Its got to that time of year again where Eds Garden maintenance is asked to help clear up all those fallen leaves.
Leaf Clearing Service by Ed’s garden Maintenances gets started
Sarah Whaley bring us up to speed with her business
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.’
September in the garden
September in the garden
With the days becoming shorter and nights longer and cooler, this is the time to enjoy the last throes of flowering from late perennials, now is the perfect time to think about creating a border using plants that will look great during the autumn months and bring some much needed colour and interest to your garden well into the winter, something to help beat those winter blues.
Below are some plants that are just perfect to recreate the warm colours of Autumn in your own back garden, if you don’t have a large garden with beds all of these plants will be happy in pots or tubs, so are excellent for the patio gardener too.
Sedums are an obvious choice, as are asters. And both sedums and asters will survive an early frost while dahlias collapse into a messy heap. Reliable and brilliant colour, sedums are especially good for dry gardens. So are perfect for the low maintenance gardener. Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ is a tried and tested performer, massed with bees and butterflies and it will carry its flat heads long into winter. Plant this at the front of the border to make the most of the interesting foliage.
Asters take their name from the Latin word meaning “Star” and there are over 600 varieties to chose from, available in a rich range of colours these long lasting and colourful daisies really brighten up the border – they also make great cut flowers, pick them, put them in a vase and keep cool and they can last for well over a fortnight.
Rudbeckias or ‘Black-Eyed Susan’ will inject some vibrant colour into the bed and are perfect alongside Heleniums, creating a mass of orange and yellow, It should almost feel as though Summer is still here!
Also this month:
Deadhead perennials and annual plants to encourage them to continue flowering. If you are interested in wildlife in your garden leave some flowers to develop seed heads, rather than cutting them back, to provide food and shelter for wildlife. For instance some Roses can form hips which will be a good food source for birds.
Late September is the perfect time to turn your attention to your lawn. Renovate established lawns by scarifying to remove debris (known as thatch) and spike to allow air into the soil and allow surface water to drain away. It is also a good time to sow new seed and patch up areas that have been affected during the summer.
Before autumn truly sets in, roses still need to be sprayed against mildew and hedges neatly trimmed as well as getting spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips planted.
Have a lovely and productive September.
Eds Garden Maintenance at the Franchise Show
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.
August 2010 Eds is exhibiting at the Surrey Franchise Show
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. More vehicles please
Expanding business. Sarah Whaley takes on more employees and a second vehicle to cope with the demand.
Holidaying with Alan Tichmarsh
Clive fom Eds Garden Maintenance goes on a holiday cruise with Alan Titchmarsh.
Large Garden Clearance in Kingston upon Thames by Eds Garden Maintenance
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.
Eds Lawn Mowing services is continuing to expand
Ed’s Lawn Mowing services is continuing to expand with another four operators on board opening up SE London, North London, Eastbourne and extra operator to meet the demand in SW London and Middlesex. We now offer comprehensive Greater London coverage down to the South Coast and Bristol.
Congratulations to Guy and Sandy
Congratulations to Guy Lilford who runs Ed’s Berskshire and his wife Sandy. On the 11 February 2010 Sandy gave birth to a handsome baby boy, Sean.”This is our first child and we could not have asked for a bigger blessing. We are very proud parents and are eagerly looking forward to the memories we will share with him.”