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2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
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OFOF
   THE
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       BRITISH
         BRITISH
               ASSOCIATION
                  ASSOCIATION
OFOF
   LANDSCAPE
     LANDSCAPE INDUSTRIES
                  INDUSTRIES
                                                                                       bali.org.uk
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       AUTUMN

        2017
                                Use this button throughout
                                to visit advertiser websites
                  IN TE R AC T I V E
                      ISSUE

       Xylella - threatening            Trials,                page
                                                                      New gardens                 Announcing
page                         page                                                          page
       our landscape and                Tetraploids                   at New Place                the 2017 BALI
8      businesses               28      and Top Green          32     DESIGNER FOCUS      34      National Landscape
       LATEST NEWS                      TRAINING & TECHNICAL                                      Award winners
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
Euroflor 190x277 Feb2017_Layout 1 16/02/2017 09:37 Page 1
      Visit website

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            or downloaded from the
                                                                   Urban Meadows
               Rigby Taylor website.

                                                            Freefone 0800 424919 www.rigbytaylor.com
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
CHAIRMAN’S
WELCOME
Dear member
Just when our industry is riding on the crest of
a wave, with full order books, better margins,
not enough working hours in the day, and all
the associated challenges that come with a
vibrant growing sector, I read that the Bank of
England has downgraded the growth forecast
in the construction sector for 2018, with
difficulties predicted for the industry.

Prospects have been adversely affected by the slowing of             Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London, on Friday,
the UK economy, with falling real wages on one side and a            1 December. If you have never attended I would urge you to
sharp rise in costs on the other. It is clear that the uncertainty   do so; it is a friendly, sociable, networking event that really
of Brexit is now having an impact on companies and they              highlights the best of the best in BALI and our industry. As
are reining in their investments as they do not know if we will      the industry’s premier awards event it is an inspirational
have a smooth Brexit or a cliff edge one. The fact that interest     experience and an occasion to witness at first hand the
rates currently remain low will encourage investment in plant        BALI designers, contractors and suppliers who have reached
and machinery in the short term but the pressure is there,           the pinnacle of professional excellence that a BALI Award
with rising inflation, for rates to increase, possibly as early as   recognises. I look forward to seeing you there on the day.
next year. With all that said, I think we should remember this
                                                                     Best wishes.
summer as a pretty good one all round.
                                                                     Paul Downer
BALI, too, is experiencing the feel good factor at Landscape
                                                                     BALI National Chairman
House. Membership enquiries and conversions are increasing
markedly and we have a highly motivated skilled team to fully
support the membership. I am really pleased to report that

                                                                       New members as at 25.08.2017
all the positions proposed at the 2016 AGM have been filled
and their positive impact is already helping in their areas of
operation. These appointments were necessary to ensure that
our members derive maximum benefit from the association
and that BALI keeps pace with a rapidly changing business              Full Contracting           Scotland                  Registered
                                                                                                  Smith Landscapes          Designer
environment, providing membership with advice and support              South Thames                of Stirling
across a wide range of topics.                                         DMS Landscaping &          Ground n Gardens          Yorkshire &
Throughout the regional structure operated in BALI there                Building Services                                   North East
                                                                                                  Wales
are a number of hardworking active regional chairs and their           Blueteam                                             Sue Barnes CMLI,
                                                                                                  Greenfingers
committee members who give their time freely to plan and               Scotscape                                             MBALI
                                                                                                   Landscape
organise regional events for the benefit of their local members.        Landscaping
These come in a variety of formats, from business-related              Valley Provincial
                                                                                                                            International
topics to networking events, where fellow BALI members – be             Group                     Affiliate
they designers, contractors or suppliers – can share knowledge         The Plantman                                         Architectural Design
and expertise and offer support to fellow members. I have                                         South Thames
                                                                                                                             Institute of Pinggu
enjoyed discussing a recent tender with two other competing            North Thames               Designs Illustrated        District in Beijing
BALI members at a North Thames regional meeting and                    Outside Designs            Scotland                  LAURSTUDIO
wondering who is going to have that competitive advantage              All Property Care          Rocks off Gravel
to go on and win it! I would urge you to support your regional         Stone and Leaf
meetings; I know it can be a challenge when times are very             Carnall Landscapes
                                                                                                  East Anglia               Associate
busy but remember – you don’t know what you don’t know!                                           ICL Group
                                                                       Warwick Taylor                                       East Anglia
                                                                        Landscapes                Midlands
As we end the summer show season I congratulate the BALI                                                                    Price Turfcare
                                                                                                  Westminster Stone
members who have won medals at this year’s flower shows                Yorkshire &                                          North Thames
                                                                                                   Company
and the wide range of Affiliate members who have promoted              North East                                           Rootz Landscapes
their products or showcased their expertise to a wide ranging                                     The Palfreymans
                                                                       Dixon Landscapes
audience, highlighting once again what a fantastic industry                                        t/a Urban Planters
we are.                                                                                           South West
                                                                                                  Schoolscape
Showcasing doesn’t have to stop at the end of the summer
show season; a major highlight on my industry calendar is the
BALI National Landscape Awards, being held again this year at

                                                                                    Autumn 2017    |   BALI Landscape News             3
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
CONTENTS

      Visit website                            Welcome
                                               I have just had the privilege of sitting
                                               for three days with the BALI Awards
                                               adjudication panel as they deliberate over
                                               this year’s entries. And I don’t use the word
                                               ‘privilege’ lightly where the BALI Awards
                                               judges are concerned. Watching them
                                               and listening to their comments, which
                                                                                                Editor
                                               are the result of over two hundred years
                                                                                                Denise Ewbank

      GARDEN
                                               of combined professional experience, is,         BALI,
                                               indeed, a privilege. For the past twelve         Landscape House
                                               annual awards it has been my role to record      Stoneleigh Park,

    STRUCTURES
                                               their comments and convert those relating        Warwickshire,
                                               to the eventual shortlisted winners into the     CV8 2LG
                                               narrative that you read in each year’s BALI      T: 02476 690333
                                               Awards brochure.                                 F: 02476 690077
          ARCHES • PERGOLAS • OBELISKS         I am delighted that, by delaying this edition
                                               of Landscape News until the end of               Editorial and
      FRUIT C AGES • RAISED BEDS & PLANTERS                                                     News releases
                                               September, we have been able to include
       FLOWER SUPPORTS • FENCING • GATES                                                        ubiquita@btinternet.com
                                               the 2017 BALI National Landscape Award
                                               winners. Winning a BALI Award is no mean         Copy date for
                                               feat. The judges look for excellence and         Winter 2017 edition
                                               there is no place for any scheme that does       10 November
                                               not meet their exacting standards – their
                                               scrutiny is brutal! I would like to personally
                                               congratulate all Award winners and
                                               wish them every success at the Awards
                                               ceremony on Friday 1 December when
                                               they will find out who amongst them is a
                                               Principal, Special or Grand Award winner.
                                               For those of you who haven’t yet booked          Design by:

                                               your seat for this year’s celebration, details   bdci.co.uk
                                                                                                Print by:
                                               are on page 35. I, and the rest of the BALI
                                                                                                blackmore.co.uk
                                               team, look forward to seeing you there!          Cover image:
                                               Best wishes.                                     Helenium at New
                                                                                                Place, Stratford-
                                                                                                upon-Avon (Photo:
                                                                                                Hannah Genders
                                                                                                MBALI)

                                               CONTENTS
     • SITE VISITS • BESPOKE STRUCTURES
         • TRADE DISCOUNT & PRICING
       • PROFESSIONAL C AD/TECHNIC AL

                                                       6                                  32
                   DRAWINGS                                    Quarterly                                Designer
         UK DESIGN & MANUFACTURE                               Update                                   Focus

                                                       8                                  34
                                                               Latest                                   BALI
                                                               News                                     Awards 2017

                                                    16                                    36
             TRADE BROCHURE:                                   Contractor
             Call 0333 400 1777                                News                                     Events
             TRADE ENQUIRIES:
             Email trade@harrod.uk.com                                                                  Product
    www.harrodhorticultural.com
                                                   24
                                                               Training
                                                               & Technical               42             & Affiliate
                                                                                                        News

4      BALI Landscape News   |   Autumn 2017
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
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           Ebben Nurseries

                                                                                                                              Chelsea
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                                                                                                                               Show

                                                               TODD’S                                                          Dakota

                                                               NURSERY
                                                                                                                               Deluxe
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 Photo: Ponte Palazzo, the green bridge Den Bosch. Herbaceous planting Piet Oudolf.

          Future-proof green areas
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 Ebben Nurseries | Beerseweg 45 | 5431 LB Cuijk | The Netherlands
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2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
It’s been one
heck of a year                                                         QUARTERLY

for landscaping!                                                       UPDATE

Despite the referendum, now over              BALI members have great bargaining           and swiftly. When somebody does
twelve months ago, and what seems             strength when looked at collectively.        withdraw consent, their details must
to be constant turmoil on the political       Recent BALI system reports show that         be permanently erased, and not just
front since, the vast majority of BALI        members have a combined annual               deleted from a mailing list. GDPR gives
members are still reporting good              turnover of £5.9bn and currently employ      individuals the right to be forgotten.
trading conditions, tempered with             over 103,000 staff.                          In the event of a data breach, GDPR
a slight note of caution over Brexit                                                       forces companies to inform relevant
issues and the corresponding mood             Data protection                              authorities within 72 hours, giving full
of their clients. From speaking with                                                       details of the breach and proposals for
                                              In May 2018 the Data Protection Act
our members on a regular basis, we                                                         mitigating its effects.
                                              (DPA) will be replaced by the EU’s
are beginning to see some slowing
                                              General Data Protection Regulation           From the initial stages onwards,
in client commitment, albeit more
                                              (GDPR), a framework with greater scope       organisations must consider the
on the commercial side than in the
                                              and much tougher punishments for             impact that processing personal data
domestic market.
                                              those who fail to comply with new rules      can have on an individual’s privacy.
BALI was once again invited to attend         around the storage and handling of           This means, for example, that every
a round table discussion on Brexit and        personal data. Whilst this new framework     new business process or product that
its impact on trade by the Ambassador         comes into effect in the midst of the        could involve personal data or impact
of the Netherlands at their Embassy in        process to uncouple the UK from the EU,      the privacy of an individual must be
London. Well attended by representatives      the ‘European Union (Withdrawal) Act’        designed in accordance with data
from British companies, the meeting was       means it is likely to be converted into      protection requirements.
an interesting one, with a more land-         British law.
                                                                                           We will be covering this important
based focus than previously. The Dutch
                                              The DPA dates from the 1990s, a time         issue in more detail for members in the
are clearly concerned about the Brexit
                                              when only the largest companies had          coming months but, in the meantime,
situation and its effect on their country’s
                                              the means to collect and store significant   please be aware that this legislation
future trade with the UK.
                                              amounts of data. In the intervening years,   is on its way. As a BALI member, you
I will obviously keep you posted on these     however, the ease and sophistication of      have access to expert advice through
matters as and when they arise but, in        data collection means that thousands         BALI HR and BALI H&S provided by
the meantime, BALI will be seeking your       of SMEs not only collect personal details    Qdos Consulting. You can gain access
views as members on how you feel Brexit       but store, move and access them online.      to their details through the members’
may or may not affect your businesses.        Personal data is used in everything          area of the website, or by calling the
This will ensure that we represent BALI       from sales to customer relationship          helpline number 01162 437881.
members properly at senior government         management to marketing.
level whenever we have the opportunity.                                                    Industry Engagement
                                              One of the biggest changes SMEs will
Could I ask you to take the time to
                                              face concerns consent. Under the new         We continue to press for wider industry
respond to any of the surveys we send
                                              regulations, companies must keep a           engagement, particularly with other
out to members to ensure we have a
                                              thorough record of how and when an           industry associations, societies and
better understanding of your businesses
                                              individual gives consent to store and        institutes. Some of the ongoing work we
so that ours is a truly representative
                                              use their personal data. Consent will        have on our agenda includes:
voice for our industry? Unless as many
                                              mean active agreement. It can no longer
members as possible provide their                                                          •   BALI to host a meeting with the
                                              be inferred from, say, a pre-ticked box.
feedback the clout we need when                                                                Rt Hon Anne Milton MP, Minister
                                              Companies will have to show a clear
discussing these issues with a whole                                                           for Apprenticeships and Skills
                                              audit trail of consent, including screen
range of stakeholders, whether industry                                                    •   The Parks Alliance – BALI
                                              grabs or saved consent forms.
or government, will be diminished and                                                          continues to attend regular
could damage our attempts to protect          Individuals also have the right to               meetings and represented TPA
your livelihoods post Brexit.                 withdraw consent at any time, easily             at the Green Flag Awards

6        BALI Landscape News      |   Autumn 2017
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
The GoLandscape
                             ‘Watch this Space’
                             garden at RHS
                             Hampton Court
                             Palace Flower Show

•   Ornamental Horticulture Round
    Table Group – BALI contribution
    to industrial strategy and meeting
    with Defra Minister of State George
    Eustice MP
•   Plant Health and Biosecurity
    meeting, Defra
•   Horticulture and Landscaping
    Trailblazer Apprenticeship standards
•   BALI’s continued support of the
    RHS Young Landscape Contractor
    Competition at the RHS Flower Show        (The Outdoor Room)
    Tatton Park                               and designer Andy
•   Attendance at RHS Chelsea                 Sturgeon MBALI. They came
    Flower Show and RHS Hampton               up with the concept of reusing
    Court Palace Flower Show and              materials from previous award-winning
    participation in parliamentary tours      RHS Chelsea Flower Show gardens and
                                              reusing them in one garden design           BALI Landscape House
    at both events
                                              at Hampton Court. David realised            and staff moves
•   Numerous visits to BALI members
                                              this could be a great opportunity to
    undertaken by myself and the team                                                     Since my last update we have two
                                              promote GoLandscape and careers in
    at Landscape House                                                                    new starters at Landscape House.
                                              landscaping if trainees and apprentices
                                                                                          Stephen Ensell, as already mentioned,
•   Horticulture Framework for the            built the garden and he and other
                                                                                          has taken up the role of Education
    Future (Scotland) – This document         industry professionals mentored them.
                                                                                          Officer and whilst he has previously
    is to be launched in the coming
                                              With some financial support from the        run a BALI Award-winning contracting
    months
                                              RHS, the garden was given the go-           business with his brother, he was also
•   I represented BALI members at the         ahead with just three weeks to go! The      a landscaping and horticulture college
    Majestic Trees Grand Opening of           APL and other organisations provided        lecturer for a number of years.
    their new Visitor Advice Centre and       support during the build and a superb
    celebration of 15 years in business       garden was delivered – I should know,       Jayne White has also joined the team,
    during the live panel debate about        I spent over two hours watering it! This    which is now at a full complement, to
    biosecurity                               was a fantastic demonstration of what       take up the role of Membership Officer
                                              GoLandscape is capable of achieving.        working with Emily Feeney. Jayne
                                                                                          joins us from another membership
                                              At the beginning of August our newly        organisation and brings a number of
                                              appointed Education Officer, Stephen        skills with her to help support BALI
                                              Ensell, took up his role at BALI and will   members and their businesses. I do
                                              now help bring the GoLandscape pilot        hope that you will welcome both
                                              to its conclusion and begin planning        Stephen and Jayne to BALI and that you
I am delighted to report that this BALI       the official launch and phased roll out.    will find them both, together with the
initiative is gathering great momentum        Stephen will also have responsibility       rest of the team, a great support for you
and is being talked about all over the        for BALI’s other learning programmes        and your businesses.
industry at the moment. Its greatest          but will focus heavily on GoLandscape
achievement to date was to build a            in these early stages of the initiative.    Wayne Grills
feature garden at Hampton Court               Should you wish to support                  CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Palace Flower Show! This was the              GoLandscape in any way please e-mail
brainchild of BALI members David Dodd         Stephen at stephen.ensell@bali.org.uk

                                                                                  Autumn 2017   |   BALI Landscape News         7
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
Trees delivered by company HGVs
                                                                     with truck-mounted telescopic
                                                                     forklifts for off-loading

                                                                                    Majestic Trees’
                                                                                     celebrations
            Majestic Trees                                                           tempered by
                                                                                     Xylella worries
            Visitor Advice Centre

            Managing Director of BALI Affiliate         the stock and minimises risk to the health     joined on the panel by Mark Gregory of
            member Majestic Trees, Steve McCurdy,       of staff and to the environment by using       BALI Registered Contractor Landform
            chose to mark his company’s fifteen         50% less chemicals with 80% less drift.        Consultants, BALI Registered Designer
              years in business and the opening of      No stranger to industry accolades,             Andy Sturgeon, Peter Seabrook, and
                  its stunning new Visitor Advice       Majestic Trees has won UK Nursery              RHS Council member Jon Wheatley.
                      Centre with a Landscape           Stock Grower of the Year four times,           It was clear that, despite action clearly
                        Industry Symposium,             most recently this year, and won Silver        being taken by Professor Spence’s team
                          focusing on the biosecurity   at the International Grower Awards in          in the fight against Xylella, there was
                           threat from Xylella and      2011 and 2016. Many of the company’s           concern from some members of the
                            the risk the bacterium      workforce of over thirty employees have        audience that, whilst nurseries are being
                            poses to the entire         been with Majestic Trees for a large part      held to account for their actions, other
                            landscape industry.         of its existence and staff retention speaks    members of the landscape industry, such
                                                        volumes for its ethos.                         as landscape contractors and landscape
Managing                    The event, which took
                                                                                                       and garden designers, can also play a key
Director Steve             place at Majestic Trees’     Following Steve McCurdy’s welcome
                                                                                                       role in containing the threat. Wayne Grills
McCurdy                   nursery at Flamstead          and introduction to the symposium,
                                                                                                       suggested in his response that a joined-
                         near St Albans, welcomed       garden journalist, broadcaster, speaker
                                                                                                       up approach is needed across the wider
                       landscape architects, garden     and horticultural legend Peter Seabrook
                                                                                                       landscape industry as opposed to smaller
                   designers, contractors and other     formally introduced the Visitor Advice
                                                                                                       initiatives run by different sectors. There
              industry professionals, who were          Centre, before Professor Nicola Spence,
                                                                                                       was a clear sense of urgency amongst the
            treated to a packed programme of            UK Chief Plant Health Officer, gave the
                                                                                                       audience and some disquiet that the UK
            keynote speeches, panel discussions and     keynote address - Biosecurity: Risk and
                                                                                                       Government had been caught unawares
            seminars. In addition, there were static    responsibility sharing; future threats and
                                                                                                       by Xylella; more should now be done
            displays from Vermeer, JCB, Amenity         opportunities.
                                                                                                       in terms of awareness of the bacterium
            Land Solutions, Platipus, as well as        Professor Spence discussed the threat          and its potential to cause wide-spread
            Majestic’s own tree handling machinery,     posed to the UK by pests and disease and       plant losses and damage to nursery and
            and electrostatic sprayer.                  particularly the emerging Xylella situation    landscaping businesses.
            Majestic Trees stocks the widest range      across Europe, which is likely to impact
                                                                                                       After lunch, there were seminars on
            of container-grown semi-mature sizes        how landscapes in this country are
                                                                                                       buying specimen trees (Steve McCurdy),
            and varieties of trees and hedging in       designed, planted and maintained in the
                                                                                                       running a profitable business (BALI
            the UK, with over 10,000 specimens of       future if high-risk host species are to be
                                                                                                       Registered Designer John Wyer), and
            some 400 varieties on the nursery at any    avoided. She explained the preventative
                                                                                                       planning, handling and planting big trees
            one time. Some trees at the nursery are     work currently being undertaken by the
                                                                                                       (Mark Gregory). A second panel discussion
            fifty years old. Nurseries across Europe    Government and the horticulture sector,
                                                                                                       with Jody Lidgard and designer Ann-
            are visited to find those with the very     including plant passports and regular
                                                                                                       Marie Powell gave the audience a further
            highest biosecurity protocols and pest      liaison with the EU, and cited successes
                                                                                                       opportunity to discuss client charging
            and disease control practices from          to date in terms of biosecurity. Critically,
                                                                                                       and business profitability.
            which to source stock. The vast majority    Professor Spence, who has spent a great
            of new stock is brought in over the         deal of time engaging with the nursery         An excellent day concluded
            winter, either in rootball or bare-root     industry, stressed the importance of           with drinks and canapes and an
            form, and then planted into Air-Pots to     the wider industry working together to         opportunity to network in beautiful
            encourage the rapid development of          protect the nation’s landscape.                surroundings. Congratulations to
            a healthy, fibrous root system that will                                                   Majestic Trees on their fifteen years in
                                                        The panel discussion, which followed a
            withstand transplanting in any season.                                                     business and for organising a much-
                                                        short break, was facilitated by Professor
            Pest and disease control is paramount at                                                   needed and timely symposium in
                                                        Spence who directed questions from
            Majestic Trees and the company’s use of                                                    their new Visitor Advice Centre.
                                                        the audience to the panel speakers.
            electrostatic sprayer technology protects   BALI’s Chief Executive Wayne Grills was        majestictrees.co.uk

            8         BALI Landscape News    |   Autumn 2017
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
LATEST NEWS

Xylella fastidiosa and
the threat to the UK
What is Xylella, and why is                     • Spartium junceum (Spanish broom) –           In the event of an outbreak in the UK
                                                  On sale in the UK, host of ssp. multiplex    there would be a massive impact on the
it important to prevent its                       and ssp. pauca. Has accounted for 27%        affected nursery and any other nurseries
spread to the UK?                                 of positive diagnoses in PACA. While a       within the buffer zone, currently 10km.
                                                  major host in southern member states,
Xylella fastidiosa is a bacterium, which                                                       Xylella is subject to EU emergency
                                                  it is not a high volume seller in the
can cause disease in a particularly wide                                                       measures and any signs of it should be
                                                  UK. However, it may be planted more
range of woody plants. It has four sub-                                                        reported as follows:
                                                  widely in southern and coastal areas.
species, each attacking different plants:
                                                                                               For England and Wales, contact your
• Xylella fastidiosa ssp. Multiplex             • Hebe – Widely grown in the UK, a host
                                                                                               local APHA Plant Health and Seeds
                                                  of ssp .multiplex. Very large volumes of
• Xylella fastidiosa ssp. Fastidiosa                                                           Inspector or the PHSI Headquarters,
                                                  UK own production and EU imports.
• Xylella fastidiosa spp. Pauca                                                                Sand Hutton, York. Tel: 01904 405138
                                                  It is planted in a very wide range of
                                                                                               Email: planthealth.info@apha.gsi.gov.uk
• Xylella fastidiosa ssp. Sandyi                  private garden and amenity landscape
                                                  situations across the UK.                    For Scotland, contact the Scottish
Xylella is responsible for large scale losses                                                  Government’s Horticulture and
of commercial and amenity trees in USA,         What does Xylella do to                        Marketing Unit:
Italy and Brazil. In Brazil, 40% of citrus
trees have been lost to the bacterium,
                                                host plants?                                   Email: hort.marketing@gov.scot
resulting in $120 million of lost revenue       The disease attacks the water-                 For Northern Ireland, contact the
to the economy. In Europe there are             conducting mechanisms of the host              DAERA Plant Health Inspection Branch:
currently major outbreaks in:                   plant, inhibiting movement of water and        Tel: 0300 200 7847 Email: planthealth@
• Provinces of Lecce and Brindisi –             nutrients. This can lead to the death of       daera-ni.gov.uk
  Southern Italy                                the plant.
                                                                                               For more information on Xylella, visit:
• Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur (PACA) –           How is Xylella spread?
  Southern France, and Corsica                                                                 Defra Plant Pest Factsheet
                                                The bacterium is spread by insects
• Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, with a           (for example, common froghopper),              planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/assets/
  finding also confirmed on mainland            which feed on the water-conducting             factsheets/xylellaFastidiosa2015.pdf
  Spain (Alicante)                              mechanisms within a plant. The UK
• An outbreak in Germany is relatively          contains several species that fit into this
  small compared to the situations in           category and, should Xylella become
  Spain and Italy as it relates to a small      established in the UK, the insects
  number of plants, which have been             could spread the bacterium over long
  moved in trade.                               distances. Xylella may also be spread
                                                through the transporting of plants as
The official measures required in               part of landscaping schemes.
the event of an outbreak under the
Commission Decision for Xylella are very        What are the symptoms?
similar for all sub species/strains. This       Xylella symptoms vary widely and
means that any outbreak of Xylella in           according to the host plant species
the UK will have a very serious impact on       but the presence of any of the
the growers affected by it. The multiplex       following visual symptoms should
strain is considered to pose the greatest       be investigated further:
plant health risk to the UK.
                                                • Marginal leaf scorch
Host plants                                     • Wilting of foliage
More than 150 plants have been                  • Withering of branches
infected by Xylella fastidiosa on the
continent but the number of plants that         Severe cases of Xylella can result
are susceptible to the bacterium may            in the death of the specimen.
extend to more than 300. The link below
provides the latest information from
                                                Has Xylella reached the UK?
the European Commission: Directorate            Is it a viable threat?
General for Health and Food Safety              Although Xylella has not yet reached
                                                the UK, the Food and Environment
ec.europa.eu/food/plant/plant_health_
                                                Research Agency (FERA) has suggested
biosecurity/legislation/emergency_
                                                that, once in the country, Xylella is likely
measures/xylella-fastidiosa/                                                                                 Leaf tip and
                                                to establish in plants both outdoors and
susceptible_en                                                                                               marginal leaf
                                                under protection. Warmer UK regions                          yellowing
In addition, the following should be            with minimal frost are most at risk from
noted:                                          the pathogen.

                                                                                       Autumn 2017     |   BALI Landscape News            9
2017 AUTUMN - British Association of Landscape ...
LATEST NEWS

                                                  Training providers and speakers
                                                attend the launch of the industry’s
                                                       Trailblazer Apprenticeships

                                                                                      Marcus Jones
                                                                                      MP is new parks
                                                                                      and green spaces
                                                                                      minister
                                                                                      Following June’s General Election,
                                                                                      Marcus Jones, MP for Nuneaton
                                                                                      and Parliamentary Under
                                                                                      Secretary of State (Minister for
                                                                                      Local Government), has now been
                                                                                      given the parks and green spaces
                                                                                      brief to add to his already weighty
                                                                                      responsibilities at the Department
                                                                                      for Communities and Local
                                                                                      Government (DCLG). These include
                                                                                      homelessness, troubled families
                                                                                      and adult social care.

   Thamesmead
                                                                                      An MP since 2010, having served
                                                                                      as a local councillor and leader
                                                                                      of Bedworth Borough Council,

   Landscape
                                                                                      Marcus Jones was appointed
                                                                                      Minister for Local Government in
                                                                                      May 2015. Before that he served as

   Contractor Day
                                                                                      the Parliamentary Private Secretary
                                                                                      to the Financial Secretary to the
                                                                                      Treasury and Parliamentary Private
                                                                                      Secretary to the Secretary of State
                                                                                      for Culture, Media and Sport.

                                                                                      He takes over responsibility for
                                                                                      parks and greens spaces from
                                                                                      Andrew Percy MP, the first
   Following the article in the             likely to be awarded, outline the
                                                                                      government minister to have
   summer edition of BALI                   Peabody procurement process,
                                                                                      parks listed within his official
   Landscape News, Peabody,                 and include a tour by mini-bus of
                                                                                      responsibilities, who resigned
   the organisation driving the             Thamesmead with its Director of
                                                                                      following the election to return to
   regeneration of London’s new             Landscape & Placemaking, Phil
                                                                                      the back benches. Andrew Percy
   town, Thamesmead, is holding             Askew.
                                                                                      had been encouragingly proactive
   a workshop for all of those
                                            The workshop will provide an              in engaging with stakeholders
   who are interested in working
                                            opportunity to fully understand           involved in the Communities
   on the project. The day will be
                                            Peabody’s commitment to the               and Local Government
   an opportunity for landscape
                                            project and its desire to work with       Committee’s parks inquiry and
   contractors to see Thamesmead
                                            quality contractors and suppliers         had recommended a cross-
   and understand the ambitious
                                            to achieve its aims.                      departmental group be established
   programme of regeneration
                                                                                      in light of the inquiry findings.
   and development upon which
   Peabody is embarking.                    Places for the workshop,
                                            depending on the level of                 It is hoped that the progress made
                                            response, may be restricted to            with moving parks and green
   Taking place in the heart of
                                            one representative per company.           spaces up the government agenda
   the town at Sporting Club
                                            To secure your place please email         will continue under the new
   Thamesmead on Wednesday,
                                            owen.baker@bali.org.uk who will           minister and that the findings from
   25 October, 2017, the workshop
                                            forward full details of the event         the parks inquiry will avoid falling
   will explain the Thamesmead
                                            and a registration form.                  into the long grass!
   project and the types of contracts

    10       BALI Landscape News     |   Autumn 2017
LATEST NEWS

Draycote Water hosts the
2017 BALI National AGM
Members attending BALI’s 2017             number of entries and attendance
National AGM on 7 September               at the event in London, resulting
headed to Draycote Water near             in a boost in Awards income of an
Rugby, where the AGM followed             additional £8,000 on the previous
by a technical workshop on weed           year. In addition, BALI membership
treatment technologies were               increased steadily to 900 at Year
held. 35 members representing 31          End with a corresponding increase
member companies attended, with           in income.
apologies received from a further
                                         • The increase to membership fees        The proposition to accept the
66 members.
                                           approved at last year’s AGM had        directors’ recommendations for the
National Chairman Paul Downer              allowed the association to appoint     reappointment of the following to
opened the meeting by welcoming            an Education Officer to drive          serve as Officers of the Association
members and explaining that Chief          forward the GoLandscape initiative     was unanimously adopted:
Executive Wayne Grills would field any     and a Technical Officer (Policy
                                           & Research) to further support         Paul Downer
questions for the Treasurer, Richard
                                           members.                               National Chairman
Stone, who was unable to attend. The
minutes of the previous AGM on 6                                                  Matt O’Conner
                                         • The Reserves Policy discussed at
September 2016 were approved and                                                  Vice Chairman
                                           last year’s AGM has been introduced
under matters arising Wayne Grills         with the aim of retaining 6-7          Robert Field
apologised that the updated Articles       months of operating costs as guide.    Immediate Past Chairman
of Association could not be circulated     This year £100,000 of the reserves     Wayne Grills
prior to the AGM as BALI’s solicitors      has been ringfenced and the fund       Chief Executive
had recommended a more extensive           will be increased as and when a
review and updating of both the                                                   Richard Stone
                                           surplus allows.                        Honorary Treasurer
Articles and the Memorandum of
Association. Once this is completed      The financial accounts for the year      Wayne Grills gave a presentation
the proposed updated documents           ending 31 March 2017 were duly           summarising the Association’s
will be reviewed by the Board before     adopted. A constructive discussion       activities over the previous twelve
being issued to members.                 followed on the proposal for a           months and highlighting future plans.
                                         mandate from the members
                                         to increase fees by 3% for the           Following the formal business of
                                         membership year 2018/19 to cover         the AGM, members enjoyed a BBQ
                                         the association’s increased operating    lunch and those registered for the
                                         costs. Following the Board’s review      afternoon’s event - Weed Treatment:
                                         of membership fees and bands a           Exploring New Technologies – joined
                                         C10 category will be introduced for      colleagues to hear presentations
                                         companies with turnovers in excess       from Andrew Turner,
                                         of £40m and that consultation with       the HSE’s Principal
                                         the members affected will take           Inspector of Health
                                         place prior to implementation. In        and Safety; Tracey
                                         addition the differentials between       Ware, Pesticides
                                         membership bands will be reviewed        Policy Team for
The National Chairman’s, Chief           and adjusted.                            the Chemical
Executive’s and Honorary Treasurer’s                                              Regulations
reports, which appeared in the           The proposal was carried with 27         Division, and
formal Annual Report and Accounts        votes for (16 from the room and 11       Thomas Scanlon,
document sent to members prior to        proxies), 9 against (3 from the room     Key Account
the AGM, were taken as read. Wayne       and 6 proxies).                          Manager, Crop
Grills highlighted aspects of the                                                 Protection at
                                         The meeting was advised that Janine
Treasurer’s report in Richard Stone’s                                             Monsanto UK.
                                         Pattison MBALI would be standing
absence:                                                                          Leading manufacturers
                                         down and not seeking re-election to
• Of the £47,000 reported surplus,       the Board. The Chairman thanked her      and suppliers, including
  £18,000 relates to the sum agreed      for her contribution throughout her      Weedingtech, Overton (UK),
  for the development of the ROLO        tenure as Design Director. Existing      Cardley, Amenity Land Services,
  Health & Safety Awareness Course       board members Neil Huck, Nigel           Ubiqutek, Green-tech, Rigby
  for supervisors and managers, which    Bowcock and Jodie Read were re-          Taylor and Monsanto, attended
  has now been given the go-ahead.       elected by unanimous vote.               with products and equipment,
  Following the introduction of the                                               providing members with an
                                         The Chairman advised that there          informative afternoon that included
  new financial standard FRS102, this
                                         were now two vacancies on the            demonstrations.
  sum could not be carried forward
                                         Board. Following the five nominees’
  to the next accounting period and                                               The minutes of the AGM will be
                                         personal statements Marian Boswall
  has therefore boosted the Year End                                              circulated to BALI members once
                                         MBALI and Rosemary Coldstream
  results;                                                                        available.
                                         MBALI were duly elected to the
• The 40th Anniversary BALI National     BALI Board with 20 and 19 votes
  Landscape Awards saw the highest       respectively.

                                                                         Autumn 2017   |   BALI Landscape News       11
LATEST NEWS

Help create
great school grounds
Learning through                             develop solutions that meet their          best ways of bringing that diversity
                                             different needs and provide the best       into the site, sparking creativity and
Landscapes (LTL) is looking                  experiences for the children who use       developing the imagination. Schools
for BALI Registered                          them. The best school grounds are          also need a variety of spaces in their
                                             places where pupils make friends,
Designers and Contractors                    play, get close to nature, learn about
                                                                                        grounds that can be used in different
                                                                                        ways. Keeping open spaces for sport,
who are experienced in                       risk taking, challenge themselves to       active play and large-scale learning,
working with schools,                        try something new, develop their
                                                                                        whilst also having small, intimate
                                             sporting skills, and learn, not only
or who would like to, to                     about the world around them but
                                                                                        spaces where children can meet with
                                                                                        a friend or get away from others and
become members of the                        also maths, English and more. Outside
                                                                                        sit quietly, are equally important.
                                             they can experience things that are
charity’s accredited network.                just not available inside.                 To find more about the work of
LTL encourages schools to find out           Creating diverse school grounds            Learning through Landscapes visit
what experiences they want their             provides pupils with the opportunity       ltl.org.uk and for more information
pupils to have outside before thinking       to have a greater variety of               on the accredited network and the
about the features that will enable          experiences and incorporating nature       training offered, contact Matt Robinson
them to happen. This helps schools           into school grounds is one of the          at mrobinson@ltl.org.uk

2017 Houzz UK Landscaping                                                               home. Nearly one in 10 is investing in
                                                                                        outdoor kitchen equipment, such as a

Trends Survey finds we’re
                                                                                        barbecue and either built-in cabinetry,
                                                                                        a sink and/or a refrigerator (8%). Pizza
                                                                                        ovens are also popular additions, with

influenced by our neighbours                                                            9% prioritising one.

                                                                                        Along with large scale projects, UK
British homeowners are                       (73%), exchanging courtesy greetings       homeowners on Houzz are making
looking to their neighbours for              (67%), helping when needed                 significant investments in their
                                             (45%), and sharing drinks with             gardens. Half allow a budget of £3,000
inspiration when undertaking
                                             each other (32%). One in five (23%)        or less for their landscape projects
landscaping projects, according                                                         (51%), but only two-fifths spent this
                                             however, admitted that their garden
to the 2017 Houzz UK                         makeover was motivated by a lack           amount (42%). Meanwhile, more than
Landscaping Trends Survey.                   of privacy, demonstrating that UK          half spend more than £3,000 (58%),
The survey of UK homeowners                  homeowners value their own space,          with only 49% budgeting this amount,
using Houzz (houzz.co.uk) and who            too. Unsurprisingly, half (50%) of those   indicating that budgets do not always
are in the midst of, are planning, or who    updating non-structural features,          align with spending.
recently completed, an outdoor project       improved their fence or property border.
                                                                                        “Our research shows that one in
found that among those with next-door        A nation of garden lovers, UK              two renovating homeowners make
neighbours, one in five (23%) revealed       homeowners spend around eight hours        upgrades to their gardens and/
that their new garden had been                                                          or outdoor structures,” said Andrew
                                             per week in their gardens during the
influenced by a nearby household.
                                             warmer months, and two hours per           Small, Managing Director of Houzz
The study also found that British            week during the colder months. During      UK. “Home buyers are key drivers of
homeowners are building bridges              landscape projects, British homeowners     these renovations, motivated to extend
with neighbours following landscaping        are creating comfortable outdoor spaces    their living spaces to the gardens and
renovations, as 15% of homeowners            for entertaining and relaxing with items   achieve stylish yet low maintenance
interact more with their neighbours          like outdoor dining and lounge furniture   surroundings. Outdoor kitchens and
after a landscaping update. Top              (43% and 33%, respectively), treating      elaborate outdoor lighting are key
interactions range from small talk           their gardens as an extension of the       trends to look out for in 2017.”

12        BALI Landscape News      |   Autumn 2017
Visit website

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                                                                                                                                                                                LT
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                                                                                                                                                                                                   10
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           Groundscare machinery from Toro – now available with
           new cylinder attachment option
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           The highly productive LT-F3000 triple flail mower just got even more so. With its new cylinder
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                                                            1-3 Station Road, St. Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 1QH
                                                            T 01480 226800 E info@reesinkturfcare.co.uk W reesinkturfcare.co.uk

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                                                            T 045 241963 E info@reesinkturfcare.ie

                                                                                                             Reesink Turfcare UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

TG1397 BALI LNews Sept CS LT-F3000 v2.indd 1                                                                                                                                                       14/07/2017 16:13
LATEST NEWS

                                            LATEST NEWS                              in the process of organising training
                                                                                     sessions. These will be in the form of
                                                            FROM                     four training days, each in a different
                                                                                     location across the UK to ensure they
                                                                                     are available to as many employees as
                                                                                     possible, and it is anticipated that each
                                                                                     day will be split into two – half the time
                                                                                     focusing on hedge cutters and half
                                                                                     on strimmers. Once the final details
                                            Training based                           of course content and locations have
                                                                                     been confirmed they will be advertised
                                            on credible data                         across BALI-NCF members and the
                                                                                     wider BALI membership.
                                            This year BALI-NCF members have
                                            been sharing accident statistics to
                                            determine what the main causes
                                                                                     BALI-NCF membership
                                            of the most frequently occurring         grows
                                            accidents are across all member
                                                                                     BALI-NCF membership has increased
                                            organisations. Until now there has
                                                                                     and we are pleased to welcome Steve
                                            never been any specific, credible data
                                                                                     Thompson of Out There Services.
                                            available relating to safety in the UK
                                                                                     This increase in membership and the
                                            grounds maintenance industry and
                                                                                     commitment of the existing members
                                            this latest collaboration has shown
                                                                                     and support of their organisations is
                                            that the main risks come from hedge
                                                                                     testament to the work that BALI-NCF
                                            cutter and strimmer use.
                                                                                     has done over the last three years to
                                            In order to be able to address safety    represent the national contractors
                                            issues it is important to have live      involved in delivering principally
                                            information to inform decision making    grounds maintenance services
                                            and implement more robust training       across the UK and in assisting the
                                            regimes to help prevent accidents.       growth of those aspiring to become
                                            There is a real will amongst BALI-NCF    national contractors. Each year brings
                                            members to work together to reduce       increasing pressures on all contractors
                                            the risk that we all face from hedge     and BALI-NCF seeks to identify industry
                              Images
                                            cutting and strimming, and from other    wide challenges and to address them
                              courtesy of
                              idverde UK    operations. To this end BALI-NCF is      for the benefit of members.

Find your staff with BALI Jobs
BALI Jobs – a joint partnership through Horticulture Careers,
                                                                            Erratum Notice –
which is operated by BALI Affiliate member Eljays44 – offers                2017/18 BALI
                                                                            Who’s Who
BALI members a heavily discounted rate to help them fill
their staff vacancies.
All job credits can be purchased using the special BALI rate of
£200 (standard rate £300) and vacancies will be advertised on
                                                                            Landscape Directory
the job board at horticulturecareers.co.uk on weekly e-shots to
                                                                            Unfortunately, in the 2017/18 edition of
candidate databases, and on vacancy aggregator sites such as
                                                                            the BALI Who’s Who Landscape Directory,
indeed.co.uk. Members also have the opportunity to advertise
                                                                            an incorrect email address was printed
their vacancies on the jobs pages within Pro Landscaper
                                                                            for BALI Registered Contractor The
magazine, again at the special rate of £200 (standard rate £300).
                                                                            Plantman Ltd. The correct email address is
For further details contact Amber Bernabe at                                darren@theplantman.co. BALI would like
amber.bernabe@eljays44.com or call 01903 777581.                            to apologise to Managing Director Darren
                                                                            Stobbart for any inconvenience this error
eljays44.com                                                                may cause.

14        BALI Landscape News     |   Autumn 2017
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Aldington Mill, Mill Lane,
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CONTRACTOR NEWS

                                                       Whiting Landscape
                                                       celebrates 40 years
                                                       In July, BALI Registered Contractor Whiting
                                                       Landscape celebrated 40 years in business with
                                                       a family fun day for staff and their families.
                                                       The company was first established in 1977
                                                       and Managing Director Maurice Murphy and
                                                       his fellow directors Wayne Bridges, Laurence
                                                       Upcott and David Griffiths, wanted to thank
                                                       their hardworking staff for contributing to the
                                                       company’s success.
                                                       Whiting Landscape was first set up by Maurice Murphy and Colin
                                                       Spear when they joined the Midlands based Wilson Group of Sutton

30 YEARS OF                                            Coldfield to create a landscape division to complement Wilson’s
                                                       existing construction companies. Whiting Landscapes moved to its

PROFESSIONAL                                           current headquarters in Bromsgrove in 1984 and the offices are now

LANDSCAPE
                                                       surrounded by a 16 acre tree and shrub nursery.

                                                       Maurice and Colin led a buyout of Whiting from the Wilson Group in

MANAGEMENT                                             1991 and the company is now privately owned by Maurice and three
                                                       other directors; Colin retired from the business in 2013. Focusing on
                                                       a relatively small number of blue chip companies, Whiting obtains
Based in Stone, Staffordshire, BALI                    most of its work from its existing clients who benefit from the
Registered Contractor Hortech was                      company’s comprehensive range of services.
first established in 1987 and now,                     BALI members since the early 1980s and winners of many industry
as it celebrates its 30th anniversary,                 awards, including the BALI Grand Award, Whiting has experienced
                                                       steady growth throughout its history, with 2016/17 predicted to be
it is a multi-activity landscape
                                                       a record year for the company. There was plenty to celebrate at the
management company with depots                         open day, which hosted activities ranging from a bungee run and
across the country and a workforce                     bouncy castles to mini bumper cars, a magician and face painting.
of 130 employees. A long-standing                      A beautiful Victorian carousel was the star of the show and plenty of
                                                       food and drink was available in the marquee.
BALI member, Hortech won a BALI
National Landscape Award in 2006                       Speaking at the event, Managing Director Maurice Murphy said:
                                                       “I can’t believe we’ve been in business for forty years. It’s a real
for Trentham Gardens.                                  milestone and we wanted to mark it with a celebration that said a
Having started out working predominantly in            big ‘thank you’ to all our employees who work so tirelessly year in,
the industrial sector providing specialist grounds     year out. A special mention must be made for all the teams out on
maintenance services for the oil, nuclear and          our sites in all weathers, often in very challenging conditions – today
electricity industries, Hortech now also supports      was about letting them know how appreciated they all are.”
facilities management companies to offer
a diverse range of services, from traditional          whitinglandscape.co.uk
landscaping, grounds maintenance and weed
control to graffiti removal, pest control and          Managing Director Maurice Murphy (centre left) and
gritting. The company prides itself on the extensive   Whiting staff at their 40th anniversary celebrations
in-house skills and health and safety training it
delivers to its employees to ensure the customer
experience is second to none.
The business also includes Hortech Wholesale
Nurseries, which supplies plants nationwide
to customers including landscapers, garden
designers, local authorities and landowners.
Having worked to develop a suitable peat-free
growing medium the company hopes soon to
operate an entirely peat-free nursery.
The company re-branded this year with a fresh,
contemporary logo, marking the start of a new era
in its development. Commenting on the Hortech’s
success to date, company director Duncan Jones
said: “The art to what we do is to anticipate the
needs of the client, continually innovate and invest
in our staff.’’
hortech.co.uk

16        BALI Landscape News     |   Autumn 2017
CONTRACTOR NEWS

                                                                      Prime Minister
                                                                      Theresa May opens
                                                                      the Sir Nicholas
                                                                      Winton Memorial
                                                                      Garden in Oaken
                                                                      Grove, Maidenhead

                                                                Prime Minister’s
M & N Horticulture                                              seal of approval
cultivates 20 years                                             for landscaping
of growth                                                       of memorial
                                                                garden
Norfolk based M & N Horticulture, which
                                                                BALI Registered Contractor
became both a limited company and
                                                                ANB Groundcare received
a BALI Registered Contractor in 2005,
                                                                the Prime Minister’s personal
is celebrating its 20th anniversary this
                                                                congratulations for their
year, having been established in rural
                                                                contribution to the landscaping
Wymondham in August 1997 by Martin and
                                                                of a memorial garden in her
Nicky Wood.
                                                                Maidenhead constituency.
A family-run company with an enviable track record in
                                                                Designed to reflect the story of Sir Nicholas
the design, construction and maintenance of high quality
                                                                Winton, who helped arrange for hundreds of
landscape projects across Norfolk and Suffolk, M & N
                                                                children to be brought to safety on the eve of
Horticulture Ltd, which trades as MN Landscapes, continues
                                                                the Second World War in what later became
to deliver at the highest level, thanks to the daily hands-
                                                                known as the Czech Kindertransport, the
on involvement of Martin and Nicky and their constant
                                                                memorial garden was officially opened by Prime
searching for new ideas. A recent highlight for them both
                                                                Minister Theresa May at a ceremony at the new
and their team was the construction of The Notcutts Garden,
                                                                site in Oaken Grove Park, Maidenhead.
which was opened in May by the Lord Mayor of Norwich at
Notcutts Garden Centre. Since the Notcutts show garden at       The garden features a water fountain, giant
the Norwich Show they have installed similar gardens for the    willow arch, pond, plaques quoting Sir Nicholas
Notcutts Group in Nottingham, Staines and Tunbridge Wells,      and a winding pathway linking the features.
with more to follow.                                            10,600 plants and shrubs were supplied and
                                                                planted out by ANB Groundcare, making
Over the past twenty years, M & N Horticulture has              this their biggest and highest profile soft
developed an impressive team of dedicated landscaping           landscaping project to date.
professionals, supported by a range of specialist equipment
and machinery that enables the company to handle more           Alastair Brooker, ANB Groundcare’s Managing
involved and technical projects. Martin Wood said: “Garden      Director, said: “It was a great honour to be
landscaping has evolved over the past twenty years. The         involved with the landscaping of this high
modern trend is for people to use their gardens as an           profile memorial garden. For myself and our
additional room in their homes for families and social          Operations Manager David Hampshire to be
entertaining. In the future we expect to see an increase in     congratulated in person by Theresa May was
the use of our construction services as well as a change        very rewarding. We have worked for many
in design and planting themes to take into account the          years for The Royal Borough of Windsor and
changing seasons. We are delighted to still be providing our    Maidenhead but this is by far the biggest
garden maintenance services to some of our very first clients   and most complex planting scheme we have
of twenty years ago.”                                           carried out for them to date. We worked
                                                                seamlessly with the Project Centre and fellow
mnhorticulture.com                                              BALI Contractors Hickman Brothers’ Landscapes
                                                                who carried out the hard landscaping.”
                                                                anbgroundcare.co.uk

                                                                Autumn 2017    |   BALI Landscape News        17
CONTRACTOR NEWS

                                                                                                              Roof garden, Rotherhithe,
                                                                                                                    South East London

                                                                             WELCOME TO
                                                                             VALLEY
                                                                             PROVINCIAL
                                                                             GROUP
BALI contractor makes                                                        Multi-discipline business Valley Provincial Group
                                                                             based in Dartford, Kent, is celebrating achieving

bereaved family’s                                                            BALI Registered Contractor status. This growing,
                                                                             dynamic company operates under three brands:

memorial garden a reality                                                    Playcubed, Provincial Planters and Valley
                                                                             Landscape Management, each offering a distinct
                                                                             area of expertise and helping deliver a complete
                                                                             solution for its clients.
New BALI Registered Contractor Warwick Taylor                                Playcubed designs and installs playground and
Landscapes of Chelmsford came to the rescue                                  multi-use games areas (MUGAs) for schools and
when the dreams of the grieving parents of five                              councils. Bespoke designs incorporate the client’s
year old Violet Mornington, who passed away                                  visions and requirements and every project is
after a short illness in 2013, looked as if they                             delivered safely and efficiently. Playcubed has
                                                                             also developed its own range of safety surfaces
would be thwarted.                                                           and play equipment that meets and exceeds all
‘Violets in Bloom’, a charity established by them in her name to build       safety legislation.
a memorial garden that could be shared by other grieving parents
                                                                             Provincial Planters installs and maintains plants
and siblings, had raised sufficient money and secured donated space
                                                                             and flowers for commercial clients. From indoor
at the local cemetery in Lichfield, Staffordshire, where the garden was
                                                                             planting schemes to living pictures, Provincial
to be built. Construction eventually began in May 2016 but it soon
                                                                             Planters brings corporate horticulture to the offices
became clear that the chosen contractors had misinterpreted the
                                                                             of some of the world’s biggest brands, including
brief and work came to an abrupt halt, with the threat of the loss of
                                                                             Virgin, Adobe and Nike.
monies spent to date.
                                                                             Valley Landscape Management provides
Violet’s family and the cemetery managers Dignity PLC eventually
                                                                             commercial grounds maintenance and landscape
managed to recoup all the money that had been paid to suppliers
                                                                             management, holding contracts with many large
and in March 2017 Warwick Taylor Landscapes were asked to submit
                                                                             property companies. Its extensive range of services
a design for the garden. Working closely with Clews Landscape
                                                                             provides clients with a very efficient one-stop-shop
Architecture, they produced a concept plan that reflected the needs
                                                                             for all exterior works.
of parents and children, offering space for both quiet contemplation
and safe play.                                                               Clients for whom the company has completed
                                                                             showcase projects include Telford Homes, Tolent
Violet’s father, Ivan, had thought long and hard about the garden and
                                                                             Construction and Neilcott. With the increasing
his ideas were incorporated into the design so that the whole would
                                                                             requirement to include recreational provision
be a fitting tribute to a much loved little girl. Once the cemetery
                                                                             within new developments Valley Provincial Group
owners, the charity and the family had approved the design, Warwick
                                                                             will undoubtedly build on its success to date, but
Taylor Landscapes were invited to build the garden – but with a
                                                                             with the added credibility of its hard-won BALI
completion date of 3 June, what would have been Violet’s ninth
                                                                             Registered Contractor status.
birthday, just three weeks away.
                                                                             valleyprovincial.com
Notwithstanding the almost impossibly tight deadline, Chris Taylor,
director of Warwick Taylor Landscapes, was up for the challenge and
his team began work immediately on the 550 square metre garden,
which features a tunnelled walkway, resin bound pathways, mature
yew hedging, lawns, play equipment, trees, art installations and a wild
flower meadow. Chris has worked in the landscape industry since
leaving school and although his own business is relatively young,
he has strong relationships with suppliers and employees. From the
outset he had complete confidence that his team could complete this
high-spec project on time and on budget, and he was right.
The unofficial opening of Violet’s garden took place as planned on
3 June. Violet’s family and friends were delighted with the results; their
dream of a children’s memorial garden, where parents could grieve
privately and siblings could feel relaxed and secure, had been realised.
See more images of the garden by vising violetsinbloom.org                   School playground
                                                                             scheme, Plumstead,
warwick-group.co.uk
                                                                             South East London

18        BALI Landscape News      |   Autumn 2017
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