Landscape Juice

Can I be sued for clearing snow from pathways?

The whole of the United Kingdom is faced with the prospect of snow over the next couple of days.

It is wrongly held belief that you may be sued should someone slip and fall on areas where snow has been cleared. Whilst the home or business owner has a duty of care to try and ensure that surfaces are left safe, visitors to a property also have a duty of care.

Here is the government's advice on clearing snow and ice from pavements:

Don’t be put off clearing paths because you’re afraid someone will get injured. Remember, people walking on snow and ice have a responsibility to be careful themselves. And don’t believe the myths - it's unlikely you'll be sued or held legally responsible for any injuries if you have cleared the path carefully.

Landscape industry debates the importance of permeable paving

Complying with regulations when planning a new drive or paved area at the front of a property can seem a complicated task for a homeowner.

From Planning Portal In October 2008 Permitted Development Rights were introduced for householders wishing to pave over their front gardens. Planning permission is not needed if a new driveway uses permeable (or porous) surfacing, which allows water to drain through, such as gravel, permeable concrete block paving or porous asphalt, or if the rainwater is directed to a lawn or border to drain naturally.

If the surface to be covered is more than 5m2, planning permission will be needed for laying traditional, impermeable driveways that do not control rainwater running off onto roads.

Manchester flowers will beat the fumes in new summer festival

There will be refreshing colours of flowers in Manchester city centre from a new flower festival for community and public alike in July 2012.

The show is set to be take place a week later than RHS Tatton Park, Manchester's present flower festival. It will run from 23 to 29 July, and will be around the cathedral, the National Football Museum and the Arndale Shopping centre.

Bob Flowerdew puts a dent in the anti-peat campaign

Celebrated gardener and organic campaigner Bob Flowerdew has shaken the organic gardening world by declaring that he uses peat.

Flowerdew, who's a member of the BBC Gardeners' Question Time panel, called for a licensing scheme for peat sourced from managed and sustainable sites but says that the use of peat in horticulture should not be banned.

For the die-hard environmentalists, it's akin to the Pope saying that he has tea with the devil on Sundays.

I've already made the point that Horticultural use amounts to 0.0005% of world peat reserves and also argued that peat will always have a role to play in gardening an doubted it will ever be phased out.

Widespread concerns remain over government's 'sustainable development'

We are all too familiar with the usurping of green terminology words when companies are promoting products to a weary public.

Now 'sustainable development' remains the term that gives cause for concern as being inadequately defined in the National planning policy framework (NPPF). Even before the consultation period began in the summer the land protecting groups including the National Trust thought the plans favoured developers.

Is pampas grass about to make a revival?

Pampas grass - Cortaderia selloana - is like marmite; you either love it or you hate it.

During the 1970s pampas grass was extremely fashionable and was everywhere but it got itself a bit of a reputation of being a synonym for swingers.

Like many over-marketed and over-hyped products - Babycham,, Mateus Rosé or Brut33, as examples - pampas grass fell by the wayside and died a death, with its sexual connotations weighing like a weight of bricks on its coffin.

Mexican Dahlia imperialis are in Devon

According to this year's Big Butterfly count the number of people taking part was almost double that of 2010 but the sightings were down by 11% due to the 'cold and often unsettled summer weather'.

The customary behaviour of other insects and plants has been shaken around this year, including an unusual Dahlia in the South West of England.

BALI landscape awards are a world away

I wonder if the term landscaper has now become a misclassification for some members of the landscape and horticulture industry?

The reason for my wonderment has been stirred by the recent BALI landscaping awards, held at the Grosvenor House Hotel where The Landscape Group - turnover £50m and employing 1,100 staff - has just won BALI's Grand Award for its landscaping of the Broadway development in Salford, Manchester.

BALI do have an award category for domestic landscaping covering projects from £20,000-£50,000 but the emphasis definitely seems to be on projects from £100,000 to £1.5m.

Isn't BALI trying now to spread itself too wide and missing the domestic landscaper? Only a very tiny proportion of companies in the UK, and I'd classify them as bordering on civil engineering, have turnovers of over £1m and employ over 10 people.

Severe 160mph winds will give way to freezing conditions

Much of Scotland and northern England is today being battered by severe gale force winds.

The Met Office has issued a red alert - the highest sate of alert possible and has warned of the strong possibility of structural damage.

Scottish television reports that schools are closed across Scotland as are some roads. The Forth road bridge was closed to traffic as 160mph winds ripped from west to east.

The railways have also been disrupted and police have advised people to stay in doors and not travel until the worst has passed.

Conditions will slowly improve overnight but temperatures will fall to between -3 and -6 as a low pressure follows in behind the departing storm.

Green roofs and walls in the City of London

The City of London is very densely developed but an opportunity exists to improve access to open space and to improve biodiversity through the development of green roofs and walls. There are numerous proven benefits of green roofs such as providing sustainable urban drainage, biodiversity, insulation and improving the appearance of buildings.

The City has undertaken case studies of 17 selected green roofs within and adjacent to the City of London. These case studies contain practical advice and examples of delivering green roofs in the City.