Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
Replies
I think mark has some good points,it drives me nuts when people undersell and work for peanuts,charge what your worth folks .
I have to admit I'm surprised by Mark's comments and it feels to me as though it's an attempt to promote and bolster the APL rather than make any effort to deal with quality control in landscaping and design.
There's been difficult trading conditions for some time now and it's a natural reaction to the market forces to reduce prices if there's little choice - I'm sure we've all been in that situation? It doesn't make us bad people or bad businesses.
As we've tried to promote on LJN for the last three years, sell yourself to the level of your skills and capabilities and charge a price that's in line with the market segment and if your selling yourself and your business honestly and accurately to your potential clients then there's little need for a client to buy from another trader based on price rather than quality.
Being a member of a trade association doesn't make a business better and it certainly won't make a business less worthy of working in the landscape industry if one's business is not a member.
I assume BALI and APL suffer these same problems.
The fabulous thing about LJN is instantaneous - problems bashed out in hours, days or months! It's a powerful tool... and can be used to set a standard!
We know Mark, and have previously sold to him, and chatted to him many times at Chelsea.
Perhaps it was a bad day, since he is a genuine person, and we would not want this thread to end up as a character assination of him.
It is perhaps "difficult" for the APL or BALI to accept that LJN is bigger, better, more responsive and Member lead, but given time...
"we would not want this thread to end up as a character assination of him."
I wouldn't either; I have a lot of respect for Mark: this is a purely professional view but as chairman, he has to take criticism; especially if he's going to dish it out.
T & S Plants said:
Gary, you are a top guy, but this appears very much out of character for the runner-up LJN Member of the year.
I have no problem with Bali, The SGD or APL and I suspect many others don't either. They may not be perfect but they exist to promote better practice within the industry of that I'm sure.
We have many Bali, SGD and APL customers, and respect them all. Could tell you some horror stories about 2 out of the 3 mentioned organisations, but not here.
Landsacpe Juice is the one who's the least regulated of them all, anyone can join with no scrutiny of their business or workmanship.
Indeed this year, an LJN Member, Gaynor Witchard won Best in Show at RHS Cardiff, supplied by an LJN Member, ourselves, in full public view through LJN, totally organised through LJN. Didn't notice any SGD, APL or Bali Members at this RHS Show? LJN Members judged by their workmanship, so winners then, judged by the RHS and the public? The other garden that we supplied at the Show won a Silver. So, the 32nd and 33rd RHS medal winning Show Garden that we have supplied plants to since 2004.
Let's once and for all state what Landscape Juice is about; 30-40 regular and active members and another 1900 odd who rarely log on and a good percentage of whom have probably not logged on for a year or more. Again, what's wrong with that ? - Nothing, but it hardly gives Phil the right to sit high and mighty and keep promoting Landscape Juice as the savior of the industry these last few years.
Phil has worked tirelessly over several years to raise the profile of Landscaping against the percieved establishment through LJN. We would be surprised if other Trade bodies, even counting the HTA had half the activity that LJN currently has.
After being in the Horticutural industry myself for more than 30 years, and Tina for more then 15 years, LJN is a breath of fresh air, against the tired establishment.
Phil is building his business, as we all are through LJN.
Whatever services you offer whether it be a landscaper, roadsweeper, plumber, archbishop of canterbury or chipshop proprietor, within a market economy the value of what you are selling is the price people are prepared to pay for it, supply and demand.
Differentiation from others in the same field may improve peoples perception of the quality of what you have to offer and make them willing to pay more, a chip shop cooking their chips in oil with a Michelin star may be able to command a better price than its' neighbour, however if no one knows the value of a Michelin star and like their chips cooked in dripping not oil they may well go to the neighbouring chippy instead.
If no one knows the value of the trade associations to which you belong then it will not influence their buying desiscion.
I watched a bit of the Watchdog programme last night, plumbers on £48 for 30mins work, nice work if you can get it, supply and demand, there is more plumbing work available than there are pumbers to do it so the price goes up.
With landscaping and garden design as I see it from the edges, remember this is not a specialist landscaper talking but an observer, if there is insufficient demand generally for these type of services the price will fall. If you want to command a higher price for what you do, then as I see it you need to do two things offer something different then set about creating the demand for the different, however you need to make sure that the people you are selling to don't prefer their chips cooked in dripping.
Morning Gary and thanks for your reply.
I wonder if Mark Gregory called round to all 237 APL members to ask their permission before airing his views in front of a small group of landscapers, calling for regulation, or asked their opinion on whether the APL should re-join (yes the APL broke away in the 1990s after they became dissatisfied and disillusioned with the way BALI was heading: oh the irony) BALI?
Surely you cannot defend Mark's right to express an opinion from his podium and position as chair of the APL but call for other opinions to be stifled - that's not democratic?
Gary @ Acer Paving & Landscaping said:
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