LONDON MULTI-TRADE SHOW PICKS UP THE PACE

With pick up coach routes agreed for British Hardware Federation (BHF) members, lunch/drinks vouchers for Home Hardware South West members, and the latest signings including Abus UK, Cathedral Products and Rothley, London’s Multi-Trade Show is picking up the pace getting ready for January 2009.

Plans for the 15th Show Conference are also firming up. It will run on the morning of Monday, 19 January in the Earls Court Conference Centre, alongside Earls Court 2. The first speaker to confirm is Richard Perks, director of retail research at Mintel, who will provide an overview of the sector for delegates. Brintex will announce further speakers shortly. The theme for the conference has been set as ‘DIY Retailing – What the future holds’.

“There is still plenty being done and details to clarify. Opportunities exist for exhibitors to enter products in our revamped New Product Piazza, as well as highlighting what exclusive deals they will be offering to visitors. TV shopping channel QVC has also asked to use the show this year to film new products and there are more partnerships to be finalised to ensure visitors literally get an easy ride to the show, but it’s coming together well,” commented show director James Murray.

He added, “Interest in exhibition space is growing steadily as companies recognise that without promoting their products their year could be even tougher – and we’re certainly ready and willing to help exhibitors shout about their new ideas and products!”

New exhibitors for Totally Tools include GT85 and Mewett Polyurethane who have rebooked from this year.

In Totally DIY new bookings include Laddermat, Rothley, Rug Doctor, Stadium Group, Urfic UK and William E. Selkin.

New show Totally Secure is shaping up with signings now including Abus UK and Cathedral Products.

Totally Tools, Totally DIY and Totally Secure will take place 18-20 January 2009 at Earls Court in London. For further details and a full list of current exhibitors please contact show organiser Brintex on 020 7973 6401.

Source: The Press Office Ltd.
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Leaf raking against the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Moth

November 8 is Day of Action “Save our Horse Chestnuts”

by Michael Smith

A nasty parasite is already for a number of years been plaguing the white-flowering Horse Chestnut. In Germany this pest has now reached all areas and also in Britain it is spreading like wild fire. From its arrival in 2001/2002 in the Wimbledon area of South London it has now spread to most parts of Southern Britain.

This parasite is bringing an early autumn to our beloved Horse Chestnut, the tree that brings fun and games to the children of the British Isles, in the form of the conker game (as long as the schools and authorities try not to ban it) and simply collecting the chestnuts. As children we also made little animals and people and little baskets out of the conkers. In August already all the leaves have dried out and it looks like Fall has arrived.

The parasite responsible for this, the Horse Chestnut leaf miner moth (Cameraria ohridella), has no natural enemies, neither in Germany nor in the British Isles. It was always said that a wet summer and wet winters would kill the moth and the eggs of the moth that overwinter in the fallen leaves but, alas, this does not seem to happen for the last two summers in Britain were very wet and the moth still has caused great damage again in 2008. Despite intensive research no antidote has as yet been found against this damaging insect.

The until now only effective countermeasure against it is to collect all the fallen leaves as soon as possible and to burn them in a sanitary way. This is the only way to prevent that the eggs of the moth that overwinter in the fallen leaves turn into larvae.

In Germany the Schutzgemeinschaft Deutscher Wald calls already now for a number of years upon communities and cities to take part in the collection action and to encourage their residents to take part in this.

The city of Essen in North-Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) is leading the way here in that sacks are provided free of charge for residents to be able to collect the leaves, which are then collected by the municipality and burned in a waster incinerating heating plant.

Those communes that have been taking part in this action of collecting of fallen leaves for a number of years now can prove that it works in that their Horse Chestnuts are once again green until at the right time in late autumn.

Collecting and burning the fallen leaves is the only way to rid ourselves of this pest that so badly affects our Horse Chestnut.

While the Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner Moth not necessarily causes the death of the trees it will, over time, however, weaken the trees and allow other pathogens and parasites to destroy the trees.

© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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Bulldog Mini Bypass Pruning Shears BD3150 – Product Review

Review by Michael Smith

The Bulldog BD3150 mini bypass pruning shears are a very nice and handy little pair of pruners for the cutting back of live or 'green' foliage and also capable of basically all small pruning tasks. In my opinion those pruners are also great for children who wish to help in the garden. Yes, I do know that they are cutting tools and sharp but they will never learn how to do things if they are not permitted to learn when young.

The cutting capacity is 6mm which is just under 1/2 inch in old money. However, it is probably possible to cut a little thicker pieces like that. It all depends on what material they are. While I would not suggest to cut a 3/4 inch apple twig or one of other hard wood with this pair of pruning shears it it, however, possible to cut bramble runners of that size and even bigger, especially if they are “green”.

While an ideal little pair of pruning shears for the home and also the allotment gardener they are also suitable for the professional when about generally in case there is something to be that needs dead heading, whether roses or flowering plants in general. In addition it is also an ideal small pair of secateurs for the Park and Countryside Ranger on patrol should the need arise to cut some bramble runners or such clear from a path to protect the public from injury. It is the small size here that comes in at the forefront, allowing it to just be slipped into a pocket or a notebook belt pouch or such.

Those mini bypass pruners are also brilliant for harvesting produce in your veggie garden or plot, whether those be beans or other vegetables, and do a much better job than garden scissors, for instance.

The grip is a soft elastomer kind of material than makes using them a pleasure.

Priced at an RRP of £8.44 they hardly break the bank and as with all Bulldog tools we are talking quality at an affordable price. I know that you can get secateurs for less than £3 or even for as low as 99pence but what are you getting there?

The only one thing that I am not too sure about, I must say, as to reliability and durability, is the yellow – in the case of the green handles version of the BD3150 mini bypass pruning shears that I was given for review – plastic sliding lock. I would have rather seen something like the lock on the BD3152 bypass pruning shears. In use I find that at times that lock slides forward and, in fact, locks the shears. This is, though, not the only kind of lock on secateurs that I have a problem with. The old style, as on the afore mentioned BD3152 – the clasp on the bottom of the handles – still takes a lot of beating. The spring too, maybe, just maybe, could do with, in my opinion, being just a little bit stronger.

However, this small pair of mini pruners is something that many people will have been waiting for, and also those gardeners that want to be able to allow their youngsters a go in the garden with dead heading and such but the secateurs on the market in general are too large to really be able to do that. These mini pruning shears will, certainly, bridge that gap.

© M Smith (Veshengro), September 2008
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IOG SALTEX SUPPORTS PERENNIAL HORTICULTURE CHARITY

Perennial - Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society is being supported at this year’s IOG SALTEX show, with collection boxes located around the showground dedicated to the national charity for those who work or have worked in horticulture. Perennial provides help, advice and support people from the grounds care industry, arborists and other horticultural trades, when they are experiencing need or difficulties.

Debbie Lyne, the charity’s Director of Marketing and Fundraising, said: “We’re delighted to have been chosen as the IOG SALTEX Charity of the Year for 2008. Perennial is not yet that well known among grounds care staff and others who attend and exhibit at IOG SALTEX, and we’re extremely grateful to everyone at the IOG for providing us with this opportunity to raise our profile among its membership and with other visitors to the show.”

Perennial’s stand will be situated in the Training and Development Hub, opposite the South Entrance.

For more information on Perennial and its services, visit www.perennial.org.uk.

Source: Wildish Communications Ltd

IOG SALTEX HELPS COUNCIL TEAM REDUCE THE HARD WORK OF LEISURE SERVICES

With responsibility for 309 hectares of major urban and country parks, 65 play areas and numerous small areas of open space, the Leisure Services department of Swale Borough Council faces a major challenge to maintain and improve the region’s green landscape.

Located on the North Kent coast between London and Dover, the council provides a host of services to residents in Sittingbourne, Sheppey, Faversham and the surrounding parish areas.

Its leisure team of seven people includes 36-year-old Alan Marolia, the borough’s Parks and Children’s Play Officer, who has worked for the council for the past nine years.

Responsible for a £1.2 million annual grounds maintenance budget as well as other significant amounts to spend on play area maintenance, including major lottery funding, his role is multi-faceted.

“We effectively see our responsibilities as covering pretty much any area that is green - that includes allotments, playgrounds, roadside verges and cemeteries as well as parks and gardens, recreation grounds and playing fields. Across the borough we need to ensure the broad range of public green space is maintained to the highest standard.”

For Alan Marolia, a key part of that delivery is an annual ‘catch-up’ visit to IOG SALTEX, an event he has been attending since his student days.

“My background even before joining the council has always been in horticulture, working in commercial nurseries, garden centres and landscaping, so IOG SALTEX has always been important to me. The only difference today is that when exhibitors see my name badge they are slightly more willing to talk to me than when I visited as a student - but I’ve got a long memory,” he jokes.

Last year he returned to the show with several leisure services colleagues. “Windsor is only an hour away so we go up on the opening morning and make a real day of it. It’s good for teambuilding and we all have our own areas of specialism so between us we can cover large sections of the show.”

With specific responsibility for grounds maintenance and play, he finds that the show assembles everyone and everything he needs. “I find it incredibly beneficial because not only do I check out the very latest in plant, equipment, chemicals and even legislation, I also get the opportunity to catch up with people whose help and advice is invaluable.

“It’s not just salesmen that you meet on the stands but managing directors, area managers, other client officers and basically like-minded people who share a professional interest in all things horticultural.”

For him, another most important aspect is the ability to ‘see, touch and feel’ equipment, something that no amount of web surfing or reading of product literature can achieve.

“If you’re buying a new car you want to test drive it rather than just order off a catalogue picture. It’s the same with new play equipment. If I’m spending £20k-£30k, I want to actually see how it looks and performs before I invest.”

Swale Borough Council has, in fact, purchased from an IOG SALTEX exhibitor new sets of play equipment that have been incorporated into urban play area schemes.

Although the council’s leisure services team goes to the show with some specific ideas on who and what it needs to see, Alan Marolia is also a firm believer in having a good browse round and discovering stands that might not have been on the original target list.

“While I’m disciplined in terms of identifying what I definitely need to see at the show, I would always recommend having a look at some of the less obvious exhibitors. There are always new, interesting and different products and services to see and, with the best interests of our council residents in mind, that’s why it’s so important my team goes to the show every year.”

Spource: Wildish Communications Ltd