Landscape Juice

Bill Bolsover joins the Brett group

The Brett Group today announced that Bill Bolsover is joining the Brett Group Board as a Non-Executive Director. Bill Brett, Chairman of the Brett Group said “Bill brings an exceptional industry knowledge and insight to our business and we are looking forward to working with him”. Currently Chairman of the UK Strategic Forum for Construction and immediate past chairman of the Construction Products Association, Bill Bolsover commented saying “ I'm particularly pleased to be taking up the role of non-executive director and will enjoy contributing to its long-term development”. Bollsover is a Fellow of the Institute of Quarrying and a... Read more →

Graham Holden to retire from Marshalls

Graham Holden, chief executive of Marshalls Plc, is to retire from the group and seek a fresh challenge. Holden has worked at Marshalls since 1986 and was appointed to the role of chief executive in 2004. He told the Yorkshire Post “The business is in reasonable order, by this time next year we’d like to see growth in the market and on a positive trend. It’s time for someone else to pick up the reins. I've been chief executive for nearly 10 years. The hours and the pressure are significant and it’s appropriate for me to have a fresh challenge."... Read more →

Richard Barley the new director of Kew Horticulture

Kew Gardens has a new director or horticulture. Richard Barley is a qualified horticulturist and is currently Chief Executive Officer of Open Gardens Australia, responsible for the leadership, direction and management of a national organisation with the mission of promoting the benefits and enjoyment of horticulture and gardens across Australia. Prior to this, Richard was Director of Melbourne Gardens at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne. In this role, Richard led the successful development of the Gardens for ten years, developing a deep understanding of the need to balance a world-class horticultural visitor experience with maintaining and caring for an important... Read more →

Jez Stamp is the Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year 2013

Jez Stamp, currently working with the BBC Gardeners’ World production team, has won the Institute of Horticulture 2013 Young Horticulturist of the Year competition (YHoY) at the Grand Final, held at the Liverpool University Ness Botanic Gardens on Saturday 13 April. Jez wins the £2000 Percy Thrower Travel Bursary, provided by the Shropshire Horticultural Society. After the competition, Jez said ‘It was an excellent competition that highlights all the exciting opportunities that horticulture has to offer as a career. Plants are my passion. I have thrown myself in 100% and am proud to have won this competition. My travel bursary... Read more →

London Stone to open second showroom in the South East

London Stone will be opening a second showroom at the beginning of April 2013. The new showroom is located at Coolings Garden Centre in Knockholt, Kent. Managing Director Steve Walley told Landscape Juice "We've working toward this project for the last eighteen months so we are thrilled to have finally found a suitable site. "This development will give our existing clients in South East London, East London & Kent easier access to a London Stone showroom and will increase our presence in the South East. "While the majority of our deliveries will still be serviced by our existing depot in... Read more →

Landscapers win Marshalls Register Regional Awards

Two members of the Landscape Juice Network have picked up coveted prizes in the Marshalls Register regional awards. Kerry Jackson of Jacksons Landscape Design from Newton Abbot, Devon, picked up the Marshalls South west regional award 2012 for the most creative use of a Marshalls product. Kerry's crisp contemporary designs have become his trademark. Chris Harrop, head of marketing at Marshalls commented: "Brilliant Kerry ! Another amazing project". Kerry said: "I'm extremely humble that my garden design and landscaping business Jackson's Landscape Design are awarded Marshalls South west regional award winner 2012 for the most creative use of a Marshalls... Read more →

House prices fell 1% in 2012

Figures from the Nationwide Building Society House Prices Index show house price fell 1% on average over 2012 - although those figures vary considerably across the United Kingdom. In Northern Ireland, for example, the average house price fell 9.3% to £107,719 from September 2011 to September 2012 whilst in London the average house price rose 2.1% to £301,168. Scotland and Wales were the other largest fallers with -4% and -4.7% respectively. Here are the main points: Price of a typical home declined by 0.1% in December Overall in 2012 the price of a typical home declined by 1%, reversing the... Read more →

Hort Week loses more subscribers

Figures from the independent audit organisation, ABC, show that Haymarket Publishing's Horticulture Week continued to lose paying subscribers in the last twelve months. Despite still quoting outdated 2009/10 circulation figures of 7,323 on its advertising page, Hort Week - which now publishes bi-weekly - sold just 831 copies at full rate with a further 2,925 discounted by up to 50%. Total average net circulation fell from 6,802 to 6295 in the period period 01 July 2011 to 30 June 2012. Here's a summary breakdown 2011/12 with 20010/11 in (brackets) Total average net circulation per issue: 6,295 (6,802) Single copy subscription... Read more →

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 →

New device tests trees for ash dieback

Portable DNA tests, that quickly diagnose ash dieback (Chalara fraxinea) are now being used in an effort to stop the spread of the deadly fungus. Results of a nationwide survey into how widely ash dieback has spread are expected on Wednesday, many hope British trees will be more resistant to infection. Ben Ando has been out with the scientists using the device, he explains how it will help in the fight against the disease. Source: BBC More on Chalara fraxinea - ash dieback Read more →