"working on world renowned vineyards like Wolf Blass in Adelaide South Australia, has built a bedrock of knowledge"

I have to be completely honest with you, I hate gardening. In fact I break out in a cold sweat if anyone even mentions it. I couldn't think of anything worse than kneeling on the cold wet grass on a chilly day pulling weeds and getting my hands dirty. I have attempted to do this on many occasions as my farther is a keen Gardner and has always tried to get myself and my sibling to be as passionate as he. Much to his dismay he is yet to convert these fingers green. Now I'm sure there are plenty of you who can relate to this, but that's not to say I don't enjoy the garden. I love nothing better than to sit in beautiful gardens with freshly cut grass and an array of colours, shapes textures and smells. Even on crisp winters days I will sit in my garden at every given chance. Now if you, like I, consider your garden to be an extension of your house, yet can't just pull a duster and Hoover onto it like all the other rooms, what do you do? Well luckily there is an option.

Gareth Horlock from Horlock Horticulture loves foraging about in gardens, in fact it’s his passion. Even as a boy he was helping his grandfather in his vegetable patch, planting carrots and picking beans. Gareth’s Grandfather himself owned a farm in Cambridgeshire, before taking the ten pound pomme ticket over to Australia with Gareth’s mum and aunts. It’s safe to say it’s in his blood. 

Over the years his enthusiasm for gardening and the great outdoors hasn’t waned. Doing his relatives gardens and working on world renowned vineyards like Wolf Blass in Adelaide South Australia, has built a bedrock of knowledge on which he draws on to this day to offer a unique, well rounded service. Although his lifestyle down under was more than comfortable, it was a trip to the UK that changed his direction completely. In 2005, Gareth ventured on to Liverpool ground, whilst on a 3 month European trip, and hasn’t looked back since. His love for Liverpool is clear, and If he wasn’t gardening, he would be working somewhere in the city centre, telling the thousands of tourists all about the city from his immense knowledge of Liverpool. His ties with Liverpool go even further than 2005 and along with being a massive Beatles fan, supporting LFC and loving its architecture, his grandfather was actually based in Bootle during World War 2. “My Grandfather would tell me great stories about the Scouse humour when I was young, and how out of all the ports he had visited, the ladies in Liverpool where by far the prettiest. It was a dead cert I was going to visit after those tales!”  Jack still talks about Liverpool with such fond memories of his time there, and even now at aged 89, still remembers the fantastic camaraderie that existed at such an uncertain time”.  

Gareth finally made the move in July 2006, and settled in Allerton, south Liverpool. There he began to learn more about the Flora and fauna of our city and surrounding areas. “Most of my friends thought I was barmy, I would be outside whenever possible, come rain, sleet, or snow. It was such a refreshing change from the intense heat I was used to”. Gareth soon got into the swing of things and in no time at all had a portfolio of residential customers. What Gareth offers today is a complete gardening service. From full landscaping, to a few weeds being removed from your front border. Residential as well as commercial properties and block management buildings. “You don’t want someone just rocking up, mowing the lawn and getting off. What about the borders, hard surfaces, shrubs, tree overhang, tree pollarding, cornicing, crown lifting and crown reduction, the flower beds, pots, vegetable plots, leaf clearance and litter picked…..” I was at this point feeling exhausted just thinking about all that is needed to keep your garden looking great. 

Finding a good Gardner like Gareth, who is not only reasonable with his prices, but very hard working, isn’t always an easy task. Once you have spoken to him, it becomes clear just how passionate he really is about his job. Gareth feels it is of the utmost importance to build a trusting relationship between him and his customers.

Gareth offers a wealth of plant knowledge. What works for your garden in relation to size, available sunlight, budget, colour, scent, form, function and eco friendly flora which encourages wildlife to your backyard. Varied to your taste, and all positioned in your garden to offer maximum impact and enjoyment. Some of the Services available are: planting, turf, hedge cutting, pruning, grass cutting weeding, tree trimming, stump removal, shrub beds and rockeries, grounds clearances, full landscaping, fencing and decking, patios and paving, pebble gardens, water features, wild flowers, perennials and evergreens.

After a decade of “ground force” lovers, who decided to rip out there gardens and either flag, or deck them with the odd potted plant scattered about, where has this left us? To a degree, this was a sad time for gardens and not to mention the local wildlife. These cheap “low maintenance” effective gardens left our outside space baron and clinical, crying out for some turf or perennials. Impervious surfaces are becoming an ever increasing problem globally. What once was a natural drainage system through our lawns, now has decking and flags scattered across. According to an American scientist, runoff from an acre of pavement is about 10–20 times greater than the runoff from an acre of grass. This can often be associated with devastating floods, which in turn host their own environmental hazards. Gareth is keen to get back to basics with our gardens and educate people just how low maintenance outdoor space can be. Advocating wild flower area’s in your garden to help wildlife is crucial. Only recently it has come to light that our bee’s insects and other native fauna are struggling with our ever changing landscape. This is sadly having a detrimental effect, not only with the birds and the bees, but also with our own future. 

Hanging baskets, pots and window boxes are just as effective as your bigger gardens, so don’t worry about space. With the right choice for you and your lifestyle, anyone can have a thriving cultivated area on their door step, no matter how big or small. 

I have to say that after talking to Gareth, I have been inspired to do something myself. Your outdoor space shouldn’t be neglected as an area for the bins and a rusty bike. It should be embraced as an extra room to encourage nature or your kids to get off their PS3. Have a go and if you dare get your hands dirty, if you’re worried call Gareth and he’ll be able to help.

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