Our Featured Partner for spring 2019 is Phil Riley of P. Riley Groundcare.
Phil has been one of our Accredited Partners since May 2018 and is using his newfound wildflower knowledge and skills to great effect.
A Private Greenkeeper by trade, Phil took the leap to set up as self-employed in 2014. As well as retaining his green-keeping activities, Phil also now undertakes landscaping and ground care.
Phil also often works alongside fellow, like-minded landscapers Alan Crank and Liz Bailes, both of whom share Phil’s passion for wildflowers.
In fact, it was Alan who first introduced Phil to the many benefits of wildflowers, with Alan using our very own James Hewetson-Brown’s ‘How to make a Wildflower Meadow’ as his wildflower bible!
A recent project of note for Phil and Liz has been a private estate in Derbyshire. The elegant mansion stands in its own Victorian landscaped park and, when a significant area of the estate required a landscaping solution, the estate owner decided on a wildflower meadow.
Phil was quick to suggest Wildflower Turf Native Enriched as an appropriate and guaranteed solution that would ensure an aesthetically pleasing look and quick establishment while also being low-maintenance.
The area in question was a recently constructed ha-ha. The owner had banked up the slope using stone and hardcore underneath and capped it with soil making it perfect for a meadow.
Following weed management, and a harrow, the area was raked over ready for turfing. Phil and his team laid approximately 1,000m² of Wildflower Turf Native Enriched and the result has been transformational.
The images below show the project area before, during and after the landscaping project.
As Phil’s business continues to grow and gain momentum, he is looking forward to continuing to further his wildflower skillset and we’re thrilled to be able to support him through our Accredited Partner Programme.