Plants Grow Here - Horticulture, Landscape Gardening & Ecology

Have you ever wondered how to prune a plant that seems "too far gone"? Maybe you wanted to make a hedge smaller, but all the foliage was on the outside and only woody stems can be found in the middle of the shrub, where you want to prune to. Or maybe you've got a caney plant with multiple leaders coming from a common base, and you're wondering how to cut it down a few sizes wit...

We've covered intro to soil, soil carbon, soil hazards, and other soil-related episodes. But in this chat between my mentor Karen Smith and soil scientist and author Alisa Bryce, you'll learn about some different aspects of soil that you may not have ever heard before. EPISODE LINKS Alisa Bryce's website: https://alisabryce.com.au/ Buy a signed copy of Grounded: How soil shapes the...

Recently, I was invited to speak about podcast with Monika Ruzicka and Lisa Davidson on their podcast Straight To Business. I advised them during their planning and creation of the show, and I'm really impressed with the quality of the show they've created together. Seeing as a fair few of you liked the behind the scenes episode I did recently, I'm sharing this episode with you as w...

One way we can reduce our waste as a society is to turn food waste into a resource. But how do we do that? Bruce Thompson is back on the show, and he walks us through a few different opportunities to take advantage of, including bokashi composting and black soldier fly larvae, which are capable of breaking down meat products to produce a safe end product.  This episode is sponsored by Hort Journal...

What can tree rings tell us about plant health and external factors such as climate? What tools do you use? What are the old-school and modern techniques of gathering data? In this episode, Joe Buck, creator of The Dendro Hub, comes on the show to give us an introduction to the art and science of dendrochronology. EPISODE LINKS The Dendro Hub: https://www.dendrohub.com/ Joe's Twitter: https:/...

Sales is a massive career opportunity within the horticulture industry, especially for people that need to get off the tools for whatever reason. It's not for everybody, but the right person can make a nice income when you factor in a base wage plus commissions. And sales skills aren't just for professional salespeople either! They're an incredibly valuable addition to any professio...

Australian estuaries have a problem. Well, they have several, but one of the major threats to the ecosystem is undoubtedly the European carp which outcompete our native fauna, overgraze on flora and cause further destruction. This episode's sponsor is Charlie Carp, a fish fertiliser company that's helping to keep populations down, even though my guest Ron Kaponica points out we'll n...

What's it like to work in conservation in the Blue Mountains? In this episode, Ian Allen from the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens at Mount Tomah, NSW, comes on the show to speak about the important work he and his team are doing in the UNESCO World Heritage listed ecosystem. The star of this episode, of course, is the critically endangered Wollemi pine, an ancient lineage of plants that are un...

Imagine growing flowers as your job. In this episode, Alana Reeves gives us an insight into what it's like to own and operate a small flower farm outside of Bathurst, NSW. We talk about the struggles (if there are any) when it comes to growing flowers, the different tasks for each season when you're growing annual flowers, and the importance of the human element in horticulture and flori...

Have you ever wondered what goes into creating this podcast, and what I want to achieve with every episode? Scott Smith interviews me in this special episode as we take a peek behind the podcast. Towards the end of the episode we talk a lot about our industry as a whole, and our wish to see wages go up across the board EPISODE LINKS Search for horticulture jobs: HortPeople.com FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL...

Green infrastructure are living, ecological systems that provide urban infrastructure benefits, such as rainwater mitigation and filtration and health benefits. This episode is sponsored by the Australian Institute of Horticulture, and features the AIH president Michael Casey, who also runs a couple of businesses including EverGreen Infrastructure. EPISODE LINKS Visit the Australian Institute of H...

What if there was a better job out there for you? The new job board I've created for the industry is officially live today (Sunday the 21st of August, 2022). I believe this job board will reduce the impacts of the staff shortage crisis in green industries around the world. Check it out at HortPeople.com .

Do you think the global green industry needs a job board of its own? I do. That's why I created HortPeople.com, the new job board that launches next weekend. In this episode, my mentor Karen Smith interviews me about why I started it, why it matters for our industry, and why anybody should even care. You'll learn about the features, the 42 job categories (so far), including a "New T...

We all love learning about soil, but what about its dark side? In this episode, contaminated land consultant, Sheridan Chapman comes on the show to help us become aware of soil hazards, and give us some insight into the types of risk assessments she undertakes as part of her work. EPISODE LINKS No links this time! LOOKING FOR WORK? LOOKING FOR WORKERS? Visit the green industry job board: HortPeopl...

We covered amenity tree pruning in episode 96, but what about fruit tree pruning? Do the same rules apply? And do the rules that apply to apples also apply to other fruits in the rose family like pears, cherries and/or apricots? Find out in this episode with return guest Scott Smith, head gardener for the National Trust for Scotland at Haddo House and Pitmeddon. EPISODE LINKS -National Trust for S...

Urban foresters and arborists are the heroes of the urban forest, but who's supporting them? In this episode, Ben Seamark, co-founder of the Forestree GIS  application speaks on why tree businesses and councils need to think a bit more deeply about how they're managing their data if they value tree longevity, and how this app can help them do that. Let's secure the future of our mos...

Pests, diseases, and abiotic stress harm tree health. In this episode, Greg Packman introduces us to the basic categories of offender: vertebrates, invertebrates, fungus, bacteria and viral pathogens, as well as non-living causes of stress. EPISODE LINKS Greg's Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregPackman Greg's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-packman-67359398 LOOKING FOR WORK? LO...

Plants Grow Here & Branch Out are doing a swapcast! That means we're each playing an episode of each others' show. The Branch Out episode we're featuring this week is about the witchcraft revival, and how herbs are a large part of the movement. Vanessa Fuchs interviews a modern witch Christina Oakley-Harrington about her beliefs, her practices and her connection to plants. EPISO...

Have you ever noticed that certain plants do better in certain parts of the garden? In this episode, Guy Deakins, author of Gardener's Guide To Protected Growing, comes on the show to tell us about different factors that affect micro climates within our gardens, and how we can create our own micro climates to protect our plants. EPISODE LINKS Buy Gardener's Guide To Protected Growing thr...

Have you ever worked in a heritage formal garden? Scott Smith is head gardener for National Trust for Scotland at Pitmedden Garden and Haddo House Gardens, and in this episode we take a peek into the sort of work that he oversees. Including removing 6km of English box hedge, the logistics of moving bulky materials around a large site, and maintaining a heritage space for visitors to enjoy today. E...

Succulents are awesome. They're easy to propagate, they're easy to care for and they're easy to love. But what's going on internally to lead so many unrelated plants to all use the same strategy? Jackie Warburton is a maintenance horticulturist and business owner at Terra Solarus, and in this episode she explains how succulents photosynthesise differently to other plants, how t...

How do you get qualified in horticulture?  Well, you can get a nationally recognised qualification at uni, or at Tafe. In this episode, Ian Gaston from Tafe NSW explains why and how to get qualified through Tafe. This episode is sponsored by Hort Journal Australia, and I've written a corresponding article which you can read via the link below after subscribing to the Journal. EPISODE LINKS Vi...

Have you ever wondered which veggies to plant together, and which to keep apart? Angelo Eliades is back on the show, and this time he's breaking down our favourite veg families best and worst relationships with each other. We cover most of the biggest families including mint, carrot, pumpkin, tomato, and many more. EPISODE LINKS Visit the Deep Green Permaculture website: https://deepgreenperm...

Gardening isn't just for food, beauty and a pay packet at the end of the week. It can also be incredibly beneficial for your body and your brain. In this episode, Karen Smith interviews Dr Kate Neale, Vice President of Therapeutic Horticulture Australia, about horticulture for therapy. This episode's sponsored by Hort Journal Australia, the horticulture industry magazine that Kate, Karen...

The Landscape Show in Melbourne is back in 2022! Megan Flower, CEO of this episode's sponsor, Landscaping Victoria, is back on the show to talk about why the landscape industry needs an event like this every year, why you should attend if you're a professional within our industry, and why you should hurry up and book a spot if you'd like to be an exhibitor. Make sure you visit The L...