News
-
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 UK are without access to a green space within a 10-minute walk, which it says highlights a disparity in green space to household ratio. Studies have suggested that access to green spaces holds a great many number of wellbeing benefits, highlighting their importance in communities. Research conducted by the charity in 2022…
Read More » -
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 MS Sioned Williams raised a concern regarding the use of artificial grass by the Swansea Council as part of the city’s regeneration. Swansea confirmed it “would not be used by the council in the public realm, even on a temporary basis going forward,” leading Williams to ask whether the Welsh government would commit in banning artificial grass in government schemes, excluding…
Read More » -
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 commercial horticulture by four years could have a devastating impact on the industry. Moving the ban on peat in commercial plant, tree, fruit, and vegetable production from 2030 to 2026 reduces the number of seasons commercial growers have to complete extensive trialling in their crop production techniques by over half. A new HTA members survey highlights a projected…
Read More » -
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 Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group, with the intention to champion sectoral affairs within government. The parliamentary reception will be hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Gardening & Horticulture Group, a cross-party group of MPs and Peers who support the environmental horticulture industry. The group says it will be applying substantial pressure to the government to do more in the way of support for the sector,…
Read More » -
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 of 2021. Based in the North West of England, Greenfingers was established in 1996 and has around 120 staff, bringing an annual turnover of over £4m to Tivoli’s existing £65m. It provides services for a variety of private and public landowners, including multiple housing associations. The acquisition will increase the scale of Tivoli’s service portfolio, grounds maintenance, landscaping, arboriculture, winter…
Read More » -
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 early age. With continued urban expansion, green roofs provide a great many environmental and ecological benefits, offering a sustainable solution to the decline of biodiversity in an otherwise commonly surplus space. Bailey, who co-founded storybook series Tales from Mother Earth, has penned ‘Journey to the Green Roof’ which follows the story of Freya the Bee and Sarah the Ladybird,…
Read More » -
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 contract include adverse weather services, tree and weed management, and sustainable drainage systems management. Yorkshire Water is a major provider of essential water and wastewater services, with over five million households and 140,000 businesses across Yorkshire and the Humber. The new contract will see Mitie undertake grounds and landscape maintenance of approximately 2,000 operational, recreational, and corporate sites across Yorkshire…
Read More » -
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 the EGM at the end of June and has asked “the requisitioners to reconsider their actions.” The EGM was called by Brodie McAllister, who was removed from his position as president-elect last year following multiple allegations. McAllister says 145 members signed the requisition and the three requirements in the LI’s bylaws to proceed with the EGM had been met. However, the LI says…
Read More » -
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 initiative encourages people to connect with nature and local wildlife every day for the month of June in an “easy and accessible way.” Evidence shows that prolonged engagement with nature has great benefits for both a person’s physical and mental wellbeing but also for nature conservation, says The Wildlife Trusts. As part of the NHS’s 75th birthday celebrations, the…
Read More » -
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 2022, with just 162 of these being launched by women. In the previous year, 190 were women led out of 2,190 companies registered. Despite a 19.18% increase of registration between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of women led companies decreased by 2%. The ‘Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship’ highlights that up to £250bn of new value could…
Read More » -
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 was due to take over the position from July 2022 until multiple allegations led to his removal as a trustee and as president-elect. Over the last year, McAllister has been fighting the allegations and demanding an EGM be held. It will now seemingly take place on Tuesday 27 June in London and via Zoom after 145…
Read More » -
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 botanists and scientists. The app provides plant recognition software, a personalised plant collection for users to log plants of interest or existing plants on which to receive advice, and plant care reminders. Martin Parnell, RHS director of members, marketing & digital, says: “Growing plants helps to support biodiversity and makes people happier and healthier. 26 million people come…
Read More » -
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 called the garden “permanently destroyed”, while contractor Gareth Wilson – who built the garden – wrote on social media that “fuming is an understatement.” Wilson added that “stupidity knows no boundaries, especially as the RHS is pushing sustainability at the very top of its agenda. Gardens that aren’t sustainable simply don’t get accepted by the RHS.” This year is the first year…
Read More » -
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. Over those 15 years, the charity has benefited hundreds of schools and 200,000 children across the UK with fully funded food education programmes, backing the message that every child in every school should have access to a garden whereby they can experience the advantages both nature and healthy eating has on one’s mental and physical health. School Food…
Read More » -
-
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 they will probably not be returning to the world-famous show as they look to welcome the next generation of designers and landscapers. Whilst The Outdoor Room will continue to build show gardens, Dodd says the Transcendence Garden is “a fantastic one for me to bow out on.” It is the third show garden he was worked…
Read More » -
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 spinal rehabilitation charity, Horatio’s Garden puts the priority of all those with different mobility needs at its heart, with every element of the garden influenced by the experiences of patients with spinal injuries. The garden was designed by Harris Bugg Studio- the owners Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg have both previously won Gold medals…
Read More » -
The first looks at RHS Chelsea 2023
This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show will soon be opening its door to the public, showcasing the pinnacle of horticultural excellence. The show will feature the latest in sustainable landscape solutions, from peat-free plantation to repurposed agricultural waste, with every garden on display designed to be relocated after the show closes. Here are the first looks at some of what 2023 Chelsea has to offer. Horatio’s Garden Designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg Sponsored by Horatio’s Garden and Project Giving Back A place of sanctuary and hope, designed to be an immersive restorative haven for spinal injury patients, enabling…
Read More » -
Kate Richards appointed new Chair of Landscape Institute Wales
Kate Richards, an associate landscape architect at Land Studio will officially take up her post with the organisation this month. Land Studio is an innovative architectural and environmental design company, delivering nature led design and engineering solutions. Based in Chester, the company specialises in historic landscape, masterplanning, public realm design and regeneration projects both in the UK and international. Last year the company brought the delivery of sustainable drainage designs and water management solutions in-house with the appointment of a civil engineering team. Assistant landscape architect, Sian Rossiter also of Land Studio will be joining Richards to run the organisations…
Read More » -
Government announces £15 million in funding to help young people connect with nature
To mark outdoor classroom day (18 May), the Department for Education announces 15 million in funding will be going to facilitate outside learning, to help young people in deprived and nature-depleted areas learn outside. Schools, colleges and nurseries ranked lowest in Natural England’s measure of local access to natural space and those that are situated in areas with high levels of deprivation will be eligible for the grant. Minister for the School System, Baroness Barran says: “It’s so important that we give young people the opportunity to get outside to learn about the natural world and the importance protecting our…
Read More » -
Horticultural Trades Association urges action on water management grants to increase resilience to droughts
In alignment with Water Saving Week, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is urging necessary action on water management grants to increase the industry’s resilience to droughts and encourage more businesses to reduce their reliance on mains water. The National Drought Group met last month to discuss the critical need to focus on water resource preservation to reduce the risk of drought measures in the future. A very dry February, followed by an exceptionally wet March and unsettled April, emphasise that businesses cannot rely solely on the weather and preserving water to prevent future drought measures needs to become the priority.…
Read More » -
Huge Expansion for National Landscaping Supplier
Stone Zone & Landscaping Supplies, formerly known as Dorset Soils & Aggregates were established in 1998 as a local Soil, Sand and Aggregate supplier. 25 years on, they have since expanded rapidly; introducing a whole host of new, competitively priced products to their landscaping and building supplies range. This vast range includes Building Aggregates, BS3882 Soil, Sandstone Paving, Porcelain Paving, Composite Decking, Grass Turf, Artificial Grass, Jointing Compounds and much more. The Stone Zone now proudly supply Councils, Retail Parks, Sports Pitches, Golf Clubs, Building Developments and National Parks across the UK with their reliable delivery network. Aggregates for Building…
Read More » -
House of Lords told horticulture needs a “rebrand” to attract younger generation
Horticulture needs to be rebranded and needs to be introduced into the curriculum, said witnesses today to the Horticultural Sector Committee. In the latest of a series of evidence sessions so far into the challenges, opportunities and risks faced by the horticultural sector, the committee was told that horticulture “needs a rebrand throughout the entire education system.” Lilidh Matthews, treasurer of the Young People in Horticulture Association, said that there are “a lot of perceptions around horticulture as a career that aren’t valid and that needs to be changed throughout the education system, all the way up to the point…
Read More » -
Samaritans set to mark 70 years and 134 million answered calls at Chelsea Flower Show
Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off star Laura Adlington will be unveiling an exclusive celebration cake with fellow Samaritans Ambassadors, Hollywood actor Jason Flemyng and author Elizabeth Day at the Samaritans’ Listening Garden. The charity’s Listening Garden is inspired by the brave people who found the courage to reach out to Samaritans and seek help. The garden, designed by Darren Hawkes visually represents the intricacy of mental health but also the serenity one can find when they reach out to talk. The garden’s planting and built elements are designed to become calmer and more open as it progresses, with sculptural…
Read More » -
The HTA calls on the Scottish Government to deliver a sustainable and realistic transition to peat-free
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) has set out a detailed response to the Scottish Government Consultation on Ending the Sale of Peat, representing the views from the breadth of its 1,400-strong membership. In a consultation that ran from February to May 12th, the Scottish Government put forward a multi-stage proposal to ban the sale of peat, beginning with the retail horticulture sector, which accounts for around two thirds of all peat used in UK horticulture. The Scottish consultation follows the 2022 UK government consultation. Scotland’s peatlands play a critical role in responding to the twin crises of the global climate…
Read More »
