Life Green Group provides complete green solutions to clients across Southern Africa. The company focuses on quality while minimising cost but, importantly, brings years of experience and an emphasis on real gardening. Founding Director Oscar Lockwood tells us more…

For many people, a beautiful garden is not just a work of art but also a work of heart. Because of this, the garden is becoming an increasingly important part of any building’s blueprint. Think about it; the corporate headquarters of today’s big-name businesses all have areas designated as garden, small companies have outdoor spaces designed to be welcoming, our homes have gardens for relaxation and our recreational spaces all need to be designed by skilled landscapers to maximise space and beautification – take the modern golf course for example. In the office environment, plants and greens can be hugely beneficial and, in some cases, actually improve productivity.

American Founding Father, Thomas Jefferson said: “No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden,” and world-renowned French artist, Claude Monet said:“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.”

So people have an unwavering love for gardens and natural places and this remains true in the business space. In South Africa, especially in areas like Sandton and Century City, installing greenery in and around the many high-rises and office blocks is big business and no one knows this better than the Life Green Group, the Johannesburg-based, award-winning gardening consultants.

Founded by Oscar Lockwood, Ida-Marie Stydom and Deighton Clegg, Life Green Group has been a growing concern over the years but today is one of the most respected companies in the country’s gardening and horticultural industry.

“Our order book is full. We will never turn away work; we just work harder. 2016 is comfortable in terms of new work. In terms of maintenance work, we continue to grow by retendering for work on the big contracts. We’re continuously adding to our maintenance book so that will happen regardless of the economy as people are still active and still need to invest in their gardens – they may cut back on certain things but they are still investing in their gardens and understanding the value which is fantastic.”

The company is made up of three divisions: Life Indoors, Life Landscapes and Life Sports Turf. Life Indoors takes care of ‘plantscaping’ which involves indoor potplants – vital for naturally filtering and oxygenising the air in offices. Life Sports Turf installs and maintains sports fields from polo pitches to bowling greens to cricket fields and astro-turfs. This work is popular with schools and Life Sports Turf currently has a number of contracts with SA schools and this work is increasing.

Lockwood, Stydom and Clegg started their first company in the 80’s in Gauteng and this coincided with the development of Sandton. Their work here caused their reputation to blossom and today Life Green Group is regarded as the ‘go to’ business for office greenery remodelling and garden optimisation.

“Currently, we’re working on the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital – that’s a big job. We’re working in Menlyn Maine. We’re doing the Curro Schools in Waterfall and Cape Town. We’re starting a valuable job in Botswana. We are doing some interesting jobs in Rosebank and Edenvale. We’re revamping the Stoneridge Shopping Centre in a very interesting way. We’re doing a green wall at the Rosebank Corner,” explains Lockwood.

“We do a lot of work in the Waterfall area of Midrand where we continue to maintain a number of jobs. We done Group 5’s head office, we done the hospital, we done two shopping centres, so we have a lot of work in that area and we will continue to get more work as the area develops.

“We are busy working on the Sitari Country Estate in Cape Town and we’ll be there for the next four years. It’s a phased development; we’ll do the main boulevards and the side roads and the irrigation infrastructure and all the pipes – it’s a programme which means we will not be standing still for the next four years,” he adds.

INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

One of the problems facing the industry right now is the growing number of entrants to the market from multiple service-type organisations. This is causing increased levels of competition but also, driving down the level of quality.

“I hate to say that we’re called the ‘old boys of the industry’ but we are the real landscapers,” says Lockwood. “One of the biggest problems in the industry right now is that the landscaping industry is being corporatized. There are big multinationals that offer multiple services and with that you can become a number in a big cog. In our company, we are all real landscapers – that’s fundamental to get employed by us.

“A lot of companies are now saying that they don’t want multiple services, they actually want to improve the landscape. If you have a multiple services option, your garden will be treated like a floor, or a security guard, or a kitchen or bathroom or cleaner. Gardens require a massive amount of input and knowledgeable people and we have to ensure we add value.

“We’re very focussed on what we do and we don’t want to be a multi service company. We want to be the best landscapers – that’s simple,” he explains.

Fortunately, companies that choose to invest in a specialist for their gardening service are seeing benefits. A well-designed and well-maintained garden can help to quickly reduce vacancies and also promote retailers and businesses to customers in a positive way.

“When you have a building that has been emptied after someone moves on, lots of revamps happen and one of the first things that they talk about is getting the garden done in order to attract a new tenant. Gardens are done to make sure that buildings are relevant, modern and so that they reflect the market place,” says Lockwood.

WHAT’S IN YOUR GARDEN?

So what is it that makes a good garden? How do you design a garden that can complement your business? Firstly, you must ensure your garden is suited to the local environment. Secondly, you must ensure it’s visibly attractive and lastly, you must have green products.

Lockwood is an advocate of an indigenous plants and says that they have proven their worth during recent dry months.

“There are many things that are essential to a building and one of them is a garden. We live in a hot country so you need trees to cool things down and you need to make sure the building is ergonomically correct in its setting. Trees can help this and create that feel-good factor that’s important for people who drive past, visitors and employees.

“Trees certainly do absorb CO2, this is a fact. As we develop our cities – certainly Johannesburg and Pretoria – these green areas also create urban refuges for wildlife.

“Indigenous planting is becoming more important as this country is short of water and indigenous plants are known for their ability to survive and look good with less water. Where we have gardens with indigenous planting, they have been shining this year, especially during the recent droughts,” he says.

Life Green Group’s knowledge of indigenous plants, and gardening more widely, is helping the company to remain at the forefront of the business in South Africa and further afield. “We’ve done work in all of our neighbouring countries over the years,” boasts Lockwood, “we will do it when we’re asked; we’re not going crazy trying to find work and open branches in these places but we are certainly happy to offer our expertise to a job.”

And alongside knowledge, skill and a large existing customer base, Life Green has an attitude and drive that most companies can only dream of.

“There must be a reason why the architects, developers and project managers are using us. We’re reliable and we’ll go to the ends of the earth to finish a job off on time and on budget. Sometimes, work is not even going out to tender, we are getting it straight away. This is because we are considered to be not the biggest but the leaders,” explains Lockwood.

And it would take some serious hard work to knock these landscapers off their perch. Sitting atop the industry, after years of toil, is exactly where Lockwood and the rest of Life Green Group deserve to be and as the country and continent continue to announce larger projects, the company is perfectly positioned to take advantage of any opportunity that may arise. The seeds have been sown, the blossom has fallen and the proactive, hands on approach to gardening is bearing much fruit.

By remaining focused and offering quality, this is a company that will grow from strength to strength and set an example to the rest of the industry.

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