Tag Archive for: Life

Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan

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Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan: After more than six years of dormancy, Raglan Golf Club had become a shadow of its former self – with overgrown fairways, unplayable greens and failing drainage.

When new owners took over in spring 2024, they swiftly brought in Course Manager Lucy Sellick to embark on a 10-month restoration and recovery project. With a little help from industry friends, and the reliable performance of Johnsons Sports Seed mixtures, the turnaround to opening in April 2025 was nothing short of miraculous!

Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan

Johnsons Sports Seed breathes new life into Raglan

When Lucy arrived in September 2024, the task she faced was monumental. Ten greens had been re-laid, while the remaining eight required extensive renovation to make them playable once again. “We were lifting tree canopies, re-wilding and bailing off the grass it was so long – basically starting from scratch” she explains. Having used mixtures from DLF’s Johnsons Sports Seed range throughout her career, Lucy knew exactly where to turn for support and advice.

“The greens had poor coverage and were full of coarse, hard Poa annua. We scarified, aerated and topdressed the eight greens and finished the renovation with an overseed of Johnsons J All Bent mixture to outcompete the Poa.” J All Bent sets the industry standard for density and visual quality, with the inclusion of top-rated Browntop Bent cultivars delivering fast, sustainable golf greens with reduced requirements for chemical inputs.

“This has given us outstanding uniformity, playability and resilience. We oversowed in the autumn of 2024 and again in the spring of 2025 before opening on 1st April. Obviously everyone wanted to come and play the course, and the Johnsons J All Bent has stood up well to both the high levels of footfall and the environmental pressures we’ve experienced this year.”

The challenge didn’t end there, however. With these eight greens performing well, the next objective was to achieve consistency with the other 10 greens laid with a fescue-dominant sward. “The decision to go with fescue pre-dated my start and, unfortunately, it just doesn’t quite work with our traditional parkland course. While we bring thatch levels down enough to be able to start introducing J All Bent, we’ve been oversowing with J Ultrafine Rye 100.”

Blending four of the finest perennial ryegrass cultivars, the fast-establishment of J Ultrafine Rye 100 is ideal for renovations and surfaces that demand strong wear tolerance and high visual merit. Lucy adds, “The germination from this was fantastic and the feedback we’ve had from the players has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Lucy and her team of five continue to refine the course and manage further development projects throughout the winter – her relationship with DLF central to that progress. “The advice from our Regional Technical Manager Ian Barnett has been invaluable. From seed selection to overseeding strategy, the help from Ian has played a major part in our transformation.”

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A Day in the Life of a Female Arborist

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A Day in the Life of a Female Arborist: The day starts early, often before the sun has even tipped above the horizon.

Tree work is not a nine-to-five desk job. It’s physical, unpredictable, and enriching.

A Day in the Life of a Female Arborist

A Day in the Life of a Female Arborist

It is also a male-dominated industry, which gives young female arborists, such as Jess Riches, a chance to carve themselves a trailblazing role, breaking down stereotypes and paving the way for others.

From Farm Work to Tree Work

Jess’s path to arboriculture wasn’t a straight line.

She’s worked on banana farms, driven buses, and spent years in the tough FIFO construction industry in Australia.

“I’ve always preferred manual labour roles,” she explains. “When I came back from Australia, I knew I wanted to continue doing a manual job.”

When she returned to the UK, she remembered her brother’s positive experience with Blake Tree Care. “It seemed perfect. I could learn new skills while using my previous experience in operating machinery.”

No Two Days the Same

Ask her what a typical day looks like, and she laughs… because there isn’t one.

If she’s with the ‘willows’ team, she might spend the day operating machines, using chainsaws, and handling large-scale clean-up. On domestic jobs, she could be hedge cutting in the morning, chipping in the afternoon, and chainsawing in between.

Her favourite part? “Definitely domestic work. It’s like being a kid again climbing trees, but this time you don’t get in trouble!”

The Best & The Toughest Parts

The joy of the job lies in the variety. Every tree is different, and every site is unique. Climbing and chainsawing bring an adrenaline rush and a childlike sense of freedom. And working outdoors in the Essex and Suffolk countryside is a privilege in itself.

But tree work isn’t always sunshine and fresh air. “The toughest part can be working in all weathers,” she admits. “There have been days in torrential rain that are mentally challenging. But it’s never been too bad, you just push through.”

Teamwork and Support

Tree surgery is rarely a solo job. The work is demanding, and safety relies on teamwork. For her, that’s one of the highlights: “The team all get on well and support me. As I’m new to the industry, they’ve been keen to teach me anything I don’t know.”

Being the only woman in the crew could feel daunting, but she’s never let it hold her back. “From day one, I’ve never said no to anything. I wanted to do everything the men can do – and I believe I have.”

Breaking Misconceptions

People are often surprised to see a woman in tree surgery. It’s still rare in the UK, but her experience has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Everyone has been very welcoming. The only challenge is the need to ‘prove yourself’ as a woman. Men are expected to be able to lift heavy equipment and logs. But with women, there’s sometimes doubt. I just got on with it.”

Her advice to other women? Simple: “Absolutely try it. It’s an amazing industry with so many skills to learn. Don’t be put off by it being male-dominated. If you put the work in, you’ll be just as valued as anyone else.”

And as for the public’s view of arborists: “One misconception is that we just cut down trees and ruin the environment. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Blake Tree Care plants thousands of trees to replace those that have to be removed. Arborists love trees more than most.”

Learning on the Job

A recent standout moment came when she was called to a golf course project. The task required her to operate 8- and 14-tonne diggers, which are much bigger than the ones she’d used in Australia.

“It was a great experience. I learned how to adapt my previous skills to tree work. I even got to drive two different types of tractors, which was a lot of fun.”

It’s a reminder that arboriculture isn’t just about climbing. It’s technical, it involves big machinery, and it demands constant learning.

Jess isn’t stopping here. She’s working towards gaining formal qualifications in tree climbing and felling. These skills will not only expand her role but also cement her long-term career in arboriculture.

Why She Loves the Work

At the heart of it all, simple things keep her going.

One of the things that stands out most for Jess is the culture at Blake Tree Care itself. “Everyone wants to help each other and watch each other gain skills. It’s something I haven’t experienced too much before.”

That sense of encouragement and teamwork is what makes the hard days in the rain worth it and the good days in the sunshine even better.

Working in the British countryside also comes with its quirks, according to Jess. “I love working in the amazing scenery that Essex and Suffolk have to offer. I never got to see it much in my previous jobs. But now I work in it every day, and it makes everything easier.”

As one of the few women in the field, she’s proving that anyone can find their place with resilience, curiosity, and passion.

What We Can All Learn from Jess

Jess’s story proves that arboriculture is about passion, grit, and teamwork. Not gender.

At Blake Tree Care, we’re proud to have a team that supports one another and values growth. If Jess’s journey has inspired you, why not learn more about what we do, or even explore a career in arboriculture with us?

If you’ve ever thought about a career in tree care, follow Jess’s lead. The industry needs more people who love trees and want to protect them for the future.

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Inside the life of Wimbledon groundsman

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Inside the life of Wimbledon groundsman: Neil Stubley is the man in charge of getting the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s courts ready for action.

When you are responsible for keeping the Wimbledon courts so lush, green, firm and ready for play there is no rest at all for the man in charge. Neil, 56, is one Wimbledon’s hard-working unsung heroes. His official title is head of courts and horticulture.

Inside the life of Wimbledon groundsman

Inside the life of Wimbledon groundsman

Read the full story here

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Worth Park’s Wildflower Meadows Come to Life

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Worth Park’s Wildflower Meadows Come to Life: In 2022, Euroflor Flower Seed from Origin Amenity Solutions (OAS) transformed three meadow areas within Worth Park as part of a wider conservation project underway by Crawley Borough Council.

Worth Park sits within 8.5 hectares of green space, which has undergone a complete restoration over the last few years, making it an important community and destination venue for residents and visitors to Crawley. This experimental meadow has now been turned into works of art by a nonagenarian painter Beryl Hovell. Beryl has tracked the development of the park’s meadow area over the past three years. She created her first artwork in 2022, at the age of 90, and has recently completed her third painting. All three paintings are on display in the Community Room at Worth Park.

Beryl explains, “I saw the newly seeded wildflower meadow at Worth Park in 2022. What a lovely, colourful sight. As an artist, it inspired me, and once that vision was in my head, I had to paint it on canvas. A year later, I painted it again. It was interesting to see the differences and variations in growth, flowers, and colours. In 2024, I saw it for the third time. Now, there were more grasses and fewer flowers. When the wind caught the grasses, I loved the movement and tried to capture it in the painting with small dots of colour emerging. A photograph can capture one view, but an artist can condense a number of views into one and inject a feeling of movement that a camera cannot.”

Councillor Chris Mullins, Cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing at Crawley Borough Council adds, “Worth Park is a wonderful place, and Beryl’s paintings really capture the beauty of the wildflower meadow. I’m grateful to Beryl for allowing us to display her artwork in the park for visitors to enjoy.”

Head Gardener and Curator at Worth Park Stephen Peters first introduced the wildflowers to increase plant diversity and provide an essential habitat and food for pollinators. He used OAS’s biodegradable matting, FloraFleece, which helped deliver maximum visual and ecological benefit with minimal environmental impact.

Stephen concludes, “It has been a real pleasure seeing Beryl’s works of art that have followed the progress of our wildflower meadow using FloraFleece in the last three years. These paintings now hang proudly for all to see and admire. Not only do they demonstrate the evolution of the meadow but also the brilliance of the artist who captured it. At the same time, it reminds us of the beauty of meadows and how important they are for the environment and its biodiversity.”

For more information on Euroflor Flower Seed and FloraFleece, call the OAS team on 0800 138 7222 or email sales@originamenity.com

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COMPO puts life back into the greens

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COMPO puts life back into the greens: Two products from COMPO EXPERT have helped to put some much-needed life back into the greens at Kilsyth Golf Club, according to Head Greenkeeper Brian Hill.

Brian has been at Kilsyth Golf Club in central Scotland for just over 30 years. Throughout that time, he has always worked with Agrovista Amenity, the exclusive national distributor of COMPO EXPERT’S turf products in the UK.

COMPO puts life back into the greens

COMPO puts life back into the greens

Brian’s first point of contact at Agrovista Amenity is Ramsay MacGregor and it was Ramsay who recommended the COMPO EXPERT range of products to him.

“I trust Ramsay 100% because I know he is going to give me something that works, and it is not going to bust the bank,” said Brian. “I’m going to get a great product every time from him and that is why I took on-board his suggestion about COMPO EXPERT.”

COMPO EXPERT believes in sustainable, integrated turf management by focusing on modern fertilisation concepts, consistent regeneration of growth and optimal support of the plant’s own physiological processes. All of which promote vitalisation, stress tolerance and root development while providing optimum turf quality.

The innovative product range includes specialty mineral and stabilized fertilisers, slow and controlled release fertilisers, water soluble and liquid fertilisers as well as biostimulants, trace elements and soil conditioners.

Brian first applied Ferro Top® microgranular fertiliser to his greens late last year and the success of that product resulted in him applying Floranid® Twin Eagle NK, a slow-release fertiliser, this year.

“We first applied Ferro Top® in autumn and the results I got coming out of winter were brilliant,” he said. “It has a nice bit of iron in it and makes the sward nice and dense.”

“I then went on to using the Floranid® Twin Eagle NK – which I applied at the end of June and the results have been phenomenal. We haven’t got an irrigation system here, and I’ve only got a bowser, so my timing of products is key. As soon as some rain was forecast, we applied the Floranid® Twin Eagle NK. Honestly, I put it on and couldn’t believe it – the greens have been unbelievable. I’ll look at going again with it in September and then I’ll apply Ferro Top® to prepare for winter.

“The greens are so green, so lush, and the COMPO products have put so much life back into them.

“A lot of fertilisers claim to do amazing things, but COMPO products actually do what they say they will. We don’t have a big budget and therefore every product I put down needs to work. With the COMPO products I know that I’m going to get results every time.”

For more information about Agrovista UK, visit www.agrovista.co.uk/amenity

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