including garden history, planting, hard landscaping and CAD. Location and cost were also factors. Did it give you business skills? There was some business management training but the primary focus was on garden design, which suited me as I was so eager to explore my creativity. The business skills I already had were really helpful in setting up the basic administration for my company and the course pointed us in the direction of useful bodies such as the SGD, BALI and trade nurseries, which provided good benchmarks. How did you know where to pitch your price? I started by doing designs for family and friends for free or at ‘mates rates’. I met Ben West from Landscaping Solutions at my graduation and he gave me my first proper job. The project had a budget so I went in with what I thought was quite a reasonable price for my time. In reality, I did much more work than I was paid for but it was a great opportunity to get a real garden in my portfolio. That’s what you have to do at the start. I took all the opportunities that came my way, with money being the secondary focus. After a couple of years’ experience, I realised that there was a realistic entry level for projects. Anything less and I’m sometimes better off recommending clients go straight to a really good landscaper to maximise their budget. People can be unrealistic about costs and don’t always look at the garden in the same budget category as a room such as a kitchen. When do you have the first conversation with a client about budget? In my first phone call because some people have no idea how much a new garden can cost. I find out about their garden, the potential scope of the work and I will try to determine a budget by discussing different budget ranges and specifications. It’s important the design will be affordable.

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Are you open with your costing and upfront? I’m very open – it’s the only way to be. I’m also upfront in terms of mark-up on anything I’m supplying and communicate that I can still supply these cheaper than the client could buy them for at retail. I get a buzz out of delivering maximum value and want my clients to feel I have achieved a lot for their money but I also make sure that my time and skills are fairly rewarded. Do you charge for a house visit? I work on my own so it’s important that I’m efficient with my time. When I started out there were times when I spent half a day with a prospective client and it didn’t end up going anywhere. So now I tell the client I will charge them for my time but if they commission me I will discount it from the final bill. I learnt that from other designers. People within the industry are always willing to share knowledge and advice if you ask for it. Do you take an active interest in what other designers are doing? I’m interested to hear about projects that people are working on and gain inspiration from other designers’ work but my focus has always been on developing my own style – especially now that I’m in my fifth year of being a designer. Everyone has different styles, comparing myself to others is unproductive. How do you choose a landscaper? It depends on what the client’s requirements are, the size and location of the project. There are landscapers I have worked with before and will either recommend them directly if I feel they are a good fit, or for more complex projects I will run a tender process. For me selection of a landscaper is not only about cost as I also take account of what the landscaper brings in terms of skills, quality and resources. What’s an average job for you? Typical residential projects have a budget between 25 and £50k, but I also enjoy working on larger landscape projects - particularly public spaces. I’d like to work on more of these as they often provide a greater challenge and scope to work with a range of professionals. It was great www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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INTERVIEW

THE GARDEN GOT REALLY GOOD COVERAGE AND A BRILLIANT RETURN ON THE INVESTMENT

working with Bowles & Wyer this year; they work on some seriously big projects. I’ve just been collaborating with another designer on a project in Richmond Park and working on that scale has been something I’ve really enjoyed. I’d like to continue designing for a range of budgets because that will keep my job interesting. Did you do Chelsea to try to move into that area of work? I never expected Chelsea at this stage in my career. I have tried to build my profile as quickly as possible and exhibiting at the RHS shows really accelerated this. It all started at Hampton Court. I was interested in the conceptual category because it allows you to go wild with your creativity and produce more abstract work. It’s a really accessible way into show gardens for new designers and the RHS offered a £6,000 bursary towards the cost of the garden. About a week before the deadline for applications, I had a dream for an idea. I hadn’t really talked about the bombings previously but I felt I had a positive story and it was something I wanted to share. I got the idea down, submitted it and it was accepted. I wasn’t able to secure sponsorship so I invested the rest of the money for the garden myself! It was the biggest investment I’ve ever made – more than my training! I really believed www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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in it and it was the best thing I’ve done. It got very good coverage and feedback, people really related to it. Garden design is more than a job, it allows me to be an artist and engage with people. How did you get to Chelsea from there? The RHS put me onto Ecover’s radar and they asked me to pitch for a show garden at Hampton Court the following year. The previous year had been my story but this garden was all about the client and their brief. My marketing background was useful as I was able understand Ecover’s brand and the story they wanted to tell about recycled plastic. The garden had lots of references to their brand colours and products – it had laundry cap lamps, a bottle handle bench and a toilet cleaner fountain. All of these elements were complimented by a diverse and dynamic planting design. I was contacted by Brewin Dolphin during Hampton Court show week asking if I would be interested in pitching for them for Chelsea the following year. I fell over! Brewin Dolphin gave me two weeks to come back with an initial response and I pitched quite a loose concept. Sometimes the client wants to be involved and if you say it’s signed, sealed, delivered, they can’t add anything. They told me that they really liked the concept and they were intrigued but had no

idea what it would look like as a garden! Then I had a couple of weeks to turn around the actual garden design and planting plan, and I got the job. They must have been delighted with the publicity because you featured heavily on the TV coverage, how did that come about? The garden got really good coverage and a brilliant return on the investment. I went to the RHS launch of Chelsea and the BBC were there doing some snapshot interviews. They got in touch afterwards to say they wanted to follow a garden to give viewers a behind the scenes look, and would I be interested? Which of course I was! Is there a plan for more TV work? I would love to do more if the opportunity came up – I definitely have thespian tendencies. The landscaping industry has great potential for tapping into other things – writing, garden talks, teaching – I feel this keeps it fresh and interesting. 1 Light at the end of the tunnel RHS Hampton 2012. 2 Agapanthus africanus with corten screen. 3 The Ecover Garden RHS Hampton 2013. 4 The Brewin Dolphin Garden Chelsea 2014 Photo: Allan Pollok-Morris. Pro Landscaper / November 2014 45

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I HAV AS EXH R

INTERVIEW

What do you think of the RHS’s decision to introduce a competition allowing a member of the public to design a show garden at Chelsea? The One Show garden at Hampton Court over the last couple of years has been a real success. Extending the idea to Chelsea could be a wonderful launch pad for a new designer – I know first-hand what an opportunity show gardens can be.

GARDEN DESIGN IS MORE THAN A JOB, IT ALLOWS ME TO BE AN ARTIST AND ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE

It’s no secret that I’ve got a really good relationship with Hardy’s and I love their passion for perennials. It was great working with Hortus Loci this year at Chelsea too. Some don’t just supply plants, they supply knowledge and so for designers like me who want to build on their plant knowledge, these people are great to tap into.

Are you doing Chelsea next year or will you take a break? I’m taking a year off from Chelsea because it is so all-consuming – although I love it and hope it won’t be long before I’m back again. Which designers do you look up to? The first person I would mention would be Annie Guilfoyle, who led my course at KLC and continues to be my mentor. She’s passionate about plants and design and very supportive. She helped me understand the importance of networking. She’s incredibly tenacious and I think some of this spirit rubbed off on me. Then there’s Diarmuid Gavin. From the start, I loved how he made garden design aspirational and exciting. Sometimes he is too out there for some people but he always gets a reaction and it makes people talk. I’ve got to mention Cleve West. I remember him doing a talk about his career during my training. He’s been on a journey and really honed his skills over the years. His work is so sophisticated and if there’s a designer I wouldn’t 46

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mind being compared to in 20 years, it’s him. Work aside, he’s a really nice guy and came up to me at Chelsea to say if I needed any advice he was there. What other landscapers would you like to work with? I hadn’t previously had the opportunity to work with a big outfit like Bowles & Wyer Contracts. They achieved a fantastic result for me at Chelsea and I’d like to work with them on a ‘real’ job in the future. I would also love to work with Outdoor Room and Landform Consultants. I worked with Gardenlink on a fab Cityscapes project on the Southbank last year and it would be great to work together again. I’ve realised there are many types of landscaper, suited to different projects depending on size, scope of work and location, so I want to continue working with a range of them. Do you choose different nurseries rather than stick with just the one? I have different nurseries that I love working with.

Outside of work, what is your passion? It sounds sad but it’s gardening! My new garden and veg patch keep me out of trouble. Outside of home and garden though it’s travel. My partner and I both love our work and are focused on our careers – sometimes perhaps too much. The last five years have been an amazing experience and I wouldn’t take any of it back but sometimes I need to remember what I’m trying to achieve and get the balance right. It’s not just about wanting to be a great designer, it’s about wanting a certain lifestyle. We have both started to learn to sail – the best thing about that is there are no gardens around so I can’t go around checking out plants!

1 Wimbledon Park waterfall garden. 2 Remix Garden – Oxo Tower Wharf 2013.

ABOUT MATTHEW CHILDS DESIGN Ivy Cottage, Reigate Heath, Reigate Surrey RH2 8QR

Tel: 01737 221 665 Mob: 0774 864 3248 Email: mc@matthewchildsdesign.co.uk Web: www.matthewchildsdesign.co.uk

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS Project value ÂŁ25k Build time Appointed June 2013 Built August 2013 Size of project 54m2

BLUE TULIP GARDEN DESIGN Blue Tulip Design transform a run-down walled garden with a clean, modern design that maximises the feeling of light and space in an outdoor entertaining and dining area.

ANOTHER LEVEL

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TO CREATE A LIGHTER SPACE WE USED PALE COLOURED STONE THAT WOULD HELP TO REFLECT LIGHT AND MAKE THE GARDEN LOOK LARGER

he client wished to create a contemporary outdoor room for entertaining, which would sit well with the modern interior of his Victorian terrace while having the ‘wow’ factor. The original space was small, dark and uninviting; it was all on one level and the boundary walls were an unattractive mixture of

BLUE TULIP GARDEN DESIGN Blue Tulip Garden Design, in Wilmslow, works across Cheshire and the North West, with a varied portfolio of completed projects of all sizes and styles. Louise, a highly experienced and professional garden designer, creates beautiful gardens perfectly integrated with your home. The total design and installation service means that you find everything in one place; all tailored to your own requirements.

www.bluetulipgardendesign.co.uk

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overgrown hedging, cheap fencing and a slightly decrepit brick wall. To create a lighter space we used pale coloured stone that would help to reflect light and make the garden look larger. The priority was to maximise open space for seating and dining, so there are two main areas of paving divided by a strip of planting that cuts across the garden to soften the hard landscaping. The client was adamant that he wanted a change in level to create more interest. We replaced the existing narrow steps leading down from the conservatory with more generously sized ones and split the main open space in two with a one-step change in level. The main focal point from the conservatory is a raised bed wrapped around the seating area, incorporating a feature wall painted in a different colour from the low walls. We cut a window in this wall so the planting behind can be seen, creating a ‘painting’ that is lit at night by a mini spotlight.

A bespoke stone L-shaped bench forms part of the walls of the raised beds and provides immediate seating. This seating and the paving were reclaimed from the gold medal winning Alzheimer’s Society show garden at RHS Tatton, called ‘Remember to Reflect’ and designed by Blue Tulip Garden Design. The brick boundary wall was rendered to match the raised beds and topped with a short timber trellis to give extra height. This matched the cedar horizontal screening used to create the new boundary walls of the other two sides. At the request of the client, planting is mainly evergreen for year round interest and low maintenance. As it is largely a shady space, leaf texture is an important element and with a simple green, white and burgundy colour palette; bamboos, a Japanese Acer and a Fatsia Japonica add height. Lighting was designed to be subtle but striking. Blue strip lights positioned underneath

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PORTFOLIO

the stone bench and along the bottom of the highest level of paving create the illusion they are floating. Stainless steel downlights secured at intervals along the cedar screens create narrow beams of light and small step lights with blue lamps fitted flush to the paving coordinate with the strip lighting. Feedback from the client was exceptional! “I can honestly say that the experience from start to finish has been fantastic. Blue Tulip Garden Design has designed a garden that truly went beyond my expectations. The project team delivered on time, and the quality of the final product was excellent. You enter into these types of projects with a degree of trepidation. Will they deliver? Will it be done on time and to budget? Will it be to the standard I am looking for? Louise and the team executed on all elements perfectly. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them, or equally use them again on my next project”.

1 The existing dark and gloomy space was very uninspiring. 2 The Greenbelt team were meticulous in translating the design into reality. 3 Beautiful cedar screening hides the original ugly fence. 4 It’s all in the detail! 5 A new cedar gate was chosen to tie in with the screens. 6 The bespoke stone bench was rebuilt from the RHS garden. 7 Contemporary down lights bring the space alive at night.

THERE ARE TWO MAIN AREAS OF PAVING DIVIDED BY A STRIP OF PLANTING THAT CUTS ACROSS THE GARDEN TO SOFTEN THE HARD LANDSCAPING

REFERENCES Designer

Lighting

Louise Harrison-Holland MSGD Blue Tulip Garden Design

Lighting For Gardens

Tel: 07985 194985 Email: louise@bluetulipgardendesign.co.uk Web: www.bluetulipgardendesign.co.uk

Landscape Plus

Contractor Matt Belt Greenbelt Landscapes

4 Burnmoor Crescent, Ingleton, Carnforth, LA6 3BW Tel: 01524 241494 Email: greenbeltlandscapes@live.co.uk Web: www.greenbeltlandscapes.co.uk Stone Natural Paving

Email: sales@naturalpaving.co.uk Web: www.naturalpaving.co.uk Timber Silva Timber

Tel: 0151 4953111 Web: www.silvatimber.co.uk

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Tel: 01462 486777 Email: sales@lightingforgardens.com Web: www.lightingforgardens.com

Tel:01666 577577 Email: help@landscapeplus.com Web: www.landscapeplus.com Plants Ladybrook Nursery

Tel: 0161 440 8060 Email: sales@ladybrooknursery.com Web: www.ladybrook.com Render K-REND

Tel: 0208 2826 2175 Web: www.K-rend.co.uk

Paint Farrow & Ball

Tel: 01202 876141 Email: sales@Farrow-Ball.com Web: www.farrow-ball.com

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PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS Project value ÂŁ325,000 Build time Started May 2013 Completed April 2014 Size of project 1,600m2

HARBOUR LIFE

e were brought into this project in early 2013 by the developer who was looking to create a landscape in keeping with the multi-million pound residence he was building in one of the most desirable roads in Poole, Dorset. The site is around 1,600sq m and includes a boathouse and jetty out into Poole Harbour, the second largest natural harbour in the world and only a mile from the millionairesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; playground that is Sandbanks. The brief included taking into account two large pines trees on the site with Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs). The front entrance needed to be impressive and generously proportioned with ample parking and turning areas. The block paving extended to in excess of 350sq m. Our client wanted a crisp, clean look and it needed to complement the modern 52

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architecture of the property. We specified Marshalls Drivesett Argent block paving in two colours. Early on, we decided that white painted smooth rendered walls with granite copings would work very well. Flamed granite paving and grey synthetic decking maintained the theme of cool, contemporary grey, which matched the window and door frames. The front garden was enclosed by new close board fencing and we used 60 metres of evergreen Griselina littoralis at 1.6m high to immediately soften the visual impact. The cedar front gates and railings were bespoke, as was the stainless steel letterbox, which was set into the wall. A video system lets the residents see the visitor before opening the gates.

THE SITE INCLUDES A BOATHOUSE AND JETTY OUT INTO POOLE HARBOUR, THE SECOND LARGEST NATURAL HARBOUR IN THE WORLD The planting needed to be simple but to have seasonal interest and colour. Our client was keen to avoid the bland ‘developer’ planting common in the area. So no laurel, bay or bamboo! We used Pittosporum tobira, Nandina domestica, Cistus purpureus ‘Alan Fradd’, Osmanthus ‘Goshiki’, Viburnum tinus, Euphorbia despina, Erica carnea, Euonymus ‘Silver Queen’ and ‘Emerald Gaiety’ as our evergreen structure and added plenty of herbaceous perennials like agapanthus, sedum, echinacea, heleniums and salvias. Spring bulbs added extra colour and interest early in the year. We used Tulips Angelique, Alabaster and Purple Dream along with narcissus and alliums. We decided to create an inner courtyard by the front door to provide a private seating area with a raised water feature. This was to create a sheltered outside space that could be used as a play area or for barbeques on days when the wind was too strong to use the rear garden. The bespoke cedar gates kept cars from the area but could be opened to allow access when required. The steel pergola beams were hot dipped

1 Jacuzzi decking cedar strip. 2 Jacuzzi sea view. 3 Frameless ballustrade. 4 Gabion walls. 5 Tierstone pergola.

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1 Plan of the main garden. 2 Steps under construction. 3 The garden in spring. 4 View through the bespoke trellis.

5 A view across the garden before work too

galvanised and powder coated in a matching shade of grey. The wide span of the courtyard raised technical issues with fabricating and treating such long beams and transporting and installing them was quite a task. Concealed fixings were used throughout to maintain the quality of finish and the finished effect works very well. The garage wall was clad in CED Tier Stone™ panels. This added colour and an amazing texture to the wall and we designed lighting to accentuate this at night. The boundary wall within the courtyard was already built and we decided to clad it with horizontal strips of Western Red Cedar to further emphasise the enclosed, protected nature of the space. Tiny LED cube lights were mounted onto the cedar to add drama and interest at night.

ABOUT JANINE PATTISON STUDIOS Janine Pattison Studios is a leading UK garden design practice, renowned for creating stylish and contemporary gardens throughout Dorset and along the south coast of England. They work for both private and corporate clients, and have been featured in many garden publications. Janine is also a regular editorial contributor to Pro Landscaper.

www.janinepattison.com

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TO TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE VIEWS AND DUE TO THE SIGNIFICANT LEVEL ISSUES IN THE REAR GARDEN, WE SPECIFIED FRAMELESS GLASS BALUSTRADING

The rear garden needed to be extremely simple as the star of the show is undoubtedly the view across Poole Harbour. Superb sunrises and sunsets are a daily occurrence and the site is accessible by boat or jet ski. We used further Western Red Cedar cladding on the side boundary to give extra height and privacy and used a tinted oil to retain the warm colour. Most of the rear of the building is glass and we used Ecodek™ composite decking to create a level threshold for the patio areas. There had been a dilapidated swimming pool on the site, so we sank a Jacuzzi™ into the cavity and decked the

surrounding area. The small lawn is Rolawn Medallion™ cut turf and the fine bladed grass looks great in the location. A limited amount of planting is included in the rear garden and this had to be carefully chosen due to the extreme conditions experienced during winter storms. Phormiums, cordylines, choysia, escallonia, brachyglottis and griselina have thrived as well as Trachelospermum jasminoides climbing the pebble-filled gabion clad retaining walls. Some other plants just could not cope with the relentless wind, salt-laden air and dry conditions. To take full advantage of the views and due to the significant level issues in the rear garden, we specified frameless glass balustrading. This is an expensive option but the uninterrupted vista from the house and patios speaks for itself. All of the steps and lower terraced areas were paved with the same 600mm x 600mm flamed granite slabs to provide continuity across the approximately 250 sq m of paving across the site. The three terraces that lead down to the sea give over 11 metres of fall and these were built as concrete reinforced retaining walls. Rendering and painting these would have required annual painting and repair at considerable expense due to the exposed conditions. Our solution was to create 150mm deep www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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den.

ction.

poke trellis.

den before work took place.

narrow gabion baskets to clad the walls from top to bottom. We capped the baskets with a powder coated aluminium profile to give a smart finish and filled them with locally sourced pebbles ranging in sizes from 50mm to 140mm. Evergreen jasmine is being trained across the front of the baskets to soften the appearance when viewed from the water. These are being grown in bespoke planters fabricated by Europlanters.

We designed a comprehensive garden lighting scheme to transform the space after dark. All of the fittings are LEDs, with top quality fixtures to protect them from the extreme coastal conditions. The lighting is controlled by a Lutron system of lighting management, which means everything can be operated from an iPad or iPhone. The seawall is being replaced and a new slipway and jetty are being installed this

autumn so that the owner can have a speedboat, jet ski or sailing dingy available at any time. 1 Bespoke cedar gates. 2 Cedar strips and pergola. 3 View across the harbour from the Jacuzzi. 4 The granite stairs and cedar strips.

REFERENCES Design

Decking

External lighting

Gabion Baskets & pebbles

Janine Pattison Design Studio

Ecodek

Collingwood

MB Wilkes

1077, Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH7 6BQ Tel: 01202 426143 Email: denise@janinepattison.com Web: www.janinepattison.com

Tel: 01978 667840 Email: enquiries@ecodek.co.uk Web: www.ecodek.co.uk

Tel: 01604 495151 Email: sales@collingwoodgroup.com Web: www.collingwoodlighting.com/en

Tel: 01258 857465 Web: www.mbwilkes.com Glass Balustrade

Bespoke Planters

Shrubs

RM Steel Fabrications Ltd

Europlanters

Griffin Nurseries

Tel: 0161 426 0207 Email: sales@europlanters.com Web: www.europlanters.com

Tel: 01428 741655 Email: enquiries@griffinnurseries.co.uk Web: www.griffinnurseries.co.uk

Tel: 01202 828240 Web: www.rmfabrications.co.uk Bespoke Cedar Gates

Lawn

Cladding

Rolawn

TierStone cladding by CED

Tel: 0845 604 6060 Email: info@rolawn.co.uk Web: www.rolawn.co.uk

Tel: www.ced.ltd.uk/tier-panel-system Email: sales@ced.ltd.uk Web: www.ced.ltd.uk

Marshalls Drivesett Argent block paving

Hedging

Paving - Flamed Granite Slabs

Pinder Plants

Natural Stone & Timber Ltd

Tel: 0870 411 2233 Web: www.marshalls.co.uk

Tel: 01202 840392 Web: www.pinderplants.co.uk

Tel: 01202 736629 Web: www.landscaping-supplies.net

Main Contractor Parsons & Joyce Contractors Ltd

44, Ashley Rd, Poole BH14 9BN Tel: 01202 731191 Email: office@parsonsandjoyce.com Web: www.parsonsandjoyce.com

Openings

Block Paving

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 2 v2.indd 55

Tel: 01202 301267 Web: www.openings.co.uk Water Feature Primrose

Web: www.primrose.co.uk Jacuzzi Hydropools

Web: www.hydropoolspas.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 55

20/10/2014 10:37

PORTFOLIO

A CLEAN SLATE Shore Landscapes A garden transformation coordinated with the rebuild of a property, providing hard landscaping for entertainment while incorporating existing features and leaving soft landscaping to be completed by the client, a keen gardener

nitially the client met Steve on a short planting course where she asked him if he would be interested in designing and building a garden for her even though the renovation works to the house were in the planning stage. A meeting was arranged with the architect and the client to discuss materials and style of the renovation and a drawing of the garden was produced. It was also agreed that the builder should construct the lower retaining walls and cast the concrete steps. When the walls were constructed the client had concerns that they were built out of square, so subsequently there were many meetings with the client and architect and it was agreed that the walls would be rectified by the builder under

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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Steveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supervision and instruction as they were a key part of the design. This left the client apprehensive of the whole project. This delay put the gardenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s construction not only 10 months behind schedule, but had left the client apprehensive about the whole project. To regain his confidence and because the client saw the length of his garden form the upper storey windows it was decided that a surveying company should be employed to plot an accurate 90 degree line from the house up the garden, and wooden templates were set up where paving was to be constructed. Going through the concept this way with the client did instil confidence, and even built his excitement as the contract progressed. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

21/10/2014 11:04

PORTFOLIO

PROJECT DETAILS Project value £69,000 Size of project Back garden: 300m² Front garden: 100m²

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Hard landscaping

The brief ● The rear garden was to be designed before the construction/rebuild of the property commenced, working from architect’s drawings of his extension. ● The minimum amount of grass was to be disturbed by hard landscaping, so leaving a children’s play area. ● An entertaining area and patio was required. ● An existing hot tub was to be incorporated into the design, partially sunken, so as not to be too obvious. ● All constructional pavings and colour to match that of the new roof. ● Screen off neighbouring property at the rear. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Portfolio 3.indd 57

● The client to carry out soft landscaping,

being a keen gardener. ● Building contractor to construct new retaining

walls on lower level and cast two flights of concrete steps, to retain ground level whilst work is carried out on the house. 1 Steve receiving a national award from Marshalls Paving. 2 The garden one year after completion. 3 Steps and ipe decking. 4 The garden one year later. 5 Front driveway. 6 Main steps with lights on. 7 Main steps.

ABOUT SHORE LANDSCAPES Shore Landscapes is a multi-award winning design and build company based in West Sussex established by Steve Smith over 30 years ago. Steve is a qualified garden designer and working hard landscaper. All work undertaken is carried out with the minimum of fuss and to the highest of standards whether it’s for their own clients or working for other garden designers.

www.shore-landscapes.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 57

21/10/2014 11:04

PORTFOLIO GREAT ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND CAREFUL CONSIDERATION IS DEMONSTRATED IN THE USE OF MATERIALS AND COLOUR SELECTION ENSURING NEW WORK IS IN KEEPING WITH THE EXISTING FEATURES. IMMACULATE PAVING AND CONSTRUCTION OF STEPS RESULTING IN AN EYE CATCHING PIECE OF HARD LANDSCAPING. APL JUDGES

Marshalls Register runs the Contractor of the Year competition annually. Steve Smith won the award in 2013 for which the prize was a brand new Toyota Hilux.

Description The garden steps up from the house, and a view is created from the open plan kitchen on the ground floor, and from the master bedroom above it. Wide slate steps and raised beds provide the garden with the necessary level changes as well as other structural focal points. The timber decking in front of the inbuilt fire provides a clean space for all the family to relax and eat out. For the wooden screen behind the hot tub, deck boards from the main patio cut down the centre, and rounded and sanded created a relationship between the two wooden areas. The painted render to the fire chimney, the feature in the wooden screening and the plant pots were all colour matched to the kitchen furniture for continuity, thus creating a low maintenance space for all the family, which is dog friendly, games proof, and which complements the renovation of the house and its interior colour scheme of red, silver and black, with natural materials. Construction During construction all spoil/materials were wheelbarrowed from the front driveway up the first flight of steps, along a footpath the length of the house, and up the second flight of steps. The slate was bought as 300x600mm slabs so that it was possible to keep the colour of the slate throughout the job. The step risers, steps in the footpath, water feature walling and the 58

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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REFERENCES Contractor & Designer Steve Smith Shore Landscapes

Tel: 01273 273934 Email: steve@shore-landscapes.co.uk Web: www.shore-landscapes.co.uk Paving Marshalls Paving

Fairstone natural slate (back garden) Drivesett Argent (front garden) Tel: 0845 820 5000 Web: www.marshalls.co.uk Decking Posh Patio

Tel: 01787 461532 Email: sales@PoshPatio.co.uk Web: www.poshpatio.co.uk

copings were all cut on site. Any exposed edges were then bevelled and polished so as to remove the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;blue cut edgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of the slate. The front garden It was agreed by the client and architect that all retaining walls and casting of concrete steps would be carried out by the contractor so that the ground/house would be retained whilst construction was in progress. The concrete footpath and walls were to be coped with slate. The driveway was to be block paved with an ACO slotted drain installed to the front of the driveway to comply with SuDS regulations. 1 Concrete bases ready for paving. 2 Inbuilt fire. 3 Wooden templates showing position of paving.

Outdoor Heater Urban Fires

Tel: 0207 1831806 Web: www.urbanfires.co.uk Trees (Photinia standards) Majestic Trees

Tel: 01582 843881 Email: info@majestictrees.co.uk Web: www.majestictrees.co.uk Pots Round Wood of Mayfield

Tel: 01435 867072 Web: www.roundwood.com Planting Alyson Hamilton (and client)

Tel: 01444 870806 Email: info@alysonhamilton.com Web: www.alysonhamilton.com

4 The garden before construction. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

21/10/2014 11:07

PROVENDER

plants from all corners of the

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Whatever your involvement in the horticultural industry, be it, Garden Designer, Landscape Architect. Domestic or Commercial Landscaper, Greenline Plants can offer all the plants you will need. To see our plant portfolio visit www.greenlineplants.co.uk Forshaw Heath Road | Earlswood | Solihull | B94 5JU T: 01564 703947

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NURSERY

NURSERY NEWS Boningale celebrates clients’ successes in top awards Boningale Nurseries is celebrating after supplying three winners in the prestigious BALI National Landscape Awards for the second year running. All three winning projects in the Soft Landscaping Construction (Non Domestic) under £300,000 category had commissioned Boningale Nurseries to supply them with plants and shrubs. They were Harton Quays Park, South Shields by Sustain Landscapes Ltd and two projects by

Elmtree Garden Contractors Ltd; firstly, the combined Bristol Harbourside Building 4 and Millennium Promenade development and secondly for its landscaping at Bath Western Riverside Podium. Frank Sandford, Sales Director at Boningale Nurseries, said: “We are very proud indeed to be associated with all of these winning landscaping projects, which demonstrate the very highest standards in the industry.” www.boningale.co.uk

Provender Nurseries announces winners of Garden Design Competition Provender Nurseries is pleased to announce the winners of the Provender Nurseries Garden Design Competition, which is aimed at students of Plants and Planting at Capel Manor College, Enfield campus. The winning design this year is a joint effort by Vanessa Hoch and Rachel Pocock, garden design students at Capel Manor. Richard McKenna, Director of Provender Nurseries and Marketing Organiser, Liz Hughes judged the competition alongside Sophie Guinness, a lecturer in planting design. The judges were looking for form and function, a wide range of plants showing seasonal www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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interest, plant association and a pleasing design that suited the brief. Vanessa and Rachel’s design stood out for the strong winter interest and plant structure, imaginative form and great accent planting. Richard McKenna said “I was initially struck with the clever use of Fagus sylvatica and Fagus sylvatica ‘Atropurpurea’ hedging as structural and accent planting and the repeated use through the garden. The colours selected in the flowering plants also cleverly reflected the choice of foliage plants in the garden.” www.provendernurseries.co.uk

NURSERY NOTES

Amenity sales on the up at Wyevale Nurseries One of the UK’s leading commercial nurseries has reported a 15 per cent increase in amenity sales during 2014. Wyevale Nurseries, based in Hereford, has seen a rise in demand for trees, hedging transplants, container grown hedging and specimen shrubs. Adam Dunnett, Sales and Marketing Director, said: “We have put a lot of work into our product mix to reflect customer demand and after a few challenging years, we are really pleased with a year-on-year increase of 15 per cent. Trees have always been a big part of our range and there now appear to be two distinct areas of growth – native trees and the newer ornamental cultivars such as Betula ‘Shaft’ and Sorbus ‘Blackberry’, which offer the designer something a little different and are often more compact or upright than more traditional varieties. We have also seen a huge demand for specimen shrubs. As a result of this we have quadrupled production in this area for 2015.” Wyevale Nurseries transplants and hedging catalogue can be requested by emailing info@wyevalenurseries.co.uk

Autumn is always a busy time of the year at the Tamata nursery in Rugby; particularly so this year, with 700 trees arriving from New Zealand primarily consisting of our new 45L semi-mature range of Japanese Maples. To accommodate our new arrivals, we have doubled the capacity of the nursery to 1,000 trees which makes Tamata the largest nursery of its type in the UK. Four weeks following arrival, the new trees are in full leaf and with close to 30 varieties on the nursery, it is quite a sight. Promotion of our new trees to the industry at exhibitions including Four Oaks, GLEE, Landscape Live, and FutureScape, and nursery tours for local SGD groups and the Midlands Landscape Institute branch, has meant a very busy couple of months. The arrival of autumn also brings the glorious colour changes that Japanese Maples are renowned for – it is a lovely time of the year to wander through the nursery. www.tamata.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 61

21/10/2014 11:11

Deepdale Trees Limited

Tithe Farm, Hately Road, Potton, Sandy, SG19 2DX mail@deepdale-trees.co.uk T: 01767 262 636 www.deepdale-trees.co.uk F: 01767 262 288

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14/10/2014 16:59

NURSERY

PLANTSMAN’S PLOT A round-up of trees and plants available at some of the country’s best nurseries To appear in Plantsman’s Plot, please send your plant of the month, details and image to editor@pro-landscaper.co.uk

No – don’t turn the page. Everyone raises a curled lip when you suggest Elaeagnus x ebbingei but there’s more to these shrubs than meets the eye. Often used in heavily polluted areas, Elaeagnus is quite tolerant of neglect. The large leaves are silvery, scaly beneath and a dusty green on the upper surface and as tough as old boots. They really come into their own in late autumn when tiny, deliciously fragrant creamy white ﬂowers deliver a knockout scent. Reaching up to 4m in height it’s ideal for use as a hedging plant, on coastal sites or roof terraces. www.provendernurseries.co.uk

This vigorous semi evergreen plant is normally grown as a large shrub, but we also have Cotoneaster cornubia available as a standard tree. With a mature height of 6-8m it can be an excellent specimen or screening tree in a smaller garden. Year round interest is

Don’t be fooled into thinking that Pyracantha are just used for thorny screens and protecting fence lines and boundaries. While they excel at this job they can add so much more to the green landscape and garden. It’s a tough evergreen with a range of bright coloured fruits

that will add a welcome focus to the autumn garden. They work particularly well when trained and pruned against a wall to provide year round screening. www.colesnurseries.co.uk

A distinctive and impressive plant, known as The Rice Paper Plant. Tetrapanax adds wow factor to a sheltered spot in the garden. They are rare so will deﬁnitely be a talking point. The palmate leaves can get to a width of 100cm, and a height of up to 4 metres. Tetrapanax is usually deciduous but in mild sheltered areas can be evergreen. This stunning jungly plant looks stunning under-planted with ferns. www.architecturalplants.com

provided by rich green pointed leaves, clusters of small creamy-white ﬂowers in June and masses of bright red berries in autum. During autumn the leaves also develop hints of yellow and red colour. Likes a well-drained, sheltered spot. www.deepdaletrees.co.uk

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One of the most popular small-leaved Pittosporum has greyish-green leaves with narrow creamy-white margins. This hardy evergreen shrub can grow up to 4m by 2.5m but responds well to being pruned, making it suitable for almost any garden. Preferring a mostly sunny spot the Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Silver Queen’ benefits from small deep purple flowers in spring but with the flowers being so small, it’s really the leaf colour that makes this plant such a popular choice. www.theplantationnursery.co.uk

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 63

20/10/2014 10:26

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NURSERY

NURSERY FACTFILE

“

At Majestic Trees we are passionate about the trees we grow and are committed to providing a professional, friendly and personal service

MEET THE SALES TEAM ABOUT

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e B o eti u s

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TOP 5 BESTSELLERS Betula of all types (14 varieties)

Photinia x fraseri ‘Red Robin’

Carpinus betulus ‘Fastigata’

Malus varieties

Prunus varieties

r Best selle

Our ‘Delivery to Tree Pit’ service

We grow our trees in AirPots and they are fully rooted for year-round planting. Our 50 to 5,000 litre containers range in size from 4’ to 45’, they have a fabulous ﬁbrous root system and have been transplanted and pruned regularly for outstanding crown development. We offer nationwide ‘delivery that goes beyond the kerb’ including our increasingly popular ‘delivery to tree pit’ service and full planting services with establishment warranty, as required.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

Nursery Factfile FINAL.indd 65

Harpenden Redbourn

A1(M)

M1 Hemel Hempstead

Welwyn Garden City

St Albans

Hatfield

A1(M)

CLIENTS We are renowned for the quality and selection of our trees and the best service in the industry, whether the customer wants delivery to kerb, tree pit or our complete planting service. We work closely with both landscape contractors and garden designers as part of their team, typically in the upper end residential market. We do not operate a landscape division to avoid any conflict of interest. “The customer focus at Majestic Trees is very impressive, there is a genuine team enthusiasm for the client’s needs and love of their trees is very evident. The nursery runs with an air of confident efficiency, care and attention to detail that is conveyed right until the trees are delivered to site. It is easy to do business with Majestic Trees.” Mark Gregory, Landform Consultants, Chobham, Surrey “Excellent choice - interesting shapes and forms. Will not hesitate to use again!” Clifton Nurseries, London “Excellent quality and a wide range of stock.” John Maiden Horticultural Services

AirPot grown trees have a fibrous root system

Luton Flamstead

“All round - great dealing with Majestic and you were very patient with the ever-changing delivery date of our trees! Many thanks.” Marmalade Jam, London

CONTACT Majestic Trees, Chequers Hill, Flamstead, Nr. St. Albans, Hertfordshire AL3 8ET Tel: 01582 843 881 Fax: 01582 843 882 Web: www.majestictrees.co.uk Email: info@majestictrees.co.uk Mon - Fri: 8.30am - 5pm Sat: 10am - 5pm Closed Sun and Bank Holidays Pro Landscaper / November 2014 65

20/10/2014 10:17

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At Readyhedge, before our instant hedging is dispatched to customers it is inspected, tidied-up and cleared of any imperfections by hand. We call it hand-crafted hedging. F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n , c a l l t o d a y o n 0 1 3 8 6 7 5 0 5 8 5 E m a i l l i n d s a y @ r e a d y h e d g e . c o m o r v i s i t w w w. r e a d y h e d g e . c o m

17/10/2014 10:49

AUTUMN BLOOMS AT

NURSERY

RHS MALVERN Jonathan Ward reports on the final RHS Show of the year

estled at the foot of the Malvern Hills, the Malvern Autumn Show marks the end of the show season for the year. Lacking the show gardens of all the other RHS shows, the focus is on the plants themselves and the celebration of harvest. At the end of the gardening year, it’s a fantastic place to see plants that can extend the flowering season in the garden from summer into the winter. With fewer plants competing for our interest, each plant has space to show what it has to offer. The softer autumn light reveals the more muted tones in both flowers and foliage. With the foliage of the Nerines having died away, the stiff stems holding the flowers aloft are found in shades of pink and occasionally white. It’s a stunning plant for the late summer and autumn, and when allowed to naturalise in a semi-shaded area it will never fail to bring a smile to your face as the days shorten. The one variety that appeared to be everywhere at the show was Nerine sarniensis ‘Major’ corusca ‘Major’. Often considered to be more tender than it really is, the insect eating pitcher plant Sarracenia puts on a show stopping display in the autumn with its red veins coming to prominence. However, it’s the white forms such as Sarracenia ‘Juthatip Soper’ that are the most stunning varieties and all that

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Jonathan Ward.indd 67

is required to get the best from these plants is damp dappled shade. One of the key flowers of the show is the Dahlia, ranging from the small flowered forms of ‘Gurtla Twilight’ to the giant dinner plate sized blooms of ‘Black Monarch’.. Each flower type was judged by a panel of RHS experts and awarded on its individual merit. Treated with no less care is the fruit and veg; apples are a large part of this show and over 100 individual varieties are shown, with many of these available to taste. It’s a great opportunity to try a range of varieties for use in a garden. Some recent plant introductions were showcased to great effect. The sherbet shades of Echinacea purparea ‘Sundown’ were popular on several stands and were to be seen in many bags heading out of the door. In many schemes, these are planted with Helenium. The new introduction ‘Salsa’ is worth considering, with its deep, rich red and yellow centre. Often when we think of autumn planting schemes we consider grasses, but there are several other plants that have a similar effect. The Restios were visible, never quite receiving the popularity of grasses, but they are worth a look and two varieties stood out, Elehia tectorum and Thamnochortus insignis. At this time of the year with the foliage retreating, several ground cover plants come to the fore and it’s the Gentiana that offers a stunning shade of blue, the variety ‘Blue Heaven’ being a truly stunning shade. For a different effect, Aeonium ‘Du Rozzen’ is worth considering with its glossy deep, rich red foliage, offset with a centre of soft green. Heathers often have a bad name, stemming from their overuse in the 70s. Erica cerinthoides could change this, with fine foliage and flowers that will continue into the winter, often still putting on a fantastic display into January. If you’re looking for inspiration for autumn colour, put next year’s date for the show in your diary now – 26/27 September 2015.

Pro Landscaper / November 2014 67

21/10/2014 10:51

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NURSERY FACTFILE Our purpose is as a supplier of landscape plants to contractors and designers in the West Midlands and further aﬁeld

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A busy young family required a lot from their garden, most importantly plenty of storage, a special place for the children, privacy, and an escape from the commotion of city living

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Size of project 63m2

LOCATION Centrally located in the heart of England. We are one mile from Junction 3 of the M42, within Earlswood Garden and Landscape Centre.

CONTACT

Serving domestic and commercial landscapers, local authorities, garden designers and landscape architects nationwide.

Matthew Nichol MSGD, MBALI, MN. Garden Design “I have been using Greenline to supply plants for my many and varied garden projects for several years now. No matter how large or small the project I am treated to consistently great service and great quality plants. If they don’t have it, they do their very best to get it.This positive approach makes my life as a designer much easier and allows me to focus on design not ﬁnding plants.”

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Greenline Plants Forshaw Heath Road, Earlswood Solihull B94 5JU Tel: 01564 703 947 Fax: 01564 700 261 Web: www.greenlineplants.co.uk Email: sales@greenlineplants.co.uk

Nursery FF.indd 57

he use of space was ambiguous and the clients were uninspired to spend

Landspace and the client. It was important to take pictures from many

time in it. It had become a backyard dumping ground and a place for the

viewpoints as this would help to establish how the garden would relate back to the house and

kids to scoot around in circles. The clients are very busy, working professionals, with a young family.

how the house would relate to the garden. The modern, contemporary lines of their new kitchen

Their work is very demanding and to help ease the pressure they have a PA; the first meeting was with the PA. She relayed the initial outline of the brief in

extension would become the building blocks for the designs that followed.

the form of a list of likes and dislikes. Taking these initial elements, we put together

The brief The house is semi-detached, Victorian and situated in a conservation area close to Kew

a rough budget estimate. Within this first document we also outlined our working ethos and how we would intend to proceed. We were one of three companies invited to give an estimate. The clients liked our proposal and a consultation was arranged directly between

March 2014

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

19/02/2014 11:24

to use the space at night and requested lighting and outdoor heating, as well as a lot of storage. The clients enjoyed cooking and wanted an area dedicated to herbs. They love Mediterranean planting and are attracted to plants within the cool colour palette, particularly blue.

very overgrown, bland and with a confused functionality. The clients weren’t really using their

Work in progress Due to the restricted size of the garden there was limited space to store materials. Landscaping

12/06/2014 12:10

I was once told that if I chose a career I loved then I’d never

maternal guilt. It’s great to see more women coming into the industry these days, but I wish we’d

nearly 20 years – there are so many highlights:

be trusted enough to be let loose in dozens of client’s

leading the landscape team in the historical

gardens, have appeared on television, written three books,

restoration of eight gardens in the TV

and countless newspaper and magazine articles. My one

series of Lost Gardens, winning a Gold

overriding ambition is to have a 10 x 22 metre show garden at

medal at Chelsea and most recently

Chelsea. Through my work in the media, if I’ve inspired another

designing the woodland walk at Chestnut

woman to step up to the drawing board and get designing,

Tree House Children’s Hospice. I’m part of the garden experts group that advises the

MADDOCKS CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

proud to be involved.

professionalism, that I love being around.

I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I’ve

Maddocks Contemporary Design will be exhibiting in ‘Fresh’ at Chelsea this year. Exhibiting a range of hand carved granite sculptures, a mixture of geometric and natural forms including garden sculpture, water features, seating and a range of textured paving. Sculptural granite pieces feature highly polished spirals or angular forms, hand carved out from the core of naturally formed boulders, the pieces lead the eye through the stones to focal points of the garden. Suitable for any setting, enhancing your outdoor or indoor space, providing focus or simply complementing the existing surroundings. WWW.MADDOCKS.UK.COM

Pro Landscaper / September 2014

PEOPLE

NURSERY

PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

PERSONAL I suppose I try to wring as much as I can from every moment of

and joyful experiences, oh, and plants of course. Besides my family, the thing I value above all else are my friendships. Music is another great passion of mine. As a girl my father’s love of classic rock

design style and to be true to my instinct. In all walks

and heavy metal, and my mother’s love of classical music were all around me – both

of life, I think it’s true to say that I enjoy bending the

seemed to seep into my soul. I studied music at secondary school, however, when I left,

rules a little.

I developed a rather wild side to my character and discovered raves and dance music.

tough. Before I had the boys, I had no idea how strong the maternal

If I wasn’t a garden designer I would love to be involved in music, a late night DJ slot on

tie would be – some days I ached to be with them, still do, but

6 Music would be a dream job. Favourite bands? It’s got to be Led Zeppelin, Super

the bills need to be paid, so on I go. I don’t think I could keep

Getting a good picture is not about having the latest camera, it’s about following a few basic rules. It’s said that your first 100,000 pictures will be your worst, so practice. Jonathan Ward offers some tips

Furry Animals and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs all played full tilt.

walking out the door if I was doing anything else, but still there’s

Fashion is another great love, be it a local jumble sale, charity shop or my favourite department store Selfridges. I think it’s safe to say that I’d hate to ever blend in. Books are another of life’s great delights, I have so many favourites, but I confess I must have read Wuthering Heights at least a dozen times. I have two mottos, which my sons now repeat in the most deadpan

GO AND SEE AT CHELSEA

SCULPTURE

‘not-again’ singsong voices you’ve ever heard – ‘positivity

INSPIRATION

breeds content’ and ‘burn out, not fade away’.

Art and architecture are perhaps my greatest inspirations – Andy Goldsworthy, David Nash, Gaudi, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster. Lately I’ve developed a slight obsession with Thomas Heatherwick, admiring not only his work, but also his work processes. When I

GURUVE

lived in London, one of my favourite places to be was the Rothko room at Tate Modern. The extraordinary depth and warmth of the

RACHEL CARTER Each bronze sculpture is created by hand weaving with wax lengths in Rachel’s trademark woven swirls to create the spherical sculpture. The wax sculpture is then transported to Pangolin Editions foundry to be transformed into bronze using the lost wax technique. This new sculpture is suitable for both interior display and garden display and is available in two portable sizes and a range of colours. Select your size and contact Rachel with your colour preference. Choose from red, blue, green or brown. WWW.RACHELCARTER.CO.UK

paintings were a calm visual blanket amongst the business of life

Guruve (stand SR46) return to the Chelsea Flower Show for their ninth year. Guruve are ethical dealers in African art, specialising in contemporary stone sculpture from Zimbabwe. Many of their sculptures are elegant abstract modern pieces, and you’d never guess they came from Africa! With pieces up to 2m high (and the possibility of commissioning larger pieces), of exceptional quality and in hard frost-resistant stone, Guruve provide a great option for clients looking for original sculpture on a limited budget. See the full selection of garden sculpture on their web gallery. WWW.GURUVE.COM

May 2014

there. I used to live in London, and urban life inspired me then and continues to inspire my designs now I live rurally – I enjoy exploring the juxtaposition of these two opposite ideals within the

LIFE/STYLE LIFE/STYLE

TRAVEL

seeing the seasonal change in the routes I pound are one of my greatest pleasures.

boarding school in Derbyshire doing the Duke of Edinburgh award. The camping has stayed with me. In my

distance of your camera (see your manual to be sure), your pictures will be blurry.

Get up early, stay out late

Direct the picture

In simple terms photography is about painting with light. Light is what gives your pictures shadows, shape and texture, and often the best light is that

Become a picture director, not just a passive picture-taker. A picture director takes charge, by picking the location: “Everybody go outside to the

which appears at either end of the day when the sun is lower in the sky. At these times of day it casts longer shadows, which in turn pick out the small details.

garden.” A picture director adds props: “Girls, can you pick up your spades.” A picture director arranges people: “Now move in close, and lean toward the camera.” Most pictures won’t be that involved, but you get the idea: take charge of your pictures and win your own best picture awards.

than you will manipulating your subjects to best

early twenties, I’d chug up to the Grizedale Forest in the Lake

The megapixel myth

exploit the shadows.

District to camp alone in the wilds. These days camping is still such a wonderful way to step off the world and slow down with friends and family.

With many high-end cameras now sporting relatively modest pixel counts, there are some

Embrace the grey day

Many moons ago when I was (mostly!) single and my business was in

Never be put off by an overcast day, the softer light you get is perfect for shooting plants, flowers and

its fledgling stages I would take off backpacking to far flung climes, India, Nepal, Costa Rica, New Zealand and so on. Since we now

manufacturers who continue to cram 16 megapixels or more on

foliage as it dampens the contrasts we were championing in our previous step. This allows the

have children a little more forward planning is required, if I’m honest, I crave the day our children will be old enough for the family to

camera to achieve a more balanced exposure and really bring out the colours in petals.

take off, flight only, for a few more adventures. Pro Landscaper / August 2014

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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tiny sensors that can’t cope with high levels of incoming light. Pay for quality, not quantity, remembering that as few as 10 megapixels is plenty for printing at A3.

Pro Landscaper / August 2014

It’s quite an amazing thing to travel half way around the world only to find the same issues and concerns played out, albeit for different reasons. Andrew Wilson compares London and Singapore

Singapore they would just get on with it. As a result Singapore delivers spectacular new experiences such as Gardens by the Bay, including the inspiring Cloud Forest Conservatory with dizzying aerial walkways that float out into fine mist sprays that veil the gardens every hour.The tree top walk at Kew is splendid but pales alongside this more ambitious competitor. The downside of this pro-development agenda lies in the development of housing.The density of urban living puts a high price on land. A diminishing garden size results with high cost homes squeezed tightly together like some smart caravan park. Owners and developers seek to maximise the footprint of the house at the expense of green space – an issue that will be all too familiar to most garden designers in London and the South East. For us, the garden plot left over is often so squeezed that any meaningful use is compromised or so shaded that sunlight hardly penetrates. In Singapore, the idea of using the garden in such an intensely humid environment can’t compete with the concept of indoor living in a more comfortable climate controlled space.The garden as a result becomes little more than a decorative backdrop. For Singapore a recent government initiative delivers greening in surprising locations. Half way up their soaring tower blocks several storeys are taken out to deliver sky gardens. Whole planted terraces

his is a compact townhouse garden on the outskirts of Canterbury city centre. The house is part of a relatively new Berkeley Homes development set in a crescent around a central green; the rear gardens suffer from limited sunlight due not only to the north easterly aspect but the height of surrounding buildings which enclose the space further. The client’s brief was for a garden that looked good all year round from both the garden and the house (i.e. to provide a view). She wanted instant impact – including light and water – to disguise the existing fencing, and for it to be low maintenance. There was a lack of direct sunlight so the garden needed to be as light as possible to compensate for this. The scope of works was to include fencing, paving, a water feature, soil remediation, planting, lighting and maintenance.

cascade down the central facade of the Park Royal Hotel that looks fabulous from the street level below. By allocating a percentage of their new builds as green space, developers are allowed an increase in floor area; the move on their part isn’t entirely altruistic therefore. Sadly it is the initial installation that is lauded as opposed to the quality of ongoing maintenance – an issue with which many UK contractors will identify. Entering these sky gardens can be disappointing – no-one really uses them due to the heat and ultimately few seem concerned for their long term future. Our host for the week was May Ho of Evershine with whom we chewed the fat – quite literally. We compared notes on demanding clients, greedy developers, the lack of support for long term maintenance and the diminishing size of gardens – all issues with which she readily identified. Welcome to the global village!

SITE ISSUES As with any small site, organisation and access can be tricky, but with careful planning these issues were overcome. The main design problem, which I had not really visualised, was the drop in levels. Whilst I had allowed for one step down from the terrace to accommodate the falls, the resulting level of the remainder of the garden became very

ABOUT ANDREW WILSON Andrew Wilson is a landscape and garden designer as well as Director of Wilson McWilliam Studio. He is also a Director of the London College of Garden Design, an author and an RHS judge of Show Gardens. www.wmstudio.co.uk

April 2014

EQUIPMENT

BRUSHCUTTERS LATEST KIT

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ﬂat and two dimensional, and the soil and mulch washing over the marble paving would have been unsightly, so we chose to contain the box parterres in planters at the same level as the terrace which maximised the soil depth and was more aesthetically pleasing as it balanced out the levels. Furthermore the falls dictated a drain which we tucked out of site directly in front of the garage door, thus not interfering with the clean lines of the marble paving. The ﬁnal issue which our client had to contend with was the neighbouring cats using her ‘Zen Garden’ aggregate as kitty litter, so with the addition of plenty more

ABOUT LAND DESIGN PARTNERSHIP

Project details Timeline of development: Two months Cost: Under £30,000

PRINCIPLE WINNER

Size: approx. 90m²

Domestic Garden ConstructionCost under 30k

Land Design Partnership has excelled in both the commercial and private markets for over 25 years. Operating across the entire south east, they not only offer construction alone but also a bespoke design and build service. They take great pride in their exceptional standard of workmanship, service delivery and customer relationships. Regardless of scale, they deliver a professional landscape solution every time, on time.

19/02/2014 13:21

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Tracmaster’s new CAMON range has been designed to

meet the needs of all users and to satisfy wide-ranging working demand. The modern design of CAMON’s brushcutters includes features such as easy and safe refuelling, a silenced muffler, an anti-vibration system, an ergonomic handle and a professional knapsack

Powerful brushcutters from Billy Goat’s Outback series can cut saplings up to two inches wide, and can tackle brush up to six foot tall with complete ease.

Available with Honda or Briggs & Stratton engines, the Outback range boasts a pivoting 26in wide deck to help glide over

With a 51.7cc two stroke engine, the SRM-510ES is the most powerful brushcutter in the ECHO range. Fitted with a steel blade, this unit can easily handle the toughest of cutting conditions, such as brambles and bracken. The U shaped handle and double shoulder harness are designed for maximum comfort even in the most demanding of cutting conditions. ECHO’s unique Easy Start system ensures near effortless starting every time. WWW.ECHO-TOOLS.CO.UK

for perfect weight distribution. With the environment in mind, Tracmaster is also able to supply the revolutionary BIOFIL cutting wire, which offers high performance and durability, while being 100 per cent biodegradable. WWW.TRACMASTER.CO.UK

uneven terrain as well as offering enhanced speed and quality. Billy Goat brushcutters feature Tuff Torq™ hydrostatic transaxles that sense wheel spin and lock the wheel to give positive traction. WWW.BILLYGOAT.CO.UK

Pellenc is proving that it is technologically ahead of the field with the launch of its Excelion 2000 ‘cow-horn’ handle professional brushcutter. With a new heavy-duty harness and weighing just 5.1kgs, the Excelion 2000 can be purchased with a choice of four cutting heads: the ‘roll-cut’ head will accommodate seven metres of 3mm twisted wire or up to nine metres of 2.7mm, the ‘tap-cut’ head is capable of using the same wires, a new ‘multi-head’ is available for quick changes between wire and blade. A new heavy duty ‘blade-cut’ will shortly be available. WWW.ETESIA.CO.UK

If you are after a professional brushcutter, then look no further than the Maruyama BCV5020 which features an anti-vibration driveshaft with oversized volumetric dampers, to ensure a low vibration. Martin Woodhouse

of Woodgrow Horticulture says “Without doubt the most impressive feature is the reduced whole-life cost of owning a Maruyama BCV5020. The engine has an industry-

busting five year warranty, whilst the drive shaft and ignition module carry a life-time warranty. We found the BCV5020 to be very fuel efficient and the large fuel tank meant fewer fill ups.” WWW.DMMP.CO.UK

At the heart of Husqvarna’s new 525 series is a new 25.4cc X-Torq engine which keeps exhaust emissions at a minimum whilst offering improved fuel efficiency combined with more power and torque. It is also equipped with Air Purge to reduce the number of

starting pulls and Smart Start® which reduces the start pull effort by 40 per cent. When these are

combined with our “Low Vib” anti-vibration system which delivers exceptionally low operator vibration levels, the result is an effective increase in daily maximum run time, user efficiency and productivity. WWW.HUSQVARNA.COM/UK/ LANDSCAPE-AND-GROUNDCARE

www.ldp.uk.com

March 2014

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Land Design Partnership Year round interest was the main request for this award-winning townhouse garden

A tale of two cities

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INSTANT IMPACT

www.prolandscapermagazine.com .com

elements on the points where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect.

Move in close If your subject is smaller than a car, take a step or two closer before taking the picture and zoom in on your subject. The aim is to fill the picture area with the subject you are photographing. Up close you can reveal telling details, like perfect pointing of the detail in a flower. Don’t get too close or your pictures will be blurry. The closest focusing distance for most cameras is about three feet, or about one step away from your camera. If you get closer than the closest focusing

www.prolandscapermagazine.com 70

Having been invited to exhibit in the Singapore Garden Festival 2014, Gavin and I spent a week in the island city on a recce to prepare for the August event. It was a first time visit for both of us and somewhat tinged with wide eyed fascination as we drank in the culture and the place. What surfaced were so many surprising parallels to London and the UK. At a more or less constant and humid 30°C it’s easy to see why people seek out air conditioned interiors in Singapore, something Londoners only worry about in high summer.Yet we visited two months into a drought – unheard of when it rains at some point every day – a fascinating twist on our wettest winter on record when it rained in London for three months.These set weather patterns are not only ours to endure it seems. Singapore is constantly re-inventing itself. A pro-development government ensures that this city state remains current and properties or developments of only 30 years old are considered old and passed it. Only the Botanic Gardens seem to remain an untouchable treasure. It is the one theme in Singapore that provides the highest contrast with the UK. Although London has achieved much in the last decade in reinventing itself as a world class destination, the sometimes suffocating protection of our planning heavy culture leaves exciting projects tantalisingly out of reach. In

Look at the eyes, not around the eyes, look into the eyes Ever wondered why so many magazines have faces on the cover? Human nature is to connect with the person through the eyes, it’s the same with a picture.

afternoon, you’ll achieve far more interesting results than you would at high noon when you’ll spend more time controlling the light coming into your lens

got a taste for the great outdoors when I was at

Award-winning garden designer, writer, journalist and TV presenter, Ann-Marie is a truly inspiring advocate for the industry, her passions include music, feminism, adventure, art, and architecture

me. In the last two years I’ve taken up running, and

Three is a magic number – the rule of thirds The most pleasing images are those in which the subjects are aligned on the thirds in each picture. Position horizons one third up or down the height of the image, and people one third in from the left or right. Likewise, if you’re snapping a head shot, position the eyes so they’re one third down from the top of the frame. Some cameras give you the option of displaying an overlaid grid on the rear LCD to help you line up your subjects along these lines. If yours does, go one step further and put key

By shooting early in the morning and late in the

Being outside has always been my greatest joy; I

Ann-Marie Powell Ann-Marie Powell

garden environment. These days I live in Sussex, and I am completely inspired by the natural landscape all around

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

12/06/2014 12:11

to reach old age I would like to be crowded with happy memories of friends

As I get older, I feel more confident in my own

stuck to my guns and kept on going. Opting to be the main earner in our household running my own business with two young children was, and still can be

www.landspace.co

not everyone gets the opportunity to enjoy that privilege. If I’m lucky enough

Life’s too short not to enjoy it – at work I surround myself with talented people with passion, enthusiasm and

Create a stunning fire feature by using a CVO outdoor gas fire burner. These modern fireplaces are available in five sizes from 373mm to 1850mm wide and are suitable for use in a wide range of outdoor fireplace designs. All of the gas burners are operated by remote control and can be purchased for use with Natural Gas or LPG. WWW.CVO.CO.UK

my life. It’s a joy to be alive and we should make the most of it –

I’d be delighted.

Greenfingers charity on design and I’m very

The Bahama gas fire table, 1m (L) x 1.4m (W) x 0.51m (H), is a stunning focal point for any garden. The dancing flames contrast beautifully with the smooth granite top and robust stainless steel base. The Bahama is available with a choice of tops, with optional LED lighting and ice bucket drawer. WWW.RIVELIN.CO

Landspace is a multi award winning, garden design and landscaping company established in 2006 by Sebastian Cunard and Katharine Jeans, based in Clerkenwell, Central London. They offer the highest level of professionalism, care and attention to detail and can design and build to any brief. Each space is individualistic, ensuring that every garden is tailored to match client requirements, complements the interior design and architecture of the house and sits comfortably in its land space. Connecting people and architecture to the surrounding land space is crucial to their designing ethos. Their designs use materials and plants that sympathetically enhance the environment in which they are set.

Pro Landscaper / July 2014 37

IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE, I THINK IT’S TRUE TO SAY THAT I ENJOY BENDING THE RULES A LITTLE

see more of them given the top gigs. I’ve been lucky to

to pinch myself that I’ve been working in garden design for

ABOUT LANDSPACE

Portfolio 2.indd 37

WORK work a day of my life; I’m so thankful I took that advice. I still have

recycle the soil by using it as infill soil. This saved us having to bring soil and sub-base material through a newly furbished kitchen and also saved the client money. However, removing the deck also unveiled three airbricks. Ventilation is crucial to the health of a building and in order to build the patio up to the level of the interior we had to ensure that the building would be able to breath. We constructed a network of ground pipes leading from the airbricks. These were then connected to hidden ventilation points at the side of the patio. The other problem we faced was the previous builder had been a little overzealous with their use of concrete. In fact, large inexplicable pieces of concrete kept appearing in the most unlikely of places.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

PEOPLE

Susan Long is exhibiting at RHS Chelsea 2014 for the second year running and her bespoke resin-fabric creations instantly distinguishes her work from other forms of traditional sculpture. From three-dimensional life-size figures, serene ladies reading a book or contemporary abstract climbing each unique piece is frost-proof and suitable for both garden and indoor situations. As Britain’s leading resin fabric sculptor Susan undertakes commissions and has many UK and international private collectors. Susan Long exhibits at the major RHS Flower shows as well as prestigious craft shows around the country. WWW.SUSANLONGSCULPTURE.COM

Water was another component that was at the top of their wish list. The clients also wanted to be able

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SUSAN LONG

David Watkinson will be at the Chelsea Flower Show for the fifth year wowing the public with more of his unique innovative sculpture. David will be unveiling striking new work that uses delicately balanced, polished stainless steel elements which create a shimmering surface. The overall effect is mesmerising, contemplative and truly unique. David is best known for his large kinetic sculptures such as ‘Kinetic Seed’ and ‘Kinetic Leaf’ but also creates beautiful contemporary pieces such as ‘Light’, where David manages to capture the ethereal qualities of light. David will be near the Bull Ring Entrance at stand SR40. WWW.DAVIDWATKINSONSCULPTURE.CO.UK

contemporary. Entertaining friends and family was crucial to the design. They were also keen to create a fun and special place for the children.

Gardens. Both the front and back gardens were run down and uninspired. The back garden was

outdoor space and wanted a private retreat away

works had to be meticulously planned along with delivery schedules. In addition to this, access was limited to a very narrow side passage and a lot of materials and equipment had to be brought through the client’s kitchen. The internal flooring and furniture had to be meticulously prepared with a protective cover each day. As with every job, in order for the garden to be transformed it had to be completely gutted. This included the removal of an existing raised deck that covered the majority of the garden. It had originally been built to meet the level of the extended part of the house. After its removal we were left with a void between the interior floor level and exterior ground level. To overcome this, we designed it so the level at the end of the garden was lowered. We were then able to

from the hustle and bustle of city living. The garden had to be low maintenance and

Pro Landscaper / July 2014

Chelsea 2014

DAVID WATKINSON

Urban Fires can design a bespoke frameless outside fireplace up to 3m wide, although the model illustrated is 1200mm wide. It features high definition ceramic logs and a Crystalight fuel bed, from the extensive options list. The firebox can be made in other materials than stainless steel. This one runs on mains gas, but can also be operated on LPG (propane cylinders) or fitted with a bioethanol burner. Urban Fires made-to-measure service is no more expensive than standard models. WWW.URBANFIRES.CO.UK

Build time 4-6 weeks

M40

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The Urban Fires EF5000 range is a great looking outside gas fireplace for quick convenient heat at the push of a button. Whether you are planning on entertaining all night or just wanting to unwind after a days work, this outside fireplace is ideal. The innovative design means no flue is required, making installation simple. There is a choice of facia finishes and fuel beds. Weather-resistant and durable with a two-year warranty. WWW.URBANFIRES.CO.UK

THE MODERN, CONTEMPORARY LINES OF THEIR NEW KITCHEN EXTENSION WOULD BECOME THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR THE DESIGNS THAT FOLLOWED

seller

MEET THE TEAM

Alan Standring

GAS FIRES

Landspace

An international working partnership, jointly owned by Innocenti & Mangoni Piante and Wyevale Nurseries. Greenline Plants may be the ‘new kid on the block’ but we are built on solid horticultural foundations.

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FUTURESCAPE

Christine Wilkie @christinewilkie

Just back from a fab day spent @ FutureScapeUK #inspiring!

time 9:30AM

Woodsy @gardenslondon

I have to admit, I felt completely drained, information overload after @ FutureScapeUK last night but woken up feeling pretty damn inspired!

Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Landscapes @johnsons_LDaC

Really enjoyed myself today @FutureScapeUK great event!!

Adele Ford

the Beauty is in the Panel debate with landscapers Richard Bickler, Ed Belderbos, Tecwyn Evans, Dan Riddleston

The Great Tree Debate

10:30AM

Panel debate with tree experts Steve McCurdy, Deric Newman, Matthias Anton, Vince Edwards, Keith Sacre

11:30AM

Panel debate with garden designers Helen Elks-Smith, Pat Fox, Jason Lock, Sean Butler, Amanda Patton

2:00PM 3:00PM

@Adele_Ford

Great day today at @ FutureScapeUK meeting new landscapers, designers and suppliers and catching up with some friendly faces too

room one

4:00PM

the Detail is in the Design

the Passion in the Plants Panel debate with plant experts Rae Wilkinson, Robin Wallis, Nick Coslett, Chris Deakin

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hear it Live

Question and answer session with David Dodd of The Outdoor Room

Spatial Awareness

Patricia Fox highlights the core spatial considerations when creating a design

book your preferred seminars at www.futur es 90

Pro Landscaper / November 2014

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FUTURESCAPE

PLAN YOUR DAY room TWO

room THREE

Biodegradable Landscape Fabrics

SketchUp for landscape and garden design

Sabine Victor explains the differences between biodegradable, compostable, photodegradable and bio-based materials

Costings

Sam Hassall discusses the approach he takes to costing a job

TrustMark

Liz Male will discuss how TrustMark can help landscapers to gain recognition

BREAK

The Way Forward

John Wyer talks about the challenges of taking your business forward

has your timber been designed? Karl Harrision compares standard and bespoke timber decking products

Paul Hensey gives an introduction to SketchUp CAD software for designing gardens and landscapes

How to Survive and thrive as a Garden Designer

Janine Pattison reveals top-tips for building a successful design practice

Green Walls and roofs

Dusty Gedge will talk about different approaches for design and installation of green walls and roofs

Sales and Marketing Steve Clarke shares his principles for building your business

How to buy your equipment Angus Lindsay asks ‘Is there a right time to buy?’

Rated People

Jason Emanuel explains the ins and outs of Rated People

ur escapeevent.com and click the ‘register’ www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Amenity y

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Let’s Hear it

FUTURESCAPE

with david dodd the outdoor room

3pm seminar room one Let’s Hear it Live returns this year, providing an opportunity to hear the views of an expert on the industry as a whole. David Dodd takes to the stage with questions asked by Pro Landscaper’s Jim Wilkinson and an opportunity for the audience to participate. David Dodd has been in the landscaping business since the age of 17. Over the years, he has become well respected within the industry and has worked on the ITV series Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh. In 1995 he established The Outdoor Room, which has since grown rapidly. All the company’s vans have personalised number plates representing the business, something he is very proud of! As an outgoing, sociable person, David creates fun wherever he goes and is extremely helpful to newcomers to the industry. He is closely involved in developing the next generation of

landscapers by lecturing and running courses at Merrist Wood College. More controversially, he recently launched a design company called Longview Design, which has caused quite a stir. Many designers don’t like to work with landscapers who also also have a design business. He prides himself on being honest, saying: “never having held back with my views on landscaping, I always love an open and honest debate on ways to improve the industry”. This was reﬂected at Kew Gardens this year, where he joined a debate about the role of designers and landscapers, with his belief being that designers are increasingly taking the landscapers’ responsibilities. It’s not all work and no play for David though. He is an avid Crystal Palace FC supporter, loves a good tipple (particularly ﬁne wines) and enjoys travelling. This year’s Let’s Hear it Live is not to be missed.

FACT FILE • The Outdoor Room has won 11 Chelsea medals; 5 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Silver Gilt • David was trained and has taught at Merrist Wood College, Guildford • The company won two Principle Awards at the BALI Awards 2013 • Offers a landscape architecture and garden design service through sister company Longview Design • Carried out hard landscaping works on the ﬁrst two series of ITV’s Love Your Garden with Alan Titchmarsh

to BE A PART OF THIS EVENT click the ‘update these details’ link on the bottom of ‘Your e-ticket for FutureScape’ email. Scroll down and tick the relevant seminars you would like to attend and then click on ‘register’ www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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FUTURESCAPE The Beauty is in the Build gives the audience a chance to ask questions to the industry’s landscaping experts and is known for its heated debates and audience participation. This year’s panellists are Dan Riddleston, Ed Belderbos, Richard Bickler and Tecwyn Evans.

9:30am Seminar Room One

Richard Bickler Owner at Arbour Design and Build

Dan Riddleston Managing Director at Bowles & Wyer Contracts Dan has a background in hard and soft landscape construction. His portfolio covers private clients, government bodies and commercial organisations. If you weren’t a landscaper, what would you be? I was raised on a farm in Suffolk so I might have been farmer. Tell us something no one knows about you. I’m a bit of a vinyl junkie. What designer would you like to work with? A bit difficult as he is no longer around, but I would like to have worked with Humphry Repton. Other than your own projects, what is your favourite garden? Kew Gardens is my favourite. It has so much to offer. What is your favourite material to work with? Natural stone. We have used English granite, Italian travertine and Chinese basalt and we are currently using York stone and Portland stone.

Richard established Arbour Design and Build in 1996 and it has become one of the region’s premier landscaping businesses.. What is the best present you have ever received? The news my wife was pregnant. What would you sing on karaoke? John Legend, All of Me. Which of the gardens you’ve built are you most proud of? The Elstree Railway Garden, featured in Pro Landscaper magazine in September 2014. What is the highest compliment you have received for your work? Being taken to lunch in Le Touquet by a client in their private plane! What tips would you give to someone coming into the industry? Make friends with fellow professionals, keep up-to-date with the latest trends and work very hard. Where in the world would you most like to work? New York City – I can’t imagine a harder challenge!

Ed Belderbos Tecwyn Evans Director at Living Landscapes With a passion for creating gardens that can be enjoyed, Tecwyn is the director of Living Landscapes and works with clients in London and the South of England. What is your favourite dinner? You can’t beat a Sunday roast. What would you sing on karaoke? I Feel Love, Marc Almond style. What’s the highest compliment you’ve received for your work? It has to be winning People’s Choice at Hampton Court in 2013. What designer would you like to work with? Andrew Fisher Tomlin If you could collaborate with another landscaper, who would it be? Brian Herbert at Outdoor Options. I’ve worked with him before and he always expects the highest of standards. He is a great person to work with. Where in the world would you most like to work? The South of France.

Managing Director at Belderbos Landscapes Ed is the managing director of Belderbos Landscape, a company that builds and maintains outdoor spaces and gardens in London and the home counties. Tell us something no one knows about you. I sailed across the Atlantic when I was eighteen and didn’t see land for two weeks! What is your favourite dinner? Curry is always a good option. What tips would you give to someone coming into the industry? Join BALI as it provides a great support network and attend as many Pro Landscaper events as possible. What is the most expensive piece of kit you have had buy? Apart from vans, probably my scooter – it’s the only sensible way of travelling around London. Where in the world would you most like to work? I‘ve always liked the idea of working in the Channel Islands.

to JOIN THE DEBATE click the ‘update these details’ link on the bottom of ‘Your e-ticket for FutureScape’ email. Scroll down and tick the relevant seminars you would like to attend and then click on ‘register’ 96

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FUTURESCAPE Helen Elks-Smith Owner at Elks-Smith Garden Design

11:30am Seminar Room One Last year saw another lively and successful debate from The Detail is in Design. This exciting event aims to be fun and provide expert knowledge to the audience. We have an informative panel consisting of Sean Butler, Patricia Fox, Jason Lock, Helen Elks-Smith and Amanda Patton.

In 2013 Helen won the BALI Design Excellence Award with her creative flair and attention to detail. She believes that a beautiful, welldesigned garden is key to our mental wellbeing. What song would you sing on karaoke? Well that’s probably not going to go well but as everyone would be distracted by the need to dance, I could mumble along to Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder or anything by James Brown. What is your catchphrase? “…so that’s all good then!” What tips would you give to someone coming into the industry? It’s really hard work and requires stamina!

Patricia Fox

Amanda Patton

Owner at Aralia Garden Design

Patricia is an award winning exterior designer and director of Araila Design. She is accredited by the Society of Garden Designers (MSGD) and the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI).

FUTURESCAPE

Tell us something many people won’t know about you. I’m a nutty sailor and last year I personally sailed our boat from the English South Coast down to southern Spain – in terrifyingly large seas. What song would you sing on karaoke? I wouldn’t! I have a terrible voice that I wouldn’t inflict on anyone. Of the gardens you’ve designed, which is your favourite? It’s between the high specification Chelsea Creek Penthouse Terraces being built as we speak and an old favourite, ‘Maltese Road’, which is a tiny garden in Chelmsford I designed 5 years ago.

Sean Butler Owner at the Cube 1994

With more than 20 years’ experience and a background in civil engineering, Sean has built up an impressive reputation. He is the director of Cube 1994 and has won various awards for his work. Tell us something many people won’t know about you. I am passionate about fundraising for the NSPCC. I rowed a million metres to raise a million pennies in 2010 and trained by rowing 400,000 metres beforehand. This year, I have completed another million metres. What is your catchphrase? Life’s too short. Of the gardens you’ve designed, which is your favourite? All my sensory gardens, as they are so life changing for my clients.

Owner at Amanda Patton Garden Design and Planting As a multi-award-winner, Amanda is a regular writer for national magazines including Home and Gardens. She is also a member of the Society of Garden Designers and a member of the Garden Media Guild. Tell us something many people won’t know about you. I’ve eaten dinner in the house in Sighisoara, Transylvania, where Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula) was born. What is your catchphrase? “The man who never made a mistake never made anything” is one of my favourites. Of the gardens you’ve designed, which is your favourite? Probably my own. I made and planted it just under a year ago and as it wraps around my oak and glass kitchen, I am constantly immersed in it whether I’m inside or out.

Jason Lock Co-owner at DeakinLock Jason has won various national awards with the most recent being the Principal Award through the Association of Professional Landscapers. He runs DeakinLock Garden Design with business partner Chris Deakin. Tell us something many people won’t know about you. I am a keen rower and member of British Rowing, competing in single and double sculls as well as quads in local regattas. If you weren’t a designer, what would you be? A chef - I love food, wine, cooking and the endless creativity and presentation of a good plate of food. Do you have a signature style when designing gardens? Im not sure. I tend to design to the client’s brief – but I guess it’s a fusion between traditional and contemporary urban.

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Robin Wallis Hortus Loci

2:00pm Seminar Room One As FutureScape has become renowned for its lively debates and audience interaction, we are very excited to announce another brand new special event at FutureScape 2014, called the Passion is in the Plants. Everyone in horticulture knows the value and importance of plants, so this debate will give the audience a chance to ask questions and learn from the industry’s plant experts. This year we have a very impressive panel consisting of Nick Coslett, Rae Wilkinson, Chris Deakin and Robin Wallis.

Robin has spent his working life in horticulture. In 1990 he was a founding partner and director of a landscaping business which achieved turnover of £2m and won a Gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Robin set up Hortus Loci with Mark Straver in October 2011. Hortus Loci is a leading light for supplying landscape and garden designers both for their ‘normal jobs’ right up to the very pinnacle at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show where they have helped designers win nine Gold medals and three Best in Shows in three years. Hortus Loci runs off a 17 acre site near Hook and delivers throughout the UK and Europe.

Nick Coslett

Rae Wilkinson Rae Wilkinson Design

Palmstead Nurseries

Rae Wilkinson is a landscape designer based in Sussex and working throughout the South East. Originally from an artistic background, Rae worked in soft landscaping with some top designers for many years before moving into design herself. Her style is creative with strong emphasis on the planting, her area of expertise. “For me plants within a garden provide the living colour, texture and scent. They set the mood and create the sense of place. They connect a space to its surroundings, bring in the wildlife and move with the seasons.” Rae Wilkinson provides sophisticated, classic, and modern design with a naturalistic feel. Sustainability and informed planting design combine with a naturally creative approach to the landscape.

Nick initially trained as a Landscape Architect but moved to Landscape Management with Parks Departments in Liverpool, Stevenage and Canterbury where he ran the department. He entered the nursery industry over twenty years ago, the last ten have been at Palmstead. He is passionate about the industry in all its aspects and has served as BALI Chairman at national and regional levels. Although a certified plantaholic he never stops learning about new plants whether from a designer’s plant list or visiting other nurseries and gardens. He is a passionate promoter for plants and the benefits they bring to people. Nick was involved in growing perennials for the Olympic Park and more recently Stoke’s medal-winning garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014.

Chris Deakin DeakinLock Chris Deakin, was head designer at Pantiles Landscapes in Surrey prior to working with Notcutts. During his time at Pantiles, he worked on many Gold award-winning gardens at both Chelsea and Hampton Court, gaining the Tudor Rose ‘Best in Show’ in 1998. In 2001, Chris was awarded full membership to the Society of Garden Designers (MSGD) he has also received numerous awards for his gardens, the most recent in 2012. Chris served on the Council of the Society of Garden Designers and is also a Registered Designer with the British Association of Landscape Industries. Together with Jason Lock, Chris set up DeakinLock Garden Design in 2008, a garden and landscape design practice covering East Anglia.

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FUTURESCAPE Matthias Anton Deepdale Trees

1o:30am Seminar Room One The Great Tree Debate is another new debate launching at FutureScape this year. We have an excellent panel of tree experts for this debate, including Steve McCurdy, Managing Director of Majestic Trees; Deric Newman, acting General Manager at Civic Trees; Keith Sacre, Sales Director of Barcham Trees and Vince Edwards, Key Account Manager from James Coles. The panel will all be ready to talk to the audience about their businesses and will also answer questions.

Vince Edwards James Coles & Son Nurseries Vince studied at Brooksby, Hadlow and the Welsh College of Horticulture as a full time student in the late 70s. He gained experience in a range of horticultural sectors including at Asmer Seeds, Monro Horticulture and for 17 years, local authority parks and open spaces, firstly as an NVQ assessor/verifier and then managing Leicester City Council’s allotment service and later their apprentice scheme. For the past seven years, Vince has worked for James Coles & Sons Nurseries as Key Account Manager, where he works very closely with new customers as well as supporting existing ones.

Keith Sacre Barcham Trees Keith has over twenty years’ experience in local government as a nursery, parks and operations manager. He also spent eleven years at Notcutts Nurseries with responsibility for tree sales to local authorities and other trade outlets. Keith is currently Sales Director with Barcham Trees, the largest container tree nursery in Europe. Keith is a member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters and a chartered arboriculturist. He has an MSc in arboriculture and urban forestry, a BSc in social science and a BSc in arboriculture. Keith is currently a trustee of the Arboricultural Association and the Trees and Design Action Group (TDAG).

Matthias has been in the tree industry since he left school. For a number of years he worked in Germany for Lorenz Von Ehren, where he met his wife Susan. They moved to northern Italy for five years, where they built a tree nursery and also one in Texas. Since 2002 Matthias has been the Managing Director of Deepdale Trees Ltd, a nursery specialising in the production of both air pot container and field-grown semi mature trees, shrubs and instant hedging. They have built a reputation for providing large trees of outstanding quality and delivering excellent customer service to their clients.

Deric Newman Civic Trees Civic Trees was set up by Deric’s father in 1963. In 2007 Deric sold Civic Trees to Glendale in order to allow the company to grow. Deric has an HND in Landscape Contract Management from Kingston University and holds a CPD accreditation. He provides regular CPD training sessions in the supply, planting and relocation of semi-mature trees. He has a Blue Peter Badge for tree moving and holds a CSCS (Construction Site Managers Safety Certificate).

Steve McCurdy Majestic Trees With over 32 years’ experience in the horticultural industry, Steve travels extensively, searching for the finest specimen trees throughout the year. After receiving his commercial horticultural education and training at Thomas Rochfords & Sons and Oaklands College of Agriculture and Horticulture in Hertfordshire, Steve was selected for a one year work placement in the US, where he met his wife Janet. Together, they went on to build the largest independent interior landscape company in Southern California, which won 93 state and national awards. They returned to the UK in 2000 and sold their US company in 2001 to focus all of their energies on Majestic Trees, which has culminated in the containerised tree nursery.

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FUTURESCAPE Nick Temple-Heald The Landscape Group

5:30pm invite only debate View from the Top is an invite only event with the audience consisting of leading landscape professionals all of whom will have their chance to put their views across. This year, the debate will once again be chaired by Pro Landscaper’s Jim Wilkinson. For part A of the debate Jim will be joined by Phil Jones, Mark Gregory, Nick Temple-Heald, John Wyer, Bob Field and Matt O’Conner who will be focusing on the topic of The Value of Landscaping. Part B of the debate will follow the topic of The Future of Design and Build. The panel for this half will be made up of Mark Gregory, John Wyer, Janine Pattison, Sean Butler, Andrew Wilson, Philippa O’Brien, Dan Flynn and David Dodd This is guaranteed to be a very exciting and stimulating event that will bring all industry professionals together.

Nick arrived in the amenity horticulture sector via peatland restoration in 2004. A past chair of the UK Growing Media Association, Nick has been a leading figure in the UK horticulture industry for more than 20 years. He became chief executive of The Landscape Group in June 2009 and revitalised the company to become a preeminent force in UK amenity horticulture. He spent a total of 18 years in the manufacture and supply chain of horticultural products with Fisons/ Levington Horticulture, with this era of his career culminating as operations director for the Scotts Company.

Mark Gregory Landform Consultants

Matt O’Conner John O’Conner (GM) Ltd John O’Conner (GM) Ltd is a specialist grounds maintenance company. Matt brings a wealth of industry experience to this role, having worked closely with all major partners, clients and staff. After graduating with a degree in horticulture, he progressed through a range of operational roles, gaining first-hand experience that has proved invaluable throughout his career. In 2012, he was appointed to the board of BALI to support the horticulture industry as well as promoting apprenticeships and training opportunities as an Apprenticeship Ambassador for the National Apprenticeship Service.

Janine Pattison Janine Pattison Garden Design Janine Pattison MSGD MBALI is a multi-award winning garden designer and horticulturist who trained with English Heritage at Eltham Palace in London and Kingston Maurward College in Dorchester. A Registered Member of the Society of Garden Designers, the British Association of Landscape Industries and the Garden Media Guild; Janine is also a qualified RHS horticulturist. She regularly writes for national newspapers and magazines, including Pro Landscaper, and is proving to be a popular speaker at various horticultural and garden design events across the country. Her practice is renowned for creating stylish, contemporary gardens across the UK. www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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A high profile industry personality, Mark Gregory owns Surrey based landscape company, Landform Consultants, is chair of the APL (Association of Professional Landscapers), co-director of the London College of Garden Design and has more than 20 RHS Chelsea Gold medals under his belt. Mark is extremely supportive of industry events, shows and associations and has years of experience running his own business.

Phil Jones ISS Facility Services Landscaping Phil Jones is managing director of ISS UK’s grounds maintenance divisions and ISS Facility Services Landscaping. He has worked in the industry for almost 30 years and has an MBA in management and an HND in landscape construction. He is a former chair of BALI South Thames Landscape Training Group. In the past he has also served on the Horticultural Advisory Panels for Brinsbury College and Merrist Wood College. Phil is a keen runner and has run the London Marathon seven times, with a best time of three hours and 20 minutes.

Sean Butler Cube 1994 A designer and creator of bespoke landscaped gardens and director of Cube 1994, Sean Butler has been specialising in this field for 20 years. With a background in civil engineering, Sean has an indepth understanding of the design, construction and maintenance of the built landscape. Sean is a member of the Society of Garden Designers (SGD) and the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI). With awards at RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2014 and RHS Chelsea Flower Show in 2012 and 2013, Sean has built a prestigious reputation in the garden design industry and has had much media attention. Pro Landscaper / November 2014 103

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FUTURESCAPE John Wyer

Dan Flynn

Bowles & Wyer

gardenlink

John Wyer has been in the landscape and garden design sector for 35 years. Originally training as a landscape architect, he established the design partnership Bowles & Wyer with Chris Bowles in 1993 and this has since grown into a sizeable design and construction group. His designs have won many awards including the 2010 BALI Grand Award and subsequent SGD/BALI awards. Outside of B&W, John is a founding member of the Triangle Community Garden in Hertfordshire, which he formed along with his wife 15 years ago. He is also a keen cyclist, and took part in the Three Peaks Extreme Challenge last year.

Bob Field

Dan Flynn is the Director of gardenlink Ltd, a multi-award winning landscape company that has carried out top end projects of varying sizes across the UK and overseas. Dan has over 20 years’ experience in landscape construction and has worked closely with some of the country’s best designers and architects on both residential and commercial projects. He has constructed many award winning show gardens, including several Chelsea Gold medal winners and has lectured on garden construction from the viewpoint of the contractor at The English Gardening School. Gardenlink’s projects have featured in several leading garden magazines.

Robert Field Landscapes Having trained as mature student at Merrist Wood, after a short spell as a quantity surveyor in the construction industry, Bob started Robert Field Landscapes in 1985. With a team of five to seven people, he concentrated on domestic landscape construction and maintenance with small forays into the commercial world. The company won two National Awards and one Principal Award at the BALI Landscape awards. One of their gardens was used as an example in Alan Titchmarsh’s recent “Love Your Garden” series. Bob moved to Cornwall this year and is concentrating on project management and his role as BALI Chairman.

Andrew Wilson Wilson McWilliam Studio Andrew Wilson specialises in designing fine gardens and landscapes, garden design education and garden writing. As a director of Wilson McWilliam Studio, he designs and produces a range of exciting, contemporary award winning gardens and landscapes together with business partner, Gavin McWilliam. Based in Chiswick, west London, they design gardens across the south east and overseas. Andrew has taught garden and landscape design in many UK colleges and universities and also lectures abroad. Andrew is a director at the London College of Garden Design, launched in 2009 at RBG Kew.

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

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Philippa O’Brien Philippa O’Brien Garden Design Philippa O’Brien trained in horticulture at Reading University. She worked as a journalist for ‘The Grower’ magazine for about ten years before setting up her own garden design business around twenty years ago and has since worked on gardens across the UK and in Europe. She believes gardens must be sustainable and ecologically friendly and that garden design has a major role to play in reducing the impact of urban development. An enthusiastic beekeeper, her planting tends to favour pollinators.

David Dodd The Outdoor Room David Dodd has been in the landscape industry since the age of 17. Having studied and then taught at Merrist Wood College, he set up The Outdoor Room in 1995. In 2013, he went into business with landscape architect, Joe Perkins to form Longview Design Ltd. David has also lectured in design and construction for more than 20 years.

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TREES & SHRUBS For UK commercial planting schemes

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a-z

exhibitors AGRUMI

117

ALFRESCO FLOORS

ANGLO AQUATIC PLANT

115

Agrumi supplies a range of plants to landscapers and designers across the UK from their nursery in The New Forest, online or by direct contact.

Alfresco Floors imports maintenance free exterior porcelain tiles, tougher than timber, stronger than stone, but quicker and easier to install than conventional decks or patios.

Anglo Aquatic supplies aquatic plants, stocking over 300 varieties of aquatic and moisture loving plants and is able to fulﬁl most landscape projects the same week.

www.agrumi.co.uk

www.alfrescoﬂoors.co.uk

www.angloaquatic.co.uk

BALI

The British Association of Landscape Industries is the UK’s premier landscaping trade association, made up of designers, maintenance contractors, suppliers of landscape products and services and other industry professionals.

www.bali.org.uk

BRITISH SUGAR TOPSOIL

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BONINGALE

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One of the UK’s largest nurseries, Boningale has connections with suppliers across Europe and sources an impressive range of high-speciﬁcation plants and innovative environmental products.

ww.boningale.co.uk

The Association of Professional Landscapers comprises landscape companies who design, build and maintain gardens throughout the UK and is the only landscaping operator of the governmentendorsed Trustmark scheme.

www.landscaper.org.uk

BOUGHTON LOAM

Spread over two locations in Kettering and Derby, Boughton Loam has specialised in Loam and Turf Management products and services for nearly 30 years.

CED STONE GROUP

BOURNE AMENITY LTD

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Known for topsoils, subsoils, tree sands etc., Bourne Amenity is introducing a range of lightweight substrates for green roofs, living walls and other eco measures.

www.bourneamenity.co.uk

www.boughton.co.uk

CAESAR CERAMICHE

APL

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CHAIRWORKS

British Sugar TOPSOIL’s products are produced from soil adhering to sugar beet delivered to British Sugar’s factories, coming from the best agricultural soils in the country.

Since 1988, Ceramiche Caesar has been synonymous with top quality porcelain stoneware, the perfect union between technology, performance, functionality and aesthetics.

CED will showcase high quality, ethically sourced products including its innovative Cedagravel, stone tiles from around the world and the best in British aggregates.

Chairworks runs a beautiful range of garden landscape items including garden borders and children’s playhouses in hazel, hurdle fencing and metal arches and benches.

www.bstopsoil.co.uk

www.caesar.it

www.ced.ltd.uk

www.chairworks.info

CITY IRRIGATION LTD

CLASSIFLORA ZELARI

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COLES NURSERIES

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CROWDERS NURSERIES

City Irrigation has more than 25 years’ experience. Large stocks make it a one-stopshop, where you can buy in person, online or over the phone.

Classiﬂora Zelari specialises in the import and supply of hardy exterior plants, trees, shrubs and topiary, selected from 10 European countries.

The UK’s largest grower of trees and shrubs for the commercial market, Coles provides the right plant at the right price, with quality service and nationwide delivery.

Plantsmen from Crowders Nurseries will be on hand to advise on plant husbandry and your landscape requirements plus update you with industry developments.

www.cityirrigation.co.uk

www.classiﬂora.com

www.colesnurseries.co.uk

www.crowders.co.uk

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DAVID AUSTIN ROSES

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David Austin Roses will be offering 10% off trade orders placed at the show and advice on all aspects of rose growing and selection.

www.davidaustinroses.com

EASIGRASS

The only artiﬁcial grass company to have been awarded an RHS Gold medal, Easigrass is showcasing its premier ranges for residential, sporting and commercial use.

EVERRIS

Established in 2007, Decking Décor specialises in the cleaning, ﬁnishing, restoration, maintenance and repair of decking and associated items – garden furniture, pergolas, fencing etc.

efig (The European Federation of Landscape Groups) is the not-for-profit membership organisation promoting the landscape industry and raising awareness among opinion formers, the trade and public of the benefits of plants.

www.europlants.net

Everris offers a package of landscape products including a recently developed universal controlled release fertiliser accompanied by a speciﬁc designed edge guard spreader.

Exterior Solutions supplies ﬁne decking, ceramic and stone paving, with dedicated support staff to assist with your project, saving time and money whilst meeting expectations.

www.everris.com

www.exteriorsolutionsltd.co.uk

GEOSYNTHETICS LTD

Geosynthetics will be demonstrating their Golpla grass reinforcement and gravel retention system, which provides a natural looking permeable surface with good drainage.

With a reputation for quality in amenity seeds and fertilisers, Germinal is introducing Agrosil LR, an electrolyte system that improves soil structure and cleans soil.

www.geosyn.co.uk

www.germinalamenity.com

GREEN-TECH

45,46 & 51

GRIFFIN GLASS HOUSES LTD

135

Green-tech will be proﬁling their range of soils and growing media, focusing on products and solutions that guarantee healthy plant establishment on landscape projects.

Grifﬁn has designed bespoke glasshouses since the 1960s. With a history of innovative design, Grifﬁn is the choice of many estate managers and professional gardeners.

www.green-tech.co.uk

www.grifﬁnglasshouses.com

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134

www.gardenhousedesign.co.uk

GLOBAL QA CONSULTANTS

Earth Cycle products include Composts, Soil Conditioners, Mulch, Topsoil, Rootzones, Cow Compost, Bark, Playchip (certiﬁed) and Turf and their latest BS 3882 Topsoil, a sandy loam.

EVEREDGE

With products for all requirements, EverEdge is introducing Atlas artiﬁcial grass edging. Made from recycled steel where possible, their products are built to last a lifetime.

THE GARDEN TRELLIS COMPANY

The Garden Trellis Company manufactures bespoke trellis, contemporary panels and other garden joinery products with a wealth of experience, knowledge and excellent customer service.

www.gardentrellis.co.uk

GRASSIFY

Tiger Turf, the UK’s leading artiﬁcial grass manufacturer, has teamed up with GRASSify to answer all of your domestic, leisure, recreational and commercial site needs.

Global QA Consultants covers the implementation of ISO 9001 Quality Management, ISO 14001 Environmental Management, ISO 27001 Information security and Health & Safety compliance.

www.grassify.co.uk

www.global-qa.co.uk

GROUNDSCARE PRODUCTS

110

www.everedge.co.uk

Garden House Design create modular OneQ outdoor portable kitchens, providing gas & charcoal cooking, sinks, accessories and more retailing from just £850.00.

GERMINAL GB

35 36

EUROPLANTS UK LTD

GARDEN HOUSE DESIGN

EARTH CYCLE

www.earthcycle.co.uk

Europlants is the UK’s leading supplier of specimen plants to landscape professionals, seeking to inspire with its range of quality plants from around the world.

EXTERIOR SOLUTIONS LTD

130

www.renew4gpp.com

www.deckingdecor.co.uk

EFIG

DS TECHNICAL NONWOVEN

DS Technical Nonwoven presents 100% biodegradable weed and erosion control fabrics and green roof products, drainage layers and support mats for the cultivation of sedum blankets.

www.eﬁg.co.uk

www.easigrass.com

DECKING DÉCOR

HARROD HORTICULTURAL

33 34

Groundscare Products are exhibiting a range of products including the multipurpose TurfTeq walk behind tractor, revolutionary ZipLevel survey tool and walk-behind Rotowash pressure washer.

With 60 years’ experience, Harrod Horticultural will be displaying top class products including arches, pergolas and fencing, all designed and made in the UK.

www.groundscare-products.co.uk

www.harrodhorticultural.com

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HORTCAREERS

They offer turf for ornamental through to heavy use lawns in conventional square metre rolls or supplied in their Big Roll format for speed of installation.

Horticulture Careers matches talented candidates with their ideal roles and employers within horticulture.

www.horticulturecareers.co.uk

KUBOTA

INTURF

www.inturf.com

LANDSCAPE PLUS LTD

25 & 67

JACKSONS FENCING

KITCHEN IN THE GARDEN AT CEDAR NURSERY

Jacksons’ portfolio includes timber fencing and gates for residential, equestrian and agricultural use, and garden products including decking and pergolas, steel security and access solutions.

Kitchen in the Garden based in Cobham, offer the best brands and most comprehensive range of outdoor cooking, dining and entertaining products in the South East.

www.jacksons-fencing.co.uk

www.landscaping.co.uk

LIBERATE ESTIMATING

LINDUM TURF

Kubota (UK) Limited manufactures a wide range of high-performance mini excavators, mowers, tractors and utility vehicles for the tractor and groundcare, agricultural and construction markets.

Landscapeplus is the leading, trade-only supplier of garden irrigation, garden lighting, pond products and structural wiring delivered overnight, to site or to your ofﬁce.

LiberRATE Estimating is the most widely used estimating system for landscape contractors in the UK, ensuring you submit professional quotations, manage work and make a proﬁt.

Lindum produces high quality turf and innovative grass products for the landscaping, sporting and civil engineering industries including Wildﬂower Turf, ﬁbre reinforced Lokturf and Grassfelt.

www.kubota.co.uk

www.landscapeplus.com

www.landpro.co.uk

www.turf.co.uk

LONDON STONE

42 43

87 88

LONG RAKE SPAR

LWS IRRIGATION LTD

London Stone is a market leader in natural stone paving throughout the UK, renowned for its quality products, value for money and superior customer service.

With over 140 years in the decorative aggregate sector, Long Rake Spar is the leading supplier of responsibly sourced products to the landscaping industry.

LWS specialises in the supply of high quality, effective yet economical irrigation products to the trade, with unparalleled sales and technical support.

www.londonstone.co.uk

www.longrakespar.co.uk

www.lws.uk.com

MAKITA UK

17 24

Makita is the world’s foremost manufacturer of power tools, with robust, reliable and innovative cordless, petrol and mains powered tools for hard and soft landscaping.

www.makitauk.com

NAMGRASS UK

MELCOURT

106

Melcourt provides growing media and soil improvers, toppings and surfacing, loose or bulk. Samples, personal visits and quotes are available with delivery usually within 2-3 days.

OWATROL UK LTD

Namgrass understands how to make the most amazing, true-to-life artiﬁcial grass, indistinguishable from the real thing, using state-of-the-art technology and continuous research and development.

Owatrol produces a range of wood care solutions for any exterior timber application, whether it is new or old, treated or untreated timber.

www.namgrass.co.uk

www.owatroldirect.co.uk

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54 55

MILLBOARD

Millboard expertly captures the charm of real wood with its unique blend of polymer resin and ﬁbres but eliminates its shortcomings in outdoor environments.

PALMSTEAD NURSERIES

Majestic Trees specialises in the supply of high quality mature trees, along with a complete range of in-house services for their installation.

www.majestictrees.co.uk

www.millboard.co.uk

www.melcourt.co.uk

85 & 90

MAJESTIC TREES

122

Palmstead Nurseries have over a million shrubs and perennials in pots and a ﬁeld grown tree production of over 150,000 per year.

www.palmstead.co.uk

M&M TIMBER

M&M’s range of landscaping timbers, treated to BS8417, are perfect for a variety of projects including retaining walls, palisading, edging and pathways, and raised beds.

www.mmtimber.co.uk

84 PENARTH MANAGEMENT LTD

Penarth Management specialises in helping businesses become better, greener and safer. Their work involves compliance consultancy and training in quality, environmental, health and safety management.

www.penarth.co.uk

21/10/2014 16:39

PERFECTLY GREEN

PLANTS LTD

103

131

THE PLANTATION

PLATIPUS ANCHORS LTD

Perfectly Green makes a fantastic range of artiﬁcial landscaping grass, including coloured grass for playgrounds and Shock Pad systems, with generous discounts to trade customers.

Plants Limited is a wholesale nursery established in 1988 by Peter Blakey specialising in supplying quality shrubs, topiary and trees to the landscape industry.

The Plantation is a nursery based near Weybridge, supplying plants to the horticultural industry including garden designers, landscape architects, contractors, estate managers and property developers.

Developed 30 years ago, The Platipus Tree Anchoring System is an efﬁcient, reliable and cost-effective underground solution to secure semi-mature transplants up to 20m high.

www.perfectlygreen.co.uk

www.plants.co.uk

www.theplantationursery.co.uk

www.platipus-anchors.com

POP UP POWER SUPPLIES LTD

Pop Up Power supplies retractable units providing electricity, water and air to public spaces including historic sites, market places, town squares, parks and sports stadiums.

www.popuppower.co.uk

Q LAWNS

Wild ﬂowers, green roofs and natural lawns are eco-friendly, easily managed and bang on-trend. Norfolk Company, Q Lawns can help you create all of these.

READYHEDGE LTD

68 & 113

Readyhedge are professional growers of instant hedging and screening, and are showing examples of their handcrafted range, all in easy to manage one-metre lengths.

www.readyhedge.com

SCOTSCAPE

63 65

111

58 59

PRO LANDSCAPER

121

PROVENDER NURSERIES

The Pot Company has been sourcing garden planters worldwide for 30 years, allowing them to develop a unique range with consistently popular themes.

Pro Landscaper is the leading magazine in the landscape and garden design industry, covering all aspects of design, build and maintenance, a must read for all industry professionals.

Provender Nurseries supplies top quality plants alongside excellent landscaping products, soils and composts and related horticultural sundries, all from one location.

www.thepotco.com

www.prolandscapermagazine.com

www.provendernurseries.co.uk

QUICKGRASS LTD

Working with landscapers, landscape architects, designers and contractors, Quickgrass allows you to include high quality artiﬁcial grass within your within your speciﬁcation briefs and landscape designs.

www.quickgrass.co.uk

www.qlawns.co.uk

THE POT COMPANY

ROCHFORDS

120

RANSOMES JACOBSEN

124 125

RATED PEOPLE

Ransomes Jacobsen is showing the new MP653 wide area rotary mower, the Iseki SXG ride-on mower, and the Ransomes Spider, the unique remote-controlled mower for steep banks.

Rated People is the UK’s largest online trade recommendation service, connecting homeowners with tradesmen, with over 3.4 million home improvement jobs submitted to date.

www.ransomesjacobsen.com

www.ratedpeople.com

RIVERSIDE NURSERIES

SCHELLEVIS BETON BV

With a massive range of nursery stock, hedging and herbaceous plants, Rochfords is the UK’s largest hardy plant cash and carry.

Riverside Nurseries, UK agent and distributor for Vannucci Piante, invites you to the enthralling Italian experience that is one of Europe’s leading mature specimen growers.

New to the UK but drawing on 70 years’ experience on the continent, Schellevis promises a fresh, distinctive look for your paving design project.

www.rochfords.net

www.riversidenurseries.net

www.schellevis.co.uk

SGD (SOCIETY OF 72 GARDEN DESIGNERS)

SILVA DEC

56 57

SILVERLAND STONE

Scotscape is a multidisciplinary landscaping company. They have a large specialist department focusing only on the design, installation and maintenance of living wall systems.

Members, prospective members and suppliers/manufacturers, come and ﬁnd out the beneﬁts of membership and of working together with the Society and its members.

The European standard in wood composite, Silvadec is constantly investing in research and development focusing on the quality, durability and aesthetics of its landscaping solutions.

Silverland Stone are showing their Built in Kitchen system and Outdoor Fire Range. Their stand is paved in the latest Anti Slip Large Format 20mm porcelain.

www.scotscapelivingwalls.net

www.sgd.org.uk

www.silvadec.com

www.silverlandstone.co.uk

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21/10/2014 16:40

SMART DIRECT LTD

95 96

STONEMARKET

SURESET

TAMAR NURSERIES

116

Smart Direct are importers of artiﬁcial grass selling direct to the trade – landscapers, garden centres, building suppliers, local councils in fact anyone installing artiﬁcial grass.

Stonemarket’s vitriﬁed paving is the ideal solution for exterior projects that need a highly attractive, reliable and low maintenance paving material.

SureSet Permeable Paving – an exciting and sustainable alternative to traditional paving, SureSet is the UK’s only specialist in resin bound paving.

Established in 1979, Tamar Nurseries grows around one million shrubs annually, has over 500 varieties in production and are able to deliver throughout the country.

www.smart-direct.co.uk

www.stonemarket.co.uk

www.sureset.co.uk

www.tamarnurseries.co.uk

TAMATA MAPLES

119

Tamata is a specialist grower of mature Acer Palmatum specimen trees with the premier range of semi-mature and mature Japanese Maples in the UK.

www.tamata.co.uk

TRUSTMARK

www.trustmark.org.uk

ULTRASCAPE

129 129

Ultrascape are exhibiting their renowned Mortar Paving System, manufactured to exceed the strict demands of BS 7533, with a paved construction life of over 40 years.

WALFILLI

136

A leading provider of turf and landscape maintenance equipment, Toro helps consumers and landscape contractors care for residential, commercial, sporting and public green spaces, worldwide.

URMAN

VECTORWORKS

137

www.vectorworks-training.co.uk

WESTMINSTER STONE

www.westminsterstone.com

www.woodblocx.co.uk

www.trulawn.co.uk

www.urman.nl

www.walﬁlii.com

WoodBlocX is a revolutionary product for garden landscaping. Chunky wooden BlocX ﬁt together using large plastic dowels to create almost any structure you want to build.

Trulawn is introducing its bestselling Supreme Grass. Its 37mm pile height delivers the ‘lush grass’ look that is currently very popular with domestic customers.

See the latest release of Vectorworks Landmark, with improved planting design capabilities, site and roadway modelling, 3D features and enhanced ability to import SketchUp objects.

Westminster Stone produces arguably the best reproduction paving and landscaping products in the UK and will be showcasing their superb range of Livingstone Natural Stone.

100

TRULAWN

Urman have the knowhow to answer all your clay paving needs, including antique paving stones and all custom solutions.

WALFiLii manufactures handmade planters, ﬁre plates and design items in steel and corten steel. Quirky, timeless and sober – a ﬁne blend of traditional artistry and modern creativity.

WOODBLOCX

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39 40

TORO/ HAYTER

www.toro.com www.hayter.co.uk

www.ultrascape.co.uk

Join Vitax for a run-through of their new TXE 606 line-marking machine, recently speciﬁed by Taunton Deane council for work across the authority’s sports sites.

www.supaturf.co.uk

Tobermore is a world-class paving and walling manufacturer specialising in the supply of landscaping materials including block paving, ﬂags, kerbs, edging and walling products.

www.tobermore.co.uk

The only government endorsed ‘ﬁnd a contractor’ scheme gives you the right to use the TrustMark logo and wins business by giving customers conﬁdence in you.

VITAX

TOBERMORE

WOODLAND HORTICULTURE

WILDFLOWER TURF LTD

101

Wildflower Turf are the leading name in wildflower landscapes, with a variety of products that guarantee a wildflower meadow to your clients within eight weeks.

www.wildﬂowerturf.co.uk

Woodland Horticulture will be displaying their extensive range of hard and soft landscaping materials, suitable for both interior and exterior applications.

www.woodlandhp.co.uk

21/10/2014 16:40

The best just got better… Avanti

Enigma

Eclipse

Vision

No. 1 for… • Product Innovation • Quality • Service

Call 01425 627832 or email info@namgrass.co.uk for an updated FREE sample box and pricing. www.namgrass.co.uk Namgrass UK, Redcliffe, Bashley Road, Bashley, New Milton, Hampshire BH25 5RY

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the artificial grass brand

13/10/2014 11:31

Test Drive a Toro

In a business like yours, productivity is key.

Take Test Da Toro Futu rive at

reScap

Sando wn Par Tuesda k Race y 18th c Novem ourse ber 20 14

Increase your productivity and performance with Toro’s specialist Landscape Contractor Equipment. Engineered to last your toughest challenges, Toro’s flexibility and versatility mean you’ll always have the right tool for the job. Visit our demonstration area at FutureScape to try… Walk behind mowers Compact utility equipment

Zero Turn ride-on mowers Stump grinders..... and so much more

Take a look at revenue-generating Toro. For more info see www.toro.com or call 01279 723444 to locate your nearest dealer ADVERTS TEMPLATES.indd 281

15/10/2014 11:00