Landscape Juice

The APL isn't well marketed says its members

In a recent poll on the APL LinkedIn group only 33% of those polled thought that the Association of Professional Landscapers is doing a good job of marketing the organisation.

One of the biggest problems, according to members, is that the general public don't know what the APL is or what it stands for.

APL member, Matthew Miller said: " I agree the APL does represent the highest quality members within the industry, is pushing up professional standards and does have all the checks and balances within its structure to ensure that the consumer can be assured of this.

"However it does not, in my view, making this know to the wider public well enough; these things are the KEY difference between the APL and other trading bodies out there.

Landscape industry set to be further polarised?

In a statement set to cause further concern amongst landscapers and garden designers, APL chairman Mark Gregory has called for the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) and the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) to join together and form one unified landscape association. Gregory also said that they [APL] should forge closer ties with the Society of Garden Designers (SGD).

A combined APL and BALI would only represent less than 5% of the whole of the landscaping industry but close association with traditional horticulture trade press means only those who operate within these organisations will be promoted.

In an article on the Hort Week website [it's no good linking to it because the page is now behind a paywall] Gregory called the unregulated landscaping industry 'a tramps' trade' and said: "Anyone can call themselves a garden designer or a landscape contractor and charge whatever they want."

Holland Landscapes recognised by APL award

A father and son partnership from Essex wins top prize at the APL annual awards.

Chris (father) and Paul Baker of Holland Landscapes have been recognised by their landscaping peers at the Association of Professional Landscapes' annual awards, held at the Kensington Roof Gardens, for a project construction in the garden of a 14th century property near Colchester, Essex.

The new £28,000 project won in the £15-30,000 category as well as taking the supreme award - best in show.

Highly commended went to The Millbrook Garden Company and commended went to Outdoor Creations.

APL start talking the talk as Mark Gregory takes office

Last year, I spoke at length with incoming Association of Professional Landscapers' [APL] chairman, Mark Gregory, about the the landscaping industry and how he's planning to be different during his tenure.

He's certainly got his work cut out after admitting that the organisation is broke and heavily reliant on the HTA for financial assistance and resources. Whether there will be enough funds with which to work with is another matter.

Mark is held in high esteem by his industry peers and I really do think he'll have a positive impact and to be honest, there's probably not a better choice to head up the APL at this crucial junction of their history and I genuinely wish him well.

It doesn't mean I'm going to give him an easy time though.

Exclusive interview with APL chairman Mark Gregory

Mark Gregory has had just over five weeks as the new chairman of the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) and made contact with me here at Landscape Juice after I questioned whether it will be 'same old same old' during his tenure.

Mark and I spoke for just over and hour on Friday morning in what turned out to be one the frankest discussions I've had with anyone from either of the UK's landscaping and horticulture associations.

Mark talks candidly about how dissatisfied British Association of Landscape Industries' (BALI) members, under the leadership of Alan Sargent, broke away to from the APL and why he wishes he was 'mature enough' to talk Sargent out of the move and encourage him to sit down and work out their problems and how the APL is not able to operate without the financial support of the Horticulture Trades association.

Mark Gregory takes APL chairmanship but will it be 'same old same old'?

Mark Gregory is the Association of Professional Landscapers' (APL) new chairman and comes into office promising change as the APL goes into a new phase of development.

In his first interview since taking over the role from Adam Frost, Gregory told David Curtis of the Landscaper Magazine (October issue - read online) that the APL has to move on and address the needs of its members.

Gregory, however, offers very little by the way of assurance that there has yet been any kind of direction agreed and it's rather disturbing for the APL's membership to continue to hear how the association is still only researching and looking into forums and social media - despite a brand new website less than two years ago, APL members still don't have an in-house method of sharing information and exchanging documents and ideas on a one-to-many basis.

Interview with Andrew Fisher Tomlin

Andrew Fisher Tomlin is past chairman of the Society of Garden Designers, director of the London College of Garden Design and a trustee of the gardening charity Thrive.

Recently, Andrew expressed his concerns that the landscaping and garden design industry was knocking each other too much.

I speak to Andrew about what's needed and how we can all work together in a much more unified way.

Listen to interview with Andrew Fisher Tomlin

Horticulture's 'Big Society' will put pay to top down control

I'm just loving the new atmosphere surrounding government and especially the latest 'Big Society' initiative.

I wouldn't agree with everything the new coalition has said or wishes to implement but I share in the overall ethos of cutting through the sticky mud of bureaucracy and empowering more ordinary people with tools that allow them to make decisions on issues that directly affect their lives or the communities in which they live.

For those who work in or have an interest in horticulture or landscaping - and crucially who have followed Landscape juice for the last five years - will be witnessing, at government level, something that I've been advocating and predicting for a long time.

BALI to exhibit at Ecobuild

I'm pleased to see that the British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) is taking a stand at Ecobuild March 1-3 2011 in a bid to showcase landscaping to a wider audience.

I've said in the past that BALI (as well as the SGD and APL) have become fixated on 'show garden' landscaping and design, and forget that the kind of self-indulgent dreamland gardens you see at Chelsea or Hampton Court are not reflective of what the vast majority of British gardeners want or need in their own garden.

BALI says in its press release that its aim is to promote its membership and the BALI brand - it's a shame that; I would have preferred to see them promote the landscaping industry first and their commercial ambitions second...I guess I should have known better?

The HTA is fighting the wrong corner

Am I the only person to continuously become angry with the 110 year old Horticultural Trades Association (HTA)?

The latest news release - HTA slams National Minimum Wage announcement - has once again, made them seem so bloody out of touch and detached from the real world - their advice always seems to be to do the opposite of what market forces are dictating.

How the hell can businesses hope to bring in good horticulture apprentices and hard working staff when the HTA are telling the government that they aren't worth paying more than £5.80*?