BALI Landscape News Winter 2019

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

bali.org.uk bali.org.uk£5.00 £5.00

WINTER

2019

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

page

10

BALI to launch Digital Marketing Masterclasses in 2020

page

26

The art of laying modern paving

page

32

Garden design: CAD vs handdrawn; there’s a place for both

page

40

BALI National Landscape Awards 2019 - The Review

Euroflor Pollin8 Nov2019_Layout 1 14/11/2019 15:51 Page 1

Visit website

An Environmental Initiative Rigby Taylor, in its 100th anniversary year, is heading a major initiative to assist in reversing the national decline in pollinating insects.

It’s called Project Pollin-8.

PROJECT

POLLIN-8

Project Pollin-8 is a range of 10 specially developed Euroflor flower seed mixtures which has been introduced to supply longer seasonal sources of nectar and pollen, whilst at the same time providing incredible flower displays.

In particular, a new mixture Euroflor Banquet contains the best species for pollinators, whilst delivering a high performance display.

Banquet is the result of information obtained from independent research data published by the Urban Pollinators Group* (UPG).

Sown from March through to June, flowers appear 50-55 days after seeding and will provide a riot of colour until the first frosts in late Autumn.

For a comprehensive Euroflor brochure ask your Rigby Taylor contact or Freefone 0800 424 919.

Also as part of this initiative, Rigby Taylor has launched a new website that details more about Project Pollin-8 and showcases all the Euroflor mixtures currently available.

www.euroflor.co.uk

Rigby Taylor Limited www.rigbytaylor.com e-mail: sales@rigbytaylor.com

‘*The Urban Pollinators Group (UPG) is a national research programme on urban pollinators run by Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, & Reading universities (2010-2013).

CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME Dear member As we move into the final quarter of this current membership year it is time to reflect on another successful 12 months at BALI. Wet weather may have dominated the autumn season, but this certainly hasn’t deterred the team at Landscape House who continue to work tirelessly to deliver a business plan that is meeting member objectives. Recent results from this year’s membership survey is proof that you are happy with the services being provided. A summary of the findings can be found on pages 6 & 7.

Returning to September, I felt the BALI National AGM was a great success and it was encouraging to see so many in attendance, the most I can remember for a long time.

We secured some great speakers and received fantastic support from Landscape House staff that led to a positive and engaging meeting.

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our newly appointed board directors, Tessa Stuart Johnstone, Matt Nokes, Ricky Whiteman and Tony Woods, thank you for volunteering.

I look forward to working with you over the coming months ahead. Now that we have a full board providing industry-wide representation I have no doubt the association will continue to move forward at pace.

Autumn and early winter provides the perfect window of opportunity for networking and I have once again attended two great trade events, SALTEX at the NEC and FutureScape at Sandown Park. Both events were well attended, offering visitors a chance to learn about the latest industry trends. To stay informed of what events, including both national and regional, are coming up ensure you sign up to receive our e-newsletter and check the BALI website events page regularly.

Speaking events, the 43rd BALI National Landscape Awards once again staged an impressive display of the very best of what the UK landscape industry has to offer. The standard of schemes submitted were exceptional and inspirational.

Winning a BALI National Landscape Award is the ultimate industry recognition. My sincere congratulations to all this year’s BALI National Award winners. Please make sure you promote your fantastic achievement by proudly displaying your winners’ logo on your marketing products. There is a full review of the event in this edition of Landscape News, starting on page 40. Now is the time to start thinking about your opportunity to enter in 2020.

I am now looking forward to meeting as many members as possible at the 2020 Regional AGMs with our Vice Chairman Richard Kay and Chief Executive Wayne Grills, so please come along and say hello. Full details of confirmed events are on page 10.

New members as at 28/11/2019 REGISTERED CONTRACTOR

South Thames • Ian Eadie Garden Solutions • Inspired Gardens • Lawnscape Designs • DPM Property Maintenance • Aspire Community Works Community Interest Company • Stone Green Landscapes North Thames • Norton Landscaping South West • Bespoke Stone Walling East Anglia • Look Garden Build Midlands • Fidelis Contract Services REGISTERED AFFILIATE

South Thames • Perfectly Green Yorkshire North East • Geo Quarries North West • Norton Landscaping ASSOCIATE CONTRACTOR

North Thames • EGCG EliGrass Cabin Group

North Thames • Tree Wise Men S.E. BALI & ROLO TRAINING PROVIDER

North Thames • SHE Compliancy Yorkshire North East • Vicky Anderson Training

Passed QSR • Urban Landscape Design • Complete Ground Management • Landmark (Yorks) • Acer Landscapes Design & Construction • East Midlands Landscaping • JS Agriculture • Landscape Engineering • McCracken & Son • Deerness Fencing & Landscaping • ANB Groundcare • The Head Gardeners • Bartholomew Landscaping • Arcadian Living • AJK Plant Hire • Kings Landscapes (Milton Keynes)

Finally, may I take this opportunity to wish you, your family and your staff a wonderful Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Best wishes.

Matt O’Conner National Chairman

Winter 2019

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BALI Landscape News

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CONTENTS Visit website

Arches • Pergolas • Obelisks • Fruit Cages • Raised Beds Bespoke Planters • Fencing • Garden Furniture

Bespoke planters now available

Editor’s Welcome It’s official. I am now the new Editor of Landscape News. I would like to thank my family, friends…ok, I’ll end it there. On to more important news, like how the team at Landscape House have already started working on new products and services based on your feedback from this year’s membership survey, where 145 of you shared your feedback with us. The results were published in full in November, but you can access these in your member’s area of the BALI website too. Thank you to those members who participated.

Previously I had reported that I was leading on a project to conduct a brand review for BALI and its sub-brands. I am pleased to say that we have reached a significant milestone with approval from the board in October to prepare final reports for review in January. More details will be shared with members via our weekly e-newsletter and in writing in the New Year once the details have been finalised. Some of the expected changes will be welcome ones for members who have provided past feedback.

Another exciting development for February 2020 is our brand-new Digital Marketing Masterclass training workshops. You asked for more varied training topics and we have developed two full-day courses in the south and north of the UK, covering advanced Google tools and topics. If you want to enhance your digital marketing knowledge you won’t want to miss this. Details on page 10.

Editor Darren Taylor BALI Landscape House Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2LG T: 024 7669 8656 M: 07800 573351 Editorial and news releases darren.taylor@bali.org.uk Advertising diane.mcculloch@bali.org.uk Copy date for Spring 2020 edition 14 February 2020

Finally, BALI is supporting the International Year of Plant Health for 2020 with a full programme of activity planned. It’s going to be a big year, so read more about our plans on page 12.

Best wishes.

Darren Taylor Cover image:

BALI National Landscape Awards 2019, Grand Award Winner, Ground Control, Community and Schools Development, The Children’s Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Design by:

bdci.co.uk Print by:

warwickprinting.co.uk

CONTENTS New Traditional Acid-Etched Steel Furniture Range

• • • •

Site visits Bespoke structures Trade discount & pricing Professional CAD/ technical drawings

Trade brochure: 2018

0333 400 1777 Trade enquiries:

trade@harrod.uk.com

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Winter 2019

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Quarterly Update

30

Designer Focus

8

Latest News

36

Charities

14

Contractor News

37

Events

20

Training & Technical

46

Product & Affiliate News

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It’s a hat-trick!

The third consecutive sell-out year for the BALI National Landscape Awards

QUARTERLY UPDATE

145 responses to BALI’s Membership Satisfaction Survey BALI recently conducted its annual membership satisfaction survey, providing members with the opportunity to feedback about membership and help shape the future strategy and business planning in order that they focus on you.

BALI Services Rated good or excellent Speed of response to enquiries/telephone calls

What a fantastic event 2019 was, such a pleasure to see this year’s winners on stage at our prestigious ceremony and a real honour to be able to provide a platform which our members can use to showcase their outstanding achievements.

Despite the current political landscape and potential uncertainty resulting from Brexit, BALI members across the country have been reporting strong order books. It is a wonderful sight to see members delivering world class projects and upholding professional standards even during these unpredictable times and difficult markets. Examples of exemplary projects were proudly on display at the Awards, from smaller domestic gardens to large ground maintenance contracts, following a record year for entries since 2009.

Many congratulations to all of this year’s winners.

I would like to extend my gratitude to our Chairman of the Adjudication Panel, John Melmoe and to his panel of adjudicators for their professional commitment in selecting this year’s winners. Each individual adjudicator freely conducts an enormous amount of work on our behalf to maintain the reputation and integrity of the Awards.

2019, under John’s stewardship, has been no exception. On behalf of the BALI board and wider membership, I would like to thank them for their support.

A special thank you must also be made to Events Project Manager Leah Brookes who very capably coordinated and managed our second in-house event with support from Operations Manager Kirsty Wood.

I also want to say thank you to our members who continue to support the Landscape House team, ensuring the Awards remain a pinnacle part of the industry calendar.

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2018/19 2019/20 83%

85%

Knowledge, advice offered and professionalism of BALI staff

92%

87%

Communication of industry developments and legislation

90%

85%

Relevance of BALI event topics

84%

74%

Content and format of the Who’s Who Directory

89%

N/A

Content of the Who's Who Directory

N/A

83%

Format of the Who's Who Directory

N/A

83%

Promotional opportunities for your business

60%

59%

BALI's website

83%

82%

Your member's only area of the BALI website

79%

77%

Administration and turnaround time of LISS/CSCS cards

33%

80%

BALI Benefits Rated good or excellent

2018/19 2019/20

Use of the BALI Registered logo

N/A

82%

Company profile on the BALI website

N/A

76%

Access to the member's only area on the BALI website

N/A

83%

Use the Professionals leaflets

N/A

66%

BALI Newsletter

N/A

82%

Entry into the Who's Who Directory

N/A

79%

Landscape News

N/A

80%

BALI HR/H&S in partnership with Quest – Telephone helpline

37%

73%

BALI HR/H&S in partnership with Quest – Online business support

32%

70%

Access to BALI's Technical Officer

N/A

80%

Access to model documents/risk assessments

39%

70%

Regional workshops/events/networking opportunities

57%

56%

National workshops/events/networking opportunities

64%

66%

BALI Insure in partnership with Aston Lark

N/A

60%

BALI Jobs in partnership with Horticulture Careers

N/A

58% 51%

BALI Digital in association with Adtrak

N/A

Which? Trusted Traders

N/A

63%

Dispute Resolution Service

20%

77%

Industry representation at government level

N/A

76%

BALI member discounted rates for exhibitions and conferences

N/A

66%

BALI Awards (if you have entered)

50%

77%

BALI Awards (if you have attended)

57%

87%

BALI Awards (if you have sponsored)

18%

82%

Trade magazine discounts

33%

60%

Member referral voucher

N/A

71%

Discounted hire of Landscape House meeting rooms

N/A

63%

Winter 2019

Over 1,000 VIPs, members and guests celebrated with BALI in The Great Room

When did someone in your company last speak to a BALI representative other than for renewal? <1 month

+1 month

+6 months

2018/19

2019/20

2018/19

2019/20

2018/19

2019/20

2018/19

2019/20

43%

38%

18%

26%

23%

19%

16%

17%

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

2018/19 2019/20

National Contractors Forum (BALI - NCF)

6%

7%

Domestic Forum

12%

8%

Affiliates Forum

21%

13%

Designer Forum

12%

6%

In relation to the Forum you have attended please rate the following – rated good or excellent

2018/19 2019/20

Content

41%

83%

Format

39%

81%

Frequency

30%

57%

Participation in these surveys is crucial and invaluable from our perspective as we can gain your views on how we are doing and where we need to concentrate our efforts in order to serve you better. We have managed to equal the number of participants in the survey to that of last year which was our highest return yet. I would encourage more of you to engage with us in this way as it helps to assess if we’re getting it right! So, a huge thank you to those of you that did feedback.

We have already started contacting those members that provided additional feedback to determine what action we can take to improve our service to you.

I am extremely pleased with those items highlighted in green as these show an improvement upon last year or that we have exceeded our target of 75% Excellent/Good feedback.

In summary, you told us: - There has been a vast improvement in member services such as Quest - Landscape News, Who’s Who and the weekly BALI Newsletter were rated highly - You want better communication of and support with, regional events - BALI has already hired a full time Regional Support Officer, Shinade Kaur,

BALI National Landscape Awards 2019, Principal Award Winner, Garden Club London, Domestic Garden Construction – Between £30k – £60k, Private Residence in London, © Joanna Kossak.

+12 months

Find out more on page 8.

When is your regional AGM?

who has already started working with each region to develop a regular event programme.

Industry Skills Research The industry research that the Ornamental Horticulture Round Table Group (OHRTG) commissioned that I reported on in the last edition has now been completed. The Horticulture Sector Skills Survey showed environmental issues are the main driver for change in the future of the UK ornamentals sector, and now a focus for the development of an industry skills strategy.

Many of you may be familiar with the one-day ROLO training course for operatives that has been running as a pre-cursor to applying for a Land-based Industry Skills Scheme/ Construction Skills Certification Scheme (LISS/CSCS) SmartCard before being able to work on live commercial land-based, construction and highways sites.

It’s that time of year again and I look forward to seeing as many of you at the BALI Regional AGMs in the new year as possible. Our AGMs provide an invaluable networking experience and there are some exciting guest speakers lined up. To find your nearest Regional AGM please see page 10 or visit bali.org.uk/news-and-events/events and filter by ‘BALI Regional Events’ for details.

Landscape House fully staffed

More information on the report can be found on page 8.

ROLO Health, Safety and Environmental Awareness training currently in development for supervisors and managers

For some time now we have been receiving feedback from both members and the wider industry that there is a need for an alternative and level-appropriate set of ROLO courses for supervisors, managers and professional persons who want to undertake training relevant to their job role and level of responsibility.

A very warm welcome to Anna Jackman who joined BALI in October as Membership Officer.

Anna will be working closely with Emily to provide support to current members and welcoming new members to the association.

In the meantime, on behalf of the Landscape House team here at BALI, may I wish you and your families a very happy festive season and your business every success in 2020, in which I hope BALI can play a part.

Best wishes.

Wayne Grills Chief Executive

Winter 2019

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LATEST NEWS

BALI SUPPORTS ORNAMENTAL SKILLS SURVEY Following its publication in October, the Horticulture Sector Skills

Survey published by Pye Tait on behalf of the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group (OHRTG), of which BALI is an active member, shows environmental issues, access to labour and shortage of skills were the main drivers for change in the future of the UK ornamentals sector, and now a focus for the development of an industry skills strategy.

1,100 businesses responded to the survey to help determine the true size of the skills shortage and understand future needs of an industry which contributes more than £24 billion to the country’s economy.

report shows that approximately 88% of business are micro or small. This figure is based on the definition of large businesses having 100+ employees. (Fig 1) Fig 1. Landscaping business size 62%

For a sector facing critical labour shortages, the results have the potential to shape future policy, focus skills funding and improve training. The call now is for the industry to digest, discuss and develop strategy together.

62%

28%

The report, available for free for all BALI members at bali.org.uk/helpand-advice, showed businesses in the sector expect automation, robotics and other technologies will have a limited impact on workforce pressures and skills requirements in the coming years.

Businesses noted significant barriers in apprentice recruitment, including a lack of candidate interest in the sector and perceived deficiencies in apprentice behaviours.

28%

Micro

Small

6%

4%

Medium

Large

6%

4%

The report also revealed the average age of those to be Micro working Smallin landscaping Medium Large 38-39 (Fig 2)

Fig 2. Average39.2% age (years) in landscaping

In total, 359 landscaping businesses participated in the survey. Of these, 357 businesses confirmed employing 9,992 workers, representing approximately 5% of the overall workforce (139,800) cited in Oxford Economics’ Economic Impact of Ornamental Horticulture report published in 2018.

39.2%

39.6%

38.6%

39.6%

38.6%

38.0% 38.0%

Of the 353 businesses responding to this question, the majority (90%) are micro and small businesses - which is not unexpected given the overall OH

Full-time

Part-time

Trainees

Average

Full-time

Part-time

Trainees

Average

Also shown is the current and predicted future importance of skilled trades skills (Fig 3) Fig 3. Current and predicted future importance of skilled trades skills Health and safety Hard/soft landscaping Environmental awareness Soft skills People management Supervisory skills Pest/weed control Plant care skills Plant pathology/bacteriology/virology Digital skills Social media skills Automation/robotic/AI 1

2

3 Future

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Current

To download a copy of the full report as well as the sub-sector report for landscaping, visit bali.org.uk/news-and-events/news/environments-key-to-ornamental-skillsstrategy-development.

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Winter 2019

BALI’s successful ROLO Health, Safety and Environmental Awareness Course, the mandatory pre-cursor training course for most Landbased Industry Skills Scheme and Construction Skills Certification Scheme (LISS/CSCS) SmartCard applications, will soon receive a much-requested development update with the addition of supervisor and manager level courses.

The operative course has been running since 2012 and there have been calls from members and the wider industry to develop additional training relevant to supervisor, manager and professional person roles who have a higher level of responsibility.

Two new courses are now in development and the first round of piloting has been completed. Pending final candidate piloting and trainthe-trainer sessions it is anticipated the new ROLO courses will launch in the first quarter of 2020, from April to June.

The Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which will provide the online learning element of the new courses, is now up and running for those undertaking the pilot.

As part of the development BALI has also listened to feedback received in respect of providing a suitable alternative to the general construction SSSTS and SMSTS courses. With this in mind, we are in the process of submitting our mapping of the ROLO course standards to Build UK in order to gain their approval to ensure that these two courses, like the operative course, are approved as a suitable alternative.

Basic machinery/equipment

0

UPDATE ON SUPERVISOR AND MANAGER ROLO TRAINING DEVELOPMENT

The new ROLO courses will be the only approved courses deemed appropriate by the NHSS 18 and LISS/ CSCS Committees to apply for a LISS/ CSCS SmartCard.

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Landscape News Survey 2020

LATEST NEWS

BALI to launch digital marketing masterclasses in 2020

In our recent membership survey, 80% of you rated Landscape News Excellent/Good. Now we want to hear your ideas for our 2020 editions, specifically the type of content you want to read about. This BALI bitesize survey takes less than five minutes to complete. Visit surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ SYHJ99Z to enter.

Exclusively for BALI members, bookings are now open for a one-day digital workshop for landscape industry professionals, providing the latest tools and tips on ways to stay ahead of the competition online.

Increase your organisation’s Google ranking with expert search engine optimisation advice, improve your pay-per-click know-how and gain advanced content marketing insight.

Andrew Lloyd Gordon

Join BALI’s marketing team and experienced strategic marketing consultant Andrew Lloyd Gordon, plus digital marketing agency Adtrak, for a six-hour Digital Marketing Masterclass at two venues in the UK. Choose between BALI Registered Affiliate Majestic Trees in St Albans and Talasey Group in Doncaster.

Strictly limited to 30 places with a maximum of two people per company. Places cost £144 per person inc VAT’. The masterclasses will take

place from 10.00am - 4.30pm on the following dates and locations: Thursday 13th February 2020 at Majestic Trees Chequers Meadow, Chequers Hill Flamstead, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL3 8ET Wednesday 26th February 2020 at the Talasey Training Academy Talasey Ltd, Talasey House, Belton Road Sandtoft, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN8 5SX

buffet. For those looking to get the most from their day, there will also be a practical workshop, hosted

by Adtrak, called ‘Bring your own Website’, where the team will thoroughly look at and assess your company website, with Adtrak offering help and advice on aspects that could benefit from improvement.

To book your place(s) visit bali.org.uk/ news-and-events/events

Attendees will also benefit from unlimited refreshments throughout the day and a hot and cold lunchtime

DON’T MISS YOUR REGIONAL AGM Between January and March 2020, BALI’s regions will once again be holding their regional annual general meetings which will provide members across the UK with a chance to network with their local committee and fellow landscape professionals operating in the same area in a relaxed and informal environment.

The AGM traditionally lasts between 45 minutes to an hour and is often followed by an event. Each AGM will provide an opportunity for the Regional Chairman and BALI’s Chief Executive to update members on BALI’s key activities happening regionally and nationally. For those looking to get ahead of the game and secure

BALI Yorkshire & North East Regional AGM 2019

important dates in the diary for the year ahead, it’s an event not to be missed.

To secure your place please contact Shinade Kaur on 024 7518 5614 or visit bali.org.uk/news-and-events/events to book online.

Region

Date

Time

Venue

AGMs free. Price (ex VAT) for post-AGM events

North Thames AGM and presentations from Defra and Bowles & Wyer

Tuesday 14th January

6:30pm – 9pm

Beales Hotel

£25 Member £30 Non-Member

North West AGM and City Football Academy Tour

Thursday 30th January

9am – 1pm

Manchester City FC Training Ground

£30 Member £35 Non-Member

Midlands AGM

Tuesday 4th February

10am – 1pm

BALI Landscape House

Yorkshire & North East AGM and Who’s Who Live

Thursday 27th February

‘Who’s Who Live’ event 2pm – 6pm AGM 6pm – 8pm

Bridge Hotel

Who’s Who Exhibitor price = £120 until 13.12.19 £150 thereafter Dinner & AGM only = £25

South West AGM and tour of Melcourt Industries

Wednesday 4th March

2pm – 5pm

Melcourt

£10pp Member £15pp Non-Member

Scotland AGM

Thursday 26th March

TBC

SRUC Oatridge Campus

TBC

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Winter 2019

Visit website

OUR SINCERE THANKS TO ALL SPONSORS OF THE NATIONAL LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2019 Â

To enquire about sponsorship opportunities for 2020, please contact Diane McCulloch diane.mcculloch@bali.org.uk

Headline Sponsor

Sponsors

LATEST NEWS

PROTECT OUR PARKS BY

SUPPORTING THE PARKS ALLIANCE

Protecting the environment and tackling climate change is high on the Government’s agenda. How we manage our landscapes and in particular how urban parks and green spaces are maintained and developed are key to delivering these. Yet the proportion of urban green space is falling, and the amount invested by councils in maintenance has been reduced by over 30%.

As we move into 2020 the issue of parks and green spaces is now firmly on the political agenda reflecting their contribution to health, tackling climate change and bringing communities together. But further work is needed to ensure investment flows into these important assets at the local level. The Government and The Parks Alliance (TPA) will jointly publish a business case for parks

in early 2020 that will champion further investment to local leaders.

TPA, the only independent, nationwide organisation solely dedicated to parks, has been working with the Government and organisations like BALI to highlight the benefits of parks and has recently called for more investment – but its future funding is uncertain.

TPA now needs your help to continue to deliver their Make Parks Count campaign to increase investment in parks. With a funding target of £20k to help sustain the organisation, TPA are asking leading parks and greenspace organisations to contribute £2k each.

In return your logo will be prominently displayed across all TPA communications including their website and newsletter and you will have the opportunity to shape TPA strategy and influence Government.

For more information contact robert.pearce@theparksalliance. org.uk or visit theparksalliance.org

BALI to support IYPH2020 The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) have designated 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight awareness on how protecting plant health provides a multitude of benefits to us as humans, the environment, and our economy. It is also an opportunity to build on the progress of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) 25 Year Environment Plan and continue the legacy of the Year of Green Action from 2019.

BALI, alongside industry organisations like the Royal Horticultural Society and the Horticultural Trades Association, have confirmed their support of the campaign following continued involvement with Defra’s Tree Health Policy Group and Plant Health Alliance.

Countries worldwide are planning a number of events and activities to highlight and promote the importance of plant health and the UK Government has devised its own plan that also includes the launch of National Plant Health Week to celebrate and raise awareness of the benefits of healthy plants, and the importance of practicing good biosecurity to keep them healthy.

The IYPH provides a key opportunity for us all to highlight the benefits of healthy plants and promote the work of UK Government and the wider Plant Health

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Sector in their mission to protect plant health and raise awareness to the public about what people can do to help keep our plants healthy.

BALI has planned a series of activity, starting in January 2020, to support members and landscape services organisations in support of the IYPH, including; • Infographic promoting good plant health practice to be published • Plant health portal added to BALI’s website, providing links to helpful resources • Coverage in Landscape News promoting member plant health excellence • Webinar on plant health identification tools including drone technology

Winter 2019

• Public-facing editorial in major consumer gardening titles • Plant health specialist speakers to present at key BALI events BALI has also started work on planning a new event associated with the importance of plant health, scheduled for quarter three of 2020. More details will be shared in the next edition.

To find out more on what BALI is planning, and to get your company involved with the IYPH, visit bali.org.uk/help-and-advice

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CONTRACTOR NEWS Could you mow 77 football pitches a month?

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IDVERDE ACQUIRES TCL GROUP The future looks bright for Registered Contractor idverde after it confirmed the acquisition of Registered Contractor TCL Group back in October 2019. Under the leadership of TCL’s Executive Chairman Simon Cashmore, TCL has established itself as a niche national provider of landscaping, play products and grounds maintenance services.

With regional hubs in Derby, Northampton, Dorking and Melksham, TCL has annual sales of £65m and employs over 850 colleagues, delivering its products and services to a range of blue chip and public sector clients.

This acquisition expands idverde’s

portfolio of services, providing a complementary offer to existing clients in both companies and further develops idverde’s extensive national coverage delivered by idverde colleagues. idverde now has over 3,850 directly employed colleagues across the UK which enables its service capability to be far reaching to serve clients both locally and nationally.

For more information visit idverde.co.uk

Registered Contractor Home Fix Scotland, who joined BALI in September, are a building maintenance, construction, facilities and grounds maintenance company specialised in working alongside housing associations, public sector organisations and charitable landlords.

Continuing to pave the way for home repairs, maintenance and landscaping services across the West of Scotland, Home Fix sport a fully staffed Grounds Maintenance and Estate Services division which manage and maintain grounds for over 8,000 properties, cutting the equivalent of 77 grass football pitches every three weeks during the summer months.

The award-winning company, which employs 35 landscaping specialists out of a 110-strong workforce, continues to meet the challenge posed by local council cuts by improving the quality of its landscaping provision, including grass cutting and street services.

Visit homefixscotland.co.uk for more information.

Life Outdoors celebrates BALI membership Registered Contractor The Lapa Company UK T/A Life Outdoors is celebrating a successful and rewarding 2019. Over the course of the last 11 months they have re-branded, grown their landscaping department, designed and built their first garden room, launched a brand-new website and achieved their goal of joining BALI. Delivering hundreds of projects across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, working with award winning garden designers, The Lapa Company UK T/A Life Outdoors has continued to grow year on year.

Landscape Architect Neil Hennessey said “We are delighted to achieve membership of BALI, a national recognition of excellence within the landscape industry. By gaining full membership, BALI fully recognise and endorse our high work ethic and company values. We are passionate about the landscape work that we do and take great pride in every project. We strive to be the best

Landscape Architect Neil Hennessey

we can through our continual dedication to creating exciting, vibrant and functional spaces that completely reflect the clients brief.

The support from BALI will now be invaluable in going forward, creating new contacts within the industry and we look forward to engaging within this network”.

To read more about their transition visit life-outdoors.co.uk Life Outdoor’s first garden room

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Winter 2019

CONTRACTOR NEWS

Danum goes DIY SOS Based in Lincolnshire, new Registered Contractor Danum Plants have over 25 years’ experience in designing, landscaping and planting commercial gardens, amenity areas and parks.

They specialise in helping both residential and commercial clients increase the aesthetics and beauty of their landscapes by creating elegant interior and outdoor spaces. Created by father and son, Tim and Jake Smith, this family run business exists because of their passion and love for landscaping, which you will see in abundance in the quality of their work. Their fundamental principle is Design, Transform, Enjoy and they have

established an expert team around these core values. They also endeavour, wherever possible, to use their skills to benefit local communities.

In 2019 they partook in a local ‘DIY SOS Big Build’ and were delighted to have been able to be a part of such an extraordinary and emotional event.

The Danum team with DIY SOS’s Nick Knowles and Arit Anderson

To see more of their work visit danumplants.co.uk

CAMERON GARDENS CREATE LUSH OASIS AT 14 HILLS Registered Contractor Cameron Gardens was invited by D&D London to design and install a year-round interior tropical forest befitting of their new restaurant, bar and deli at 14 Hills in central London, which opened in November.

The botanical garden, designed to enrich the Robert Angell Designs’ famous interior, frames and draws the eye to the spectacular Cityscape surrounding the venue and helps divide the open plan space into individual rooms of varying atmosphere.

The unusual plant palette comprises of over 1,000 plants - living, preserved

and artificial and of different heights, sizes, greens and shapes. A diverse mix of trees, some as tall as 3.5metres, shrubs and climbers are planted in concrete, terracotta and ceramic pots and planters.

There are several statement trees including Olive, Ficus with preserved stems and artificial foliage and then natural Bucida, Ficus lyrata, Calamondin (Mini orange tree), lemon trees and a Bonsai.

Alasdair Cameron, Managing Director at Cameron Gardens, comments “We are delighted to have been working so closely with D&D London on 14 Hills, which is an extremely exciting

project. Its scale and the brief have enabled us to draw on our instinctive and deep plant knowledge to bring together a wonderfully unusual and eclectic plant collection. The team has thoroughly enjoyed researching and designing this space and have achieved the ultimate aim of a lush, tropical forest in the middle of the City where visitors to 14 Hills can be transported to a different vibe whilst enjoying the breath-taking city views.”

To view more of the wonderful work by the team at Cameron Gardens visit camerongardens.co.uk

Winter 2019

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BALI Landscape News

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CONTRACTOR NEWS

TRIO OF AWARDS FOR OAK VIEW LANDSCAPES Registered Contractor Oak View Landscapes are delighted to announce that they have won three major awards this autumn.

Firstly, a BALI National Landscape Award for a ‘Private Residence in Essex’ in the ‘Registered Designer and Registered Contractor Joint Submission’ category alongside Registered Designer Sue Townsend MBALI. Secondly, Oak View achieved their ‘Investors in People Gold’ accreditation which was awarded following a successful three-year assessment. Oak View was congratulated for ‘thinking about the future and planning accordingly’ and for ‘involving and engaging staff at all levels of the business’.

Operations Director Jakki Jenner, who led on the IIP assessments said

Managing Director Paul Downer with Operations Director Jakki Jenner

“We are extremely pleased to have achieved Gold Level. We have focused on providing our staff with ample opportunities to input into the day to day running of the company and we have greatly enhanced our appraisal process and reward and recognition strategy. Feedback from the team on these areas has been great and their valuable input continues via our Working Group Forum.”

Downer, commented “It goes without saying that I am immensely proud of all the team at Oak View who performed excellence in every one of these awards. We pride ourselves on being a market leading, innovative, supporting and considerate company who are at the forefront of the landscape industry.”

Lastly, Oak View was awarded with a ‘Considerate Constructors Bronze Award’ within the first year of their Considerate Construction membership.

Visit oakviewlandscapes.co.uk to see some of their latest work.

Managing Director and BALI Immediate Past Chairman, Paul

Tivoli commences grounds maintenance contract with Guinness Partnership Registered Contractor Tivoli has started operations as the new grounds maintenance service provider for the Guinness Partnership, covering the South West region.

Running from 1 November 2019 for up to five years, the estimated £1m contract sees Tivoli completing gardening and maintenance of green areas, litter removal, weed and plant removal, tree maintenance and bulk waste collection and disposal. Teams are now in place and mobilised to look after approximately 87 sites, covering Bristol, Wiltshire, Bath and North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Mendip, Swindon and Sedgemoor Local Authority areas.

Established in 1890 by Sir Edward Cecil Guinness, the great grandson of the founder of the Guinness Brewery, the Guinness Partnership provides social and affordable housing including affordable rent, affordable home ownership, housing for older

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people and a range of extra care schemes.

Tivoli signing the five-year Guinness Partnership contract

In line with the Guinness Partnership’s vision to “deliver great service, great homes, a great place to work and a great business”, Tivoli paid particular focus to three key areas throughout the tender process; • providing a consistent, first-class service style and delivery • reliable service quality for residents • true partnership working approach in order to grow resident satisfaction levels Rick Francis, Chairman at Tivoli said “We are absolutely delighted to have secured this prestigious contract with the Guinness Partnership.

We understand the importance

Winter 2019

of service excellence within the housing association sector and we will prioritise the delivery of appropriate and flexible resources, together with innovation to provide a valuable service to the communities. Our teams have over 30 years’ experience in partnering, and we continue to work with our clients to find joint solutions to the challenges which are facing many housing associations today. Our goal is to provide Guinness Partnership residents with grounds and outdoor spaces of which they can be proud.”

Visit tivoliservices.com for more information.

CONTRACTOR NEWS

FUTUREPROOFING EMPLOYEE SKILLS AT BOWLES & WYER Registered Contractor Bowles & Wyer has introduced the Hort Academy - a pioneering training programme for landscape and horticultural professionals designed to tackle the widening skills gap in the horticulture industry.

Currently open to everyone within the Gardening & Aftercare department at Bowles & Wyer, with a plan to roll it out across the company and with future industry-wide potential, the Hort Academy offers a degree of expertise and personal development, the first of its kind in the landscape sector.

The curriculum, which has been developed by Jeff Stephenson, Head of Horticulture & Aftercare at Bowles & Wyer, offers training for everyone regardless of their ability and previous experience. For the staff in the company’s Gardening & Aftercare department, it is designed to foster a deep knowledge of plants and how to nurture and tend them. For the designers and landscape architects within the company the ambition is to build a firm foundation in horticulture that can benefit their design work.

The Hort Academy has been launched at a time of a growing skills crisis in the horticulture industry. Speaking about the issue, Jeff Stephenson said: “Like many in our industry, we’re fully committed to ensuring gardening, landscaping and horticulture are viewed as credible, professional careers. By launching the Hort Academy we’ve placed ourselves firmly at the forefront of this important movement. We hope our Academy will go some way to addressing the deepening skills shortage in the industry and to

improving the level of expertise across the sector as a whole.”

The ambitious programme will cover horticultural skills and theory as well as CPD, attendance at seminars, workshops and regular trips to nurseries. Training will be the equivalent of one day per month and will be on-going. Jeff is also developing an online, modular, training programme for staff to access at their own pace. The intention is to bring every member of staff up to an equivalent standard and for everyone to have the same knowledge base through both hands-on practice and self-guided learning. For more experienced staff this could mean refreshing knowledge they may have gained at college. For others, this could be a completely new area of study.

John Wyer, Chief Executive at Bowles & Wyer said “We founded the Hort Academy because we are committed to building successful careers for all our staff. We know that when they realise their potential and thrive, our business thrives too. But we have also been careful not to lose the joy of horticulture. We want everyone at Bowles & Wyer to share our passion for creating and tending stunning landscapes.”

Jeff Stephenson, Head of Horticulture & Aftercare

For more information visit bowleswyer.co.uk/academy

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BALI Landscape News

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CONTRACTOR NEWS

Restoration work at historic Strawberry Fields now complete The iconic project, delivered by Registered Group member Gavin Jones who are owned by Registered Contractor Nurture Landscapes, has successfully revitalised an integral part of The Beatles’ history.

The famous red gates at Liverpool’s Strawberry Fields are now open to the public after a significant restoration.

Gavin Jones worked with architect Rankin Fraser to restore the important landmark which was immortalised in song thanks to the 1960s English rock and roll band with a song title of the same name.

The restoration project will help inspire today’s generation and boost the economy in Liverpool through tourism. This major project involved the importation of 2,000 tonnes of specialist topsoil, the excavation of specialist bespoke designed tree pits and subsequent planting of 85no mixed species trees of up to 40cm in girth, and the construction of heartwood larch bespoke garden shelters.

In addition, Gavin Jones planted more than 14,000 shrubs in the woodland area and restored the existing landscape architecture by utilising artefacts saved from the original Strawberry Fields Orphanage.

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Ben Farmer, Regional Contracts Manager at Gavin Jones said “It’s a privilege to have played a part in restoring the abandoned Strawberry Fields to its former glory. We know that the site holds a lot of meaning, so the original look and architecture of the site was used as inspiration.

We believe it shows how much people care about this historic site and we anticipate it will help to enhance the Beatles legacy in Liverpool.”

Gavin Jones is an awardwinning landscape specialist, whose services include grounds maintenance, landscape construction, tree care and plant displays. It has won numerous sector awards, including many prestigious BALI National Landscape Awards’.

More information about Gavin Jones is available online gavinjones.co.uk

Winter 2019

A heartwood larch bespoke garden shelter takes pride of place

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

ACO TECHNOLOGIES PROVIDES INNOVATIVE DRAINAGE SYSTEM FOR AWARD-WINNING PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT Developing a house worthy of the prestigious RIBA House of the Year shortlist is no mean feat. It requires every intricate detail to be well thought through, from the choice of tile to the drainage infrastructure. When a team of award-winning architects required a discrete drainage solution that would support the bold, seamless transition from the inside of a home to the outside, it turned to Registered Affiliate ACO Technologies Plc and their Water Management services.

Hall + Bednarczyk Architects were set the task of designing a 400m2 family home, Silver How, in Monmouthshire which repurposed an Edwardian period stable. As part of the major transformation, expansive glass sliding windows were fitted to eliminate the threshold between the living space and the outside of the property. One of the key challenges of implementing such an ambitious design was to ensure no rainwater crept into the building during rainfall, and so the architects turned to ACO for a sleek and effective drainage system.

With ACO’s expert knowledge and range of channel drainage products, including the standout HexDrain® Brickslot solution, the Silver How project was in safe hands. Without this type of product or industry know-how from landscape professionals, the

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project was liable to flooding and water erosion.

HexDrain® Brickslot offered a precise, sleek and discrete drainage system that was practical and functional. Manufactured from recycled polypropylene and ideal for garage thresholds, patios, paths and block paving applications, the channels clipped together allowing for quick and easy installation. The system also comes complete with offset slotted grating, ideal for bock paving.

Senior Lead Architect Kelly Bednarczyk commented “The beauty of the HexDrain® Brickslot is that it doesn’t attract attention to itself, despite performing a critical function. Its availability at local merchants meant we were able to purchase the product for our exact requirements,

Winter 2019

and we were able to use the CAD specifications available on the ACO website. This was extremely useful for the contractors, as it ensured a smooth installation.”

Silver How has already received several prestigious commendations by industry professionals, winning the Welsh Architecture Award 2019 as well as the RSAW Project Architect of the Year Award. The project has also been listed

by RIBA in its prestigious House of the Year award.

For more information on ACO and their HexDrain® Brickslot visit aco.co.uk/ products/hexdrain-brickslot

Landscape THE I N DU ST RY TRADE SHOW

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Our international visitors include Garden Designers, Landscape Designers & Contractors, Architects, Facilities Managers, Groundsmen & Parks Officers, Event Florists, Creative Directors, Garden Centres, Contract Gardeners, Hotels and Interior Designers.

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

Glyphosate: 2019 and beyond

By Owen Baker Technical Officer (Policy & Research)

“Government ministers should ban Roundup.”

“Weedkiller raises risk of nonHodgkin lymphoma by 41%.”

“UK cereals that contain weedkiller linked to cancer.”

Nearly every mainstream newspaper this year featured an article that warned of risks associated with glyphosate. Not just risks to those applying glyphosate, but also those near areas treated and even consumers in the food chain.

The landscape industry was called to defend a product it had been using for over a decade and, whilst scrutiny of herbicide use is not a new phenomenon, the level of concern amongst public and commercial clients has affected the industry.

The issue stems from a disagreement regarding the human carcinogenicity of glyphosate. In 2015 the specialist cancer research agency of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), set a new precedent; they published research that highlighted a link between glyphosate and cancer. Specifically, their research stated glyphosate was probably carcinogenic to humans and placed glyphosate in Group 2A of their classification table.

The ‘2A’ category into which glyphosate was placed by the IARC is important.

The 2A category is used “when there is limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals”. Labelling anything as a probable cause of cancer is provocative and, predictably, glyphosate was featured in numerous news articles as a result.

Glyphosate is not the only agent found within category 2A according to IARC. Other common agents identified in group 2A include consumption of red meat, drinking very hot beverages

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above 65c, emissions from high temperature frying and working night shifts. The category above 2A, Group 1, contains agents defined by the IARC as ‘carcinogenic to humans’. Examples of agents found in this category include alcoholic beverages, consumption of processed meats and salted fish.

Amongst environmental and food safety agencies and pesticide regulatory authorities including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and even the United States Environment Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), the IARC report was unique in classifying glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. However, this single verdict was enough to result in thousands of court cases in the United States against manufacturer Bayer, and bans on the use of glyphosate in countries, cities, towns and villages throughout Europe.

Recent high-profile litigation in the United States has resulted in substantial sums of money being awarded to professional and domestic users of glyphosate by the manufacturer Bayer. Whilst lawsuits have also been filed in Canada and Australia, there have been no similar cases in the UK. Legal researcher Ryan Bright at BC Legal specialises in defendant occupational disease litigation. Ryan believes the absence of product liability

BALI Landscape News | Winter 2019

claims in England and Wales is not surprising, given the lack of scientific consensus concerning the dangers to human health that glyphosate poses. Ryan suggests claims pursued under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) and/or common law negligence should only be expected if the results of ongoing studies in the relationship between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other health conditions are consistently associative. Unlike the US, in the UK claimants will only be successful if a Court can determine, on the balance of probabilities (civil burden of proof), that glyphosatecontaining weedkiller is defective (i.e. causes personal injury).

Scrutiny of chemical use is likely to intensify in the future, throughout the world. Whilst the IARC stand alone in their test results amongst many regulatory authorities, media coverage and public pressure has driven decision makers to drastically change their approach to weed control based on a perceived risk. Some of the alternative weed control programmes have not been well considered.

Whilst the landscape industry remains committed to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices, good practice and integrated weed management must also be championed. Glyphosate remains a safe, effective option available to the professional which can be used responsibly and to great effect.

For more information and to download a copy of BALI’s position statement on the use of glyphosate visit bali.org.uk/help-and-advice/ health-and-safety/glyphosate

Introducing PourOn

The new Surfacing Solution for loose stone.

PourOn is a new resin product from SureSet that is designed to be applied directly onto dry loose stone to bind it together.

Quick, cheap and easy to install, PourOn creates an attractive, durable and permeable surface that is low maintenance and long lasting.

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T O TA L LY KILN IT WITH MODELLO

ALL PROJECT PACKS ARE MADE FROM THE SAME KILN RUN, ENSURING CONSISTENCY AND AVOIDING BATCHING ISSUES.

The Modello range offers a chic and lightly riven porcelain option that is available in a choice of 2 colours. For a more traditional pattern select the project pack or go with the single size for a modern brick effect pattern.

Modello’s exclusive design benefits: • An aged and antiqued porcelain in a project pack • All pieces in the project pack are made from the same kiln run, ensuring consistency of colour and avoiding batching issues • The 16.5m2 pack comes in pre-packed sleeves containing 6 flags, for ease of installation • Modello is now also available in a 906 x 406mm single size pack

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04/11/2019 15:36

TRAINING & TECHNICAL

GOLANDSCAPE HITTING THE RIGHT NOTES WITH PUPILS Tackling the skills shortage at grass root level The autumn and winter months are an important time for the GoLandscape initiative, particularly in schools as this is when careers events are organised across all of England’s secondary schools. GoLandscape and its ambassadors have taken full advantage of this, visiting 22 schools through September to December. This has been a wonderful opportunity to talk to pupils, parents, careers advisers and teachers about the opportunities and roles available in the landscape industry. We have received a record number of invites to attend school careers events, many of which we haven’t been able to fulfil. It’s now more important than ever that we need additional GoLandscape ambassadors, so that we can continue to push the message out to schools that landscaping is something they really should be considering. Please get in touch with me if you can help stephen.ensell@bali.org.uk.

To support our school campaigns, it was exciting to launch the new GoLandscape careers booklet aimed at secondary school pupils, which outlines the industry and presents all the facts and routes available in the world of landscaping. If you would like to receive a digital copy, please contact stephen.ensell@bali.org.uk.

Hands-on hard landscaping days Training Provider member, Chichester College, Brinsbury Campus, hosted an inspirational hard landscape day with their Level 2 and 3 students. Expertise was shared through the support of Registered Contractor Outdoor Options, demonstrating the principles behind brick work and laying paving. The students then had an opportunity to try their hand at these important skills.

Chalk Fund continues to support The BALI Chalk Fund continues to support GoLandscape through its enrichment program, which sponsors

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horticulture and landscape students in achieving additional industry tickets to make them even more attractive to employers in taking them on. The next round of sponsorship is well underway.

GoLandscape - On film and online Editing of the official suite of GoLandscape videos, in conjunction with Registered Contractor Maylim, are well underway with the hope that upon publication they will be aired in schools and distributed through the career adviser network. The videos will provide a powerful tool that best showcases what working in the landscape industry is like, with professionals sharing their stories, the roles they play and why it’s such a great industry to be a part of. The website remains a key part of the GoLandscape initiative, reaching over 500 people in the last quarter.

The information loaded on the site provides people the world over with guidance for starting a career in landscaping. We were also pleased to see the website reach its first birthday in October, with site visitors up month on month.

Not forgetting career changers GoLandscape continues to receive a great deal of interest from career changers, which is supported by the fact that this specific section of the GoLandscape website is the second most popular page with visitors.

Moving forward, we are looking to step up our interaction in this area of the market, especially building on the success we are starting to see with the men and women leaving the Armed Forces. We have been supporting the HighGround charity at their Rural Week, where we have been able to spend time with groups of people from the Armed Forces and highlight the opportunities that are available to them with the skills set that they have acquired from their time in the military.

Winter 2019

Apprenticeship standard for managers Apprenticeships are slowly beginning to build steam with more and more employers seeing the value in them.

It’s therefore exciting to announce that the Horticulture Trailblazers group has been given the green light to develop a Level 5 Horticulture/Landscape Technical Manager standard. This will help fill the current managerial skills gap that sits within many companies, providing opportunities for progression and a solid contender in degree apprenticeships which are gaining popularity as an alternative to University.

Make sure you bookmark golandscape.co.uk and help share the news of what BALI and fellow organisations are doing to reduce the skills deficit and get more people outside the industry to take up a career in landscaping.

Stephen Ensell, Education Officer

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

THE ART TO LAYING MODERN PAVING Owen Baker - Technical Officer (Policy & Research)

Changing tastes, renewed interest in the garden and, possibly, climate change, has meant the paved area of a garden has evolved into a popular feature. Thanks to lifestyle magazines and television programmes, domestic clients aspire to use their garden as an extension of the home. At the same time, global trade has opened endless possibilities to the landscape professional; materials from around the world can be used to striking visual effect in a variety of contexts.

In most cases, paved areas feature an area of natural or man-made material expertly laid in accordance with good design principles and building regulations, with the potential to last for as long as the customer needs.

Unfortunately, BALI have recently identified isolated cases where modern landscape materials are being laid according to outdated construction methods. This is resulting in areas of hard landscaping which, at best, fail to meet the clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations, and at worse are unusable.

The cause of the issue is the porous nature of most modern paving materials. Untreated stone, limestone, sandstone, granite and concrete contain tiny pores which allow water, salts and minerals to pass. This means that, once laid on a bed of mortar, water, salts and minerals may pass through natural stone either from above or below the surface.

Correct laying procedure is essential.

Mortar acts as a barrier to moisture, meaning water cannot pass as freely through natural paving where the underside of the material is in contact with mortar, as it can when there is no mortar in contact with the underside. A common cause of this is when paving is not laid on a full bed of mortar as specified in BS 7533-4:2006.

Mortar is, however, a potential source of salts and minerals, which means

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minerals and salts from mortar in contact with natural paving may be drawn into the material and deposited either on or close to the surface. The movement of minerals and salts into natural stone paving can manifest as different coloured patterns on the top surface of the paving. This may occur within a few days of the paving being laid or over a longer period. This pattern is a stain; it is unsightly and permanent, and in some cases the only solution is to replace the paving.

Manufactured materials such as porcelain or ceramics are becoming increasingly popular due to their thin profile, uniform colour and texture, but also their resistance to stains. These materials are not porous, which means mortar does not readily adhere to the underside. As a result, porcelain slabs laid on mortar alone are likely to become loose within a relatively short period, resulting in rocking, loosening of the grout and eventual cracking of paving units. Instances of slate not adhering are also common.

The solution to both problems is use of a specialist coating called a slurry primer or bond bridge. Whilst the use of slurry primers is not new, consideration for their need on paving projects of all types is now good practice.

Slurry primers or bond bridges are painted on the underside of both natural and manufactured paving

Winter 2019

materials immediately prior to laying on mortar. They form a strong, impermeable, glue-like layer which performs two functions: â&#x20AC;˘ Forms a barrier between paving, the mortar and laying course, which helps prevent moisture and cementitious materials leaching into the paving. â&#x20AC;˘ Improves adhesion between the mortar and underside of manufactured paving slabs A range of ready-made primers are available from paving suppliers, needing only water adding to a premixed material. It is also possible to mix cement with SBR to create a similarly effective product. Either way, the product should be painted to the underside of each paving unit immediately before laying.

The quality of natural paving products has a significant impact on its porosity and long-term durability. Always source materials from a reputable supplier and take their advice when laying materials with which you are unfamiliar.

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

DELIVERING EXCELLENCE

By Richard Gardiner Technical Officer (Quality Assurance)

For four years I have had the privilege of visiting member and prospective member companies in order to carry out their BALI Quality Standard Review or Initial Vetting. In all I have visited in excess of 200 companies, all of whom have impressed in their dedication and willingness to pass. After conducting so many visits I thought it was about time that I shone a spotlight on some of those companies that have, in my own opinion, demonstrated excellence in this process.

I have identified four companies to-date that have exceeded my expectation and the wonderful thing from my perspective is how different they are, both in terms of size and scale. It just goes to show that quality can come from the smallest acorn to the largest tree; attitude is the key. What do I mean? Well, when I talk about systems and processes to companies with fewer employees, they will typically say, or at least imply, “We can’t afford to do that”, yet, I’m sure that if you were to ask one of the four companies I have mentioned, they would say that they “Can’t afford not to have those systems in place”.

They are strong because of their systems and processes. They are not an afterthought but embedded in the heart of the company and this was most apparent when I visited each premises.

The companies I am going to highlight in future editions of Landscape News include a grounds maintenance business with a passion for investing in its people; a landscape “one stop shop” that sees its large commercial nursery as the key to meeting its customers many and varied demands; a commercial landscape company that has put its team at the heart of the business and a diverse eco-aware business with its origins in forestry, but now also encompasses a design-led landscape division, garden centre and café.

Different though these companies are, they share a number of key attributes; effective leadership, a clear plan or set of objectives, systems that support the business and effective communication that underpins the whole operation. These attributes

ensure that the entire workforce is engaged in achieving the objectives identified and therefore create the best chance of bringing them to fruition. They are typically proud of their plans and their business and are keen to share their thoughts with their team, usually in writing rather than holding all of this in their heads and shrouding their plans in secrecy as so many other business owners do. If you’re the only one who knows where you are going, you miss out on gaining that support from the rest of your team.

So now I have set the scene, look out for the next four editions of Landscape News throughout 2020, where I will shine a light on these four great companies that are leading the way in our industry. In the meantime, if your category of membership is applicable for a BALI Quality Standard Review, and you would like to arrange one with me, please get in touch richard.gardiner@bali.org.uk or call 07715 654964.

Registered Contractor John O’Conner (Grounds Maintenance) hold several training days for employees on the latest landscape machinery.

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TRAINING & TECHNICAL

&

OUT ABOUT

Greenford Quay – Landscape Architect HTA, developer Greystar, contractor Maylim, lighting consultant DHA Designs and photography Amphitype

WITH BALI

University of Birmingham, Greenheart – Landscape Architect Churchman Thornhill Finch, contractor Willmott Dixon, electrical sub-contractor Orbs Electrical, lighting consultant Speirs & Major and photography Tim Cornbill

Darren Taylor and Simon White

For this edition Marketing and Communications Manager Darren Taylor spent a few hours with UK Country Manager Simon White of Registered Affiliate Aubrilam, specialists in the design and manufacture of wooden lighting columns, bollards and outdoor furniture.

The meeting was held at the offices of internationally renowned Selux, a completely separate but partnered organisation to Aubrilam who produce world famous lighting systems globally. Aubrilam’s superior quality timber lighting columns complement Selux’s state-of-theart lights perfectly and it doesn’t take long to realise that these two international companies, together, offer the perfect blend; pure, distinct, cutting-edge and sustainable lighting columns that are affixed with ingenious lighting systems for private commercial and public realm spaces.

Aubrilam, who are the member organisation of BALI, have specialised in the design and manufacture of wooden lighting columns and bollards in glue-laminated timber, outdoor furniture and terrace equipment for restaurant chains for over 40 years. Their products are used throughout the world; most notably Aubrilam’s products are used in over 5,400 McDonald’s outdoor terraces in over 50 countries.

opportunities where Aubrilam could maximise its exposure within the BALI network of landscape professionals.

Their products are designed and sustainably manufactured to withstand the harshest of environments, including aired zones, cyclonic areas, seafronts and mountainous locations.

Aubrilam gives life to space and they have carved out a reputable marketplace in doing so, particularly with local authorities, property developers, real estate investors, restaurant chains, motorway service areas and leisure centres. Aubrilam delivers exceptional large-scale projects that are all bespoke in nature but provide smart, contemporary and innovative experiences for their clients.

With over 500,000 products in the world, it was always going to be a challenge for Darren to identify with Simon what the benefits of being a BALI member would mean for a company like Aubrilam. Simon is the only representative employed by Aubrilam to promote the company in the UK, so to help support Simon, Darren offered to explore

Future features in Landscape News, technical articles in the Who’s Who Landscape Directory, guest speaking at BALI Forums and exploring the potential to jointly exhibit at the LGA Annual Conference and Exhibition 2020 were all discussed.

The LGA conference is a trade event aimed specifically at local authority decision makers. This would have a much wider benefit for BALI and its members as the association would look to promote those members who operate in this capacity, exhibiting at a show that sits outside the landscape industry.

Simon also showed interest in possibly entering a scheme into the BALI National Landscape Awards in 2020, and, spoke with Darren about sponsoring future BALI events that would open up new doors for him and Aubrilam in the UK. If you are interested to learn more about Aubrilam, its products and services, or would like to see firsthand what the products entail please contact Simon White 07823 528532 white@aubrilam.fr or visit aubrilam.com

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DESIGNER FOCUS

Chelsea gold winning

CAMFED GARDEN LANDS IN EDEN The Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) African Garden, which won a prestigious gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May, has now been successfully installed at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

The garden tells the story of how the Campaign for Female Education supports the most excluded girls and young women in rural sub-Saharan Africa to go to school, succeed, and become leaders and change-makers in their communities, including in climatesmart agriculture. The garden is now open to the public.

CAMFED’s alumnae, one of whom inspired the garden, are committed to supporting more girls to go to school.

They grow food to nourish school communities, create local employment, and help build resilience to climate change.

The garden was created by leading London-based Registered Designer Jilayne Rickards MBALI, who was inspired by visiting CAMFED in Zimbabwe. At its centre is a classroom surrounded by lush planting, reflecting a huge array of edible crops typical to rural Zimbabwe.

A raised bed showcases water-efficient

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growing technology coupled with crop rotation, which maximises yield from a small area.

The garden attracted a great deal of attention at Chelsea, not only winning a gold medal but also the coveted BBC/ RHS People’s Choice Award in the ‘Space to Grow’ category. It helped launch the international non-profit’s #SeeGrowth campaign, through which CAMFED aims to support thousands more young women to establish climate-smart agricultural businesses.

At Eden, home of the world-famous Biomes, it will be enjoyed by more than one million visitors a year. Eden horticulturist Sarah Northcott led the growing of nearly 1,000 plants at the project’s nursery. Some were grown at the nursery by People and Gardens, which works with people with physical and emotional impairments.

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Designer Jilayne was a first-time exhibitor at Chelsea and had no previous experience of creating a show garden.

She said: “It is really inspiring to know that our garden will live on at Eden and be enjoyed by millions of visitors. We hope it will continue to raise awareness about CAMFED’s See Growth campaign.

It has been empowering to bring two fabulous charities together that do such incredible work.” jilaynerickards.com

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DESIGNER FOCUS

CAD vs Hand-Drawn

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a place for both

Registered Designer Andrea Parsons MBALI set up her own garden design company in 1989 and has developed a unique approach to producing client drawings; mixing computer aided design with hand drawn elements.

As well as garden design, Andrea is an artist and illustrator and over the last 30 years has designed a wide range of gardens, amassing along the way a wealth of experience and in-depth knowledge as well as taking on private commissions for her illustrations. Here, Andrea shares her thoughts with Darren on BALI, her distinct approach to garden design and her favourite type of garden.

How long have you been a BALI Registered Designer, and what was the deciding factor in joining membership?

I have been a member from when they first introduced the design category and I was sent an invitation to join. I always had a huge respect for the association and had indeed used it to contact professionals in the landscape industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; knowing the name to be synonymous with professionalism and high standards. The opportunity to become a part of it was one not to be missed.

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A recently completed domestic project

by Andrea Parsons MBALI

I noticed that you have a very unique way of providing drawings to your clients, fusing both hand drawn elements with computer aided design (CAD) software. How does this help set you apart?

Having trained and worked as a graphic designer I understand why good presentation is essential when conveying a concept. I developed my unique way of creating drawings when CAD started to become intrinsic to the process of garden design. Personally, I find plans created solely using a computer uninteresting and that the design process becomes sterile. The danger is that the design becomes more about the computer program and less about the organic practice of designing a garden. I believe that creative ability of the designer should lead the design process and not a computer. I do however completely take on board that there is a role for the computer as part of the design process. Computer generated drawings are accurate, easily altered and can be reproduced at will.

Also, the demands of the industry have changed. While I used to draw one plan for each garden, now I have to produce several for each application, e.g. lighting plans, drainage schemes, setting-out plans, etc. It is not practical to do all this by hand.

I discovered a way of using the computer as a tool to create the basic structure, and then overlaying this with my personal style of illustration to bring the plans fully to life. By combining the two practices – computer generated, and hand drawn – I can present a drawing of a garden design that will visually excite my client and at the same time fully explain my proposals.

However, my favourite way to show how a garden will develop over time is to produce an axonometric projection of the design – turning the plan into a 3D impression of the garden. Here the plan is turned on a 45 x 45-degree axis and then extrapolated into a 3D image. This provides a ‘birds eye’ view of the garden clearly showing all its aspects. I use CAD for the line work and structure but then add hand drawn elements to make the drawings come alive. Perspective views are also useful but, with a much lower line of sight, parts of the design are often hidden behind others – so, while these give more of a sense of the final experience, the structure and layout is less well conveyed.

I understand you are also an artist.

Does this skill help with your visionary designs?

Yes, I am a very keen artist. Designing a garden is much like painting a picture, just using a different media. I am very good at imagining something and then being able to visualise in detail in my head how it will be. With the planting of my gardens, I tend to make a list of plants that I would like to include and then position them on site. To me this is like painting a picture with plants. My artistic skills developed at a very early age and I’ve always loved to draw and paint. Throughout my design career I have spent hours poring over a drawing board and of course this has its value, but as I grow older, I’m loving

more and more a less formal approach to producing images. I find creating collages and watercolour sketching very liberating. Although, strangely enough, my subject matter always seems to be connected to gardens. I can’t think why!

What’s your favourite type of garden and type of garden material to work with?

Today the possibilities for the designer are endless – with innovative materials and interesting new products appearing on the scene all the time. It’s almost impossible to name my favourite.

However, I do believe that creating an individual, beautiful environment should not be at the cost of the greater environment, so natural sustainability is high on my shopping list. My ideal garden is not only one that fully meets my client’s brief, but also – whether it is large or small, grand or modest – it needs to be one that they fall in love with and interact with on many levels. I have to say that is truly my favourite type of garden.

To view more work by Andrea visit andreaparsons.co.uk or contact design@andreaparsons.co.uk or call 01206 984356.

How do you show how a garden will develop over time for your clients?

My initial presentations combine worked up plans with elevations showing established hedges, trees and plants.

These are supported by photographic reference material conveying the look and feel of the mature garden.

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DESIGNER FOCUS

STRIVING TO BE THE ‘BESTALL’ HE CAN BE Registered Designer Lee Bestall MBALI has supported BALI for over seven years and continues to work closely with the team at Landscape House with his support on regional events. Along with his passion for garden design, Lee is also a dab hand at radio broadcasting and knows a thing or two about award-winning show gardens.

Here, Marketing and Communications Manager Darren steals a rare moment with Lee to catch-up on business matters and future projects.

How long have you been a BALI Registered Designer and what was the deciding factor in joining membership?

I joined BALI back in 2012. I was invited to a few events before I joined, and I loved having the opportunity to speak to other people in the landscaping industry.

I noticed you ensure you use all types of content marketing on your website; testimonials, videos, helpful guides and a blog. How do these types of content help your business?

We live in a very visual world and sell a very visual product, so we find video a great way to engage new clients and to show them what we are capable of in more than just a picture.

Testimonials and reviews are also a great way to demonstrate you are trustworthy and are not afraid to share your customers comments.

I see you have the facility for your clients to login online and manage their project, how does this work and how helpful is it having a way for your clients to tailor their project?

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Allowing clients to log in to our internal systems, to read files, plans, see progress pictures and view a detailed breakdown of the costs involved in their project is our way of showing just how transparent we are.

How do you manage your time effectively; between designing gardens, show gardens, radio broadcasting, maintaining your website and providing talks and lectures, it must be incredibly time consuming?

Delegation, templates, processes and a great team. I still do all of the sales within our business and the ‘grand plan’ and then our design team takes it up from there. There are two of us who manage projects and we have our own in-house planting team who take care of planting and garden styling. I generally do the radio and talks in the evenings or weekends (because they are just for fun!) and as for show gardens… well, my world stops for those!

I see you have had a very busy, and successful, 2019 to-date. What has been your highlight of the year?

Winter 2019

I have to choose two, the first was securing a contract in America to design and project manage a ‘European Garden’ and the second is the project management of a huge walled garden which includes a vegetable garden, cutting garden, Italian courtyard, large lawn and perennial borders and woodland planting. There are around seven gardens within the walled garden and it’s a totally blank canvas which we are due to complete in late 2020.

To find out more about some of the more recent projects Lee has completed visit bestall.co

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CHARITY Kate Gould MBALI and Keith Chapman at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro

A trusted friend in Perennial With more and more people in the landscaping industry facing really difficult times that impact them physically, mentally and financially, Perennial’s help is needed more than ever. Perennial is the only charity that anyone working in the sector can turn to whatever their problem and this year 20% more people have contacted the team for help than in 2018.

As a result, Perennial needs horticulture businesses and organisations of all sizes to show their support and help raise the money needed to meet the increasing demand for its lifeline support services.

Many people Perennial helps have been through a life-changing event such as serious injury, long-term illness, family bereavement or redundancy. All support is tailored to the individual or family’s personal circumstances and is completely free and confidential.

Supporter David Dodd, owner of Registered Contractor The Outdoor Room, said: “First and foremost Perennial is about our people. We have a professional and personal duty to support Perennial’s incredible services and help spread the word to reach more people in need.”

There are many ways that landscaping businesses can get involved and help Perennial reach people before their problems become crises. The popular Perennial Partner scheme offers businesses of all sizes a simple way to make an annual donation. Many people choose to take on fundraising challenges, which can be great for team building too. In return, you can promote your association with Perennial to customers and clients and reap the benefits of charitable giving. And as Perennial becomes better known by your employees, they will feel able to get in touch for help if they ever need to.

Registered Designer Kate Gould MBALI and Keith Chapman of Kate Gould Gardens recently raised over £10,000 for Perennial climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, they said the following of the experience: “This was the hardest challenge we have ever undertaken, harder than all of the show gardens we’ve built at Chelsea over the years combined. Despite the difficulty of the climb, the vital work that Perennial does kept us going when things got tough.”

To find out more about how you can support Perennial, please get in touch with Kate Cooney, Corporate Partnerships Manager on 0800 093 8510 or info@perennial.org.uk or visit perennial.org.uk.

THRIVE DEVELOPING NEW NATURE AND HEALTH INITIATIVES Promoting the benefits of gardening and nature for health are at the heart of new initiatives being developed by Thrive. The charity is working with partners to create new accessible resources that will help children and adults across the UK. Thrive’s Training, Education and Consultancy team is partnering with Social Farms & Gardens to help more children from disadvantaged backgrounds experience the mental health and learning benefits of contact with nature by visiting care farms.

Growing Care Farming is part of a Defra programme which aims to expand the number of care farming places to 1.3 million by 2023.

Thrive’s experience and expertise in developing successful training in social and therapeutic horticulture (STH) is being harnessed to develop two new online courses and four classroom-based courses for care farmers.

Kathryn Rossiter, Thrive’s CEO said, ‘Thrive has been working in STH for 40 years and we were initially created to

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provide training and help other people set up STH projects. Many care farmers have accessed our training over the years to help them, as the principles behind care farming are similar to STH. We’re delighted to be using our expertise to drive the greater development of green care so more people can access the benefits of time in nature.’

Another key initiative Thrive will be unveiling is called Cultivating Wellbeing.

With support from Notcutts Garden Centres, we’re developing a free online course that aims to get more people using their gardens as a tool to enhance psychological and physical health.

The course will explore the benefits of gardening in an informal and engaging way, highlighting the evidence and information on why plants, gardens and gardening are a powerful vehicle for better mental health, together with ways individuals can devise practical

Winter 2019

plans to put the theory into practice and get out and experience nature for themselves.

Discover more about Thrive’s work at thrive.org.uk

EVENTS

FUTUREBUILDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTION HIGHLIGHTS ZERO CARBON CITIES Futurebuild is THE built environment event where brands of all sizes can share innovations, from products, to processes and solutions, with over 27,000 industry influencers and shapers.

Sponsored by Registered Affiliate ACO Technologies, the Critical Infrastructure section of Futurebuild 2020 will demonstrate the vital importance of delivering integrated green, blue, grey and social infrastructure at the same time. The challenge of achieving this for increasing urban populations poses key questions when it comes to both design and delivery. With an increased interest in nature in urban areas, more than 7,300 visitors attend specifically looking for solutions in this area Critical Infrastructure will offer a wide scope for a large range of products and services required for 21st Century zero carbon cities.

BALI members can exhibit their products, innovative materials and solutions for a special rate. Interested?

Please visit futurebuild.co.uk/exhibiting/BALI and join the likes of Registered Affiliates Green-tech, Barcham Trees, Hahn Plastics and Registered Contractor Biotecture.

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EVENTS

Events Calendar Highlights 2020 21-23 January

BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME) 2020, Harrogate Convention Centre btme.org.uk

19-23 May

RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London rhs.org.uk/shows-events

22 January

Palmstead Soft Landscape Workshop 2020 ‘Thinking Outside the Pot’, Ashford International Hotel palmstead.co.uk

29-31 May

Gardening Scotland 2020, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh gardeningscotland.com

23 January

Party for Perennial 2020, Ev Restaurant London perennial.org.uk/events/party-forperennial-2020

7 February

Pro Landscaper Business Awards, East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf prolandscaperbusinessawards.com

13 February

Digital Marketing Masterclass, Majestic Trees bali.org.uk/news-and-events/events

26 February

Digital Marketing Masterclass, Talasey Group bali.org.uk/news-and-events/events

3-5 March 4 March

Futurebuild 2020, ExCel London futurebuild.co.uk

11-14 June

RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2020, Chatsworth Estate, Derbyshire rhs.org.uk/shows-events

18-21 June

BBC Gardener’s World LIVE 2020, NEC Birmingham bbcgardenersworldlive.com

7-12 July 22-26 July 20-23 August

RHS Tatton Park Flower Show rhs.org.uk/shows-events Southport Flower Show 2020 , Victoria Park rhs.org.uk/shows-events

The Garden Press Event, The Business Design Centre, Islington gardenpressevent.co.uk

8-9 September

Four Oaks Trade Show 2020, Cheshire fouroaks-tradeshow.co.uk

17 March

FutureScape Spring 2020, Sandown Racecourse, Esher, Surrey futurescapeevent.com/futurescape-spring

15-17 September

Glee Birmingham 2020, NEC Birmingham gleebirmingham.com

17-19 April

RHS Flower Show Cardiff 2020, Bute Park Cardiff rhs.org.uk/shows-events

22-23 September

10th The LANDSCAPE Show 2020, Battersea Park landscapeshow.co.uk

22-23 April

Trees, People and the Built Environment 4, University of Birmingham charteredforesters.org/event/ trees-people-built-environment-4

23-26 April 7-10 May

Harrogate Spring Flower Show 2020, Great Yorkshire Showground flowershow.org.uk The RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2020, Three Counties Showground rhs.org.uk/shows-events

4-5 November

SALTEX 2020, NEC Birmingham iogsaltex.com

17-18 November

FutureScape 2020, ExCel London futurescapeevent.com

4 December

PALMSTEAD’S POPULAR WORKSHOP RETURNS

To view a full list of industry events for 2020 visit bali.org.uk/news-and-events/events

BALI is delighted to confirm its support of The LANDSCAPE Show for another year in 2020 as organisers celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event.

Palmstead Soft Landscape Workshop ‘Thinking Outside the Pot’ 22 January 2020, Ashford International Hotel, Kent. To secure your ticket contact sales@palmstead.co.uk or call 01233 813340. £40 per person.

Join the Palmstead team for a one-day seminar where landscape professionals gather to discuss current topics and hear from experts in their field.

BALI and The LANDSCAPE Show look forward to welcoming even more BALI members to the show and are working hard in preparation of announcing another preferential rate for 2020. This offer will provide members with access to all of the excellent benefits included with being an exhibitor.

2020 will see the return of the hugely popular CPD Accredited Seminar Programme with over 40 seminar sessions providing attendees with the opportunity to earn up to 11 CPD Points.

The LANDSCAPE Show will be open from 10am till 6pm on Tuesday 22

BALI Landscape News

44th BALI National Landscape Awards, JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London baliawards.co.uk

BALI PREFERENTIAL RATE RETURNS FOR THE LANDSCAPE SHOW’S 10TH BIRTHDAY!

SAVE THE DATE

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RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival 2020, Hampton Court rhs.org.uk/shows-events

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Winter 2019

September and 10am until 5pm on Wednesday 23 September 2020. Visit the LANDSCAPE website landscapeshow.co.uk, where you can sign up to receive the latest news on the 2020 event, check out the 2019 Show Video and read through the 2019 Review.

For further information about visiting or exhibiting at the LANDSCAPE Show please contact their team on 020 7821 8221 or info@landscapeshow.co.uk

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BALI NATIONAL LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2019 - THE REVIEW

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The 43rd BALI National Landscape Awards Over 1,000 VIPs, members and guests filled The Great Room at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London on Friday 6 December. The 43rd BALI National Landscape Awards 2019, the largest landscaping Awards in Europe, celebrated the skills, hard work, quality, commitment and successes of BALI Registered members, sponsored by Headline Sponsor Green-tech.

Ground Control awarded BALI’s highest accolade

extremely proud moment for us all and one we will never forget.”

Ground Control was awarded BALI’s prestigious Grand Award for The Children’s Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew which they won a Principal Award for in the Community and Schools Development category.

Ground Control came out top out of 145 entries that were judged by BALI adjudicators over the summer, with 91 National Landscape Awards bestowed on 63 members of the Association back in September. This resulted in 23 Principal, 8 Special and the Grand being awarded to members at the ceremony.

Ground Control, a UK-based awardwinning external solutions provider, developed the initial design concept, engaged with Kew’s visitors, local community groups and larger public organisations before transforming a large under-used area into a unique play and learning space.

Alistair Wallace, Construction Director at Ground Control, said: “The BALI Awards showcase the best in our wonderful industry. For Ground Control to be considered part of this celebration is testament to the dedication and hard work of our teams, our supply chain partners and our clients alike.

To be presented with the 2019 Grand Award for The Children’s Garden is an

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This year’s BALI National Landscape Awards’ Adjudicators, led by Chair of the Adjudication Panel John Melmoe, jointly commented, “The quality of the finish on this hard and soft landscaping scheme is absolutely superb. The contractor has embraced the design and every aspect, without exception, has been tackled with skill, precision and exemplary attention to detail. This is landscaping at its very best.”

BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills said, “Once again I am delighted that the level of quality and professionalism demonstrated this year is at the highest possible level. Ground Control seriously impressed adjudicators who recognised their outstanding contribution to landscaping with a flawlessly executed standard of workmanship and professionalism.”

Success for the BALI team as second Awards delivered in-house, with several new records broken This was the second year the Awards were successfully delivered in-house by the team at BALI’s Landscape House.

Events Project Manager Leah Brookes, who project managed the 2019 event with support from the BALI team said,

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“It has been an immense pleasure managing the event. To see the fruition of a year’s work come together on this special day and celebrate together with each and every member in attendance is fabulous. I send my heartfelt congratulations to all our winners and thanks to all our sponsors, adjudicators and stakeholders for their continued support.” This year also saw several records broken, including the most entries received in the last 10 years, the highest number of first-time entries at 51 and 34 International entries received.

Sport and lifestyle presenter Mark Durden-Smith played host for the afternoon’s proceedings and delighted the audience with his witty and welltimed presentation supported by the BBC’s voice of God, Alan Dedicoat, who provided the narration. VIPs in attendance included Adam White MBALI, President and Fellow of the ‘Royal Chartered’ Landscape Institute; Chair of the Society of Garden Designers, Sarah Morgan; Rod Winrow, Outgoing Chairman of the Association of Professional Landscapers; Sue Biggs CBE, Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society and Gerald Bonner, President of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture (CIOH).

A special thank you to Neil Huck and £4,905 raised for charity Following the drinks reception, and new for 2019, the Sponsors Breakfast, which both allowed members to network and for sponsors to meet their guests and

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5 establish new connections, everyone was ushered down to The Great Room for a wonderful luncheon. Just before starters were served, Wayne Grills took to the stage and delivered the opening speech that included a special thank you to former BALI Board Director Neil Huck, for his tremendous commitment in supporting the Association for the past 18 years.

two charities would receive the proceeds of the event’s official charity collection, which this year saw both the BALI Chalk Fund and Perennial split £4,905 equally.

Perennial CEO Peter Newman spent time at the podium thanking BALI and those in the room for their ongoing support and provided a personal account of how the longstanding charity helped him and his family through difficult times.

Chairman of Green-tech and BALI Vice Chairman Richard Kay followed with a speech that thanked the team at BALI Landscape House for delivering another exceptional event before BALI National Chairman, Matt O’Conner, from John O’Conner Grounds Maintenance was up on stage echoing Richard’s sentiments and thanking members, guests and sponsors for their support of the Awards. Marie Mertens, Head of Office at the European Landscape Contractors Association, presented an ELCA Tree to Matt to express their recognition of BALI and the joint working relationship being fostered. Matt then proceeded to invite the Chairman of the Trustees of the BALI Chalk Fund, Peter Jennins OBE, to join him so they could present the Chalk Fund’s Landscape Student of the Year to George Truss, a previous student of Training Provider member Writtle University College. George, who recently completed his Extended Diploma in Horticulture and is now Junior Director of Constable Landscapes, and Writtle were both bestowed with a £500 cheque from the BALI Chalk Fund in recognition of George’s commitment and dedication to his studies and for Writtle’s tutorage and support. George said: “This achievement has made me realise how my hard work has paid off and also how it has helped to shape my career.” Chalk Fund Trustee Richard Gardiner then introduced which

An impressive display of British and International Award winners

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Our grateful thanks to: Award Sponsors • Headline Sponsor Green-tech • Adtrak • Aston Lark

Opening with a brand new cinematic, the Awards were officially underway as Mark Durden-Smith entertained the crowd. A terrific host, Mark successfully held the attention of all those in the room with a fast-paced delivery which started with the first of 32 Awards.

• Bourne Amenity • Brickworks Vande Moortel • CED Stone Group • Derbyshire Aggregates • Easigrass • Europlants UK

The Registered Designer & Registered Contractor Joint Submission category was first out the gate, sponsored by Easigrass, with Rosemary Coldstream MBALI and Landform Consultants’ Modern Garden Hampstead taking the Principal Award.

• Fresh Horticultural Careers • Green-tree Topsoil • Ground Control • HL Services • ICL Specialty Fertilizers • idverde

Domestic Garden Construction – Under £30k, sponsored by Derbyshire Aggregates, was next with LDC winning their first Principal with A Private Residence in Leytonstone, which was swiftly followed by Bowles & Wyer taking the Principal trophy for their Newnham College project in the Soft Landscaping Construction (non-domestic) – Under £500k category, sponsored by Landscape Institute. Bowles & Wyer were the recipient of the 2018 Grand Award and this would be the first of two Principal Awards for them in 2019. The second Soft Landscaping Construction (nondomestic) category was for Over £500k,

Winter 2019

• Johnsons of Whixley • Landscape Institute • Makita (UK) • MCM • Oracle Solicitors • Palmstead Nurseries • Provender Nurseries • Ransomes Jacobsen • British Sugar TOPSOIL • Reesink Turfcare UK • Van den Berk Nurseries

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sponsored by Bourne Amenity, and this went to NT Killingley for University of Northampton, Waterside Campus.

Returning to the domestic categories, a Principal Award was awarded to Garden Club London in the category Domestic Garden Construction – Between £30k-£60k for a Private Residence in London, sponsored by Palmstead Nurseries, whilst Cotswoldbased Graduate Gardeners scooped a Principal in the Domestic Garden Construction – Between £60k-£100k bracket for a Private Residence in Kirtlington, Oxfordshire, sponsored

by Johnsons of Whixley. David Dodd and The Outdoor Room team were delighted to have won a Principal in the Domestic Garden Construction – Between £100k-£250k category for The Ribbon Wheel Garden, sponsored

by Van den Berk Nurseries and in the Domestic Construction – Over £250k, LDC took home their second Principal of the afternoon for their Private Residence in Esher, sponsored by Europlants UK, who also sponsored The Great Room and lobby area planting; a new touch for 2019 which saw a plethora of shrubs and small specimen trees help dress the venue, including to the left and right of the main stage.

The International Award sponsored by CED Stone Group saw a record-breaking 34 entries submit a project from overseas. The overall winner was Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute for their Wetland Paradise on a Giant Rooftop – The

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Wetland Park in Huaifang ReclaimedWater Plant. Representatives from the Design Institute travelled 6,600 miles from Beijing to be present to collect their Award.

In the Grounds Maintenance (to include Green Roof Maintenance) categories there were winners in Free Public Access for Gavin Jones for Potters Field, sponsored by Ransomes Jacobsen; Bowles & Wyer’s second Award of the day was for their Private Roof Garden in London in the Private category, sponsored by ICL Specialty Fertilizers and in the Limited Public Access category Nurture Landscapes achieved a Principal for Snowhill in Birmingham, sponsored by Reesink Turfcare UK. Hard Landscaping Construction (nondomestic), from which there were two categories for 2019; Under £500k and Over £500k, were both hard fought over, with three Award winners in the Under £500k category; Blakedown Landscapes (SE), NAO Landscapes and PC Landscapes all in the ring, sponsored

by Aston Lark. PC Landscapes emerged victorious with a Principal awarded for the Exbury Centenary Gardens project.

In the Over £500k category, sponsored

by Brickworks Vande Moortel; Elite Landscapes fought off competition from Maylim, Blakedown Landscapes (SE), Wright Landscapes, Ground Control and Frosts Landscape Construction, to take home the Principal Award for One Blackfriars.

Winter 2019

12 In the Interior Landscape categories, Nurture Landscapes took both Principal Awards; one for Smarkets in the Maintenance Only category, supported by plants@work and a second for Installation Only, for Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel, supported by the BALI Chalk Fund. Paul Bean, Sales Director of Nurture Landscape Group said: “Participating in the BALI Awards is a key focus for our business and reflects the consistent hard work, dedication and enthusiasm our teams have for our industry. To be awarded five Principal Awards across the group, along with a Special Award is an absolutely fantastic achievement, demonstrating to our clients the excellence that our staff strive for and achieve.”

Rosemary Coldstream MBALI, who had already received a Principal Award earlier in the day, was about to have an even better afternoon with the result of the Design Excellence Award – Overall Scheme Under £50k, sponsored by Provender Nurseries.

Rosemary was delighted to see she had won a Principal for Copper Courtyard.

Rosemary also went on to make it a hat-trick with her Principal Award in the Design Excellence Award – Overall Scheme Over £100k sponsored by Ground Control with Modern Garden Hampstead. Commenting on her wins, Rosemary said: “Winning a Principal Award is a huge boost to myself and my team. It is such an honour to be recognised by your peers. Although we are proud of our gardens it is great for

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15 them to be recognised by others. For the clients whose garden is awarded, it is a wonderful thing – they can feel justly proud of their garden. For current and future clients, it shows your skills and commitment to the industry – and especially to the client, commitment in pursuit of excellence for their garden.”

For Regeneration Scheme – Over £500k, sponsored by MCM, Blakedown Landscapes’ (SE) Venetian Waterways, Great Yarmouth project impressed the adjudicators, enough to warrant a welldeserved Principal.

In the Community and Schools Development category, sponsored by Adtrak, there were entries from Carrier Landscapes, Lockwood Landscapes, HOS Landscapes, Talbot Farm Landscapes and Bowles & Wyer. It was the entry from Ground Control however, The Children’s Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, that received the Principal. Unbeknownst to the Ground Control team at the time, this project was to go on to win the ultimate accolade, the Grand Award.

The hotly contested Affiliate Exceptional Award, sponsored by idverde, was awarded to first-time entrant SAiGE Longlife Decking. Harriet Keohane, Director at SAiGE said: “The team are so thrilled and proud to have received this award. We only joined BALI in 2018 and this is our first time entering for an Award, so we were so over the moon to have won. SAiGE loves being a part of BALI and have grasped every opportunity they have given us.”

The Employer Excellence Award – Turnover Over £2.5m category, sponsored by Fresh Horticultural Careers, saw winner Gavin Jones take a Principal for their submission in their 100th year of business.

Rounding out the Principal Awards, Frosts Landscape Construction took home the Principal Award for The Garden at 120 in the Roof Gardens/ Living Wall Installations category, sponsored by Green-tree Topsoil.

2019 also saw 8 Special Awards bestowed on members, starting with Best Newcomer to BALI, sponsored

by Oracle Solicitors. The winner, NAO Landscapes, proudly accepted the accolade for their Bedford House project. BALI’s GoLandscape careers initiative supported the Environmental Impact: Use of Transport for Materials Special Award which was presented to Talbot Farm Landscapes for their Icknield Port Loop, Birmingham – Public Open Space project. Best Community Involvement, which was supported by BALI, was awarded to Blakedown Landscapes (SE) for their Venetian Waterways, Great Yarmouth scheme, which also saw the contractor take home a second Special Award for Outstanding Memorial, also supported

by BALI, for their Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham – Sousse and Bardo Memorial. Chris Wellbelove, Director at Blakedown, said: “It was a great honour to win three BALI Awards.

These Awards mean a lot to the entire team involved and rewards many

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months of hard work and dedication from everyone involved to deliver these high-quality complex schemes.”

Nurture Landscapes also made it a hat-trick of Awards for their Smarkets project, which was awarded a Special Award for Bringing Life to the Workplace, supported by Perennial. A Special Award for Design and Build was presented to Garden Club London for a Private Residence in London with the category sponsored by British Sugar TOPSOIL. A second environmental award, the Environmental Impact: Best Use of Recycled Materials went to Principal winner LDC for A Private Residence in Leytonstone, supported

by BALI. Rounding out the Specials was Best First Time Entrant, sponsored

by Makita (UK), which was awarded to Bridgman & Bridgman for IKEA Greenwich.

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BALI NATIONAL LANDSCAPE AWARDS 2019 - THE REVIEW

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A copy of the Award Winners brochure, containing all the winners on the day, is included with this edition of Landscape News. If you do not receive a copy of Landscape News but would like to request a digital copy, please contact leah.brookes@bali.org.uk. Entries for the 44th BALI National Landscape Awards 2020 will open late February, early March 2020. We look forward to receiving your entries and celebrating with you all again next year.

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1. The Great Room, JW Marriott Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.

2. 2019 host Mark Durden-Smith.

3. BALI Registered Contractor Ground Control receiving their Grand Award, presented by Richard Gill, Sales Director of Headline Sponsor Green-tech.

4. (From left to right) BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills, Honorary Treasurer Richard Stone, Immediate Past Chairman Paul Downer, National Chairman Matt O’Conner and Vice Chairman Richard Kay. 5. Guests networking at the official Sponsors Breakfast before the drinks reception.

6. BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills’ opening speech.

7. Great use of lighting to support the 2019 Awards theme inside The Great Room.

8. Past BALI Board Director Neil Huck (left) presented with a special Lifetime Achievement Award by BALI Chief Executive Wayne Grills (right).

9. BALI National Chairman Matt O’Conner receiving the ELCA Tree from Marie Mertens, Head of Office at the European Landscape Contractors Association.

10. Members of the LDC team collecting their Domestic Garden Construction on stage with sponsor Europlants UK. 11. BALI Chalk Fund Trustee Richard Gardiner presenting the Special Award to Talbot Farm Landscapes for Icknield Port Loop, Birmingham – Public Open Space.

12. Blakedown Landscapes (SE) receiving their Principal Award, presented to them

by Shazna Ali of category sponsor MCM.

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13. LDC celebrating their Special Award for Environmental Impact: Best Use of Recycled Materials.

14. Tony Woods MBALI of Garden Club London receiving his Special Award for Design & Build.

15. (Far left) BALI Chalk Fund Chairman Peter Jennins OBE awards Landscape Student of the Year George Truss a £500 cheque (centre left), with BALI National Chairman Matt ‘O’Conner (centre right) and Ben Wincott of Writtle University College (far right).

16. Rosemary Coldstream MBALI (centre) receives the Design Excellence Award - Overall Scheme Under £50k with her client (far left) and Richard McKenna from Provender Nurseries (far right).

17. BALI Marketing and Communications Officer Trushali Chudasama (left) with BALI Regional Support Officer Shinade Kaur (right).

18. Marian Barker of Fresh Horticultural Careers with guests.

19. BALI National Chairman Matt ‘O’Conner (left) with Honorary Treasurer Richard Stone (right).

20. The team from SAiGE Longlife Decking with guests at the drink’s reception, before becoming Principal Award Winners for Affiliate Exceptional Service 2019.

21. Representatives from Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute picking up their Principal International Award.

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS JOHNSONS OF WHIXLEY PROVIDES PLANTING TO THORPE PARK PROJECT Registered Affiliate Johnsons of Whixley and Registered Contractor Gavin Jones recently teamed up to beautify the grounds of a new retail and leisure destination at Thorpe Park in Leeds.

and retail complex ‘The Springs’ which will feature high street giants such as Next, Boots, TK Maxx and M&S Food as well as a cinema, gym and several high-end restaurants.

The supply was worth over £60,000 and consisted of nearly 20,000 plants used to help transform the new leisure

For more information on Johnsons of Whixley visit nurserymen.co.uk

Herbaceous shrubs, hedging and grasses were all used in the scheme.

A ‘STONE COLD CLASSIC’ FROM CED STONE GROUP Introducing The StoneBed Paving Installation System, a collection of brand new revolutionary bedding and jointing products for domestic projects.

The StoneBed Paving Installation System includes three products from the StoneBed range; • StoneBed Permeable Bedding Mortar Especially developed by Registered Affiliate CED Stone Group, StoneBed Permeable Bedding Mortar is an innovative, high grade, pre-mixed, permeable mortar product. It comes as a dry, pre-blended aggregate cement mix, so all that is required is a cement mixer and fresh water.

• StoneBed Paving Primer StoneBed Paving Primer is a highperformance bonding and priming mortar, it has extremely strong adhesive qualities to make sure that your slabs or setts are properly bonded to the bedding layer beneath.

Why use The Stonebed Paving Installation System?

The StoneBed Paving Installation System is fast, easy-to-use, costeffective, durable and is ideal to use with natural stone, porcelain or concrete paving and setts. All the products in this system allow for optimum permeability, seriously reducing the risk of any staining and/or cracking of your beautiful paving.

With everything you need within one collection of specially developed products, the StoneBed Paving Installation System will ensure that the finish and strength of your paving will last for years to come.

For more information or to view more details visit cedstone.co.uk/stonebed

• StoneBed Joint-Flo StoneBed Joint-Flo is a specially formulated, convenient and easy to use slurry jointing mortar, packed into pre-measured, individual sachets contained in a reusable, recyclable, hard-wearing mixing tub, simply add water!

PSD Groundscare hail Saltex 2019 a huge success With innovative landscaping solutions unveiled on its stand, Registered Affiliate PSD Groundscare are hailing this year’s Saltex a ‘huge success’, reporting more visitors to the stand than ever before. Customers, prospects and the media were given the opportunity to view a fantastic range of innovative, timesaving solutions to assist with a host of landscaping requirements from leading industry names.

Taking centre stage at the show was the exciting launch of the new Prof 6 Green Waste Shredder from Belgium manufacturer Eliet. A prototype was unveiled of the new tracked model which will be available in the spring, and there will also be self-propelled (wheeled) and towed models. This innovative new shredder is the successor to the popular Prof 5 and is a welcomed addition to the Eliet range of green waste shredders which offers a solution for material up to 16cm diameter and make light work of leafy, wet green material where other machines fail.

Chris Gibson, Managing Director of PSD Groundscare said: “We are absolutely delighted with this year’s Saltex. The stand was busy at all times and we took more enquiries than ever before, with particular interest in our innovative new products that are set to revolutionise groundscare and maintenance.

Saltex was the perfect place for the unveiling of the exciting new Prof 6 Green Waste Shredder from Eliet, as it is arguably the industry’s showstopper event and the perfect platform to show the innovations that PSD Groundscare have to offer”.

For more information visit psdgroundscare.co.uk/machinery.co.uk

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

HY-TEX (UK) RAISES AWARENESS OF ‘MISLEADING’ BIODEGRADABLE CLAIMS

ADVENTURE MINI GOLF COURSE SECURED BY ALPHA RAIL RAILINGS Mini golf is a very popular activity that is enjoyed by many and is something that anyone can take part in regardless of experience, so everybody can get involved and have fun. Putt in the Park Ltd has sites across South London and a brand-new course in Colchester where players can enjoy food and drink along with a round of mini golf.

Following the recent opening, Putt in the Park Ltd appointed Registered Affiliate Alpha Rail to supply and install metal railings around the new course, with the aim to stop dogs from running on the course and taking the golf balls.

In total, 25 metres of interlaced bow top railings and 25 metres of vertical bar railings with gates to match both styles was installed around the course.

All metalwork was hot dip galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461 followed by a polyester powder coated finish in RAL 9005 jet black to add further protection and give a sleek and smart look to the metalwork.

Commenting on the project, David Beamish of Putt in the Park said: “We have worked with Alpha Rail for around six years and have used their products on our Wandsworth Park and Battersea Park sites in London, so we were happy to work together on our new Colchester course. The new mini golf course will provide hours of entertainment for all, with the metal railings providing a secure boundary for years to come.”

Alpha Rail specialise in the manufacture and installation of metal railings, with an array of design options available. To read more visit alpharail.co.uk

THERE’S A NEW WAY TO BOOST YOUR WORKFORCE WITH GRAFTER

Finding local, available labour can be time-consuming, difficult and expensive but newly joined Registered Affiliate Grafter has created an innovative online platform to make it easy. What’s more, they also provide all of the admin to make the process of hiring project labour totally painless. Here we find out more about the service they provide.

An all-in-one resource to secure local labour, Grafter connect with a readily available workforce of over 20,000 grafters across the UK. Agree terms, get a contract, take advantage of integrated insurance and make secure, online payments all within the Grafter environment. The easy-to-use service provides all the support you need to find and engage self-employed workers for any job.

By engaging through the platform, you benefit from automated micro insurance, contracts that protect you legally, secure online payment, ID checks and invoicing. If you are CIS registered contact the team and they can ensure that you make the right CIS deductions before paying your workforce.

Grafter works in a different way to a typical job board as Grafter proactively contacts all ‘grafters’ that meet your criteria and they respond whether they are interested and available. They also take care of the necessary paperwork.

There are many services such as Rated People that offer trades people to homeowners whilst Grafter is directed at providing labour for businesses.

There’s no upfront payment and you set the rate you pay your workers. The grafter receives 100% of the agreed amount when the job is completed through a simple in-app authorisation with immediate payment straight into their bank. Grafter charges 10% + VAT of the amount paid to the grafter to cover use of its service including insurance, bank fees and admin.

Grafter is changing the way that businesses find their project workforce using the power of technology to empower your workforce.

To find out more or to start using Grafter, visit grafternow.com or contact the team at support@ grafternow.com

It’s clear to see that everyone is thinking more about the environment – small businesses and large companies alike.

Regardless of industry, companies are all trying to reduce the impact they have on the planet.

Registered Affiliate Hy-Tex (UK) have always prided themselves as a business who puts environmental considerations at its forefront. HyTex’s Ecotex Mulchmat weed control membrane epitomises their ecofriendly approach. The fabric is made purely from organic material and is 100% fully biodegradable. The Ashfordbased company are proud to offer this unique product which has the highest environmental credentials, being the only weed control fabric certified to the stringent EN 13432:2000 test for compostability. This test confirms that the material fully breaks down to nutritious matter and leaves no synthetic residues.

Hy-Tex’s goal is to raise awareness of the misinformation regarding biodegradable fabrics and are urging the industry to delve deeper into ‘biodegradable’ materials to ensure that they are in fact all that they seem. Hy-Tex’s plea for more transparency regarding this matter derives from research into other products that claim to be ‘biodegradable’, but are in fact mostly oxo-degradable or photodegradable, which leads to unfair price comparisons.

Oxo-degradable and photodegradable are starkly different to fully biodegradable options and do not offer the same environmental advantages as the 100% plastic free Ecotex MulchMat supplied by Hy-Tex. Oxo-degradable and photodegradable materials just break down into smaller pieces, known as micro plastics, thus still causing harm to wildlife and the environment.

Demand for Hy-Tex’s Ecotex Mulchmat has grown exponentially every year since its launch back in 2010, with regular repeat sales and a strong customer base now created due to the product’s environmental benefits and performance.

For more information on Hy-Tex’s Ecotex Mulchmat, and their broad range of landscaping fabrics, building materials and urban greening solutions visit hy-tex.co.uk

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

TACKLING BRITAIN’S AIR POLLUTION The Government has pledged to bring forward UK air quality commitments in new legislation announced in the October Queen’s speech. Air pollution in the UK is a major cause of diseases such as asthma, lung disease, stroke and heart disease and is estimated to cause forty thousand premature deaths costing around £40 billion each year. Many major cities like London have been reported to be significantly and regularly above legal and recommended levels.

With approximately 4.5 million children in the UK, which equates to one in three, growing up in a town or city with unsafe levels of particulate pollution we all need to work together to find a long-term sustainable solution sooner rather than later!

Earlier this year Registered Affiliate Green-tech took part in an experiment with Lancashire-based company and Registered Affiliate member Hedges Direct, specialist online suppliers of hedging and garden plants. This was carried out at Lordship Lane Primary School in London and was covered by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme.

The programme documented an experiment over a two-week period which saw the school undergo changes to attempt to combat the effects of pollution throughout. The levels of both nitrogen dioxide from exhaust

Green-tech’s ivy screens help the environment tackle air pollution

fumes and other particulate matter from brakes and tyres produced by all vehicles (including electric), were measured before and after for comparison. Prior to the experiment, the nitrogen dioxide levels and other particulates around the school were found to be over 50% higher than ‘acceptable’ levels.

For the external anti-pollution measures, Green-tech’s Hedera Helix Ivy Screens, 1.8m high x 1.2m wide were supplied

by Hedges Direct and installed as a perimeter solution around the school exterior to attempt to absorb sooty particles from traffic pollution and provide cleaner air for the children when spending time outside. A garden was also created in the playground area featuring various evergreen hedging plants to help supplement this.

At the end of the two-week period, levels were measured again, and the results were nothing short of staggering. In the playground and external areas of the school, the addition of the ivy screens and garden plants had reduced the pollution levels by as much as 53% – a significant reduction within a very short timeframe.

Our air pollution levels are a frightening picture. However, whilst measures are being taken by the motor industry to reduce pollutants from vehicles, substantial reductions and new government legislation to tackle the problem will all take time. The good news is that we now know there are simple green and anti-pollution

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Registered Contractor Kings Landscapes helped install the new screens

measures which can be implemented now and we as an industry can lead the way!

Good air quality is essential for our health, quality of life and the environment. The main causes of air pollution include transport, domestic combustion and industrial processes.

The ivy within the green screens traps and absorbs the nitrogen dioxide which acts as a barrier to pollution.

The trial evidenced that through the installation of ivy green screens there can be a significant and immediate improvement in air quality. There are many other experiments and studies completed – all with the same results.

Just Google it!

Green-tech’s Ivy Green Screens are grown in the UK and provide a simple screening solution for urban environments. They are available in a range of heights up to 3m high. They are supplied with their own growing media in place ready for insertion into the ground. The specially selected growing media incorporates a controlled release fertiliser and wetting agents to aid rapid establishment.

Ivy Green Screens can also increase biodiversity by attracting insects, bees, butterflies and birds so as well as being aesthetically pleasing they are proven to reduce air pollution and can also help reduce noise pollution by acting as a vegetative acoustic barrier.

For more information on Green-tech’s Ivy Green Screens visit green-tech.co.uk/ green-roofs-and-living-walls

PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

Barenbrug launch new seed varieties

at AgriScot 2019

ADDAGRIP INTRODUCES ADDAFLEX-R FOR FLEXIBLE RESIN BOUND SURFACING Registered Affiliate Addagrip is excited to introduce Addaflex-R - their latest addition to the Addagrip Terraco range of quality resin bound surfacing systems.

Addaflex-R is a recycled rubber and aggregate bound surfacing product suitable for pedestrian use, providing a smooth, low maintenance, flexible surface with up to 50% recycled rubber content blended with natural aggregates. Suitable for pedestrian projects offering flexible porous surfacing for pathways, cycle tracks, golf courses, bridle paths, equestrian centres, patios, courtyards and tree pits. The surface is flexible, porous,

On 20 November Barenbrug UK launched two fantastic new varieties of grass seed at AgriScot.

cost-effective, lightweight, slipresistant, low maintenance and contains recycled rubber.

Addaflex-R can be applied directly onto compacted M.O.T. Type 3 and most other suitable surfaces and gradients including asphalt and concrete.

Addaflex-R is available in a range of blends, each an exact formulation of recycled rubber and natural aggregates bound with specific quantities of resin.

Colours are available in five blends of 50% Aggregate to 50% Recycled Rubber and five blends of 75% Aggregate to 25% Recycle Rubber.

See website for details addagrip. co.uk/671/external-surfacing/ addaflex-r

INTRODUCING DORSET SOILS AND AGGREGATES

10% OFF WITH TRADE CARD

Established in 1998, Registered Affiliate Dorset Soils and Aggregate’s Stone Zone & Landscaping Centre has quickly grown to be one of the South of England’s leading suppliers of soft and hard landscaping materials. They offer their customers an extensive range of decorative aggregates, porcelain and sandstone paving, fresh and artificial turf, soils and mulches.

Picking up the BALI Exceptional Affiliate Service Award 2019 in September, by demonstrating their consistently high standards of customer service, excellent high-quality products and outstanding customer feedback, Dorset’s Wessex® branded products feature in famous attractions such as The Tower of London and Prince Charles’ Poundbury project, as well as The Chelsea Flower Show.

their Trade Card, who also receive exclusive invites to special events and the fortnightly newsletter. Nationwide delivery is available for bulk loads, with a next day option included. For local deliveries, they have a bespoke fleet of vehicles to allow ease of delivery for any project; big or small. Their highly skilled drivers are trained to ensure a fast and efficient delivery service.

They are happy to tailor their products to the exact specifications of landscape designers and architects; with a dedicated sales team to offer a personal service throughout the design and delivery process and can create unique blends of soil, sand and seeds to meet the requirements of Groundsmen and Greenkeepers.

With an extensive network of contacts, the team are happy to source products from all over the world – being able to source any type of stone or related product for any application.

They welcome commercial enquiries from architects and landscape designers. You can contact the team by calling 01202 874207 or to view their extensive range of products visit sandandgravel.uk.com.

Callan, a late diploid perennial ryegrass with excellent spring growth, high quality and great yields under both cutting and grazing management, was the first to be introduced to market. Callan was bred in Northern Ireland with partners Agri Food & Biosciences Institute (AFBI). Alongside Callan, Barclamp was unveiled, the first Barenbrug bred hybrid ryegrass to make first choice listing on the SRUC Grass and Clover Varieties List. This diploid variety is late heading with good yields and quality. Both varieties are 100% UK produced crops and will be available via Barenbrug’s Barforage Grass Seed range from 2020.

Regional Manager for Scotland, Mhairi Dawson, comments: “My 10th AgriScot with Barenbrug was fantastic. It’s always a busy show, and we get to speak directly to farmers, merchants and industry colleagues alike. I’m delighted to say it was a truly positive event. As well as launching our latest varieties I was keen for every visitor to go away with a free copy of our Good Grass Guide to help them condition score their grass and make plans for forage improvements.”

The Good Grass Guide is a free tool which can be used as a field record as well as giving a lot of practical information for grass monitoring and investment that could earn huge returns.

For more information about the new grass seed varieties visit barenbrug.co.uk or to speak to one of their technical team call 01359 272000.

Offering a friendly customer service

Members of the Barenbrug team on their stand at AgriScot 2019

A 10% discount is given to any professionals that sign up to

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PRODUCT & AFFILIATE NEWS

PRACTICAL INSTANT HEDGES ARE ON KEW! Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew required the provision of instant hedges along the perimeter of their planned Children’s Garden.

The hedging was needed for immediate impact, to create the boundary of the garden, with the intention of leaving only one main entrance and exit to the garden.

The Children’s Garden is a major new feature for Kew and aims to inspire children to love and care for plants, gardens and open-air play. The completed garden is over 1 hectare in area and includes play structures and extensive planting among the existing trees.

Registered Affiliate Practicality Brown won the competitive tender to supply 190 metres of Green Beech and 200 metres of Mixed Native instant hedge.

The team grew Practical Instant Hedges™ for Royal Botanic Gardens at their nursery in Iver. The Native Mix contained equal quantities of: • Dogwood – Cornus sanguinea • Field Maple – Acer campestre • Hawthorn – Crataegus monogyna • Hazel – Corylus avellana

• Hornbeam – Carpinus betulus.

As with all dense, pre-planted and ready grown Practical Instant Hedges™, this was produced in 1m long bags of continuous root strips for stress-free planting all year round. In addition to the original tender, they also supplied Quercus Ilex Instant Hedge alongside additional Beech and Native Mix. The Children’s’ Garden has proven really successful for Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew with over 25,000 positive reviews.

Their 400 metre Practical Instant Hedges™ contributed to the overall ambience, providing a safe and secure environment for the children to play and explore nature.

Congratulations to Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and Registered Contractor Ground Control on this scheme which has won a BALI National Landscape Award at the 2019 BALI National Landscape Awards.

To see the full range or to read more visit pracbrown.co.uk

PERFECTLY GREEN IN EVERY WAY BALI Registered Affiliate Perfectly Green supply top quality, competitively priced artificial grass.

They are confident that their synthetic turf is the most natural-looking grass alternative on the market, plus, all of their plastic turf comes with a UV protection guarantee so that it remains green for years. They offer a wide range of options suitable for a variety of applications that suit all budgets.

and accessories. To request a sample pack please visit perfectlygreen.co.uk or contact the team directly on 01825 729259 or email tradeenquiries@ perfectlygreen.co.uk.

If you’re interested in artificial grass for trade, they can arrange to send you a landscapers’ sample box. The boxes are specifically tailored to landscapers, using years of industry feedback and experience. The pack includes the full range of grass products, brochures

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BALI Landscape News

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Winter 2019

GROUNDSCARE’S TURFTEQ MAKES GROUND PREPARATION EASY Looking for the quickest, most profitable way to prepare soil for turf, grass seed or wildflowers? The TurfTeq™ Surface Preparation Rake from Registered Affiliate Groundscare Products is the answer. Much quicker than a rotavator, it not only prepares the soil, but also windrows the stones and debris.

First, you angle the deck left or right to work the surface stones into windrows for easy collection. Whilst doing this, the rake is already starting to produce a fine tilth and grade the site. Next, pivot the head straight and work it across the area in two or three directions in order to complete the job. You now have a level, rough-raked site ready to accept turf. If you are seeding, you just need to touch in the castor marks with a hand rake. It tills only the top layer (3 to 25mm). Consequently, the soil is immediately ready for use. You don’t have to re-consolidate the ground, as you would if you used a rotavator, and it will not slump when the first serious fall of rain comes along.

To replace an existing lawn without lifting the turf, kill off the grass with a suitable chemical. The Rake will quickly rip out the dead grass, working up a tilth as it does so, and the site is ready, leaving only a few bags of dead grass to dispose of. This feature can also be used for heavy scarification, such as preparation for wildflower seeding, or breaking up and levelling gravelled areas including self-binding gravel paths, golf buggy paths and similar surfaces.

A rugged, bullet-proof, American product driven by TurfTeq’s GXV390 Honda engine tractor.

Landscape gardener Will Cole said “I recently had the chance to use one of these machines for a lawn renovation job and although it’s an expensive piece of kit to either buy or hire, the considerable savings in time far outweigh the costs. I would definitely use this machine again. It does a better job than a rotavator, and as it only disturbs the top half inch or so of the soil, you do not have the worry your new lawn sinking.”

The TurfTeq™ Surface Preparation Rake is available now to purchase or rent, visit groundscareproducts.co.uk or call 0118 981 1313.

Visit website

THE WILD FLOWER SPECIALIST ENDORSED BY ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW

Design it Wild With our experience, expertise and wide range of products we can help turn the wildest of your ideas into a flourishing and impactful reality.

For more product information, get a quote or place an order call us 01256 771222 or email wildflower@wildflowerturf.co.uk.

Tel: 01256 771222 Email: wildflower@wildflowerturf.co.uk @wildflowerturf www.linkedin.com/company/wildflower-turf-ltd www.facebook.com/wildflowerturf1 Photo from: Hendy Curzon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hendycurzon.com/

Versatility, power and efficiency.

All in one great package.

B2 Series: Outstanding productivity, fuel economy and reliability So how many different jobs do you want your tractor to perform brilliantly? Our B2 Series delivers extraordinary power, responsive steering, a choice of transmissions and an incredibly tight turning circle for maximum performance whatever the task. Visit our website or talk to your dealer now to find out more about how the B2 Series gives you everything you need in a feature-packed compact tractor.

Contact your local dealer or visit our website for more details. www.kubota.co.uk

BALI B2_190x277.indd 1

T: 01844 873190

06/11/2019 11:34