EDITOR’S LETTER
For many of us, one of the joys of working in landscaping is that – albeit come rain or shine – we are lucky enough to work in the great outdoors. Our offices are the rolling greens, the plant nurseries and landscapes on which we toil. With such a fabulous backdrop to our working lives, we can be forgiven for not realising how the landscaping industry might be impacting our fragile earth.
High street retailers and supermarkets are increasingly under pressure to address their practices to lessen the impact of their business on the environment. Recently the BBC documentary “War on Plastic”, with Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall and Anitia Rani, highlighted the use of plastic in our every day lives. And while supermarkets are one of the worst culprits for producing these single-use plastics, their use within the landscaping industry can not go unnoticed.
Taking note is Greg Bedson, who this month does a little digging himself (page 16) to discover how making small changes to working practices within the landscaping industry can also help to have a positive effect on the environment.
And sticking to a similar theme, James Patmore of Bradley Murphy Design reports on how landscape designers need to also rise to the challenge of bringing more biodiversity to their sites, especially following on the Government’s Spring Statement on Biodiversity. Read more on page 21.
Also in this issue, we take a look at some of the trends that have come from this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. We also shine the spotlight on the best of mowers – whether needed for cutting a garden lawn to tackling rough terrain, our feature on page 26 will hopefully bring solutions.