Australian Capital Territory, Australia

I am a qualified horticulturist having studied at the Ryde School of Horticulture in Sydney, Australia. I also have qualifications in arboriculture. I no longer work in the industry but I garden and propagate every spare moment available. My particular interest is growing Australian native plants to restore the suburban environment for birds, reptiles and other fauna. I live in an area where many non-indigenous trees have been used as street plantings. These deciduous trees, while largely useless as habitat, never-the-less provide a great souce of material for extensive composting. When I am not in the garden I am likely to be found working in my compost heaps which are magnificent!! My garden is a work in progress. Sadly Canberra has been in drought for the last 5 years and there are significant water restrictions. This has been a limiting factor in relation to growth and indeed species selection. I am moving steadily toward growing more species of local provenance. Weather conditions range from -5C in winter to 39C in summer. Local soils are rather unproductive clays with poor drainage and some propensity for shrinkage and cracking when not well mulched. I would be very happy to hear from other keen gardeners whose interests may or may not coincide with mine.

Experienced (50 years)

Last visit: More than a year ago