Date – 1 May 2024
Time – 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
‘The Changing Face of Professional Landscaping – Fifty Years of Reflection’
Wednesday 1st May 7.00pm, online via Zoom
Starting out in 1968, Alan spent the first few years learning his trade from gardeners with a lifetime of experience, enjoying working with hard landscaping materials, mainly reclaimed and recycled natural products, decades before it became a popular choice with designers paying due regard to environmental issues.
In 1984, he became a Founder member of The Institute of Horticulture, at the same time as embarking on a series of RHS Flower Show gardens, constructing over sixty between 1984 and 2005, thirty-seven as designer.
He became an RHS Show Gardens Judge and Assessor, sitting on the Chelsea Show Gardens Panel for a decade and more.
After seventeen years as an active member of The British Association of Landscape Industries, he left in 1995 to found The Association of Professional Landscapers (APL) which has grown to become the largest association of domestic landscapers in the UK.
In 2011, he was elevated to become a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Horticulture.
In 2012, he began writing books on ‘management’ issues for Head Gardeners, Garden Designers, Professional Gardeners, Landscapers and Garden Consultants, as well as producing a long running column for The Horticulture Week.
In 2016 he founded The Professional Garden Consultant’s Association (PGCA), bringing together dozens of horticultural consultants with various skills across the industry.
Always keen on raising standards in the landscaping world, he has presented many seminars and training workshops running nationwide roadshows for those keen to learn more about landscaping and designing trades, culminating in a series of such programmes during Spring 2024.
In 2020, he launched a new on-line training resource The Landscape Library, which contains hundreds of books, publications, essays and articles written by award winning authors.
On May 1st 2024, he celebrates fifty-six years in horticulture, and has no plans for retirement.
Please note separate registration is required for the AGM and James Bruce Memorial Lecture.