Children, chooks and all things related to gardening and nature are the main passions in life.

My love for everything horticultural stems from many a childhood day spent in the company of my grandmother, an avid gardener and plant lover. This passion I now share with my three children and this passion I have I made into a career that has lasted over 20 years so far.

I’m a qualified Brisbane based horticulturalist with a Diploma in Horticulture and an Advanced Design Certificate in Permaculture Design

I’m on the executive committee of the Horticultural Media Association Qld.

MY PLACE:

Having lived on acreage for the past 17 years in the western suburbs of Brisbane, I have finally acquired my very own patch.

I enjoy pursuing my love of nature and sustainable gardening in a subtropical climate by growing with her family their own organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and the meeting with the challenge of blending this in with the surrounding environment and with my other plant passions: – natives and flowering perennials.

Over this time I’ve become a successful breeder of various types of purebred poultry.

MY POULTRY:

I have bred for over 15 years Araucana chickens – the breed that lays the blue shelled eggs.

Besides the Araucanas I have kept not only a large and varied range of chicken breeds but a large range of poultry full stop. Geese, guinea fowl, turkeys. ducks and quail have all at some stage been a part of a productive garden. These days we just have one pair of turkeys but still a large range of chickens including our beloved Araucanas.

MY WORK:

I have worked in multiple areas within the horticultural industry for over 20 years, such as, teaching horticulture for Brisbane North Institute of Tafe, as well as delivering Sustainable Living Library Seminars for the Brisbane City Council, being a guest speaker at many different Queensland gardening events and expos and writing for several horticultural and sustainability publications, including subTropical gardening magazine, Good Organic Gardening, Earth Garden Magazine , Searles About the Garden, Nurture Natural Parenting and the ABC’s Chook magazine specials. I have had the pleasure of standing in for Annette McFarlane on ABC612 radio gardening talkback and am a regular presenter on the local community television show on Briz31 “Blooming in Brisbane”.

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