Etesia UK has just launched a brand-new website, showcasing their vast range of ride-on & pedestrian mowers, brushcutters and the complete range of Pellenc Lithium-ion battery powered equipment.
“Following years of being told that our UK website was in desperate need of updating, we are pleased to announce that our new website has now gone live”, said Les Malin, Etesia UK’s General Manager.
With a whole host of new features, the website has been totally redeveloped with both customers and dealers firmly in mind.
“As our customer base and product range continues to grow and expand, so must our ability to keep everyone up-to-date. We have therefore introduced a number of new sections on our website including the full range of Pellenc equipment”.
Other new features include:
- Dealer locators for both the Etesia and Pellenc range of equipment.
- A revised and updated product section, all with accompanying images and videos.
- A warranty registration section for dealers.
- A dedicated news section.
- A resource section for useful downloads and links.
For further information, please contact Etesia UK on 01295 680120 or visit www.etesia.co.uk
Q Lawns have donated £400 of turf to a project in nearby Thetford run by the Princes Trust and involving teenagers and young adults.
via www.qlawns.co.uk
Statistics from two of the UK's leading banks show a dramatic increase in customer spending on home and garden improvements.
With outdoor renovations returning almost 300% of initial investment, home owners are focusing on improving their current homes rather than moving.
Source: Bridgman
Wyevale East Nurseries in Swanley, Kent, have taken delivery of their second S1 sit-on 2 wheel drive electric vehicle from Electric Powered Solutions.
Nursery Director, Richard McKenna, first saw the vehicle at the Four Oaks trade show in 2010 and immediately recognised its potential for moving stock around their 10 acre site. They had a demonstrator on trial for a week and the decision was made to buy one.
A year later they have bought their second one. Wyevale East, part of the Wyevale Nurseries Group, is a trade-only cash and carry outlet serving landscapers, landscape architects and horticultural professional throughout the UK.
“We were using push trolleys and fork-lifts to do the picking of customer orders,” says Richard, ” with the limitations of staff having to push trolleys around, or having to have trained people on the two fork-lifts, lifting orders can be time consuming .
Given a couple of hours safety training any member of staff can use one of these S1 machines. It pulls a lot and speeds up the process of lifting customer orders for despatch.
The S1 is incredibly versatile, it’s easy to operate and comfortable to drive, and the battery can last up to a week on a charge.” Depending on the motor size the buggy can load up to 500kg and tow a trailer carrying up to 1,000kg.
One of the key features of course is that it is silent in operation, although Richard points out they have to use the horn to warn people they are coming through the aisles of plants.
With the large quantities of stock to move around and 16 staff on hand, often queuing up to use one, Wyevale East are considering adding more S1’s to their fleet.
Wyevale East 01322 662315, Electric Powered Solutions 05600 759558 www.electricpoweredsolutions.co.uk
Catch up with some of the audio interviews from the Creating Landscapes Trade Show featuring a selection of exhibitors - just pick a title and listen in.
The first exhibitors arrived at Capel Manor for the Creating Landscapes Trade Show early in the morning.
Plants were being unloaded, gardens measured out and vans rolled through heavy with equipment and tools from all the exhibitors.
If you want to get a taste of what is happening today at the show then check out the photographs uploaded to the Landscape Juice Network, as well as audio interviews with some of the exhibitors and the updates on Twitter.
The organisation is running smoothly, like the wheels of a large fairground moving into action after months of preparation.
The belief in this event is almost tangible, as the flags are unrolled for the first time.
There is no 2011 date on them, so they can no doubt be used in the future.
You can find out more about the Hybrid decking board from Duraflex after they signed up for the show.
Drop in on stand 505 to learn more on how the decking is manufactured from both PVC and wood, which was developed as a result of three years research and development at Duraflex's in-house testing facility.
The decking enjoys the low maintenance and durability of PVC alongside the appearance and strength of wood.
Hybrid decking is available in a range of natural colours, so you can give your creative thoughts free rein, combined with an option for either an attractive ribbed or brushed finish.
Around 350 people headed to Palmstead Nurseries to take part in a workshop that looked at Design for Maintenance.
Chair of the event was Chelsea winner, Andy Sturgeon, and his talk opening the show highlighted some the techniques he has used in his own garden projects to ensure they retain their intended look.
"We frequently use plants that you can leave and they’ll get on with it - rosemaries, lavenders, yuccas; they remain fairly static and require minimal maintenance – in a large area it’s vital to get that right – you also get fantastic textures from using those varieties," said Andy Sturgeon.
He also explained how he produced a maintenance guide for each garden explaining when to cut hedges, the exact height of those hedges and when certain perennials should be pruned.
Interestingly, Andy found that when a small fee was charged for the maintenance guide it was used more often, in the past when it was given for free it often was just discarded and not read.
Noel Farrer, an experienced landscape architect and specialist in public spaces, spoke about the politics of urban spaces and wherever recent riots in the UK were a reflection of the environments people lived in.
"Nature creates environments that communities can delight in and which in turn can help them to deal with social issues," said Noel Farrer.
"If you create spaces that enable people to feel safe then you have an incredibly desirable place and a sustainable space, because people want to keep it desirable."
Again his experience of providing maintenance manuals for larger projects was similar to the small gardens of Andy Sturgeon, with the guides left 'sitting on dusty shelves'.
Noel argued that if you provide a 'social' space then it will be sustainable from a maintenance point of view – those living there will want to keep it, and will fight to keep it.
Other speakers at the event were Gill Chamberlain, who stressed that maintenance of a garden was a skill that was currently undervalued.
Professor James Hitchmough explained that his work involved 'finding ways of creating vegetation that’s rich and highly detailed but using pared down processes to their minimal essence'.
Garden designer James Alexander‐Sinclair stressed that any garden will change, nothing stays the same for the client, but importantly owners should enjoy their gardens and that no one has ever 'been arrested for having weeds in their garden'.
For more information on the Design for Maintenance workshop, visit the Palmstead Nurseries website featuring background notes from the speakers.