Welcome to the Pro Landscaper Green Up Campaign where you can keep up to date with our progress, read interviews with key figures in the industry to get their take, and find our top tips for what supermarkets can do to green up.

Vote for the Most Influential people in horticulture

Pro Landscaper has launched its search for the 25 Most Influential people in the horticulture industry today. It first revealed the Most Influential people five years ago, but with half a decade having passed, it is eager to see how much has changed in this time....

There are not enough parks in Great Britain, says Fields in Trust

Fields in Trust’s annual Green Space Index on Great Britain’s parks and green spaces has found that nearly 10% of people in the UK do not have either of these within local walking distance. The study conducted by the charity shows that 6.1 million people living in the...

Wales considers banning artificial lawns

The Welsh Government is considering a country-wide ban on artificial grass following “worrying reports” of the toxicity levels emitted. Climate change minister Julie James confirms she “wants to explore proactively” the possibility of a ban across Wales. Plaid Cymru...

HTA urges Defra to reconsider peat timeline due to plant shortage fears

The horticultural industry warns UK gardeners of a potential plant shortage by 2027, if the ban on peat is brought forward with no sustainable transition employed. The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) says Defra’s plans to bring forward the ban on peat in...

New Environmental Horticulture Group launching

The Environmental Horticulture Group (EHG) will be launching today at the House of Lords, Westminster. The UK’s gardening, landscaping, arboriculture and environmental horticulture sectors will be coming together to relaunch the industry group, formerly known as the...

Tivoli Group acquires Greenfingers Landscape

Tivoli Group Ltd has acquired Greenfingers Landscape Ltd as part of the company’s growth targets for this year and beyond. This marks the grounds maintenance provider’s second acquisition in two years following the purchase of Sodexo Horticultural Services in February...

Author Jenny Bailey on bringing green roofs to children

In celebration of World Green Roof Day (6 June), The Green Roof Organisation (GRO) has partnered with children’s author and nature enthusiast Jenny Bailey to release ‘Journey to the Green Roof’, an interactive children’s book, to inspire nature engagement from an...

Space to Work, Rest and Play

The Xtend, range of contemporary garden buildings from Forest Garden, the UK’s largest manufacturer of timber garden products, accommodates the needs of people looking for a quiet and organised office space at home. It can separate family and working life without the...

Taking on BBC Gardeners’ World Live for the first time

Katerina Kantalis is set to make her show garden debut this month. The Australian designer is creating a garden for the APL Avenue at this year’s BBC Gardeners’ World Live in Birmingham alongside contractor New Look Landscapes, which will also be making its debut. ...

Mitie awarded £4m Yorkshire Water contract

Facilities management giant Mitie has been awarded a new three-year £4m contract to deliver landscaping services for Yorkshire Water. Mitie has been granted a new contract with Yorkshire Water to deliver on-site grounds maintenance services for three years. The £4m...

LI urges members to not attend ‘unofficial’ EGM

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) called earlier this week to discuss the Landscape Institute’s presidency dispute will not be “official”, says the organisation. A statement issued by the Landscape Institute (LI) is urging members not to attend...

Opportunity arises to buy North Yorkshire Garden Centre

CPH are delighted to bring to the market this highly successful freehold Garden Centre offer in excess of £575,000. The business has traded for 31 years by the same family and is run by the two owners + one full time member of staff and 4-6 part time seasonal staff....

The Wildlife Trusts’ 30 Days Wild backed by NHS

The Wildlife Trusts and the Greener NHS programme at NHS England are inviting people to engage with nature and wildlife for the betterment of their wellbeing throughout June by participating in the “UK’s largest nature challenge”, 30 Days Wild. The month-long...

Pro Landscaper June 2023

One of the biggest challenges in the industry, we’re often told, is finding the right candidates for the roles available. Why is our sector struggling to attract talent? And what can we do about it? For a start, better value ourselves – at least, that seems to be the...

Just 6% of landscape companies launched by women last year

Last year saw nearly a 20% increase in landscaping companies being launched, but only 6% were founded by women. This is according to Companies House data analysed by Instant Offices. A total of 2,610 companies were registered under ‘landscape service activities’ in...

EGM called over Landscape Institute presidency dispute

An Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) appears to have been called by more than 100 members of the Landscape Institute to address the ongoing dispute over the removal of the president-elect last year. Brodie McAllister was elected to be the next president in 2021 and...

RHS launches new app for gardeners

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has launched a new app that it says will bring 200 years of gardening experience and horticultural expertise to users’ fingertips. The RHS Grow App is designed for both beginners and professionals and includes insights from RHS...

Outdoor Living Evening at SOLEX 23

GET FIRED UP FOR THE FIRE FOOD AND OUTDOOR LIVING EVENING @ SOLEX 2023 Tuesday 11 July – 5.30pm – 7.30pm Are you ready for an evening filled with delicious food, refreshing drinks, and great fun? Look no further than the Fire Food and Outdoor Living Evening at SOLEX...

Just Stop Oil protestors target Chelsea

Protestors from environmental campaign group Just Stop Oil have been arrested after throwing orange paint across the RBC Brewin Dolphin Garden this morning. The garden, designed by Paul Hervey-Brookes, was targeted by three protestors around 9am. Hervey-Brookes has...

Making the most of the world famous show

We feel that Chelsea is the annual opportunity to learn from our incredible horticulturists on a number of levels; about how plants benefit not only plants and soil but our bodies too. Surely this is as relevant as finding out the latest on cultivating a stunning...

Chelsea medal winner talks the importance of food education and healthy eating in schools

Food education charity, School Food Matters is celebrating its 15th year anniversary with an edible show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, designed by Harry Holding Studios, to promote the importance of having access to nature and outdoor learning for children....

Behind the Fauna & Flora Garden

The Fauna & Flora Garden at this year’s Chelsea has been four years in the making. Garden designer Jilyane Rickards was fresh from winning a Gold medal and the People’s Choice Award at the 2019 show when she started designing the next one – one which would have as...

Grenfell non-profit creates Chelsea’s smallest show garden

A grassroots charity founded in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire has created the “smallest” garden to appear at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.   ‘The Green Gap’ measures just 4.2m2 – a 1:10 scale representation of green space available to the most deprived...

Transcendence Garden marks the end of an era for three Chelsea stalwarts

This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show is set to be the last for those behind the Memoria & GreenAcres Transcendence Garden. Garden designers Andrew Wilson and Gavin McWilliam, and David Dodd – managing director of prolific contractor The Outdoor Room – have all said...

Going for gold at Chelsea

With a full slate of idyllic biodiverse show gardens on display, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 is well underway, and the medals have finally been revealed. See here a full list of the Gold Medal winners lining Main Avenue: Horatio’s Garden Designed for the UK...

3 Essentials of Sustainable Site Design

This article was written by Carter Hartong, associate content marketing writer for Vectorworks. Read more from Hartong on the Vectorworks blog. Governments and lawmakers across the globe are increasingly introducing green initiatives to address the ever-growing...

Who?

We’re aiming our campaign at supermarkets, but we’re calling on the support of the industry and the public to make it happen.

Why?

The climate change movement is an unstoppable force – and so it should be. The global temperature is rising, ice sheets are shrinking, glaciers are retreating, sea levels are rising. Time’s up.

That’s why we’ve launched the Green Up Campaign, committed to seeing more green and less grey in supermarket car parks – after all, green is the new grey.

Because despite Tesco’s partnership with WWF, Aldi and M&S’ carbon neutrality – achieved in 2019 and 2012, respectively – and Sainsbury’s becoming a Principal Supermarket Partner of COP26, there doesn’t seem to be the same regard for what’s on their doorstep – and it’s pretty significant.

According to Frank’s Geospatial Team on behalf of Ministry of Housing, there are 103,000 public and private surface car parks across the country which comprise of a land area of 20,000ha. Of this, some 12,445 are owned by the private sector. What’s more, according to USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, by 2023, the total value of the UK grocery sector is projected to grow 14.8% to £213bn.

Imagine the benefits to biodiversity if supermarkets across the country utilised their car parks and their profits and made their car parks just a little bit greener.

What?

With the help of our sponsors GreenBlue Urban, idverde and Hillier, our end goal is to see legislation that states supermarkets need to have a certain amount of greenery within their car parks. But if we can start a conversation with one supermarket and make a change there, that would be a win for us.

So, we’re shining the green spotlight on supermarkets and their car parks, and we’ll be showcasing the good, the bad and the ugly challenging and championing supermarkets to make a change.

We know there’ll be challenges along the way, but ultimately, it’s a win for the supermarket and its customers, a win for the industry and, most importantly, a win for the environment.

How can you help?

Share your snaps using #greenisthenewgrey and tagging @ProLandscaperUK

Email Rachael.forsyth@eljays44.com your photos or experiences

Tell a colleague, friend or family member to do the same!

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