Landscape Juice

Paving Expert site not found

I am getting a high surge in hits this evening from searchers who are trying to log in to the Paving Expert.

Tony McCormack runs this extremely popular site but it appears to have been taken off line in the last twenty four hours.

The Paving Expert is one of the best resource sites in the UK for anyone who is searching for landscaping paving tips.

Interview with Christine Walkden

If any of you are regular watchers of the One Show on BBC One on weekday evenings, you will know that Christine Walkden has her own little spot on the couch opposite Christine Bleakely and Adrian Chiles talking about gardening.

I didn't think that Christine was getting enough time to talk so I thought I would try and catch up with her and have a little chat. Christine very kindly gave me half an hour of her time, even though she had driven over three thousand miles during the week honouring her commitments.

Despite her hectic day, Christine sounded fresh as though she had been on holiday. And here is our chat.

September gardening jobs

The opportunity to get out in the garden is being reduced now as the nights draw in. For some gardeners, the weekend will be the only opportunity to get those important jobs done.

Here is a (non exhaustive) list of a few things that you need to consider when you get the time. And do not stress, it is not the end of the world if you do not get everything in regulation order, the garden is for enjoyment and you do not want a feeling of captivity.

Cooling off period made law to thwart rogue traders

Thanks to Stuart Marler of TVG landscaping for pointing me in the direction of this advice, that has just been releases on the Business Link in the South East website, concerning legislation that effects gardeners and other trades that sell services at the door or in another place that is not directly related to the traders work place.

From the 1st of October a trader will have to allow a seven day cooling off period for the client to consider the contract and have the right to change their mind.

The information has been published on the Business Link website - Consumers' extra rights when buying goods or services from their home or workplace.

Barton Grange flower toilets are now open

I spent a full ten minutes trying to come up with an acceptable (and clean) headline for this post but I erred on the safe side instead.

The Barton Grange garden centre near Preston has just opened its new mens toilets but it appears that the ladies are finding them more of an attraction because they are formed in the shapes of exotic flowers.

The porcelain urinals are the work of artist Clark Sorenson from San Francisco.

Tips on treating Ants in a lawn

Ants in a lawn are not really a problem for the grass itself but even a small infestation can be particularly uncomfortable if you want to sunbath or picnic on it.

One particularly old, yet relatively unknown, method is by placing an inverted plant pot over the top of the ant nest.

In a very short space of time the ants will begin to colonise the pot and build their nest within. Simple lift the plant pot and take it as far away as possible where the ants can rehouse themselves where they cannot be a nuisance.

Find a gardener

Word of mouth accounts for much liquidity in the gardening market and reputation tends to get people talking.

Long before the internet there tended to be a rich market in what you were told by a friend, colleague or family and very often, if a good gardener was known then that gardeners details were passed around that particular network. It was not a concious network but a network never the less.

The success of any network depends on the personal recommendation that accompanies the information but in the early days of the internet, this aspect of on-line gardening adverts, did not exist because people were reluctant to add personal information to any website.

The new illustrated garden encyclopedia by Richard Sudell

Most of my gardening books are still boxed away in the barn since the move from the UK.

I am looking forward to the last of the guests leaving the gite at the end of this week so that we can get amongst all of the boxes that remain unpacked and seek out all of my reference books which I accumulated over the years.

One book though that for some reason didn't get packed as a gardening reference was the new illustrated garden encyclopaedia by Richard Sudell which was published around 1946.

Planning advice on paving front gardens

Are you planning to redesign your front garden or drive? If you are then you might not be aware that the government is to introduce legislation from the 1st October 2008 that may mean you need to apply for planning permission before you proceed.

The Environment Agency has issued guidance on home owners and contractors responsibilities. Planning permission will now be needed if you intend to lay a new surface that is in excess of five square metres where the material that is to be laid is not permeable.

Materials that are defined as being porous such as permeable concrete block paving, porous asphalt or gravel will not need planning permission. The move is designed to stem run off that is contributing to flooding.

Win a blog and free marketing competition

I am so shocked at the response (or lack of it) to the Free blog and business marketing competition - I really think that everyone is shy.

This offer, is open to anyone, is worth many hundreds of pounds.
And I am really desperate to help someone with their business and at the same time, demonstrate how the blog and the web can be used in a most powerful way.