Bed edging in parks, gardens and other green spaces

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Isn't it about time bed edging was back on the agenda? Neat edges make such a difference to parks, gardens and other green spaces, and it’s economical to maintain them if you have the right machinery. The TurfTeq is a versatile and productive edger.

But it can also be done without such machines – or with using them (on hire) – only every now and then to re-cut such edges. It is not necessary to own them outright these days.

Well made and well maintained edges add an instant appeal to beds, whether flower or shrubs, and even a bed in transition – that is to say between plantings – if free of weeds and well edged looks acceptable and more than that to the eye of the beholder.

Besides the use of such machines – or manually remaking and maintaining such edges – keeping them well trimmed manually by use of sharp edging shears is as important, if not even more so. The grass clippings can either be removed or incorporated into the soil. Visibly, however, they should not remain as that will detract from the good looks.

© 2017

Groundscare TurfTeq edging

Save Our Forests & Public Land!

Hands Off Our Forests

The new Infrastructure Bill will allow development on ANY public land or forest, allow anywhere to be fracked and will allow the extermination of barn owls, red kites, wild boar and goshawks. We must stop this bill becoming law!

DID you know legislation is currently being pushed through Parliament that will allow any public land to be transferred by a Government agency, all rights of way extinguished, to private developers?

Did you know the same law – the Infrastructure Bill – will allow any substance whatsoever to be dumped under any land, and that it will become a legal objective to frack anywhere where there is the potential of shale gas, or turn any coal seam into gas?

Did you also know that the same law gives the potential go-ahead to exterminate barn owls, red kites, goshawks, wild boar, and a great many other species not deemed as 'native'?

You'd be forgiven for not knowing because incredibly – despite its massive implications for nature, the environment and also our rural and urban spaces – the Infrastructure Bill has almost entirely not made the news.

There are no celebrities crying 'foul' or any politicians who are supposed to be opposed to the Government. It's almost as if all parties want this law to be passed under the radar, because whoever gets in after May 2015 will have carte blanche to hand over our countryside, urban public spaces, and the ground we walk and live on, to multinational companies.

Read more: http://www.permaculture.co.uk/news/0411145760/save-our-forests-public-land

Gloucester’s Euroflor urban meadow flower displays widely praised

GLOUCESTER City Council, working in partnership with Amey, has had great success with the planting of Euroflor urban flower meadows and World War One poppy mixes.

Now they are planning a dramatic scheme for the four-year period of centenary war commemorations, following wide praise from the public and neighbouring councils.

In the Abbey Ward area of the city, where this year’s Euroflor poppy mixes are in full bloom, Paul Sutlow, senior grounds maintenance supervisor for Amey, and his team - working in partnership with Gloucester City Council and Gloucester City Homes - have designed a fabulous garden for the public to enjoy.

The design is in keeping with the WWI theme and will be completed in three phases. During phase one, initially designed by Anthony Pyle, a grounds maintenance supervisor, there will be a number of pathways built to epitomise the trenches.

Long grass sections will signify ‘No Man’s Land’ along with a flowing brook which will symbolise the opposing trench and passage of time.

Phase two will represent the ‘Dig for Victory’ concept where native fruiting trees will be planted to form a community orchard. The plan for phase three is to plant rows of mixed native broadleaf trees alongside the fruit trees to create a woodland haven for the enjoyment of the public.

Paul Sutlow has been in Gloucester since 1976 and believes that Euroflor mixes from Rigby Taylor are saving money and have an increased impact for the public.

“We’ve had unprecedented numbers of comments about our various urban meadow plantings,” he says. “And other local authorities have taken an interest in the impact they have had.

“Urban flower mixes are low maintenance and have multiple wildlife benefits.”

Gloucester City Council and Amey initially started with sowing roundabouts in 2011. This evolved into a programme of meadows located beside the City’s primary roads, on verges and at junctions, providing maximum impact.

Andria Backhaus, Rigby Taylor local authority area sales manager, says: “We are delighted at the success Paul and his team have had. Euroflor poppy mixes have met with great success since their launch for the World War One centenary.”

DETAILS: For a Euroflor catalogue call Freefone 0800 424919.

www.rigbytaylor.com

Source: Oakfield Media

EXCITING NEW TOPICS IN SALTEX EDUCATION PROGRAMME OFFER SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE IN OPEN SPACE MANAGEMENT

New topics have been added to this year’s SALTEX (Sports Amenities Landscaping Trade Exhibition) education programme on 2-4 September at Windsor Racecourse which guarantee to offer sound advice and examples of best practice to everyone involved in open space management. Industry experts will be staging panel discussions, workshops, seminars and presentations covering the challenges of turf management and maintenance, and there will be focused sessions on UK parks, pest control, arboriculture and outdoor fitness equipment.

Included in the new, comprehensive SALTEX education schedule will be an open workshop on ‘The state and future of UK parks - exploring the public benefit of parks, new ways of using the spaces and alternatives to the traditional local authority parks service model’.

Presented by The Parks Alliance and chaired by Andrew Gill, president-elect, Institute of Horticulture, the debate’s panellists will include Heritage Lottery Fund parks consultant Peter Neal, author of the report ‘State of the UK’s Public Parks’.

Also in the Grandstand at Windsor Racecourse, a ‘Question Time’ style open debate will be held on ‘The control of pests, weeds and diseases in the amenity sector’. Chaired by John Moverley, chair of the Amenity Forum, the panellists will include Will Kay, Leo de Montaignac, Paul Singleton of BASIS Registration and Nick von Westenholz of the Crop Protection Association.

A series of ‘Tree planning and establishment’ seminars will be presented by Rhoderic Taylor, consultant and Fellow of the Arboricultural Association and Julie Sadler, Arboricultural Association member, Level 3 Arboriculture Examiner and a Local Government Arboricultural Officer, planning department.

Also, the daily seminar on ‘Outdoor Fitness Equipment Safety Standards’ will highlight the developing safety standard relating to permanently installed outdoor fitness equipment. EN 16630, due to be published and adopted by the UK early 2015, will be of critical interest to everyone involved in the likely purchase of such equipment, especially local authorities, parish councils and community operations.

This session will be presented by Rob Davies, committee member of TC/136/WG26 – the European Safety Standards Committee responsible for formulating EN 16630.

Consultant Peter Corbett will talk about spraying efficacy and efficiency in a presentation sponsored by Rigby Taylor – highlighting, for example, what is needed to ensure safer and more effective use of chemicals.

In addition, trade charity Perennial will each day be presenting a seminar entitled ‘Good for you, good for business and good for employees’ with guest speakers Nigel Payne, operations director, Sodexo Horticultural Services, Richard Gardiner, director Norris & Gardiner and BALI’s chief operations officer Wayne Grills.

Perennial has an excellent track record of responding quickly and efficiently to the needs of those working in or retired in the land-based sector. The session will present how Perennial can help you to provide additional pastoral care to colleagues, helping to boost productivity and morale, and reduce absenteeism.

These activities complement the extensive series of turf-focused panel debates on a live stage and FREE Ask the Expert advice sessions with key grounds professionals taking place daily in the IOG Hub at the centre of the showground.

Visit www.iogsaltex.com for full details.

SALTEX (www.iogsaltex.com), the Sports Amenities Landscaping Trade Exhibition organised by the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) and managed by Brintex Events, will be held on 2-4 September 2014 at Windsor Racecourse, Berks. Founded in 1938, the exhibition is attended by open space professionals and volunteers who design, construct, manage and maintain the UK's outdoor facilities – from sports grounds of every type to motorway service stations, and from stately homes to local council parks and schools. They visit SALTEX to meet suppliers of the machinery, tools, vehicles, turf, soils, seeds, aggregates, artificial or natural surfaces, playgrounds, landscaping equipment, street furniture, arboriculture, horticulture, safety, security, training and education services designed to help them do their jobs as effectively as possible.

Source: Wildish Communications Ltd

Park pride

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

This year urban park visits are up by 13% and 93% of the population agreed that having open green spaces close to where they live is important*, proving the significance of quality local green space and acknowledgment of the commitment made to these spaces over the past decade.

Despite the economic struggle that green spaces have encountered this year, awareness raising campaign Love Parks Week has over 900 free events listed and will be reaching out to communities across the UK with 1.3 million people expected to join the festivities throughout the week, which display exactly what parks and green spaces can, and do, offer to communities that need, use and love them.

Mark Camley, Director of Park Operations for the London Legacy Development Corporation said, “The range of activities planned across the country for Love Parks Week is great news for parks and park users. Parks are the most democratic of places providing spaces for activity, relaxation, education as well as offering great health benefits. This year’s launch of the Inspire Program will be a fitting tribute to all the celebrations in 2012 bringing people into parks by staging events linked to the excitement of the Games. I’m excited to say that only a year after the hosting of the 2012

Games, we expect the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to be reopened and host a range of events and activities as part of Love Parks Week 2013.”

Love Parks Week is now in its sixth year and is a campaign which aims to raise awareness and call for continual reinvestment of green spaces. Paul Bramhill, CEO from organizing parks charity GreenSpace “These results prove that quality, easily accessible green space really counts, particularly

to those in urban areas where it can provide escapism from every day troubles and good old fashioned family fun at little or no cost, whilst also strengthening communities, making them a more desirable location.”

Bramhill continues “The challenge we are faced with is maintaining these much loved quality green spaces with diminishing budgets. Continual erosion of funding to the sector could result in a decline in visits and therefore a potential increase in crime, obesity, chronic stress, unsociable behaviour, not forgetting the effect on the environment. We need people to understand the risks and stand strong for their parks.”

This year the campaign is also running a Park Health Check asking people to think about and assess the quality of their local park and has also created a Love Parks Club both encouraging a greater sense of stewardship.

Public parks, in Britain came about as a result of the Public Health Act in the mid-19th century to improve the health of the nation, and especially the working classes and they are as important in this respect today than they were then.

Furthermore, parks are of great importance for people who, for many different reasons, decide to holiday ay home, engaging in staycation, as a means of taking the kids and themselves out into some green space in the neighborhood.

Being involved with caring for a large municipal park myself I have personally seen the increase in use of parks and open spaces in Britain in the last couple of years and even more so now where travel is becoming more and more expensive and holidaying abroad is out with many.

© 2012

The dog poo fairy does not exist

By Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Parks and Open Spaces are littered with the feces of dogs (those of foxes cannot be helped) and many dog owners are the most irresponsible people that one can encounter.

Owning a dog comes with obligations, and some of them legal, and one of those is that you have to, by law, pick up Fido's doo-doo and dispose off properly in a litter bin.

The fact is that you do NOT have to hunt for a doggie doo bin anymore as any litter bin, in most place, in Britain, now can be used for dog waste. It is no longer, though in my eyes it still is and in all honesty nothing has changed, hazardous waste.

There was a time it was treated as such and it would be incinerated but within the last number of years it has been downgraded to “ordinary” waste again and is disposed off in landfill sites.

So, no excuse not clearing up after your dog and definitely no excuse to – when you have bagged it – to leave it littering the sides of a path in the bag. There is no fairy that will come along picking such bags up and getting rid off them.

Dog feces are a menace and harbor serious health risks and here especially for toddlers and young children, as several incidents in recent years have shown where children have lost the sight in their eyes because of contact with dog waste.

Some parks and open spaces, in summer, in certain places stink like sewers and worse because of heated dog waste laying in the grass and elsewhere. It only takes a little bag and a trip to a litter bin.

Be a responsible dog owner and clean up after your dog and dispose of the waste properly.

© 2011

Green Spaces essential for human health, study finds

Who would have thought? </sarcasm off>

By Michael Smith (Veshengro)

Now that was the very reason why Parks were created in Britain under the Public Health Act of 1875 and subsequent ones.

You probably also already know about the power of green spaces on your mind and body, but there hasn’t been any sort of real scientific assessment of that – until now.

But, was there really a scientific study needed? Well, maybe yes. Maybe this will make people value their parks and open spaces more.

Frances "Ming" Kuo, Director of the Landscape and Human Health Laboratory at the University of Illinois has studied the effect of green space on humans in a number of settings and measured the effect of nature on human health and well being by using data such as police crime reports, blood pressure, performance on standardized neurocognitive tests, and physiological measures of immune system functioning.

What she discovered was what most of us probably already know. "In greener settings, we find that people are more generous and more sociable. We find stronger neighborhood social ties and greater sense of community, more mutual trust and willingness to help others. "In less green environments, we find higher rates of aggression, violence, violent crime, and property crime -- even after controlling for income and other differences," she said. "We also find more evidence of loneliness and more individuals reporting inadequate social support."

Because of this strong correlation between nature and health, Kuo encourages city planners to design communities with more public green spaces in mind, not as mere amenities to beautify a neighborhood, but as a vital component that will promote healthier, kinder, smarter, more effective, more resilient people.

It is for that very reasons that publicly owned parks and open spaces, parks to which the public has access to and gardens at home and especially also allotments must be part and parcel of our (urban) environment.

For that very reason also the provisions for parks and open spaces and those for allotment garden must not be reduced but must be increased rather. More people having access to such areas would, more than likely, reduce a lot of our problems in society today.

Not that that, probably, will make any difference to the people wielding the knife and the axe in Whitehall and other government departments in the UK as well as in countries such as the USA, etc.

They rather tackle the problems than to provide preventive means, which parks and open spaces and allotments are. In addition to that allotments are a vital part of national food security.

When that was mentioned, however, and the fact that we need to be more self-sufficient in food production some idiots in DEFRA and other government departments stated that, as a nation we have enough money to buy our food from abroad. Doh? And what are we going to do when we can no longer (afford to) bring the stuff in because of lack of fuel or of uneconomic costs of same? What then?

© 2011