From Greenkeeping in the USA, to Lawn Care and Driveway Cleaning in the UK
Andy Cox has grown his West Yorkshire business from gardening right through to professional lawn care. Now at the start of 2020, the former Greenkeeper of 13 years has added weed and moss removal from hard surfaces to his array of services. The stand-out difference though, is that Andy is using an alternative to pressure washing as he’s invested in the Westermann Moss Brush from SPA Power Machinery.
It all began on the greens of Ikley golf course where Andy was a Greenkeeper before heading over to the States to continue his profession in both Virginia and Florida. On his return to the UK and with a background of turf, he decided to begin his own gardening business. This work quickly developed into a professional lawn care service and since then, Heaven on Turf has grown a reputation of offering a high-end, personal service.
Growing his business through additional services
Focusing on quality lawn care Andy’s comprehensive service includes: fertilising, scarifying and aerating, with treatments as regular as once a month. Additionally, to provide the most thorough results at an affordable price, just last year Andy purchased a new aerator (Camon LA25 Aerator). Quickly following on from this was the arrival of the Westermann Moss Brush as Andy recognised the opportunity to expand services into weed and moss removal, especially during the quieter months away from lawn care.
Stumbling upon the Westermann on Twitter was when ‘the penny dropped’, as Andy described it. Having had previous experience with pressure washing, Andy knew this machine would be the commercial alternative which aligned with the professional brand he was promoting. In anticipation of the machine arriving Andy lined up a couple of small driveways to clean, allowing him to test out the capabilities and versatility of the Westermann. Following these successful cleans, he embarked on a large tarmac drive – utilising the Billy Goat Vacuum he owns to clear the moss after, the job was complete to a ‘just like brand-new finish’ in no time.
The only alternative to pressure washing
Comparing this method to the more traditional ways, Andy describes it as such a ‘unique service’. He says “If you’re pressure washing tarmac all you do is blast the tarmac out which magnifies the problem as you’ve created even more space for moss to grow. Alternatively, you’re on your hands and knees scrubbing for hours to physically remove the moss but that’s not possible if you have a large area – at which point you’d turn to chemicals, which this machine replaces.”
Incredibly, the speed at which Andy can complete a job is something he has to explain to his customers before he begins. Using the Westermann allows the entire process to be much tidier as you avoid swilling around muck and slurry with a pressure washer, ultimately making more professional job of it. On top of that, the blocks remain undamaged and stable, unlike with the traditional ways which would blast out all of the sand. All of which he says, accumulates to their being nothing better on tarmac and the machine being just as good as pressure washing on block paving.
Like with the lawn care side of the business, professionalism is key for Andy and as such he includes an after-care service for every drive that is cleaned. This prevents any imminent regrowth of the moss or weeds, which is yet another way that sets the service apart from any other form of driveway cleaning.
Back to the green, for pleasure
Away from treating lawns and cleaning driveways Andy returns to the place in which he begun: the golf course. Currently on a handicap of 5 he plays at his local course in Addingham whilst also enjoying the odd beverage (who doesn’t?). And if he isn’t out on the golf course or enjoying a premium lager, he’s out walking his Patterdale Terrier. All in all, this is a success story in which Andy took his knowledge and experience of being a Greenkeeper and turned it into a flourishing business.
To contact Andy to speak about his services please call him on 07793890087 or visit his website www.heavenonturf.co.uk. Additionally, if you’d like to find out more about the Westermann range of weed and moss brushes, you can contact the UK distributors, SPA Power Machinery on 0114 269 9119.