Welcome to our Blog. Inspiration, updates and industry trends from the team at Landscaping Solutions.
Futurescape is a leading event in the garden landscaping and design world. This year’s event, held last month, included a Summit addressing what the industry might do to combat climate change.
A packed Summit at Futurescape 2019. Ben West (second from left) on stage with Andrew Wilson, Sarah Eberle, Katya Griffiths, Paul Cowell and Alistair Bayford.
On stage were Landscaping Solutions’ Ben West, alongside industry leading lights and award-winning designers Sarah Eberle, Alistair Bayford and Andrew Wilson, President of the Landscape Institute Adam White, garden designer Katya Griffiths, Chartered Landscape Architect Paul Cowell and the Landscape Institute’s Noel Farrer.
Chances are that Climate Change is a shadow that hangs over you in some form or other. It’s difficult to avoid, as each day another worry seems to be added to the list of environmental damage: habitat destruction, plastic pollution, chemicals in the food...
The good news is that garden-owners are perfectly placed to play a part in creating a solution. “Gardens cover a larger area that Nature reserves in this country,” says Ben. “As the wider and wilder landscape becomes eaten up by development and intensive farming, gardens have become highly important last refuges for wildlife.”
It’s not about having the garden that doesn’t suit you, though. There are so many small changes that can add up to a greater impact. At the Summit, Andrew Wilson said, “Are we all going to change world tomorrow? It has to be incremental. If there’s a moment when ‘incremental’ can happen, it has to be now. Planting may be a garden at a time or a verge at a time, but that’s better than nothing.”
This is why it’s important to select a garden designer or landscaper with care, to find someone who is interested and knowledgeable in making a garden sustainable, for both you and Nature.
It’s an approach encapsulated in Sarah Eberle’s words at the Summit. “It’s about Man’s relationship with Nature, about our protection of Nature and what Nature can do for Humanity.”
The good news is that, as a garden-owner, there are garden designers and landscapers who are already ahead of the game. The Society of Garden Designers has started a programme of advice to members to enable more informed decisions on materials. A well-qualified designer will understand the plants that will suit your area best, and what will be useful for pollinators and attract birds to the garden.
Landscapers with an interest in their environmental impact buy hard landscaping from sustainable suppliers and environmentally sound businesses; they research and practise sustainable construction methods, reduce cement use and carry out environmental audits of their business.
Here at Landscaping Solutions, we do all these things and work with a number of SGD members. Nature-Friendly Garden Design is a speciality of ours. We can advise on how to reduce environmental impact, how reusing and recycling materials and keeping excavated soil on site can save money, reducing the need to hire skips and pay waste costs.
“What will you do tomorrow?” was the final question asked at the Summit. Sometimes, it can be hard to think of changes we can realistically make to help the climate change agenda. But if you’re thinking of redesigning your garden, then choosing designers and landscapers who will help find the most sustainable solutions alongside the stunning design you want is the first step.
“We are the superheroes of tomorrow,” said Alistair Bayford at the Summit. Join us in being a superhero to your garden.
For more information on how we can help create a sustainable, nature-friendly design that gives you the garden you want, contact Ben on 0208 241 2402 or email info@landscapingsolutionsltd.co.uk.