The Landscaper

Hampton ……..Badgers Ales

David Curtis — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:52:52 +0000

L-R Mark Woodhouse Chairman, Antony Woodhouse Managing Director, David French Beer Company Director, Toby Heasman Head Brewer

Badger ales is raising a glass to some very welcome news – the Dorset-based, family owned brewery is taking its ales to one of the most important events in the British calendar – RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower. The Badger Beer Garden will be the first ever garden in the show’s 23 year history to celebrate brewing and beer. Gold medal winning designers, Flemons Warland Design, have already been getting into the mood by visiting the Brewery in Blandford, Dorset for a drop of delicious research and inspiration.
www.badgerales.com

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (3 – 11 July 2012)

Additional speakers confirmed ……

David Curtis — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:35:46 +0000

LANDSCAPE have announced more speakers for the March 2012 show
JAMES ALEXANDER-SINCLAIR
Garden and Landscape Design
Industry veteran, award-winning journalist and garden designer
James Alexander-Sinclair will be joining the seminar line-up at LANDSCAPE to discuss interesting ways to transform your garden from rubble to a delightful and inspirational space.
PATRICIA FOX
Garden and Landscape Design
With a background in fashion, Patricia Fox isn’t your typical garden designer. Moving into the world of landscape and garden design in 2002, Patricia has already been awarded a silver metal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Always ahead of the trends, her interests lie in edible garden design and stylish outdoor living, which is why this year at LANDSCAPE she will be discussing her innovative edible living walls.
JOHNNY GREY
Kitchen Designer
Kitchen designer Johnny Grey will be joining LANDSCAPE this year to provide advice on designing kitchens with the garden in mind. He will also be discussing the use of natural materials and organic forms in kitchens, using his own free-standing and built-in pieces. Grey is the author of several books and his cooking islands were featured at Chelsea Flower Show 2011.

LANDSCAPE from 15th-17th March 2012 at Olympia
www.landscapeshow.co.uk

Drought Conditions

David Curtis — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:06:16 +0000

Following the announcement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) of drought conditions in the southeast of the UK, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Members’ Advisory Service has issued some information for gardeners.
The charity suggests four key things to do to protect plants in drought conditions. Firstly RHS experts advise that soil cultivation is of key importance. Gardeners should dig in large amounts of garden compost, manure or other organic matter. This will help improve soil structure and in turn will help water retention and water availability to plants.
Planting plants when they are still small is the second suggestion. Plants will then develop much greater resilience by adapting to their conditions from a young age. Planting in autumn or as early as possible in spring could also be beneficial: the sooner roots can start exploring the soil for water before dry weather arrives, the better.
Mulching after planting can help limit water loss from soil and promote a good root environment. This will help the retention of moisture while plants establish. All new plants should be thoroughly watered and kept watered in the first season in dry periods, to ensure they establish well. Once established they will become more drought tolerant.
The charity’s final suggestion is to choose the right plant for a particular garden soil. If a plant is growing in the soil most suited to its needs it will be more tolerant of varying climatic conditions. It will also be more resistant to pests and disease.
RHS Plant Selector, which is free and available on RHS Online is an ideal tool for gardeners wanting to select plants suitable for their local soil conditions, and also for the particular aspect where the plants will grow.
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/plantselector

Researchers have found a lake of water so large that it could provide each person on Earth an entire planet’s worth of water–20,000 times over.
The water is in a cloud around a huge black hole that is in the process of sucking in matter and spraying out energy (such an active black hole is called a quasar), and the waves of energy the black hole releases make water by literally knocking hydrogen and oxygen atoms together.
The official NASA news release describes the amount of water as “140 trillion times all the water in the world’s oceans.”
And it’s not as if this intergalactic water can be of any use to us here on Earth, of course, at least not in the immediate sense. Indeed, the discovery comes as a devastating drought across eastern Africa is endangering the lives of 10 million people. NASA’s water discovery should be a reminder that if we have the sophistication to discover galaxies full of water 12 billion light years away, we should be able to save people just an ocean away from drought-induced starvation.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall

David Curtis — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:15:21 +0000

Located near near the village of Mevagissey in Cornwall, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, are one of one of Cornwall’s must-visit gardens.

Originally owned by the Tremayne family for over 400 years, the gardens fell into a state of neglect after the first World War when many of the gardeners sadly lost their lives. It wasn’t until 1990 that the derelict gardens were discovered by Tim Smit (who went on to create Cornwall’s Eden Project) and John Willis, who was a descendant of the Tremayne family.

Speed and movement

David Curtis — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:42:11 +0000

Playdale have added two exhilarating new products to their Movers range the Aero Tilt and Rota Glide.
The Aero Tilt is the mischievous brother of the Aero Whirl, providing a similar sensation but with an added twist. The rotating overhead wheel provides dynamic play, requiring and improving upper body strength and encouraging timing and coordination.
The Rota Glide rotates 360degrees with a simultaneous bouncing action, giving children an exhilarating sense of speed and movement. With a contemporary, sleek design the Rota Glide is guaranteed to stand out in any playground.
Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Leahey, said: “Our Movers range just keeps getting better and better. We strive to create exciting, innovative products that will get people talking, and the Aero Tilt and Rota Glide are no exception.”

www.playdale.co.uk

MP’s seek advice……………… Sutcliffe Play

David Curtis — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:30:26 +0000

The Managing Director of Upton-based Sutcliffe Play has shared the company’s experience of becoming an employee-owned business at a parliamentary meeting.
Viv Jebson was invited to answer questions at the Employee Ownership All Party Parliamentary Group inquiry, held at Portcullis House.
Sutcliffe Play was among three top businesses including the John Lewis Partnership, invited to share information as ‘witnesses’. The information she provided will help to form the basis of a report to be published in May.
The report will set out the benefits of employee ownership, and Viv said she was more than happy to talk about her experiences at the meeting.
Viv comments: “It was a great opportunity to highlight the positives of such a switch. Sutcliffe Play’s employees are stakeholders and our success story since the company went into employee ownership underlines the validity of such a move.
“It was a great opportunity to hear from other company’s with similar experiences and, of course, I was delighted to act as an ambassador for all my colleagues at Sutcliffe Play, who have all worked with such professionalism and total commitment to make ours a success story.”
www.sutcliffeplay.co.uk

Free Entry Day to RHS Gardens……Friday 2 March 2012

David Curtis — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:38:38 +0000

Anyone looking for an energetic day out will find plenty of inspiration at their nearest RHS Gardens Free Entry Day, 2 March. Take this opportunity to visit one of the RHS inspirational gardens for free and enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the Gardens as they awaken from their winter slumbers and discover the advantages of becoming a member of the RHS.
RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate
Located on the outskirts of Harrogate, Harlow Carr captures the essence of Yorkshire within a beautiful garden setting. The garden design replicates the natural spirit of the region, with features evoking the surrounding landscapes, including water features, dry stone walling, wooded areas and also some ornamental aspects redolent of Harrogate itself. For families, the garden offers a combination of wilderness and sense of adventure in a landscaped, self contained setting, with a log maze, family trails, children’s play area and woodland dens.
RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Essex
With wide open skies and far reaching views, RHS Garden Hyde Hall is the perfect place for families to discover the great outdoors, with plenty to keep children occupied. Located just outside Chelmsford in Essex, it consists of an 8 acre, intensely cultivated hilltop area, with numerous features, including a colour themed herbaceous border, two ponds, a rose garden, farmhouse garden and woodland garden. This more formal area is surrounded by vast open countryside, with vast swathes of grasses and perennials on Clover Hill, and an estate beyond comprising of developing woodland, hedgerows, bee hives, meadows and pasture. It is a haven for wildlife with multitudes of songbirds and brown hares running across the meadows.
RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon
Nestled in the Torridge Valley in North Devon, just south of the North Devon coast and west of Exmoor National Park, RHS Garden Rosemoor is spread across 65 acres. Within a dramatic backdrop of steep wooded valley sides, it consists of sculptured gardens intercepted by cool restful areas of parkland, meadows and trees. It is a wonderful place for children to explore, with its winding paths and different areas to discover. The Brash is the family picnic and play area, a natural hideaway in the woods for children (and adults) of all ages to enjoy. With log stepping stones, dens that are perfect for hide and seek, giant bugs to spot and bird feeding there’s plenty to keep everyone busy.
RHS Garden Wisley, Surrey
The RHS flagship property, RHS Garden Wisley is one of the finest gardens in the world. For more than 100 years it has been a showcase for horticultural excellence, world class plant collections and outstanding large scale gardening displays. Witness, early spring bulbs such as crocus, heathers and the Pineutm and National Heather Collection. The arboretum and pinetum are great for spotting pine cones, there is a fascinating ‘plants for bugs’ area and seasonal bug-collecting and insect- identification activities, whilst children of all ages will love the outdoor play area ‘Wild at Wisley’ with its naturally created climbing, balancing and den building equipment. For families, the sheer size of Wisley gives great scope for exploration and discovery. There is even a dedicated RHS Garden Wisley I-Spy book to keep younger visitors on track. Would-be jungle explorers can venture into the Tropical Zone of the Glasshouse, whilst bird lovers can visit the bird hide, or see the ducks on the lake. There are over 200 acres to explore, encompassing countless styles including majestic borders, an iconic Rock Garden with an extraordinary range of alpine plants. The Bowes Lyon Rose Garden features over 4,000 roses and there is also a Jubilee arboretum, extensive fruit and vegetable fields and gardens, a vineyard and a magnificent lakeside Tropical Glasshouse, which demonstrates tropical plants from three climatic zones.

Polaris Dealer Conference….. Sales up 9 per cent

David Curtis — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:55:45 +0000

Hyères is the oldest resort on the French Riviera and it was this year’s choice for the 2012 Polaris Dealer Conference. Four kilometres from the sea, the old town is built on a mount around the Castle of Saint Bernard with a view to pine-covered hill of Costebelle.
As part of the Polaris EMEA Dealer Meeting there was a high percentage turnout of the UK Polaris dealers. The dealers had the opportunity to ride out on 80 new machines around the surrounding hills with spectacular views. The conference presentation showed Polaris’ Off Road Vehicle sales up 9% with revenue up 12% and the Polaris Ranger accounting for over 50% of sales. The 2012 ORV line-up was revealed, together with a more structured reward program for the dealers. It was announced that the partnership with the NFU continues and the international overview included the Polaris acquisition of Goupil, part of the corporation’s expansion in electric utility vehicles. To round off the conference, the dealer awards were presented…
Polaris Britain:

0800 915 6720 www.polaris-britain.com
Polaris 2012 Dealer Conference Award Winners

Most Improved Dealer 2011 Most Improved Dealer 2011 Most Improved Dealer 2011
North Region West Region East Region
CC Supplies ACE ATV Rafferty Newman

Best Overall Dealer 2011 Best Overall Dealer 2011 Best Overall Dealer 2011
North Region West Region East Region
Ellis Quads Congleton Garden Machinery ATV World

Service dealer of the year 2011 Service dealer of the year 2011 Service dealer of the year 2011
North Region West Region East Region
The Lawnmower Centre David Webb Engineering Rocket Centre

Outstanding achievement 2011
ATV World

FREE Seminars for Students……. LANDSCAPE Olympia March 15

David Curtis — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:56:19 +0000

On Thursday the 15th of March 2012 at LANDSCAPE at Olympia, The London College of Garden Design will be sponsoring a series of seminars entitled “Why I Chose to Become..”

Each 30 minute session will provide students with an insight into what career paths are open to them. They are free to attend and need not be specifically registered for in advance, simply turn up, sit down and enjoy!

Free tickets to the show are available by registering at

www.landscapeshow.co.uk

Water Butts…Sankey

David Curtis — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:03:29 +0000

Sankey offers a range of Water Butts that accommodate individual style, space and preference. Whether the garden is a traditional or contemporary, bijou or immense, there is a water butt perfect for that space. The Beehive Water Butt is a rotary moulded pot in realistic terracina finish. Available in two sizes – 150 litre at RRP £79.99 (pictured) and 300 litre at RRP £154.99. Accessories include a Premier Water Butt stand with an RRP of £29.99
0115 927 7335 www.sankeygrowyourown.co.uk