Tag Archive for: London

RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden beds in at London school

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RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden beds in at London school: The first ever RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden designed by and for children has been relocated to its permanent home at Sulivan Primary School in southwest London.

The RHS No Adults Allowed Garden was designed by pupils from the school and award-winning garden designer Harry Holding and was visited by HRH King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Reimagined to suit its new setting in the school grounds, the unique garden will now be a lasting feature for pupils to explore, learn and play in, as well as take care of.

RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden beds in at London school

RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden beds in at London school

Nearly all elements from the original show garden have been transferred to the school, with the exception of the stream and rock pool. Instead, the subterranean den is set within a sea of wildflowers and has been reimagined by treehouse builders Root and Shoot into a sustainable climbing frame using timber from RHS Garden Wisley and rubber from waste material. Sculptural clay elements, crafted by land artist Finbar Ward and decorated by pupils, which previously adorned a wall within the show garden have now been positioned on the façade of the school itself.

As part of the relocation, the layout of the show garden has been adapted to suit the school’s setting, which is surrounded by a number of mature trees.  A path through the garden separates two distinct areas; one is low intervention with a wildflower meadow, a composting zone and dead hedges which provide habitats for wildlife, while the more cultivated side of the garden is packed with a variety of bold and colourful summer plants including kniphofias and gladioli, as well as edibles such as strawberries.

Wendy Aldridge, Headteacher at Sulivan Primary School, said: “We are so excited to welcome the RHS No Adults Allowed Garden to its new home. This garden will be a fantastic resource for our pupils, allowing them to develop hands-on gardening skills and a deeper appreciation for the natural world. It provides a unique, interactive space where children can learn about biodiversity, sustainability, and the importance of caring for our environment. The collaborative process of designing and now maintaining the garden has been invaluable, fostering a strong sense of community and pride within our school.”

Harry Holding, Award-winning Garden Designer, said: “It has been such a joy to work on
this momentous project and reimagining the show garden for its permanent home has been every bit as enjoyable as preparing it for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Seeing the pupils’ excitement as they interact with the garden, both in its original form and now in its new home, has been incredibly rewarding. In its new location, the design benefits from more space, lots of mature trees, and plenty of environments to explore. This garden will provide endless opportunities for discovery and learning, and will live on to benefit thousands of children and families from the local community for years to come. I am very much looking forward to seeing how it evolves with the students’ care and creativity.”

Alana Cama, RHS Senior Learning Manager, said: “The RHS is committed to nurturing a love of gardening in children and creating opportunities for them to engage with nature in a meaningful way. By involving pupils in the design and maintenance of the garden, they have quickly cultivated a sense of responsibility and connection to the environment. We’re excited to follow the progress of the garden and to see how it inspires a love of gardening amongst the school’s pupils for years to come. This project exemplifies our mission to make gardening accessible and enjoyable for all ages, and we are thrilled to see it find a permanent home at Sulivan Primary School.”

Sulivan Primary School is a member of the RHS Campaign for School Gardening which provides teachers with free resources and training, designed to help them give more children the opportunity to learn about caring for plants and our planet through gardening, while connecting with nature and boosting their wellbeing. The RHS is committed to fostering a love of gardening across generations and ensuring that it is an accessible activity for everyone.

For information on how to get involved with the RHS Campaign for School Gardening visit: https://schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk

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ET Lander cruises through the streets of London

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ET Lander cruises through the streets of London: According to Jo Desborough, Head Gardener for The Bedford Estates, the Etesia ET Lander is a luxury electric utility vehicle which can be driven from site to site through the busy streets of London without worrying about the battery life.

The Bedford Estates has owned, developed and cared for much of Bloomsbury, London since 1669. The Estate comprises some 200 properties containing over 825,000 square feet of office and educational accommodation, some 100,000 square feet of retail space, over 1,000 hotel bedrooms and more than 550 flats.

ET Lander cruises through the streets of London

ET Lander cruises through the streets of London

It also includes two public garden squares, Russell Square and Bloomsbury Square and several private garden areas. These include Bedford Square, the only intact Georgian garden square in London.

The location of these gardens was a reason for choosing the ET Lander according to Jo.

“We chose the Etesia ET Lander because it’s a vehicle that’s easier to drive on the roads.

We have to go between our gardens and in order to do that, there are busy London roads in between, so having a cab that’s fully enclosed helps us with the traffic. It’s more comfortable to ride in and the features that it offers are perfect for what we need.”

100% electric, spacious, well-equipped and user-friendly, the ET Lander is built on a robust chassis and has an array of options including a three-way tipper bed with dual control from the fully fitted two-seater cab or by remote control when outside the vehicle. With a length of just 3.72 meters, the ET Lander is very compact. Thanks to the power steering, the short turning radius of 4.40 meters and 360 ° visibility, it goes anywhere. The autonomy of the vehicle lasts for a full working day – without noise pollution, can transport loads of up to 940kgs and can also tow up to 750kgs.

The latest models are fully N1 homologation compliant meaning that the ET Landers are fully road legal along with being able to be used off road. They also feature lithium-ion batteries which ensures that the range of the ET Lander extends to 100km and have a charger system compatible with a standard type 2EV car charger.

The battery-life on the ET Lander certainly doesn’t concern Jo and she also revealed that the team wouldn’t be without it.

“We’ve had the ET Lander since January, so we’ve been running it around our gardens for the last six months or so. The battery life has been really good, and we hardly ever have to charge it, so that’s very impressive. We use it to do lots of short journeys and you might expect that the batteries would run out maybe slightly quicker, but in fact, we find that they last several weeks for us.

“We often use the ET Lander for collecting our tonne bags to pick up and bring back to our main head office where we have our green waste storage, and also for taking all our equipment over to the gardens.

“Using the ET Lander has made life a lot easier going between the gardens and driving on the roads. It’s very comfortable in the cab, very manoeuvrable and easy to drive. It also has windscreen wipers and having a radio is the icing on the cake.

“It has a very luxury feel to it and it feels more like driving a car rather than garden equipment.”

Bloombury Estates purchased the ET Lander through Etesia dealer RT Machinery and Jo was quick to praise the service she has received to date.

“RT Machinery were very helpful throughout the whole process. Scott Reynolds (Area Sales Manager) came and delivered the ET Lander and ran through all of the directions and showed us how to use it, which was clear and comprehensive.

“They also come and do our servicing, which they do on a regular basis. They get the equipment back to us as soon as they can and generally provide a really good service and are always available when we need them.”

You can view a video of the ET Lander with The Bedford Estates by visiting https://youtu.be/cbxnh6nF9p8

For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit the dedicated Etesia ET Lander website www.etlander.co.uk

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Etesia UK on Twitter @EtesiaUK and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/EtesiaUK. You can also view the latest Etesia videos by visiting www.youtube.com/EtesiaUK.

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Terrain Aeration for London garden square

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Terrain Aeration for London garden square: The award-winning Earl’s Court Square Garden was originally laid out as part of the Edwardes Estate in the 1870s, and construction of the properties of Earl’s Court Square began.

It was well-managed with professional gardeners until the Second World War, when the original cast-iron railings were removed and five emergency water tanks filled the southern half of the garden. Post-war it became much neglected and remained more like a building site until the mid-seventies when the present layout was designed. A children’s playground was added in 1980 and the mature London plane trees were pruned and maintained. The Earl’s Court Square Garden is one of the 37 Garden Squares in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Terrain Aeration for London garden square

Terrain Aeration for London garden square

The garden is much used by residents and hosts neighbourhood social events which ultimately led to the ground becoming severely compacted and dried out in summer, while in winter it became heavily waterlogged. Aeration was done regularly, and the grass re-seeded, but the problems remained.

“We learned of the work done by Terrain Aeration in Hyde Park after Winter Wonderland,” says Katrina Quinton, Chairperson of the garden management sub-committee, “and we thought the principles would apply here. They were scheduled to come to us in 2020, but a period of heavy rain and then Covid-19 intervened. The garden was a godsend for the community during lockdown, but the pooling was still a major problem.”

As soon as they were able, Terrain Aeration treated the area using their Terralift Tracker, which is designed for access in tight spaces. It works in the same way as the full-size Terralift machines used in Hyde Park. The Tracker hammers a hollow probe one metre into the soil, releasing a blast of compressed air to fracture the compaction and create interlinked fissures. They simultaneously injected dried seaweed into the fissures, and this expands and contracts with the moisture content in the ground. The probe is inserted in equal spacing on a grid pattern, to ensure the underground fracturing overlaps. The resulting holes are top-filled with Lytag, lightweight aggregate, to provide a long-term aeration and ventilation shaft which will encourage air and water into the root zone. The result is a healthier soil structure; the compaction is relieved and a stronger root growth is promoted. The areas in the garden around the trees, which are greedy for water, were also treated to a depth of eighteen inches.

Katrina says: “the wonderful collection of people from Suffolk and their strange-looking machine came and worked without fuss, leaving the area clean and usable immediately. The following day it rained heavily and we’re delighted to say there was no longer any pooling. A great job.”

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Club Car & London GC extend relationship

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Club Car & London GC extend relationship: Club Car, the world’s largest manufacturer of small-wheel electric vehicles, has continued its long association with London Golf Club by delivering a new fleet of high-spec golf cars.

The fleet of 50 Tempo cars, famous for their industry-leading durability and premium comfort, feature Club Car’s innovative connected GPS technology which supports the maintenance of the club’s two Jack Nicklaus-designed courses as well as offering players a range of in-car services.

Club Car & London GC extend relationship

Club Car & London GC extend relationship

London Golf Club, a European Tour Destination and the host venue of this summer’s English Open, has chosen Club Car as its supplier for 22 years.

Stephen Follett, CEO of London Golf Club, said: “We decided to renew the fleet towards the end of last year following the huge amount of use the cars had last summer and with another busy season ahead. We viewed the reopening in March as if we were opening a new venue, and that meant reopening with a new fleet of cars. We also carried out renovations in various areas of our clubhouse, made upgrades in our IT and carried out refresher training with our staff.

“We wanted to show our members, guests, and visitors that we are a forward thinking venue that is committed to continuously investing in our product, services and people. This is our second fleet with the connected technology – we love it, our customers love it and it’s synonymous with London Golf Club.”

Kevin Hart, Director of Golf Sales EMEA at Club Car, added: “London Golf Club is one of the most prestigious venues in Europe and we are proud that Club Car has been its chosen supplier for so long.

“The club and its leadership are very much in tune with what the customers want and never fail to deliver an exceptional golfing experience. We look forward to this long relationship continuing in future.”

London Golf Club has hosted the European Open (2008 and 2009) and the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship (2018 and 2019), and will welcome the English Open from August 12-15 this year.

The newly installed fleet of Club Car vehicles marks the sixth that local dealer Bradshaw has delivered to London Golf Club over the duration of the 22-year relationship.

For more information about London Golf Club, visit: https://www.londongolf.co.uk

For more information about Club Car, visit: https://www.clubcar.com

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London Stadium relies on G860’s

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London Stadium relies on G860’s: The London Stadium has recently increased its fleet of Dennis G860 cylinder mowers, and Head Groundsman James Williams has revealed exactly why.

James is an ambitious young groundsman and his prominent position at the London Stadium certainly is testament to this. The Welshman is about to embark on his fourth year in the role and understandably, he believes that 2020 has been the most challenging yet – but not for the reasons you might think.

London Stadium relies on G860's

London Stadium relies on G860’s

“It’s been a difficult year due to the pandemic,” he said. “The worst thing is waking up in the morning on a matchday and there’s just no spark because you know there will be no fans to showcase your pitch to.”

James obviously takes great pride in his work; he is hard-working, committed and works round the clock to ensure that the pitch is in the best possible condition. Anywhere he can make improvements he will strive to do so – and therefore when an opportunity presented itself, James was quick to seize it.

“When football started again, the Premier League announced that we have to prepare the pitch and leave it well alone five hours before kick-off – it used to be three,” said James.

“This would mean starting a lot earlier and so my CEO asked me if there was anything I needed which could help. Straight away, I told him that two more Dennis G860’s would be nice!”

The London Stadium already had three Dennis G860’s in its armoury when James arrived, and he was pleased to see a familiar mower – one which he had become accustomed to for many years previously.

“I used the G860’s the whole time I was at Swansea City FC,” he said. “I’m just extremely comfortable with them – they are reliable, adaptable and they get the job done to the high standard I expect.”

James isn’t the only groundsman to be of this opinion as many of his peers have long relied on the G860 to provide the perfect cut for sports turf. Lightweight at just 166kg; it is easy to manoeuvre and comfortable to operate.

The mower features a large diameter front roller with an adjustable scraper which has been designed for a precise height of cut control, giving an excellent finish on every occasion. The Dennis G860 also features an interchangeable cassette system to assist with a wide range of tasks such as including scarifying, verticutting, brushing, spiking, and slitting.

“The G860’s are normally brought out towards the end of the week once the pitch has been repaired to make sure that it is in the best shape going into a matchday.

“When the grass gets too thick, or if it’s dying off, we will use the verticutting cassette to clear that out – just to stop it from causing any thatch or disease. We probably verticut once a month as well as use the brush – both help to keep the pitch nice and healthy.

“The 8 bladed cutting cylinder always offers a fantastic finish,” continued James. “I like to cut down to 23mm for matchdays but if there is period when we’ve got a lot of games and training sessions on the pitch then I’ll take it up to 26mm for extra protection and coverage.”

The Dennis G860 was an instant hit when it was first developed and over the years it has proven to be one of the most popular sports turf mowers on the market. There is a reason behind its success according to James.

“Do you know what I like about the G860? It’s the fact that it hasn’t changed a lot. Dennis as a company has evolved with some other great machinery but the G860 doesn’t need to. Why would you evolve something that doesn’t need fixing? You can’t improve perfection.”

For further information or a no obligation demonstration, please contact Dennis 01332 824 777 or visit www.dennisuk.com

For more news, reviews and insightful views, you can follow Dennis on Twitter @DennisMowers and like the company’s Facebook page – www.facebook.com/DennisMowersUK You can also view the latest Dennis videos by visiting www.youtube.com/DennisMowers

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