Home & Garden

Homes & Gardens Ask a Trader... with Troy Fowler of TFF Installations

It’s back! We ask a local tradesperson for the lowdown on their day to day. Troy Fowler of TTF Installations specialises in bathrooms for mobility issues. Where do you live? A village near Sherborne What area do you cover? We cover quite a vast area, everywhere between Bournemouth to Bristol. What do you do? We specialise in mobility bathroom adaptions offering a variety of bathing solutions to keep you safe and independent in your home. This includes complete wet rooms, walk in baths and showers, non-slip flooring, smart toilets, hand rails etc. Why did you decide to become a plumber? I am a very hands-on person and always had an interest in learning new skills that I would be able to implement throughout my life. I am also very sociable and enjoy meeting and interacting with different people. What is a typical day like? We start early at 7.30am! We firstly have the team morning meeting, this is so everyone is clear on where they are going, what the day entails and also gives us a chance to have a catch up on current jobs and timescales. We usually then will need to go to the suppliers to pick up what we will need for the day then head off to the job for around 9am. Everyday and every job is different which keeps it interesting. What do you love about it? It is very rewarding to know you can offer a service that helps people stay independent. I also enjoy seeing the finished result and helping with design ideas when asked. What do you like least? It can involve lots of heavy lifting. On the plus side, there is no need for gym visits! Do you have any advice to youngsters who want to enter your trade? Plumbing offers good job stability, variety and opportunities. Apprenticeships give you first-hand experience while you work hard to get your qualifications, all whilst getting paid! If you had your time again, would you do anything differently? I am quite happy with the choices I have made which have led me to where I am now. What do you offer? Everything from small adaptations to start to finish complete bathrooms, including design and technical survey, product purchase, quality installations, with warranties on all work carried out. 01935 726216 / 0800 448 086 ttfinstallations@hotmail.com

A little bit of luxury to come home to

As we spent months and months at home in lockdown it gave us time to assess our living spaces, both inside and out. And even once coronavirus restrictions had lifted and travel became an option once again, many people still chose to holiday at home. The way we treat our outdoor spaces has changed, and they have become so much more than green areas with plants, sheds and a greenhouse. Gardens have become sacred spaces in which to unwind and relax. And over the last few years, one of the most popular additions gardens have been the installation of a hot tub or a swim spa, to add a little luxury in the gardens of people wanting to relax as they gaze into the night sky and ease those tight muscles after a day of toiling in the garden or a busy day at work. Clifford T Shean Ltd is a family run electrical contracting company, based in Gillingham and founded in 1972. So when Tom Shean decided to launch outdoor living company Inspire Eden in 2019, he could never have predicted the years to follow. Tom said: “With the uncertainty of overseas travels, more and more people were improving their gardens and discovering ways to bring a little bit of luxury to their homes, spending holiday funds on luxury items such as hot tubs instead. Being able to relax and unwind after a hard day’s work or on a social occasion. The fact we can help people bring this little bit of luxury to their own home is very rewarding.” In just under four years Inspire Eden has become one of the South West’s leading providers of hot tubs and swim spas, offering not just the star piece but taking care of all the groundwork and many other garden requirements. Tom said: “We bring the whole project together and take the hassle out of using several different trades or companies.” And if people wanting a new addition to their garden space but might be worried about rising energy costs, Tom is a voice of reassurance. “We only supply and install hot tubs that carry fantastic insulation and warranties. Our tubs are very well insulated which contributes to keeping costs down as the temperature is well maintained. Plus, we include excellent energy saving covers for the hot tubs as standard.” For a free, no obligation quote or want to find out more, visit inspire-eden.co.uk or ring 01747 359015.

n Tom Shean at Inspire Eden

The West Dorset Magazine, May 20, 2022 35 Homes & Gardens Chance to show off your green home

Could you open your home to visitors to show off your ideas for greener living? Dorset Climate Action Network is organising a Greener Homes Event during the first two weekends in October to showcase examples of sustainable living. Last year, 50 homes across Dorset opened, welcoming some 500 visitors. This year organisers want to double the numbers. The focus is on low-cost solutions to cut energy use, reduce waste and save money, as well as looking after nature in your garden. Alongside that will be an opportunity to view low carbon technologies like solar panels, heat pumps and electric cars. “We really want people in different to people across Dorset. The organisers provide insurance cover, a website and a booking system. You can open for just one

kinds of homes to join in – including rented and those run by housing associations as well as privately owned. You may have some great ideas for insulating your home, or saving energy in other ways which add up to a decent cost saving at this time of high fuel bills” said Sam Wilberforce, one of the organisers. “Maybe you’ve got a wildlife garden full of insects, a sustainable vegetable garden or creative ways of saving water – we’re looking for ideas that other people can use in their own homes to benefit our environment as well as saving money, which many of these ideas will do”. The event has been running in West Dorset for nine years and this is the second year the event is reaching out

OPEN: Clouds at Bothenhampton is one of the green homes taking part day, on October 1, 2, 8 or 9 or more. If you’re interested in getting involved email dorsetgreenerhomes @gmail.com for more information.

PARTNERS IN PILE: John Cropp and Steve Wheller of Carpets Select back in 1997 and, right, as they are today

Still measuring up after decades of

By Miranda Robertson

newsdesk@westdorsetmag.co.uk Partners in pile Steve Wheller and John Cropp of Dorchester’s Carpets Select are celebrating a quarter of a century in the carpets business together, and a whopping 78 years in the industry all in. It’s not only their products that are hard wearing –they’ve scarcely aged in our two before and after shots! The pair first met 35 years ago while working for Crosby Carpets in Dorchester. A decade later they decided to launch their own business from home in Weymouth, moving to Broadmayne shortly afterwards, then moving into their current home on the Grove Trading Estate in Dorchester, where they have a showroom, in 2010. They have diversified a little over the years, and now offer Silentnight and Rest Assured beds and mattresses. But their core business involves the old-fashioned touch – visiting customers in their homes with a range of samples to see what they would like, then giving them a quote. During lockdown business soared for the duo, as people forewent their holidays and looked to improve their homes with the cash instead. Life is slightly calmer now

STOCK PILE: Carpets Select’s extensive showroom on the Grove Trading Estate in Dorchester

experience in the carpets business

for Steve and John and their team of fitters. Steve, 61, said: “Home selection is still really popular. “We go out to people’s homes with samples we’ve selected after a conversation with people on the phone and we measure up and give them a quote free of charge.” The showroom hosts thousands of samples of carpet, including roomsized remnants for £180-£280 and a few budget carpets, plus many in the mid to upper price ranges. Hard flooring is very popular, and their Amtico range is much called for. Steve said: “What we specialise in is terrific service from start to finish, from the measuring to the fitting to the aftercare.” John, 50, has always enjoyed selling and meeting people. He said: “It’s a small business with a family feel. One of our fitters has been with us for 25 years, and we have a lot of returning customers.”

n Carpets Select is open from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, 9am-1pm Saturday, at Grove Trading Estate Unit 1, Dorchester DT1 1ST. Call 01305 753998 or email info@carpetselect .co.uk

38 The West Dorset Magazine, May 20, 2022 Homes & Gardens Horticulture...

...with botanist Dr Dave Aplin

Born and bred in West Dorset, Dave has worked in horticulture and botany locally and internationally, notably in Belgium, Jordan and the UAE. He brings a wealth of practical knowledge with its underlying principles to his writing

Growing orchids is blooming tricky

The month of May is when nature organisations tempt gardeners and local authorities to put away the lawnmower and allow nature to bloom.

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Wild昀ower meadows, veg, fruit, 昀ower, new & established gardens. Fast, accurate & easy to interpret soil report within 7 days www.soilvalues.com 07598 714 082 Termed ‘no mow May’, this period can occasionally startle gardeners when spectacular orchids start to bloom in these verdant spaces. You may instantly think of orchids as those showy flowers available as houseplants from garden centres, and yet West Dorset can boast over 50 native species, with a few capable of inhabiting an unmown lawn, such as bee, common spotted, heath spotted and pyramidal orchids. Despite native orchids being smaller than many of their exotic relatives, they are no less showy if you are willing to kneel before them and appreciate their complex, delicate flowers. Artificially establishing orchids in a lawn is not easy –there are two methods. The first is to purchase orchid seeds from a reputable supplier, which you can distribute onto bare patches in the lawn. While the process might sound straightforward, it is a game of chance with the odds stacked against you. Orchid seeds are literally dust-size, consequently half a million seeds per gram is typical. Seeds normally contain a small food reserve to aid germination, not so orchids. Their seeds simply comprise an embryo and seed coat. Sowing dust-like seeds is only possible by mixing them with a small amount of dry soil, then carefully sprinkling that onto your lawn. To germinate, they need to land in a favourable place near a microscopic fungal partner, known as mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae (literally meaning fungus-root) are miniscule and invisible to the naked eye, yet without them orchids fail to germinate. The mycorrhizal fungus enters the seed where it meets the embryo where it forms a union. The orchid begins to siphon food from the fungus allowing it to germinate. The seedling continues to be totally dependent on the fungus until the plant produces green leaves, at this stage the fungus starts to benefit by receiving sugars from the plant. I sowed around quarter of a million orchid seeds on a green roof I installed on our garden shed. I was very fortunate that four years later, two common spotted orchids bloomed. The success rate for sowing seeds is almost so low that you must assume it won’t work and be surprised if it does. The second method of introducing orchids to your garden is to buy plants, but finding a supplier is difficult due to the length of time and work needed to produce a salable specimen but expect to pay £12-£30 per plant. I have seen them for sale at plant fairs with hybrid hardy orchids occasionally available in garden centres. Mail order via the internet is another source, but don’t be surprised if you frequently encounter a sold-out sign or have to purchase them from Belgium. Giving your mower a rest really benefits wildlife, and even if you don’t end up with orchids there are many other spectacular flowers for you and the bees to enjoy.

A THING OF BEAUTY: A bee orchid