About the Landscape Juice Network

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.

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  • I do spraying when my works thin on the ground, mainly the prep. Its the family business so I can fall in n out as easy as that!
    • What sort of spraying ???
      • This reply was deleted.
        • PRO
          Vile here too!!
          I've managed 4 hours in 3 days! Quite nice really until you remember that these jobs still need doing!
          This is the weather that fills January and February with work I've not got to yet!!
      • Back then it used to be architectural metal work etc. Upvc Windows too. Paint spraying basically
  • Totally agree. Very easy to talk yourself up from the other end of a PC.

    I think that there are indicators than you can look out for that give you a decent idea of someone's skills/abilities but equally there are some people who are just good bullsh***ers without the knowledge and experience to back up what they say. They're like so-called psychics - they have generalised "stock phrases" that make it sound like they know what they're talking about but have nothing solid to back it up.

    Pro Gard said:
    "The holly wreath idea sounds good and is within that persons area of expertise.

    Trying a different trade at the customers expense, ( in all meanings of the word ) is what will get a respectable trader a bad name."

    Expertise in any field is hard to judge over the keyboard!!!
  • I can turn my hand to just about any DIY type work at clients request, but i try to put it off till the slower times. I don't advertise as such just word off mouth via existing clients.
    Ive done a lot of tiling over the years and usually have a few jobs lined up in the winter, again all through recomendations.
    I also occasionally help my brother out with his floor sanding and restoration business.

    I thoroughly enjoy the gardening work but it is nice to have the occasional change of scenery so to speak ;-)
  • I'm a qualfied chimney sweep and that keeps me busy through the winter months - particularly Dec & Jan. This coming winter will be the first one where I've had to juggle the chimney sweeping with the garden work (I only turned pro with the gardening this spring) but I think the two businesses should dovetail quite well.

    I totally agree with Pro Gard, i feel it's important to be keep the businesses separate to retain credibility, and to invest in the equipment & training to enable each to hold its own professionally.

    I'm also a qualified traditional mole catcher, which I now do alongside the garden work and I would recomend this for anyone looking for an extra bit of year round income - can be very lucrative and it's good to keep some of these old traditions going. Doesn't take too much effort to get qualified and the investment in kit is not huge.
  • My lawn turf supplier does coal in the winter - seems a strange combination but works brilliantly!

    I sat on my ass last winter and got fat (and broke).

    This winter I will go on holiday for a month, and then I am going to do "Man with van"..........new magnetic signs for van, and new website and some google adwords should do it. I know a guy who does the same, he was unemployed a few months back, now has two warehouses selling second hand furniture and several van drivers - very successful.
  • amazing..... never imagined they did qualifications for chimneysweping lol ..... Thought you just pushed it up (the chimey!) and give it a shake.......
    Personally, I find its only Jan/Feb thats a bit quiet but I quite enjoy a bit of a rest....... Gives me a chance to catch up with all those outstanding jobs round the house that my wifes been moaning about for 10 months!

    Gary Atkins said:
    I'm a qualfied chimney sweep and that keeps me busy through the winter months - particularly Dec & Jan. This coming winter will be the first one where I've had to juggle the chimney sweeping with the garden work (I only turned pro with the gardening this spring) but I think the two businesses should dovetail quite well.

    I totally agree with Pro Gard, i feel it's important to be keep the businesses separate to retain credibility, and to invest in the equipment & training to enable each to hold its own professionally.

    I'm also a qualified traditional mole catcher, which I now do alongside the garden work and I would recomend this for anyone looking for an extra bit of year round income - can be very lucrative and it's good to keep some of these old traditions going. Doesn't take too much effort to get qualified and the investment in kit is not huge.
  • I am lucky enough to have three full days booked all year round with two clients - so with that and the dozen other smaller gardens I look after, there is more than enough to fill my winter days. One client gets me to help her in the house if the weather is bad - I am pretty good on a computer (used to be a secretary in a previous life) so I help her with all her paperwork, which makes a nice change! What takes her hours I can usually do in half an hour, so she is very happy with the arrangements. I also wouldn't balk at a bit of house work or ironing - doing someone else's is far more interesting than doing your own!
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