The Pro Landscaper Team
- Domestic Landscaping
Normand appointed Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society president
The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society has named horticulturist and garden designer Lewis Normand as its new president. The appointment was announced at the society’s 214th AGM and awards ceremony and comes following the retirement of Colin Ainsworth. Normand, who works as sales manager at Bernhard’s Nurseries, will lead the society into its 200th year of Royal Chartership in 2024. Normand said, “Taking over responsibility for anything with the history, reputation and significance of The Caley is always daunting. It is humbling and a huge honour to be trusted to deliver here. “I have been a council member for the charity…
Read More » - Supplier News
Tony Benger reshuffles leadership team
Tony Benger Landscaping (TBL) has formed a new leadership team. The company has appointed four directors to sit alongside founder Tony Benger “in order to safeguard our future” and to “maintain the brand and culture”. Existing senior managers Gabriele Pangonyte, Oliver Hemson, Mark Pritchard and Olivia Warren-Benger “have collaborated to take over the reins in the upcoming years”, said TBL. “With a strict handle on our current bearing, culture, dynamism, passion and shared values, this team will continue to shoulder responsibility for our course and our cause.” Posting on LinkedIn, TBL added: “All staff are pleased to remain a secure…
Read More » - IQ Features
‘One million tradespeople can’t afford to run their vehicles’
Last week’s Budget saw the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt unveiling plans to maintain the 5p cut in fuel duty for a further 12 months as inflation remains high – saving the average driver £100 next year. Whilst the freeze in fuel duty is a much-needed measure for tradespeople, Fix Radio, the UK’s only radio station dedicated to tradespeople, reveals a landmark study analysing other obstacles the industry is facing such as plans to increase the ULEZ to greater London and the ‘Transit Tax’. News of the expansion to the ULEZ in London, which is due to be enforced from August 29th,…
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Why a horticultural approach to grounds maintenance will bear fruit
Time for a dirty secret. Years ago, when I was coming into the grounds maintenance business, I was told, “you make your money doing the work you don’t do”. You price the work into your contract and then work your hardest to avoid delivering it. From an ethical perspective, this never sat well with me or for many of us in the profession that work hard every day to deliver on our promises. But that cynical view is sadly still out there – particularly when contractors are racing to the bottom on pricing grounds maintenance as a commodity rather than…
Read More » - Sustainability
Wildlife Trusts “bitterly disappointed” as Defra sets 2030 peat-free ban
The Wildlife Trusts said it was “bitterly disappointed” after the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs set out plans to ban all peat products by 2030. Defra confirmed that while some peat products will be banned in 2027, others will be exempt for a further three years. Last year, the government pledged to ban the sale of bagged peat compost in England by the end of 2024, and the Trusts had hoped that this would lead to a ban on all peat products “shortly” after. Ailis Watt, peat policy officer at The Wildlife Trusts said, “The destruction of irreplaceable…
Read More » - Supplier News
London Stone goes carbon-neutral
Carbon Footprint has accredited London Stone as a carbon-neutral company. Back in 2021, the business, which claims it is the first UK hard landscaping supplier to achieve carbon-neutral status, began working with Carbon Footprint to “identify areas for improvement, which were then rectified, and resulted in the company running as sustainably as possible”. London Stone managing director Steven Walley said, “The thought of leaving the planet in a worse shape than when we inherited it, with fewer sanctuaries and less habitat for wildlife, is unthinkable. We have a duty to slow and ultimately reverse the environmental destruction that humans have…
Read More » - Domestic Landscaping
Hillier expands BBC Gardener’s World Live sponsorship
Hillier is expanding its sponsorship of BBC Gardener’s World Live in 2023 after some “amazing responses” to its first show as a partner last year. The company will sponsor the Let’s Talk Plants Stage for the second year running while also supporting two show gardens by Paul Stone and Lucy Hutchings. Chris Francis, Hillier Garden Centre and Wholesale Nurseries director, said: “Last year’s show was our first time as a sponsor and we loved it – it was a fantastic show for us and we had some amazing responses from visitors. So much so that we wanted to return with…
Read More » - Sustainability
HTA’s growth strategy a “resounding success” in Scottish Parliament
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) launched its Scottish Environmental Horticulture Growth Strategy at the beginning of March – and it was this plan that was the topic of conversation for the Gardening and Horticulture Cross Party Group (CPG) in Scotland’s Parliament last week. The CPG brings together members from across Scottish Horticulture, MSPs and government officials. There are over one million regular gardeners in Scotland and millions more utilising green spaces. Moreover, horticulture and landscaping supported contributions of £2.8 billion towards GDP and over 64,000 jobs in Scotland in 2019. The HTA’s Growth Strategy has seven key ambitions for Scotland:…
Read More » - Supplier News
Yorkshire School of Garden Design launches sketching course
The Yorkshire School of Garden Design is launching a new course to equip budding garden designers with drawing skills. The Freehand Sketching for Designers course will “explore and demystify the principles of perspective, teaching students how to capture the character and texture of planting on the page, while trying out a range of media for applying impactful colour and learning about how to use computer software to add those all-important finishing touches”. Taking place at the Yorkshire School of Garden Design’s studio at Harewood House, the course will apparently combine a series of “easy-to-follow steps and shortcuts” with exercises designed…
Read More » - Supplier News
fabrik becomes employee-owned trust as Rath confirms sale
fabrik Limited is now a 100% employee-owned trust. Founding director Johnny Rath confirmed the sale this week after 20 years at the helm. In a LinkedIn post, Rath stated, “fabrik is changing and evolving. Key to me from day one of setting up fabrik was the emphasis we placed on the people within the business. At the top of our core values is, and always has been, the principle that first and foremost, we respect and value the people who work for us. Those people are now the owners of fabrik.” He added that as part of the sale, an…
Read More » - IQ Features
£1.1bn in social value delivered across UK construction industry in H1 2022
New research has revealed that the UK construction industry delivered £1.1bn of social and local economic value in the first half of 2022, providing a 30.33% return on investment. Published by public sector procurement authority Scape, the new report highlights how social value delivery is evolving and becoming more sophisticated across the construction industry. A total of 520 construction contracts with a combined total value of £3.6bn and ranging from £12,000 to £130m, were analysed to establish the scale and scope of social value delivery across the UK. The findings show that ROI is up by more than 10% compared…
Read More » - Website Exclusive
Three cost-of-living effects that may be here to stay
From Brexit to COVID-19 to the cost-of-living crisis, businesses worldwide have had to adapt to a host of unpredictable, evolving economic conditions. For instance, as lockdowns came to a close, over eight in ten employees who had been working from home said they planned to adopt a hybrid model. Pro Landscaper looks at which changes are here to stay. Mental health awareness Mental health has been at the forefront of society’s mind for some time now, so it is no surprise that this is one of the predictions on the list! With resources such as Perennial’s free Health and Wellbeing…
Read More » - Partner Content
Dripline check valve technology offers water conservation and consistent irrigation for sloped landscapes
The Rain Bird XFS-CV Dripline irrigation system features a heavy-duty 0.3 bar check valve. This practical and water saving feature makes it suitable for installation in landscapes with slopes as either a sub-surface or on-surface solution. Dripline can, of course, also be used on level gradients. The check valve, with its silicon pressure regulating diaphragm, features in every emitter and keeps the Dripline charged with water in elevation changes of up to three metres. It can therefore be used in installations where other drip irrigation technology will not work. By keeping water in the XFS-CV Dripline at all times, it…
Read More » - Supplier News
HTA appoints new media relations lead
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has named Melissa Gerbaldi as its new media relations manager. Gerbaldi joins from the Royal Meteorological Society, where she served as communications manager. She has also previously worked for English Heritage. According to the HTA, her “wide range of experience and personal passion for plants” will “further boost the HTA team and “strengthen its commitment to increasing communications and cut-through of the voice of UK environmental horticulture”. Gerbaldi said, “I am excited to be joining the HTA at a critical time when there are so many stories to share from our members and industry as…
Read More » - Sustainability
SGD, RHS and LI team up for artificial grass campaign
The Society of Garden Designers (SGD) has joined forces with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Landscape Institute (LI) as the trio look to tackle the “extreme environmental damage” and “decline to wildlife” caused by artificial grass and plants. The ‘Say No to Plastic Grass & Plants’ campaign is calling on homeowners, gardeners and garden designers to return to traditional laws or look for alternative natural solutions “to help cut down the pollution and ecological destruction caused by plastic grass and to create more habitats for birds, bees and other wildlife”. Citing Google Trends, the SGD stated that interest…
Read More » - Supplier News
Green-tech appoints business development manager
Green-tech has appointed Adam Topliss as its business development manager. In a newly-created role, he will be charged with supporting the Green-tech sales team and “help deliver the next phase of business growth”. Topliss arrives following a decade at Berry, most recently serving as key accounts manager across brands such as Tubex and Terram. Green-tech sales director Richard Gill said he was “thrilled” to have Topliss on board. “Having worked with him as our major supplier of tree shelters and Terram products over the last ten years. I know he will be a perfect fit for Green-tech,” said Gill. “This…
Read More » - Garden Design
RHS Chelsea: Women-led design teams dominate small space category
RHS Chelsea will host a third Balcony and Container Gardens category at its 2023 show in May, with all of the design teams headed up by women. The category, which “brings the beauty of gardens to unused spaces on train platforms, and the cosy feel of a pub to an inner city balcony”, aims to assist emerging designers raise their profiles. All of this year’s entrants have been mentored by RHS Chelsea designer Paul Hervey-Brookes. The RHS said, “[The entrants] have incorporated some of the biggest issues facing the nation into their designs, with a wealth of ideas for how…
Read More » - Garden Design
RHS Malvern Spring Festival unveils 2023 plans
‘Gardening for Everyone’ is the theme of the 2023 RHS Malvern Spring Festival at Three Counties Showground from 11-14 May. The show organisers are said to be keen for visitors to “feel inspired to make the most of their outside spaces, regardless of their gardening expertise and size of their plot”, and for the event to maintain its reputation for welcoming both established and newer designers, and encouraging creative freedom. As usual, the show will host a range of classical, contemporary, conceptual and experiential show gardens. Villaggio Verde, Leaf Creative’s Peter Dowle and Stonebarn Landscapees Jon Wheatley will deliver feature…
Read More » - Garden Design
Bognor Regis Sunken Gardens receives council progress visit
Councillors from Arun District Council made a progress visit to Bognor Regis Sunken Gardens to see how works are advancing. Blakedown Landscapes, the appointed contractor, is said to have completed works to the southern entrance and new ramped footpaths, reconstruction of the stone walls, grading soil to adjacent shrub beds and removal of vegetation, which will aid accessibility and open up the views. Improvements are now focused on the play area renovations where existing play equipment, such as the swings and climbing equipment, will be refurbished and new play elements added. Further upgrades will see new paving and brightly coloured…
Read More » - Nature & Biodiversity
‘Noah’s Ark for plants’ surpasses 40,000 species
A seed conservation programme led by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is celebrating a major milestone in its efforts to preserve “rare, threatened, and important” wild plants. As of 1 March, the Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) is said to have banked more than 2.4 billion individual seeds representing a total of 40,020 different species of wild plants. Described by scientists as ‘Noah’s Ark for plants’, the MSB is the world’s biggest wild seed storage facility, situated at Kew’s ‘living laboratory’ and wild botanic gardens, Wakehurst, in Sussex. Within the bomb- and flood-proof building are 98,567 seed collections sourced from 190 countries…
Read More » - Garden Design
RHS People Awards winners announced
The Royal Horticultural Society has announced the winners of its RHS People Awards 2023. The awards range from the Veitch Memorial Medal, which is awarded annually to persons of any nationality who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the science and practice of horticulture, to the Harlow Carr Medal, awarded to those who have made a significant contribution to horticulture in the North of England, through length of service, commitment to projects or unique capabilities, combined with reliability and professionalism. A few awards that have been announced this year are: The 2023 Victoria Medal of Honour (VMH)…
Read More » - Supplier News
Marshall CEO named Supplier Influencer
Marshalls CEO Martyn Coffey has been named a Supplier Influencer by the Builders Merchant Federation (BMF). Coffey has led the hard landscaping, building and roofing products supplier for over nine years and is joined on the prestigious list by National Sales Manager Victoria Fiddies. It comes after Nick Sharpe, Managing Director of the Marshalls domestic business, was added to the list in January. “I’m very pleased to be nominated as a Supplier Influencer,” said Coffey. “I want to thank my exec team and all staff at Marshalls for their continued hard work, drive, and determination.” Fiddies added, “I’m delighted to…
Read More » - Website Exclusive
Pro Landscaper’s Top 10 Most Influential Women
For International Woman’s Day, Pro Landscaper has compiled a list of its Top 10 Most Influential Women in the industry. All 10 women below were shortlisted for Pro Landscaper’s Most Influential Awards 2022. In no particular order: Sarah Eberle – Garden designer: Eberle is a decorated garden designer across RHS shows, with 20 Gold medals to her name as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award from the SGD. Jane Findlay – Director, Fira & Immediate past president, Landscape Institute: Findlay laid the foundations for a modern Landscape Institute and a more forward-thinking profession, with a focus on the next generation.…
Read More » - Website Exclusive
In conversation with Mollie Higginson
Mollie Higginson, co-founder of the Young People in Horticulture Association, sits down with Pro Landscaper as she reflects on building a community, redefining the perception of horticulture and being a woman in the industry. Mollie Higginson is fast becoming a household name within horticulture. Having been named among Pro Landscaper’s 30 Under 30 in 2022, she is one of the founders of the Young People in Horticulture Association (YPHA), as well as an operations supervisor and sales representative at New Leaf Plants. The YPHA – founded by Higginson, Natalie Porter and Liam Cleary, set out to create a network and…
Read More » - Website Exclusive
Q&A with Tessa Johnstone
For International Woman’s Day, Johnstone Landscapes’ director sits down with Pro Landscaper to talk diversity, education and authentic changes. What has been the most exciting change for Johnstone Landscapes and/or the British Association of Landscape Industries in recent years? Johnstone Landscapes’ ability to work on projects we choose and want to undertake and work with clients we enjoy working with. I never take it for granted that the projects keep coming, but I am no longer inclined to accept a project if we are not happy with the elements that I know will make it a fun and worthwhile…
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