News Extra
Good month for... APL –
another success with Low Cost, High Impact Gardens at RHS Hampton Court.
Martyn Mogford of Gavin Jones Ltd – who hosted HM The Queen at the Coronation Festival.
Gardeners –
are happier and healthier – according to a survey by Gardeners World.
Bad month for... Gardens – in desperate need of water!
Marshalls – sales to commercial sector down 6% on last year’s fi gures.
Larch trees –
Phytophthora ramorum disease spread in Scotland.
NEWS IN BRIEF
Garden to Feature in Book Andy Sturgeon’s garden in Brighton is to be featured in Barbara Baker’s book, Contemporary Designers’ Own Gardens, available from September.
Trade show stand success Alitex was awarded Best Trade Stand in Show at RHS Hampton Court Flower Show. 22-year-old Alice Wrightson created the impressive display after entering a competition through Sparsholt College.
10 August 2013 eFIG’s Offi ce Plant of the Year
eFIG has recently announced 2013’s Offi ce Plant of the Year. The accolade went to the Spathiphyllum (or Peace Lily). This annual event started in 2010, so this year’s winner is only the fourth plant to be awarded the honour. The idea behind the award is to get people thinking about which plant works best in the workplace. The criteria changes a little from year to year so that the plants have to fulfi l certain conditions to win. The award raises the awareness of plants in the workplace and why having them there is a good thing. Most of the general public – including the workforce and its managers – don’t know about ‘interior landscapers’. It’s a little known concept. Even in the workplace, often there is no evidence apart from the
immaculate potted plants. This is because many big businesses insist
on installation and maintenance being carried out before the workforce arrives for the day. The Offi ce Plant of the Year
award was introduced to make everyone more aware of this service and not least, why they should have plants in the workplace. The process starts by members nominating plants, which can then be voted for on the eFIG website www.efi
g.eu.com. After a couple of months of voting, the three shortlisted plants are then scrutinised by an independent panel of judges and the winner is promoted by the association throughout the year. This year the judges made the
fi nal decision and chose the Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) as eFIG’s Offi ce
Plant of the Year. “The Peace Lily fi ts all the
criteria,” commented Lisa and Jim Wilkinson of Pro Landscaper magazine and two of the judging panel. “Not only is it a beautiful looking plant giving a sense of calm, but it also cleans the air. And it requires little maintenance.” It sounds like a landscaper’s dream. Garden designer Claudia de Yong was unable to attend the judging but explained that the Peace Lily got her vote because it had
‘great fl ow’. These opinions
were seconded by eFIG’s chairman, Ian Drummond, who hosted the judging at Indoor Garden Design and was on hand for advice. “The Peace Lily looks fresh and crisp and always adds these qualities to any display,” he added “and of course it is well-known as one of the best air-cleaners.” The two runners-up were the
Crassula (also known as the Jade Plant or money tree) which took second place and the Guzmania ‘Torch’ coming in third.
The judging panel included Lisa
and Jim Wilkinson, as well as Matthew Appleby of Horticulture Week and Jez Abbot, freelance journalist, and Claudia de Yong of Claudia de Yong Garden Design.
eFIG Tel: 01794 521 744 Web: www.efi
g.eu.com Email: info@efi
g.org.uk
www.prolandscapermagazine.com
Reasons to have plants in the workplace: ●We have an innate need to ‘connect’ with nature
● Plants clean the air of toxic chemicals emitted by man-made materials and us
● They help to keep us calm ● Plants help to reduce sick leave up to 60 per cent – by de-stressing us, reducing headaches and various other minor ailments
● Plants improve our concentration and our productivity by anything from 12 – 32 per cent
●We are more creative with plants around (+15 per cent)
● Plants can be used as barriers and to absorb noise
● They help to raise humidity levels so that we are more comfortable in heated or air conditioned workplaces ● They look good too
See www.efi
g.eu.com/images/ stories/pdfs/plantsperfect.pdf for more information on the research behind these claims.
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