Meet

George Forrest: the plant world's Indiana Jones

22 May 2015 | Graham Ross

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

27 March 2018 | Sarah Ryan

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.

Meet Chris Cuddy

03 November 2015 | Robin Powell

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

01 September 2016 | Robin Powell

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

01 June 2018 | Robin Powell

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 David Mabberley, Botanist and Author

14 February 2018 | Robin Powell

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

01 June 2018 | Robin Powell

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 Florist, Nga Bui

23 January 2018 | Robin Powell

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 Justine Smith, Rhipsalis grower

11 October 2016 | Robin Powell

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 Kevin Collins, banksia collector

24 May 2016 | Robin Powell

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

Meet Pat and Bill Rhodin Tulip Tops gardeners

13 June 2017 | Robin Powell

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

Meet Robert Price

02 June 2016 | Linda Ross

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 Scott Pollock

16 May 2018 | Robin Powell

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 the Lindesay gardeners

23 January 2017 | Robin Powell

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 Tom Coward: Head gardener at Gravetye Manor

14 February 2018 | Robin Powell

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

18 March 2015 | Robin Powell

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

Meet: Alex Elliott-Howery

17 December 2015 | Robin Powell

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

09 September 2017 | Robin Powell

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

Meet: Anita Rayner

30 November 2015 | Robin Powell

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

13 February 2015 | Robin Powell

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

06 March 2015 | Libby Cameron

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

Meet: Bethany Linz

07 March 2016 | Robin Powell

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

07 May 2015 | Libby Cameron

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

03 March 2015 | Graham Ross

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

11 February 2015 | Linda Ross

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: Caitlin Sawyer

16 September 2015 | Robin Powell

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

Meet: Charlotte Thodey, painter

06 March 2015 | Robin Powell

We talk to Charlotte about her work and her exhibition at Chateau de Villandry.

Meet: Clarence Slockee, Aboriginal Education Officer at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

07 May 2015 | Libby Cameron

Clarence came to Sydney to study music and dance; his interest in the bush and the relationships between animals, plants and people led him to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Meet: Criss Canning, still life painter

20 May 2015 | Sandra Ross

Criss Canning is one of Australia’s foremost painters of still life. Her meticulous and harmonious compositions impart a sense of serenity, while the colour palate is rich and sensuous. Most of her paintings feature plants from the garden at Burnside and Sandra asked her about the link between the garden and her art.

Meet: Dale Dixon, tropical plant enthusiast, curator of Latitude 23

19 July 2016 | Robin Powell

Meet Dr Dale Dixon, tropical plant enthusiast and curator of 'Latitude 23' at the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney.

Meet: David Jones, plantsman, researcher and writer

20 March 2015 | Libby Cameron

Libby Cameron talks to David Jones about his love of orchids and his book, 'Starting Out with Orchids'.

Meet: David Kennedy

07 March 2016 | Robin Powell

David Kennedy’s Katoomba garden Clover Hill is a showcase of rare cool climate gems. With no room left, the avid plant collector and nurseryman has started a new garden over the mountains.

Meet: David Lawry, director, Avenues of Honour

18 February 2015 | Robin Powell

David Lawry has a simple, grand idea – that the life of every Australian killed in combat is commemorated in a living tree. We spoke with him about bringing the vision to life.

Meet: Doug Puride, urban beekeeper

12 March 2015 | Robin Powell

We talk to the busy-bee-owner of Urban Honey in Sydney.

Meet: Dr Alistair Hay, brugmansia expert

03 March 2015 | 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

18 February 2015 | 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

24 February 2015 | 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

06 March 2015 | 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

20 March 2015 | Libby Cameron

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

Meet: Gaby Porter, sculptor

03 March 2015 | 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

06 March 2015 | 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

06 March 2015 | 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

16 March 2015 | Robin Powell

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

Meet: Gil Teague, bookseller

09 August 2016 | 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.

Meet: Graeme Parr: wisteria expert

16 March 2015 | 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

16 March 2015 | Linda Ross

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

Meet: Indira Naidoo, passionate balcony gardener

19 February 2015 | 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

13 February 2015 | 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

07 May 2015 | Libby Cameron

Jeanne talks about her love for her tropical garden.

Meet: Jenny Kee, artist

03 March 2015 | 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.

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