Landscape Juice

Training the trainers - leading best practice on tree and plant health

More than 50 professional gardeners and foresters from across Great Britain have been trained in detecting and managing pests and diseases which are threatening gardens, woodlands and the countryside. They will now act as key contacts to cascade training and awareness within their own organisations, and could form part of a wider network being developed in response to the current outbreak of Chalara dieback of ash trees. Led by The Food and Environment Research Agency (Fera), a wide consortium of organisations from the botanic and heritage gardens and public parks sectors completed training on plant and tree diseases and best... Read more →

How social media can benefit small businesses

Have you ever wondered what Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest can bring to your company? Alison Coleman meets the firms that have used social media to their advantage. After years of avoiding social media, small businesses are starting to embrace it – but are they really reaping the benefits? Not according to Business Network International (BNI), whose latest survey found 75% of business owners have been "put off" a particular company due to their poor use of social media. How do small companies ensure they turn those likes and follows into customer engagement and increased sales? There is plenty of... Read more →

Profile: Talking to Jim Byiers Gardens Galore

The recession has impacted on so many individuals and businesses and Gardens Galore is no exception. But by focussing on its non-sales activities and by 'thinking out of the box' the company says it's in good shape for the future. I asked owner Jim Byiers a bit about his business. How was Gardens Galore established? I spent a large portion of my working life in construction and on building sites. I've always had a passion for gardening throughout my life but it wasn’t until the late 90s that I decided to turn this passion into a career. In 1997 Gardens... Read more →

BALI cancels 2013 landscape show

British Association of Landscape Industries has cancelled next year's two-day trade show because of the sliding economy. BALI said the show would be "deferred" until market conditions improved and the wider landscape industry was better placed to benefit from the event. "Indications from other sectors and our own suggest the appeal of traditional trade shows is on the decline and that biennial events may be more useful in serving the needs of visitors and exhibitors" said chief operations officer Wayne Grills. A spokeswoman said: "I think probably the show will happen next in 2014 under new management unless, of course,... Read more →

Chalara fraxinea: latest confirmed infection sites

I'm sure most of you, like me, are keeping up-to-date with the spread of Chalara fraxinea around the British Isles, worried at how this disease might will damage the unique British landscape? See the Forestry Commission's map of latest infected sites. The ash tree (Fraxinus excelsior) is ubiquitous in the British Isles. It can grow on any soil but prefers a moist soil where its roots can penetrate deep down. Experts warn that we could lose up to 95% of ash before a cure is found or a mutant resistant strain is found or developed. Denmark has already lost 90%... Read more →

Buy a snow blower and be ready for winter

I don't do many plugs for products on Landscape Juice but I do feel this one is justified. It's still very mild with no hint of cold air, let alone snow. But this could change at any time and you should think about getting ready. It wasn't many years ago that snow blowing equipment was big heavy duty machines only available to specialist large contracting firms. Well that's not the case now, take a look at this range of snow clearing machines. For the domestic household, this small electric Stiga snow blower will only set you back £89.00 and if... Read more →

Guest blog: When tree planting sucks

On the radio yesterday I was gratified to hear Oliver Rackham talk about the dangers of the globalization of the tree business, as I blogged about nearly a month ago, writes Nick Mann. It was also interesting to hear him talk about some other less than positive aspects of the recent fashion in the UK for tree planting, which has meant we now have as many trees as there were in the Middle Ages. Isn't this a good thing? Well - er - not necessarily, as I've increasingly thought too. 1. There is always a tremendous hurry and lack of... Read more →

BALI annual accounts and report 2012

Highlights Contracting members drop by 3% Turnover down Net profit drops 87% Overheads rise 6% The British Association of Landscape Industries has seen its contracting membership drop by 3% in the twelve months ending 31 March 2012. In its annual report, BALI treasurer Martyn Mogford says that 40 full members left BALI in the previous twelve months citing "This reduction is predominantly in the small company categories and in general seems to reflect pressures from economic conditions". Overall turnover dropped £1,932.00 to £650,473 (2011:£652,405). Meanwhile overheads rose 6% to £644,877 (2011:£652,405). The increase in overheads is mainly due to the... Read more →

Does China hold the key to future British landscaping success?

Just ten years ago it would have been almost inconceivable for small to medium sized enterprise to contemplate the opening of trade corridors into China. China, once the strictest of communist countries - home to one fifth of the world's population - has now become a hotbed for British and foreign companies keen to latch on to the huge demand for western products. Just this weekend Jaguar Land Rover JLR announced a joint venture with Chery Automobile to build a new plant near Shanghai as it was revealed car sales of JLR into China have risen 80% in the last... Read more →

Free plant workshop Dorset

Can you tell the difference between a Philadephus Belle Etoile or Philadelphus Virginal, with no leaves or flowers on? Can you identify a Rhododendron by variety, with no flower, just leaves? If you can, well done. If not, why not pop along to the South West Landscape Centre's free plant workshop on 24 January 2013 and learn, how to learn about plants. An informal fun day, focused on learning about plants. Nurseryman Steve Jeffires has commercially grown shrubs, climbers, grasses, bamboo, trees and herbaceous for the last 32 years for a living, so knows a lot about how to grow... Read more →