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Lucy has shared this photo of the Teddington Christmas Tree which is now lit up in all its 15 foot glory. Lucy was asked to put the tree up for the Teddington Business Community, opposite the Memorial Hospital.
Only 23 days to go…..

A town house garden has recently been transformed by Rodney from Eds Garden Maintenance. His remit was to create a relaxed seating area with the minimum amount of maintenance – I think the results speak for themselves. Rodney and some other Ed’s operators are happy to take on landscaping work so please contact us at Ed’s to find out more. The start of the clearing

Some may say that to have 4 people and a rather large crane involved are a little bit overboard for a tree but this was no ordinary tree, this was a 150 year old olive tree, direct from Italy, weighing over a tonne. And it was due to have a new home in a leafy Richmond.

I remember getting the call from the client saying he had just bought an Olive tree and could I help him to plant it, yeah no problem I said, a few phonecalls down the line and I started to realise that I couldn’t just pick this up and plant it in the ground.

So a full size crane was hired, we got digging, then the tree was elevated over the top of the roof of the house and precision dropped into the perfect hole we had created and filled with all the neccesary ingredients to give in the best start over here, a mixture of feed, sand, gravel and high grade compost were all the the list.

When finished and perfectly in situ it looked like the tree had always been there, the next step is to create a bed of beautiful Lavender and Rosemary to make it feel more at home.

The Zimbabwean Achievers Awards have been set up to “recognise Zimbabweans throughout the UK who have pushed the limits against all the odds to raise the Zimbabwean flag high and do both themselves and their fellow countrymen proud” according to the website. When I received the call notifying me of my nomination I was knee deep in well rotted horse manure, and feeling anything but the entrepreneurial business woman flying her national flag high! It is an incredible honour to be nominated by this burgeoning bud of positive Zimbabweans who are striving to make a difference here in the UK.

Sarah has been running her Ed’s Garden Maintenance business since January 2007, taking on one of the early franchises and over the last few years has been successfully growing her business and providing services to both private and commercial clients.

‘Having initially come from an agricultural background in Zimbabwe, moving to the UK was always going to be challenging. I was incredibly blessed during my early years to be exposed to outstanding scenery, flora and fauna. My mother was a gardening guru, and from an early age my brothers and I were planting up hanging baskets for agricultural shows, and getting involved in all sorts of entrepreneurial forays. This inspired a keen interest in gardening, horticulture and the natural world, and I came to the UK to study a BSc (Hons) in Landscape and Garden Design at Writtle College in 2002, achieving a 2.1 degree and an award for the most improved student on my course.

Starting with Ed’s was a wonderful opportunity to break into a competitive industry and take control of my earnings. It also reduced the risk of starting on my own at a rather young and inexperienced 23 years old, whilst still giving me the flexibility to develop my own angle on the business and drive growth in the direction I wanted to go.

One of my initial concerns was about coping physically with what is a very demanding manual job. The job is all about having the right tools however, and we have been encouraged to invest in top of the range equipment which makes almost any job do-able, and gives me complete reliability for my regular maintenance customers. I have also been fortunate in having a great support network within the Ed’s team, and have taken on seasonal labourers during the summer months. Last summer I took on my first full time employee, and we now have two full time employees and a couple of part timers we can call on during the busiest spells. I have concentrated on expanding the business whilst still maintaining a personal relationship with my clients, and trying to provide the same level of service they have come to expect.

We are looking to expand this year and slowly grow a team of passionate and enthusiastic garden maintenance operatives who really care and continue to learn, and slowly we will expand our portfolio of regular customers ensuring that we deliver the best possible service individually tailored to our clients’ needs and budgets. Working with a positive team of people and passionate clients has all the ingredients of a rewarding work experience.

Happy customers make it all worthwhile, and my favourite part of this job is when a customer says to me “You’ve transformed my garden, I love it!” There’s no better incentive to keep on doing what we do.’

Eds Garden Maintenance generated a lot of interest at the franchise show.

Several of the current Franchisees attended explaining their experiences and how they are getting on.

Eds is exhibiting at the Surrey Franchise Show being held at Sandown Park Racecourse on 4 September 2010 starting at 1000. If you would like to find out more about running a gardening business delivering services such as lawn mowing and hedge cutting come and meet us.

Expanding business. Sarah Whaley takes on more employees and a second vehicle to cope with the demand.

Clive fom Eds Garden Maintenance goes on a holiday cruise with Alan Titchmarsh.

Steve Frise fom Ed’s Garden Maintenance Kingston Upon Thames evaluating a large hedge cutting and clearance job which then needs lawn turfing before the Latchmere school students’ return to work.