No matter the garden you have, a trained horticulturalist is always beneficial. Gardening is not just about having a lawn that’s mowed regularly or hedges that are kept tidy. We know how to ensure that your hedges and lawns are fertilised well so they always look healthy as well kept short or hedged.

Having trained people who can apply what they know to their work and new circumstances is essential. This is also applicable to new research that has been published where we are able to understand what has been discovered and then apply that to their own work. This applies to soils, plants, beneficial insects, pests and diseases, how plants interact within the landscape and medicinal properties.

In terms of having plants in the urban landscape, its not just trees that can be great to have around. Trees are often one of my favourite plants in any given setting, but they are not always appropriate as they can be too big, messy. Other plants from shrubs to colourful annuals to ornamental grasses can, and should, play a part. They all have different structural forms, flower and leaf colour and can be planted in ways that provide year round interest in a way that trees by themselves cannot give. Importantly, it must be said that all plants, from the largest to the smallest, do photosynthesise and thus take carbon dioxide out of the air, aiding in climate change mitigation, especially as smaller plants can fit into smaller spaces and can have more of them. Trained horticulturalists can choose the right plants for each planting area as the conditions can vary widely-these plants can then be cared for correctly by the same people.

How can the industry be changed to encourage a different way of thinking? There are many answers to this question, including:

• First and foremost, dont treat your staff like fools. If trained, and ofeten when not, they do know how to look after a garden. If you knew what you were doing and/or had enough time, you would not be paying them to be there! Give them the respect they deserv and let them care for the garden that you want to have, not a rubbish version thereof.
• Pay a decent wage. This is along the same lines as above, as everyone deserves to have a job allowing them to support their family, not barely afford the bare minimum.
• A qualified gardener should not be also expected to clean your gutter, unblock your toilet, clear all the rubbish you want out to the local waste centre, etc. Get the right people in for the job required and it will get done guicker and more efficiently.
• Ensure that you engage enough people for the amount of work you need doing, or pay for enough time to get the same job done by fewer people. This way you will get what you want without those workers risking injury or you not having the garden you want, because there is not enough time. This will vary by time of year, but if you have good people, they will keep everything looking good all year.