26 Nov Holland Landscapes are Shortlisted for Two APL Awards
One of the most gratifying things for any business in any industry is to have your work endorsed by your peers. This year Holland Landscapes have had two of our recent projects shortlisted for prestigious APL Awards and we’re feeling pretty good about it.
What are The APL Awards?
The APL or Association of Professional Landscapers is a trade body set up to protect consumers from rogue traders and to encourage high standards of workmanship.
Each year, the APL members holds a competition to showcase its members’ best work. A board of judges, consisting of experienced landscapers and garden designers, visits each of the entries to assess it based on a number of criteria. “Before and after” pictures are of course a vital part of each entry as is the standard of workmanship, ability to work within budget and overall client satisfaction.
We won’t discover who the winners are until the glittering awards ceremony held in March. The APL Awards are fabulous – it’s very rare to see a landscaper wearing clean shoes and yet here is a whole room full of people with spotless fingernails all fiddling with their shirt collars because they don’t normally wear a suit.
Paul (left) and Chris Baker from Holland Landscapes receiving an APL award in 2011
Our Shortlisted Gardens
The two APL awards categories we have been shortlisted for are;
- The large rural garden project near Ongar has been shortlisted in the £60,000 – £100,000 category
- Mmall back garden in the Roman Road area of Colchester is in the £20,000 to £30,000 category
Large rural garden near Ongar
This garden was designed by Tapestry Design Studios and took several weeks to build. Garden Designer Katie Moyes worked wonders with this garden.
A very pretty cottage sat in the middle of a beautifully maintained but featureless space. The building was being hugged closely by the undulating garden. So much so that views from the windows were obscured and the inside the house was quite dark.
Before we began. The garden really didn’t show this property off as well as it should.
Our makeover involved extensive groundworks. We restructured the whole garden to let more light into the house and open up magnificent views over the surrounding countryside. A sweeping drive and formal lawns welcome visitors and lead them to the front door.
The formal front lawn and partially completed driveway area
To the rear of the garden is a wide patio with a relaxing outdoor eating area. A gently sloping wildflower bank enfolds the area. The bank links the patio to the landscape and creates a lovely sheltered spot that can be used all year round.
Small Back Garden in Roman Road
For this garden, we worked with Colchester Garden Designer Karen Chamberlain. The team at Holland Landscapes thoroughly enjoyed adapting their skillsets to complete this garden.
Before we began, the clients felt that this narrow garden needed help to reach its full potential
This Cor-Ten weathered steel screen will never need painting or weatherproofing
An amazing feature like this Roman wall is like a gift to the garden designer.
Holland Landscapes’ team worked strategically so that we didn’t damage or undermine the historic structure.
Favourite features in this garden have to be the Cor-Ten wall whose gently rolling shape alternately replicates and reveals sections of Roman wall. Not forgetting the secret seating area in front of the shed. It’s the perfect place to while away a couple of hours with a book.
Who will win APL Awards in 2019?
There is more information about the APL awards here. Chris, Paul and the team are already polishing their shoes and ironing their shirts in preparation for the APL awards ceremony. To have not one, but two projects shortlisted from the hundreds of entries a real honour and testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to detail.
Case study from our garden in Ongar
Would you like an award winning garden? Contact us to discuss your project
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