Pro Landscaper talks with Ross Conquest of Conquest Creative Spaces, finding out about the company’s continued growth and the company’s recent win of the Matthew Bradley Memorial Cup for Construction at this year’s APL awards

Strength to strength

When asked about how the company was founded, Ross explains: “I set up the company when I was 18 after being made redundant from another paving firm, and the business has moved from strength to strength, progressing naturally over time. Presently, we work on two to three design projects at a time and have a solid reputation for achieving bespoke hard landscaping within the industry.”

The company’s current standings come up, and Ross tells us: “We rebranded at the start of this year, from Conquest Hard Landscaping to Conquest Creative Spaces. I’m amazed to say that we’re celebrating our tenth year in 2018 – a huge milestone for everyone here.”

“I get bored easily, so I love being involved in the latest technologies. Therefore, design and build ticks all my boxes with endless possibilities of creativity.” Ross’s ‘hands-on’ approach to business is somewhat unusual, and he explains that: “I keep getting told I need to act like a director and get off the tools, but I find it so hard – I don’t want to!”

The industry

Ross describes his thoughts on how the landscaping community has changed over time: “It feels like there are a few new age landscapers who have made it in the industry solely through being exceptional at landscaping. Sometimes it’s not all about business and making money, it’s about passion, skill and how far you can push yourself.

“There is a big misconception of what a landscaper is, or what a good one is anyway,” Ross says. “I’m originally a brick layer, but my carpentry skills easily match my masonry now, and there’s so much more to being a great landscaper; lighting, irrigation, design, planting, fabrication, engineering and management skills, to name a few!”

Matthew Bradley Memorial Cup

Mark Gregory of Landform Consultants

On Friday 16 March, Ross and the team at Conquest Creative Spaces were awarded the Matthew Bradley Memorial Cup for Construction at the APL Awards 2018. When asked about the significance the award holds to him individually, Ross tells us: “It’s incredibly personal to me, and I’m so honoured. After talking to a great many people on the night of the APL awards, everyone is in consensus that the memorial cup is an incredible honour which is immensely humbling. It makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

Once asked about how he felt accepting the award, Ross explained: “I felt emotional, but so proud. Besides being a bit speechless, I smiled because I kept thinking about memories both Matthew and I shared; like how drunk we both were at the Hampton Court press day last year, the one day in the show garden world you should probably behave yourself!”

“Matthew passing was such a tragic event and it’s a strange feeling to accept something like this – he truly inspired me. We did a toast for Matt, with Will Gadd from Gadd Brothers who built two Chelsea gardens alongside Matt, and Rhiannon Williams, designer at Landform. We were also joined by Rhi, who was Matt’s girlfriend, Matt’s parents Donald and Margaret, Mark Gregory from Landform, a personal inspiration of mine for many years, and of course my partner Sarah with our expected baby boy in the oven.”