Landscaping franchises

    /24-7PressRelease/ - DUBLIN, IRELAND, May 04, 2007 - Gardening is a favourite pastime for millions of people across the UK, with the English country garden a staple of the traditional image of the nation.

Television programmes such as Ground Force and Grand Designs have given homebuyers and homeowners the added inspiration needed to help them transform their outside spaces into enjoyable areas, with decking, water features and mountains of exotic plants all hugely popular over recent years.

But while pottering around in the sunshine attending weeds and planting bulbs is ideal escapism for many, for most it can be very hard to find the time to keep their garden tidy, let alone sculpt it into a beautiful haven for flora and fauna. But if ordinary home owners struggle to keep their lawns short and their trees trimmed, commercial organisations and land owners find it extremely difficult.

Commercial landscaping and landscape management covers a great deal more than simply cutting the grass, with professional landscapers planning and creating an area which provides an aesthetic and functional purpose. Everything from plant material selection to irrigation systems is expertly assessed and worked out, using computer-aided design to help create a professional design for an organisation's open spaces.

And the market is a busy one. Image is everything in today's corporate world, and having beautifully landscaped gardens outside an office is the equivalent of carefully manicured nails for a salesman. Many professional landscapers have been successful in a certain area of the country, with franchising proving a popular method of expanding the business.

Scenic Blue, one of the UK's only landscaping franchises, is an example of just how successful the method can be.

The company scooped four gongs at the 2005 BALI (British Association of Landscape Industries) Awards, after competing against several big names in the industry. Speaking to the Which Franchise website, Tony Mundella, franchise director, said: "These successes validate the power of franchising.

"The extensive business resources which are made available to our franchisees have not only enabled them to establish a thriving business in a relatively short space of time, they have also played a significant role in allowing entrepreneurial individuals to flourish and demonstrate a level of competency which would have been impossible to achieve as an independent trader."

And potential franchisees have a great deal of scope to play with when considering entering the market, although there are certain attributes and skills needed to succeed in the industry. As well as a solid financial base, potential franchisees need to be prepared to quite literally get their hands dirty, have a passion for gardening and have either the ability or knowledge to create and design commercial gardens, or employ someone who does.

Copyright Adfero Ltd 2007

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