Meet

Blooms and Brushstrokes

In their floral history of Australian art, mother and daughter team Penelope and Tansy Curtin uncover the stories behind some of our favourite floral artworks.

Delicious: Lentil’s summer breakfast bowl

Breakfast eggs get a super-fresh makeover in this dish from ‘The Village’ by Matt and Lentil from Grown and Gathered.

Dreaming of flowers

Imagine this: you and a friend grow cut flowers on an old Oxfordshire estate and in your spare time restore and design walled gardens. Welcome to the world of Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy, aka The Land Gardeners. Meet them in this extract from their new book The Land Gardeners: Cut Flowers.

Eryldene: The Professor and the Camellia

Jane Garling explains why E.G. Waterhouse had such a massive influence on Australian gardens.

George Forrest: the plant world's Indiana Jones

When we pick up a few plants at the local garden centre, we rarely give a thought to the brave adventurers who risked their lives to collect the plants from the wild hundreds of years ago.

In my garden: Hillandale

Sarah Ryan’s garden reaches a peak in autumn when the perennial border is at luscious full volume and the mature trees that nestle up to the old farmhouse throw fiery reflections into the lake. Here she tells us what she’s up to in this busy season.

In my kitchen garden: Camden, NSW

Mickey Robertson’s kitchen garden at Glenmore House is as beautiful as it is productive, experimental and instructive.

La Vie En Rose

The charms of French country living inspired Marian Somes to create her own version at her beautiful garden Picardy in the Gippsland hills.

Meet Anna van der Gardner

Meet Anna van der Gardner

Resident (and gardener), Bronte House

The gardens at Bronte House have been an inspiration to Sydney gardners for decades.

Meet Chris Cuddy

Perenialle Plants is a mail-order nursery for tough plants, but you can also drop in. Don’t miss the chance if you are in the Canowindra area. As well as the plants, there’s an inspiring garden and lovely little shop full of artisan-made house and garden desirables.

Meet Claire Bickle

Meet Claire Bickle, Garden Clinic's newest expert. Claire Bickle writes, talks and lives horticulture and sustainability. An expert on subtropical gardening, she’s also a self-confessed ‘poultry tragic’ and the Garden Clinic go-to for advice on backyard birds. Claire will be running a Jump Into Spring Class at this years Brisbane International Garden Show. Book now and come join in the fun.

Meet Daryl Jones, Bird feeder

Millions of people around the world feed birds in their garden, which is not necessarily a good thing, as Professor Daryl Jones explains in his new book The Birds at My Table.

Meet Dave Gray: Head gardener, Everglades

For the last two years Dave Gray has been head gardener at Everglades, a National Trust property in Leura, designed and built through the 1930s by Paul Sorensen.

Meet David Mabberley, Botanist and Author

Sydney Parkinson made hundreds of sketches and watercolours for Joseph Banks on board the Endeavour on Captain Cook’s first journey. More than 200 years later they have finally been printed in colour as Joseph Banks’ Florilegium. Professor David Mabberley chose the prints and wrote the text.

Meet Dr Kate Neale, garden-health researcher

What are the therapeutic benefits of gardening in social housing, preschools, schools, health services and aged care? Dr Kate Neale from Southern Cross University is keen to find out, starting with KindyGarden, a program aimed at getting 3-5 year olds growing food.

Meet Elaine Tocker

Meet Elaine Tocker: Head gardener, Huka Lodge Huka Lodge, near Lake Taupo in New Zealand, is renowned for its fine food, generous hospitality, incredible location- and beautiful gardens!

Meet Elizabeth Back, Flower grower

Elizabeth Back runs Wild Aesthetic Flowers. Robin Powell interviews Elizabeth here and gets to know what's growing in her garden

Meet Florist, Nga Bui

Like a loose, just-picked look for the flowers in your house? So does Nga Bui. Here Robin Powell interviews one of Sydney's favourite florists

Meet Georgina Reid, storyteller and gardener

Georgina Reid is a landscape designer, gardener and writer who four years ago launched the online magazine The Planthunter to explore the connections between people and plants. Her new book, ‘The Planthunter’, continues the conversation.

Meet Glennis Clark, Heritage Rose grower and Rookwood volunteer

Among the hidden treasures at Rookwood Necropolis are beautiful old roses, cared for by volunteers.

Meet Jane Irwin: Landscape architect

Meet Jane Irwin: Landscape architect. Jane Irwin’s exciting re-design of the Eastern Terrace gardens at NSW Government House is bound to influence the way we think about Sydney gardens.

Meet John Robb: Plant breeder, Paradise Plants

Meet John Robb, Plant breeder, Paradise Plants. Paradise Plants, established by Bob Cherry more than 40 years ago, has bred some of our favourite garden plants. John Robb explains there’s no room for sentiment in the working life of a plant breeder.

Meet Justine Smith, Rhipsalis grower

Justine Smith’s beautifully grown rhipsalis flew off the tables at Collectors’ Plant Fair this year. Don’t worry if you missed out - she’s now supplying Flower Power with these hairy hanging delights under the Jungle Cactus label.

Meet Kath Gadd

Kath Gadd’s company is Mallee Design, a garden design business that uses only Australian plants, and does a neat sideline in beautiful, spun copper birdbaths.

Meet Keith and Maureene Smith

Cancer fundraisers and plant propagators

Meet Kevin Collins, banksia collector

Kevin Collins and his wife Kathy grow the world’s only complete collection of banksias in their garden at Mount Barker, Western Australia.

Meet Libby Litchfield, Owner of Hazeldean

Hidden in the cold, dry treeless plains of the Monaro, south of Cooma, are some garden treasures like Hazeldean, an historic angus and merino stud that is also the home and garden of Jim and Libby Litchfield.

Meet Mark Jury, magnolia breeder

If there’s a stunning deciduous magnolia in your garden with enormous cup-shaped blooms and rich colour, chances are it was bred by New Zealand plantsman, Mark Jury.

Meet Pat and Bill Rhodin Tulip Tops gardeners

Meet Pat and Bill Rhodin, Tulip Tops gardeners. They work hard all year to make this garden's spring display something memorable

Meet Peter Hey, clivia breeder and grower of rare plants

Meet Peter Hey, clivia breeder and grower of rare plants

Meet Robert Price

Meet: Bob Price, founder and curator, Mexico’s Vallarta Botanical Gardens. Bob Price plan was to conserve Mexico’s unique flora and birdlife and the Vallarta Botanical Gardens he founded to help achieve that were recently included on the list of Top Ten Public Gardens in America you should visit.

Meet Ros Loftus

Riversdale is a National Trust property in Goulburn where volunteers have battled drought, rabbits and running bamboo to recreate a beautiful, much-loved garden.

Meet Scott Pollock

Meet Scott Pollock - Manager, Retford Park. James Fairfax believed that his beautiful Southern Highlands property, Retford Park, should be preserved for the enjoyment of the community. So he gave it to the National Trust, who took over the reins in August 2017.

Meet Simon Griffiths

Meet Simon Griffiths, Garden photographerSimon Griffiths is one of Australia’s best-known garden photographers. He’s also a gardener, and his new book ‘Garden Love’ features his own garden in Kyneton, Victoria, as well as favourites from around the country.

Meet Tahnee Carroll, Stylist and plant-lover

Tahnee Carroll has never seen a room that can’t be made more appealing with a plant or two, as she explains in this extract from a new book on indoor plants, ‘Leaf Supply’.

Meet the Lindesay gardeners

Every Thursday morning a group of garden lovers gathers in the beautiful grounds of Lindesay in Darling Point and gets to work. Here Robin Powell talks to the group about their passionate connection to this historic house and garden

Meet Tiffany Bignold

Meet Tiffany Bignold, Heritage rose lover and Parramatta Park gardener. The Rumsey Rose Garden in Parramatta Park is a quiet place in the city fragrant with the blooms of 203 heritage roses.

Meet Tom Coward: Head gardener at Gravetye Manor

Gravetye Manor is the garden of the influential English gardener, William Robinson. Robin Powell spoke to its current head gardener Tom Coward about its historical accuracy and modern excitement.

Meet: ​Richard Anderson, horticulturist and plant collector

Robin talks to Richard about discovering new plants and propagating them to bring them market.

Meet: Alex Elliott-Howery

Meet Alex Elliott-Howery, pickler and community builder.To say that Alex Elliott-Howery and her husband James Grant have a café doesn’t begin to tell the story. Cornersmith is not just a café, but a pickling and preserving business and school, and a trading hub for the produce gardeners of Marrickville.

Meet: Angus Stewart

Meet Angus Stewart. Plant breeder, gardener and new resident of the Apple Isle. He is also our favourite native wildflower enthusiast.

Meet: Anita Rayner

Meet Anita Rayner, Head gardener, Sydney Living Museums. The gardens at Vaucluse House are one of Sydney’s historic horticultural treasures. Anita Rayner fell in love with them at first sight; now she runs them.

Meet: Anne Ruston, rose garden owner

Anne Ruston is a South Australian senator, but for rose lovers the really important job she holds is as owner of Ruston Roses, a horticultural icon in South Australia, established by her uncle David. We take a wander though the garden with her.

Meet: Annie Hughes, botanical artist

Fascinated by the colours and textures of seeds and fruits, Annie Hughes talks about her paintings.

Meet: Bethany Linz

Meet Bethany Linz. Wallpaper and textile designer. Bringing the garden inside develops a whole new meaning with Bethany Linz’ botanically inspired wallpapers.

Meet: Beverly Allen, botanical artist

Beverly's background is in graphic design and illustration, however her discovery of Shirley Sherwood’s beautiful book ‘Contemporary Botanical Artists’ turned her to plants!

Meet: Bob Cherry, our favourite modern-day-plant-hunter

After 40 years developing plants and showing them off in the beautiful gardens at Paradise Plants at Gosford on the Central Coast of NSW, plant hunter and developer Bob Cherry is selling up and moving on. Graham Ross spoke with him about his work.

Meet: Brendan Moar, show garden creator

You really can't help but be a big fan of the work of landscape architect and television presenter Brendan Moar - he's adorable. Seeing one of his gardens come to life on his Lifestyle channel shows is a treat; seeing one live at the Singapore Garden Festival is even better.

Meet: Brigitte Eckardt, Rose Grower, Green E Roses

Need some advice on roses? Meet a walking rose encyclopedia!

Meet: Caitlin Sawyer

Meet Caitlin Sawyer, Young Horticulturist of the Year in 2015, and winner of the BBM Sir John Pagan Horticulture Travel Scholarship for 2014/15.