SoilsCon 2025

SoilsCon 2025 – 6th landscape industry soils CPD conference for landscape architects, landscape contractors, ecologists, housing developers, garden designers, local authorities, soil suppliers and other industry professionals.

As delegates left the last conference they were already looking forward to the next event:

“Excellent day; very informative presentations, and accessible to a range of attendees and backgrounds”

“Another fantastic day of presentations, good range of talks, variety and good length. Excellent facilities and refreshments”

“I found the day to be very informative – fantastic eclectic group of talks and topics”

“I really enjoyed the day, the venue, the presentation lengths, the information pack, and have learnt more than I imagined”

“Excellent conference, brilliant variety of talks”

“Wasn’t sure what to expect but very informative and thoroughly fascinating!”

“The conference met all my expectations. Very helpful and well organised. Thank you”

This year’s event promises a day of invaluable professional development, discussion and networking. A great line-up of leading industry experts will cover a range of topical subjects and use live case studies to evidence the importance of soil health, building biodiversity, and embracing the circular economy to achieve project success.

Speakers confirmed so far include:

· Tim O'Hare, Principal Consultant, Tim O’Hare Associates

· Max Aughton, Landscape Architect, Studio Egret West

· Bunny Guinness, Landscape Architect, Bunny Guinness Landscape Design

· Martin Knight, Landscape Architect, Studio Knight Stokoe

· Tim White, Senior Associate, Tim O’Hare Associates

· Simon Parfey, Founding Director, SoilBioLab

· John Coles, Managing Director, Bury Hill Landscape Supplies

Presentation topics:

· Practical Applications of Soil Science for Landscaping

. Mayfield Park – Designing with Rootedness

· Gardening – It Should be easier than this – Simplify to Encourage!

· Cascading Forward: How One Building’s 50-Year Garden Journey Redefines Landscape Retrofit

· Demystifying the term Soil Health in a landscape context

· Soil’s Hidden Workforce (How biology powers landscape health)

· Understanding manufactured specialist soils and re-using site soils

The popular Soil Surgery, open to delegates who may have specific soil questions, will take place during the day’s networking periods. Members of the Tim O’Hare Associates team will be on hand to provide guidance and advice.

Other Details

Spaces limited to 150 so book early to avoid disappointment

Lunch and refreshments will be provided throughout the day

Travel links to Phyllis Court, either by road (M40, M4) or rail, are excellent, with collection from Henley railway station available on the day.

For further information email sharon.frost@toha.co.uk or call 01491 822653

The speakers and topics this year are:

Tim O’Hare, Principal Consultant, Tim O’Hare Associates

‘Practical applications of soil science for landscaping’

Tim will draw on his 30 years of experience working in the landscape industry to discuss and clarify some of the common soil issues and misunderstandings that arise in the design and construction of landscape schemes. This will include his ideas on tree pit design, soil properties for species-rich, biodiverse habitats, understanding soil pH, soil depths, stockpile heights, SuDS soils and reliance on BS3882.

Max Aughton, Landscape Architect, Studio Egret West

‘Mayfield Park - Designing with rootedness’

The Studio Egret West approach to design and placemaking is grounded in the principle of being ‘rooted’. In his talk, Max will explore how Mayfield Park - Manchester’s first park in over 100 years - embodies the essence of ‘rooted’ placemaking. The talk will delve into the park’s design vision, the key strategies that shaped its evolution, and the innovative construction methods used to bring this ambitious urban green space to life at the heart of one of the UK’s largest cities.

Bunny Guinness, Landscape Architect, BBC Gardeners’ Question Time panellist and Sunday Telegraph columnist

‘Gardening – It should be easier than this – Simplify to encourage!’

The horticultural community often over complicates things. Many long-recognised practices are now regarded as totally terrible and yet are still popular. Surely it would be better if we can motivate people interested in gardens and landscapes by showing simpler new ways and retiring old myths. Bunny talks through ways to improve spaces with easier maintenance and new techniques, including mulching, baseless pots, irrigation, composts, and naturalistic planting.

Martin Knight, Landscape Architect, Studio Knight Stokoe

‘Cascading forward - How one building's 50-year garden journey redefines landscape retrofit’

When is restoration really regeneration? This thought-provoking presentation uses the revival of the terraced roof gardens at Plant in Basingstoke (formerly Mountbatten House and known colloquially as the ‘Hanging Gardens of Basingstoke’) as a catalyst for exploring fundamental questions about landscape longevity, adaptation, and renewal. Moving beyond simple maintenance or replacement, Martin will examine how deep research into a place's original ecology, design intent, and site conditions can inform radical improvements for climate resilience and biodiversity. The talk challenges conventional approaches to landscape retrofit, demonstrating how regenerative systems-based thinking can breathe new life into existing spaces. Through this remarkable case study of Britain's first terraced workplace rooftop gardens, explore how landscapes can evolve to meet contemporary needs while maintaining their essential character and ecological function.

Tim White, Senior Associate, Tim O’Hare Associates

‘Demystifying the term Soil Health in a landscape context’

An exploration of the meaning(s) and intentions behind Soil Health and its relevance for landscape projects, including case studies of good and bad soil management, and soil recovery.

Simon Parfey, Founding Director, SoilBioLab

‘Soil’s hidden workforce - how biology powers landscape health’

Discover how soil biology is the critical, yet often overlooked, driver of healthy landscapes. This talk goes ‘beyond the surface’ to reveal how understanding and supporting soil's hidden workforce can lead to more resilient, vibrant, and sustainable landscapes.

John Coles, Managing Director, Bury Hill Landscape Supplies

‘Understanding manufactured specialist soils and re-using site soils’

John will give an overview of the different types of specialist soils available, the components that make them, and how they are manufactured. He will discuss the benefits of manufactured soils and talk through the importance of specifications and validation testing, with project examples, including The Newt in Somerset. John will also discuss the opportunities for improving and re-using natural topsoils, including their testing, stockpiling, processing, and potential ameliorants to make unsuitable soils suitable. He will show project examples when inferior quality or surplus soils have been transformed into viable products for use in projects such as Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Rose Garden and Silvertown Tunnel.