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How green is your garden?
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This weeks feature
The British love affair with the garden reveals our deep desire to have a connection with nature.
And as the debate about global warming and environmental crisis rages, we like to think our gardens are natural retreats where we can soothe our green conscience. But Marshalls is asking consumers to really consider: how green is your garden by visiting www.marshalls.co.uk/sustainability. |
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Marshalls has created a unique online carbon calculator to measure the impact of the Marshalls’ hard landscaping products you buy. The calculator gives you a good idea of how many trees you should plant compared with how much hard landscaping product you are laying. |
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Minimise the impact
If you’re eager to minimise the carbon impact of the hard landscaping you choose, then it’s worth remembering that Marshalls’ reconstituted concrete products have just half the carbon footprint of the same quantity of imported natural stone such as Indian sandstone. Yet in ten years time it is estimated that imports of natural stone will make up 20% of all hard landscaping products bought. So it is vital people understand the choices they can make to select the most sustainably produced stone. |
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Says Chris Harrop, Group Marketing Director of Marshalls Plc: “People assume that natural stone products have a lesser environmental impact than concrete products. But that is not always the case. In reality, our ethically sourced natural sandstone products such as Haworth Moor generate 84% more CO2 than our Heritage, Firedstone and National Trust reconstituted concrete product ranges.
In the last twelve months Marshalls has reduced by 40% the amount of CO2 produced in the manufacture of its domestic driveway block paving. Now the Marshalls for Sustainable Landscapes programme aims to highlight sustainability issues that affect the hard landscaping market. |
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Sustainability
At Marshalls’ Sustainability Summit in November 2006, which aimed to set the agenda for more sustainable landscapes in 2007, Andrew Frost, Sustainability Manager for the Concrete Centre, explained why concrete products could in fact be ‘greener’ than their natural alternatives.
“The UK concrete industry is unique in that massive reductions in carbon intensity have been made through industrial ecology. Ten years ago 1.5 tonnes of CO2 was produced during the manufacture of a single tonne of finished concrete. In 2005 that figure was down to 0.82 tonnes for every finished tonne.” |
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At Marshalls, further reductions are achieved by introducing alternative recycled materials into the manufacturing process in place of cement. Marshalls uses various recycled materials to assist in reducing cement consumption during manufacture, including blast-furnace slag, pulverised fuel ash, recycled aggregates and crushed recycled concrete. The recent reduction in CO2 achieved across the Group’s manufacturing operations is equivalent to the CO2 consumption of almost 14,000 trees.
Whilst Marshalls continues to work hard reducing this impact through more efficient manufacturing, you can also play your part in creating the carbon neutral garden of your dreams. Visit www.marshalls.co.uk/sustainability and you can easily calculate the CO2 impact of your Marshalls hard landscaping design. The Carbon Calculator then tells you how many trees to plant in order to offset this impact and create a carbon neutral garden. |
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Ethically sourced
Buying ethically sourced and sustainably manufactured products from a company that cares so deeply about the environmental and social impact of its products and its operations is the first step in ensuring you have a green garden. Considering the balance of hard and soft landscaping within the garden you create, with an eye on the carbon stats, is a further way you can enjoy a more sustainable landscape in your own back garden. |
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Further information
For more information on sustainable hard landscapes, visit Marshalls for Sustainable Landscapes online at www.marshalls.co.uk/sustainability |
It’s Never Too Early...
It is never too early to plan your spring and summer planting. Norman Wright suggests some varieties for all occasions.
Anticipating the spring and summer months is perhaps the best aspect of gardening during the winter. There’s pleasure in thinking about growing the old favourites and wondering how they will do in the coming season. Then there’s the enjoyment of planning something new - moving plants to better positions, adding a new feature or growing something new and different.You get that same pleasure whether you have several acres, a small patio or even a couple of window boxes.
An economical way of replacing your plants is by using seeds or young plants. Every year the seed companies add hundreds of new varieties to their catalogues, which are invariably stronger, bigger, more colourful, more succulent, grow better foliage or are more suited to specific uses in the garden.
So scanning the many seed and young plant catalogues that appear at this time of year is one of those great winter pleasures. But just in case you haven’t had time, here is our selection of five new varieties for all types of home and garden, how they will grow and where to buy them.
Begonia Bonfire
This new tuberous Begonia boasts cascading stems with attractive narrow serrated leaves, and masses of pendulous flaming orange-red blooms. A native of Bolivia, this plant is ideal for hanging baskets or containers.
Available from Suttons as pot-ready plants delivered in April.
Lasting Colour (Eryngium Soft Touch Blue)
An enchanting new ‘Sea Holly’ that will put on a great display of large, spiky, violet-blue flowers year after year (most impressive after the plants have matured for a couple of years). As its name suggests, what makes this variety so unusual is that its blooms are soft to the touch! Ideal for bringing drama to a mixed border every May to July, and invaluable for cutting and drying, they grow to 85cm (33in).
Available from Suttons as pot-ready plants sent in late April/early May.
Sweet Pea Pink Cupid
A single-coloured Sweet Pea is ideal for a hanging basket. This modern-day variety has been bred for its unique dwarf habit, unlike its heirloom cousins, although it still brings a delicious fragrance.
Available from Thompson and Morgan
Cosmos ‘Double Click’ (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Cosmos are the unsung heroes of the annual border. They are easy to grow and are guaranteed to create an effortless and long-lasting summer display. Following a sowing in February to April, Cosmos ‘Double Click’ will flower throughout the summer from mid July until the autumn. Its bright blooms, with a double row of unusual fluted petals, range from rosy red to white and pink shades.
Growing to a height of 90 to 100cm (36 to 40in), this Cosmos is best planted in smal drifts from the middle to the back of the border where it will add height and colour. Cosmos ‘Double Click’ is also suitable as an elegant cut flower.
Available from Thompson and Morgan.
Impatiens Heartbeat
An outstanding, compact-growing variety combining large, weather-tolerant double ‘rosebud flowers with rich green foliage. Easy to look after, it is ideal for hanging baskets, pots or planters, and will bloom prolifically all summer long. The collection contains Hot Pink, Orange, Scarlet, Pink Bicolour and Appleblossom.
Available from Suttons, as plants in late April/early May. |
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