BALI Landscape News Summer 2018

THE THE OFFICIAL OFFICIAL JOURNAL JOURNAL OFOF THE THE BRITISH BRITISH ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION OFOF LANDSCAPE LANDSCAPE INDUSTRIES INDUSTRIES

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SUMMER

2018

Use this button throughout to visit advertiser websites IN TE R AC T I V E ISSUE

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BALI’s ‘five star’ success at Malvern LATEST NEWS

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The power of a strong strategic plan TRAINING & TECHNICAL

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RHS Chelsea Review 2018 DESIGNER FOCUS

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Firestone make a splash at US London embassy PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

Visit website

2018

CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME Dear member As I sit at my desk writing these notes and looking out of the window at glorious spring afternoon sunshine, I reflect on the past quarter where we, as landscapers, have had everything thrown at us weather-wise.

After a superb dry autumn where productivity was up, the early months of 2018 – with prolonged rainfall, the ’Beast from the East’ (not the BALI East Anglia region go-karting challenge!) and temperatures ranging from a bone-numbing -14˚C to a tropical 26˚C – have made it an exceptionally challenging period for all who work in the land-based industries. What’s frustrating is that, despite their full order books, all the contractors I speak to have experienced numerous delays and unworkable site conditions; all part of global warming I’m led to believe.

Nevertheless, in terms of BALI activity, it’s been an enjoyable quarter for me personally, as Wayne, Emily and I have travelled around the country meeting members at the regional AGMs. They give you a great perspective on what’s occurring in the industry across the country and, although there were a couple of variations, the vast majority of members are in a positive mood and are faced with juggling full order books and often disruptive, inclement weather.

At the time of writing, the Chelsea build is in full swing and I hope the weather is kind to all the contractors building show gardens and the exhibitors who are looking for perfection. I am looking forward to visiting Chelsea again this year and viewing the fabulous show gardens created by a number of BALI Registered Designers and Contractors with products from many of our BALI Registered Affiliates.

In March I was delighted to attend and speak at the official GoLandscape launch, held on a freezing cold day in the snowy grounds of RHS Garden Wisley. The event was well supported by a number of BALI members who attended the launch and a number of hardy souls who also embarked on the wintry tour of part of the snow-covered gardens.

The GoLandscape Ambassador programme is now fully underway and I was delighted to commit to being an Ambassador after a training event held at Capel Manor College, delivered by Stephen Ensell and Richard Gardiner.

The training was really informative and BALI will provide all Ambassadors with the tools and techniques to thrive in the role. I would urge each and every member to commit to this exciting programme and support the land-based industries in encouraging young people and career changers to pursue a career in this fantastic sector.

As we come into the summer months there are a number of shows and events out there that BALI will be attending; please see the BALI events diary in this issue for full details.

If you are attending any of these events please do come

and visit the BALI team on the BALI stand; we appreciate your feedback and it’s always great to meet members face to face.

If all goes according to plan, this will be my last article as your Chairman. It has been both a pleasure and a huge privilege to serve you and the BALI membership and I wish you every success for the future, with BALI at your side.

Best wishes.

Paul Downer BALI National Chairman

New members as at 18.05.2018 Registered Contractor South Thames Donovan Landscapes Planet Turf Biotecture James Ewen Powell

DSO North Thames Tottenham Hotspur Football & Athletic Co

Registered Affiliate

North Thames Allium Gardeners

North Thames Oak Garden Machinery

The Relentless Gardeners T/A HOS Landscapes

Yorkshire & North East Pictorial Meadows

South West Green & Gorgeous

East Anglia Bayer Turf Solutions

Rockside Estates

Wales Ecodek

Midlands Hedera Screens

Quartix

Scotland Highland Landscape Design

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Registered Designer South Thames Catherine Clancy MBALI MSGD Tony Woods MBALI

Associate Designer Yorkshire & North East Sarah Johnson

Training Provider South Thames CTC Training & Assessment

BALI Landscape News

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CONTENTS Visit website

GARDEN STRUCTURES ARCHES • PERGOLAS • OBELISKS FRUIT CAGES • RAISED BEDS & PLANTERS FLOWER SUPPORTS • FENCING • GATES

Welcome Yesterday, for the 13th year in a row, I had the privilege of attending Press Day at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. During a frenetic three-hour period (before the media rabble are ejected to make way for Her Majesty) I manage to photograph every show garden and trade stand where a BALI Registered member has had a major involvement. The results of this year’s efforts (mine and our members’ of course!) can be found on pages 32-36 of this edition of Landscape News.

In early May, after the ‘winter that kept on giving’ and hoping that we were at the start of an extended spell of warm weather, I spent 12 days touring the extreme north of Scotland ‘doing’ the North Coast 500 (northcoast500.com).

The weather was, indeed, remarkably benign, considering that part of the country’s reputation.

During my travels I was struck by the magnificent scenery we have in our own backyard. OK, so you have to travel 500 miles or so to get to the start point (Inverness), do the 500 mile circuit, and then get home again, but it’s well worth the effort, believe me.

Editor Denise Ewbank BALI Landscape House Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2LG T: 02476 690333 F: 02476 690077 Editorial and News releases ubiquita@btinternet.com Copy date for Autumn 2018 edition Friday, 10 August

If you decide to do this iconic route one day, do make sure you visit Inverewe Garden en route.

The location, on Loch Ewe in Wester Ross, is stunning and the garden itself breath-taking.

Even in early May, when Scotland’s gardens are only just waking up and are some way behind our southern foliage, it is full of interest; I promise you won’t be disappointed.

That’s enough of my travel tips; have a great summer.

Design by:

bdci.co.uk Print by:

blackmore.co.uk Cover image:

RHS Chelsea Gold Medal for New West End Garden (Space to Grow category) - Kate Gould MBALI, Designer and Contractor

• SITE VISITS • BESPOKE STRUCTURES • TRADE DISCOUNT & PRICING • PROFESSIONAL CAD/ TECHNICAL DRAWINGS

U K D E S I G N & M A N U FAC T U R E

TRADE BROCHURE:

Call 0333 400 1777 TRADE ENQUIRIES:

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www.harrodhorticultural.com 4

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Summer 2018

CONTENTS

6

Quarterly Update

28

Designer Focus

8

Latest News

38

Events

Contractor News

42

Charity Update

44

Product & Affiliate News

14 18

Training & Technical

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QUARTERLY UPDATE

Show season is well and truly upon us!

RHS Silver-Gilt medal and People’s Choice award for Graduate Gardeners’ ‘Urban Oasis’ garden at Malvern

As I write, we have already seen some exhibitions and shows take place and BALI will be representing its members throughout the season in the usual way.

At the RHS Malvern Spring Flower Show, BALI’s stand received a 5 Star award from the judges. I would like to thank BALI Associate Designer Jane Bingham for designing ‘The Secret Garden’ area of the trade stand and BALI Registered Contractor Isola Garden Design for their sterling construction efforts, ably supported by Darren Taylor and Diane McCulloch from the BALI team! Of course we wouldn’t have been able to build the garden if it wasn’t for the support of our BALI Registered Affiliate members, so please do read the review of the show on page 8 for the full list of contributors; we are hugely grateful to them all.

Elsewhere at Malvern BALI Registered Contractor Graduate Gardeners took home a Silver-Gilt medal for their show garden, Urban Oasis. It provided a funky, modern-looking space with movement and pings of colour throughout, surrounded by a dark cladded wall and a yew hedge of the same height.

Many congratulations to the Graduate Gardeners team.

The build-up to RHS Chelsea Flower Show is almost complete and BALI has its usual trade stand there. A full review of Chelsea is included in this edition of Landscape News but, writing this editorial in advance of the show, I have no idea of our members’ success; I am looking forward to seeing the magic they will undoubtedly create once again for this wonderful showcase of industry talent.

BALI has another exciting show garden happening this year, in July at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

The GoLandscape garden will be built by trainees and apprentices and mentored by a mix of both BALI members and nonmembers.

General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) Following a plethora of information and press coverage on the new GDPR, which come into force on 25 May, BALI ran a webinar on this subject which came into force several weeks ago and further information can be found in the members’ area, along with the 12 steps recommended by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Please ensure you have taken the necessary actions appropriate to your business:

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1. Awareness – You should make sure that decision makers and key people in your organisation are aware that the law is changing to the GDPR. They need to appreciate the impact this is likely to have.

2. Information you hold – You should document what personal data you hold, where it came from and who you share it with. You may need to organise an information audit.

3. Individuals’ rights – You should check your procedures to ensure they cover all the rights individuals have, including how you would delete personal data or provide data electronically and in a commonly used format.

4. Communicating privacy information – You should review your current privacy notices and put a plan in place for making any necessary changes for GDPR implementation.

5. Lawful basis for processing personal data – You should identify the lawful basis for your processing activity in the GDPR, document it and update your privacy notice to explain it.

6. Subject access requests – You should update your procedures and plan how you will handle requests within the new timescales and provide any additional information.

7. Consent – You should review how you seek, record and manage consent and whether you need to make any changes. Refresh existing consents now if they don’t meet the GDPR standard.

8. Data breaches – You should make sure you have the right procedures in

Summer 2018

place to detect, report and investigate a personal data breach.

9. Children – You should start thinking now about whether you need to put systems in place to verify individuals’ ages and to obtain parental or guardian consent for any data processing activity.

10. Data Protection by Design and Data – Protection Impact Assessments. You should familiarise yourself now with the ICO’s code of practice on Privacy Impact Assessments as well as the latest guidance from the Article 29 Working Party, and work out how and when to implement them in your organisation.

11. Data Protection Officers – You should designate someone to take responsibility for data protection compliance and assess where this role will sit within your organisation’s structure and governance arrangements. You should consider whether you are required to formally designate a Data Protection Officer.

12. International – If your organisation operates in more than one EU member state (i.e. you carry out cross-border processing), you should determine your lead data protection supervisory authority. Article 29 Working Party guidelines will help you do this.

Member engagement Membership Satisfaction Survey – your opinion matters!

Many BALI members kindly spend time each year feeding back through our membership satisfaction survey; I would like to personally thank everyone who takes the time and trouble to do this. Letting us know what you believe is good about your BALI membership helps us to focus our efforts on those areas where we can improve.

Whilst we may have taken a little longer to report back on this year’s results, please don’t think that we haven’t done anything with them. We have been carefully analysing them and reviewing

Survey questions and rating BALI Services - rated very good or good

2016/17

2017/18

Speed of response to enquiries/telephone calls

85%

98%

Knowledge, advice offered and professionalism of staff

92%

99%

Communication of industry developments & legislation

88%

94%

Relevance of BALI event topics

63%

92%

Frequency and relevance of BALI Newsletter

73%

94%

Content and format of Landscape News

80%

95%

Content and format of the Who’s Who Directory

70%

95%

BALI’s website

83%

94%

Your ‘members only’ area of the BALI website

74%

93%

BALI Services - rated very good or good

2016/17

2017/18

BALI HR/H&S (Qdos) - telephone helpline

75%

55%

BALI HR/H&S (Qdos) - online business support

71%

50%

Access to model documents/risk assessments

59%

57%

Regional workshops/events/networking opportunities

63%

65%

National workshops/events/networking opportunities

64%

71%

Dispute Resolution Service

59%

34%

BALI Awards (if you have entered)

79%

37%

BALI Awards (if you have attended)

82%

51%

BALI Awards (if you have sponsored)

76%

79%

Trade magazine discounts

78%

82%

Membership renewal

2016/17 2017/18 2016/17 <1 month < 1 month 1 month+

2017/18 1 month+

2016/17 6 month+

37%

21%

45%

30%

Which Forum, based on your membership category, have you attended?

National Contractors Forum (BALI - NCF)

6%

Domestic Forum

6%

Affiliates Forum

12%

Designer Forum

8%

N/A

2017/18 2017/18 6 month+ 12 month+ 35%

21%

In relation to the Forum you have attended please rate the following...

Very Poor

Poor

Good

Very Good

N/A

Content

1%

1%

19%

11%

68%

Format

0%

1%

21%

10%

68%

Frequency

0%

7%

15%

9%

69%

68%

your detailed feedback, which in turn has helped us to formulate BALI’s business and marketing plans for this year. Our intention is to get in touch with you where you have made comment on how we can improve in order to understand your points more fully and ensure that we are taking heed of what you say you need, as members of the association.

2017/18 – Results - 110 members responded, a 46% increase on last year.

Responses were generally very positive; we were pleased to receive high scores on the questions relating to the

As always, there areas that we can improve upon and they will be a specific focus for 2018/19. They are: • BALI HR/H&S (Qdos) - telephone helpline • BALI HR/H&S (Qdos) - online business support • Access to model documents/risk assessments • Dispute Resolution Service • BALI Awards (whether an entrant or guest) • Trade magazine discounts • Some forums We will also be following up on individual comments and developing a plan for how we can improve the perceived value of your membership benefits and what new benefits we might be able to add to the portfolio.

When did someone in your company last speak to a BALI representative other than for renewal?

35%

• Relevance of BALI event topics • Frequency and relevance of BALI Newsletter • Content and format of Landscape News • Content and format of the Who’s Who Directory • BALI’s website • Your ‘members only’ area of the BALI website

communication from Landscape House along with a number of other areas of support to members.

The results this year are very encouraging and I’m pleased to see so many of the questions receiving such great feedback. In summary, areas of strength were: • Speed of response to enquiries/ telephone calls • Knowledge, advice offered and professionalism of BALI staff • Communication of industry developments and legislation

This has gone extremely well and I am pleased to report that we are well ahead of last year as well as finishing the year with well over 900 paying members and c.1,800 in total. Having approved 18 new members since April this year, we also have 27 prospective members going through the application and approval process, which includes 20 contractors. This is great news and shows there is a great appetite for what BALI membership can offer. Thank you to those members who have renewed for your continued support.

Are you keeping in touch with BALI and what is going on?

Do check out the new format weekly newsletters and the calendar updates.

There are a wide range of events and activities happening, both within the BALI regions and nationally, across the year so make sure you are booking early for those events you want to attend as many this last year have been oversubscribed. They are super networking and social events and offer great opportunities to build your business network and your personal knowledge.

Have a wonderful summer.

Wayne Grills CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Summer 2018

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LATEST NEWS

Tired but happy - the team responsible for BALI’s trade stand Carly Button and Wayne Grills with BALI’s 5 Star award.

BALI’s ‘The Secret Garden’

BALI’s ‘five star’ success at Malvern This year’s RHS Malvern Spring Flower Show (10-13 May) proved a ‘tour de force’ for BALI when its trade stand cum show garden was awarded five stars by the judges. ‘The Secret Garden’, created on a 20m2 plot, was praised by the judges for the quality of its design, construction, rich planting and attention to detail.

Celebrating a quintessential English garden, BALI’s ‘The Secret Garden’ was designed and planted by BALI and BALI Associate Designer Jane Bingham of The Cheshire Garden, and built by BALI Registered Contractor Isola Garden Design with tremendous physical support from BALI’s Marketing and Communications Manager Darren Taylor and from Media Sales and Sponsorship Officer Diane McCulloch, who was also instrumental in keeping the project on track throughout.

Supported by BALI Midlands region committee members, the garden’s classical design, strong lines and soft planting provided the perfect showcase for BALI members’ skills and products.

Materials for the garden were supplied by BALI Registered Affiliate members, including: Hereford-based Wyevale Nurseries, who supplied over 500 plants including two spectacular Cornus ‘Eddies White Wonder’ shrubs that impressed judges during the assessment; cast stone manufacturer Haddonstone, who provided two magnificent urns and two charming garden ornaments; Westminster Stone Company, who provided National Trust collection paving and aggregate; and Harrod UK, who supplied two Roman arches and an arbour frame with seat. Green-tech,

Everedge and British Sugar TOPSOIL also lent support to the project by supplying materials to help provide structure and to dress the garden.

Isola Garden Design’s Managing Director, James Brash, said: “This is the first ever garden that we have built at the RHS Malvern Show and, although it was not entered as a show garden, the comments we have received from industry colleagues since finishing the construction have been incredibly positive. Many people are telling me that we should have entered it for a medal. We’ve got the appetite now and with our award-winning experience in designing and building domestic gardens, we may very well return next year.”

Associate Designer Jane Bingham commented: “It has been an absolute pleasure working alongside BALI and Isola on ‘The Secret Garden’, a real team effort, and I am so pleased with how it turned out. I fully appreciate the opportunity that BALI presented to me in getting involved with the project and I look forward to continuing and developing my relationship with the association over the coming year.”

Elsewhere at the show, BALI Registered Contractor Graduate Gardeners took home a Silver-Gilt medal and the People’s Choice award for their Urban Oasis show garden, designed by Mark Draper, and BALI Registered Designer Hannah Genders curated the EGG – Eco, Green and Growing – feature, which promoted food growing in the community using some very novel methods, pulling in the crowds over a very hot and sunny four days of the show.

New faces join BALI Awards adjudication panel Chairman of the BALI Awards adjudication panel, independent landscape consultant and former senior lecturer in landscape studies at Writtle College, Greg Allen has welcomed two new panel members for the 2018 BALI National Landscape Awards – Nick Coslett, Marketing and Sales Manager at BALI Registered Affiliate Palmstead Nurseries, and Mick Callahan, Managing Director of BALI Registered Contractor Linden Landscapes.

Both men come with a wealth of experience of the landscape industry and from businesses that are no strangers to the BALI Awards. They were selected earlier this year from a number of high quality applicants.

Speaking about their appointment, Greg Allen said: “I am absolutely delighted that Nick and Mick have accepted our invitation to join the BALI Awards adjudication panel. In a month’s time they will embark on their visits to this year’s entries; I hope they find the visits as rewarding and enjoyable as I know the rest of our panel does. I wish them a long and happy association with the BALI Awards.” baliawards.co.uk

Nick Coslett

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Mick Callahan

FINAL REMINDER FOR ENTRIES! International, Affiliate and Employer Excellence categories still open for entry.

Visit baliawards.co.uk to view the entry criteria and submit online today.

Final deadline 12 July 2018.

Awards luncheon: Friday 7 December Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London

Limited sponsorship opportunities still available. Contact Diane McCulloch 0161 478 8506 or email diane.mcculloch@bali.org.uk

For general enquiries, contact Emily Feeney 024 7669 8658 or Kirsty Wood 024 7669 8654 or email awards@bali.org.uk Watch out tickets available soon!

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LATEST NEWS

GoLandscape launches nationally following successful pilot

TV personality and launch host Tommy Walsh

Following the piloting of BALI’s GoLandscape careers initiative in BALI South Thames region over the past year, more than 70 industry guests attended its national launch at RHS Garden Wisley on 19 March.

The event marked GoLandscape’s roll-out across the country and provided an opportunity to update industry leaders and educators on BALI’s plans for the initiative in the coming months.

Organised by BALI’s Education Officer Stephen Ensell, the event was hosted

by TV personality Tommy Walsh who welcomed guests and explained why BALI, with the support of the BALI Chalk Fund, had launched GoLandscape. He said: “It’s a worrying fact that a recent survey of students indicated that only 7% had been advised by their school or college to consider a career in horticulture, gardening or botany. The perception that the horticulture sector is a route best suited to ‘low achievers’ has to be changed if the landscape industry is to attract the calibre of young people it needs to fill vacancies across many disciplines.”

Tommy went on to explain what had been achieved during the piloting phase: “Since November 2016, when the pilot phase of the GoLandscape outreach initiative was first launched at FutureScape, volunteer ambassadors in BALI’s South Thames region have been trained and have been successfully going into schools and colleges to speak to students, attending careers fairs, and working with the Armed Forces’ resettlement programme to attract career changers.

GoLandscape ambassadors have also been recruited in BALI’s South West,

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North Thames and Midlands regions and, together with the pilot South Thames region, the initiative is now going national, which is why you have been invited here today.”

BALI’s National Chairman Paul Downer followed Tommy’s introduction with a summary of actions as part of the national roll-out, including:

• GoLandscape Ambassadors are now being trained across the country;

• Appointments for ambassadors

are being made in schools and colleges, including careers fairs, and with resettlement organisations and career advisors. Schools are now becoming more interested in the initiative due to changes that Government have made insisting that they invite third party organisations into their schools to provide career information and advice to pupils;

• GoLandscape masterclasses,

delivered by industry product and service suppliers, are being organised with land-based colleges;

• With support from the RHS,

GoLandscape is building a show garden at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July to promote careers in landscaping.

David Dodd is overseeing the build and mentoring, and Rosemary Coldstream MBALI, MSGD is designing the garden, which will be built with students and apprentices with the support of other industry mentors;

• A suite of online resources will be produced for careers advisors;

• Professional ‘talking head’ videos

will be created for the GoLandscape website.

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A highlight of the launch was a Q&A session, facilitated by Tommy Walsh, with a panel of three young people at different stages of their landscaping careers – Jake Catling, owner and director of BALI Registered Contractor The Landscaping Consultants; Pascale Napier – Level 3 landscape student in her final year at Merrist Wood; and Ryan Lee – Level 2 Trailblazer apprentice with BALI Registered Contractor The Outdoor Room.

This was a particularly interesting part of the programme and filled everyone with a lot of hope for the future of the industry.

A talk by Martyn Falconer, Head Gardener at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon, gave an insight to the work of the landscape team at this iconic sporting venue and highlighted the importance of promoting the wide range of career opportunities the industry has to offer.

BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills closed the event by thanking guests for attending and RHS Garden Wisley for kindly providing a tour of the gardens before the event started. The snow on the ground only served to highlight the beauty of the wonderful winter foliage.

To express your interest in being part of the GoLandscape initiative, or to find out more, please email stephen.ensell@bali.org.uk. golandscape.co.uk

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LATEST NEWS

2018 YOUNG HORTICULTURIST OF THE YEAR An audience of more than ninety spectators saw winner Tim Miles, representing the South East branch of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, triumph in the thrilling final of the Young Horticulturist of the Year competition, which took place on 28 April at the Harrogate Spring Flower Show. Tim, who graduated with a BSc in Horticulture from the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh in 2017 and now works at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, won a £2,500 travel bursary provided by the Percy Thrower Bursary.

He was delighted to win the prestigious competition: “The entire journey towards winning Young Horticulturist of the Year 2018 has been fun. I have enjoyed meeting members of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, as well as my peers who competed from Great Britain and Ireland. Most accolades celebrate longevity so it is nice to be part of something that promotes young horticulturists at the beginning of their careers. With the travel bursary I plan to go to Japan. I have a particular interest in Japanese woodland flora and I am keen to learn more about Japanese horticultural tools and practices, especially pruning techniques.”

Emily Marston, an apprentice at RHS Harlow Carr, came second, representing the North, and third place went to Frances Porter, who is currently studying for a Level 3 Diploma at Derby College’s Broomfield Hall. Frances represented the North West and North Wales branch.

The 2019 competition is free to enter and open to any horticulturist who is below the age of 30 on 31 July 2019.

To find out more about the competition and how to take part visit the Young Horticulturist of the Year pages at horticulture.org.uk. Anyone interested in sponsoring the 2019 competition should email: cih@horticulture.org.uk.

Tim Miles, 2018 Young Horticulturist of the Year

Obituary Doreen Egarr MBE BALI has received news of the death of Doreen Egarr MBE, a lady who played an important role in the early years of BALI. Tony Brophy sent in the following words in recognition of Doreen’s contribution to the association: “It is with true sadness that I advise 21st century BALI members of the passing of a remarkable Yorkshire lady - Doreen Egarr MBE. Doreen was de facto BALI’s sole administrator from the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s during my tenure as BALI Honorary Secretary and Treasurer in the incubation period of BALI’s history.

Prior to the formation of BALI in 1972 there was no meaningful trade association for small to medium size landscape companies like CM Brophy Limited, which operated out of a garage at the side of the family home in St Albans. Doreen was our first administrative employee and she was an exceptionally compassionate, diligent and loyal secretary to my father and me for nearly 35 years.

Inspired by Geoffrey Chalk of Gavin Jones and Jeffrey Bernhard of Bernhard’s of Rugby, BALI was born to foster and represent the best interests of all landscape contractors and suppliers in the British landscape industry, regardless of size, where everybody’s voice was heard, no matter how small. During that decade Doreen spent half her ‘Brophy’ time diligently and cheerfully liaising with BALI members around the UK with all the files in a single four-drawer filing cabinet in the corner of our garage!

Doreen had been with us at the very first BALI Awards ceremony [in 1976] so, some years back, I treated her and took her to the Oscar-like BALI Awards in the Great Room of Grosvenor House. We laughed as we reminisced about the early days of BALI and the personal commitment of so many good men and women who simply believed in the vision of what BALI has evolved into today. Thank you Doreen for the part you played in the history of BALI.” Doreen received an MBE from HRH The Prince of Wales in 2009 for voluntary service to the community in St Albans.

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26/03/2018 11:21

CONTRACTOR NEWS

RMB Hydroseeding marks ice hockey team’s achievements with wildflower mix To celebrate the outstanding success this year of the Cardiff Devils Ice Hockey team, corporate partner, and BALI Registered Contractor, RMB Hydroseeding has designed a wildflower mixture in their honour.

The Cardiff Devils are back to back champions of the British Elite Ice Hockey League, retained the Erhardt Conference title for the third year, won the 2017 Aladdin Cup, and beat off tough competition to win the 2018 Playoff Championship Final for the first time in 20 years.

with something we can incorporate into our operations.”

Founded in 1986, the Cardiff Devils currently play out of the Ice Arena Wales rink in Cardiff Bay and are a dominant force in top flight British ice hockey. cardiffdevils.com hydroseeding.co.uk

RMB Hydroseeding’s Managing Director, Franklyn Melville-Brown, said: “This season has been great for the Cardiff Devils and, as one of the team’s corporate partners, we want to mark these great achievements

New series of Domestic Contractor Forums planned for October

He is organising eight local events in October 2018 (dates to be finalised).

With small groups and a couple of speakers, they will be held at a time in the late afternoon/early evening that will give members an almost complete working day and not cut into family time. The locations will be: • Bristol • Manchester • Derby • York • St Albans

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The sudden death 18 months ago of young fencing operative with BALI Registered Contractor TCL Group, Chris Williamson, has prompted Tony Cammiss, Managing Director of Burleys, and Jon Collins, TCL Regional Director, to cycle a section of the Tour de France route in memory of Chris and in aid of TCL Group’s nominated charity, CRY – Cardiac Arrest in the Young.

The pair, who will be joined by a few friends, will cycle the Etape du Tour on 8 July, starting at Annecy alongside 15,000 other amateur cyclists and finishing at Le Grand-Bornand in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region of south-eastern France.

The special wildflower mixture Devils Victory - comprises flower species that represent the team’s colours – red, with elements of white and green. Some species have been chosen as they are indigenous to Canada, home to the team’s management, owners and many of the players.

Domestic contractors are a breed of their own; difficult to please but always wanting more! In a valiant attempt to try and satisfy their requirements, Bob Field, BALI Immediate Past Chairman and longtime champion of the domestic contractor, is giving his Domestic Contractor Forums another push.

TCL Group duo aim to conquer Alps in memory of colleague

• Colchester • West Thurrock • Crawley The events will start at 4pm and last approximately three hours; light refreshment will be provided to avoid hard-working contractors feeling feint from lack of nourishment after a hard day’s graft.

Topics to be covered will include: irrigation, contractor/client (or designer) relationships; contract law; GDPR; composite materials; awardwinning projects; porcelain paving; topsoil. Each event will include a Q&A session.

Cost: BALI members £10; Nonmembers £15. Full details, including dates and topics at each venue, will be posted on the BALI website and in the relevant BALI e-newsletters and autumn Landscape News.

Summer 2018

Jon Collins, who vowed never to repeat the experience after taking part in 2016, explained: “The Etape is an annual event where amateur cyclists challenge themselves to complete one of the genuine Tour de France stages, normally with a few mountains in the way. Whilst we are all keen cyclists, there are not too many alpine climbs in Leicestershire and enduring over seven to eight hours in the saddle, including four significant climbs through the Alps, will certainly be a challenge!”

BALI members and industry colleagues can sponsor the duo by visiting their Just Giving page justgiving.com/fundraising/tcl2018 The event is a massive logistical feat with 100 medics, 180 police, 12 ambulances and six helicopters on standby, and caterers providing entrants with 11 tonnes of bananas, 3.4 tonnes of oranges and apples, 700 kg of dried fruit, 350kg of Beaufort cheese (it is France!), 22,000 madeleine cakes and 55,000 litres of bottled water. tclgroup.co.uk Jon Collins, left, and Tony Cammiss

CASE STUDY Muehlenbeckia softens the steps to the upper terrace

Cameron Gardens create a city haven BALI Registered Contractor Cameron Gardens was asked to collaborate with Chelsea-based interior designers and project managers Kitesgrove on this central London property.

The brief was to create an eclectic yet classical design for three independent areas - an east terrace, west terrace and upper terrace. Although each is an individual area, it was important to the clients that they should be connected with one overall theme that would complement the design and style of the property. Cameron Gardens was also asked to soften the three terraces, provide views from the interior of the property, and ensure the clients’ privacy, bringing as much greenery into the areas as possible.

As the east terrace is the central aspect of the apartment, viewed immediately on entering the home, Cameron Gardens was asked to create a distinctive space. This was achieved by the sourcing of three dramatic planters, each containing Arbutus ‘unedo’ multi stems, which are evergreen trees with rich terracotta brown tactile peeling bark and dark baylike leaves, providing year-round interest. These can be under-planted with seasonal plants to provide colour, scent and atmosphere, which can be varied according to the season.

An additional compilation of reclaimed and new pots were distributed in accordance with the available space. They were chosen to complement the furniture and flooring of three-tone marble tiles laid in cubic style. All these factors joined to provide a mélange of textures and tone, ensuring interesting views from the inside of the property and creating an eclectic and relaxed atmosphere outside. A distinctive green wall of Muehlenbeckia provides interest and softens the steps to the upper terrace.

The clients wanted the upper terrace to have a true roof top feel, complete with a kitchen and barbecue.

Considerable time was spent designing the barbecue and entertaining area to ensure it provided a wonderful setting for relaxing, eating and enjoying the cityscape.

It has a glass balustrade with the glass-covered lift shaft just off centre. Decking keeps the look clean and uncluttered whilst an array of planters, pots and verdant boundary planting add a more relaxed roof-top vibe.

It is the perfect space for entertaining and eating al fresco, with the lush planting providing privacy without restricting the wonderful views of the surrounding city.

The narrow terrace located off the kitchen is used as a more informal seating area. The low light levels here have necessitated the selection of shade-tolerant plants.

The boundary planting and green wall in this area provide a lush backdrop without encroaching on the tight space.

The east terrace

The upper terrace

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OUT & ABOUT

&

OUT ABOUT WITH BALI

Darren Taylor, right, with Lloyd Gower

Bournville Village Trust BALI’s Marketing and Communications Manager, Darren Taylor, was invited by Claire Morrall, PR & Communications Manager of BALI Registered Contractor Bournville Village Trust (BVT), to visit the Trust’s head office in May. On arrival, Darren was introduced to Lloyd Gower, Head of Bournville Village Landscapes.

Following a series of introductions and a fascinating insight into the size and remit of the housing association’s landscaping division, Darren was taken on a guided tour of the Bournville estate to see some wonderful examples of award-winning landscapes. Tree-lined highways, residential areas, ancient woodland and historic grounds are all part of the estate and beautifully maintained by Bournville Village Landscapes (BVL).

Highlights of the tour included a stopoff at the famous Selly Manor, a 14th century timber cruck-framed building that is now a museum. It was originally relocated in the early 20th century and has links to world-renowned chocolate maker George Cadbury and his son Laurence. The Tudor style grounds are partially maintained by Lloyd Gower’s team on an annual basis.

In direct comparison to the centuries old setting of Selly Manor, BVT’s landscaping teams also maintain the grounds around College Green care village, a multimillion pound complex in Bournville, just four miles from Birmingham city centre. Offering a unique level of care for residents within a dynamic and transformational community, its state-of-the-art care facilities are matched only by the splendour of the grounds surrounding the complex.

Rolling and undulating lawn banks and a contemporary river fountain add class and serenity to this beautiful environment. The BVL team won the contract to maintain the grounds of the care home and have built up a relationship with many of its residents.

Darren was also shown charming pocket parks and verdant village greens at the very centre of the historic Bournville estate, with Lloyd explaining that his teams are responsible for lawncare, tree

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maintenance, planting, environmental services, repairs, and, in the winter months, gritting and snow clearance.

Considering the varied demographic that lives in the village, from ‘babyboomers’ to families with young children, these services play a vital role in the health and wellbeing of the community.

During the two-hour tour, Lloyd was greeted by many residents who understood the importance of what BVT, and subsequently BVL, has created - a living, breathing, miniaturised economy that has almost become a world of its very own. Residents can approach the landscaping teams, suggest ideas and literally help shape the landscape around them.

Lloyd’s team of 23 full time staff are all highly qualified industry professionals, certificated to City & Guilds Level 2 in Horticulture and Landscaping as a minimum. From the clean highways and freshly mowed verges to the weedfree borders and regularly maintained street lighting and furniture, each area demonstrates the excellent plant identification knowledge and competency in the use of landscape maintenance equipment held by the landscape staff.

So, in future when you hear the word ‘Bournville’, don’t simply think ‘chocolate’.

Darren’s visit showed that it’s also the people and the landscape that has helped shape and define the area, creating a real sense of community with BVT and its core. BVL has also carried out works for schools and campuses in the area, with plans and aspirations to extend their portfolio beyond the Bournville estate; work has already

Summer 2018

been completed and is now regularly maintained by BVL in Lightmoor and Lawley, Telford.

Bournville Village Trust is a BALI Registered Contractor, having joined the association in 2014 just after Lloyd started in his role. One of Lloyd’s first objectives was to seek industry accreditation, including BALI Registered status. Since then, Lloyd has signed up as an Ambassador for BALI’s careers initiative, GoLandscape, to help the industry attract more young people and career changers. Lloyd also actively attends BALI Midlands region events.

During his visit, Darren updated Lloyd and Claire Morrall on future planned development work for BALI’s website, discussed how BVL should seriously consider entering one of their schemes for a BALI National Landscape Awards, and joining the BALI National Contractor’s Forum. Darren also discussed BALI’s involvement with the Ornamental Horticulture Round Table group and its upcoming economic and skills research. bvt.org.uk

The grounds of College Green care village, maintained

by BVL

OUT & ABOUT

Darren Taylor with Becky and Julian Furness

Out & About with

The Garden Trellis Company When Darren Taylor set off for the seaside at the start of May, it wasn’t to walk along the prom at Clacton-on-Sea. He had, in fact, been invited by the directors of BALI Registered Affiliate member The Garden Trellis Company to visit the company’s head office and workshop, a wonderland of timber garden products designed and manufactured by a skilled team of craftsmen.

Company directors Becky and Julian Furness, and Jade Costa from Curzon Associate Marketing, gave Darren a warm welcome. During a sit-down discussion that revolved around the many membership benefits available to The Garden Trellis Company, Darren discussed the new BALI website, which is due to launch in January 2019. He was also able to reveal that BALI is working in collaboration with the RHS, HTA, AHDB and other industry bodies on two major pieces of research, due to be published by the end of this year.

Both the new website and the research findings, focusing on the economy and skills, will provide members with new tools that will help firms benchmark and promote their businesses.

It was clear from the outset that The Garden Trellis Company operates a seriously tight ship, with a formidable business model that maintains smooth processes from enquiry through to delivery for clients operating domestically and commercially all around the UK. The impressive wall art in the main office is testament to how many successful projects the team at The Garden Trellis Company has delivered since its formation in 1992, including some fantastic RHS Chelsea Flower Show exhibits that showcased their mastery of timber architecture and design.

Following the meeting, Darren was taken on a tour of the workshop. This is housed in the same building as the main office space, which has been renovated and extended over the past ten years and which is also home to the project designers. Running along the entire length of the building, the workshop at the rear is split into a series of rooms, with the skilled craftsmen, joiners, paint shop specialists and fitters buzzing about the factory floor like bees constructing a hive, working together in a seamless, transitional flow. Starting with the client brief, project designers work with them to fully understand their requirements, which may include bespoke elements.

The workshop team must adapt to each client’s requirements; woodworking wizardry combines with carpentry genius to create spectacular trellis panels, garden gates, storage containers, bike sheds, fence panels, benches and seating. The range of products on display is mind-bending, with trellises stacked floor to ceiling in a range of contemporary and traditional colours: shades of mossy green, grey, blue and black, hand selected by the directors and the team. Even more mindboggling is that most of the items inside the workshop are for paying customers and not simply for stock. This means that, out of the thousands of products

on display, most are being prepared for shipping by the on-site delivery team.

Further additions to the Trellis setup include a paint workshop, where professional artists display fine composure and technique to coat the myriad of products with a luxurious finish, spraying up to four layers of coating to ensure an even finish with no streaks or blotches. As panels hung from the rafters, queued for drying, Darren was taken through door after door, to the very heart of the workshop, where skilled employees were sharpening, turning, sanding, cutting, sawing, moulding and fitting in a flurry of activity, to ensure that customer orders were being made to exact specifications. A compact recycling unit at the back uses the waste timber to generate heat for the entire premises, demonstrating the company’s commitment to the environment.

Although trellis panels are the mainstay of the business, the company’s ‘can do’ ethos has resulted in a host of new and exciting product ranges, all built to the highest specification for its many customers, including garden designers and landscapers. The Garden Trellis Company may have already achieved a great deal within the landscape industry but it was clear to Darren, following his visit, that there is plenty more to come! gardentrellis.co.uk

Summer 2018

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL Stephen Ensell Education Officer

Where are you going to find your next potential employee?

Ex-Service personnel come with a desirable and transferable skill set

Finding an additional member for your team can be a daunting task for any business. It begins with creating a job and person spec, then deciding where best to advertise to get the right people to respond, setting up interviews, and then selecting who you hope is the right person for the role - if you even get to that stage!

Recruiting people who already have the right industry skills is challenging at the best of times. Now, when we are experiencing a major skills gap, it can be incredibly difficult. There is, however, a wealth of talent to be found amongst ex-Service personnel and ex-offenders.

Ex-Service personnel - men and women who have served in the Armed Forces come with a desirable and transferable skill set. Tecwyn Evans, Director of BALI Registered Contractor Living Landscapes, made the move from a life in the Forces to set up a successful landscape business. He outlines what attributes Service men and women bring with them: “Punctuality, team work, leadership, adaptability, problem solving, attention to detail, a positive mental attitude, to name but a few. Anyone serving within the Forces now may well recognise these qualities and not realise how important they are in civilian life, in particular the landscaping industry.

Without the training and experiences the Army gave me, my life within the landscaping industry would not be the same as it is now and certainly not as successful.”

These are skills that any employer would give their eyeteeth for and there are many ex-Service personnel keen to give the industry a try, even if it’s initially through a period of work experience.

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Would you be willing to offer someone who is leaving, or who has left, the Forces an interview, or a period of work experience?

Taking on ex-offenders, on the other hand, could be seen as more of a gamble but it’s important to separate fact from fiction to address the unwarranted stigma that surrounds them as employees. There are some interesting statistics surrounding some of the common concerns held by potential employers: ‘Ex-offenders are unreliable’ – Only 23 out of 474 companies that employ ex-offenders reported a negative experience. Most ex-offenders are desperate to be given another chance and once given that opportunity will work harder than others to prove they are reliable.

‘Ex-offenders won’t get on with my other staff’ – 86% of companies said they settled in well, both to the work and with their colleagues, and 82% said that they performed well.

‘Ex-offenders are uneducated’ – As part of their rehabilitation all offenders are given the opportunity to gain Maths, English and IT qualifications. BALI’s GoLandscape initiative is exploring opportunities with a pilot scheme to add to this an horticulture/landscaping qualification to produce work-ready exoffenders.

Summer 2018

‘If my customers found out I employed ex-offenders, I would lose business’ – 65% of companies that had promoted employing ex-offenders said it had had a positive impact on their corporate reputation. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate you take your corporate social responsibility seriously; by giving someone a second chance and recruiting from the local community you demonstrate a commitment to equal opportunities and inclusion. Often when bidding for tenders, showing your support in recruiting from disadvantaged groups will strengthen bids for public sector contracts; this is certainly the case with HS2 contracts.

Companies like Timpsons, Interserve, Hodgkinsons and Boots have led the way in employing ex-offenders and have made a success of the initiative.

They report that by demonstrating trust and giving ex-offenders an employment opportunity, they have been rewarded with loyal, hard-working and highly productive employees.

GoLandscape is keen to help BALI members fill their skills gaps and, to this end, we are exploring partnerships with organisations that represent ex-Service personnel and ex-offenders. A database of companies interested in providing work experience and/or meeting individuals to explore employment opportunities will be set up; please get in touch with me by email at stephen.ensell@bali.org.uk to register your interest, to join the database and to stay up-to-date with our plans in this area.

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

Pershore students scoop show garden gold medal Horticulture students from BALI Training Provider Pershore College scooped a prestigious gold medal for their urban garden in the Young Gardeners of the Year Awards 2018 at the Ascot Spring Garden Show.

This annual competition, now in its eighth year, is organised by TV gardener and BALI Honorary Member David Domoney in association with The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community. The awards celebrate the best of young British talent in garden design and construction and give students the unique opportunity to create a showstopping, sustainable garden seen by thousands of visitors at the show.

Each of the six competing colleges – all but one, Shuttleworth College, a BALI member - was given a 5m x 4.5m plot to create a back garden haven for an urban house. The brief was to inspire city dwellers, demonstrating what can be achieved in a small urban location and to create a sense of tranquillity and escape.

The Prince’s Foundation sets clear guidelines based on organic and sustainable principles and the young gardeners were also tasked to pay particular attention to the use of local, natural materials and sustainable drainage systems. Lead designer Amanda Jayne Pearce, a mature Horticulture BSc (Hons) student from Moreton-in-Marsh, described the Pershore garden, entitled Winner’s Circle: “This modern, sustainable, urban garden provides a small oasis away from the hustle and bustle of city life. The microclimate provided by the urban environment allows for a planting scheme that is drought tolerant, requires minimal maintenance and yet allows for a more unusual tropical planting scheme.

“We have encouraged nature through the placement of wildlife byways allowing for the movement of hedgehogs, alongside a green roof pergola to attract insects and provide a pleasant outlook across

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the garden. The centre of the garden sees a sandstone winners circle with a bespoke fire pit telling of a day at the races. Planting shapes represent the rosettes presented to horses on race day, while equisetum is planted in the rain garden and helps with soil erosion.”

After months of preparation, the horticulture students had just six days to build and plant their garden at the world-famous racecourse in readiness for the annual Spring Garden Show which opened on 13 April. The garden remained on display throughout the show and visitors voted for the People’s Choice Award, which was announced on the last day of the show.

The judging panel was led by Simon Sadinsky, Head of Education at The Prince’s Foundation and included Raoul Curtis-Machin, Director of Horticulture at the Horticultural Trades Association, Dr Stephen Millam, Associate Lecturer in Horticulture at Chichester College, David Richardson, Director of Horticulture at Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Rupert Keys, Managing Director at Keyscape, a landscape garden design company based in Pershore, Worcestershire.

Results:

Capel Manor College, Middlesex – Gold and Best at Show Pershore College, Part of the WCG Worcestershire – Gold Myerscough College, Lancashire – Silver-Gilt and People’s Choice Writtle University College, Essex (2017 champions) – Silver-Gilt Shuttleworth College, Bedfordshire - Silver Reaseheath College, Cheshire Bronze

Summer 2018

Pershore College students on their Gold medal winning show garden

Government gives go-ahead for development of landscape apprenticeship trailblazer schemes The Landscape Apprenticeships Trailblazer group of 20 employers has received government approval to develop new landscape apprenticeship schemes in England: the Landscape Assistant scheme - a Level 4 qualification; and the Landscape Professional scheme – a Level 7 qualification leading to Chartered Membership of the Landscape Institute.

Once the Trailblazer group has designed the apprenticeship standards to define the competencies required for each apprenticeship it will consult on the draft standards with the aim of having the schemes ready for delivery in early 2019.

The apprenticeships will be open to all employers who are interested in taking on landscape apprentices in England. Larger employers paying the Apprenticeship Levy will be able to use their Levy contributions to fund training costs and smaller employers will have access to government funding. Devolved government policy means that the apprenticeships will only be available in England initially but the Landscape Institute hopes to explore apprenticeship opportunities in other devolved nations in the future landscapeinstitute.org

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

REDUCING THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

Internal combustion engines are ubiquitous in the landscape industry. From strimmers and mowers to tractors and chippers, the flexibility and relative affordability of petrol and dieselpowered machinery have enabled significant savings in both labour and time. However, the internal combustion engine has also long-since been recognised as a contributor to poor airquality, health complaints and climate change.

The 2-stroke engine was ideally suited to smaller equipment; reliable, easy to maintain and with a great power to weight ratio, it will be a tough act to follow. Unfortunately, it is this simplicity of design that results in higher emissions and the need for a more environmentally-friendly solution.

Legislation has resulted in control programmes for on-road use, with the result that emissions from cars and lorries have fallen significantly in recent years. Petrol and diesel engines used in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) have also been subject to emissions regulations but have generally lagged behind standards set for on-road applications.

With emissions from on-road vehicles decreasing, the relative importance of air pollution from NRMM sources has increased. It is clear, therefore, that, in the next few years, machinery used by the landscape industry will change significantly to meet increasingly stringent regulation.

Two key areas of development are batteries and 4-stroke petrol engine technology. Battery-powered alternatives are now available for most small landscape equipment, which combine high performance with significant reductions in hand-arm vibration, weight and, significantly, emissions levels. A new generation of small, 4-stroke petrol-powered engines has also been developed by leading manufacturers, which match the power, reliability and weight of 2-stroke engines whilst reducing fuel consumption and ensuring emissions are now within permitted limits.

Non-road mobile machinery represents a significant source of regulated air pollutants, in particular nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter. Other pollutants regulated by legislation include hydrocarbons, ammonia and carbon monoxide.

To date, however, neither fuel efficiency nor carbon dioxide has been regulated on non-road mobile machinery.

In the landscape sector the use of petrol and diesel engines is split, depending on application. Whilst larger landscape equipment, such as tractors, chippers and generators, has traditionally relied on diesel engines for its durability, fuel efficiency and performance in arduous conditions, smaller landscape equipment has used petrol for simplicity, weight and

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size. Stricter emissions regulations will result in significant changes to landscape machinery in the future, both in terms of the technology required to enable traditional internal combustion engines to meet regulations and the need for new sources of power.

Stage V of the European Non-Road Emission Standards, which comes into force on equipment sold from 2019, represents a landmark change for engines in non-road machinery.

For the first time, particle number limits will be introduced to engines found on diesel-powered landscape machinery, and emission standards for engines below 19kW (approx. 25hp) will be implemented.

For manufacturers of smaller machinery such as chippers and tractors, Stage V represents a huge technical challenge. To meet the regulations engines will require sophisticated fuelling and emissions systems, similar to the systems currently found on cars and trucks.

Smaller landscape equipment is also likely to change; strimmers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers etc. are already being offered with alternative power sources.

The trusty 2-stroke engine, which has powered a huge range of landscape equipment for decades, is increasingly being dropped by manufacturers as they turn towards alternative engine configurations, and even battery power.

Summer 2018

As you will have seen in my monthly technical newsletter, BALI Hub, two of our BALI Registered Affiliate members, Makita and Honda, kindly lent their equipment to BALI to be reviewed. Both manufacturers have embraced the latest technology and implemented it to great effect in their equipment.

Owen Baker Technical Officer (Policy & Research) owen.baker@bali.org.uk

Owen Baker, Technical Officer

TRAINING & TECHNICAL

The Benefits of Trees

By Alan Richardson, Senior Arboriculturist at Ground Control

Trees are a vital part of our everyday life, providing many benefits – not only for the environment but also for our health, wellbeing and the wider community. Trees give us oxygen, store carbon, stabilise soil and give life to the world’s wildlife. Trees planted today will offer social, environmental, and economic benefits for years to come, and it is critical that trees are preserved and sustainably managed.

Health Benefits - In one year, two mature trees can provide enough oxygen for a family of four whilst simultaneously removing pollution from the air. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen, improving air quality and counteracting the greenhouse effect as they absorb pollutants and intercept harmful particulates. Research shows that living near trees promotes wellbeing, improves mental health and reduces stress.

Research also suggests that living in an area with lots of trees can prolong a lifespan by seven years.

Wildlife Support - It’s well known that trees provide homes and food for birds and other animals, as well as habitat corridors from one area to another. BALI Registered Contractor Ground Control an Arboricultural Association ‘Approved Contractor’ for both amenity and utility works - ensures that work to trees is not detrimental to their long-term health, taking into consideration biological/ phenological requirements and species type. During bird nesting season, for example, it should be assumed that nesting birds will be present and therefore it is the contractor’s duty to take the necessary precautions, following strict protocols.

Community Benefits - A greener environment is a better living and working environment. Trees help to create welcoming areas within our town centres, encouraging people to visit and stay for prolonged periods, and workers who have views of trees feel happier, which increases performance and production output, helping the economy. Trees are also proven to increase property values. Owning a house on a street lined with trees increases the value of a property by 5-7%. Streets and parks with trees also look better cared for and have increased footfall, providing a deterrent against crime and anti-social behaviour.

Tree management - Visual Tree Assessment (VTA) is a method of tree diagnosis that is used and legally accepted worldwide. It interprets the body language of trees, linking internal defects such as mechanical faults, pathogens, pest and disease, to the trees’ own repair-structures, assessing them and deducing measures for remedial action. It helps to avoid unnecessary felling and accidents caused by tree failure.

VTAs, alongside Ground Control’s in-house tree management system “Woodplan” and the company’s team of

arboriculturists, can facilitate a proactive tree management system, ensuring a client’s duty of care and prioritising work to enable budget planning.

Over time, the associated efficiencies and cost savings of proactive management, combined with the social, environmental, economic and ecological benefits that come from a diverse, healthy tree population with assured longevity for the future, will ultimately benefit landowners, businesses and society.

Stewart Wardrop, Arboricultural Association CEO, said: “The Arboricultural Association endorses Ground Control’s message and echoes the importance of promoting the benefits of trees, so that they may be viewed as assets rather than liabilities in the future.” trees.org.uk ground-control.co.uk

Summer 2018

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

Beware of caterpillar hazard this summer Landscapers, grounds maintenance contractors and tree surgeons in the South-East are being reminded to protect themselves this summer from contact with the hairs of the oak processionary moth caterpillar (OPM). They are also being encouraged to help monitor and control the pest by reporting sightings to the Forestry Commission, and to take care not to spread the pest when removing oak material from work sites.

As well as damaging oak trees by feeding on the leaves, the caterpillars have hairs that can cause itching skin rashes, eye irritations, sore throats and other health problems in people and animals who come into contact with them. In rare cases they can cause breathing difficulties and allergic reactions. Land-based workers are therefore strongly advised to wear protective clothing when working with or close to oak trees in the affected areas.

The hairs can be blown on the wind, left in the caterpillars’ nests on and under oak trees, and can stick to bark, clothing and items such as ropes. The greatest risk period is May to July, although nests should not be approached at any time because the hairs remain active for many months.

Andrew Hoppit, OPM programme manager for the Forestry Commission, said: “Unfortunately the pest has spread outside London into more rural areas in surrounding counties such as Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Essex, so there is an increased possibility of landscape workers coming into contact with it. As well as urging them to protect themselves from possible contact, I also encourage

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landscape workers to help our efforts to monitor and control it by reporting sighting of caterpillars and nests to us using Tree Alert. However, we don’t advise them to try removing them.

Removal requires specialist equipment and training to be done effectively.”

He added: “If a landscape job involves removing oak trees or branches, please be aware that moving infested oak material is one way in which OPM can be spread. I therefore urge landscape workers in the affected areas to take the precautions recommended on our website to ensure they don’t accidentally spread the pest to new areas.”

Anyone planning to fell oak trees in the affected areas must contact the Forestry Commission’s Plant Health Service beforehand on plant.health@forestry. gsi.gov.uk or 0300 067 5155 for advice about safe removal of the material.

They should also familiarise themselves with the regulations and good practice guidance applying to handling and disposal of oak material in the affected areas, at forestry.gov.uk/opm.

A video on the website depicts a number of views of OPM caterpillars and nests that landscape workers might encounter.

Summer 2018

• An OPM ‘manual’ on surveying for and managing OPM, including health and safety guidance, is available at forestry.gov.uk/opmmanual • Sightings should be reported with the Forestry Commission’s Tree Alert online form available from forestry.gov. uk/opm. Anyone who cannot use Tree Alert (which requires a photograph) may email reports to opm@forestry. gsi.gov.uk or telephone them to 0300 067 4442.

• Health advice is available from the “Insects that bite or sting” area of the NHS Choices website: nhs.uk/livewell • Further information, including identification guidance and maps, is available from: forestry.gov.uk/opm OPM entered Britain as eggs on semi-mature oak trees imported from nurseries in continental Europe.

Purchasing managers should buy only from reputable suppliers who practise good biosecurity and who source their plants from areas known to be free of the pests and diseases of concern to this county.

To avoid transferring pests and diseases from site to site, give equipment, tools, boots and vehicles a good wash before leaving a work site, and disinfect tools and boots before moving on to the next site. More detailed biosecurity advice and guidance is available at forestry.gov. uk/england-keepitclean and forestry. gov.uk/biosecurity. The plant pests and diseases of concern to the forestry sector are presented at forestry.gov.uk/ pestsanddiseases.

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

Oman Botanic Garden - Exterior view of the Northern Habitat biome

Creating soils for an Arabian botanical oasis 35km west of Oman’s capital, Muscat, in the foothills of the northern Al Hajar Mountains, an area of over 420 hectares is soon to be transformed into a botanical oasis, hosting the largest collection of Arabian plants in the world. Construction of the Oman Botanic Garden, a visionary project initiated in 2006, begins this summer.

The garden will contain eight diverse habitats to display the varied and dramatic habitats and landscapes found in Oman. Each habitat will host plant species that reflect Oman’s rich botanical heritage. Two of the more sensitive habitats will be enclosed within two awe-inspiring biomes – amongst the largest in the world. The Northern biome will recreate the varied habitats of the Northern Mountains, from agricultural terraces with fruit trees and roses to rocky landscapes with high altitude species. The Southern Biome will enclose the rich and varied cloud forests found in the Dhofar region. Visitors will find a cliff face and Salt accumulations waterfall, descending into in harsh desert soils lush forest. Surrounding the biomes will be unique desert habitats, a lush wadi landscape, and salt flats.

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Fundamental to the success of the project are the range of soils that are to be managed and manufactured on site. Lead design and project consultants for the Oman Botanic Garden – Arup – first brought in soil and landscape consultants, and BALI Registered Affiliate, Tim O’Hare Associates (TOHA) at the concept design stage to undertake a soil survey of the entire site.

This was carried out by TOHA Principal Consultant Tim O’Hare and Senior Associate Dr Laura Hathaway-Jenkins.

Whilst some of the in-situ soils were encouragingly good, others were found to be extremely hostile.

In order to design soils that would replicate those found in the Omani habitats, the TOHA team went on to visit regions of Oman to understand the specific agronomic properties of the soils and their management requirements (drainage, amelioration, irrigation, etc.). Research was also carried out into various mineral and organic ameliorants that could be sourced locally.

Using the data and information gathered from the survey and visits, TOHA developed the soil strategy for the entire landscape scheme. This detailed everything related to protecting the delicate site soils and landforms during construction, to the importation and manufacture of new soils. Detailed specifications were then prepared,

Summer 2018

Oman Botanic Garden – Exterior view of the Southern Habitat biome

including the materials and quantities to be used for each blend, the method of onsite blending, storage methods, application, and management during and post construction.

The onsite manufacture of the different topsoil mixes will be a complex operation and will be overseen throughout the construction phase by TOHA. Tim O’Hare said: “To my knowledge this scale of project, where unique soils for eight different habitats have to be created onsite, has never been attempted before. The biomes are a really specialist environment, requiring lightweight soils that can support the range of species found in two very different climatic zones. The Oman Botanic Garden is a dream project for a soil scientist as it gives us the opportunity to showcase what soil engineering can achieve.” toha.co.uk

TRAINING & TECHNICAL

The power of a strong strategic plan!

I have had the privilege of stepping inside many BALI member businesses over the past two years or so and I have noticed that very few members have produced a well-documented and powerful strategic plan. As with many aspects of the QSR criteria, those that do it can’t believe anyone wouldn’t, and those that don’t do it can’t believe anyone would bother!

Now, I’m not saying that you can’t run a successful business without a plan, of course you can; there are always exceptions to any rule. In general, though, I can tell within a short period of time whether a business has a plan or not.

The signs of a plan in place: • Cool calm and collected – There is generally an air of calmness about businesses with a plan, a sense of things being on track, heading in the right direction; • Jim can handle that – Quite often I won’t even see an owner with a plan, or I may see them initially and then they are happy to delegate the responsibility, safe in the knowledge that their team can deal with anything I may need; • Consistent focus – Everyone you speak to in the business has a clear understanding of not only what the business is trying to achieve but also what they need to do personally to help it get there;

a strong “Mission” as this informs all decisions, every decision becomes a simple question or series of questions “will this move us closer to our goal or not?”; “is it in the budget?” This applies to recruitment, purchases, systems development, training, anything you can think of.

Some of the smaller businesses I visit really struggle to see the point of a plan when there are only two or three people in the business but I hope the last point above demonstrates the importance of a plan, even if there is only one person in the business and that person is YOU!

Further reading: Doing The Business David Hall The E Myth Revisited Michael E. Gerber

A plan for a small business is likely to be very simple indeed; in fact it may only be a Mission Statement and some financial projections. Whatever form it takes it should be clear and you MUST believe in that plan - the simplest plan you believe in is worth a thousand complicated plans that you don’t feel passionate about. It’s a tough life running your own business and if you don’t have a burning passion to achieve something specific, then it’s often just not worth getting up in the morning!

Richard Gardiner Technical Officer (Quality Assurance) richard.gardiner@bali.org.uk (M) 07715 654964

• Decisions are easy – Businesses with a clear plan find decision making easier and tend to procrastinate less. This is particularly evident in businesses with

Quality Standards Reviews (QSRs) The following BALI Registered Contractors have successfully completed their QSR: Afan Landscapes Alfie Bines Gardens Crossland Landscapes The Garden Company Hickman Bros. Landscapes Horticon Jeff Annand Contracting Kentcare Landscape Services (South West)

Richard Gardiner Technical Officer (Quality Assurance)

P. Casey (Land Reclamation) SCS Landscape Management WAP Lawton & Son

Summer 2018

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DESIGNER FOCUS Full house for the inaugural BALI Professional Designer webinar We are delighted that it was a full house for the inaugural online webinar of the BALI Professional Designer Webinar series. ‘Setting up a design practice’ brought together a panel of successful designers from across the industry: Adam White FLI MBALI, President Elect of the Landscape Institute and Director of Davies White Ltd; Andree Davies, Director of Davies White Ltd; Sarah Morgan MSGD, Chair of the SGD and Director of Sarah Morgan Gardens; and Emma Mazzullo MSGD of Mazzullo and Russell Landscape Design.

Marian Boswall MBALI MSGD led the discussion and the panellists drew on their many years of experience to advise garden designers and landscape architects on the practicalities and pitfalls involved in setting up a design practice. A wide variety of topics were covered, ranging from the basic ‘toolkit’ of equipment required, to how to price your work, and where to find specific legal and professional advice. Delegates were encouraged to participate throughout by answering polls and contributing questions, which were answered during the course of the webinar.

The next webinar in the series will be The Profitable Professional Practice, scheduled to be broadcast in the autumn. For further information on the event, please email Emily Feeney,

BALI’s Senior Membership Officer, at emily.feeney@bali.org.uk

A great start to the year for BALI designers It’s been a great start to the year for BALI designers, despite the weather presenting a challenge for us all as we juggle spring planting with rain, snow, a heatwave - and yet more rain!

Managing clients’ expectations and contractors’ needs throughout this somewhat unpredictable weather has kept us all on our toes.

In March we kicked off with the first of our designer workshop days, entitled ‘Let There Be Light’. Kindly hosted by BALI Registered Affiliate member Mulberry Plants at their Hare Hatch nursery near Reading,

Marian Boswall MBALI MSGD

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Summer 2018

the event brought together Paul Willavoys from BALI Registered Affiliate member Landscapeplus and Rob Webber from Scenic Lighting to deliver an excellent presentation and workshop on the subject of lighting.

We had a great turnout, filling the room and keeping warm despite the cold day. During the informative workshop we covered everything from designing and planning the lighting, to understanding the fittings available and IP ratings. Pitfalls and problems were discussed, as was how to choose a contractor for installation.

As I write, planning for the BALI GoLandscape garden at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in July is in full swing. We have a great team of mentors in place to support the students building the garden. And in a really exciting new development, we are thrilled it will be included as a judged Show Garden this year, giving an extra incentive to showcase the skills and opportunities within the landscaping industry.

Fingers crossed for great weather!

Marian Boswall MBALI MSGD and Rosemary Coldstream MBALI MSGD

Rosemary Coldstream MBALI MSGD

DESIGNER FOCUS

MARIAN BOSWALL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS DESIGNS NEW LANDSCAPE SETTING FOR ICONIC SCULPTURE To mark the bicentenary of the birth of George Frederic Watts, OM, RA (1817– 1904), who in his lifetime was widely considered to be one the world’s greatest artists, the Watts Gallery Trust has commissioned a new bronze cast of the artist’s renowned public sculpture, Physical Energy. Currently on display at the Royal Academy of Arts, the new cast is to be sited on the hillside adjoining the A3, on the edge of the Artists’ Village founded by G F and Mary Watts in 1890 in Compton.

Physical Energy will be the first public art installation on this major route.

The position of Physical Energy creates a link to the important Watts landmarks.

Public art in the transport system has been found to assist in creating high quality built environments and strengthen the infrastructure for the arts, enhancing cultural economy and profile and underlining the status of a county as a successful and forward looking authority. The landscape design is inspired by Watts use of strong lines

and the curve. It aims for visual impact, accessibility, security, sound mitigation and drainage.

The sculpture is raised up on a curved belvedere, accessible via a path from the car park and a circular DDA-compliant walk along the ridge, and framed with small trees. It is reflected in an informal pool, which also provides security and drainage. The view travelling south along the A3 will be of the sculpture sitting proud of the mound above Whiteacre Copse, framed by trees and softly lit by reflections from the water.

G F Watts firmly believed in Art for All, the concept that access to great art could bring immense benefits to society.

Physical Energy was the culmination of this belief, created without specific reference to any individual as a gift to the nation. Watts declared it to be “a symbol of that restless physical impulse to seek the still unachieved.”

Design for sculpture landscape setting

marianboswall.com

Summer 2018

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DESIGNER FOCUS

BALI Registered Designer creates stunning new garden for Battersea Park Take a walk in or towards Battersea Park across the Thames at Albert Bridge and you will spot a stunning new landscape: the Promontory Garden.

Completed in January 2018, the garden has been constructed and planted to the award-winning design by BALI Registered Designer David Keary MBALI MSGD of Leicestershire-based Keary Design Associates.

The official opening – on a chilly day at the end of February – was attended

by Wandsworth Council’s Community spokesperson, Councillor Jonathan Cook, David Keary, members of the Friends of Battersea Park, and representatives of Enable Leisure and Culture. Guests braved the chilly weather to walk through the garden they helped visualise, fund and bring to fruition.

The event in the north-west corner of the park celebrated The Promontory being made accessible to the public for the first time in over thirty years.

The garden, costing just over £100,000, was funded by Wandsworth Council and generous donations from the Friends of Battersea Park. Seeing the garden completed, designer David Keary said: “Battersea Park has always been a favourite of mine – I was drawn to its eclectic blend of styles and rich heritage. Seeing my design become a living landscape on the banks of the Thames is a fantastic experience. The garden, with its plants and walkways, sympathetic to the Park’s Victorian

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design style, will open up a stunning outlook across the park, the river and Albert Bridge.”

David’s design won the Battersea Park Promontory Design Competition, organised by The Landscape Show in association with the Society of Garden Designers, of which he is also a Registered Member. Construction commenced in November 2017 and was completed in January 2018 by BALI Registered Contractor Blakedown Landscapes.

The new garden provides access to seating and unique views across the River Thames, in particular offering an impressive vantage point from which to view Albert Bridge. The design acknowledges the Victorian heritage of Battersea Park and successfully overcame the challenges of working around existing large trees and uneven levels through incorporating sculptured mounds and sweeping paths. The planting includes a number of lowgrowing and shade-tolerant species that will resist the cold winter winds that sweep in off the Thames.

Summer 2018

David Keary MBALI (left) with Frances Radcliffe (Friends of Battersea Park) and Councillor Jonathan Cook

The garden offers great spring and summer promise, with a colourful planting palette of shrubs, grasses, ferns and herbaceous perennials, along with a cluster of Japanese maples occupying the centre of the garden: Acer palmatum ‘Chitoseyama’; Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’; Ilex crenata ‘Golden Gem’; Mahonia eurybracteata Soft Caress; Asarum europaeum; Aster frikartii ‘Monch’; Astilbe chinensis pumila; Astrantia major rosea; Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’; Epimedium versicolor ‘Sulphureum’; Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’; Iris sibirica ‘Snow Queen’; Kirengoshama palmate; Kniphofia ‘Coral Flame’; Libertia peregrinans ‘Gold Leaf’; Liriope muscari; Liriope muscari ‘Variegata’; Monarda ‘Squaw’; Paeonia lactiflora ‘Sarah Bernhardt’; Penstemon ‘Garnet’; Rodgersia podophyllum; Tellima grandiflora ‘Purpurea’; Veronicastrum virginicum; Asplenium scolopendrium; Blechnum spicant; Matteuccia struthiopteris; Carex morrowii variegate.

Members of the public are encouraged to visit the new area in Battersea Park and take in the stunning views of the River Thames and admire the multifaceted array of plants, foliage, form and colour throughout the seasons. kearydesign.co.uk

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The Academy will be offering a range of accredited, informative and interactive courses on the installation, properties of and how to get the most out of landscaping products in domestic applications.

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RHS CHELSEA REVIEW

2018

Success all round for BALI members There may have been fewer BALI members involved with this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show than in recent years but that didn’t stop them ‘going for Gold’ and bringing home eight RHS Gold Medals, along with three Silver-Gilt and one Silver. And the focus wasn’t simply on our designers and contractors.

Two of our BALI Training Providers won Gold for their Discovery exhibits, a BALI Registered Affiliate member won Gold for their display in the Great Pavilion, and six other Affiliates brought home the top trade stand awards.

The warm May weather continued throughout the show, allowing visitors to see the wonderful gardens at their very best. Lupins were definitely the flower of the show, with many designers including them in their planting palettes. Protection of the environment also featured large, unsurprisingly, with designers’ plant and product selection informed by such issues as climate change and biodiversity.

Results In the Show Garden category, Gold Medals were awarded to Registered Contractor Landform Consultants and to Mark Gregory (designer) for the Welcome to Yorkshire Garden, and Honorary Member Chris Beardshaw for The Morgan Stanley Garden for the NSPCC; Silver-Gilt Medals were awarded to Registered Contractor Randle Siddeley for the LG Eco-City Garden, and Registered Contractor Landscape Associates for The Lemon Tree Trust Garden.

In the new Space to Grow Gardens category, Gold Medals went to Registered Designer Kate Gould for the design and construction of The New West End Garden, Registered Contractor Garden Club London for The Urban Flow Garden, Registered Contractor Landform Consultants for The Seedlip Garden, and Registered

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Contractor The Garden Builders for The Pearlfisher Garden.

In the Artisan Gardens category, Registered Contractor Belderbos Landscapes received a Silver-Gilt Medal for the British Council Garden – India: A Billion Dreams, and Registered Contractor Frosts Landscape Construction received a Silver Medal for The Supershoes, Laced with Hope Garden, which they also sponsored.

In the Discovery area of The Great Pavilion, BALI’s Training Provider members Capel Manor College and Sparsholt College were both awarded Gold Medals for their exhibits, as was Registered Affiliate member Peter Beales Roses.

BALI’s other Registered Affiliates at the show did particularly well this year with their trade stands. Gabriel Ash, designers and manufacturers of greenhouses and garden buildings, and Harrod UK, designers and manufacturers of fruit cages, obelisks, and garden structures, each received 5 Star awards for their stands. 4 Stars were awarded to Agriframes, Barcham Trees, EverEdge and Marshalls.

BALI’s small trade stand on Eastern Avenue, which received a creditable 3 Stars, featured a full size Fytotextile living wall featuring types of Iberis sempervirens, Erigeron karvinskianus

Summer 2018

and Pachysandra terminalis variegata, adding colour and splendour. Kindly supplied by Registered Contractor Scotscape Landscaping, the living wall surrounded a one metre high BALI logo and provided a lush environment in a relatively small space.

Commenting on BALI members’ success, the association’s Chief Executive, Wayne Grills, said: “2018 has been another great year for BALI members at Chelsea. Although we saw fewer members building and designing gardens than in recent years, those who have been involved have all brought home medals, and most of them Gold!

It is also wonderful to see our Affiliate members creating really special trade stands to show off their products, and being rewarded with the top trade stand awards.

“Chelsea evolves and develops each year and BALI is proud to be part of that evolution, bringing its members’ expertise and professionalism to the attention of the tens of thousands of visitors, and to the millions who watch the coverage online and on television.

It continues to be a major showcase for our members and for the wider landscape industry.”

All Chelsea medal winners can be found at rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhschelsea-flower-show/awards Space prevents us from including in Landscape News images of all the gardens and so only those with a BALI connection are featured. For more images taken at this year show by BALI, visit bali.org.uk

SHOW GARDENS

1.

2.

3.

1.

Gold Medal, People’s Choice Award and Best Construction Award Welcome to Yorkshire Designer – Mark Gregory, Landform Consultants Contractor – Landform Consultants (BALI Contractor)

2.

Gold Medal and Best Show Garden Award The Morgan Stanley Garden for the NSPCC Designer – Chris Beardshaw (Honorary Member) Contractor – Structure Group

3.

Silver-Gilt Medal LG Eco-City Garden Designer – Hay-Joung Hwang Contractor – Randle Siddeley (BALI Contractor)

4. Silver-Gilt Medal

4.

The Lemon Tree Trust Garden Designer – Tom Massey Contractor – Landscape Associates (BALI Contractor)

Summer 2018

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SPACE TO GROW GARDENS

1.

3.

2.

1.

Gold Medal New West End Garden Designer/Contractor – Kate Gould (BALI Designer)

2.

Gold Medal and Best Space to Grow Garden Award Urban Flow Garden Designer – Tony Woods (BALI Designer), Garden Club London Contractor – Garden Club London (BALI Contractor)

3.

Gold Medal The Seedlip Garden Designer – Catherine MacDonald Contractor – Landform Consultants (BALI Contractor)

4.

Gold Medal The Pearlfisher Garden Designer – John Warland and the Pearlfisher team Contractor – The Garden Builders (BALI Contractor)

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Summer 2018

4.

ARTISAN GARDENS

1.

1.

2.

Silver-Gilt Medal British Council Garden – India: A Billion Dreams Designer – Sarah Eberle Contractor – Belderbos Landscapes (BALI Contractor)

2.

Silver Medal The Supershoes, Laced with Hope Garden, a partnership with Frosts Designer – Laura Anstiss Contractor – Frosts Landscape Construction (BALI Contractor)

THE GREAT PAVILION DISCOVERY

1.

2.

1.

Gold Medal Fifty Shades of Gold Designers – Capel Manor College, Julie Dowbiggin, Jane Brook Build – Capel Manor College (BALI Training Provider)

2.

Gold Medal and Best Discovery Exhibit The Force for Good Designer – Chris Bird, Sparsholt College Contractor – Sparsholt College (BALI Training Provider)

3.

Gold Medal Peter Beales Roses (BALI Affiliate)

3.

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BALI AFFILIATE MEMBERS

Harrod UK 5 Stars

Gabriel Ash 5 Stars

Agriframes 4 Stars

Marshalls 4 Stars

EverEdge 4 Stars

BALI 3 Stars

BALI members at Chelsea 2018

RHS Chelsea judge and owner of BALI Registered Contractor The Outdoor Room, David Dodd, with BALI’s Darren Taylor

BALI Design Director Marian Boswall, left, on BALI Registered Affiliate Barcham Trees’ stand (4 Stars)

Tecwyn Evans of BALI Registered Contractor Living Landscapes

Tony Woods MBALI designer with BALI Registered Contractor Garden Club London, on his Gold Medal winning garden

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Summer 2018

Former BALI National Chairman Paul Cowell, left, with Brian Herbert from Outdoor Options

Thank you to all of our sponsors for supporting the BALI National Landscape Awards 2018 Headline Sponsor

8

Sponsors

Perennialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s York Gate Garden near Leeds. Photo: Ben Charles.

York Gate will hold its first ever snowdrop week 20-23 February 2018

For general enquiries, contact Emily Feeney 024 7669 8658 or Kirsty Wood 024 7669 8654 or email awards@bali.org.uk

Limited sponsorship opportunities still available. Contact Diane McCulloch 0161 478 8506 or email diane.mcculloch@bali.org.uk

EVENTS

2018 Events Calendar 19-21 June

Facilities Show, ExCeL, London facilitiesshow.com

10-12 September

GLEE, NEC Birmingham gleebirmingham.com

22-24 June

RHS Harlow Carr Flower Show, Harrogate, North Yorkshire rhs.org.uk/shows-events/

12 September

BALI National AGM, Landscape House, Stoneleigh Park bali.org.uk

3-8 July

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show rhs.org.uk/shows-events/

12-15 September

GaLaBau 2018, Nuremberg, Germany galabau-messe.com/en

14-16 July

The Belvoir Flower & Garden Festival, Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire andrew.tudbury@ntlworld.com

18-19 September

Landscape, Battersea Park, London landscapeshow.co.uk

18-22 July

RHS Flower Show Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire rhs.org.uk/shows-events/

29-30 September

Malvern Autumn Show, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire threecounties.co.uk/malvernautumn/

1-5 August

RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show, Chelmsford, Essex rhs.org.uk/shows-events/

12 October

17-19 August

RHS Rosemoor Flower Show, Torrington, Devon rhs.org.uk/shows-events/

31 October 1 November

4-5 September

Four Oaks Trade Show, Macclesfield, Cheshire fouroaks-tradeshow.com

4-9 September

RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show, Nr Woking, Surrey rhs.org.uk/shows-events/

6 September

FutureScape Scotland,, Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston scothort.com

15-17 November 20 November 7 December

2018 Perennial Festival Dinner, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, London perennial.org.uk SALTEX, NEC, Birmingham iogsaltex.com The Skills Show, NEC, Birmingham worldskillsuk.org FutureScape 2018, Sandown Park Racecourse, Surrey futurescapeevent.com BALI National Landscape Awards, London baliawards.co.uk

Perennial relaunches fundraising Festival Dinner Perennial is reviving its traditional fundraising Festival Dinner with the help of partners and supporters from across the UK horticulture and landscaping industries. Taking place on 12 October at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, one of London’s top fivestar hotels, the event will be a glittering evening beginning with a champagne reception in the Carlyle Suite, followed by a delicious three-course dinner and entertainment in the Ballroom.

The annual festival dinner was a prestigious occasion dating right back to Perennial’s origins. On 17 January 1839, the Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution was founded at the inaugural dinner, which was attended by gardeners, nurserymen and wealthy estate owners. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the dinners drew the attention and support of high society. In 1852, Charles Dickens presided over the

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ninth festival dinner and in 1867 it was the turn of Sir Robert Peel, founder of the modern police force.

Chris Crooker, Events Manager at Perennial, says: “Continuing the tradition of supporting those who look after Britain’s gardens and green spaces, this year’s festival dinner will raise funds to help make sure Perennial can continue to offer its essential welfare services, which are needed by horticulturists of every profession today more than ever. And in keeping with the tradition of illustrious hosts of these fundraising events, James Alexander Sinclair will be the speaker at our new look festival dinner this autumn.”

An auction will take place, presided over by Andrew Fisher Tomlin and Jeremy Storey Walker, with a host of fabulous lots to bid for on the night. Support for the event is growing with two headline sponsors

Summer 2018

already on board – The Landscape Show and the London College of Garden Design. Further sponsorship opportunities are still available - for information contact Laura Garnett on lgarnett@perennial.org.uk Festival Dinner tickets cost £150 each and are available individually or in tables of ten. Book tickets at perennial.org.uk/events/festivaldinner-2018 or call Maya Albert on 01372 384043 or email malbert@ perennial.org.uk

EVENTS

GALABAU 2018 All lights are ‘green’ for GaLaBau 2018, the 23rd International Trade Fair for Urban Green and Open Spaces, to be held in the Exhibition Centre, Nuremberg, Germany, from 12-15 September. Around 1,400 exhibitors and 65,000 trade visitors are expected to attend.

International companies will display the complete range of products and services related to the planning, construction and maintenance of gardens, parks and green spaces across 14 exhibition halls, the highest number yet. The honorary sponsor of GaLaBau is the German Association for Gardening, Landscaping and Sports Field Construction (BGL).

Stefan Dittrich, GaLaBau’s Exhibition Director, is very satisfied with the trade fair’s preparations: “GaLaBau 2018 is growing in terms of space. Thanks to tremendous demand, especially in the maintenance equipment sector, we are opening an additional hall, hall 11.

The international development is also

especially gratifying. Dutch exhibitors, for example, have already booked more than 50% more exhibition space than in 2016 and exhibitors from Denmark and the Czech Republic have booked over 70% more.”

One highlight in 2018 will be the ‘Garden of Dreams’ area” (Garten[T]Räume) in hall 3A, which is integrated into BGL’s exhibition stand. This will serve as the contact point for decision makers in the industry. Inspiring presentations of services and products related to urban areas, including skylines, courtyards and facade and roof surfaces, will be displayed on approximately 1,600 square metres of space.

Due to higher demand in the playgrounds and urban design sector, exhibitors will use part of hall 2 for the first time, in addition to hall 1. The German Federal Association of Playground Equipment and Leisure Facility Manufacturers (BSFH) and the trade magazine Playground@ Landscape will jointly organise a special show. The theme for 2018 is ‘Open Spaces of the Future – the playground experience from school yard to park’. Over a hundred companies working in the field of playgrounds and urban design will present their product innovations here.

Visitors can watch live mowing, dethatching and chaffing in the outdoor presentation area. Some exhibitors will use the GaLaBau presentation area to demonstrate their maintenance and soil tillage equipment on real grass and soil. galabau-messe.com/en

Visit website

THE SIGNS ARE ON GREEN

Nuremberg, Germany 12 – 15. 9. 2018 galabau-messe.com

Your Trade Fair with: • About 125,000 m² with over 1,400 exhibitors • Products and services for the design, construction and maintenance of green spaces • Latest trends and inspiring product innovations

GLB18_190x135_GB_Landscape_News_ALLG.indd 1

HONORARY SPONSOR Bundesverband Garten-, Landschafts- und Sportplatzbau e. V. www.galabau.de

ORGANIZER NürnbergMesse GmbH T +49 9 11 86 06-49 90 visitorservice@nuernbergmesse.de

24.04.18 08:51

Landscape T H E I N DU ST RY TR ADE SHOW

Tuesday 18 & Wednesday 19 September 2018 - Battersea Park, London The LANDSCAPE Show returns to Battersea Park in London on Tuesday & Wednesday the 18th & 19th of September 2018.

Over 200 manufacturers and suppliers, over 2,000 visitors and over 40 CPD accredited seminars.

BALI MEMBERS DISCOUNT IS AVAILABLE

www.landscapeshow.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7821 8221

@LandscapeEvent #Landscape2018

LANDSCAPE SHOW

Visit website

RA NE NG W E

EVENTS

18-19 September, Battersea Park

LANDSCAPE, the key trade show for the industry, is back for another year at London’s Battersea Park, uniting garden designers, landscape architects and contractors under one roof for two days dedicated to sourcing the latest innovations and technologies in the landscaping industry.

BALI is a proud supporter of the show and is looking forward to exhibiting again this year after a hugely successful LANDSCAPE 2017, where the association received over 70 membership enquires; more than they’ve seen at any other trade event. It will be exhibiting alongside a whole host of BALI members - make sure you come along and support the team on Stand A21.

On Tuesday 18 September, BALI is also teaming up with the SGD to deliver a brand new seminar entitled ‘BALI & SGD’s Guide to Setting up a Design Practice’. Starting from 1pm, the seminar features an all-star line-up of panellists, including BALI Designer Board Directors Marian Boswall and Rosemary Coldstream, alongside John Wyer of BALI Registered Contractor Bowles and Wyer, Emma Mazzullo of Mazzullo & Russell Landscape Design, and Chair of the SGD Sarah Morgan. Following the success of BALI’s sell-out designerfocused webinar earlier this year, BALI decided to reach out to the SGD to see if they would agree to a re-run of the event, this time via a live panel discussion at LANDSCAPE. LANDSCAPE 2018 promises to deliver a range of both new and returning exhibitors showcasing everything from outdoor furniture, garden buildings, planters, stone and decking, to mention just some of the products on display. The event is a must for any professional designer looking to source new products to use within their projects.

Andrew Fisher Tomlin from Fisher Tomlin & Bowyer says: “The thing that distinguishes the LANDSCAPE Show is that you always find new trade suppliers and new products that I would never have found elsewhere.”

Alongside the main exhibition is a free to attend Seminar Programme hosted across four seminar theatres. Each session is CPD accredited and addresses current topics integral to the industry. With speakers representing each sector of the landscaping world there is something for everyone and plenty to learn and inspire you at LANDSCAPE. There is no need to register your interest for the seminars in advance, simply turn up on the day. Be sure to check out landscapeshow.co.uk over the next couple of months for the latest announcements on who will be joining the line-up this September.

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BALI member Global Stone is returning to the event this year: “The LANDSCAPE Show is very targeted; you get to really talk to people that make the decisions in the landscaping industry.”

For any BALI members who are thinking of taking part in this year’s event for the first time, the LANDSCAPE Show can offer a fabulous discount of £200/m2 for each of the first 9 metres booked - a great overall saving on the cost of a stand. As well as this introductory offer, LANDSCAPE is offering returning BALI members a discount of 10% off the total cost of a stand.

Get in touch with a member of the LANDSCAPE team on: +44 (0)20 7821 8221 or email them at info@landscapeshow.co.uk to find out more.

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E: sales@mmtimber.co.uk www.mmtimber.co.uk M&M Timber, Hunt House Sawmills, Clows Top, Nr Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY14 9HY M&M Timber is a Division of Forest Garden Ltd.

Summer 2018

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CHARITIES

Thrive at BBC Gardeners’ World Live Thrive, the leading charity in the UK using gardening to bring about positive changes in the lives of people living with disabilities or ill health, or those who are isolated, disadvantaged or vulnerable, is exhibiting for the third year running at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. The ‘Garden of Celebration’ has been designed by youngsters from Regency School who attend Thrive Birmingham in Kings Heath Park on a weekly basis.

The garden will take visitors on a horticultural therapy journey, starting at the roots, and a circular path softly meanders through the garden with gentle, natural returns on feature spots, leading to the tree of life. The beautiful floral cake adorned with flowers is a fun celebratory feature of how Thrive has grown over the past 40 years.

The students have given a huge amount of thought to the use of space, paying particular attention to the therapeutic aspects of horticulture, using plants to improve physical and mental health and communication and thinking skills. The soft stones and natural muted colours depict calmness and tranquillity and the circular path offers an easy way to navigate the garden representing how Thrive supports elderly clients, some of whom may be living with dementia.

Thrive has won a silver and silver-merit medal at the show – fingers crossed for one better this year! If you can help or support Thrive in any way, please contact info@thrive.org,uk or visit the website: thrive.org.uk

HighGround The charity HighGround, started by Anna Baker Cresswell in 2013, uses the green environment to improve the wellbeing and employment prospects of those who have served in HM Forces. It provides the horticultural therapy service for injured service personnel at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) at Headley Court in Surrey and also works with those leaving the military, and with veterans, helping them to find jobs, careers and vocational opportunities in the land-based sector all over the UK. When Headley Court closes this summer, Anna and her team will move to the late Duke of Westminster’s magnificent legacy - the new Defence National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) at Stanford Hall near Loughborough (thednrc.org.uk). This follows the successful delivery of a threeyear pilot at Headley Court to test the benefits of horticultural therapy as a rehab intervention for injured service personnel during which 1,316 patients received 4,072 thirty minute horticultural therapy sessions.

Life in the military teaches many skills, such as problem-solving, team work and motivation in every sort of weather, and these skills map perfectly into the landbased sector where, especially post-Brexit, there are increasing shortages of skilled labour. HighGround has pioneered Rural

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Weeks – five fully residential days at an agricultural college (currently Bicton College in Devon) to give Service leavers, reservists and veterans an overview of the land-based sector. The charity is working with BALI and GoLandscape to explore opportunities to provide work experience or employment directly for exService personnel with industry companies.

HighGround receives no statutory funding and relies entirely on grantmaking trusts and public donation to continue its work. To find out how you can support, please contact anna@highground-uk.org or @HighGroundBoss highground-uk.org

Summer 2018

Anna Baker Cresswell

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High quality wildflower seed, prepared by hand and supplied to specification John Chambers is a leading supplier of British native wildflower seeds, mixes and bulbs for every project and budget • Heritage Range: A portfolio of British native mixes developed and planted over the last 30 years.

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

Firestone makes a splash at new US London embassy John McMullan, Commercial Manager of EPDM lining specialist and BALI Registered Affiliate member, Firestone Building Products, discusses the installation of the company’s GeoGard™ EPDM Membrane at the New USA Embassy Building in London.

Even in a city where there is no shortage of high profile, highly specified and extremely expensive buildings, few carry quite the prestige or the price tag of the recently completed US embassy. Constructed in the Nine Elms area of Wandsworth, South London, at an estimated cost of $1 billion, the project has the accolade of being the most expensive embassy ever built. Described as a crystalline ‘sugar cube’ and a ‘modernist museum’, the New London Embassy (NLE) was designed as a modern, welcoming and safe embassy for the 21st century, with advanced energy saving technologies built into the design.

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John McMullan

PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

case study

Alongside its stunning architecture and environmentally responsible building services installation, the NLE also boasts an impressive security specification, which includes a feature that is both aesthetic and reminiscent of the postconquest Norman castles. The extensive pond adjacent to the building both enhances the public realm around the embassy and provides a defensive border in the form of a moat.

The pond was designed by the project’s American architect, Kieran Timberlake, and the practice also specified the use of Firestone’s GeoGard™ 1.5mm EPDM lining membrane, which was installed on site by the construction and civil engineering contractor responsible for the pond, PJ Carey.

Style and shape Located to the south side of the NLE building, the 6,000 m2 pond is largely semi-circular in shape, abutting the embassy along its straight edge, with a dogleg bend at 90o, creating a waterfall at a right angle to the main wall, followed by a further 90o bend before it continues along a parallel route. In these areas, the retaining wall is 5m high and borders a walkway around the building perimeter, creating an impactful 5m drop for the waterfall, which is fed by pipework that takes water from the curved wall to the rear of the building.

From each end of the straight 5m walls, the pond curves out into the landscaped gardens. It has been constructed with three terraced dwarf walls along the curved edge, creating a stepped area for planting below the water line and enabling pedestrians to walk around the pond edge at ground level.

There are steps in this area, rising from the pond basin up through the terraced walls, with four steps in each location.

This design enables the pond area to be drained and used an outdoor, recessed function area; it also allows access to the pond bed for maintenance.

The water used to fill the pond is delivered via pipes leading from the embassy’s water system. Thanks to the rainwater harvesting infrastructure built into the building, much of the water used will be recycled rainwater, adding to the sustainability of the project. The landscaping around the pond has also been designed to enable water to drain through permeable paths into pipework that leads into the pond. A series of 44 ornamental scuppers [outlets] installed at a consistent level around the curved perimeter of the pond act as an overflow to manage the water level in the pond

and any excess water will simply drain into the sewer system.

Lining selection and training The Firestone GeoGard™ EPDM membrane was selected for its durability, long service life and flexibility.

Although the membrane is just 1.5mm thick, its chemical resistance and permanently elastic synthetic rubber structure provide excellent resistance to UV, heat, ozone, micro-organisms and extreme weather conditions. With formidable puncture resistance and elongation of up to 30%, the membrane is at low risk of tearing or puncturing, either during installation or due to heave, post completion.

The durability and flexibility of the GeoGard™ EPDM system made it the ideal choice for the NLE project as it allowed the installation team to tackle such a large project with high levels of detailing around corners, steps and penetrations.

Although the company had used EPDM membranes before, the level of complexity required for this project – including more than 6000 penetrations for the cladding fixings alone – required an expert approach.

Consequently, every member of the PJ Carey installation team was trained by Firestone’s technical team, and technical representatives visited the site several times during the course of the project to troubleshoot on specific detailing challenges and check the integrity of the installation. The Firestone technical team also aided optimisation of the GeoGard™ EPDM material, calculating the most efficient layout for the project.

Installation For all the vertical substrates Firestone Bonding Adhesive was roller-applied to the prepared concrete surfaces and the GeoGard™ EPDM membrane was then applied directly onto the substrate. At the top of each vertical section of membrane, the GeoGard™ EPDM was terminated using a stainless steel termination bar, which was mechanically fixed to the wall, holding the membrane in place. The GeoGard™ EPDM was then folded back down over the termination bar and Firestone’s Lap Sealant was applied onto the exposed edge to create a completely watertight seal.

For the terraced walls on the curved edge of the ponds, the installation used 3m sections of GeoGard™ EPDM to lap the membrane up and over the dwarf walls.

The base of the pond was levelled out by the contractor and a 50mm layer of bedding sand installed onto the level surface, followed by a geotextile layer and finally the GeoGard™ EPDM membrane. Concrete coving was installed around the perimeter of the pond basin and the PJ Carey team lapped the GeoGard™ EPDM membrane over the coving, bringing it down from the vertical surface and adhering it to the coving. The GeoGard™ EPDM was also lapped up the coving and a third layer of GeoGard™ EPDM was applied over the 500mm lap to create a very robust seal.

The east and west sides of the pond each contain two outlets where the water is supplied into the pond from the building’s mains and rainwater harvesting systems. To form these penetrations the PJ Carey team used Firestone’s QuickSeam™ FormFlash, an uncured EPDM membrane factorylaminated to QuickSeam™ tape designed specifically for challenging details like these. The team also used QuickSeam™ FormFlash to create 15 drainage outlets of various sizes around the pond’s internal perimeter to seal the apertures for the scuppers and to form all the complex corner and step details.

In addition to these details, the pond installation team also had to prepare 6000 penetrations for the cladding system used to conceal the concreate substrate and connect the pond aesthetically to the building. The PJ Carey team worked closely with the cladding specialist and the penetration locations were marked out on a grid, prior to installation of the first fix. With the first fix bracket in place, the PJ Carey team sealed each penetration using QuickSeam™ FormFlash and the penetrations were checked by Firestone’s technical team using compressed air to verify the seal. The second element of the bracket could then be installed in preparation for installation of the cladding panels.

Attention to detail Due to the size and complexity of the pond, the project took more than eighteen months to complete and additional planting was still ongoing when PJ Carey handed over the site.

With images of the building broadcast around the world during the official opening, the effort and attention to detail invested across the delivery partners was clear for all to see. firestonebpe.co.uk

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

Easigrass Portugal launched following partnership venture BALI Registered Affiliate member Easigrass has launched an exciting new venture with one of Europe’s leading quality commercial and domestic outdoor play and sports specialists. The network partnership between Easigrass and PlayPlanet - as Easigrass Portugal - will see the brand’s award-winning grass products installed in high profile commercial installations and available to a wider domestic market throughout northern Europe.

NatraTex - it’s asphalt Jim, but not as we know it BituChem Group was established in the mid-eighties to manufacture and supply highway emulsions – tackcoats, hot joint paints etc. In the thirty or so years since, the Bituchem Group has gone from strength to strength; it is now one of the leading suppliers of highway emulsions in the UK and beyond. The production of emulsions, however, is just half the story for this BALI Registered Affiliate member. It is also the market leader in the production of its coloured asphalt – NatraTex. NatraTex is widely used by reputable surfacing contractors throughout England and Wales. Colourful, durable, innovative and cost-effective, it is manufactured and supplied in exactly the same way as conventional macadam. The only difference is that an innovative, clear synthetic binder rather than black bitumen is used. This means that a comprehensive range of coloured asphalt can be offered, and the use of a compatible aggregate ensures that NatraTex remains a beautiful surface for years to come.

NatraTex is increasingly the number one choice for landscape professionals for its ease of placement, good looks, versatility, durability and costeffectiveness. On larger schemes its use can deliver significant project savings.

It can be used for a variety of applications, including footpaths, cycleways, courtyards, car parks, driveways and highways; and in a number of sectors - residential,

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recreation, retail, education, public realm, commercial and domestic.

NatraTex can also be manufactured to be permeable and SUDS compliant.

Loaded at approximately 175oC, NatraTex is transported to site on the back of fully insulated vehicles, laid hot and then rolled as soon as possible with clean conventional equipment.

Thicknesses vary from 25mm for pedestrian use up to 35mm for main carriageways.

BituChem Group offers fellow BALI members its knowledge and expertise to help them choose the right NatraTex product for their job. Providing assistance from the very early stages of design, including supplying samples for client approval, right through to being on site when the NatraTex is laid, the company is with its clients from start to finish.

To find out more about NatraTex, visit natratex.co.uk

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Summer 2018

The innovative design teams from Easigrass and PlayPlanet have also announced the development of new state-of-the-art children’s play and sports equipment installations.

Combining multi award-winning artificial grass and leading safe outdoor play equipment technology, these products will be available worldwide to all domestic and commercial Easigrass customers.

PlayPlanet specialises in commercial playground equipment, landscape design and installation, and works with leading architects for developments including shopping malls and major city park and sports grounds. As Easigrass Portugal, the company aims to expand further in the domestic garden play market.

“Easigrass is a quality brand and we work only with the best products,” said Milva Maggioni, general manager of Easigrass Portugal and PlayPlanet.

“Our core business is playground installations – safety is mandatory and we must ensure all our products are high standard.”

Easigrass Portugal was launched following talks with Easigrass managing director, Anthony Gallagher, at the FSB international trade fair in Germany in November 2017. The rapidly expanding Easigrass UK-wide and international network is on target to exceed a predicted 30% growth in sales in 2018. easigrass.com Easigrass Portugal team with MD Anthony Gallagher

PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

WIN A RYDER CUP WEEKEND WITH RIGBY TAYLOR Following the success of its Germin-8 liquid seed treatment, BALI Registered Affiliate Rigby Taylor – the company at the forefront of supplying innovative products for the successful management and maintenance of turf surfaces – has now announced the Germin-8T advanced formulation.

Each of the first three winning entries will win a POGO Pro moisture management system and free one-year Cloud subscription for the golf/sports club, while the head greenkeeper/course manager/head groundsman will receive an expensespaid weekend at the 2018 Ryder Cup. The prize includes return travel, two nights’ hotel accommodation and full on-course corporate hospitality at the 42nd Ryder Cup, to be held at Le Golf National (Albatross Course) in SaintQuentin-en-Yvelines, a suburb south west of Paris.

POGO Pro measures all four of the most influential variables governing turf performance – moisture, salinity (EC), canopy temperature and salinity index. It connects remotely to any Apple or android device and its integrated GPS features include precise location, geospatial condition analysis, cup placements, sprinkler

positioning and patterns, area measurement and custom mapping.

Rigby Taylor seeds offer greenkeepers and groundsmen unmatched quality and benefits, including top performing cultivars, tetraploid technology and Germin-8T, an advanced seed treatment with added trichoderma atroviride for improved disease tolerance.

As part of the Seeds for Change promotion, the listed seed packages for greens, tees or fairways, as well as sports pitches, from Rigby Taylor’s R range include new perennial ryegrass cultivars (Estelle, Eurocordus and Gianna) as part of the already hugely successful R9 ultra-fine dwarf rye, R14CR creeping and diploid, and R25CRT tetraploid creeping and diploid ranges, respectively, as well as the new R442 tetraploid and diploid perennial ryegrass blend mixture.

Jason Eldridge, head greenkeeper at Upchurch River Valley Golf Club, with the POGO moisture management system

To gain an entry into the national draw, customers are required to order (direct with a Rigby Taylor area representative) any of the listed packages for greens, tees or fairways, as well as sports pitches, and correctly answer a technical question. The grass seed order can also be combined with hectare applications of Exteris StressGuard for turf disease prevention and/or Activate-XL, a microbial biostimulant for improved early rooting development. As additional ‘packages’ are ordered then more entries can be made into the draw.

For more details, contact your Rigby Taylor area representative or Freephone 0800 424919.

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

Statue honours Yorkshire horticulturist A statue commemorating more than 60 years’ service to the industry by horticulturist John Richardson, Chairman of BALI Registered Affiliate member Johnson’s of Whixley, has been unveiled inside the entrance to the company’s main building. ‘The Spirit of the Nurseryman’ was created by wire sculptor Derek Kinzett.

First established in 1921, Johnsons of Whixley was purchased by John Richardson in 1964 and is now one of Europe’s largest commercial nurseries.

His three sons, Graham, Andrew and Iain, serve as joint Managing Directors, while several grandchildren also have roles within the family-run business.

strategy, quality and environmental systems, and health and safety.

Having recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and after last year receiving a lifetime achievement award for his commitment to Rural Excellence in Yorkshire, a statue in his honour came as a major surprise:

Starting with eight full-time staff and an annual turnover of £33,500, Johnsons of Whixley now employs 100 members of full-time staff, rising to 150 seasonally, and in the most recent financial period delivered a turnover of just under £12m.

“I vaguely remember something being said at the time of my 80th birthday along the lines of something special arriving in due course but I had no idea beyond that. It’s a tremendous honour.

I think the statue looks very realistic in dress, attitude and stance and it will look good in front of the office. It’s very well made and realistic and you can appreciate the craftsmanship that’s gone into it. It might take some getting used to but I don’t think I’ll have a problem walking past it each day. I will appreciate my sons’ thoughts every time I see it, and I like the notion that I remind them of a

Following numerous stages of expansion, production now covers 90 hectares across five sites, including the annual production of around two million container plants and fast approaching six million native hedging plants.

Richardson remains chairman and still takes an active daily role in governance,

Johnson of Whixley Chairman John Richardson, left, with BBC Look North’s Harry Gration in front of the statue

working man. However, along with every other person around the place, he looks far younger than me!”

Richardson holds a college diploma in Horticulture and studied at Writtle College. Industry accolades include: • Horticulture Week’s Individual Excellence Award (2006) • The Royal Horticultural Society Associate of Honour (2003) • The Institute of Horticulture Award for Significant Contribution to Horticulture (2003) • The prestigious Pearson Memorial Medal nurserymen.co.uk

Wyevale Nurseries reports growth in demand for specimen shrubs Wyevale Nurseries in Hereford has created additional bed space on its nursery for specimen shrubs and has extended the range recently to include several native hedging varieties. Over the past three years the BALI Registered Affiliate member has increased production by 300%, reflecting the growth in demand.

Adam Dunnett, Wyevale Nurseries’ Sales and Marketing Director, said: “Our new specimen beds are quarter of a hectare each and the total additional area space is half a hectare.

We also use drips for accurate and

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efficient irrigation for all our specimen shrub range. These additional beds now bring the new 600 bed specimen area to nearly two hectares of 7.5 litre (L) and 15L pots. We plan to install another quarter of a hectare next year too. The housing industry is currently the largest market for us for specimens. We are also finding holiday parks and the education sector are using more specimen shrubs too.”

One of the key lines in this range is Phormiums. Wyevale Nurseries grow Phormiums in 3L, 7.5L and 20L pots, giving customers different

Summer 2018

options depending on their budget and required impact. For spot planting as features in leisure parks or commercial projects, or to provide instant impact in show homes or garden make overs, Phormium specimen plants make a statement.

Adam added: “We produce the largest range of coastal evergreens of all UK growers and are renowned for both quality of product and excellent stock holding. Our range is under constant review with new, improved varieties regularly introduced.” wyevalenurseries.co.uk

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

Germinal launch new wildflower mixture for meadow habitat

MOBILANE’S ‘LIVEPICTURE GO’ WINS INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM Germinal’s state-of-the-art packing facility and storage

A new wildflower seed mixture, specifically designed to produce a fast-establishing sward of UK-native wildflowers and meadow grasses has been launched by BALI Registered Affiliate member Germinal Amenity.

Formulated to produce the kind of quick and easy to establish meadowtype habitats required by modern, commercial landscaping projects, Germinal’s Everyday Meadow seed mixture contains a total of six grasses and 18 wildflowers. Each of the 24 species has been selected to complement each other and to produce the correct balance of colour, textures and aesthetics required by landscape architects and their clients.

Unlike most traditional meadow mixtures, which typically contain 80% grasses and 20% wildflowers, Everyday Meadow contains a ratio of 90% grasses to 10% wildflowers: by increasing the grass content and selecting only annual species of wildflowers, Everyday Meadow is faster to establish.

Everyday Meadow produces a denser habitat thanks to its ability to be sown at 15 g/m2. Compared to most meadow mixtures, which are usually sown at 5-10 g/m2, Everyday Meadow rapidly creates a thick, attractive canopy, enabling the landscape contractor to tick another job off their checklist without having to be overly concerned about sparse or slowly developing vegetation cover.

All 18 of the wildflower species in Everyday Meadow are indigenous to the UK and have been hand-selected for their native traits and disease and stress tolerant characteristics, which make them perfect for urban, suburban and business park environments.

Seed plant investment increases efficiency at Germinal’s Lincoln headquarters A £1.5 million investment in state-ofthe-art packing facilities and additional storage capacity at Germinal GB’s headquarters is part of a broader

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long-term strategy to increase efficiencies and competitiveness throughout its expanding forage and amenity seed businesses. Managing Director Paul Billings says the improved customer service resulting from these latest developments is an essential step in future-proofing the company’s interests: “We’ve installed an automated bag filling, palletising and pallet wrapping line capable of highly responsive functionality and outputs of over 500 bags per hour,” he says. “We’ve also erected a new 18,565 square foot fully racked-out warehouse to effectively double our capacity to store finished goods. This means we can meet our customers’ orders for forage and amenity seed faster and more accurately, improving what is already renowned as a very dependable nextday-delivery service.”

Germinal GB’s amenity division breeds and supplies a range of landscape, sports turf and amenity grass cultivars, as well as an extensive selection of UK-specific wildflower varieties. The company also distributes a range of state-of-the-art phased release and speciality fertilisers, backed up by FACTS (Fertiliser Advisers Certification and Training Scheme) qualified support and advice.

Germinal’s amenity division has built a reputation for developing some of the best performing tennis, golf, football and rugby seed mixtures and for providing no-nonsense product support to the landscaping sector.

It has also recently announced investment in a new crop research station, which will further improve the quality and performance of its future seed mixtures. germinal.com

Summer 2018

An award that acknowledges the highest level of product innovation in ready-made green systems, living walls and ‘live’ art has been won by BALI Registered Affiliate member Mobilane’s new ‘LivePicture GO’.

Mobilane will receive the Red Dot Award for High Quality Design at a ceremony in Essen, Germany, in July 2018 where the winning products will be on display. LivePicture GO will then be displayed at the Red Dot Design Museum, also in Essen, which is the world’s largest continuous exhibition of leading contemporary design.

Alexander Ilsink, Commercial Director of Mobilane, is thrilled to have received this recognition: “The achievement of this international design award is an immense honour following years of Mobilane product development. The Red Dot Award acknowledges our attention to quality in design and our strength in innovation.”

LivePicture GO is a vertical plant system with a unique and innovative integrated water reservoir: art with living plants. The plants are supplied with water and fertilizers for about four weeks and the system’s in-built water indicators report if water is needed and when the reservoir is full. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, its recyclable plastic frame (51.6 x 51.6 cm) houses an interchangeable plant cassette into which a selection of plants is placed.

The frame is available in standard colours of white, grey, black and red.

The patented LivePicture GO has been developed in collaboration with product designer QDP from Duiven, Holland. LivePicture GO is planned for launch this summer. mobilane.co.uk

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F90 Series: When precision and consistency matters The Kubota F90 Series deliver maximum productivity, precision and efficiency.

From fairways to highways, the Kubota F90 Series can be relied on for consistent and efficient professional grade mowing. With a choice of three models, these powerful out front mowers are packed with performance enhancing features including auto-assist 4WD*, hydrostatic power steering and a large, comfortable operator deck designed to make everyday tasks easier and more productive. *N/A F2890E

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BALI LANDSCAPE NEWS_F90 SERIES A4 ADVERT.indd 1

02/05/2018 18:06