Landscape Juice

Identification of Honey Fungus - Armillaria

Sometimes called Boot Lace fungus because of its liquorice like bootlace threads, the Honey fungus is a major killer of UK trees.

The fungus starts as a small button type head and is often in clusters appearing to be shooting from the same spot. The heads will grow up to six inches (150mm) across and will have a distinctive ring around the stalk.

Unsurprisingly, Honey fungus gets its name because it is commonly a honey colour - although some variations may occur.

Landscape gardeners in Essex

Finding a landscape gardener near Chelmsford has just become a great deal easier after Westacott Gardens joined the the growing list of clients in the Landscape Juice blog and marketing stable.

Andy Westacott has won a years worth of free marketing and advice with me and if all goes well, we will not only strengthen the Westacott brand but increase targeted traffic to the Westacott Gardens website.

Talking to Andy this evening told me that I am not going to have to try too hard to sell the Westacott services to a potential client because, once you have have spent twenty minutes on the telephone with him, you will just know how passionate Andy is about landscape gardening.

Trading Standards 'stitches up' Stanmore garden centre

Piers Mummery, managing director of Shoots garden centre is not a happy man after being 'stitched up' by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards.

Brent and Harrow Trading Standards sent a child into the garden centre to buy a pruning saw. It is now illegal to sell potentially offensive weapons to anyone under the age of eighteen.

The shop assistant who sold the item was only sixteen. The Harrow Times quotes Piers Mummery: He said: “It incensed me because I felt totally stitched-up. He was only 16. This poor kid was almost in tears. I think entrapment is the wrong approach.”

Muck Truck launches battery version

Muck Truck now have a battery version of their popular petrol powered mechanised barrow. The dumper was initially shown at the Saltex Show at Windsor racecourse in September and is expected to be available in early 2009 at a similar price to the petrol machine .

The electric version will be an asset when working around schools or hospitals where diesel or petrol machines make operations too noisy.

BALI Website update

I spoke to BALI yesterday and was told off for not reporting the Google warning to them before adding it to Landscape Juice.

As I understand it, it is not BALI's fault but down to Microsoft who created a vulnerability when issuing a patch.

BALI first got to know about it at 3pm on the 27th of October after a member of the public had reported it to them.

The IT company who administer the site for BALI could not fix the problem remotely and travelled into BALI yesterday. BALI called me at about 1pm yesterday afternoon to say that the problem had been fixed.

Phytophthora treatment by improving soil conditions.

Managers around some of the UK's leading garden attractions will be watching carefully for the results from the DEFRA consultation process designed to determine a the control and management of Phytophthora ramorum and kernoviae.

It is vital to enhance containment and eradication at nurseries and garden centres and continue destroying the hosts of the diseases, especially Rhododendron ponticum, in woodlands and gardens.

BALI website infected with malicious software.

Visitors to the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) website are being met with the following by Google: "Warning - visiting this web site may harm your computer! Suggestions:

* Return to the previous page and pick another result.

* Try another search to find what you're looking for.

Or you can continue to http://www.bali.co.uk/ at your own risk. For detailed information about the problems we found, visit Google's Safe Browsing diagnostic page for this site.

Landscape and garden spring conference

We have not set out to change the world and I am sure that we do not have all of the answers but because we are member driven, the Landscape Juice Network is best placed to help create change within the garden and landscaping industries.

A little over two years ago, the likes of Horticulture Week, the Landscaper Magazine, the Association of Professional Landscapers, the British Association of Landscape Industries didn't have a clue what Landscape Juice brand was or who was behind it.

Today, the garden media landscape is a little different and all of the above, and a lot more besides, have slowly woken up to the fact that there maybe a different way; and at Landscape Juice, I very much hope that we are going to be at the heart of it.

Landscapers safety equipment - don't take risks

It literally takes just one second and a lack of concentration and any one item of machinery that a landscaper or gardener uses to misbehave or go out of control for a serious accident to occur.

I would challenge any experienced person who works hands-on in the landscaping industry who says that they have never had any kind of mishap.

It is imperative to be vigilant and if you are employing staff, it is essential to train them in the use of tools and equipment, and carry out risk assessments whether verbal or in writing so that everyone who is working in, on or in the vicinity, are aware of the risks.

The reinstate groundsman Keith Pope campaign

Do you disagree with Earley Town Councils decision not to allow Keith Pope to continue in his position of groundsman for Earley Town Council?

Tim Rowcliffe-Smith is not happy with the decision and after visiting Landscape Juice and airing his disappointment he went away and started a petition to have Keith Pope re-instated.

It is often said that your employees are your greatest assets and when you are blessed with thirty one years of loyalty then I feel you should stretch policies a little to repay that loyalty.

It might be too late but why not pop along to the petition and help reverse the councils decision.