The Garden Clinic

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Meet: Dr Alistair Hay, brugmansia expert

Meet: Dr Alistair Hay, brugmansia expert

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

The huge scented flowers of the brugmansia are show-stoppers. For Dr Alistair Hay, formerly a senior research scientist and director of public programs at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, they have also been life-changers. He tells Robin Powell how it happened.

Meet: Elaine Musgrave, botanical artist

Meet: Elaine Musgrave, botanical artist

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Elaine Musgrave works from a renovated stable in the wonderful garden created by her husband Les at Wildes Meadow in the Southern Highlands. Here we talk to her about her work.

Meet: Elizabeth Rundle, peony-lover

Meet: Elizabeth Rundle, peony-lover

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Peonies seduced Elizabeth Rundle when she was just 16. She’s been a fan ever since, growing and selling tree peonies through a mail-order nursery, first in Canberra and now in Ballarat. Here she shares her story.

Meet: Erin Martin, horticulturist, The Grounds of Alexandria cafe

Meet: Erin Martin, horticulturist, The Grounds of Alexandria cafe

18 March, 2021 | Ally Jackson

Erin can be found among the raised garden beds, most days, at The Grounds of Alexandria, corner of Huntley and Bourke streets, Alexandria, Sydney. It's not only the best place to grab a coffee, or sweet pastries, or lunch; you can walk around a productive, super-charming, snack track!

Meet: Finbarr O’Leary, horticulturist and rose trialler for Swanes nursery

Meet: Finbarr O’Leary, horticulturist and rose trialler for Swanes nursery

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

Swane's Nursery CEO Finbarr O'Leary talks about the effort required to bring new roses to market.

Meet: Gaby Porter, sculptor

Meet: Gaby Porter, sculptor

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Sculptor Gaby Porter has spent the past 15 years transforming a pocket of Illawarra remnant rainforest into a sculpture garden. Using sandstone, bronze, concrete, ceramic and even sticks, Gaby creates site-specific works that relate to the garden around them. Here the Garden Clinic spoke with her about her work.

Meet: Geoff Duggan, landscape planning officer, The Australian Botanic Garden

Meet: Geoff Duggan, landscape planning officer, The Australian Botanic Garden

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

A discussion with Geoff Duggan about his work creating native daisy meadows at the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan.

Meet: Geoffrey Head, Nielsen Park bush regenerator

Meet: Geoffrey Head, Nielsen Park bush regenerator

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Geoffrey Head has spent the last 12 years tending to the Eastern Suburbs jewel-in-the-crown Nielsen Park. Today we catch up with him.

Meet: George Low, David Jones Sydney flower show designer

Meet: George Low, David Jones Sydney flower show designer

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

George talks about 20 years working with the iconic David Jones flower show in Sydney.

Meet: Gil Teague, bookseller

Meet: Gil Teague, bookseller

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Gil Teague’s Florilegium has published some of our best garden writers, including Peter Valder, Margaret Hibbert, Michael McCoy and Alistair Hay, but we know it best as Australia’s only specialist garden bookshop.

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Meet: Graeme Parr: wisteria expert

Meet: Graeme Parr: wisteria expert

18 March, 2021 | Sandra Ross

Oh hello big dose of flower envy. We'd do any thing for wisteria! Graeme has been growing wisteria for the nursery trade for 20 years. Here he shares his top tips for growing great flowering wisteria.

Meet: Holly Kerr Forsyth, garden writer, friend and philospher

Meet: Holly Kerr Forsyth, garden writer, friend and philospher

18 March, 2021 | Linda Ross

We pop into Holly's garden, stay for tea and fall a little bit in love.

Meet: Indira Naidoo, passionate balcony gardener

Meet: Indira Naidoo, passionate balcony gardener

18 March, 2021 | Linda Ross

Former ABC and SBS newsreader Indira Naidoo followed her passion for food all the way to a balcony garden - and a book, ‘The Edible Balcony’. We spoke with her about the value of gardening skills, and how she hopes to inspire visitors to the Australian Garden Show Sydney to turn their gardens into places for play.

Meet: Ivy Singh, gentle warrior

Meet: Ivy Singh, gentle warrior

18 March, 2021 | Linda Ross

We recently enjoyed the very different Singapore experience of Bollywood Veggies, a ten-acre organic farm owned by Ivy Singh-Lim. Ivy is refreshingly outspoken – just check our her signage! – and named her farm for her Indian heritage and her love of singing and dancing. Linda Ross shared banana bread with the woman who calls herself Poison Ivy!

Meet: Jeanne Villani, keen gardener and member of the Garden History Society

Meet: Jeanne Villani, keen gardener and member of the Garden History Society

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

Jeanne talks about her love for her tropical garden.

Meet: Jenny Kee, artist

Meet: Jenny Kee, artist

18 March, 2021 | Linda Ross

Jenny Kee has always drawn inspiration from the Australian landscape. Her opal designs have been used by Chanel, her koala knits worn by Princess Di and her costumes were part of the parade at the Opening Ceremony of Sydney’s Olympic Games. Linda Ross met her to talk about her latest inspiration, the waratah.

Meet: Jeremy Critchley, nurseryman

Meet: Jeremy Critchley, nurseryman

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Jeremy Critchley’s Green Gallery Nursery developed a focus on indoor plants once he moved into an apartment and wanted something different.

Meet: Jodie McGregor, florist

Meet: Jodie McGregor, florist

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

Libby talks to Jodie about her favourite flowers and her plans for her new garden.

Meet: John Christie, General Manager, Cruden Farm

Meet: John Christie, General Manager, Cruden Farm

18 March, 2021 | Sandra Ross

Cruden Farm is the wonderful garden of the late (and much-loved) Dame Elizabeth Murdoch. Sandra Ross spoke with John Christie about steering the garden into the future.

Meet: John Siemon, project manager, PlantBank

Meet: John Siemon, project manager, PlantBank

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

PlantBank is a seed bank and scientific facility with a priority to conserve and understand plants, and take that knowledge to the community. The facility covers 3000 square metres, that’s the size of 2.5 Olympic swimming pools. Frozen seeds are kept in underground thermally efficient vaults.

Meet: Justin Russell, market gardener

Meet: Justin Russell, market gardener

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Justin Russell was a keen gardener and a writer about gardening until last November, when he and wife Kylie plunged into full-time market gardening. It's been a tough road, with severe drought.

Meet: Karen Hall, garden creator

Meet: Karen Hall, garden creator

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Wychwood is the magical garden created by Karen Hall and Peter Cooper. Though they are moving on, the magic of the garden has been captured in Karen’s words and Peter’s photographs, packaged in a handsome new book.

Meet: Kerry Mitchell, plantaholic

Meet: Kerry Mitchell, plantaholic

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Kerry Mitchell says she can’t resist a good flower and she now partly funds her passion by selling plants from her garden. Robin Powell caught up with her as she was preparing for the Collectors’ Plant Fair.

Meet: Liz Gledhill, owner of Waverley Nursery and Garden Design

Meet: Liz Gledhill, owner of Waverley Nursery and Garden Design

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

Liz's nursery specialises in hardy shrubs, perennials and ornamental grasses. Libby catches up with her.

Meet: Lucy Sharman, Sydney's green wall advisor

Meet: Lucy Sharman, Sydney's green wall advisor

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Last year the City of Sydney adopted the country’s first green wall and green roof policy. Robin Powell talked to the woman charged with making Sydney literally greener.

Meet: Margaret Burchett, indoor plant and health expert

Meet: Margaret Burchett, indoor plant and health expert

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Margaret talks about the possible health benefits of keeping indoor plants.

Meet: Maria Hitchcock, correa collector

Meet: Maria Hitchcock, correa collector

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

We chat to Maria about her transition from 'Wattle Lady' to 'Correa Lady'.

Meet: Marjan Medhat, NSW Government House florist

Meet: Marjan Medhat, NSW Government House florist

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

When Marjan Medhat needs something interesting for a flower arrangement she takes her secateurs into Sydney’s Botanic Gardens. We spoke to her about the challenges of creating flower arrangements for Government House.

Meet: Mark Engall

Meet: Mark Engall

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

The nursery and garden industry has some great family stories. Here’s another one with a lemon twist.

Meet: Matt Purbrick, village life enthusiast

Meet: Matt Purbrick, village life enthusiast

18 March, 2021 | Interview: Linda Ross Pictures: Shantanu Starick

The happiest healthiest people in the world are those who live in simple agricultural communities where life is shared. It’s a way of life that Matt Purbrick and his partner Lentil enjoy in regional Victoria and extoll through their business, Grown and Gathered.

Meet: Matthew Hayden, former cricketer, cook and organic gardener

Meet: Matthew Hayden, former cricketer, cook and organic gardener

18 March, 2021 | Linda Ross

After years of cricket, Matthew Hayden has decided to focus on his passions and dedicate time and energy to his garden.

Meet: Melanie Boudar, Hawaii-based chocolatier

Meet: Melanie Boudar, Hawaii-based chocolatier

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Hawaii-based chocolatier Melanie Boudar is going one better than making bean-to-bar chocolate – she’s growing the beans! It’s one way to preserve fine flavour cacao, which is threatened by commercial hybridisation.

Meet: Meri Peach, biologist and artist

Meet: Meri Peach, biologist and artist

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

Meri talk plants and basket weaving!

Meet: Michael Bates

Meet: Michael Bates

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

When Michael Bates took a holiday and garden study trip to Sri Lanka, it changed his life - and his garden.

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Meet: Myles Baldwin, designer, curator, Australian Garden Show Sydney

Meet: Myles Baldwin, designer, curator, Australian Garden Show Sydney

18 March, 2021 | Linda Ross

Garden designer and author Myles Baldwin always wondered why Sydney didn’t have a garden show that embraced our love of plants and gardens and took advantage of the city’s best locations. Now we do! Myles speaks about his newest passion - the Australian Garden Show Sydney

Meet: Noel Hart, painter and sculptor of blown glass

Meet: Noel Hart, painter and sculptor of blown glass

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

Noel talks to Libby about drawing inspiration from nature.

Meet: Penny Olsen, researcher and writer

Meet: Penny Olsen, researcher and writer

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

Penny Olsen spends most of her working life surrounded by the treasures of the National Library of Australia. It was there she came across a note that led to the beautiful ‘Collecting Ladies: Ferdinand Von Mueller and Women Botanical Artists’. We lured her out of the library for a chat.

Meet: Peta Donaldson, garden designer

Meet: Peta Donaldson, garden designer

18 March, 2021 | Linda Ross

The Urban Gardens at the Australian Garden Show Sydney were spaces for new designers to show what they could do with a limited budget and compact, 5m x 5m spaces. Best of an exciting bunch was The Terrace by Peta Donaldson, which included water and fire in a wonderfully inviting space.

Meet: Peta Trahar, co-founder, Collectors’ Plant Fair

Meet: Peta Trahar, co-founder, Collectors’ Plant Fair

18 March, 2021 | Robin Powell

This year marks the tenth Collectors’ Plant Fair, a fixture on garden-lovers’ calendars. Peta has been there in the hot seat from the beginning.

Meet: Peter Fudge, garden designer and author

Meet: Peter Fudge, garden designer and author

18 March, 2021 | Libby Cameron

Sydney landscaper Peter Fudge champions a classical style of garden and his gardens use form and foliage as the main elements rather than flowers. His new book reveals just how calming this green garden style is. Libby Cameron chats to him.

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