Plant the seeds for your new career in gardening
HELP gardeners recover from this year’s long hot summer with a gardening franchise.
Stephen Long, who runs The Fourth Room Professional Garden Care franchise, says: ‘Your deciduous trees may be shedding leaves even though it’s not autumn.
‘They do this in drought conditions to minimise water loss, but they will recover naturally.
‘However, evergreens such as Rhododendrons, Camellias and Buxus are stressed by prolonged drought, and some, such as Hebes, are likely to die.
‘If your evergreens look brown or particularly ravaged, they are unlikely to recover — consider replacing them.’
If your lawn is looking brown and bald, give it a few weeks to recover naturally, then if necessary, scarify it, reseed bald patches, give it a top dressing, and then water.
‘Dry ground, warm soil and extreme heat have stopped grass seed germinating this summer, so wait until September to reseed, when the temperature drops and the soil is moist, otherwise you will just be feeding the birds,’ says Stephen, 53, a qualified horticulturalist who ran a garden centre until 2000 when he founded The Fourth Room, which he now operates as a franchise with fellow horticultural i st John Dow ling.
Now they are seeking more passionate gardeners to join them as franchisees, providing all kinds of garden services and advice to clients year-round.
‘You don’t need horticultural qualifications because training and business know-how is included in the £9,995 start-up investment,’ says Stephen.
Former corporate manager Jonathan Bell is now a TruGreen franchisee providing tailored lawn treatments to customers in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.
Jonathan, 55, says: ‘I chose TruGreen because I wanted access to quality technical advice and support about lawncare — and I have not been disappointed. I visited as many franchisors in lawncare as possible so I could understand the variations, strengths and weaknesses of each and to find the best fit for me.’
Trugreen’s £28,000 franchise package includes tools, supplies, equipment, products, stationery, bespoke software, vehicle branding and marketing materials. The Fourth Room: 0800 246 5848, Trugreen 0116 275 9005