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Terrain Aeration and the Valley of Fire

February 14, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens are famous around the globe and have the world’s largest collection of hardy trees and shrubs anywhere in the temperate world. The Gardens now hold fourteen National Plant Collections and the latest planting project has been named ‘Valley of Fire’. The name is derived from the planting of over 30 […]

Henley GC splashes some Colour

February 13, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

By using a range of Limagrain Colour Splash flower mixtures, Jim Griffith – a 68 year old retired teacher, has injected some stunning colour into the course at Henley Golf & Country Club in Arden, Warwickshire. After taking up golf 18 years ago, Jim became a member of Henley Golf Club and soon made the […]

Terrain Aeration and the Valley of Fire

February 14, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

Henley GC splashes some Colour

February 13, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

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Terrain Aeration and the Valley of Fire

February 14, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

One of the challenges that faced the scheme was the need to create drainage in several areas of wet, heavy clay, to get the plantings off to a good start. David Jewell, Head of Collections, called upon the services of Terrain Aeration to carry out systematic treatment of the areas around the new plantings. “I have known of the Terrain Aeration service for many years,” says David, “and have used them before. Their machines do an excellent job with very little disruption, in our case in quite tight areas on very soft ground. The results always speak for themselves.”

Terrain Aeration primarily used their Terralift Tracker to treat the areas between and around the saplings. The soft rubber tracks allowed the machine to traverse the soft ground and let the operator treat and de-compact the areas below any waterlogging. The method is especially effective where compaction or a natural water table forms an impermeable layer that will not allow water to pass through it; typical where there are areas of clay. The machine’s probe reaches far deeper than normal aeration and hydraulic fracturing of the ground with an air blast opens it up to improve drainage, and allow the all-important aeration around the root areas. As the probe exits the ground, dried seaweed is injected which swells in wet weather to keep the probe holes open to aeration. Four shots per square metre were delivered around the saplings.

The new planting created in the Oak Field Vista, the large area of the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens located just as you enter, has a viewpoint down a steep slope towards the distant Hampshire countryside. Planted with a collection of Oak trees, the views are beautiful most of the year but in autumn months, while elsewhere the Gardens are vibrant, there is only a scattering of colour. The new plantings of North American Maples, Liquidambar, Acer, Sorbus and Cherry, interplanted around the existing trees, will bring tinted orange-reds to the view, while shrub beds planted with Sumachs, Lindera and Euonymus of orange, yellows, orangey reds and gold will complete the stunning autumn colour of the Valley of Fire.

Henley GC splashes some Colour

February 13, 2017/in Press Release/by Admin

After taking up golf 18 years ago, Jim became a member of Henley Golf Club and soon made the most of retirement by playing regular rounds on the course which is set within the grounds of a 200 acre estate of landscaped parkland. Three years ago Jim started taking more of an active role at the club by helping out around the course, cutting back hedges, trees, seeding, planting and other general maintenance tasks, before he was then joined by other club members wishing to volunteer.

“This year our volunteer numbers have swelled to 14,” says Jim. “We call ourselves the ‘Ground Improvement Team Seniors, or GITS for short and generally help out after playing. Some days I can call upon six or more.”

Showing great dedication for their club, the volunteer group decided that the course would benefit from an injection of colour. Having seen the nearby Gaudet Luce Golf Club with a stunning array of flowers, Jim sought the advice of the course manager who then passed on the details of Limagrain.

“Keen to get started in February 2015 we met with Matt Gresty of Limagrain who gave us further ideas, brochures with various seed mixture products and costs. We then identified areas around the golf course for potential flower cultivation. After working out potential costs we were given the go ahead by management and ordered a variety of seed on Matt’s recommendations – Festival, Honey Bee, Aurora and Bio Diversity two year mix.”

With the products in place, Jim and the team started the project by rotavating before seeding in May 2015. A couple of months later and Jim was soon reporting excellent results.

“Worried about what was weed and what was flower I invited Matt to see our early results in June and to identify weed from flower. Though time consuming, we managed to weed each area and by mid-July our efforts were rewarded with displays around the course. Displays continued for three months and comments from members were very positive so we decided to continue the project in 2016. The most popular seed mix was the tall Festival which appeared more prominently than the shorter mixes though Honey Bee provided some of the best displays.”

True to his word, Jim and the team did indeed commence with the project in 2016 by doubling the size of the area and adding a further six plots. Although faced with unfavourable spring weather conditions the team’s efforts were soon rewarded.

“In late July and early August we began to see evidence of blossoms and from August onwards we have now seen magnificent colour. Widening the areas has given depth and adding additional poppy seed to each plot has provided extra colour. The Festival mix was again a real winner.”

The Festival mixture from Limagrain UK’s Colour Splash range contains a variety of beautiful mixtures including Cosmos Sulphureus, Cosmos Bipinnatus Sensation, Sunbow Zinnia, Cornflower and Tithonia Torch. Resulting in a mesmerising wave of colourful flowers, this mixture stands at between 1m to 1.5m, or more, and can easily be seen from a distance.

This popular mixture is just one of eight exquisite mixtures in the Colour Splash range – each meeting the numerous expectations of those who delight in appreciating a significant dash of colour. The Colour Splash mixtures are not only great for aesthetic purposes but they also have a significant impact on the surrounding wildlife in the sense that they provide a refuge that offers a rich and varied source of food.

Jim is looking to continue the project into 2017 and has already selected new mixtures from the Colour Splash range. The effort and determination from Jim and the team are really quite remarkable and it is this dedication to his local club which has earned him a nomination for the 2016 Warwickshire Golf Awards in the category of ‘Unsung Hero’.

“Such a project is time consuming, needs effort and perseverance but the ultimate results make such efforts absolutely worthwhile,” says Jim. “Costs are relatively small considering the benefits and I would certainly recommend Limagrain as an option – particularly the advice and on-site support Matt Gresty has given me.

“Flowers can enhance even the most picturesque of golf courses and our efforts have been the source of many appreciative comments from club members and visitors. Even when people are concentrating on their golf they still have time to enjoy the aesthetics of the course.”

For further information, please contact Limagrain UK on 01472 371471 or visit the company’s website www.limagrain.co.uk. You can also follow the company on Twitter: @MM_Seed

Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)

Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)

Terrain Aeration and the Valley of Fire

Henley GC splashes some Colour

Terrain Aeration and the Valley of Fire

Henley GC splashes some Colour

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Terrain Aeration and the Valley of Fire

Henley GC splashes some Colour

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