Retired landscape horticulturist, Terry O’Regan begins a series of articles reflecting on his adventures in the landscape sectorAs I commenced this article in early February, the ‘ghost ship’ MV Alta had just run aground on rocks west of Ballycotton in East Cork. Abandoned in the Atlantic southeast of Bermuda in October 2018, she had been drifting around the oceans over the intervening year-and-a-half. It struck a chord with me. My business partner and I launched the good ship ‘Birch Hill Landscapes (BHL)’ back in December 1975; she sadly ended her days in the ‘breaker’s yard’ last year. We resisted the temptation to abandon her back in 2012 when the combination of a number of clients’ unpaid debts and a cynical state raid on the employer-funded state redundancy scheme* combined to hole our ship below the waterline. Our accountant set out our options in bleak terms, “Sail your vessel into your bank manager’s office and abandon it there; leaving your staff, suppliers, clients, the banks and Revenue to go swim. Or you can plug the hole as best you can with your own resources and energy, ride out the storm and hope for better trade winds ahead.” He might have worded it slightly differently but the net effect is the same. Even though we were already past the recently much-debated retirement age (and in contrast to the unloved MV Alta), we honourably chose the latter option. Over the intervening years, we worked systematically on clearing all debts and bank facilities; stabilising if not quite entirely refitting the old vessel. However, the long and eventful BHL voyage over some 44 years finally ended last year with what felt like a prolonged near-death experience. The state’s decision to renege on its undertaking to support responsible employers in redundancy scenarios impacted on us yet again; we were unable to sell as a going concern. Instead, we had to go through a complex process of selling our property base first, cease trading in April 2019 and finally my business partner and I dismantled the ship that had served us well for many years – a part of us dying in the exercise. Images flashed before our eyes as we sorted machines, vehicles, machine parts, sundry items and materials. We sold a fair share and gave away a lot, mainly to a voluntary organisation and managed to keep the number of skips to a minimum. The administration files were if anything more problematic. There were old and new ‘ghosts’ accompanying us each day; past employees, clients, contracts, awards, trade shows and fellow landscapers from all corners of the island. The more disturbing ghosts included dangerous chemicals, changes in work practices, ill-thought-out legislation and the landscaping market itself. The newer ghosts included GDPR, Plant Health and Environmental legislation etc. As we cleared the shed and offices, there was inevitably those irritating wisdom in hindsight moments. It struck me there might be lessons worth sharing with those still sailing the tricky waters of the amenity landscape sea. WISE COUNSEL In future issues of Horticulture Connected, Terry shares more industry lessons. Here’s a brief preview of the topics he aims to cover: Holes and Holes – Landscaping inevitably is a ‘holey’ business. But there are times when you need to stop digging and times when you should dig faster! Phone a Friend – Small enterprises may not have the scale to have in-house friends – out-sourcing may be needed. ✽
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