Landscape and garden specialist, Landform Consultants has used a wide range of Makita tools on the creation of three new gardens at RHS Garden Wisley, which surround the new state-of-the-art RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science, the UK’s first dedicated horticultural scientific centre of excellence.
The new Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) facility, RHS Hilltop, is the UK’s first scientific centre of excellence dedicated to horticulture. The three gardens, which form an integral part of the new centre, have been developed by leading and award winning garden designers Matt Keightley and Ann-Marie Powell.
The ‘Wellbeing Garden’ designed by Matt Keightley was the first to be built. It consists of a series of garden rooms that showcase the role of gardens in health and wellbeing including how they can provide physical and psychological therapy as well as natural healthcare. This area also aims to inform young people about the importance of plants in health.
The Wildlife Garden, designed by Ann-Marie Powell, demonstrates the link between gardens and nature in the British Isles and highlights the importance of plant diversity in supporting wildlife, especially declining species. Also designed by Ann-Marie, the World Food Garden aims to provide a ‘plot to plate’ experience for visitors. Adding a contemporary and innovative angle to a traditional kitchen garden, it aims to inspire and educate with features such as an outdoor demonstration kitchen and ‘edible maze’.
Mark Gregory, Managing Director at Landform Consultants, who began his career at RHS Garden Wisley, explained: “This multi-million pound project spans all the disciplines we offer as a business and encompasses a wide range of different elements. The task of bringing these inspirational garden concepts to life required everything from preparing the nearly four acre site to creating paths, ponds, walkways and seating in addition to the extensive planting and landscaping.
“Having the right tools for the job was essential and the Makita range of both mains-powered and cordless machines provided exactly what we needed. On this highly demanding project we have used everything from drills, impact wrenches and impact drivers to breakers, angle grinders, masonry cutters, wood saws and multi-tools.”
By removing the need for cables, cordless tools offer improved safety by eliminating a potential trip and snagging hazard. Cordless power also provides greater flexibility and freedom for users – something that was important on this project. To minimise disruption to the team on site and help boost productivity, Landform Consultants utilised Makita’s PDC01 Pack Battery power units. The pack, which can be free-standing or backpack-mounted, contains four Makita 18V LXT batteries to provide two to four times longer runtimes for cordless tools. The batteries in the pack can also be changed quickly when the charge levels are low to further minimise lost time.
Mark Gregory added: “One of the big advantages of Makita cordless machines is the ability to use the same 18V batteries across a wide variety of tools and other cordless products. This includes the Twin 18V machines that offer 36v power for the tasks that need it.”
All Makita cordless power tools are driven by one of three battery platforms: the 12VMax CXT, 18V LXT or 40VMax XGT. The LXT batteries can be used on more than 270 different products, which includes lights and job-site radios as well as power tools and garden machinery.
“Having worked at RHS Garden Wisley at the start of my career I understand its horticultural and educational importance, especially with the creation of the new research and learning facilities.” Mark commented. “It has been a privilege to have worked on such a high profile and prestigious project as this. The Makita tools, as well as the support from the Makita team, have really contributed to our success on this project.”
Mark Earles, Business Development Manager for Outdoor Power Equipment at Makita said: “We have worked with Mark and the Landform team for many years now and we are always keen to help them find the right tools for any job. The RHS Garden Wisley project truly demonstrates the strength and versatility of cordless technology. I’m proud to say our tools played a part in creating these remarkable gardens.”
