Landscape Juice

Back-to-front BALI are still looking for a way forward

"It has [BALI membership] grown over the last twelve months but my biggest concern is for the members that have had to lapse their membership for one reason or another. This year the attrition rate for member companies who have gone into liquidation or administration has been particularly worrying. This is a saddening sign of the impact of the current economic climate." These are the words of BALI chief operations officer Wayne Grills in an interview with the Pro-Landscaper magazine. Sadly Wayne doesn't share the membership figure with the industry; which is a shame because it would give a wider... Read more →

Gareth Robinson of Marshalls talks e-commerce

Gareth Robinson is the head of e-business at Marshalls Plc and is part of the current fast moving generation making big changes to the way we are buying online. Gareth has been with Marshalls for just 18 months but in this interview he talks about how Marshalls are leaders in the way product manufacturers sell landscaping products online but more importantly how they, as a company, are engaging with social media to interact with employees and customers. listen to my interview with Gareth (approx 10 mins) A bit about Gareth Graduated with a masters degree in computer science and marketing... Read more →

Brown-banded carder bee discovered at Welsh nature reserve

A rare Brown-banded carder bee (Bombus humilis) has been discovered at the Carmel National Nature Reserve near Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire. Situated on a limestone ridge, the area was historically used for quarrying and traditional agriculture, is one of the UK’s richest wildlife areas and an internationally significant site. The resulting mixture of ancient meadows and woodlands, quarries, spoil heaps and lime kilns was declared a national nature reserve in 1999. Carmel is managed by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) and The Grasslands Trust. Bumblebee numbers have suffered sharp decline due to intensive agricultural practices leading to a 97%... Read more →

BBC Rogue Traders loses its credibility after presenter found guilty of fraud

It is surely time to close down the long running Rogue Traders after one of its own presenters was today found guilty of benefit fraud. BBC Rogue Traders' presenter Dan Penteado today pleaded guilty at Bournemouth to eight offences of council tax and housing benefit fraud totally £24,000. Penteado was warned by the court that he could face jail and he was granted bail pending reports. The prosecution, told how the offences went back to 2007 after Penteado filled in claims forms whilst not declaring bank accounts. He then repeated this fraud in subsequent years right up to 2011. Over... Read more →

Shoots of success for Sussex business

In this current economic climate stories of business success are few and far between, however Ayegardening a Sussex based Gardening Services business is beating all the odds and are enjoying their third year of growth. Ayegardening was started in 2009 by husband and wife team Aye and Susan Naing. Aye initially started on his own doing general gardening maintenance in the Dorking, Surrey area and Susan did the back office work around her full time role as teacher. At the end of 2009 they moved to Crawley, West Sussex and whilst keeping their original Dorking customers they started growing a... Read more →

See you at the Hampton Court flower show press day

I'm rather pleased to say that I will be going to the Hampton Court flower show press day on 04 July. I'll be sharing a stand with gardening charity Perennial and machinery manufacturer Etesia. We have a little announcement to make but it's hush hush at the moment:) All I'll say is it is going to be big and we hope to make a difference to the lives of many professionals in landscaping and horticulture. Read more →

The SodShow lands Greensax as a sponsor

I'm pleased to see my mate Peter Donegan's (and not forgetting Brian Greene of course) SodShow going from strength to strength. You may remember I visited Peter in March last year and appeared on the SodShow? If you haven't listened I'd recommend tuning in on Friday. Brian and Peter make a great double act. Peter's the horticulture expert and Brian doubles as the hapless gardening enthusiast - although it's just an act, this duo are like the Two Ronnies of radio. The SodShow is one of the most popular podcast shows regularly beating off international competition claiming the No.1 spot... Read more →

Brintex to run IOG Saltex from 2013

I'm pleased to see Saltex is changing but I'm a little concerned for the landscape sector after Institute of Groundsmanship appointed Brintex to manage the sales and marketing of Saltex from 2013. Brintex also organise the BALI members' show. With Brintex now controlling sales for Saltex too I fear that they will gain unfair advantage over others when it comes to providing events for the landscape industry. Sales director Clare Johnson and her team at Pilot Navigation will still handle this year’s event. The development, which has been arrived at by mutual consent, will allow Pilot to concentrate on events... Read more →

Report sheds light on carbon and greenhouse gases in Britiain's forests

A new research report just published by the Forestry Commission sets out to improve understanding of the carbon and greenhouse gas balance of Britain’s forests. Entitled Understanding the carbon and greenhouse gas balance of forests in Britain, the report reviews current knowledge and understanding of carbon stocks and greenhouse gas fluxes. It summarises key information on carbon stocks and fluxes in British forests, both in the trees and soil, the fluxes of other greenhouse gases, and the processes that determine them. It also looks at how these stocks and fluxes are affected by changes as tree stands grow, and by... Read more →

Sunshine brought out shoppers in May say GCA

The Garden Centre Association (GCA) says outdoor furniture and barbecues were the top sellers during May as sunshine brought shoppers out. Results from its barometer of trade, which are compiled using members’ sales figures, show a 9.5% increase in furniture and barbecues compared with May 2011. Phil Slinger, GCA Chief Executive, explained: “Dismal weather at the start of the month turned to glorious sunshine, which boosted sales across the UK garden centre industry and helped to turn around what could have been a woeful May. “As soon as the sun started shining outdoor furniture and barbecues were flying out of... Read more →