The Landscape Library - The Ultimate Resource

Arbour Landscape Solutions is an endorsing member of The Landscape Library - you may have spotted the logo on our website. In this article Landscape Library founder, Alan Sargent, tells us a little more about this invaluable resource.
 

The world of Landscaping is populated by a wide and diverse a group of people, as individuals, practices and businesses involved in an even wider field of skills and specialities! From Growers to Designers, Landscape Contractors to Maintenance Specialists, the number of different disciplines within that world becomes even wider still!
 
Growers may produce general and commonplace plant material, whilst others will be highly specialised producers of only one species of plant. Garden Designers may have honed their skills from an interior designer viewpoint, or perhaps an engineering background. Landscapers may be universally skilled, whilst others only construct ‘hard’ landscaping or water gardens, roof gardens or organic kitchen gardens. Some may be Design & Build companies offering a One Stop Shop!
 
Maintenance practitioners include general domestic lawncare operators right through to Managers looking after major Estates with thousands of acres and dozens of gardeners, some following many generations of families working on the same site.
 
What they all have in common is the word LANDSCAPE.  Landscape does not mean ‘landscape’ as in Landscape Contractor. It means very much more than that! Gaining a Masters Degree in Landscape Management means that the individual has knowledge of how nature works. They understand the ways of horticulture, but that on its’ own does not create usefulness. Without other skills including Management in all of its’ facets, including running a business, marketing, staffing and machinery knowledge, the greatest Horticultural genius will not be able to organise a well-run, disciplined and efficient business.

Sharing specialist information for the common good

 
This diversity of micro-industries within a major industry has always presented those involved with a problem of information sharing and understanding of the requirements and complexities of each others special needs. Each sector carefully collating information germane to their own sub-group, to an extent that on occasion, alienation between disciplines becomes a barrier to working with others in a symbiotic manner. Put simply, one sector may not recognise the needs of another sector, thus creating misunderstandings where there should be harmony.
 
For some years now, Landscape Contractors and Garden Designers have strived to work together, to respect and understand the needs of the each other, although this has been largely through the good works of The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL), Society of Garden Designers (SGD) and The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI)
 
Now and for the first time!  The Landscape Library has drawn all of these sectors together into one. Trade secrets, sector knowledge, Legal obligations, Staff Training, The Inner Workings of Associations and different disciplines have been collected and collated by Alan Sargent FCIHort, MPGCA, Founder of both the APL and Professional Garden Consultants Association, and brought together under the unique banner of The Landscape Library.
 

What is The Landscape Library?

 
The Landscape Library is a unique on-line service resource of ideas, essays, features, articles, books, templates, hints & tips, advice and information covering a wide and comprehensive range of topics for the Training Needs of the Amenity Horticulture Industry.
 
With nearly three hundred articles, written and produced by Award Winning Consultants including Alan Sargent, Sam Hassall and Neville Stein, along with other columnists and authors currently forming the foundation of The Landscape Library, with many more planned, The Library is the World’s Largest and Most Comprehensive ‘Book’ on the Landscape Industry.
 
Alan is an Expert Witness, Landscape Designer and Contractor, and RHS Show Gardens Judge, using more than fifty years of practical experience to resolve Dispute issues across the UK. Sam Hassall is the world’s leading expert on Landscape Finance matters, writing for Spons and running LandPro and Liberate systems for the industry. Neville Stein is Britain’s leading Horticultural Consultant and Columnist, specialising in Business Management in all fields.

Access to FREE advice on any aspect of practical landscaping and running a landscaping business

 
A major benefit of The Landscape Library is the unique offer of free advice to all subscribers, if they are unable to locate an answer to their problem within the pages of The Library, by direct email contact with Alan Sargent who will help them as a Consultant. Alan will then  produce an article on the question posed by the enquirer, and create a new feature to be placed in The Library!
 
The Landscape Library is available to subscribers only.
 
Annual Rates @ £100.00 (or £25.00 quarterly)
(APL Members £80.00)
 
Contact [email protected] for more information or to join the Landscape Library, go to www.landscapelibrary.co.uk
 
(Colleges are provided with free access to The Library)
 

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