ROYAL PARKS, GARDENS AND URBAN OASES
As the climate crisis deepens, and the UN and The World Economic Forum are calling for climate change and the loss of biodiversity to be solved together, idverde is responding with a comprehensive portfolio of landscaping and ecological services to fit the unique needs of nature and people, in rural and urban areas, everywhere.
As experts in nature-based solutions, we put people, planet and performance at the heart of everything we do. We have over 10,000 employees across 150 branches in six countries who are experts in climate adaption, biodiversity, arboriculture, soil quality and water management. It is through our people and our comprehensive portfolio of landscaping and ecological services that we are able to manage complex projects and respond to each project’s unique challenges.
As Europe’s leading landscaping creation and maintenance company, over 10,000 customers in both the public and private sectors, including large blue-chip organisations, have developed long-standing relationships with us, relying on idverde to bring the power of nature to their projects and community spaces.
Join us now as we showcase some examples of our knowledge, quality solutions and innovative thinking.
With 10,000 employees across Europe, we have inhouse expert knowledge on topics such as biodiversity, climate adaptation and arboriculture, soil quality and irrigation techniques in a context of water scarcity. Our experience covers a very broad range of northern and southern geographies and climates.
Given the increasing impact extreme weather events, our climate adaptation experts are aware of the important role they play in securing and future-proofing communities and nature.
Each branch in idverde has biodiversity experts who work on initiatives to monitor, preserve and regenerate biodiversity, both in ongoing and new projects. In total, idverde has more than 120 employees specialised in biodiversity.
We are specialists in trees and arboriculture, and we offer services such as advice, diagnosis of disease, tree care and maintenance. Our experts work closely with various scientific institutes at home and abroad. We use consultations, diagnoses, laboratory analyses and the latest methods and technologies.
Together with the charity for London’s Royal Parks, the majority of the Royal Parks in England are maintained in partnership with idverde - that includes The Regent’s Park, Primrose Hill, St. James’s Park, the gardens at 10 Downing Street, the garden at the Royal Observatory and Buckingham Palace.
idverde is working within The Royal Parks Management Plans designed to take account of historical change, collate current information, set out park-wide policies
and equip us to make lasting management decisions. A significant part of these plans focuses on sustainability with idverde committing to several targets as part of the contract, including managing vehicle and small plant carbon emissions, and working to protect the unique ecological value of each park.
“We are delighted to manage the Royal Parks, which stand as a reference point for great landscaping in an urban setting, and is some of the most iconic green
spaces in the world,” says idverde Group CEO, Olivier Brousse.
In Denmark idverde maintain the Royal Gardens and Parks for the oldest existing monachy in Europe. idverde has e.g. recreated the Royal Vegetable Garden that provides the royal family with fruit, vegetables, flowers and berries, when the Danish Royal Family are visiting their summer residence at Graasten Castle.
Our work with public parks across the UK and Europe requires a huge diversity of tasks and skills, and our teams work hard at all times of the day and night to keep these spaces looking at their best. We’re also proactively working on improving the biodiversity in park spaces whilst protecting rare or historical plants and maintaining habitats for a wide range of species. Perhaps surprisingly, you can find all of these things in London’s Royal Parks. From August 2022, we will be providing services for 7 out of the 8 parks, working closely with The Royal Parks internal horticulture and parks management teams to provide biodiverse, safe and beautiful spaces for Londoners and visitors alike. The Royal Park contracts are an excellent opportunity for idverde to put nature to work - not only for city dwellers, but also to protect biodiversity and adapt our cities to climate change, creating living uban oases for the benefit of nature, animals and humans alike.
As a leading provider of nature-based solutions, our goal is to manage open spaces sustainably, sensibly and safely.
Within The Royal Parks, we are meeting agreed sustainability commitments and working closely with internal teams to maintain the highest quality public spaces whilst protecting the unique biodiversity and appeal of each individual park.
• More than 200 people employed
• Target of 50% reduction in vehicle CO2 and 80% small plant CO2
• Full range of training and development offered to parks teams
• Nearly 20 apprentices across the different parks
We’re often unaware of the depth of interest and importance of the public spaces on our doorsteps. Whether you live and work in London or come to visit this historic city, there’s always plenty of interesting facts to learn and places to seek out.
At idverde, we emphasise the importance of learning. Our strategic partnerships help us to do more than maintain – they help us to sustain. That means better spaces for people, for plants and for species. Our relationship with The Royal Parks adds to our expertise and knowledge, pushes the boundaries of sustainable public parks management and allows us to have a wider impact across our local and international projects. The Royal Park contracts are an excellent opportunity for idverde to put nature to work - not only for city dwellers, but also to protect biodiversity and adapt our cities to climate change, creating living uban oases for the benefit of nature, animals and humans alike.
• At Brompton Cemetery, there are more than 25,000 monuments to inspect and repair where needed
• Bushy Park is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with more than 100 ancient trees
• There are more than 12,000 roses in Queen Mary’s Gardens in Regent’s Park
• Pelicans have lived in St James’s Park for more than 400 years
• Kensington Gardens has its own allotment
• Greenwich Park’s history dates back to Roman times
The Regent’s Park is one of London’s eight famous Royal Parks.
The Park is Grade 1 Listed on the National Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest and has received Keep Britain Tidy’s Green Flag Award every year since 2005.
Some of The Regent’s Park’s most notable features include the iconic floral displays of the Avenue Gardens, London’s largest collection of roses, a boating lake, numerous sports pitches and open spaces including Primrose Hill, which has a panoramic view of the London skyline.
idverde is pleased to be able to support The Royal Parks in ensuring that Regent’s Park continue to be recognised as a world class park by delivering the high standards of maintenance.
Both Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill are listed on Historic England’s ‘Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England’. The register was established in 1983 and currently identifies over 1,600 sites assessed to be of particular significance. The historical parks and gardens are fragile and can easily be damaged and lost forever. The registered parks are characterised by being historically important, distinctive and much cherished by locals and visitors from around the world.
idverde sees it as part of their important duty to care for these areas and maintain them with the historical perspective in mind.
The Royal Vegetable Garden in Graasten Castle was first created during Queen Ingrid’s reign from the 1930’s and for many decades it has provided the royal family with fruits, vegetables, flowers, and berries. After the death of Queen Ingrid, the garden was greatly reduced until idverde in 2019 was assigned the task of recreating the 7,500 m2 large garden that was now mainly lawn.
The existing layers of topsoil were removed from a large part of the park and stored so that it could be reused for soil improvement in the finished vegetable garden. The topsoil was sorted according to soil quality, so that it was optimal for the different parts of the garden where it was to be used.
The new vegetable garden is to be grown organically, and this had to be taken into consideration already during the construction process. All beds have been laid out with edges or sides of Robina wood, which is particularly hard-wearing and therefore does not need toxic impregnation. All seeds sown in the kitchen garden are organic, from the vegetables to the flowers and grass.
Throughout the project, there have been several restrictions in relation to which machines could run where and when, for example all machines had to be on crawler feet to ensure that the soil was not damaged by the construction work.
To make the caretaking of the plants easier and ensure optimal growing conditions, a new irrigation system has been installed. The system is controlled via an app from a mobile or tablet and ensures individual watering of all beds.
idverde provides more that 200 specialist landscapers and maintenance gardeners across six of the Royal Parks in England – including the 57 acres of St. James’s Park that is surrounded by landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and Whitehall.
St James’s Park is famous for the flowerbeds in front of Buckingham Palace, known as the Memorial Gardens, which were created in 1901 in memory of the late Queen Victoria. The beautiful and well-maintained flowerbeds also create a unique backdrop to special events and old military ceremonies such as Trooping the Colour and Mounting the Queen’s Guard, both of which began during the early 18th century.
idverde is responsible for ensuring that these historical key green spaces throughout the heart of London are managed and maintained for all users – from state visits to local communities and visiting tourist from all over the world.
We use intelligent systems that can communicate with each other, to optimise processes and tasks or plan areas and infrastructure, with fast access via smartphones, tablets or computers.
Collecting precise data from different areas gives us the ability to measure moisture in soil, among others, to ensure optimal watering of plants and trees and minimise the risk of drought damage.
The famous and eye-catching Baroque Garden at Frederiksborg Castle was first established by King Frederik IV in the 1720s. The garden is laid out in four terraces, which are level with the Castle Lake. On the lower terrace more than 65,000 boxwood plants are used to make the four royal monograms – one for each of the regents who have played a role in the history of the garden: King Frederik IV, Christian VI, Frederik V and Queen Margrethe II.
For almost a decade we have maintained the castle grounds in collaboration with local gardeners, making sure that the strict lines and ruler-straight hedges, the finely cut grass slopes and the trimmed boxwood trees display what the historic Baroque Garden looked like in the 18th century.
Nothing is left to chance on this special assignment, which requires many different skillsets in gardening art and traditional green care.
The analysis of the soil on site is essential to understand how the quality can be enhanced.
Knowing the values of the existing soil will make sure the soil mixed reaches the most optimal product. It can save a lot of money and time when the mixing is done correctly based on analysis and knowledge.
The more than 100 acres park has welcomed more than 6 million visitors each year and the park now houses beautiful landscapes, Aquatics Centre, the Olympic Stadium as well as new homes.
idverde is responsible for the management and maintenance of the park including conservation and enhancement of biodiversity of waterways and parklands, management of 14,000 trees and ensuring that the park meets the needs of local communities; enhancing growth and inclusion.
The Opera Park will, in 2023, stand as a lush, vibrant and climate-friendly free space in the midst of the hectic city life of Copenhagen. idverde is combining urban greening, biodiversity and climate adaptation as a common ground for this new 21,500 square meter park.
Rainwater is treated as a special resource and is led from roofs and pavements down to retarding basins securing the area against flooding. The excess water ends up in underground water reservoirs and is used to irrigate the park. The materials in the park can all be recycled - just as parts of the current soil layer is recycled to expand the western-themed part of the park. With hundreds of different trees and plants there is shelter from the strong wind coming from the harbor, while also presenting a green urban oasis for the many city dwellers.
At idverde across Europe we take part in extraordinary, award-winning projects. The prizes especially celebrate creativity and innovation in landscape architecture, product design and the use of new technology, but also the ability to create green areas that bring people together, accommodate the need for more biodiversity and climate adaptation or enhance the socioeconomical and cultural attractiveness for cities of the future.
In 2021 idverde took part in more than 40 nominations across Europe. For example Le Jardin Extraordinaire in Nantes, France, has become quite the attraction and we won the Green Cities Award in 2021.
The eye-catching waterfall and rich plant palette adapted to the pre-existing microclimate on site and achieved greater biodiversity, thus creating an unique, exotic environment.
In 2021 a record-breaking 2,127 green spaces received the Green Flag Award. 120 of these are proudly maintained by idverde.
When achieving The Green Flag Award an area denotes the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.
The former Miséry Stone Quarry has been transformed into an extraordinary lush park.
This future-proof concept enhances economic and cultural attractiveness of the city of Nantes and is a perfect example of close cooperation between landscape architects, designers and plant growers. The integration of biodiversity with a well-considered plant selection and waterfalls all connected in the existing landscape is considered very innovative.
Le Jardin Extraordinaire has won both the European Green Cities Award and the Grand Prix des Victoires du Paysage Award in 2021.
Winner 2021Trees, shrubs, and plants from all continents meet along this promenade. Thanks to the magic of the Mediterranean climate, the characteristics of which can be found in many biotopes around the world, the promenade invites its’ guests on a botanical journey in the city of Nice.
The Promenade du Paillon has allowed the people of Nice to rediscover the interior landscape of their city and revitalize the urban area.
In total, more than 1,000 trees, 6,000 shrubs, and 50,000 perennials and grasses representing more than 170 species have been planted by idverde - a true guarantee of biodiversity in the heart of a metropolis. The project has improved the green vocation of the city and its’ image has become an exceptional asset for tourism.
Budolfi Square is a project that has created both a green and climate-protected oasis in the middle of the vibrant Aalborg city life. It is a great example on how to integrate both visible and hidden climate solutions in an urban landscape. With green roofs and facades, plant beds and a 135 cubic meters rainwater collector hidden underground for watering trees and plants, idverde has made sure that both sustainability and aesthetics have been take into consideration. Green urban spaces and outdoor areas create valuable green breathing spaces in cities. The need of being closer to nature demands more suburban nature.
Small green oasis like Budolfi Square have the potential to bind the city together and create social cohesion among citizens and visitors.
Contact
Salima Saa
Development director GCC countries
Direct: +33 6 30 42 02 61
Mail: salima.saa@idverde.com
idverde head office
4, avenue André Malraux, 92300 Levallois-Perret
France