What a brilliant day. The sun was shining down on Tunbridge Wells as the Olympic Torch passed right outside of the AHS Headquarters, proudly displaying our banners GO TEAM GB 2012.

AHS, at The Heart of Great Britain’s Landscape Supplies, can proudly boast supplying Bark Products to the Olympic Site, tribute to the quality and extensive range of landscape products that we can offer with next delivery on both bulk and loose products.

Literally thousands of people lined the High Street in Tunbridge Wells. The atmosphere was fantastic, warm and friendly. It was brilliant to see the crowds and so many capturing the Olympic Spirit – particularly some of the AHS Management with their spectacular rooftop view. The Olympic Torch passing literally a few feet from our HQ certainly made us proud to be a part of this once in a lifetime occasion.

All we can say is GO TEAM GB and everyone at AHS wishes them every success at the 2012 Olympic Games.

AHS Ltd – Olympic Torch Ceremony at Tunbridge Wells on YouTube

AHS at the cutting edge

Create the right impression with perfect lawn edges.

Perfect edges really do create the right impression and make an enormous visual difference.
As leading suppliers of the multi award winning Rite-Edge System, you can trust ahs to help you achieve that ‘just edged’ look.
Rite-Edge is increasingly being specified in landscape design as the perfect edge for lawns, borders, beds, and pathways. It looks fantastic and reduces the hard work keeping that pristine appearance. Creating interesting curves and shapes or perfectly straight edges is easy using the Rite-Edge System.

Designed to Last

Rite-Edge is designed by Landscape Architects and is manufactured from Aircraft Grade Aluminium Alloy 6063 to T6 Hardness. Such high specification means it is designed to last at least 27 years with no maintenance whatsoever!
Easy to install and supplied in long lengths, Rite-Edge is extremely light, very strong and safe. The profile features a smooth round top lawn edge that will not cut you or damage lawn mower blades, and a castellated body for maximum strength. It can easily take the weight of heavy lawn mowers and rollers, held securely in place with special barbed fixing stakes that are also made from Aircraft Grade Aluminium toughened to T6 hardness.

Specify the Rite-Edge System with ahs today

Permanent – no maintenance required
Easy to install

Saves hours of future edging work

Perfect edges for maximum visual effect

Create beautiful designs

In stock for immediate dispatch

Rite-Edge is competitively priced and held in stock ready for immediate dispatch.

Call us today and see why we are at the cutting edge!

RITE-L-EDGE

Aluminium Landscape Edging and Paver Restraint

In stock and ready for immediate delivery

RITE-L-EDGE is the perfect choice for your next landscape edging project.

Used with asphalt, paving slabs, block paving, concrete, resin bonded or loose gravel surfaces, RITE-L-EDGE is the ultimate choice in landscape edging.

Designed with both the landscape architect and installer in mind, RITE-L-EDGE is easy to install and designed to last a lifetime.  Cleaner more pleasing lines can be achieved, precisely why RITE-L-EDGE has rapidly become the first choice for specifiers and contractors throughout the UK.

RITE-L-EDGE is very strong, versatile, flexible, quick and easy to install and extremely cost effective.  It is manufactured from high quality Aluminium 6063 Alloy and available in a variety of depths to enhance any edging project.

RITE-L-EDGE Features

Durable extruded aluminium 6063 alloy

‘L’ shaped section for added strength

Strong and flexible with high retaining properties

Extra strong steel fixings

Easy to install quick and simple joining system

Maintains a perfect defined edge

Creates beautifully smooth curves

Will not rust and lasts a lifetime

Call AHS today for your quote

Our knowledgeable sales Team are here to help.  Place your order before 2pm and we’ll do our very best to deliver the very next day – no matter how much you order.

Order Hotline – 01797 252728

It is so important to Feed our feathered friends

The opportunity to be a participant in natures wonders vary from coast to coast and continent to continent, but our love of the wild bird is forever strong regardless of where you actually live. From the beautiful exotic ‘ humming bird ‘ feeders of the Caribbean to the cut ‘sugar canes’ of South Africa we all love to watch the magic that is our own personal feathered feeding frenzy. Relishing with delight the newest arrival to your feeding station and excitedly grabbing your A-Z when a visitor is not recognised, regardless of your location we all have the same need and that is our purchase of Wild bird seed. Food shortages can happen at any time of the year so the most important element to remember when buying your Wild bird seed is keep it permanent, do not let them down and assure that you buy quality seed. You can become a life line for breeding any bird which could mean the survival of the young for that year, unfortunately if the weather turns wet or particularly cold during that all important breeding season the insect population can plummet just as if the weather is excessively dry the gardeners friend the good old earthworm will also be obvious in his absence because of rock hard soil.

Feeding an Wild Bird with Seed also helps remove unwanted insects

All these points are just some of the most important reasons to remember that your feathered restaurant must have all year round opening hours; this is not just for you to enjoy their visits but to help our garden visitor’s survival when things are not so easy. Once a regular feed supply has been established with good quality Wild bird seed you will have payment in abundance from your new friends, from removing unwanted caterpillars from your precious vegetable garden, even helping to remove the population of snails that just doesn’t appear to diminish, as you sit on a beautiful, quiet, balmy evening sipping something cool the only sound to hear is a gentle, persistent ‘tap-tap’ as a Thrush enjoys his handy-work, a thank you that a gardener would very much appreciate, the abundance of beautiful song as word gets round that you have the five star restaurant that is so hard to find, fledglings learning to make their way in the big wide world, a damp and drizzly autumn day that suddenly holds a ray of sunshine as your regular guests call in for breakfast or lunch.

Different Wild Bird Seed for all kinds of seasons

The Wild bird seed must be applicable to the season as severe cold, damp weather and early morning frosts mean that high energy is needed which translated is your high fat foods where the spring and summer months a high protein is needed especially as they are moulting and breeding. A good quality Wild bird seed will contain all the requirements for your birds from flaked maize, sunflower seed and peanut granules, the black sunflower seed you see in some of the better quality Wild bird foods is because the oil content is higher in the black kernel than the striped and the maize and peanut granules provide a wide variety of nutrients when things are a little tough, your restaurant needs to be readily available at all times once you have started.

Fresh Bird Seed will encourage a variety of different Bird species into your Garden

With all this goodwill on your part it doesn’t mean that hygiene disappears, as a stale wild bird feeder can be a killer, the stale food provides a breeding ground for Salmonella Bacteria which can cause food poisoning and there is one particular type of Salmonella that can cause death in some of our species of birds like house sparrows and finches. All you need to do is make sure you don’t over feed, monitor your wild bird feeding stations and if you find that there is a lot of food left over, every two or three days empty the waste, wash and dry the feeder and refill. If a table is your feathered gourmets delight a hard brush in all the nooks and crannies soon brings it back to a gleaming gastronomic delight for any Finch, Thrush or Robin.

Enjoy our environment! Feeding Wild Birds is a joy

The wonderful hours spent enjoying the delights of feeding any wild bird is something that can-not be bottled, if it was, it would be worth a fortune. For the price of a quality bag of Wild bird seed you can enjoy hours watching the antics of your very own winged show, enjoy its orchestra of song notes and amaze at the strength and determination that the scruffy little fledglings have as they learn to cope with all the big wide world has to offer. A clean restaurant, a wonderful supply of clean water in your bird bath, your A-Z (just in case you have a rare visitor) and your Wild bird seed, a recipe for a birds gastronomic delight, a deliverance of affection and enjoyment that with such simplicity is available to all, from Town house to Manor house, grounds to gardens enjoy the world of wild birds.

Different kinds of Fencing for Pets and Livestock

The uninterrupted line of a beautiful hawthorn hedge or the gliding white rails on the gallops in Berkshire, fencing and boundaries offer more than just a full stop to the vastness that would otherwise rise before you. So much has been done to improve the quality of your fencing needs and the array that is available, from hardy plastics to extreme weather treated timber, the favourites that are aged and trusted for their collective security and ever loyal protection of poultry and livestock, the equestrian fencing thoughtfully and conscientiously ‘hurdled’ into a safe collection of available choices, including the amazing Centaur Cenflex, Centaur lightning and Hot Rail, the Hot Rail giving the illusion of beautiful white washed post and rail fencing safely surrounding your equine treasures.

The assumption that all fencing should be in its own particular sections, may in certain circumstances be true, but a wider vision can encourage an imagination only seen in the land of the Hobbit or a child’s bedtime story as you whisper tales of woodland nymphs and secret gardens.
Anything is possible with a mere hint of architectural imagination with beautiful natural screening, taking a leaf from some of our landscape designers even attempting the use of our selection of galvanised wire to shape and drape on a secure wooden base, covering with a light mulch and turf, a plastic pipe becomes a chimney pot and if you are handy with a saw, the door frame awaiting your Hobbit door becomes a reality for any child’s wish list, of course someone needs to offer to dig and secure your eco adventure! If its shade you need as the sun sends its rays to brighten your day then Brushwood, Reed, Willow even the tropical smile of Bamboo can grace any area, whether a privacy screen or an endeavour to whisk you to a dream location the assortment of these fencing gems are always available.

Agricultural fencing for our environment

Agricultural needs are the life blood of the nation with both plant and animal crops and even the hardiest fell sheep will occasionally come across a barrier or two, whether man made or natural. The needs of nature are mindful of environment and so are we, with Pheasant friendly netting also Lamb-safe, Deer, and badger netting. I might also add that when uninterrupted views are the order of the day Badger netting can be used as an escape proof divide for the most cunning of large canines, planting in the for-ground with your choice of horticultural delicacies and using a height that suits you, unless your beloved canine is called Steve McQueen ‘The Great Escape’ shouldn’t happen just delight in your achievements.

So many uses for so many fencing choices and a foray into an imagination of further delights that can be achieved, from the acres to be protected to its treasured occupants grazing on nurtured green gold, the quacking chatter of ducks as they safely partake in afternoon bathing unaware that the protective arms of ‘Sir Galvanised netting’ surround their lazy days, Chestnut fencing strong and mindful of its enduring capabilities marking boundaries from generations before and strongly marching forward to the future, panels and pegs, posts and pins, fencing is a stake that can be a personal or business choice evolving with your needs and requirements a selection of uses but all with the ultimate aim, to protect, secure, shield and enjoy.

Understand Gardening from a young age

From the youngest garden explorer to the wisest landscaper, the excitement of growing or designing a festival of colour or an expanse of horticultural excellence is both awe inspiring and breath taking. The animated face of concentration on a young child as they lovingly fill their little plastic pot with compost, excitedly forcing something as simple as a ‘sunflower’ seed deep within the overflowing soil, watching daily for the magic tell-tale signs of life reaching slowly from the pot.

These joys are simple and fun, a gift that can be shared with all the family, encouraging an understanding of nature and horticulture that can exceed that early seed with its promise of magical green treasure surely followed by a crown of petals fit for any vase or even better, your first carrot just like Peter Rabbit. Hampton Court Flower Show had just that exciting and inspiring adventure when 15 year old James Callicot became the youngest garden designer ever to exhibit at their wonderful show.

Hampton Court Flower Show really do seem to encourage youngsters

The Hampton Court Flower Show really do seem to encourage and attract the newest of the horticultural treasure chest of gardeners as last year they also boasted, rightly so, the arrival of Jack Dunckley being the ripe old age of 16 years at the time of the show. So excited was Jack that he is to return to Hampton Court this year and no doubt, these two wonderful young entrepreneurs of soil and air will evolve to great heights encouraging their peers with tales of exotic plants, soil mixes or incredible designs befitting a Kings Palace….now there’s something for the future ! The opportunities that are growing within the field of Horticulture and agriculture are vast and in many Colleges they are bringing in new and varied classes to cover the up surge of interest now starting to filter through the educational pool that ultimately will reward us with achievements and results for a promising future. These young hopefuls of Horticulture establish themselves as knowledgeable, Thesaurus-like, sponges of interest that cover sciences, maths and sculpture.

Encourage Children and Teenagers to get involved

As with James the benefits go beyond an understanding and interest in plants or garden design, James was one of thousands of young people suffering the frustration surrounding Dyslexia. The last thing on his mind was designing and appearing at Hampton Court Flower Show, the facts were so much less exciting. James was struggling at School and eventually a decision was made for him to receive Home tuition from his mother, thus allowing him to try and clamber that extremely high mountain of understanding that is the written word. Unfortunately no matter how hard James threw himself into the jumble of letters before him, that is exactly what he saw, a jumble of letters a total fusion of squiggles, lines and apparently jolly good reading if, you could do just that, read.

Then James was given Gardeners ‘ World magazine, was he interested in this subject, not particularly, but the curiosity surrounding some of the incredible designs and creations that poured from the pages slowly opened an up until then ,closed door of understanding, the ability to understand the string of letters and line after line of text that lay before James. His thirst for knowledge surrounding design and its Architectural wealth of possibilities has rewarded him for his hard work and tireless effort in overcoming his Dyslexia. The opportunity of encouraging children into the mixing bowl of Horticultural, arboriculture even agriculture is not just rewarding, fun packed but a stake in the project of life that opens its own paths, the world of soil, garden structure and landscaping really has become an oyster with the possibility of our children being its futures pearls.

The MD of AHS Ltd believes young people should be involved in Gardening

AHS Ltd is one of the top companies within the UK that supply Gardening and Landscaping tools and equipment to UK Business’s and soon to launch a new website that will sell and encourage the general public to get more involved in Gardening. Nick Guest (The Managing Director of AHS) is encouraged at the thought that more and more young people are getting involved in gardening and landscaping “The days of people in their 40′s plus getting involved in planting, landscaping and general gardening have gone, more and more young people are now involved, which is excellent for the future of agriculture and Horticulture”. If you want to know more about what AHS Ltd supply you can checkout the website here www.ahs-ltd.co.uk and www.ahsdirect.co.uk.

How to kill garden weeds

We all know how annoying weeds can be, especially when it comes to removing them from gardens, pathways and drives. Weeds can sprout up from anywhere, they look unsightly as well, just imagine you have a paved or gravel driveway, over a period of time weeds seem to be able to push their way to the surface through cracks and when they appear they seem to be everywhere. So what is the prevention? How do you kill the weeds without harming other plant life and flowers that maybe surrounded by weeds?

Home methods you can try to kill weeds

There are many ways to try and prevent weeds from popping up in your garden, some work quite well, but just remember that to kill the weed completely you need to get to the root of the problem, that is why weed killing chemicals work the best, but you can always try the following methods:

Pulling up the weeds by hand – You may be lucky and completely pull out the complete weed and root, but this is not guaranteed.
Boiling water – This will kill the weed within a few hours but not necessarily the root. This method is best for hard to reach weeds.
Vinegar – This will certainly kill the top part of the weed which is visible to the naked eye, but unfortunately not the root.

The best way to kill weeds, see below:

9 different ways to kill weeds from AHS

AHS Ltd, the specialist in garden supplies and landscaping have several chemical weed killers that will eradicate this problem without harming other plant life or damaging your driveway in the process. There are 9 different types of weed killing chemicals to choose on the ashdirect.co.uk website with 7 brands ranging from Roundup, Scotts and ProShield to name but a few. These weed killers come in different strengths depending on their use and depending on how profound your weed problem is, if you are unsure about what type of weed killer suits your needs, you can speak to a sales member at AHS Direct by telephoning the hotline on 01797 252728.

A list of weed killing chemicals from AHS Direct

Scotts Re-Act Weed Killer

Scotts Praxys Weed Killer

Jewel Weed and Moss Killer

Roundup Pro Biactive 450 Weed Killer

Roundup Pro Biactive 360 Weed Killer

Amenity Glyphosate 360 Weed Killer

ProShield Weed Killer

Timbrel ( forestry & woodland herbicide) Weed killer

Turf Mark

What are Tree Guards and Shelters?

There are many types of products relating to Tree Guards, but basically a Tree Guard is a device that protects trees from various weather conditions, animals and prevents general harm to Trees. Tree Guards are sometimes known as Tree Shelters, they can withstand heavy winds, especially if certain Trees are exposed to the elements. It is very important to protect Trees with a Tree Guard or Shelter, especially young or small Trees; it gives the Tree a chance to grow, protects against Herbivore attacks and nurtures the Tree in its early stage of growth.

The other good thing about Tree Guards and Shelters is the protection they give against chemical sprays. You maybe spraying weed killing chemicals in the garden or allotment, a Tree Shelter will help keep the chemical spray away from the root system of the Tree and allow the Tree to grow without any problems.

The Tree Shelter acts like a greenhouse would with plants and shrubs; it keeps moisture down to a minimum and keeps at bay weeds from spreading to the root system. Weeds can prevent young Trees from growing as they can block sunlight and soil moisture from getting to the Tree root, thus prevent growth.

What is the best Tree Guard or Shelter for my Garden?

That really depends on what type of exposure your Garden has to mother-nature, it also depends on what type of Tree and size of Tree you want to protect. To answer this question in the best way possible, you need to speak to an expert company regarding Tree Guards and Tree Shelters and that company is AHS LTD.

AHS LTD have years of experience when it comes to selling Tree Guards and Tree Shelters, the product range on their website is by far the best with 9 sections to choose from, see below

Shelterguard Plus for Trees

Shelterguard Plus for Trees (cut pieces)

Shelterguard Plus Rolls for Trees

Shelterguard Plus for Shrubs

Arbortech Strimmer Guard

Voleguards

Treeguard Plus for Trees

Treeguard Plus for Trees (cut pieces)

Treeguard Plus Rolls for Trees

For further information telephone AHS LTD on 01797 252728

What Damage do Birds cause to Plants and Crops

Our feathered friends visit us in a variety of guises, from beautiful maestro of song, a winged horticultural ally, eating a wide range of weed-seeds and pests and the darker side of the air-borne criminal causing considerable damage. In some cases their antics are just annoying but when these pint-sized villains decide to attack they have no ethics, from your hard and soft fruit, plants crops, to flowering buds of your nurtured ornamental berries and brassicas. The damaged buds of a magnolia open, their bloom only appreciated at the ‘moth-man ball’, disfigured flower heads, hard fruits peppered with random beak selection, even your low lying leafy vegetables are not immune to the feathered gastronome of the skies.

How to protect your Plants and Crops from Birds

Discreet is not a term used or even understood by these winged marauders, a clever plan and proven strategy is a tactic that is effective immediately and that is the use of anti bird netting.

What is Anti Bird Netting

Basically it is netting that protects your fruit, plants and crops from Birds. It is a kind of mesh that can be laid directly over your crops that prevents birds from attacking and damaging them. Not only has it been proven as the most effective deterrent, most of the birds that are associated with horticulture and agriculture have thrived on intensified growing over the years. The use of anti bird netting is a safe and inexpensive way to protect whether food or bloom, the results from its use are undeniable, it works.

Where do I buy Anti Bird Netting?

AHS Direct (ahsdirect.co.uk) are a major supplier when it comes to anti bird netting. If you are serious about protecting your plants and crops, then you need to contact AHS Direct on 01797 252728 and speak to member of staff or click this link “anti bird netting” to be directed to the AHS Direct website.

What Anti Bird Netting can I buy from AHS Direct?

Extruded Diamond Anti Bird Netting

Knitted Anti Bird Netting Tape

Safety is essential when children play in the park

We all know that children like to play on swings and slides and especially in parks and recreational areas, but are they safe to play on? The answer to this is to simply check that the surrounding area where the swings, slides and climbing frames are situated have something called playground bark situated underneath on the ground.

What is Playground Bark?

Playground Bark are small pieces of wood chip that are spread across the ground underneath the climbing frames etc… The wood chippings in the activity area act as a cushion if your child falls over or in the event that your child falls off a swing or slide, or simply just running around, your child is less likely to injure themselves if they fall over on the wood chip or playground bark. The playground bark or chips should be free of any chemicals, small enough not to be thrown around to cause any harm to children and at the same time gives parents confidence when it comes to children playing on their own in the park or activity area.

Are local authorities responsible for playground safety?

In private locations the safety issue is the responsibility of the private owner, but in public areas such as parks and other recreational play areas it is the local authority that is responsible for the safety of any children’s play area, saying that, common sense is always a good bet when it comes to leaving your children playing on their own, especially when it comes to playing in activity areas. If you do find any children’s activity area in a public park unsafe, you should report it to your local authority or council immediately so that they can rectify any issues that may have occurred.

Who supplies Playground Bark?

AHS Ltd are one of the top companies when it comes to supplying playground bark, wood chips and sand.

AHS Ltd supply the following Playground Bark, Sand & Woodchips

Hardwood Playground Chips
Maritime Pine Playground Bark
Play Fall
AHS Playground Sand
Softwood Playground Chips
Pine Playground Bark
Playground Pin Chips
Playground Bark
Playground Area Membrane
Trail Chips

To find out which type of bark or sand would be suitable for your needs, please click this link “Playground Bark”, you will be directed to an information page on the ASH Ltd website or simply telephone 01797 252728 and speak to a member of the sales team at AHS Ltd.

How to help ourselves when water reserves are running low

With the government’s latest announcement of a UK hosepipe ban for the southeast and east of England due to the lack of water reserves, what can we do to help ourselves and keep our gardens looking better than ever? Well, there are several things we can do, let’s start with the home environment, have a shower instead of a bath, this will dramatically reduce the amount of water we use, don’t let the tap in the bathroom continually run when you clean your teeth and boil the kettle less times during the day, instead store the boiled water in a flask ready to make cups of tea and coffee.

What can we do to keep the plants and trees watered?

There is a solution to this without having to use the hosepipe from the mains and receive a £1000 fine at the same time; you can buy a water butt or what we call Rainwater Harvesting. This basically works by installing a barrel like product within the grounds of your garden or underneath your drain pipe so that when it rains, the barrel fills with rain water, you can then use this water to water your garden, plants and tress by filling a watering can, there are lots of different designs for water butts, they come in different sizes and prices, so you will need to hunt around to source out the right water butt for you, but there is also another solution for Rainwater Harvesting from AHS Direct.

Premium Rainwater Harvesting with the Raintrap

AHS Direct specialise in landscaping and garden supplies and with the current hosepipe ban, AHS understand the frustration when it comes to not being able to water the garden, that is why AHS now have available the “Raintrap” a premium economical harvesting system for rainwater. The system is an underground storage tank that allows you to store rainwater and at the same time use your hosepipe and sprinkler systems.

How does the Raintrap Work?

The Raintrap has a built in pressure pump so you can use a hosepipe or sprinkler system with ease and avoid getting a very large fine at the same time due to the current hosepipe ban. Rain water is stored direct into the Raintrap which in turn allows you to continue to water your garden with ease, It also comes with a built in filter which removes leaves and other debris.

Specifications of the Raintrap

There are three models, three different sizes and each one holds a certain amount of water, see below:

Raintrap Models: RT2800 RT3800 RT4600
Capacity (in litres) 2800 3800 4600
Diameter (in mm) 1905 2070 2080
Height (in mm) 1565 1795 2035

For more information and pricing about this fantastic garden product please click this link “Raintrap” or contact AHS Direct on telephone 01797 252728.