Stuart Simpson began his career in 1985 as an assistant aardener on BBC Scotland’s popular Beechgrove Garden programme in Aberdeen. In 1988, he worked at the Glasgow Garden Festival with Findlay Clark, then stayed on with the landscape department after the event ended.
To broaden his experience, he spent three years in Southeast England as a Maintenance Manager with Waterers Landscape before returning to Scotland in 1992. He then worked as a contracts manager for Forgewood Landscaping and Lanrec Contracts before joining Ashlea Ltd in 2001.
Simpson will be speaking at HortWeek’s Education Programme in the Landscape Zone in the HortWeek seminar area at GroundsFest at 12 noon on 16 September.
This essential event is sponsored by Origin Amenity Solutions Ltd.
You are on the Future-ready landscapes: resilient planting, healthier soils and smarter inputs panel at GroundsFest this year – why should visitors come along to listen?
I have first-hand experience of the new challenges created by our changing climate, and I look forward to sharing these with attendees while hearing their ideas, perspectives, and solutions.
What is your current role and area of expertise?
As a director at Ashlea Ltd, I specialise in pricing and delivering soft landscaping projects across Scotland, including award-winning schemes such as Sighthill TRA in Glasgow and Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen.
What are some of the things your clients are doing to create more resilient landscapes?
We work with nurseries to select stock developed for greater climate resilience and improved establishment success. Topsoil can be challenging, and we recently worked with Origin on proposals to improve very sandy soils using zeolite, which helps retain water and nutrients and supports better grass and planting
establishment.
Considering climate change's impact on the landscape and amenity sector, what innovations are you seeing that will help mitigate seasonal changes?
Project timing is critical to successful soft landscaping. In Scotland, winters are becoming wetter and summers much drier, so we work with clients early to ensure site-won topsoil is properly protected and managed. We test the soil so the right improvements can be made to boost nutrients, improve drainage, and maintain structural integrity. When completion dates slip beyond the planting season, we support clients by arranging contract-grown, containerised nursery stock to provide greater programme flexibility.
What are you most looking forward to at GroundsFest?
Sharing ideas, exploring.
