The Landscaping Podcast: Recent Episodes
Joel Barnett
A Podcast where landscaper Joel Barnett of InStyle Gardens, chats with other people within the landscaping/green industry.We chat with Landscape designers, landscape builders, garden maintenance folks, nursery folks, and anyone else within this awesome industry!
In this episode I speak with BJ Wallace from Into the Green Podcast, who also is the founder of the Lawn and Land Equip Expo, and green industry expo he started a couple of years ago after the passing of his daughter Ella, to thank the industry for the support his family received after Ella's passing.
I wanted to speak to BJ not only about the expo, which is coming up on the Gold Coast on the 1st of August, but also about the Podcast Royale which he'll be involved in, which is a boxing event full of podcasters.
You can find out about the LLEE event here and you can follow their Instagram page @lawnandlandequipexpo
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I answer questions sent in during the week, as well as talk about the upcoming Queensland Garden Show which I'll be attending with The Landscaping School.
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Ben Cottle from Cottle Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in WA.
Ben started out doing his apprenticeship at Exquisite Gardens in Melbourne and stayed there for 12-13 years before moving to WA during Covid and starting Cottle Landscapes.
I found it fascinating talking to him about his experiences in both states, particularly around soils, plant sourcing and building regulations.
You can follow Ben on Instagram @cottlelandscapes
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Natasha Morgan who's a gardener, landscape architect, architect, author educator and more and due to the vast range of roles she does, trades under her name, Natasha Morgan.
It's quite possibly my favourite episode to date, I could've spoken with her for hours!
We talk about her upcoming book which sounds like a must have to add to your library. There's 400+ pages as well as separate QR codes linked to videos where she's talking with other people within the industry. There's also recipes and an insane amount of information in there.
You can pre-order your copy of the book here It launches on September 15, or September 17 in the UK and September 22 in the USA.
You can follow Natasha on Instagram @natasha_morgan_
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Kylan Yoxall from Yoxall Landscape Architecture.
Kylan is a landscape architect based in Perth and previously worked for Tristan Pierce, who was our guest in episode 15 back in August 2021.
Kylan talks about his journey into the industry including a stint working in the Netherlands.
You can follow Kylan on Instagram @yoxall_landscape_architecture
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Jethro Plunkett from Loci Landscapes, a design, construction and maintenance company based in southern Tasmania.
Jethro started Loci, originally called Van Diemen's Landscapes, before a serious motorcycle accident forced him to reassess the direction of the business direction. Then out of the blue he received a call from Tim Fogarty who'd moved to Tasmania from NSW and was looking for a job. Fast forward and now Tim and Jethro are both directors of Loci, taking the business to new heights! Tim's story is in episode 258 and it's great hearing Jethro's side of the story here.
You can follow Jethro on Instagram @loci_landscapes
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Sam Brown from Pure Green Landscapes, a design/build/maintain company based in North Fremantle in WA.
Sam is an impressive person to talk to and in just 5 years, has built a team of 18, at just 27 years of age.
He originally started as just maintenance and has since added construction and design and I'll be excited to watch his journey continue.
You can follow Sam on Instagram @puregreen___
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Brent Russell from HyQual Landscapes, based in Melbourne.
I loved hearing Brent's story about how he started as well as how he runs his business. He talked about starting his first business before closing it down and going back to being an employee before then starting HyQual.
He also talks about his Silver medal winning Balcony Garden at this year's Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
You can follow Brent on Instagram @hyqual_landscapes
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Shannon Decker from Now & Zen Landscapes, a landscape design and construction company based in the Blue Mountains of NSW.
Shannon is also the president of The Landscape Association and a great story teller, so it was great to hear how early he started in the industry, then about his time away from it briefly, and the lessons he's learnt in his 30+ year journey.
You can follow Shannon on Instagram @nowandzenlandscapes
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Paul O'Hara from Centred Landscapes, a landscaped design and construction company based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
I met Paul in the lead up to MIFGS 2026 where he was doing a Boutique Garden, so we discuss what that was like as well as his journey to where he is today, which included some time working in the UK.
You can follow Paul on Instagram @centred_landscapes
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Siobhan Keating from SK Gardens. Siobhan is a landscape designer based in New Zealand and has an amazing story about how she started in the industry and what she's up to next.
Siobhan was originally a Detective with the NZ Police before seeing a Landscape Design Diploma ad in a magazine while she was on holidays in the UK. Fast forward a bit and she's moved to the UK to study and work, now back in NZ and is about to head back to the UK as she's designed an exhibitor display at The Chelsea Flower Show!
You can follow Siobhan on Instagram @skgardensnz and you can see Dawn's sculptures @dawnconnsculpture
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Connie Cao from Connie and Luna. Connie is a horticultural media star and does presenting and writing for the ABC, SBS, Organic Gardener Magazine, The Design Files and is also the author of her own book, Your Asian Veggie Patch where she shows 40-50 different Asian veggies, herbs and fruits that you can grow in small spaces as well as 40-50 recipes to use them in cooking.
Connie also just came 3rd in the Border Garden competition at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, so we also discuss that, including a great story about when she found out she came third.
You can follow Connie on Instagram @connieandluna and you can buy her book here
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Eloyse Edwards from Alderson Plant Supply. Alderson Plant supply is a plant broking business which starts trading on the same day this episode is released!
Eloyse is taking over past guest Jodie O'Toole's business, Bay Design Gardens.
She has a couple of great stories about where her love for plants started and also talks about her time at her past two employers, Plantmark and Warners Nursery.
You can follow Eloyse on Instagram @alderson.plants
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode the tables are turned and Peter Donegan interviews me about our recent garden at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show which won a Gold Medal as well as the Mark Bence Construction award for Best Construction.
You can listen to the episode (Episode 82) with Martin Semken where he discusses the story of Mark Bence here for apple podcasts and here for spotify
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode is a chat I had on the Welcome Garden at this years Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show with Dan Foreman.
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode is a chat I had on the Welcome Garden at this years Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show with Pia Lefevre, Matt York and Jamie Durie.
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode is a chat I had on the Welcome Garden at this years Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show with Breana Graham, Iftikhar Ahmed and Paul Pritchard
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode is a chat I had on the Welcome Garden at this years Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show with Emma Doman, Iftikhar Ahmed and Ashley James
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Trent Cornish from Mari Group (formerly IMG) about what's happening at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show running from the 25th-29th March.
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Jacob Hoey, a landscaper based in Sydney who works for CSF Landscapes.
I was keen to get Jacob on to not only hear the point of view of an employee, particularly one who spent 1-2 years working for himself, but also to hear about what it's like working as a landscaper in London.
You can follow Jacob on Instagram @jacob.hoey
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Andrew Whyte from Whyte Gardens, a design and construction company based in Melbourne.
In the chat Andrew talks about how he gets that little bit extra from his designers as well as why he loves marketing and how he's looking to learn more from it.
You can follow Andrew on Instagram @whyte_gardens
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Ross Uebergang, Jenn Reed and Rorie Clarke. Jenn and Rorie are from Urban Discovery and they're doing a unique garden at this years Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and leaning on Ross for his experience with Show Gardens.
They've got an amazing story about what the garden will be and it's a great representaion of the work that they do, and they're also hoping to come back in the following two years to share more of the work they do.
If you're wanting to help out with their build you can head to Volunteer Info — Urban Discovery
And you can follow them on Instagram @urbandiscovery.design
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Landscaping Victoria CEO Ritchie Hinton.
Ritchie has been in the role for 2-3 years and it's clear from this chat that he's a great person to have in the role, based off of his previous experience and knowledge.
He has a great message about appreciating what he learnt in some of his previous employment roles even though he wasn't enjoying them.
He also shares plenty of behind the scenes information about what goes on at Landscaping Victoria, as well as what's coming up at MIFGS.
You can follow Landscaping Victoria on Instagram @landscaping_victoria
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3 and now I've also added The BIG Bundle, which is all 6 courses for the price of 4! Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode, brought to you by The Landscaping School(!), I speak with Josh Meaden from Joshua Tree Outdoor Construction, a landscape construction company based in Melbourne.
Josh is a true construction artist and it was awesome to hear his story about how he wanted to leave school, his parents suggested he stay, and then he discovered a horticulture class, loved working with his hands and ended up getting a landscaping apprenticeship years later.
He also has a great attitude towards his learning experiences in the early days and is building his own shed house using mainly recycled materials, and it's looking amazing!
You can follow Josh on Instagram @joshuatreeoc
You can now sign up to The Landscaping School! It's live and ready for you to increase your landscaping skills. Head to TheLandscapingSchool.com where you'll find 6 separate courses, as well as a free course in pondless waterfall construction. You can also bundle 4 courses together and only pay for 3. Check it out!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Alannah Easton from Olivera Garden Design.
Alannah is a Landscape architect based in Melbourne and it's a fascinating chat with her, hearing about the work she's doing in schools to get them interested and engaged in horticulture as well as hearing about Alannah's approach to and understanding of the way spaces are designed.
She's also doing a Boutique Garden at this years MIFGS and talks about the idea behind the design of that garden as well as some of the challenges she's facing putting it together.
You can follow Alannah on Instagram @oliveragardendesign
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Jayden Webber from Webber Landscapes, a landscape construction company based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
Jayden also recently started a maintenance side of the business called Breezy Blooms Garden Co, so we talk about the reasons behind that and his plans for that business.
We also talk about Jayden's experience working with a business coach, as he's worked with two different ones over the years.
You can follow Jayden on Instagram @webber_landscapes and check out the maintenance business @breezy_blooms_garden_co
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Matt York from Ratio Consultants. Matt is a partner and Landscape Architect at Ratio and is one of the nice guys of the industry.
It was a fascinating chat with Matt, from hearing about his journey in the industry and seeing how relevant it's all been to the work he's doing now, to hearing about what's he doing now, which is designing a city in Kenya which will be home to 250,000 people, starting with 0.
We also talk about Matt's experiences at MIFGS over the years and get a preview about his upcoming show garden for this year.
You can follow Matt on Instagram @mattyorklandscapearchitect or @ratio.consultants
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Toby France from Exterior Architecture, a landscape architecture firm based in Sydney and on the Sunshine Coast.
Toby started study and work in the UK and worked for some high end companies before moving to Australia, working for a few years here and then starting EA. He's also recently opened the Sunshine Coast office after moving there and is running both offices.
It's great to hear that one of Toby's employees has an interior/architecture background, and he explains how well that works in terms of designing spaces in a different way to what Toby would.
You can follow Toby's work on Instagram @exterior_arch
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode, the final for 2025, I speak with Breana Graham from Breana Graham Landscapes, a landscape architecture/design business based in Sydney working on high end residential projects.
Breana makes some great points in this chat about the importance of challenging the relationship between architect and builder so that they both improve.
She also talks about the way she does her plant schedules within her designs, which is a way I hadn't heard of before, but makes a lot of sense when she explains it.
One day after this episode is released, we'll tick over 250,000 downloads of the podcast, so thank you to everyone who has listened to an episode, but especially the guests who've taken the time to come on the podcast and share their story.
You can follow Breana on Instagram @breanagraham_landscapes
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I catch with friend of the show, Peter Donegan from Peter Donegan Garden Design, a designer based in Ireland.
I always love chatting with Peter and hearing the creativity behind his designs, and in this episode he talks about a couple of recent award victories, including one we're he'll be representing Europe.
He also talks about his recent trip to a University in Turkey, as well as a potential garden he'll be designing in Australia.
You can follow Peter on Instagram @peterdonegan
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Chris Varsamakis from Zorbas Gardens, a design, construction and maintenance business based just outside of Geelong in Teesdale.
Chris has gone from having his first horticultural job 3 years ago, to being a solo operator as recently as 14 months ago, to now having 7 full time employees as well as a couple of sub contractors on his books, so he's grown very quick, but as you'll hear, it's been measured growth and he's doing a lot of the right things to make it sustainable.
Chris talks about one of the keys to being able to scale that quick, and also shares his experiences of working with past guest and business coach, Paul Hamilton.
You can follow Chris on Instagram @zorbas_gardens
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Patrick Hudecek from Peak Project Group, a landscaping company based in Mansfield, Victoria building high end landscapes in the high country.
Patrick initially started the business himself, and around 12 months ago had two other team members come on board as partners in the business, and he explains why it's working so well in the partnership.
He also explains how they have weekly meetings between the partners and daily short site chats to let everyone on site know their roles.
You can follow Patrick on Instagram @peak_project_group
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Tim Hanna from Hanna Digital Design, a design company based in Vietnam who convert 2D designs into stunning 3D renders as well as doing elevation drawings.
Tim talks about how he started his apprenticeship in Parks and Gardens in Melbourne, working in garden maintenance for a couple of big name businesses before starting out on his own and having up to 6 employees, and then moving over to Vietnam where he started Hanna Digital Designs and now employs 8 staff.
He talks about how his staff have stayed and grown over the years and the reasons why, and also talks about the room for growth.
You can follow Tim on Instagram @hanna_digital_design
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Natalie Back from Living Earth Design. Natalie is a landscape designer based in Melbourne and while only early into her design career, it's clear she has a great business mind and there's plenty to learn from her in this episode.
She talks about how valuable it's been being part of Landscaping Victoria's mentor program, where she's being mentored by Peter Shaw.
She also talks about her experience designing and building a garden at MIFGS this year with Open Gardens Victoria, and more importantly talks about how she marketed herself there, which is something I may copy off her for next year, it's that brilliant an idea.
You can follow Natalie on Instagram @livingearthdesign
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I catch up again with Amy Downie from the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne.
Amy was last on about 6 months ago on episode 236 and she spoke about how at the Botanic Gardens, she works on escarpment horticulture, and that she was hopeful of one day going on a trip where they'd need to climb on a 300m cliff to get the seeds of an endangered Eucalypt, Eucalyptus stenostoma. Well she just got back from that exact trip, so I wanted to get her on to hear all about it and what could possibly be next!
You can follow Amy on Instagram @amydownie_
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In this episode I answer some questions asked via Instagram.
Regular episodes will return next week
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
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In this episode I speak with Tyler Howard. Tyler is a horticulturist based in NSW and is an extremely knowledgeable fella, so much so that he was awarded the AIH Horticulturist Of The Year for 2025 by the Australian Institute of Horticulture.
He's also been a recipient of the Global Footprints Scholarship where he travelled overseas to work on some of the world's best gardens, and created great contacts while there, to the point where he's travelled back to work at the Chelsea Flower Show for folks he met there previously.
Tyler works with Graham Ross on his radio show and also is part of Ross Garden Tours, so he definitely knows his stuff!
You can follow Tyler on Instagram @thoward_hort
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In this episode I speak with Amy Drought from Greencare Project. Amy works as a horticulturist at Greencare and has done for a little over 6 months.
She started her passion for the industry hanging out with her dad in their productive permaculture garden at home and has built on the passion from there, getting her certificate in horticulture, planning on getting one in Parks and Gardens and also Landscape and Garden Design.
Amy has also recently been awarded a scholarship for the global footprints award, so she'll be heading off overseas next year to experience some of the worlds best gardens.
She also recently started working at a nursery, which has the most incredible name you'll have ever heard.
You can follow Amy on Instagram @amydrought_horticulture
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In this episode I speak with Vic Jones from Smove Studio, a landscape design company based in Melbourne.
Vic previously worked for past guest Nadia from Platylobium before achieving her goal of starting a business before she turned 25, which she turned last Monday. Even though Vic only started the business in February this year, some 8 months ago, there's some great advice to learn from her about the way she's gone about it. From having other employment in case she isn't overwhelmed with work in the early days, to putting a huge amount of thought into what type of projects she wants to work on and putting systems and processes in place.
You can follow Vic on Instagram @smovestudio
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In this episode I speak with Emma Doman from Emma Doman Design. Emma is a landscape architect based in Brisbane, but works on projects all around Australia.
She started out working in the commercial area of landscape architecture, and after 17 years there, made the move to residential when she started her business, two weeks prior to her second child being born!
Emma talks about the differences between commercial and residential design, and what things she was able to bring across to her business, particularly with presenting the designs.
She'll also be designing a garden for the first time at the 2026 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
You can follow Emma on Instagram @emm_doman_design
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In this episode I speak with Tim Fogarty, one of two directors at Loci Landscapes, a design, construction and maintenance company based in Tasmania who focus solely on using Australian native plants.
Loci Landscapes existed prior to Tim joining the business, so we discuss how thie business looked when Tim joined compared to now, roughly 3-4 years later, and we also discuss what Tim was doing in the industry prior to joining Loci, which was working alongside Charlie Albone at Inspired Exteriors.
We also discuss the pros and cons of having such a niche within the business.
You can follow Tim on Instagram @loci_landscapes
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In this episode, or non-episode, I explain why there was no episode last week or this week, but that normal episodes will resume next week, barring any unexpected medical emergency
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In this episode I speak with Dylan Barker from Jade Built, a landscape construction company based in Brisbane, and unfortunately we had some technical difficulties with the Zoom camera, and it's on me the whole time. So not great if you're watching on YouTube, but the audio is 100% fine for podcast listeners.
Dylan runs a 10 person team and has worked in residential and commercial, and worked for not only last weeks guest, Paul Pritchard, but also for another past guest from a month ago, Scott Wynd at TLC.
Dylan has also been involved in the construction of Paul's latest two show gardens at MIFGS, and the yet to be aired garden Paul designed for The Block tv show.
Dylan also has some great words about things you need to do when starting your own business, and the stresses that employing staff can bring.
You can follow Dylan on Instagram @jade_built
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In this episode I speak again with Paul Pritchard from Paul Pritchard Landscape Design.
We catch up on what his experience was like winning a gold medal and best construction at this years MIFGS.
He also talks about some of the phenomenal gardens he saw in France and his thoughts on the Chelsea Flower Show.
We also talk about my upcoming garden show build next year.
You can follow Paul on Instagram @paulpritchardlandscapedesign and you can listen to his previous episodes on Episode 69 and 227
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In this episode I speak with Rob Mihailescu from The Cutting Hedge Landscaping. Rob is a qualified horticulturist and landscape designer, and got into the industry after working as a fine dining chef.
I met Rob at a Landscaping Victoria night and after a brief chat with him, knew immediately that he'd be a great guest to have on the podcast, and he shares plenty of tips and advice in this episode.
He's also got a phenomenal garden at his own house, so we talk plenty about that and it's also the garden that features heavily on his Instagram page.
You can follow Rob on Instagram @the_cutting_hedge_landscaping
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In this episode I speak with Suzanne Lefroy from Lefroy Landscape Design, a one person landscape design business based in Perth.
Suzanne has a great story about how she started in the industry, studying at Tafe.
She also has some great reasoning about why she's running the business the way she is, including the types of projects she works on.
Suzanne has a unique looking Instagram profile where she's using Grid Posts, so it's well worth checking it out @lefroylandscapedesign
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In this episode I speak with Scott Wynd from TLC Pools.
Scott is someone I've looked up to in the industry for as long as I've been aware of him, with his show garden at MIFGS in 2011 being one of my earliest memories of a garden show build. It just so happened to be a smaller version of the garden he'd designed and built at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2010, winning a Gold medal.
Scott was fortunate to start in the industry working for a company which did pools and landscaping, and then once he was qualified he started out on his own, but built relationships with other allied business owners to help them get work and appear like a bigger team, rather than individual businesses.
You can follow Scott on Instagram @tlc_pools
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In this episode I answer some questions asked via Instagram.
Regular episodes will return next week
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You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
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In this episode I speak with the Icon of our industry, Graham Ross.
It was an absolute honour to have Graham agree to come on the podcast, and while the episode goes for about 70mins, I could've spoken to him for 5 hours!
It was an absolutely fascinating chat and is one I'll listen to multiple times!
You can follow Graham on Instagram @realgrahamross
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In this episode I speak with Aaron Holman from Aaron Holman Landscape Design. Aaron has worked in design and construction during his time in the industry, and is currently in the process of studying Psychology to make a pivot and help out men with the health and wellbeing.
We discuss both his time in the industry, where we talk about the value of working for a good company (Aaron has worked for good and bad) as well as his time studying Landscape Architecture, and what it's been like for him studying psychology.
Aaron has a few tips throughout the episode how both men and women can improve themselves.
You can follow Aaron on Instagram @aaronholmanlandscapedesign and @acornerformen
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In this episode I speak with Kathleen Murphy from Kathleen Murphy Landscape Design.
Kathleen has a great story about not only working as a designer for 20 years, but also then how she pivoted to her main business now, which is Design Your Dream Garden, an online course where she teaches people how to design like she did, so that they can do their own garden or for others.
Kathleen also talks about some of the important things she discovered when designing, being the relationships with others in the industry.
You can follow Kathleen on Instagram @kmldesign_gardens
You can find out more about her online design course here, and get 20% off the regular full price using the code Joel20
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In this episode I speak with Tahlia Webster from Yergan Landscape and also My Home Harvest.
Tahlia is a horticulturist and works at Yergan Landscape as a Garden Designer and Maintenance Manager, and also has her own business, My Home Harvest, where she's doing workshops, talks and education around sustainable and organic gardening.
As well as discussing how she started in the industry, in the episode we talk about Tahlia's experience at MIFGS and also then heading to Chelsea flower show.
You can follow Tahlia on Instagram @myhomeharvest.adl and @yerganlandscape
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In this episode I speak with Jason Schulz from Yergan Landscape, a one stop company based in Adelaide doing design, construction, maintenance and pool building.
Jason talks about his involvement in the Gold medal, best in show winning garden at this years MIFGS, as well as his trip to the Chelsea Flower Show.
He has a great passion for the industry and teaching others, and mentions the importance of starting with the basics a couple of times in this chat.
You can follow Jason on Instagram @yerganlandscape
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In this episode I have the pleasure of speaking with Craig Castree, and absolutely loved it!
Craig is an edible garden expert and has a wealth of knowledge which he willingly shares, and explains in an understandable way.
He talks about his experience with the Werribee Park Heritage Orchard where they have 115 different Peach trees, more than 60 types of Cherry, and he also talks about his own 5 different apple trees at home, where he's grafted 18 different varieties of apple onto those 5 trees!
Craig has a new book out called "Soil is not a dirty word", and he talks plenty about soil in this episode, and has a great saying "Stop feeding the plants and start feeding the soil"
You can follow Craig on Instagram @craigcastree and he has a great bio, with links to everything else he's involved in, making it all easy to find.
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In this episode I speak with Attila Horgosi from Attila The Horticulturist. Attila is a gardener based just outside of Canberra and is an awesome person to talk to who is extremely passionate about the industry.
He has a great story about his pathway into the industry and then when he's talking about his own business that he started, he talks about a unique niche that he offers within his business.
Attila also talks about his own property he's had for nearly 30 years, including a fully netted orchard which is around 440m2.
You can follow Attila on Instagram @attilathehorticulturist
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In this episode I speak with BJ Wallace, from not only TBL Property Maintenance, but also host of the In To The Green podcast, and founder of the Lawn and Land Equip Expo.
BJ has a unique story about how he started in the industry, and also talks about the reasoning behind starting the Expo, which raises funds for children's charities.
He offers some advice about the best way to get the type of projects you want to work on, and also shares some ideas about how he'd like the expo to look in the future.
The Lawn and Land Equip Expo is on at the Carribean Gardens on Saturday, August 23, 2025 from 10am-3pm, followed by the networking night at the Hyatt Hotel nearby. You can head to the website at llee.com.au to get info and tickets.
You can follow BJ on his multiple Instagram pages @tblpropertymaintenance , @into_the_green_podcast , and @lawnandlandequipexpo
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In this episode I speak with Ryan and Corey Shalevski from Rycor Landscapes.
Ryan and Corey are a couple of brothers from Melbourne in business together, and working on some quality projects and building the business as they do.
They talk about how the business started, with just Ryan at the start before Corey joined, and they talk about their experiences in business, on The Block and at MIFGS.
You can follow their business on Instagram @rycorlandscapes
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In this episode I speak with Kath Meier, who along with her husband Nigel, own Virtual Landscape Design and Hunter Landscaping Design + Construction. Nigel started the business 30 years ago, with Kath joining one year in, and they've gone from doing only fencing to start, to building up Hunter Landscaping and then in the past two years, starting Virtual Landscape Design as well.
Kath shares how important her home landscaping is and also shares the various different team members working within the two businesses, including employees in Egypt, the Philippines and Bangladesh, and have sponsored employees on site from Zimbabwe, Scotland and England.
Kath has used a business coach right from the start, and she talks about how valuable that's been.
You can follow Kath on Instagram @hunterlandscapingdesign and @virtual_landscape_design
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In this episode I speak with Paul Hamilton from Insight Coaching, and formerly owner and founder of Hamilton Landscapes before handing the business over to one of his employees and starting the coaching business.
Paul talks about his experiences in Landscaping and some of the talented people he came across along the way, and touches on the moment he decided he wanted out of the business, and how he came about to be a coach.
You can follow Paul on Instagram @insight_business_coach or check out his brand new website at insightcoach.com.au
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In this episode I speak with Seam Lam from Saint Remy , a landscape design studio based in Melbourne.
Seam had a great start in the industry, studying at Burnley and then getting her first job at Eckersley Garden Architecture.
She makes some great points in this chat where she talks about the value of working with landscapers and learning from them as well.
She also talks about her experience at the recent Landscape Conference which she attended.
You can follow Seam on Instagram @saintremystudio
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In this episode I speak with Jackie Warburton from Terra Solarus. Jackie is a horticulturist, garden designer and columnist with the City News Canberra and is a super passionate person in the industry, so was a lot of fun to chat to.
She has a great story about starting out maintaining a property in the early days of her career, and now recently being employed to re-design the garden to bring it back to it's former glory.
She also has some great bits of advice in this episode about staying in your lane and doing what you do best, as well as the fact that if someone wants something that she doesn't like to provide, she's not the gardener for them.
You can follow Jackie on Instagram @jackiemwarburton
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In this episode I speak with Shaun Gerring from Pure Turf Lawns and Gardens, a lawn and garden maintenance business operated solely by Shaun in Geelong.
Shaun has looked after about 7 of the projects we've built, so I can attest to the quality of work he does, and it was great to get him on to hear where his journey started.
He talks about having to do work on Air Tasker in the early days until he had built up enough work to be more selective and start targeting the high end projects he wanted to work on.
He received some great advice from a previous employer about pushing boundaries, and continues to do that today, while importantly communicating with his clients.
You can follow Shaun on Instagram @pureturf_lawnsandgardens
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In this episode I speak with Amy Downie, a horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne.
I was excited to talk to Amy to learn about escarpment horticulture, which she's involved with, and it was as fascinating a chat as I had hoped!
She recently presented at a Botanic Gardens Conference in Singapore about escarpment horticulture, and her passion for her job is infectious, so she was a joy to speak with.
You can follow Amy on Instagram @amydownie_
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In this episode I speak with Shannon Blackbourn from Panacea Landscapes, a landscaping and maintenance business based in Canberra.
Shannon has been involved in gardens at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show the past three years, coming 1st and 3rd in the Balcony Garden competition the last two years.
Shannon talks about how she's obtained some business/accounting advice recently to make sure she's on the right track, which I think is a great thing to do being only 4 years into running the business.
We also talk about the places Shannon worked and studied prior to starting Panacea Landscapes, and a recurring theme I noticed is that Shannon still keeps in contact with many of the people she worked and studied with, which is awesome.
You can follow Shannon on Instagram @panacealandsapeservices
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In this episode I speak with Daniel Taylor from Taylor'd Waterscapes, a waterscape and landscape construction company based on the Sunshine Coast.
Daniel initially started out working for several landscape companies before starting with Patrick from Waterscapes Australia and finding his passion in aquascaping, working with him for 4-5 years and then starting Taylor'd Waterscapes.
Danie has been to the USA as part of his role as a CAC (Certified Aquascape Contractor) and also recenty spent time in Namibia working on what sounds like an insane water feature.
You can follow Daniel on Instagram @taylord_waterscapes
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In this special edition episode, I speak with 20 different people involved in designing and building the show gardens at the 2025 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
It's a great episode to listen to to get a better understanding of the special meanings and inspiration behind some of the gardens, whether attending the show or not.
0:00 - Intro
3:16 - Trent Cornish - IMG
10:28 - Rob Cooper - Distinctive Gardens
16:53 - Matt York - Ratio
24:09 - Brent Reid - Candeo
31:44 - Ben Hutchison - Ben Hutchison Landscapes
36:05 - Adam Hompas - Adam Hompas Landscapes
39:52 - Paul Pritchard - Paul Pritchard Landscape Design
44:19 - Jason Hodges - Buxus Balls of Berry
50:04 - Scott Latham - Latham Landscapes
55:51 - Aaron - Timeless Outdoors
59:25 - Kaz Krasovskis - Kaz Krasovskis Landscape Design
1:04:27 - Liam - EarthCore Landscapes
1:06:59 - Jocelyn Bennett - EarthCore Landscapes
1:10:05 - Carla Perry - Carla Perry Gardens
1:15:42 - Riley - Lonepine Landscapes
1:20:15 Grahame Rowe - Better Homes and Gardens
1:26:36 - Jake - Go Landscaping
1:29:44 - Ash Walker - Ash Walker Gardening
1:32:21 - Bayley Luutomes - Bayley Luutomes Design
1:37:46 - Mitch - Bespoke Landscapes
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In this episode I speak with Luke Smith, not only from Silverstone Gardening and the Australian Lawn and Garden Podcast, but he's also now the founder of Moqo App, an app for lawn mowing/maintenance contractors.
We talk about the origin of the app and what it does, as well as talking about what he's up to with his maintenance business, and how his business course is going, now that it's almost been out for a year.
You can follow Luke on Instagram @moqo_app , @theaustralianlawnandgardenpod and @silverstonegardening
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In this episode I speak with Remi Willems, a gardener based in regional Victoria who spent 6 years working at Paul Bangay's Stonefields.
Remi has a great story of his first gardening memory, and also has plenty of insights into the high end maintenance he's work in his whole career.
He has great plans to coach people to do the same work he does, so it'll be great to following along with his career and see it take off.
You can follow Remi on Instagram @remi_the_gardener
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In this episode I speak with Mike Andes, founder of Augusta Lawn Care.
Mike started his business early, and has grown it significantly, to now have 100+ franchises in North America, as well as one in Melbourne.
Mike is big on systems within business, and also employs P4P in them, which is Pay for performance, where the employees receive a profit share based on performance.
Mike also talks about the CoPilot CRM he uses for the business, and we also briefly touch on the future of robotic mowers.
You can follow Mike on Instagram @themikeandes
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In this episode I speak with Rob Cooper from Distinctive Gardens. Rob is a landscape designer based in South Australia, and only recently stopped doing construction within his business.
He's heading a South Australian team, alongside Yergan Landscape and Desert Flower Landscapes, to design and build a garden at this years MIFGS, so we talk plenty about that.
We also talk about Rob's process of communicating with contractors who are going to build his projects so that both they, and the client win.
You can follow Rob on Instagram @distinctivegardens_landscaping
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In this episode I answer some questions asked via Instagram.
It's the shortest episode I've ever done, but we'll be back to regular episodes next week.
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In this episode I speak with two past guests in Paul Pritchard of Paul Pritchard Landscape Design (ep 69) and Adam Hompas from Adam Hompas Landscapes (ep 66).
Paul and Adam are both based in Melbourne, and since being on the podcast in Spring of 2022, they've teamed up to design and build 2 show gardens in the Boutique Garden category at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, and are going back again this year to tackle a large show garden, so we talk about their plans for that, as well as what they've learnt from the two they've built.
I also ask them both about how their businesses have been since being on the podcast, and follow up with them on questions answered in previous episodes.
You can find Paul on Instagram @paulpritchardlandscapedesign and you can find Adam @adamhompaslandscapes
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I answer some questions asked via Instagram.
I also make a major announcement towards the end of the episode!
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Bridget Doyle from Bridget Doyle Landscape Design. Bridget is based in Northern Victoria, but was originally from the NSW Riverina so does a lot of work there, but works all around the neighbouring states.
Bridget started out working for companies that design not only residential gardens, but also commercial ones including early learning centres and aged care facilities, so she had a varied start which she also now does within her business.
She talks about the challenges of working in a home office and the isolation of being a solo designer.
Bridget also talks about her own garden and how she selects plants which don't need any irrigation other than rainfall.
You can follow Bridget on Instagram @bd_landscapedesign
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I answer some questions asked via Instagram.
There were so many that there'll be another Q and A episode next week.
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode, I use a program from Google called NotebookLM to make a podcast reviewing episodes which I uploaded from the previous 10 episodes.
AI technology is phenomenal, but also has its flaws. The hosts (which are AI and don't actually exist) don't even mention three or four of the episodes I uploaded, even thought they seem to run out of content and repeat some of the same things four times.
I did have a good laugh around 90 seconds in when they mention, without any prompting by me, a famous landscape designer!
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In this episode I speak with Brendan Eccleston from Brisbane Landscaping Co, a design and construction company based in Brisbane.
Brendan had a great variety of experience prior to starting his business, which included owning a franchise for a lawn maintenance business, where he didn't make as much money as he'd have liked, but did learn a lot for his future businesses, one of which included a short lived partnership with a mate.
Brendan also discusses his back injury, and how he's able to take a positive out of a bad situation.
You can follow Brendan on Instagram @brisbanelandscapingco
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Andrew Christopher Dunne, and garden designer from Ireland who also has a mentorship/course called The Garden Design Mentor, which he created after getting great feedback on the advice he was offering on Instagram.
In this episode he talks about how most people learn by doing, and the importance of putting yourself in your client's shoes, understanding their problems and doing more listening than talking.
I also took away some advice from Andrew, particularly about dressing appropriately for design appointments, and going dressed as a garden designer, not as a landscaper.
You can follow Andrew on Instagram @thegardendesignmentor
You can find out more information about his course at thegardendesignmentor.com
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Daniel O'Callaghan from Nature Build, a landscaping and water feature business based in Bendigo, Victoria.
Daniel started out working in heavy timber construction, so does some beautiful timber work, and he also developed a lot of other skills from working around other skilled tradesmen.
He discovered water features, so headed off to the US to learn from the best, and has honed his craft since.
He talks about his experience of growing his business year on year before realising it wasn't what he wanted.
And he has a great story about how he marketed the first water feature he built.
You can follow Daniel on Instagram @naturebuild_insta
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Emma Sage from Sage Journal, an online magazine for the garden industry, sharing stunning projects, education, gardening tips and how to's, recipes and everything else you'd expect to find in a gardening magazine.
Emma is based in Hawkes Bay in New Zealand and originally studied commercial law and marketing and has used her marketing knowledge to build the audience of the magazine.
She makes some great points in this episode, such as the importance of building a great team. She's teamed up with some great writers and photographers and the results show in the work produced.
You can follow Emma on Instagram @sage.journal
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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In this episode I speak with Christian Douglas from Christian Douglas Design as well as The Back Yard Farm Company.
Christian started out in the UK, studying design and having a business partnership which also designed gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show, before leaving this business and moving to California and starting the current businesses.
He discovered a passion for permaculture, and started implementing some principles of it into the garden he and his team design, and has recently launched a book called The Food Forward Garden where he not only shows projects they've designed using these principles, but also gives advice about how everyone can do it.
You can follow Christian on Instagram @christian_douglas_design or @thebackyardfarmco
You can head to his website to learn more about and buy his book
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Colleen Southwell from The Garden Curator. Colleen is a landscape designer and artist based in Orange, NSW.
Colleen mentions that her artwork has taken over more of her time recently, and I was fascinated with how beautiful and unique her paper sculptures were, so we talk plenty about that and her piece which was sent to New York.
Colleen also does garden design workshops and she talks about how she teaches people how to come up with their own design style rather than copying another designer.
You can follow Colleen on Instagram @thegardencurator
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Andrea Proctor of Andrea Proctor Landscapes, a design firm located in Melbourne.
Andrea has an awesome story about how she got started in the industry and the importance of being proactive and persistent.
She worked for Andrew Laidlaw for ten years after working with John Patrick for 5, and she has since worked on around 20 Botanic gardens and went out on her own in 2020.
You can follow Andrea on Instagram @andreaproctorlandscapes
In the episode I did with Jim Fogarty, we discussed a Landscape Design course we're both a part of, and in some exciting news, there's a Landscaping Podcast discount code for the course!
Use the coupon code: LANDSCAPINGPODCAST when paying in full and you'll save $400! You can head to ulleo.com/landscapingto see the talented people involved in the course, as well as to sign up or see the other courses they offer.
You can follow Ulleo on Instagram @ulleo
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with the World Famous Ashley James from Ashley James Gardens.
Ash was a guest on episode 13 where he spoke about his path into the industry, so I thought it was a great time to get him back on the podcast 3+ years later to see what he's been up to.
We talk about his work writing for Home Beautiful magazine, his partnership with a real estate agency and the launch of his curated seed range with Meadow Flowers Australia.
We also talk about Cass Hooke's garden event which we'll both be attending.
You can find a link to the Garden Event raffle I speak about here, which raises money for kids cancer charity Country Hope
You can follow Ash on Instagram @ashley_james_gardens
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Andy Murray from Andy Murray Landscape Design, a landscape design business based in Melbourne.
Andy had a unique path into the industry, starting out in childcare before studying permaculture design, studying further at Burnley and then working in horticulture for a couple of people. He then started a business partnership with one of those people he was working for and had the business for 12 years before going out on his own.
Andy also had a love of music from an early age and he talks about the similarities of how a bad singer can ruin a well written song, compared to a bad landscaper can ruin a well designed garden.
We also discuss the challenges of designing to a clients budget and the best ways to go about that.
You can follow Andy on Instagram @andymurraylandscapedesign
In the episode I did with Jim Fogarty, we discussed a Landscape Design course we're both a part of, and in some exciting news, there's a Landscaping Podcast discount code for the course!
Use the coupon code: LANDSCAPINGPODCAST when paying in full and you'll save $400! You can head to ulleo.com/landscapingto see the talented people involved in the course, as well as to sign up or see the other courses they offer.
You can follow Ulleo on Instagram @ulleo
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Elissa Astorino of Elissa Astorino Garden Design. Elissa is based in Canada and currently a student, but graduating this month.
She came out to Australia in March to help Peter Donegan with his MIFGS garden as well as designing and building her own garden in the Border Gardens competition.
She has a great attitude towards learning, which is what has lead to her being in Australia and not only working at MIFGS, but also developing working relationships with Yards Landscapes and Semken Landscaping to the point that she's worked/working for them for a 3 month placement.
I'm looking forward to following along with Elissa on her career in design.
You can follow her on Instagram @elissa_astorino
In the episode I did with Jim Fogarty, we discussed a Landscape Design course we're both a part of, and in some exciting news, there's a Landscaping Podcast discount code for the course!
Use the coupon code: LANDSCAPINGPODCAST when paying in full and you'll save $400! You can head to ulleo.com/landscapingto see the talented people involved in the course, as well as to sign up or see the other courses they offer.
You can follow Ulleo on Instagram @ulleo
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Jim Fogarty from Jim Fogarty Design, a landscape design company based in Melbourne.
Jim has probably done more garden shows than any other Australian designer, winning more than 30 awards, including 16 Gold Medals including a Gold at both Chelsea and Hampton Court Flower Shows.
Jim was also a student at Burnley, which has produced an incredible amount of talented people within the industry.
He also does garden tours to Japan twice a year with ASA.
Something Jim and I have in common is that we're both part of a new Landscape and Garden Design course run by Ulleo, along with some of the best designers in the country! I talk briefly about the course in the intro of the episode, and again with Jim around the 30+ minute mark.
In some exciting news, there's a Landscaping Podcast discount code for the course!
Use the coupon code: LANDSCAPINGPODCAST when paying in full and you'll save $400! You can head to ulleo.com/landscapingto see the talented people involved in the course, as well as to sign up or see the other courses they offer.
You can follow Ulleo on Instagram @ulleo
You can follow Jim on Instagram @jimfogartydesign
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Josh Norman from Josh Norman Landscapes, a landscape design and construction company based in Melbourne.
Josh has a great story about how he started out, firstly with his old man who was a bricklayer, but then he worked at multiple places including travelling to Darwin, Perth and the UK for work, before coming back to Melbourne and working for a couple of high end companies prior to starting his business.
Josh also has a great story about how he started getting work for his business, by being proactive and contacting designers to get work, and then building on those relationships from there.
You can follow Josh on Instagram @joshnormanlandscapes
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with the former owner of InStyle Gardens, Jack Bath.
Jack is currently a project manager at Landscape Solutions based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.
It was fascinating chatting to Jack and hearing about his transition from business owner to employee and going from residential to commercial, as well as hearing about the pros and cons of having a business in two different states at the same time.
I also loved him recalling a quote from Bruce Winstanley that the only time you make money on a project, is when you quote it.
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Chris Hose from Chartwell Nurseries, a wholesale nursery based just outside of Geelong in Bannockburn.
I absolutely loved chatting with Chris, not only because he's a plant nerd, but also because he's one of the nicest people in the industry.
He's got a great story about his early life in the industry where he was working at a nursery while still at school, but decided to do extra plant study so that he'd have answers to questions when people asked him.
Chris was one of the major supporters for our 2023 MIFGS garden and it was exciting to hear that he's teaming up with another designer for next year, and he spoke about how beneficial it is having this much notice, so he can grow things on and have options.
You can follow Chris on Instagram @chartwell_nurseries
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I answer some questions asked via Instagram.
Normal interviews will resume next week.
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Hayden from Vereya Gardening, a garden maintenance business mased in the Dandenong Ranges in Melbourne.
Hayden has a great story about one of his first projects, working for someone who decided to post an ad for a gardener at the music college Hayden was studying at.
He recently went to various gardens overseas for 7 weeks, so he talks about the challenges of running his business remotely for that period of time as well as the planning he put in place prior to leaving.
He also has a great localised business model which he shares as well.
You can follow Hayden on Instagram @vereyagardening
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Mia Bueskens from Terravita Horticulture, a garden maintenance and installation company based in Melbourne and around Daylesford, where Mia grew up.
She had a great start to the industry with multiple family members part of the industry, and she talks about how influential some workmates and employers were during her development prior to starting her own business, including where she worked for Lucas House and Garden and Jane Jones Landscapes.
Mia also has a great message about the importance of charging professionally for a professional service.
You can follow Mia on Instagram @terravita.horticulture
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Gareth Wilson from GK Wilson. Gareth is a highly decorated and respected landscaper in the UK and has built at least 30 show gardens, including multiple ones at Chelsea, and has won 11 gold medals as well as best in shows, best in category and best construction.
Gareth is also an author, consultant, lecturer and awards judge, among other titles, so despite stepping back form landscaping, he's still just as busy.
We talk about the importance of working as a team between landscapers and designers, and Gareth also explains why saying No can be one of the hardest things to master in landscaping.
You can follow Gareth on Instagram @northern_landscaper_gareth_
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Ashley O'Sullivan from InDepth Landscape Construction, a company based in Canberra. Ash is the operations manager there and has been for 3 months.
Prior to moving to InDepth, Ashley originally worked for his father's business for 10 years and then worked in commercial landscaping for 8-9 years, so we talk about the pros and cons to both and how one can help the other.
You can follow InDepth on Instagram @indepth_landscape_construction
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Suzannah Kennett Lister from SKL Gardens, a landscape design business based in Melbourne.
Suzannah originally started her working life in the Theatre space before studying landscape design when COVID closed down the arts world. Her mother is a successful landscape designer in South Australia, so Suzannah grew up around the industry, and she also works on projects with her mum as well as her Melbourne projects.
I worked with Suzannah on the Wurundjeri Biik garden at this years MIFGS, so we discuss the origin and story behind that, as well as how amazing the plants were and the challenges of obtaining such a variety of indigenous stock in retail nurseries.
You can follow Suzannah on Instagram @skl_gardens
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Sean Dowling from Bayon Gardens, a design and construction company based on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne.
Sean has not only a unique story about the path he took to start in the industry at 27, but also about how he came up with the name Bayon Gardens.
He also shares the different way he started the business, with 4-5 employees including zero apprentices to start off with.
Sean also shares his story about the Japanese Garden Show build he did with Ross Uebergang where they took out a Silver medal.
You can follow Sean on Instagram @bayongardens
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Chloe Foster from Foster Your Garden.
Chloe is a horticulturist, writer, educator, designer and host of the 3CR Garden Show.
She started in the industry straight out of school, working at PGA nurseries while studying, and talks about the benefits she's experienced from being involved with volunteer work within the industry and how it's benefited her as well.
As well as getting a dream role at the Australian Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne, Chloe also worked at the Melbourne Zoo, and I found it absolutely fascinating hearing about the amount of horticultural work involved in keeping the zoo running.
You can follow Chloe on Instagram @fosteryourgarden
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode, the 200th of The Landscaping Podcast, I speak with the first guest and inspiration behind starting the podcast 3+ years ago, Grahame Rowe from Better Homes and Gardens.
Grahame talks about the amount of thought and work that goes into a segment on BHG Tv, which blows me away to think about, and he also talks about the 2 year break he had from working in the green industry where he went and worked in Real Estate, and why he did that.
There's some great lessons to take away and laughs to be had from this chat with Grahame.
You can follow him on Instagram @grahame.rowe
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Zac Connell from Evergreen Gardens and Landscape Solutions, a landscape construction company based in Benalla in regional Victoria.
Zac had a great start in the industry, starting at a nursery before starting his own business doing garden maintenance and then moving more towards construction and dabbling in design.
We talk about the challenges of working in regional areas along with the positives, and Zac shares some of the ways he goes about training his staff.
Zac is setting himself a challenge of posting on Instagram every day in July, starting on the day this episode is released!
You can get FREE tickets to the Australian Lawn and Garden Podcast Live Event here
You can find Zac on Instagram @evergreenglsolutions
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Ash Walker from Ash Walker Gardening. Ash is a horticulturist, plantsman, designer, writer and traveller and we talk plenty about his amazing travels in this episode.
Ash was a recipient of the Global Footprints Garden Scholarship which allowed him to travel to England and France in 2022 working at the Chelsea Flower Show for Kate Gould as well as at Monet's Garden in France, among other experiences.
Ash is a great example of getting opportunities and not taking them for granted, but maximising the potential in these opportunities. He's made great contacts while travelling and will be heading back over to London to work for Kate Gould in the coming months, Visa pending.
I'll be looking forward to following Ash on his gardening journey around the world and learning plenty from him along the way.
You can follow Ash on Instagram @ashwalkergardening and you can find the webinar he did for the Hort Media Association here
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Cass Hooke from Outback Gardens. Cass is a garden consultant and writer, writing for Graziher magazine.
Cass started out in the industry while she was at school working for Robert Boyle before studying in Botany, working in veggie production nurseries and working in conservation for threatened species.
Cass is holding a garden event at her property in October 2024 with guest speakers and workshops and a tour of her garden. Details are on a pinned post on her Instagram page.
Cass also did a podcast for Graziher which was a great listen, and you can find it here for to listen on Spotify and listen here for apple music
You can find Cass on Instagram @outbackgardens
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Luke Smith from The Australian Lawn and Garden Podcast about an exciting trip he's about to take where he's travelling around parts of Australia hosting events and live podcasts in various cities.
Luke was a guest on episode 144 talking about how he started in the industry, but this episode is more focused on his trip, while also including some business tips as well.
He'll be celebrating episode 100 of his podcast in Perth with an event on June 11 and then kicks off his tour in
Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on July 2
Melbourne on July 9
Canberra on July 13
Sydney on July 16 or 17
Hunter Valley on July 27
Brisbane on a date to be confirmed but in August.
You can get tickets to the podcast tour here
You can follow Luke on Instagram @theaustralianlawnandgardenpod
And you can sign up to Luke's course on how to build a successful Lawn and Garden business here
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Patrick Handley from Waterscapes Australia. Patrick also started Aquascapes Australia, where he began importing the Aquascape Inc products from the US to use on his projects and sell to others, after he first used them while working in Canada.
Patrick is the first person to win the Aquascape Artist of the Year outside of North America and also travelled over to the US to help build a pond for Shaq! Unfortunately there were so many other fascinating subjects to talk about, I didn't even get to asking Patrick about these two experiences!
You can follow Patrick on Instagram @waterscapesaustralia
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Ross Uebergang from Ross Uebergang Landscape.
Ross is a designer and educator and is a joy to chat to! His episode is the perfect blend of education and entertainment I'm always looking for, and there are a couple of moments where he clicks into teacher mode, in between telling some amazing stories of his time travelling the world.
Ross has a great message in the last 5 minutes, so if you don't listen to the whole episode, I encourage you to at the very least listen to that.
You can follow Ross on Instagram @ross_uebergang_landscape , although he's not all that active on there!
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Ben French from Yards Landscapes, a landscape design, construction and maintenance business based in Brisbane.
Ben started early in the industry, working at a landscape supply yard while still at school, and then trialled different roles within landscaping to work out which ones he liked best.
Yards was originally solely design and construction, but maintenance gradually took over and is now the majority of the business.
Ben and a few of his team were in Melbourne recently helping Peter Donegan build his 2024 MIFGS garden, so we discussed what that experience was like, and Ben also talks about the benefits of working for successful people and how much can be learnt from them, regardless of what industry they're in.
You can follow Ben on Instagram @yardslandscapes
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with fellow podcast Garry Ashton from Aussie Lawnstars.
Aside from his podcast which has been running for about 2.5 years, Garry also has a lawn and maintenance business based in Newcastle.
In the episode we discuss both business advice as well as some life advice along the way, talking about how Garry learnt the hard way as to what he should be charging for an employee. And we talk about how the way you look at life, is often how you experience it.
You can follow Garry on Instagram @aussielawnstars
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Daniel Fuller from the Plants Grow Here Podcast.
Daniel is more than 200 episodes into his podcast and it is a wealth of knowledge for the horticulture world.
He has some extremely interesting and knowledgeable guests on, and is also very knowledgeable himself, so it makes for some fascinating conversations, from which I've learnt a lot!
Daniel talks about how great it can be when the different arms of the green industry can share their knowledge and experiences, and he also talks about the importance and benefits of getting out of your comfort zone and going to industry events to network, and how it gets easier each time.
You can follow Daniel on Instagram @plantsgrowherepodcast
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Dougie Elliot from Rock Solid Stone and Landscaping and also Rock Solid Health. Rock Solid Stone and Landscaping is his stonemasonry and landscaping business, while Rock Solid Health is where he's a holistic health coach.
Dougie started out in Castlemaine working for the local council in the botanic gardens, among other areas before working for his dad for 4 years learning stonemasonry, and then moving to Geelong with his wife to start working for himself during Covid.
His holistic health views are quite eye opening for uneducated folks like myself, and while not everyone will agree with everything he says, one thing that can't be argued is that poor diet is the common denominator to many health issues, both mental and physical. And if there is something he says that you don't agree with, I'd encourage you to listen to the whole episode, as he has some great points to make and great bits of advice.
You can follow Dougie on Instagram @_rocksolidhealth and @rocksolidstoneandlandscaping
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I've done another Q and A episode via questions asked on Instagram, purely because I wasn't organised to have a guest for this week!
I answer questions such as:
When is The Landscaping Course going to be released?
Do you have a clause in your quotes for under ground rock, extra fill etc.
Would you buy a mini excavator or mini loader first?
What's your current take on the current state of the landscaping/construction industry?
If you're wanting to sign up to be on the mailing list for The Landscaping School, you can find the link here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Tammy Huynh from Leaf An Impression. Tammy is a Horticulturist, Writer and also a presenter on Gardening Australia.
She started studying Horticultural Science at Sydney Uni before getting a role working on the Better Homes and Gardens Magazine team.
She was awarded Horticulturist of the year in 2021 by the Australian Institute of Horticulture, and also appeared on an episode of Gardening Australia creating a terrarium and kokedama before eventually being offered a presenting role.
You can follow Tammy on Instagram @leaf_an_impression
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Rob Waddell from Waddell Design, a landscape design and construction company based in Melbourne, Geelong and Byron Bay.
This episode also sees the reintroduction of the old intro music for one episode only, as specially requested by Rob!
Rob speaks about the reasons and challenges behind opening up separate arms of this business in different towns.
He's also designed and built 4 show gardens at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and talks about those experiences and how it changes from when you start, doing it all by yourself, compared to doing one with multiple employees working on it.
Rob is a true entrepreneur and has also created his own App, which isn't quite complete yet, and is also in the process of setting up his business to be able to be franchised, and he talks about the process of both.
You can follow Rob on Instagram @waddell_design @waddell_design_geelong or @gold_coast_landscape_design
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Brent Phipps from Byron Bay Ranga, a landscape design, construction and maintenance business located in Byron Bay.
It's an extremely enjoyable chat with Brent, with a great combination of education (Brent has been in business 11 years) and entertainment.
Brent had a great starting point in the industry, work for Mike Cass Creative prior to moving to Byron Bay, and he speaks about how he built relationships within the community which then fed him work when he needed it.
Brent also talks about the value he's found from employing a couple of business mentors/advisors and the need to pay for advice if you're looking to scale your business.
You can follow Brent on Instagram @byronbayranga
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Andrew Fisher Tomlin from The London College Of Garden Design. Andrew was a co-founder of the College and is an extremely enjoyable person to talk to!
He wasn't sure what he wanted to do when he started in the industry, so tried everything, from horticulture, to design, to construction.
Andrew was the chair for selection of gardens to the Chelsea Fower Show and also was involved in judging for about 8 years.
Andrews shares plenty of advice in this chat, including how two gardens he's done which won best in show at their shows, were also the two lowest budgets. So he believes the creativity is improved on with a low budget.
You can follow Andrew on Instagram @fishertomlin
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this special edition episode, I speak with 26 different people involved in the 2024 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. There's designers, builders, students and an organiser.
The chats were held on the Saturday during construction before the show opens on Wednesday the 20th of March
0:00 Intro
0:52 Grahame Rowe - Challenger Garden with Charlie Albone
4:19 Suzannah Kennett Lister - Wurundjeri Biik Garden with Andrew Laidlaw
8:44 Annika Zetterman - New Nordic Notes with Kajsa Bjorne
13:51 Andrew Hopkins - Hopkins Constructions for Landart Landscapes
19:10 Dan Foreman - Jack of all trades
20:56 Liam Riley - ID Landscaping
25:05 Emmaline Bowman - STEM Landscape Architecture
28:14 Nadia Cole - Platylobium
31:26 Matt James - Atlas Concrete and Landscapes
33:50 Phil Withers - PWLD
37:48 Riley Cooper - Gratus Garden
39:53 Shaun Mann - Bays Edge Landscapes Gratus Garden
43:13 Cam Hainsworth - ABCAM Horticulture - Gratus Garden
45:54 Paul Pritchard - Paul Pritchard Landscapes
48:59 Adam Hompas - Adam Hompas Landscapes
51:12 Paul Smith - Paul Alexander Landscape
54:32 Daniel Althaus - Althaus Landscape Designs
57:56 Eugene Klay - Klaycon Landscape Construction
1:00:55 Craig McLachlan - Smart Landscapes
1:03:58 Sam Collie - Esjay Landscapes
1:08:59 Elissa Astorino - Canadian Student
1:11:58 Trent Cornish - IMG
1:17:01 Sarah McLauchlan - Sarah McLauchlan Gardens for Open Gardens Victoria
1:19:03 Peter Donegan - Peter Donegan Garden Design
1:24:53 Ben French - Yards Landscapes
1:27:02 Nicole Semken - Semken Landscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Peter Donegan about the story behind his upcoming Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show design.
It's supported by the Defence Force Welfare Association and I loved the story behind it so wanted as many people to hear it as possible.
Doing this episode made me realise it'd be great to hear from as many people as possible from the garden show about their design inspiration, so the next episode of the podcast will be short 5 minute interviews with as many designers/builders as I can get to come on.
You can follow Peter on Instagram @peterdonegan
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Chris England from Merrywood Plants.
Merrywood plants is a nursery specialising in espaliered plants and after espaliering was a hobby for Chris for 5-10 years, he then started Merrywood 25 years ago.
Chris mentions how, at two of his early nursery employers, he was taught the importance of knowing how to speak to people, and the importance of good people.
We also talk about how underrated I think espalier plants are and their various uses in a garden setting.
You can follow Chris on Instagram @merrywood_plants
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Keith Edwards of Keith Edwards Landscape Consultant. Keith has been in the industry more than 40 years so is a wealth of knowledge, and has a passion for the industry to match.
He has a great path to begin in the industry, where he learnt design, but then wanted to understand how a design would all fit together, so worked in grounds maintenance, turf research, landscape construction and irrigation and then went on to work for the Diggers Club before now working for himself once again.
Keith specifies some unique additives for plant health in his designs, so we discuss them, as well as the value of building a network of good, reliable people around you.
Keith is co host of his own podcast, Muddy Boots, and you can follow him on Instagram @ke_landscape_consultant or email him at keithmaxed@outlook.com
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Simon Rosa from Simon Rosa Landscaping, a landscape design, construction and maintenance business based in Bendigo.
Simon has been running the business for around 20 years so has plenty of experience, starting out as a two man show to now having around 15 employees and working on the best gardens in Bendigo.
In this chat Simon talks about his positive experience during his apprenticeship schooling at Holmsglen. He also talks about the importance of working on your business, not just in it like a lot of landscapers do.
You can follow Simon on Instagram @simonrosalandscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Chloe Thomson from Bean There Dug That and also Sprout School.
Chloe is an educator with her course teaching all things gardening with Sprout School, but she also wears many other hats in the horticulture industry from being an MC/speaker, to presenter/producer among other roles.
She has a great story about building good relationships with employers even when leaving.
And her tv presenting and producing experience has given her plenty of tips about the best way to plan and film content, so she shares some tips in this chat which are quite helpful.
Her Autumn intake for Sprout School closes on Feb 20, 2024 and you can use the discount code Joel50 to save $50, but if you miss out because this episode is released two days before then, she might also honour that code for the spring intake.
You can follow Chloe on Instagram @beantheredugthat
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Nick Bransgrove from Lawns In Good Nick. Nick started his social media account a couple of years ago after renovating his home lawn and realising how much he enjoyed it, and wanted to provide tips to other folks on how they could do the same.
He's since built the instagram page to 100k followers and recently started a YouTube and TikTok account as well.
He's also recently launched a renovation guide to provide more in depth information on how homeowners can achieve a beautiful lawn, with different options available for different levels of commitment.
You can follow Nick on Instagram @lawnsingoodnick
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Bec Bennett.
Bec is another lucky person who knew what industry she wanted to work in from an early age, taking trips to the local nursery before starting work there as soon as she was able to.
She went on to start her own business and talks about the challenges of knowing your worth when charging for landscape design.
Bec is the president of Encouraging Women In Horticulture and also teaches at Chisolm Tafe
You can follow Bec on Instagram @annan_homestead
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Matt Ferguson from Ferguson Landscape and Design, a landscape construction company based in Melbourne.
Matt has only been in business a short time, having started the business in January 2020, but he's doing a lot of things right early. He employed a business coach in the first few months and we talk about the benefits this has brought.
Matt also talks about how he worked for his last employer as a subbie when he started his business, to fill in any gaps he had, which is a great way to start out.
He also talks about getting plenty of work in a new estate where a client praised him on a Facebook group for the estate, and how this lead to many new projects.
You can follow Matt on Instagram @fergusonlandscapedesign
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Stacey Swetnam from Legacy Gardens, a landscape construction company based in Sydney. Stacey currently works at Harrison's Landscaping where she began and completed her apprenticeship and will commit fulltime to Legacy Gardens in the coming years.
I first became aware of Stacey through her podcast "Tradie Lady Talk" where she spoke with women in the construction industry. There's just three episodes so far, but they're a great listen for people in the construction industry.
In this chat Stacey talks about the value of having sub contractors on site and learning from these specialists in their field. And she also talks about ho challenging it as to get started in landscape construction, particularly on a first year apprentice age, but how she did whatever it took, including working three jobs at once, so that she could work in a job she enjoyed.
You can follow Stacey on Instagram @landscaper.stacey or @legacygardens.syd and you can see where she learnt he trade @harrisonslandscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Michael McCoy from Michael McCoy Gardens. Michael is a garden design, writer and was the host of the TV show Dream Gardens. Michael is an extremely enjoyable person to talk to and he's got some amazing stories about how he ended up spending 4.5 months at Great Dixter, as well as the story about how he ended up hosting Dream Gardens.
Michael also talks about the importance of designing a garden to meet the maintenance possibilities of the client it's for.
He also talks about the garden tours he offers in New Zealand.
You can follow Michael on Instagram @michaelmccoygardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode, the final for 2023, I speak with Lucy Willcox from Lucy Willcox Garden Design. Lucy is a solo landscape designer based in London and has won several design awards in her time in the industry.
Lucy didn't start out in the industry but realised she had a passion for it, so jumped in and that passion has only increased since!
I first discovered Lucy after seeing her home garden on Instagram and I assumed it was an Australian garden based off the plant selections and hardscaping, but obviously it wasn't, so we discuss Lucy's design inspiration as well.
You can follow Lucy on Instagram @lucywillcox and follow her house reno @our60srevamp
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Scott Latham from Latham Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Geelong.
Scott has only been running the business for a couple of years, but worked for some high quality companies prior to that, so we discuss that experience, as well as the pros and cons of having equipment, such as an Excavator called Bessie, and a tracked dumper called Wendy!
Scott also instigated a Geelong landscapers catch up earlier this year, so we discuss the reason behind this as well as what he took away from it.
You can follow Scott on Instagram @lathamlandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode, I read out a collection of "Crazy client stories" that listeners sent in.
There's a story about a cigarette smoking client, a client who baked Olive bread, an alcoholic client, and that's all in the one story!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Ben Scott from Ben Scott Garden Design, a Landscape design company based in Melbourne.
Ben is one of my favourite designers and has a pretty cool story about how he started in the industry, working for Julian McCarthy Landscapes and working on Paul Bangay's garden at Woodend, before eventually working for Paul in design.
Ben also talks about how he uses photoshop in his design presentations rather than 3D, and also speaks of the importance of communicating with those building and maintaining the gardens he designs so that they achieve what he creates.
You can follow Ben on Instagram @benscott_design
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, the final of the Instagram Live episodes, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on November 26, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
How have you gone re-homing your MIFGS plants?
How much detail do you give in your quotes?
What are your thoughts on companies liquidating and then re-entering the same industry?
Is it too early to start putting Christmas messages in your email signature?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Andy Watkins from Leaf By Leaf, a garden maintenance company based in Melbourne.
Andy runs a team of four and started out studying visual arts, and still uses the same design principals he learnt, today.
Andy has a great outlook on his business, treating his clients more like a friend than just another paying client. To Andy, "It's not just gardening" that he does for his clients.
We also discuss the pros and cons of petrol powered equipment versus battery powered.
You can follow Andy on Instagram @leafbyleaf
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on November 19, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What are your 3 favourite podcasts related to the landscaping industry?
As a construction company, how much detail do you want in a design?
Do you qualify clients before looking at projects?
What number am I thinking of?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Steph Walton from Studio Es Design and Co, a landscape design company based in Adelaide.
I was keen to get Steph on to talk to her about the way she's advertising her business, even though she's only been operating 12 months.
She talks about the use of 3D designs to not only show her clients the potential of her design, but also to provide social media content. And we also talk about the systems and processes she's putting in place in her business before she's even got an employee, so that when she does have an employee, they can hit the ground running.
You can follow Steph on Instagram @studioesdesignandco
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on November 12, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What are your business values and why?
Do 3D renders create an unachievable expectation?
Is work drying up around Geelong?
How do you get around rain days?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Bryce Hillig from Local Green Bean, a garden maintenance company based in New South Wales.
Bryce is also studying Landscape Design, and recently had to defer his studies after he was awarded an internship to work in France at Monet's Garden, where he worked for 8 weeks, so we talk plenty about that expereince.
Bryce is also looking to build his relationships within the industry, particularly with designers as he looks to increase his design knowledge. A great way to go about it.
You can follow Bryce on Instagram @local_green_bean
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on November 5, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What advice would you give to yourself when you were starting out?
How's your front yard coming along?
Is it unprofessional to ask for cash on some smaller jobs?
Have you ever ruined a client's Christmas by not having their garden ready?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Grant Boyle from Fig Landscapes, a landscape design, construction and maintenance company based in Byron Bay.
Grant shares his story about how, prior to starting Fig landscapes, he worked as a bricklayer and also had a partnership with another landscaping business.
He talks about the benefits of building from the ground up when it comes to employing staff, and also talks through his process of how he started getting more of the types of projects he wanted to work on in the early days.
You can follow Grant on Instagram @fig_landscapes and you can find more info on his book at guidetobettergardens.com.au
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 29, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
As a Landscaping Victoria judge, do you feel you learnt anything that will benefit InStyle?
What's your favourite plant?
What's something you've learnt from your inhouse designer?
Do you think Garden Design is a growing industry?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, where I speak with Jack Hanley of CHF Landscapes, is a little different to the previous 159 episodes. While Jack is a landscaper, and we do start off talking about his landscaping career, he's also currently in the midst of running 50km every day for 50 days, while still working as a landscaper Monday-Friday for his employer New Era Turf and Landscapes! Jack is doing this incredible feat to raise money for a mental health and wellness program run out of his football club at DeLa Selle, so we talk about how it all came about and what other ridiculous feats he's been up to, including a 100km run earlier this year.
You can donate to Jack's efforts via this Go Fund Me page and send him a message on Instagram if you'd like to get one of his shirts, or if you'd like to join him for part of one of the 50km days, which he's doing from now until December 3, 2023.
You can follow Jack on Instagram @the_crazy_running_man or @chf_landscapes
You can listen to Jack's two episodes on The Humble Climb podcast Here and Here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 22, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
Is there value in seeking Google Reviews from clients in the early days of a landscaping business?
What's your favourite 'day' on a project?
Do you back cost your jobs?
Have you ever turned a project away because it was too big for your team?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Nick Rickard from Sheoak Design. Nick runs a business based on the Mornington Peninsula where he does not only Landscape Design, but is also starting to do regenerative garden maintenance.
Nick talks about how he likes to incorporate biodiversity seamlessly into his designs rather than making them stand out, and he talks about his passion for improving soil quality and be proactive about good soil rather than reactive after a build has started.
Nick is also the co host of The Australian Garden Podcast
You can follow Nick on Instagram @sheoakdesign
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 15, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What contributes most to building business credibility/reputation?
hat upgrade of vehicle/machine was most vital in the growth of your business?
How often do you communicate with a designer while building their garden?
Would you fight Jake Paul?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Nadia Cole from Platylobium Landscape Design, and landscape design company based in Melbourne.
Nadia has a great story about how she started in the industry and the value of patience in getting to where you want to go. While always wanting to have her own business, she didn't start Platylobium until she'd worked elsewhere for 14 years. A great example of not needing to start your own business as soon as you've finished studying.
Nadia won a Silver Gilt at this years MIFGS and will be heading back again next year with the same team she worked with this year.
You can follow Nadia on Instagram @platylobium
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 8, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What's the best quoting software?
What's the most recent thing you YouTube'd to work out how to do it?
Have you seen a downturn in the industry as predicted?
Do you have multiple design packages you offer?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Steve Rooney from Living Edge Construction, a landscape construction company based in Bendigo, Victoria.
Steve has a fascinating story about his journey in landscaping, having previously been a part of two partnerships with the business and now running it on his own.
One of the keys to Steve's success in business has been using business coaches, and he talks about the benefits of that in this chat.
Steve also talks about the fact that he studied Horticulture and Landscape Design while he had the business going, not necessarily to do more horticulture or design, but just because he wanted to increase his knowledge.
You can follow Steve on Instagram @livingedgeconstruction
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on October 1, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
How do you mitigate price rises when quoting a project a long way out?
What's your choice of spirit level brand?
What are the main threats to the ongoing success of a profitable sole trader landscaping business?
How do you think AI will influence the landscaping industry?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I catch up with Peter Donegan from Peter Donegan Garden Design.
This is Peter's third time on the podcast as he was a guest on episode 80 and Special Guest Host on episode 124.
Peter is coming to Australia in late October to do a couple of talks for the Australian Institute of Horticulture, and you can buy tickets here to see him speak in Cairns and Melbourne.
In this episode Peter not only talks about the reason for coming out to Australia and what he'll be talking about when he does, but I also ask what he's been up to since his Gold Medal winning MIFGS garden.
You can follow Peter on Instagram @peterdonegan
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 24, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
How long do you spend on an average quote?
How quick do you try and get quotes back to clients?
What's your favourite timber for decking and your thoughts on composite?
Do you take smoko from home or buy it?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Emm Rice from Embrace Garden Co and Jodie O'Toole from Bay Design Gardens. Both based in Melbourne, they met when Jodie was delivering plants as her role as a plant sourcer/supplier to Emm who had specified them in her role as Landscape Designer. They hit it off straight away and have been friends since.
Emm is about to launch a Landscape Design workshop where she'll be teaching students how to tackle garden designs, and Jodie will be a part of the workshop, educating students about the right plants to use.
This episode is what I look for myself in a podcast: education and entertainment. Landscaping and laughs, so hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did.
You can follow Emm on Instagram @embracegardens.co and you can follow Jodie on Instagram @baydesigngardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 17, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What was the Floriade judging experience like?
How do you time manage all of the different roles in the business you do?
What equation do you use to mark up sub-contractors?
What's your most hectic concrete pour?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Matthew Sears from Rich Earth Landscapes, a landscape design and construction company based in Sydney.
Matthew started in commercial landscaping before moving to residential, and a 3 month European holiday turned into a 9 year stay overseas, where he worked, among other places, in a high end residential landscaping company in London, also installing projects in Mallorca and Ibiza.
Matthew moved back to Australia and started Rich Earth Landscapes and shares a great point about having to put yourself out there if you're wanting work from designers. He also shares his experiences with using a landscaping coach.
You can follow Matthew on Instagram @richearthlandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 10, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
When starting a landscaping business, what are some hidden skills you wish you knew?
What are your tips for rains days?
What do you spray on your formwork to make deboxing easier?
What's something in your contracts everyone should have in theirs?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Joel Smith from One Landscape Australia, a landscape construction company based in Canberra.
This episode is a very relatable one, with many things Joel talks about being exactly what I, and many other people in the industry have been through.
Joel has a great mindset when it comes to looking after his employees, and his goal is to do things very differently to how he was treated as an employee, and treat them with a lot more patience and respect.
You can follow Joel on Instagram @one_landscape_australia
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on September 3, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
How do you deal with clients changing the design/plans?
What are some key tips for scaling to win back/free up time?
What are the three most important factors for a successful landscaping business?
Do you think joining Landscaping Victoria is beneficial in regional Victoria?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Luke Smith from Silverstone Gardening, a maintenance company based in Western Australia.
Luke is also the host of The Australian Lawn and Garden Podcast and is about 30 episodes into it and has some amazing episodes, particularly one of the first few where he explains how to work out what people should be charging.
Luke has a great story about how he started in the industry, getting his first paid mowing job at 15.
You can follow Luke on Instagram @silverstonegardening and @australianlawnandgardenpod
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 28, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What's your dream work vehicle and setup?
Any advice on scaling up the business?
What are the biggest trends for the coming season?
What's your go to method for laying recycled redbrick paving?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Tim White from Cascade Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Sydney.
Tim talks about how he started in the industry, in commercial landscaping prior to starting his own business in residential landscaping at 23 and how he has grown and recently reduced the size of his business and his reasons why.
He's got an obvious business mind so there's plenty of great takeaways from this chat with Tim.
You can follow Tim on instagram @cascadelandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 20, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
What gaps do you experience between designers and landscapers?
How many hours do you work on weekends, whether quoting or on the tools?
Can you lay crazy paving on a compacted road base?
What's one thing, popular in the industry, that you hate?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Will Bennett from Wilden Design, a Landscape Architecture firm based in Dubai.
Will was born and studied in the UK before accepting a job in Dubai without ever having visited there. He worked for a firm for 6 years before going out on his own three years ago.
Will has a natural, sustainable style to his landscapes and is pushing the increased use of natives within the Dubai landscape and has ambitious plans of creating Wilden Design firms in multiple countries, which will all contribute to his goal of designing 1 million sustainable, waterwise gardens.
You can follow Will on Instagram @wilden.design
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 13, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
Body management. What procedures do you put in place for longevity?
How do you see the landscape design industry moving forward with AI. Positive or negative?
How do you quote excavation to make a profit?
Do Dan Foreman and Ashley James expect a mention every week?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Cam Lynch from Timeless Landscaping Projects, a construction company based in Ballarat.
Cam has a great story about how he started in the industry not just working in maintenance, which we speak about as a great first step into the industry, but maintaining gardens designed by Paul Bangay and Edna Walling.
Cam talks about the importance of giving all of his clients the same, 100% effort regardless of their budget and he also talks about some pros and cons of social media.
You can follow Cam on Instagram @timelesslandscapingprojects
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on August 6, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
Do you have any plans on getting a second crew going?
What is your definition of the landscape trade?
What warranty do landscapers provide for plants?
Is Dan Foreman the new Jamie Durie?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Curt O'Toole from Urban Elements Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Geelong working on residential, commercial and government projects.
Curt is in his 30th year in the industry so has plenty of knowledge he shares in this episode, and is probably the person who has taught me the most about how to run a landscaping business.
He talks about why his team grew to 20 and how it wasn't his initial plan, and there's plenty of other nuggets of advice Curt shares from his time in the industry.
You can follow Curt on Instagram @uelandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 31, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday, sometimes Monday, at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this weeks episode we also had Dan Foreman come on to talk about the upcoming Melbourne Home Show and the garden he's designed for that as well as some of the speakers involved.
In this episode I also answered questions such as:
When starting your company with a trade background, how did you learn the business side?
How much do you pay for workcover?
What's your favourite plant?
What machines/equipment are essential for a successful business?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Phil Antcliff and Jack Hayes from Fifth Season Landscapes. A landscape design, construction and maintenance company based in Sydney.
Phil and Jack were both running their own businesses before deciding to join forces and building their business up to where it is today at 20+ employees with a design office based in New Zealand as well.
It's a great chat to hear about the importance and value of being patient in growing a business and not employing people just for the sake of growing, but employing the right people when they come along and doing whatever you can to keep the good ones.
You can follow Fifth Season Landscapes on Instagram @fifthseasonlandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 24, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday, sometimes Monday, at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
How many square meters of crazy paving are you getting through per day per guy?
Get LinkedIn or not?
Do you ever go plant shopping yourself or just have them delivered? Are there pro's can cons either option?
What's your process for scope creep and constant changes during construction?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Kate Seddon from Kate Seddon Landscape Design, a landscape design company based in Melbourne.
Kate runs an extremely popular business, and it was awesome to hear her share her story about how she started in the industry, after having a career in sales and marketing prior. She spoke about the benefits of the flexibility in days when she started so she could work around looking after her young kids at the time, and it was so great to hear this example, as many people wonder how they could make the switch from their current career, and Kate shares how she did it.
Kate has also had gardens she design open as part of the Open Gardens scheme, so she speaks about the benefits of this over a garden show build, and how much she enjoys being part of them.
You can follow Kate on Instagram @kateseddon_landscapedesign
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 16, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
How much written detail should you put into a quote?
Do you consider only those who have done an apprenticeship, true landscapers?
Do you use square meter rates when quoting?
Do you consider the maintenance of a garden when designing it?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Daniel Althaus of Althaus Landscape Designs. Daniel runs his design business based out of Ballarat but works in Melbourne and around Victoria, creating predominantly natural, native habitat gardens.
It was great to talk to Daniel who is early in his business to find out how he started and some of the things he's doing to accelerate the growth and success of his business, such as doing a garden at MIFGS and using the advice of a couple of mentors in the industry.
Daniel also shares some great advice about not being afraid to knock on doors to ask for help, as the worst thing that can happen is that the door doesn't open.
You can follow Daniel on Instagram @althaus_landscape_designs
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on July 9, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
Do you own or rent your business premises?
What are a few popular computer programs to draw designs?
If money was no object, what tools or equipment would you get to make life easier on site?
What's your favourite turf to use?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Dan Knight from Knight Landscapes, and landscape construction company based in Geelong.
Dan started out in the commercial side of landscaping, so it was great to talk to him about the benefits of that, particularly about their use of subcontractors for the commercial projects and how Dan then learnt off of them and used those skills for his residential projects.
You can follow Dan on Instagram @knightlandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode is a replay of episode 18 from almost two years ago. We didn't have enough questions for a Q and A episode this week, so I'm replaying this amazing chat which didn't have as many listens as it should have!
In this episode I speak with John Hall from Cactus Country.
Cactus Country is a Australia's largest Cactus garden situated near the Murray River bordering Victoria and New South Wales in Strathmerton.
John's parents started Cactus Country and run the business along with John, and it's not just a garden, but a retail nursery, wedding venue, restaurant/cafe and education centre. I discuss all of this with John as well as their plans to grow.
We also go more off the landscaping track in this episode than I have in others, discussing meditation and NFT's, and Dami Im even gets a mention!
I loved recording this episode and could've chatted with John for days!
You can follow along Cactus Country on Instagram @cactuscountry or John's personal page @john.f.hall
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Craig Clarke from Total Garden Management, a garden maintenance company based in Melbourne.
Craig started in the industry by mowing lawns when he was about 8, and hasn't left in more than 30 years. He worked for Semken Landscaping and Robert Boyle in his first 10 or so years in the industry so had a couple of great companies to learn from prior to going out on his own.
He's since built relationships with designers such as Gareth Le Page and Jaye Metcalf where he maintains some of the gardens they design, and it was a great example of how beneficial that can be, working with regular designers, so that you get to understand their vision and how they like their gardens to be realised.
You can follow Craig on Instagram @totalgardenmanagement
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on June 25, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What factors go into choosing to lay on a mortar or adhesive bed when paving?
How much money should be put aside for a rainy day?
Did Ashley James leave his phone in his boogie board bad at the airport, and it got pinched?
What's the best aspect you like about your job?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode, Peter Donegan from Peter Donegan Garden Design takes over as the host and interviews me!
Peter asks a lot more thoughtful questions than I do so hopefully it's not only entertaining, but there's also something valuable to take away from out chat.
You can follow Peter on Instagram @peterdonegan
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on June 18, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What is the best estimating/quoting software to use?
What is your preferred tile adhesive for natural stone paving?
Should we take on front fences with auto gates or outsource it?
Do you charge a % on mulch order or a set fee per m3?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Liam Daly from Wiilde Co Garden Design, a design company currently based on the South Coast of NSW but in the coming weeks to be on the Mornington Peninsula.
Liam is a native plant specialist and has a unique design presentation style he gets from using Morpholio Trace and editing it with ProCreate. He talks about how he came about designing like this in the episode.
Liam has a musical background and he mentions how similar composing music can be to creating a landscape design.
Liam also has his own podcast, The Australian Garden Podcast, which he hosts with Nick from SheOak Design.
You can follow Liam on Instagram @wiilde.co
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on June 12, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What should I be focusing on as a first year apprentice?
How do you communicate with a client about what their goals are?
Do you use Landscaping Victoria contracts or your own?
What's something you've done/changed in your business and wished you did it years ago?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Adam Beswwick from Ovata Gardens, a design and construction company in Tasmania run by Adam and his wife, who he met while working at one of his earlier jobs at a wholesale nursery in Western Australia.
Adam shares his story about not only how he started in the industry, but the fortuitous way he made his way into working in Landscaping and in particular, creating Japanese gardens.
Adam talks about how difficult landscaping can be both mentally and physically, and shares a way he combated the latter.
You can follow Adam on Instagram @ovatagardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on June 4, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What's your process for laying porcelain pavers?
How do you navigate doing small jobs for family and friends?
How old do you think you'll be when you set your last piece of stone?
What are the benefits of hiring machines rather than buying?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Brady Skevington from Boutique Timeless Landscaping, a residential and commercial construction company based in Perth, Western Australia.
Of all 118 episodes I've done, this is right up there with the most fun I've had talking to someone, so hopefully that translates into an enjoyable listen as well.
Brady is yet another former employee from Tim Davies Landscaping, and he explains the importance of companies like TDL in WA and how valuable they are for the industry.
Brady also talks about the different designers he works for and the importance of working with talented people.
You can follow Brady on Instagram @boutique_timeless_landscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on May 28, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What's one word that describes your design style?
If you could go anywhere in the world to learn a new landscaping skill set, where would you go?
What plate compacter, brick saw and laser level do you use?
What advice would you give a student designer that is designing a display garden?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Simon Buchanan from Landart Landscapes, a design and construction company based in Melbourne.
Simon had a similar sound to his story about starting in the industry, in that he had a passion for graphic design in his school days, and then was fortunate enough to work for a great landscaper as his first employer, in Scott Wynd from TLC, where he not only learnt all things landscaping, but also pool construction, and Simon now also runs Striking Pools with his business partner.
Striking Pools won the most recent Pool of the Year for the Master Pool Builders Association and Landart the best landscaping project in the $250k category for Landscaping Victoria.
Simon talks about how he travelled to two different countries thanks for Landscaping, and also talks about his World Skills experiences.
You can follow Simon on Instagram @landart@landscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on May 21, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
Will you ever put ads in the middle of your podcast?
What does your average day look like?
What do you think the future holds for the landscaping industry?
How do you deal with variations during a project?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Tim Volant from Tim Volant Stonemason, a Melbourne based Stonemason who started in the industry when he was 28.
Tim has a great story about how he started out and the challenges he faced, and he's another guest who had a big impact on the stonemason he is today thanks to who he worked for, both in reference to employer and also client.
Tim speaks about the most challenging client he's worked for, his desire to employ an apprentice, and his feelings after he finishes each project.
Tim also talks about his passion for work, and whether his endless pursuit of doing the best job possible is perfectionism or just workmanship.
He also talks about the amount of thought that even goes into his Instagram posts to show his work in the best possible way.
You can follow Tim on Instagram @timvolant
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on May 14, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What percentage of a quote should be just for plants?
Is it still shorts weather?
What is one type of construction you feel you've never nailed?
How do designers deal with starting out and their self doubts of their design?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Carla Ramsland from R Haus, a Landscape Architecture Studio based in Perth, Western Australia.
Carla began her studies in Sydney at Ryde Tafe and worked for a Design and Construct business, before moving to Queensland and studying Landscape Architecture, and then moving across to Perth and starting her business there about two years ago, after more than 20 years in the industry.
Carla explains the difference between landscape design and landscape architecture from her point of view, having done qualifications for both.
Carla has a mantra she mentions a few times in this chat of "Good people attract good people", and she has remained friends with many of the colleagues she's worked with along the way, and now creates successful connections with contractors she engages to build her projects.
My favourite part f the episode was when she explains the importance of giving the professional freedom to do what they do best, whether that's a designer, bricklayer, stonemason or whoever.
You can follow Carla on Instagram @_rhaus
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on May 7, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
If you were no longer allowed to be a landscaper or designer, what would you be?
What's the best design programs out there for garden design?
Pros and Cons to being a sole trader as opposed to a company?
What's the best construction tip you've ever received?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Liz Filmer from Liz Filmer Landscaping, a residential and commercial design and construction company based in Gippsland and South East Victoria.
Liz has had the business for more than 25 years and her story began like a few others I've spoken to, working for a great employer for her apprenticeship. She stayed with that company for 10 years before starting her own business.
Liz talks about what she looks for in an employee as well as recently working out what was missing from her life after moving to a property in Orbost.
Liz is about to take on the largest project of her career, so we also discuss that in this chat.
You can follow Liz on Instagram @lizfilmerlandscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on April 30, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
Do you have a business mentor or someone you discuss ideas about how to better improve the business and operations?
What percentage are you currently putting on the different elements that go into a job?
Do you prefer designing and building your own projects or building someone else's design?
When quoting jobs, what is the hourly rate for an experienced qualified landscaper?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Cam Hainsworth from Abcam Horticulture, a garden maintenance company based in Melbourne.
Cam started working in a couple of different wholesale nurseries prior to going out on his own, working on one of the most expensive properties in Victoria prior to getting his business really established.
Cam talks about the challenges he knows he'll face as he looks to expand the capabilities of his business, and we also discuss the importance and value of really looking after your client and how it can lead to referral work.
You can follow Cam on Instagram @abcamhorticulture
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on April 23, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What do you believe the biggest asset in your landscaping business is?
What are your top 3 podcasts, and do you think the landscape podcast market could do with more podcasters?
How did you find running your business and trying to get a home loan in the early days?
What is the most important part of designing a water feature?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Brooke Goodwin from Brookes Blooms, a landscape design, construction and maintenance company based in Brisbane, Queensland.
Brooke has grown the business from just herself 12 years ago, to now employing 96 people across the business. I asked her if she has the same passion for the business now as she did 12 years ago.
Something I loved that Brooke did was setting out clear roles within the business and tasks completed within those roles, so that when people are applying for a role, or working in it, they know exactly what to expect and what's expected of them.
Brooke also spoke about how she gets her designers to be involved with plant placement on their projects, which I thought was an awesome idea.
You can follow Brooke on Instagram @brookesblooms and you can see the mural at Brooks Blooms HQ here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on April 16, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
Do you prefer mortar or adhesive around pools?
Do you think you should have a distinctive style or trademark with designs?
Do you know of any female construction teams?
How much do you spend on advertising?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Cam Freeden from Peninsula Stonemasons, a stone mason company based on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
Cam's passion for rocks began at an early age, joining a rock and gemstone club at the age of 13, and starting his stone masonry apprenticeship in 1977. There's obviously been plenty of changes in the industry since that time, so we discuss some of them including tools he used and now uses, as well as the way he teaches his apprentices compared to the Spanish stonemasons he learnt from.
We discuss the detail required to work on the high end projects Cam works on, and how important it is to have employees who appreciate that level of detail as well as how hard, but rewarding the work can be.
You can follow Cam on Instagram @peninsula_stonemasons
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on April 9, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What's your process to existing soil in preparation for planting?
What's the best business advice you can give to someone just starting their business?
What dictates planting trends at the garden show?
Is MIFGS the landscaping/gardening version of a triathlon?
The Instagram Reel of Peter Donegan doing a James Bond impersonation can be found here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Adam Robinson from Adam Robinson Design, a landscape design and exterior styling firm based in Sydney.
Adam is also the brand ambassador for the Landscape Design Institute and has been a member for 14 years, since he was a student.
Adam has a great story about how he started in the industry, starting in consturction before realising his passion was in the design of landscapes.
We talk about the importance of showing your face in marketing and Adam also talks about the anxiety he felt prior to hiring his first employee, and now he has a team of nine.
You can follow Adam on Instagram @adamrobinsondesign
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on April 2, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
Did you achieve everything you wanted to at the garden show this year?
What's the best way to grout crazy paving?
How do you go about paying yourself Super?
What's it like building a larger show garden compared to a Boutique Garden?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Renata Fairhall from Renata Fairhall Garden designs, a landscape design business based in Victoria.
Renata made the switch from the corporate world to landscape design after studying at Burnley and then went on to start her own business.
She talks about how, when you start out, you take on every job that comes along but soon realise they're not all worth taking on, and she knocks back 1-2 jobs per week, at least one of which she'd love to take on.
I also ask Renata about how she went about working out what to charge when she started out.
You can follow Renata on Instagram @renatafairhallgardendesigns
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on March 28, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
How much money do you spend on a garden show?
What are three tips you would give to someone wanting to build a MIFGS garden in 2024?
What happens to your show garden once it's over?
With interest rates rising, what area of landscaping would you focus on if you could only choose one?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Steve Dedrick from Endemic Environmental. Steve is a landscape designer and native plant specialist based in Adelaide and has 20+ years of experience.
Shortly before this episode is released, he'll have sold out a gardening workshop which he's running, and he also has plans to create a podcast in the future where he's talking to what he calls 'future gardeners', people who dedicate their career to a brighter future. So there's plenty of reasons to give Steve a follow!
We also talk about the design program Steve uses, Morpholio Trace, which is a tablet based app which allows Steve to do electronic hand drawing.
Steve also talks about the benefits of having a designer involved in plant placement.
You can follow Steve on Instagram @endemicenviro
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on March 19, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
Who's the best landscaper in Australia?
What is one material/product you refuse to use again?
What are you worried/stressed about with your display garden at MIFGS?
If you were a landscaping product, what would you be and why?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Charlie Albone from Inspired Exteriors, a landscape design, construction and maintenance business operating in Sydney.
Charlie is also a presenter on Better Homes and Gardens and has worked in TV for around 16 years, so I asked him about how challenging it is, working in TV while having your own business.
He has an amazing story about how he started in the industry and got his first job. And has some great advice about making mistakes when you're starting out in business.
Charlie has designed show gardens in Sydney, Melbourne and Chelsea, so we talk about those experiences as well as what to expect from his upcoming one at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
You can follow along with Charlie on Instagram @charlie_albone and see some of his work @inspired_exteriors . The podcast he does for Stihl can be found here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on March 12, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What is the rudest client experience you've had and how did you deal with it?
What's the best study/qualification to have to get a job in landscaping?
Should a quote be split 50/50 between materials and labour?
Is a uniform necessary on a building/landscaping site? And are track pants ever acceptable?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Adam White from Dorset Bottega, a landscape design and construction company based in Brisbane, Queensland.
Adam started his landscaping business later than most, but had plenty of valuable experience prior, working as a cabinet maker, carpenter, furniture designer, renovating 17 houses and having hardworking and creative parents.
He talks about the vision he created prior to starting Dorset Bottega and how he wanted to build beautiful gardens for nice people, and he continues to uphold this philosophy today, while also creating a great environment for his employees to work and grow.
In an Instagram video I reference that Adam made, he talks about how he learnt to train his thoughts which filled his creative head, and Adam talks about how he went about doing that.
You can follow along with Adam and Dorset Bottega on Instagram @dorsetbottega
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on March 5, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What is the hardest thing to teach employees? Work ethic or detail?
What do you think of the IQ Power Tool saw with its dustless, dry cut system?
What's a power tool you wish you had?
What is the most profitable part of landscaping?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Les Edwards from ED Landscapes, a design and construction company which started in 2006 and is operating in Sydney and Mudgee in New South Wales.
Les has a great story about where his love for the green industry began as a small child watching his dad's cousin mow their lawn, before going on to study horticulture at Ryde TAFE, and then going on to work for his dad's cousin for 6-7 years as a landscaper.
Les talks about how in the early days of business he was taking on every job that came along, but then after sharing emails with Dean Herald from Rolling Stone, he decided to take Dean's advice and niche down slightly, choosing landscaping of new homes as his target market.
There's also a great story about one of Les' employees starting as an apprentice and now moving into the operational side of the business many years later.
You can follow along with Les and ED Landscapes on Instagram @ed_landscapes_
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 26, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as:
What attention do you pay to soil conditioning?
What do you think is the ideal crew size? Cost effective/productive?
What's a power tool you wish you bought earlier?
What was the motivation to start the podcast? Did you think it would get so popular?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Adam Gee from Anston Architectural Products. Adam works as a sales manager at Anston but originally started his working life out of school as an apprentice landscaper at The Garden Company in Melbourne.
Adam became qualified and started his own landscaping business before realising it wasn't for him, so moved into sales and ending up at Anston 10 years later.
In this chat we talk about Adam's time as a landscaper and how that experience has helped him in his role with Anston. He also lets us know what the current trends have been in terms of colours and sizes of pavers, and I ask him what the best way to lay paver is.
Anston are sponsoring our Garden Show build with some of their concrete spheres, so I asked Adam what the motivation is behind sponsoring events like MIFGS and the Block.
You can follow along with Adam and Anston on Instagram @anstonarchproducts
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 19, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as :
Do you meet on site, or at the shed in the morning?
How do you balance work and life, and when do you find time to do quoting and other paper/computer work?
Long pants, or shorts all year?
What's the first question you get asked or ask during a quote/consultation?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Liam Riley from Indigenous Design Landscaping. A design and construction company based in Melbourne who build sustainable and environmentally sensitive landscapes.
Liam has 18 employees and completes residential and commercial projects and in this chat he talks about the importance and his willingness to upskill his staff.
He has a great story about the luck he had in starting in the industry, just by handing out flyers in his street.
He also talks about how he studied business in his early days, as he's more of a natural landscaper than businessman. We also discussed the difference in the pros and cons of residential and commercial landscaping.
You can follow along with Liam's work on Instagram @id_landscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 12, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as :
What design program do you use and why?
What's the best purchase for your business you've made under $100?
What is the best staff numbers to have on site?
Where do I begin when landscaping on a sloping block?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Malcom Berce from Desert Flower Landscaping, a landscape design and construction company based in Adelaide, South Australia.
Malcom is a wealth of knowledge and a great person to talk to. The conversation I had with him prior to the podcast officially starting was so good that I had to leave it in.
He talks about the reason he charges for consultations, where his passion for gardening and landscaping originated and what it's like being on the MLSA board.
Malcom had a long term vision of what he wanted to be and to achieve prior to starting in landscaping, and it's great to see him achieving his vision and working towards a continually improving one.
You can follow Malcom on Instagram @desert.flower.landscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 5 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as :
When did you know you'd made it in business?
What job management programs do you use?
When is the best time to put on an employee?
Any advice for a first time MIFGS entrant?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Darin Bradbury from Mint Pool and Landscape Design, a design company based in Melbourne.
Darin has a great, well rounded resume of experience prior to starting Mint, having started in a Vineyard, before studying at Burnley, working in maintenance and then working for Ian Barker and Associate's and then starting with Scott Wynd from TLC Pools.
Darin talks about the importance of garden maintenance and I also ask him the best way to go about working out how much you should charge for a design.
Darin has also been involved in plenty of designs for marketing of the business including being on The Block, at MIFGS, designing a garden for Shayna Blaze on a TV program and projects at the HIA home show and Spasa Pool and Spa show, so he shares which ones he thinks are the best to get work from, and which aren't.
You can follow along with Darin's work on Instagram @mintdesignau
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on January 29 2023, will be the first mid week podcast episode, which will be a weekly event, recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 est and released on the podcasts on Thursdays.
In this episode I answered questions such as :
What’s the most memorable point of your career?
Thoughts on landscapers using subbies more?
Why did you decide to do a podcast?
How are you handling the wet weather in terms of lost time and profits?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I speak with Martin Semken from Semken Landscaping, a construction and maintenance business based in Melbourne which Martin started 35 years ago.
Semken Landscaping were the first Australian construction company to build a Show Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and have also been involved in the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show every year since inception, so we discuss both shows in this chat.
Martin discusses the value of garden maintenance and why more landscapers should be offering it.
I got goosebumps when Martin was talking about the amount of care he has for his apprentices when they start, and how he likes to meet with their parents prior to them starting so that they have an understanding of who their child is working for, what to expect, and so that they can contact him if needed. It's obvious that Martin treats his employees like family, not just the half dozen who literally are family!
You can follow along with Martin's work on Instagram @smekenlandscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
In this episode I answer questions submitted via Instagram in an Instagram Live recording.
This is something that I'll be hoping to do weekly, recorded on Sunday night at 8.30pm EST and released as a podcast on the Thursday of the following week, in addition to the regular guest, released on the Monday as normal.
Some of the questions answered in this episode are :
What is your process for leading clients into getting their project drawn up with a design?
What do landscapers do?
Any words of advice on starting your own business and how to bring on your first employee?
ARE YOU TIRED?
Do you get anxious about upcoming work, ie did I cost it right, timings, allowances etc?
What is the single best piece of business advice you've been given?
Which end do you start at when eating a dimmy?
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Peter Donegan from Peter Donegan Garden Design. Peter is a Landscape Designer based in Ireland and will be designing a garden at the 2023 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, so we discuss how that came about.
Peter started his passion for gardens and design at a very young age, 5 or 6, and still has the same passion for it 40 years later.
He comes across as a very knowledgeable individual, and shares plenty throughout the chat, such as the importance of designers, landscapers and other trades all knowing their role when working together on a project, to ensure it runs smoothly.
Peter also tells a story about a friend of his who started a music festival and invited him to come along, and his first questions was "Who's going?" to which his friend replied "If you're offered a ticket on a rocket ship, you don't ask who's going, you just get on the rocket ship", and this is a philosophy Peter lives by, saying yes to opportunities that come along, while also acknowledging that if you've got responsibilities like a mortgage, sometimes you have to say no!
I mention a great talk that Peter does on Biodiversity which can be found here.
You can see Peter's 'controversial' MIFGS Q and A here.
And you can follow Peter on Instagram @peterdonegan or on his website doneganlandscaping.com
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode, this final for the year, I speak with Phil Withers from Phillip Withers Landscape Design. Phil runs a landscape design and horticulture company based in Melbourne and has done for around 10 years.
Phil talks about how he started in the industry studying design but also working in construction and maintenance to get a better idea of what everything actually is that he was designing.
He talks about how great Garden Shows are and shares when he'll be doing a garden show next, as well as talking about a book he's looking to publish.
We also touch on Phil's respect for the land he builds gardens on and he shares why this is and how design can be done better.
You can follow Phil on Instagram @phillip_withers
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Myles Baldwin from Myles Baldwin Design. Myles heads a team of 16 landscape architects from a studio in Redfern in Sydney and is one of the most sought-after designers in Australia.
Myles talks about the great start he had in the industry, completing an apprenticeship at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, followed by studying at Ryde Tafe prior working on a project at Bronte House before starting out on his own.
He talks about why he downsized the services he offered from design, construction and maintenance to just design as it is now.
He also mentions the way he presents his designs to his clients, in a way that helps convey the design message as well as saving time in revisions.
You can follow along with Myles' work on Instagram @mylesbaldwin
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Weston Zimmerman from Synked Up. Weston was the creator of Synked Up, which is a complete landscape management software that he developed during his 16 years as a landscaper.
Knowing your numbers, and understanding the true cost of doing business is the key message Weston is trying to get landscapers to understand, and in this chat he mentions the benefit of knowing your numbers, as well as the two things people always get wrong when trying to work out the amount they should charge.
Weston was awarded the Aquascape Artist of the year when he was landscaping, and through that was able to work on a pond for Shaq, so we discuss that in this episode also.
You can follow along with Weston on Instagram @synkedUP
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I recorded an Instagram Live where I answered questions from followers of our Instagram accounts as well as one who were watching live.
There were some great questions including asking about our 2023 MIFGS garden, have I thought about life after landscaping, when's the last time I washed the tools after a concrete pour and about 12-15 others.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Matt Harding from Outdoor Oasis Landscapes, a design and construction company based on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
Matt only started the business a few years ago at the start of Covid, but is already working on some really nice projects and it's clear through the chat that he's got and idea on where he wants to get to, and what he needs to do to get there.
We discuss the benefit of only posting the type of work you want to do to social media, so that you get more of that type of work. And Matt also mentions why he likes to occasionally work for other designers, doing different and interesting work.
It's clear Matt enjoys what he does, so much that when I asked what his favourite part was, he couldn't just pick one thing, because he likes everything about landscaping.
You can follow along with Matt on Instagram @outdooroasis_landscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Neale Wilson from Terrain Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Neale started studying horticulture in High School and was fortunate to start work working for a high end landscaping company early on, before heading overseas to Sydney and London to travel and also work in landscaping.
Being a construction only company, Neale discusses the importance of only quoting projects which have had a design done, and we discuss what the New Zealand landscape industry is like and Neale points out a benefit of working for difference designers.
You can follow along with Neale's work on Instagram @terrainlandscape
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Emmaline Bowman from Stem Landscape Architecture, a landscape architecture and design company based in Melbourne who specialise in natural, sustainable designs which also create habitat for animals and inspects.
We discuss how Emmaline started out in the industry, including the similarities between the aquariums and aquascapes she was creating with landscaping.
Emmaline also shares some great advice about the best time to start working on your systems and processes and why.
And she talks about the benefits of trying new plants rather than the same old ones which could be considered a 'safe' choice, and also provides some advice about avoiding burnout.
You can follow along with Emmaline on Instagram @stem_emmalinebowman
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Mark Ryan from InStyle Paving, and it is one of my favourite episodes I've done in the 72 episodes of the podcast so far!
Mark started out as a landscaper in Adelaide and then niched down to doing mainly paving, which is what he does today.
We talk about why he niched down, why he doesn't have up to four employees like he once did and the importance of communication. We also discuss the amount of extra work that goes into paving these days compared to when we started and why that may be.
Mark is also in the early stages of starting another business, called Grow Mens Coaching, where he's planning on being a life coach for men, so the second half of the episode if pretty much dedicated to that side of things and the lesson's he's learned that he hopes to pass on to others to improve their life as they have to his.
I first heard Mark on the Full landscape podcast with past guest, Clint Adams. You can listen to that episode here on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or YouTube
You can follow along with Mark on Instagram @instyle.paving.and.landscaping or the new business @grow_mens_coaching
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Ineke Clark from Ambition Social, a Social Media and Brand Strategy company based in South Australia, working with clients around Australia and New Zealand.
Ineke has previously worked for paving suppliers and was the CEO of the Master Landscapers Association of SA and has been successful in every roll she's done prior to starting her own business .
In this chat we talk about the importance of doing a career you enjoy doing, even if you've spent four years studying a different subject. We discuss how Ineke's business was taking on any task their clients would ask of them, before realising they should niche down to Social Media and Brand Strategy, which was their passion and skill, and how this is similar to landscaping companies taking on tasks for clients outside of their skillset.
I also ask Ineke plenty of questions about how to be successful with social media.
You can follow along with Ineke on Instagram @AmbitionSocial
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Jim Wertz from The 7 Figure Landscaping Newtork. Jim is a landscaping business coach and consultant, working with clients remotely. Prior to starting the coaching/consulting business, Jim ran a landscaping company for 35 years so is well experienced in what he's coaching.
Jim talks about the reason to put systems and processes in place as well as when a great time to do this is.
One of the most important skills Jim relates to a successful business is the ability to build good relationship between employee and employer.
Jim has a YouTube channel which can be found here, and his Facebook group can be found here.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Paul Pritchard from Paul Pritchard Landscape Design. Paul is a designer based in Melbourne and has been in the industry 26 years.
He originally started out in construction and ran a couple of construction crews and was doing design and construction but has recently made the transition to being design only, so we discuss what that process was like.
Paul also talks about the importance and value of having a great bunch of landscaping contractors he can refer work to, and also emphasizes the importance of staying in your lane when I asked him whether he ever did maintenance or not.
You can follow along with Paul's projects on Instagram @paulpritchardlandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Tim Davies from Tim Davies Landscaping, a landscape design, construction and maintenance company based in Perth.
Tim started in the industry almost 40 years ago at King’s Park botanical gardens in Perth and has built his business up to now have 120-130 full time employees.
No surprisingly, Tim has got plenty of advice to share from his time in the industry, and while I usually have three or four valuable ‘clips’ to choose from to post to Instagram from the chats with my guests, I had eight from this chat with Tim, such was the amount of value he shares.
We talk about systems and processes, empowering staff, the importance of good communication and Tim also shares one of his biggest mistakes, and what he would do differently.
You can follow along with Tim Davies Landscaping on Instagram @timdavieslandscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Glenice Buck from Glenice Buck Designs. Glenice runs a landscape design, garden maintenance and tree consultation business based in Young in NSW working with herself and her husband in the business.
She first knew she wanted to work as a garden designer when she was 7-8 years old, so her passion for the industry is obvious.
We talk about the importance of designing a garden for the space it's in, the benefits of proving her consulting clients with to-do lists, and also about her garden coaching.
You can follow along with Glenice on Instagram @glenice_buck_designs and see her website full of information at GleniceBuckDesigns.com.au
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Adam Hompas from Adam Hompas Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Melbourne.
Adam started out working in Commercial Landscaping before moving to domestic landscaping projects and starting his own business, so he talks about the differences between the two sectors.
He's currently working with Landscaping Victoria to launch a wellbeing hub, which will be a resource centre for landscapers to go to to be able to get help or education about improving their mental health and that of their employees.
Adam also touches on the fact that he's starting to use sub-contractors more than he has in the past and the reasons/benefits of this, as well as how he's choosing a balanced work life, rather than growing into a massive, high end company.
You can follow along with Adam on Instagram @adamhompaslandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Eden Hill from EHL Landscaping, a construction company based on the Central Coast of New South Wales.
Eden has been landscaping since he was 14 and running the business since he was 19, which was only 4 years ago. The things he's doing inside and outside of his business are what many landscapers who've had their business for 10+ years aspire to do, so it was an awesome chat to have with Eden.
He employed a business coach early on, and has clear goals set out for the short and long term, as well as a plan on what he's going to do to achieve them.
He also talks about the many ways his company uses Xero, his time at the World Skills competition, and how fortunate he was to start his career at Cornerstone Landscapes.
You can follow along with Eden on Instagram @ehllandscaping
The tradie group that I mention in this chat which was started by Rich from Bluesky Landscaping is called The Trade Society and is on Instagram @the.trade.society
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
This weeks episode is a different format to the usual schedule. Previous guest Dan Foreman was the landscaping ambassador at the recent Melbourne Home Show, and part of that included designing and building a display garden, and he also organised to have a heap of different designers, landscapers and suppliers come in to be interviewed by him on stage.
This episode is my chat with him where we discussed things like choosing the right landscaper, the importance of making a plan prior to starting landscaping, and my experience at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show as well as on The Block.
In the intro I mention who the other speakers were, and you can head to the Melbourne Home Show Facebook page to watch/listen to these chats by the other guests.
You can follow along with Dan on Instagram @danscrepes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Nick Conley from Nicklaus Landscaping, a landscape design and construction company based in Northern California.
Nick has been in business for around 6 years, and something he did early, which he's no doubt benefited from, was obtaining the services of a business coach. Specifically one who previously worked in landscaping, so we discuss that.
Nick also talks about the reason why he wants to build a successful business that will allow his employees to support their families.
And there are plenty of experiences that Nick discusses which will sound familiar to landscapers regardless of what country they're in, such as when he mentions how he no longer provides exact start dates for projects, as he wouldn't be able to meet the deadline, and would end up stressed and with an unhappy client, so now he just gives a very loose estimate.
You can follow along with Nick on Instagram @nicklauslandscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Hoppo from Hopkins Construction. Andrew runs a construction company with a landscaping and carpentry crew in Melbourne, and has been doing so for the past 5 years.
I first met Hoppo on The Block in 2019 so we discuss our time there, as well as some business tips that he's learnt along the way, such as employing people to do the things you're not good at.
We also discuss charging for quotes, getting budgets off clients and whether you should have clear boundaries between employer and employees.
You can follow along with Hoppo on Instagram @hopkinsconstruction
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Dean Herald form Rolling Stone Landscapes. Dean runs his landscape design and construction company in Sydney, and has done so for more than 30 years, starting out on his own before building the business up to a super high end company building some of the best landscapes in the country.
Dean shares plenty of tips and advice in this chat, and it's all achievable for any sized business, which I found fascinating. Simple things such as turning up on time make you stand out from the majority of businesses, and it's not hard!
Dean also mentions why he doesn't charge consultation fees, and shares his processes for staff communication and job tracking.
You can follow along with the phenomenal work produced by Dean on Instagram @rollingstonelandscapes and you can see the 2011 Show Garden we discuss at Rollingstonelandscapes.com . It's mind blowing that this is a show garden and the ground hasn't been penetrated to build it.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Sam Langham from Outside Indulgence Pools and Landscapes. Sam runs a design and construction company based in South West Sydney and operates with 6-8 staff.
Throughout this chat I realised that Sam does a lot of the 1%ers really well, things like putting time into customer service/communication, ensuring staff are taught and teach things the right way, lots of small things like this that seem obvious, but not a lot of companies do.
We also discuss potential benefits of long term employees as well as a great way to build your skills as a business owner, by making connections with other business owners who operate a larger/more successful company.
The top post on the Outside Indulgence Instagram page is a pinned post about services they offer, and it's a brilliant post, so I recommend you check it out, along with their other work @outsideindulgence_landscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Tim Pilgrim of T.P Gardens. Tim's company is based in Central Victoria and he does Landscape Design, Installation and Maintenance.
He describes his style as Naturalistic gardens for a modern Australian context, and his Instagram page illustrates this brilliantly.
While researching Tim, I saw on his website that he lists a 'from' price for the services he provides. I thought this was a great idea so we discuss the benefits of this.
I also brought up two stunning gardens that I saw on Tim's page, and when Tim describes them both, they have something in common which is a great indicator to why they were so successful.
You can follow along with Tim's beautiful Instagram page @t.p_gardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Matt Hiner from Hiner Outdoor Living, a landscape design and construction company based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Matt designs and builds some of the most amazing natural water features in the world, with the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop to many of them.
In this chat we discuss how he started out working for himself, with just $300 to his name, and how he built his business up to where it is now, turning over around $5,000,000 annually.
He shares some advice on empowering staff as well as giving a run down of some of the Hiner Outdoor Living Core Values and how he implements them to new employees.
They say time flies when you're having fun, and this felt like the fastest podcast I've done to date, so hopefully you enjoy it as much as I did!
You can follow along with Matt on Instagram on his personal account @the_yardist or the business @hineroutdoorliving
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
This week I speak with Josh Hooper from Landscape Techniques.
Josh runs a design and construction company in South Australia, working in the top end of the market on some of the best properties in Adelaide and the surrounding suburbs.
In this chat we talk about the challenges of growing your staff numbers, advantages of using/buying the best equipment or tools for the job and the importance of a healthy body and healthy mind.
You can follow along with Josh on Instagram @landscape.techniques
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Alistair Kirkpatrick who works for Stratis Landscape Architecture. He was previously a joint owner of AKAS Landscape Architecture.
Alistair is a Landscape Architect and also teaches at RMIT, Melbourne University and Melbourne Polytechnic and has been proactive in teaching the Architecture students more about plants and horticulture than they'd otherwise learn.
We discuss Alistair's first interaction with horticulture and the path he took as a student and then starting his business after completing his studies, in a different physical and economical environment than we have today.
We also discuss why Alistair likes teaching and the benefits of using Tafe/University teachers as a great resource to find your next employee.
You can follow along with Alistair on Instagram @alistairkirkpatrick or Stratis Landscape Architecture @stratis_la
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Inge Jabara from Inge Jabara Landscapes. Inge runs a design, construction and maintenance business around Melbourne.
My favourite part of this chat is when Inge mentions the systems and procedures 'bible' she's produced over the years, which is a document which lists almost every procedure done within the business.
We also talk about how Inge started in the industry as well as Inge's time working on TV shows like The Block.
You can follow along with Inge on Instagram @ingejabaralandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Simon Davies from Manuka Gardens in the Australian Capital Territory. Simon and his wife run a full service company which includes design, construction and maintenance, and he has a team of ten staff.
Simon is another guest who has mentioned the impact his early employers have had on his career/style/knowledge.
Simon comes across as very employee focused and is proactive in looking after his teams mental and physical wellbeing, so we discuss that in this episode and the way he goes about this.
And we also mention some of the benefits of having a design, construction and maintenance business.
You can follow along with Simon's projects on Instagram @manukagardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Shaun Laurie from Laurie Landscapes, a design and construction company based in Melbourne.
Shaun has been running the business for around 5 years, employs 9 full time employees and is only 26 years old!
When he explains the types of companies he worked for during his apprenticeship and as an employee, you'll be able to see these styles mirrored in his own unique style of the projects he designs and constructs today.
We discussed what Shaun does to look after not only his mental health, but also physical, and how he's looking to impart that knowledge onto his employees.
You can follow along with Shaun on Instagram @laurielandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
This week I speak with Bethany Williamson from Bethany Williamson Landscape Architecture which is based in Melbourne.
Bethany is one of the top landscape architects going around and a visit to her website or Instagram page will prove this, as some of the projects she designs are simply beautiful.
Bethany shares her story as a student and landscape architect prior to starting her own business, and has some great advice for anyone looking to do the same, such as deciding who it is you want to work with/for, and also the benefit of running a business like it's your own when working for someone else.
You can see Bethany's stunning website at bethanywilliamson.com.au, and you can follow along with her projects on Instagram @bethanywilliamsonlandscape
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
This week I speak with Jayden Weatherley from Greener Visions Landscapes, a construction company based in Melbourne.
Greener Visions has been a company I've admired for many years, as they're one of the top landscape construction companies in the country so it was great to have Jayden on.
He talks about what it was like building a show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show as an apprentice, how that compares to building show gardens at the Melbourne Flower Show, and he also gives some great insight about how his company uses the app Build Exact for quoting.
Jayden touches on the pros and cons of using sub contractors on projects and also shares the techniques Greener Visions use for laying paving and Filletti .
You can follow along with the amazing work that Jayden and the Greener Visions team do on Instagram @greenervisionslandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
This week I speak with Renee Reiter from Invidia Landscapes. Renee is a designer working in and around Melbourne.
Although already working in the "Green Industry" straight from school, Renee decided to head back to school in her early 30's to study design as a mature aged student and started Invidia Landscapes from there.
She was recently involved in the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show so we discussed what that was like and the success she's experienced from it.
Renee also mentions how she got a bit caught up in the whirlwind of starting the business and having plenty of work coming in, so she took a breath and realised the direction she wanted to head, and did it.
You can follow along with Renee on Instagram @invidialandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with an icon of the industry in Bruce Winstanley of Great Ocean Pools and Winstanley Landscapes.
Bruce was a late starter in the industry but has had a huge impact on the professionalism and profitability for fellow landscapers through educating not only his employees, but also anyone in the industry who's wise enough to listen.
Bruce has a great acronym that he measures his overall success by using WHIRL (Wages, Health, Investments, Relationships, Lifestyle) and goes into detail about this in the episode.
He has also had up to 13 employees at one stage, so I ask him about what that was like compared to lower numbers.
You can follow along with Bruce on Instagram @greatoceanpools
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
This week I speak with Andrew Smith from Warners Nursery in Melbourne.
Andrew has worked at Warners since he left school 36 years ago, and shares some of the tips in this episode about how Warners is so good at retaining staff.
Warners are also a significant contributor to the success of The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show each year, and Andrew is hugely involved in that too, so he explains some of the benefits of being involved.
Andrew is also one of the great plant nerds, so there's a bit of plant chat too.
You can follow Andrew on his personal Instagram page @andrewsmithwarners and you can follow the nursery @warnersnurseries
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
This week I speak with Tom Humphrey from Landscapists in Berry, New South Wales. Tom is one of four directors at Landscapists, and last week I spoke with Lloyd Sharpe who's one of the other directors there.
Tom controls the office/design side of the business and has an interesting and varied path to get to where he is today, including working in garden maintenance, remedial building, studying art and travelling to the UK, before coming back to New South Wales.
Tom shares advice on the benefits of trying new things as well as being able to take constructive criticism, a skill which he learnt while studying art, where it's a normal part of the learning.
Lloyd mentioned Tom was one of the smartest people he knows in a landscaping sense, and it's clear to see why after speaking with him.
You can follow along with Tom's work on Instagram @landscapists.co and see the Oak Robot here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Lloyd Sharpe of Landscapists, a landscape design, construction and maintenance company based in Berry, New South Wales.
Lloyd is one of of four directors of Landscapists and is in charge of the construction side of the business, and on next week's episode I'll be speaking with the director who looks after the design side of the business, Tom Humphrey.
Lloyd explains how and why Landscapists started as well as what he was doing prior to then, and we also discuss some of the amazing Tik Tok/Reels that Lloyd has posted along with his employees and how much fun they have while at work and the benefits of it.
You can see the Tik Tok's @lloydsharpe or on Instagram @lloydsharpe_ and follow along with the landscaping @landscapists.co
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this weeks episode I speak with Mitch Kushturian of Exotic Living in Sydney.
Exotic Living do Landscaping design and construction, but also Carpentry and Garden Maintenance, and while Mitch runs the Landscaping and Design side of the business, his brother runs the Carpentry and their best mate runs the maintenance. So we discuss how that all works.
We also talk about Mitch's two times working on The Block. And Mitch explains how when he started out, he had a particular type of project he wanted to be working on, and just three years into the business, he's doing just that.
You can follow along with Mitch's work on Instagram @exoticliving_syd
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Mon Palmer from Bare Cabo based in Perth. Mon also has a number of other business she runs including SGO Outdoor Showers, a luxury accommodation experience called Sebatikel, and she also runs a SkethUp course. So she's clearly knowledgeable about business and shares some tips in this chat, including that she's still learning despite being in business for more than a decade.
We discuss the benefits of starting out how Mon did in construction, prior to moving to design. And Mon also shares how she decided to run her businesses based on her passions, which lead her to not just designing outdoor spaces, but interiors as well.
You can follow along with Mon's various businesses at @Mon_Palmer , @BareCabo , @SGOoutdoorshower , @Sebatikel
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Dan Foreman from Danscapes.
Dan is a landscaper and designer based in Melbourne and we've had this chat planned for a few months, but I wanted to wait until he'd built one of the show gardens at this years Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show before chatting to him. The garden he was construction manager for won the Mark Bence Construction Award.
Dan seems like one of those people nobody could say a bad word about and I've had a smile on my face every time I've spoken to him. He's a lot of fun to talk to so hopefully that translates through this episode.
There's a couple of great business tips Dan learnt from not only working for himself, but also for other landscapers including a couple of larger commercial companies.
You can follow along with Dan on Instagram @foreman5155
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak to Sean Collinsgru of Premier Outdoor Living in New Jersey, USA.
Sean runs a successful deck and patio business of which he attributes about 90% of the source of work from his hugely popular social media accounts. He currently has 82,000 Instagram followers, 165,000 on TikTok and 196,000 YouTube subscribers. Throughout the chat, Sean gives some great advice about his most popular videos/posts and also explains the target audience for each platform.
Sean also hosts a great Podcast called The Hardworking Happy Hour with his employee Catherine, where they provide plenty of advice for landscapers on Social Media and Networking and also discuss the reality of making mistakes as well as a great episode centered around mental health.
You can follow along with Sean on Instagram @premieroutdoor on YouTube @premieroutdoorlivingllc and on TikTok @premieroutdoor
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Ben Hutchinson from Ben Hutchinson Landscapes based in Melbourne.
Ben is a great example of how you can be a landscaper and not do all of the various roles within landscaping. Ben's niche is native/natural gardens, usually featuring an amazing water feature/pond. He's a certified Aquascape contractor and has travelled to the USA to hone his skills and make valuable contacts.
I love talking to people who are passionate about their work and Ben is another lucky person who loves what they do for a living. I also enjoyed realising in this chat how vast the roles of a landscaper are, when Ben mentioned that he often doesn't just design the pond/water feature for a project, but also specifies which fish will do best in the new habitat.
You can follow along with Ben's beautifule projects in Instagram @benhutchinsonlandscapes1
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Ian Barker from Ian Barker Gardens and it's one I thoroughly enjoyed recording.
Ian runs a landscape design, construction and maintenance business based in Melbourne and will celebrate 25 years in business later this year.
Ian has designed and built multiple show gardens at both The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and the Chelsea Flower Show, winning Gold at both events. We talk about them as well as Ian's experience meeting the Queen.
Ian shares some great experience and advice about how he runs his business, particularly the construction arm of the business, so there's a lot to learn from this episode.
You can follow along with Ian on Instagram @ianbarkergardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Clint Adams of Hectogon in South Australia.
Clint runs four different businesses under the one umbrella including an irrigation supply store called WaterPro, landscape supply yard called Railways, lawn fertiliser business called LawnHub and is about to release an app called Dirt Cart. So with all of this in mind, it's obvious Clint knows a thing or two about business, and businesses related to the landscaping industry.
Clint is also a current board member of the Master Landscapers Association of South Australia, so we discuss the work they're doing there. And Clint also hosts The Full Landscape, another landscaping podcast, of which I was a guest on episode 55 and also which Tim Harper from Space Capsule and Mitch Davies from Sand and Stone have both been guests on.
You can follow along with Clint on Instagram @veryclint or YouTube here and you can also follow along with the different businesses @waterproau @railwaysls @lawnhub
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Meg Geary from MG Gardens, a landscape design company based in Melbourne. Meg is not only a landscape designer, but also a plant nerd, and they're a great guest to have on as they're always passionate about what they do.
We talk about how Meg started in the industry and how she got her name out there so that people knew she existed, and we also discuss the strength of having a landscape designer design a garden and how what the client wants, sometimes isn't the best solution.
You can follow along with Meg on Instagram @mggardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Joel Kean from Aquadreamz, a boutique pool building company based in Melbourne. Joel is a well respected person within the pool building industry and is currently the President of the Master Pool Builders Association of Australia.
There are many parallels in this chat with Joel between the pool building and landscaping industry, such as when Joel mentioned how he changed the structure of his business after he realised he was working way too hard just to keep employees employed. He also mentions how he won't quote a pool project unless a design has been done, so that there's no grey areas and so that the potential client can compare quotes on the same project.
You can follow along with Joel on Instagram @aquadreamzpl
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with world renowned Landscape Designer Paul Bangay of PRB Design.
Paul has been a landscape designer based in Melbourne for more than 25 years and is easily the most well known Landscape Designer in the country.
Paul's home garden, Stonefields, features in this chat a few times and I had a guided tour of it in 2016 and it is the most amazing garden I've ever been through and I couldn't recommend visiting and higher!
Paul also offers some advice throughout our chat about how people should get into Landscape Design, tips for designing a small garden, and what he'd tell his 21 year old self if he was starting out again.
You can follow along with Paul on Instagram @paulbangay or visit his website, where you can book tours of Stonefields or purchase his books at paulbangay.com
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with George Jones of Matipo Landscaping. George is a landscape designer and builder currently based in Stafford in the UK, but spent the first 5 years of his landscape career in New Zealand. So we discuss the differences between the two as well as his perception of the Australian landscape industry.
As well as having his own podcast, The Matipodcast, George also has a YouTube channel and has recently being diving deep into the analytics of getting viewers engaged in the content he's producing, so we discuss his findings and tips there.
And throughout the chat, George mentions a few times how he felt himself being stretched too thin, trying to keep everyone happy while still doing what he wanted to do, and he realised, after taking some time off over the New Years break, that time off was exactly what he needed. I'm sure plenty of people will relate to that!
You can follow along with George on Instagram @matipolandscaping or on his YouTube channel at Matipo Landscaping and Design
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Jason King from King's Pools and Gardens. Jason is based in Geelong and is one of the premier landscaping companies in the area, and recently added swimming pool construction to the business, and promptly won multiple awards for the pools he built.
We discuss how he went about adding pools to his services, as well as the reason why he no longer has a commercial side to the business.
Jason also talks about the benefits of some long term relationships he's had with staff and suppliers over the years, and he details a checklist he provides to clients during the initial consultation for a design/pool.
You can follow along with Jason's work on Instagram @kings_gardens_and_pools _
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Mitch Davies of Sand and Stone Landscaping.
Mitch runs a landscaping business in Adelaide, South Australia and has been working for himself for around 6 years. Prior to that he worked for a couple of high end landscapers and also obtained his building licence in structural landscaping.
In the episode Mitch shares a bad experience he had with a client, which will hopefully help others avoid the same fate as he had. He also mentions which jobs are the best for making good profit on, and towards the end of the episode I ask Mitch what his goals for the year are, and his answer about training and education for staff is a great one that I'll be looking to implement also.
You can follow along with Mitch's work on Instagram @sand_and_stone_landscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Caleb Auman of Auman Landscape, all the way from Ohio, USA.
Caleb and his wife Brittany run Auman Landscape, along with a few other side businesses such as The Hardscape Academy (which is an online training course, soon to be in person), The Kid Contractor Podcast (for which they create three episodes per week), they do business coaching for landscaping businesses and they also organise a conference or two each year including Together In The Trades, which is a couples conference for couples in the trade.
So it's clear that Caleb is not only busy, but also has a vast array of knowledge and experience, which he shares in this episode.
We speak about the lessons he learnt 'crashing' his first business, how he's been able to retain one employee for 20 years and two for 10, and he also goes into detail about the Together In The Trades conference, which sounds like an awesome idea.
Caleb's podcast, The Kid Contractor Podcast, is my favourite to listen to and I'm sure after listening to this episode, he'll have a few more fans.
You can follow along with Caleb on Instagram @aumanlandscapellc and you can view the YouTube Video we spoke about in the episode, along with Caleb's other videos here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Bonnie Stacey of Bonnie Stacey Landscapes.
Bonnie is a landscape designer based an hour north of Perth in Western Australia, and while she's only been running the business for around 18 months, she's quickly built a loyal following and provided plenty of value in that time.
Not only is she Booked out months in advance, but Bonnie has released an e-Book called Gardens that Grow, which educates DIYers about what to do and not to do when it comes to gardens, soil prep, plant selection etc. I love the idea so we discuss the book, as well as her new design course, again aimed at DIYers, which she has just released.
It was clear to me through chatting with Bonnie how passionate she was about designing gardens and educating people about gardens, so hopefully you'll enjoy this chat also!
You can follow along with Bonnie on Instagram @bonniestaceylandscapes and you can check out the eBook here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode of the podcast I speak with fellow Geelong landscaper Peter Shaw of Ocean Road Landscaping. ORL are a design, construction and maintenance company based in Anglesea, Victoria.
Peter has recently release a book titled Soulscape, so we discuss the contents of that, as well as the path Peter took from starting out working by himself, to running a team of 20+ staff.
There are quite a few business tips in this episode too, so a great one to finish the year, and the first season of the podcast with.
You can follow along with Peter on Instagram @oceanroadlandscaping and you can buy a copy of his book Soulscape here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Rich Wigley of Bluesky Landscaping. Rich is currently based in Sydney but about to move to the Central Coast of New South Wales, and runs a design and construction company.
I enjoyed my chat with Rich so much that we kept talking after I'd wrapped up the episode, and there was so much value in that 'after' chat that I've put it into the episode as well.
You can follow along with Rich on Instagram @blueskylandscaping_
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Jac Semmler. Jac formerly worked at the Diggers Club and recently started a new role with The Plant Society as Head of Plants and Strategy.
We discuss her current and previous roles, as well as her work writing articles for The Planthunter.
Jac's own garden in Frankston, called 'Heartland' is open the weekend of the 4th and 5th of December 2021 as part of Open Gardens Victoria and we discuss the various spaces which make up her garden.
You can follow along with Jac on Instagram @jac.semmler
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Sam Collie of Esjay Landscapes and Pools. Esjay is based in Melbourne and are a one stop shop for their clients, doing design, landscape construction, pool construction and maintenance. We discuss how Sam keeps on top of all of this.
Sam mentions who he worked for when he started out in the industry, including two Icons of the industry.
We also talk about some advice Sam has received through the use of a business coach.
And I was impressed at how Sam tracks his employees hours on site. Not just the simple '8 hours at X job', his employees break it down further into what role they were doing and for how long, so that they can then work out which tasks are going according to schedule, and which aren't, and make adjustments to change that.
You can follow along with Sam's projects @esjaylandscapes or on the website esjaylandscapes.com.au
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I talk with Mark Cvetkovski of Top Buxus Australia.
Mark and his business partner operate a garden maintenance business in Melbourne and after struggling to find a suitable solution to the lack of health with Buxus plants, they discovered Top Buxus and started importing it into Australia to use on their clients gardens. After a year of using it they decided to be the Australian seller of it.
Mark's background is in Science, and we discuss how he looked to develop root systems within plants in winter in order for them to thrive in Spring.
We also discuss the benefit Mark of using the Top Buxus product prior to selling it, so that they had confidence in what they were selling.
You can follow along with Mark on the Top Buxus Instagram page @topbuxus_australia
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Alistair Hutton of Everscapes. Everscapes is a landscape design and construction company based in Brisbane and Alistair also runs Infinity Pool Builders.
In this chat, Alistair mentions how he started in the industry, by pushing himself to do new things as clients asked, which allowed him to grow his skillset. When I ask about how he grew the business to the size it is now (26 employees), he mentions how learning to not micro manage was the biggest thing he had to do in order to grow.
Something I forgot to compliment Alistair on was his use of social media. His Instagram is well worth a follow and can be found at @everscapes_landscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Steven Wells. Steven is a horticultural therapist and nurse, and has combined his love of horticulture and caring for people by designing and implementing a beautiful gardens built across three Austin Hospital sites for the benefit of patients, visitors and staff.
I found this chat to be great for reflecting on the way I think and act in business and life. Steven speaks about his amazing manager who supported his passion in the early days, how he's able to sit back and watch people enjoy the garden that was his idea and which he designed, and I remind Steven of a series of Instagram posts hid did a few years ago where he was noticing numbers in nature.
It's a deeper thinking episode than normal, but I absolutely loved that about it so hopefully you do too!
The Better Homes and Garden story I refer to in the opener is here, and it's worth watching prior to listening to this episode. The bit with Steven only goes for about three minutes, unless you'd like to learn how to build a water garden in a bowl, in which case, keep watching!
Steven can be found on instagram @stevenwellsthegardener and his website is stevenwellsthegardener.com
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Craig Ratcliffe of Southern Cross Lawns and Gardens. Craig is a gardener who specialises in hedging and topiary and works in New South Wales.
Craig recently moved to Orange from Sydney, which is about 3 hours commute, so we discuss how he's going to look after past clients in Sydney and obtain new ones in Orange.
He's got a great story about how he started in the industry and the persistence he had to work for the employer he wanted to work for.
And Craig has a large social media following so we discuss his through process behind his posts.
You can follow Craig on Instagram @southerncrosslawnsandgardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Jordan Taylor from Granite Works, a paving supplier based in Melbourne.
We speak about Jordan applying for a job ad in the paper to work for Granite Works 18 years ago and the path he has taken to get to his role today.
We speak about how the paving industry has changed, about a couple of impressive projects Granite Works has been involved in and some new products on the market.
You can follow along with Granite Works on Instagram @granite.works or their website www.graniteworks.com.au
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Tony Mcleod from Domain Pools, a pool building company based in Melbourne.
Tony has been in the Landscaping/Pool industry for more than 30 years and is a wealth of knowledge, some of which he shares in this episode.
He also talks about a massive project he won in the early days which set him up for future success.
He talks about people not charging enough when they're quoting for tasks such as paving.
And I ask the age old question "Why should I pick a concrete pool vs a fibreglass pool.
Domain pools can be found on Instagram @domainpoolsmelbourne or their website domainpools.melbourne
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with our first international guest, David Andersen from Insideout Design and Build, a landscape design and construction company based in Vancouver, Canada.
David was born in South Africa, moved to London in the UK when he was 19 and started landscaping there. He ended up starting his own business in London before moving to Canada and, after working for other employers, ended up starting his current business which has been running for about 5 years.
We talk about the differences and similarities of landscaping in the different countries, as well as the path many landscapers make, starting out small and gradually moving slightly out of your comfort zone to try something new and growing from there.
You can also follow along with David's projects on Instagram @insideout_designbuild
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Steve Taylor of COS Design.
Steve is a landscape designer based in Melbourne and is one of Australia's most awarded designers and my favourite designer.
We discuss how Steve started out, starting in landscape construction before growing the company and then doing design and construction, before transitioning to what he does now, being solely in design.
The Before and After video I spoke about in the episode can be found here and then click on the first video titled 'B&A S01E02 COS Design'
You can also follow along with Steve's projects on Instagram @cos.design
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with John Hall from Cactus Country.
Cactus Country is a Australia's largest Cactus garden situated near the Murray River bordering Victoria and New South Wales in Strathmerton.
John's parents started Cactus Country and run the business along with John, and it's not just a garden, but a retail nursery, wedding venue, restaurant/cafe and education centre. I discuss all of this with John as well as their plans to grow.
We also go more off the landscaping track in this episode than I have in others, discussing meditation and NFT's, and Dami Im even gets a mention!
I loved recording this episode and could've chatted with John for days!
You can follow along Cactus Country on Instagram @cactuscountry or John's personal page @john.f.hall
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Dale Vine of DVine Scapes. Dale operates a landscape construction business in Geelong, but is better know for appearance as a contestant on The Block in three series. He has also released his own book "Dale Vine's Outdoor Reno Guide" and has his own TV series currently airing called "DVine Living".
We discuss his book and TV show in this episode, as well as the path Dale took to get into the landscaping industry and his time on The Block and how he juggles being a landscapers with the other roles he undertakes.
Dale can be found on Instagram @vineyd
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Dan Cusack of Revive Landscapes and Living Walls.
Dan is a landscaper in Canberra in the ACT and has previously been on the board of The Landscape Association.
It's clear from this chat with Dan that he's passionate about the industry, and we discuss the need for clients to have a landscape design prior to engaging a landscaper and we also chat about all the different things Dan is up to inside and outside of the business.
You can follow along with Dan on Instagram @revive_landscapes_living_walls
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Tristan Pierce of Tristan Pierce Landscape Architecture.
Tristan is based in Western Australia and does some of the most amazing 3D renders of his projects that I've seen.
We discuss his design process as well as how he got into the landscaping industry.
A few days after the interview, Tristan won a few awards at the WALDA Awards (West Australian Landscape Design Association)
I highly recommend checking out his Instagram @tristan_pierce and see how realistic the 3D renders look
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Jamal Steer of FCG Landscaping and The Framed Landscaper.
Jamal's main business is FCG Landscaping, which is a design and construction company based in Sydney, and he recently started up the Framed Landscaper, which is a business selling photo prints of various plants.
We discuss both businesses in this episode as well as how he made his way into the industry in the first place.
You can follow along with Jamal on Instagram @fcglandscaping and @theframedlandscaper
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Ash Muir from Ashley James Gardens, a Landscape Design, maintenance and garden company from Melbourne and The Yarra Valley.
Ash has a great story and path that he took to get to where he is today, starting off working for his dad at 14, ending up starting his own business and then taking over part of his dad's business. We discuss all of that as well as what he's got coming up for Ashley James Gardens.
You can follow Ash on Instagram @ashley_james_gardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Ollie Stephens of Hungry Wolf Studio.
Hungry Wolf Studio are one of the best architectural concrete companies in the country, and we discuss how Ollie made his pathway to get there, starting out doing house slabs.
We also discuss the concrete course which Ollie is just about to launch to teach people around the world how to do the awesome concrete products that Hungry Wolf Studio create.
You can find Ollie on Instagram @hungrywolfstudio
And you can sign up to register for the concrete course here
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Lily Sabo of Sabo Design, a landscape architecture company based in Melbourne.
I ask Lily about how she got into the industry and where she was working prior to starting her business.
We discuss 3D design and how not every design firm does their own 3D work.
I also ask her about the source of her work flow and how her answer is the best type of advertising you could ask for.
Lily can be found on Instagram @sabo_design
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Jade Child from Tassie Artificial Turf.
Jade started out as a landscaper and then saw an opportunity to focus predominantly on artificial turf. And now he spends the majority of his days installing artificial turf in Tasmania and doing landscaping to fill in the quieter months.
Jade travelled to the USA in 2019 to attend a seminar run by the Synthetic Turf Council, of which he is a member, and we discuss that trip and what he learnt over there.
We also discuss the value in zeroing in on a niche rather than being a Jack of all trades.
Jade can be found on Instagram @tatrufguru for his business account, or if you're wanting to see the challenge he was taking part in, which we briefly discussed, head to @skipchild36
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Tim Harper of Space Capsule Design Co, Banks and Brown, Plants'n'sh*t podcast and Jungle Talk podcast. Tim is clearly a man with many hats and we discuss all of his businesses/ventures in the episode.
I first met Tim at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden show where we were both building a garden in the Boutique Gardens competition, and we discuss what that was like for Tim, as well as the many other show/display gardens he's built since that one.
We also discuss the path Tim took to not only get into the landscaping industry, but also how he also ended up opening and indoor plant/pot/coffee shop combo.
You can follow Tim and his various businesses at
@spacecapsulegardenco
@banksandbrown
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Taylor Lukic of Odyssey Landscapes, a landscape design and construction company based on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland.
Taylor has been running the business for just 5 years, but currently has 15 staff including 3 constructions teams, fulltime office staff and a full time videographer. We discuss how he built to be this size so quick, as well as how he came across his mentors.
We also discuss his show garden that he designed and built at the Queensland Garden Expo in 2019, and also what's next for his rapidly growing company.
Taylor can be found @odysseylandscapes or via their YouTube channel, where they're becoming quite active Odyssey Landscapes - YouTube
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Brent Reid from Candeo design and it's by far the longest interview we've done to date, and part of the reason for that is due to the amount of Garden Show experience Brent has, both in Melbourne, as well as interstate and internationally. So we spend plenty of time discussing Garden Shows.
We also talk about his latest undertaking, as director of the Melbourne campus of the London College of Garden Design.
Around an hour into the interview, Brent opens up about the most difficult time in his working life, while working in the UAE.
And then we wrap up with some good advice for garden design businesses, as well as some of Brent favourite plants!
Brent can be found on Instagram @CandeoDesign or @lcgdMelbourne
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I speak with Ben Hayman of The Garden Keeper, a horticultural maintenance company based in the Southern highlands of New South Wales.
Ben didn't take the stereotypical path to get into the horticulture industry, instead he completed a mechanical apprenticeship and worked in that for several years before realizing he'd prefer working outdoors.
We discuss that while the projects he's maintaining now are high end, it wasn't always like that. And we'll also touch on the work he's doing promoting and educating for Hoselink.
Ben can be found on Instagram @the_garden_keeper
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Greg Soster from Outside Space, a landscape construction company operating in and south of Sydney.
Greg had a less than regular pathway on his way to getting into landscaping. He started out of school in banking and finance, then went on to advertising and printing, before working in his family business with his father working on a building and fencing business. He then left, travelled for a few years, bought a restaurant, and then somehow ended up in landscaping as owner of Outside Space!
The work Greg and his team do working with the community is admirable and a goal for plenty to follow.
Greg is passionate about the landscaping industry and has volunteered many hours to make it a better industry than it already is.
Outside Space can be found on Instagram @_outside_space_
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview Landscape Designer, Gardener and owner of Buxus Balls of Berry, Jason Hodges.
Jason has been a presenter on TV for around 20 years, most recently on Better Homes and Gardens where he worked for 16 years. He's also designed and built 6 Gold medal winning gardens at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show and was also awarded a Silver Gilt at the Chelsea Flower Show.
We discuss these Garden show builds in the episode as well as Jason's time in the industry owning and running his own business while also working on TV and we discuss where his passion for the industry started at the age of 8!
We also discuss his time working in TV and how he got his first gig in TV
Jason can be found on Instagram @jasonhodgesandco
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview nursery owner at Bamboo South Coast nursery on the south coast of New South Wales, Clint Bramston.
Clint is a man passionate about plants and people, so it's easy to see why he's been successful in running one of the most amazing nurseries in New South Wales. The nursery stocks more of your unusual landscaping plants, including rare tropical type plants that will grow that fare south, and he's also recently increased the amount of succulents and cacti that he sells, which he touches in on this episode.
The Bamboo South Coast Instagram page is a great source of plant inspiration, and can be found @bamboosouthcoast
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
instylegardens.com.au/the-landscaping-podcast
In this episode I interview landscape designer and researcher on Better Homes and Gardens, Grahame Rowe.
As mentioned in the first episode of The Landscaping Podcast, Grahame was the inspiration behind me wanting to create this podcast, as I knew he was a passionate plant nerd and a great speaker.
Grahame talks about his time doing an apprenticeship and working at Government House in Sydney. He speaks of his time at Better Homes and Gardens and how he, like many other people heavily invested in their work, had to make changes to his work/life balance.
Grahame can be found on Instagram @grahame_rowe
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
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You can view each episode on our YouTube channel or on our website
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In this, the first episode of The Landscaping Podcast, I give you an insight into what you can expect from The Landscaping Podcast going forward, and also give you a run down of my story to get into the landscaping industry and how I got to where I am today.
I mention who the upcoming guests are for the podcast: Grahame Rowe of Better Homes and Gardens TV, Clint Bramston of Bamboo South Coast nursery, Jason Hodges of Buxus Balls of Berry, Greg Soster of Outside Space and Ben Hayman of The Garden Keeper.
I then go through my story of how I go into landscaping and how I gave myself an advantage over other people who may have applied for any landscaping apprenticeship I applied for. I speak about buying the business I worked for off my boss, a mini career change after running it for three years, and then the restart with a different mindset, which has landed us to where we sit today, working on projects averaging around $100,000.
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
Visit our website
instylegardens.com.au
In this episode I talk about some of the builds we've done at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, and some images of those projects can be found here