Plants Grow Here - Horticulture, Landscape Gardening & Ecology – Details, episodes & analysis

Are native and endemic plants better than exotic plants for biodiversity in urban landscapes? The answer is, it depends.

By now, you expect a nuanced exploration into complex ideas like this when you tune into the Plants Grow Here podcast. As a qualified horticulturist with well over a decade in landscape maintenance and horticulture, it bothers me when I see overly simplistic statements like, "native plants are good and exotics are bad."

What does "native" even mean in a country as large as Australia? Are urban conditions the same as they were before colonialism? And why do pollinators flock to exotic plants like lavender and duranta if they're so bad for ecology?

These are the types of questions we explore in this episode.

Find your next job, or post a job ad: https://hortpeople.com

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www.PlantsGrowHere.com
You’ll find heaps of educational blog articles, including How To Prune For Natural Shape, What Relationships Do Plants Have With Other Organisms?, and What Is Healthy Soil, And How Can We Build It?.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

Yeah, yeah yeah - right plant, right place. But what does this old cliche mean in the real world? In this episode, I break down the old concept into site parameters (restrictions) and plant functions (desirable traits).

Site Parameter Examples

• Available space
• Temperature
• Frost
• Wind
• Altitude
• Humidity
• Topography
• Substrate
• Mulch
• Average rainfall
• Drought
• Irrigation
• Sunlight
• Salt
• Micro climate
• Aspect
• Slope gradient
• Reflected light
• Reflected heat
• Rockeries
• Pathways
• Wind corridors
• Depressed areas
• Raised areas
• Flat areas
• Common pests/diseases

Plant Function Examples

• Biodiversity resources
• Playgrounds
• Rockeries
• Grey water
• Fire retardant
• Growth habit
• Erosion control
• Rain gardens
• Micro-catchments
• Bioswales
• Water cleaning
• Sensory
• Maintenance budget
• Order and creativity
• Layering
• Repetition
• Unity
• Rhythm
• Contrast
• Balance
• Colour
• Form
• Texture
• Line
• Proportion
• Focal points
• Seasonal interest
• Mass planting
• Specimen planting
• Feature
• Sightline preservation
• Screening & privacy
• Wind break
• Hedging
• Borders
• Roadside planting
• Parkland
• Street tree
• Modern garden
• Traditional garden
• Native garden

This episode is based on my experiences as a qualified horticulturist of over a decade, and a webinar presentation I developed with Todd Layt for Ozbreed of the same title.

Find your next job, or post a job ad: https://hortpeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com
You’ll find heaps of educational blog articles, including How To Prune For Natural Shape, What Relationships Do Plants Have With Other Organisms?, and What Is Healthy Soil, And How Can We Build It?.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

This week, we're celebrating 200 episodes! My mentor, Karen Smith, editor of Hort Journal Australia, interviews me about my picks for the "best" 10 episodes.

To pick only 10 episodes was an impossible task, but I've narrowed it down to a few essential chats that I believe all my listeners should listen to at least once. From Integrated Weed Management (IWM) to magical musical plants, make sure you don't miss any of these episodes!

Find your next job, or post a job ad: https://hortpeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com
You’ll find heaps of educational blog articles, including How To Prune For Natural Shape, What Relationships Do Plants Have With Other Organisms?, and What Is Healthy Soil, And How Can We Build It?.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

We've covered intro to soil, soil carbon, soil hazards, and other soil-related episodes. But in this chat between my mentor Karen Smith and soil scientist and author Alisa Bryce, you'll learn about some different aspects of soil that you may not have ever heard before.

EPISODE LINKS
Alisa Bryce's website: https://alisabryce.com.au/
Buy a signed copy of Grounded: How soil shapes the games we play, the lives we make and the graves we lie in: https://alisabryce.com.au/product/grounded-signed-copy/
Here's the book on Amazon (if that's your thing): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grounded-shapes-games-lives-graves-ebook/dp/B09Z24RCRV

Search for horticulture jobs: HortPeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

Recently, I was invited to speak about podcast with Monika Ruzicka and Lisa Davidson on their podcast Straight To Business. I advised them during their planning and creation of the show, and I'm really impressed with the quality of the show they've created together.

Seeing as a fair few of you liked the behind the scenes episode I did recently, I'm sharing this episode with you as well.

EPISODE LINKS
Lisa Davidson's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lidavidson/
Monika Ruzucka's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monikaruzicka/
Daniel Fuller's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-fuller-180908208/

Search for horticulture jobs: HortPeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

One way we can reduce our waste as a society is to turn food waste into a resource. But how do we do that?

Bruce Thompson is back on the show, and he walks us through a few different opportunities to take advantage of, including bokashi composting and black soldier fly larvae, which are capable of breaking down meat products to produce a safe end product. 

This episode is sponsored by Hort Journal Australia.

EPISODE LINKS
Visit Hort Journal Australia: https://hortjournal.com.au/
Contact Hort Journal Australia: https://hortjournal.com.au/contact/
Subscribe to Hort Journal Australia: https://hortjournal.com.au/plans/hort-journal-subscriptions/

Search for horticulture jobs: HortPeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

What can tree rings tell us about plant health and external factors such as climate? What tools do you use? What are the old-school and modern techniques of gathering data?

In this episode, Joe Buck, creator of The Dendro Hub, comes on the show to give us an introduction to the art and science of dendrochronology.

EPISODE LINKS
The Dendro Hub: https://www.dendrohub.com/
Joe's Twitter: https://twitter.com/joebuckinnature
Joe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-buck585266186/

Search for horticulture jobs: HortPeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

Sales is a massive career opportunity within the horticulture industry, especially for people that need to get off the tools for whatever reason. It's not for everybody, but the right person can make a nice income when you factor in a base wage plus commissions.

And sales skills aren't just for professional salespeople either! They're an incredibly valuable addition to any professional landscaper, horticulturist or business owner in the space that wants to be more convincing so that you can have things go your way more often.

EPISODE LINKS
Contact Zak on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zakmiqbal

Search for horticulture jobs: HortPeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.

Australian estuaries have a problem. Well, they have several, but one of the major threats to the ecosystem is undoubtedly the European carp which outcompete our native fauna, overgraze on flora and cause further destruction.

This episode's sponsor is Charlie Carp, a fish fertiliser company that's helping to keep populations down, even though my guest Ron Kaponica points out we'll never be able to get rid of them permanently (much like rabbits).

In this episode, you'll learn about the problem of pest carp in Australia, and how Charlie Carp decimate populations and turn them into a good, old-fashioned organic fertiliser, as well as a non-organic option for those of us that want to super-charge our veggies or ornamental plants.

EPISODE LINKS
Charlie Carp's website: https://www.charliecarp.com.au/
Where to buy: https://www.charliecarp.com.au/contact-us/where-to-buy/

Charlie Carp's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/charlie-carp/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100053685173196
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charlie.carp/

Search for horticulture jobs: HortPeople.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: @PlantsGrowHere / Facebook: @PlantsGrowHerePodcast - Join our Facebook group!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE
www.PlantsGrowHere.com

LET'S WORK TOGETHER
Are you in the industry or an enthusiast with something of value to share? We're always on the hunt for interesting people, doing interesting things. If you'd like to work with us send a message via our online form or a direct email to plantsgrowhere@gmail.com.