Landscape Juice

Landscape Juice on Dublin City FM, the Sodshow

I'm going to be taking a short break to recharge my batteries so expect a little hiatus. I'm hoping to come back in ten days time fully refreshed and ready to tackle some of the tough issues of the landscape and horticulture industry. While I'm away, if you are bored, you might want to check out my voluminous archives, built up over the last +6 years. Also, you might want to set your diary for 3.00pm this Friday (2 November 2012) because my friends Peter Donegan and Niall O'Keefe over at Dublin City FM will be featuring Landscape Juice and... Read more →

A Liste Rouge to protect rare French flowers

URBAN sprawl, pollution and agricultural techniques are posing a risk to more than 500 plant species in France, so much so that a Liste Rouge has been put together. The study by a number of organisations including Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle says that the list will enable them to focus on the plants most at risk. Plants that require wetlands are being lost due to areas being drained, but other plants are also being threatened due to the lack of land management, for example brush will crowd out smaller varieties. The organisations say that some plants are only found in... Read more →

Is it time to ban all plant imports into the UK?

If you've ever travelled to America you'll be aware of the strict import regulations which exists to stop the spread of pests and diseases. Image: Ash showing symptoms of ash dieback Certain items brought into the United States from foreign countries are restricted according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. Prohibited agricultural items can harbor foreign animal and plant pests and diseases that could seriously damage America’s crops, livestock, pets, and the environment – and a large sector of our country’s economy. As a traveller you may well feel this inconvenience is a little over the top and unnecessary?... Read more →

Government bans imports of ash trees

A ban on the import of ash trees is being imposed with immediate effect, the Environment Secretary Owen Paterson announced today. The move is to to combat the threat of the tree disease ash dieback. The disease, caused by the fungus Chalara fraxinea, leads to leaf loss and has already affected trees in England and Scotland, and killed trees in parts of mainland Europe. A rapid eight week consultation was launched which has shown that there is strong support for an import ban. The ban is being put in place before the main planting season gets underway in late November.... Read more →

Plant nurseries patronising garden designers

I've just read Hort Week's article 'Tales of stowaways and complacent landscape designers from Palmstead Nurseries at BALI conference'. I thought it a touch patronising that Richard McKenna and Nick Coslett should criticise garden designers for not visiting nurseries more often to see how trees grew. I really don't see how it's possible to generalise by claiming designers were 'hiding behind a cup of coffee' rather than, as they put it, walking the lines. I cannot speak for Wyevale East or Plamstead but my general experience of plant nurseries over the years hasn't always been positive. Grumpy untrained staff who... Read more →

Has the tech bubble just burst?

Graph: US NASDAQ I love to watch the money markets and the share indices as it gives me an idea of what we can expect to come in both businesses and our private lives. Whilst not perfect, a graph can tell me at a glance what the underlying sentiment is behind the din of noise created by thousands of commentators, websites and news channels. There is a saying amongst traders that a company's share price or an index has already factored in news that hasn't been released. In other words (and some of this will be due to illegal insider... Read more →

New chairman and social committee at the APL

It may have taken them a while but the Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) appears to be putting social media at the heart of the organisation. Recent changes to the APL committee have seen the introduction of new blood. Traditionally APL committee roles always appeared to have gone to a close group of people. The most obvious positives from the recent appointments are that all of the new committee members have social media experience. Good luck to Paul Baker (vice chairman), Richard Bickler, Dave Sewell and Claudia de Yong. Incumbent chairman Mark Gregory has been re-elected for a third term.... Read more →

When saying thank you is viewed as wrong

Anyone who knows me or who has followed Landscape Juice will know that I've caused my fair share of controversy over the years. I've never been shy of making a stand on an issue or rebuking an individual or organisation if I had felt there's been a wrong committed. Well yesterday I became the centre of attention after recognising a small group of Landscape Juice members for their work supporting me, LJN and their industry peers. I have created a gold membership category as a way of recognising those members who have selflessly given that little extra to help others.... Read more →

Bergerac to John O'Groats on a mower - job done

After weeks and weeks of planning (and talking about it) my Mowerthon is all over. I have now successfully completed over 1,250 miles from my home here just south of Bergerac in south west France, to John O'Groats on the far north east tip of the British Isles' mainland, on an Etesia H124D mower. The journey took fifteen days in all; some five days over my original estimate. Having said that, when I envisaged the trip taking ten days I was working on the basis that the machine travelled at a top speed of 20mph. The reality was I could... Read more →