Eds Garden Services News

Ed’s Garden Maintenance in Brighton & Hove has started trialing a unique new lawn feed and moss control product.

Manager Nick Fellows heard about this on Gardener’s Question Time and was excited by the fact that you do not need to rake out the ugly dead black moss that you are left with when using ordinary weed and feed products.

The product contains harmless bacteria that actually eat the dead moss! It is also Organic and contains a three-month slow release fertilizer – much longer than usual.

Lawn mowing can take place as normal while the product gradually does its work.

We will update as the trial progresses.

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.

Tim Keys from Eds Garden Maintenance clearing snow and gritting a front driveway

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.’

My story will probably be no different to many others you will hear given our current economic climate. Since leaving university I have worked in Finance and for the past 3 years in Recruitment. Just after the birth of my second child in March I was made redundant and faced the surprisingly harsh job market like many others at this time.

This has given me a fantastic opportunity to combine my love for the outdoors with the desire to run my own business with an Eds Garden Maintenance Franchise. The franchise has enabled me to get up and running from day one and in my first three months I have been exceeding my business plan targets. I am extremely excited to be able to bring Eds to Hampshire.

Since getting going I have been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement from my neighbour’s in Herne Farm, Petersfield – Thank You. My business’s success comes from providing a prompt, reliable and professional service which to date my customers have provided positive feedback.

Given where we live – surrounded by the South Downs, why not grab a small piece of that beauty within your own home environment. This is where Eds comes into its own. All year round there are numerous jobs that we can do for you in order for you to realize this without having to do the hard work yourselves, for example:

• Spring/Summer – Lawn and hedge cutting, garden clearance and tidy ups, patio and drive cleaning
• Autumn/Winter – Scarifying and aerating lawns, leaf collection and clearance, gutter and fascia cleaning, mulching, jet washing.

Ground force action. Check out what the garden looked like at the begining of the day before Tim got his men to work.