Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
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Replies
I think Alan Titchmarsh has proven he still has the pulse of horticulture, the economics of the 21st century and more importantly land industry as a whole. Matthew Appleby's resulting commentary proves he is far behind, his comment ''I'd argue that it's partly the media's fault that gardening is not political. Media gardening aims at hobbyists rather than campaigners'' is a statement which reflects opinions on here and elsewhere going way back.
It is great to see this argument entering the mainstream, it is exceptionally good for the industry and we who work in it. There has been a significant shift in macro economic thinking of late - the UK government and other European countries have been chasing up right of centre politics and using countries such as Canada for case study 'red tory' ideals - localism & the 'Big Society' being clear examples. The problem with following such thinking as many of the city thinktank goons failed to realise is that such countries still have massive non renewable resources available. Furthermore faced with a wall of entrenched associations; from civil servants in government, (both local & central), quangos, NGO's some accreditation groups and most useless of all - PR, such ideals are thwarted and deliberately and systematically destroyed because they threaten the existence of these same groups. Douglas Adams in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy wrote of the 3 spaceships needed to be built when a planet was facing destruction: One was to be filled with the thinkers; academics, artists and engineers, the 2nd with the doers; the skilled builders, carpenters, farmers (and of course would include gardeners) and the 3rd to be filled with those in the middle; bankers, estate agents and PR people. The 3rd spaceship was built first, filled up and sent away! We are seeing a dynamic shift as people start to realise the only way forward is a return to true sustainability and thus working with soil, water and the landscape in general to grow things - because it is the only resource we have left, particularly in the UK where the industrial revolution kicked off (Thus it will have to be the UK where these new economics start).
The slow filtering of 'permacultural' systems, once the domain of the hippies, has been entering mainstream consistently over the last 20 years and with the web, sustainable landscaping & gardening has been a hot topic, with many more blogs, social groups and websites devoted to the subject matter than political or economic sites. Schumacher, Lovelock and others ideals are enjoying a rennaisance and a place in modern economic thinking along side John Evelyn, Ebenezeer Howard et al.,
Forestry is what we require to form a base platform for sustainable development, upwards every type of gardening or landscaping procedure from the traditional to the innovative are then required also. Whilst the fluffy TV shows such as countryfile try to pick out some of the political issues, they fail massively in actually understanding the core problems and the shift in dynamics - pandering to government or NGO PR who seek to control or halt this unstoppable process to further line the pockets of those they believe to be most important at this moment in time - the financial and manufacturing sectors who now need constant supervision, legal changes and grants to survive.
As the financial crisis continues the population will seek self protectionism and in doing so will look towards their own community more and more. Thus the man or woman who can grow things or use land to it's optimal potential become increasingly important.
So much agree with you pip,
not to forget UK gardening got reputation all around the world.
And can not be imported, like products. It has so much impact on everyone in the UK or tourist coming.
Great point Ofer, the tourist industry is just one of many reliant on landscapes of worth - I had a jolly good whinge about it on the SOW site in early january here: http://saveourwoods.co.uk/articles/opinion/the-arrogance-that-is-bi...
Really ,
I need to pay £1200 to get the full rights to vote.
no rush
save your money and buy a new hat for the next hat-off on ljn
politics has just been one masive mine field i dont have the time to try and work out
Ofer El-hashahar said:
Yes Gardening much more important ....mind there are a few politics in the gardening industry !
Hi Laara
Any examples?
Politics isn't just a closed system that we can sit back and mock and scorn...it is part of everything in every industry. Every decision we make can be linked in some way to a political way of thinking. The basic question, which is more important, is not valid.
And if you actually consider the writer's comments, he is more true and realistic than Titchmarsh will ever be. He finishes off with a very positive comment regarding our trades, and I don't think he has written the article in a biased way. His comparison between horticulture and agriculture is spot on - agriculture is viewed in a much more politically-driven way because of the money involved, subsidies and scale of it all.
Polictics may well 'interfere' beyond our own boundaries, but I refute Appleby's suggestion that the APPGHG is of any worth at all - the industry has problems and whilst an annual ''pass the port 'wyevale' my good man'' may well satisfy Defra that there is no crisis in horticulture and the wider landscaping industry, this is just bo###cks if you actually examine the industry, one which matthew appleby and many others would not recognise.
I accept that 'landscaping' as an industry has been polite, self regulated, self reliant, for a long time to its immense credit - but it is only the gentlemanly aspect in this that aids it for the future. It is an industry which simply allows rogue traders to stampede over its territory, with little more than a stiff upper lip 'bad show' commentary as seen on here. There is an absolute need for better representation and the fact that the industry does not, wants not, will not need 'grants' is to it's credit - but the politics at play and those who 'speak' for us are miles away, adrift in a dream that they may appear on TV or get free tickets to Chelsea, all on the back of the practitioners - the LJN'ers who work so hard. But this hard work is stolen, creates an image which helps maintain an image for others without a murmur of disapproval from those on the ground.
Do not be fooled that anyone speaks for you, it simply is not true!
Dan Frazer Gardening said:
Titchmarsh said "It has a consistent point of view. And that is that a piece of ground should be cherished."
But has gardening really changed in the way politics has changed....? Arguably, politics has become so PC now that it risks ruining itself due to freedom of speech. If something needs to be said, why should you be afraid of being arrested due to the Public Order Act (Section 5).
Has gardening changed in the way we care for plants? Perhaps we realise the effect of unsustainable gardening on our environment but I hope gardening never gets ruined like the political mess our society is in right now.