Research and development is core to how we continue to improve and develop our product and service offering, and our latest update is below.
Over the growing season, our trials have all been monitored for which species are growing and flowering. Photographic evidence has been taken on a regular basis, and these images show the obvious difference that the weather has made to growth, by comparing last year’s photos to this years.
The images below were taken of the same plot in 2018 and 2019. It is clear to see the change in appearance in 2019, with much greener foliage and many more flowers.
Landscape 34 turf in trials area, comparing the growth in 2018 during drought to growth this year.
Many of the plots which had midseason maintenance cuts have had a second bloom of flowering species and had much lower growth and a range of species flowering. Those plots with no midseason maintenance had much taller and denser growth, with fewer species flowering. This shows that the maintenance can be adjusted to suit the desired effect in appearance. These trials will continue over the next few years to establish how the maintenance regimes affect long-term performance.
We are also looking at researching some new turf mixes, with trials of a new colourful non-native mix already underway. This will hopefully give options for areas of lasting colour, aimed more towards smaller areas. We are also in the planning stages of looking at the potential of sensory and low growing mixes.
Seed germination research is also still continuing. If successful, this will help us understand the best way to store and handle seeds before sowing, giving a greater success rate of flowering species in the turf.