The NZ Gardener Speaker Series is held annually in a custom-designed 100-seat venue near the Rose Entrance each year. It is the place where top experts in a variety of different fields are to be found presenting the latest trends, handy ideas and useful solutions for novice and afficionados alike. The line-up includes both New Zealand and international presenters, chosen because of the wealth of tips and shared experiences they offer, all presented in an entertaining and inspirational fashion.
New Zealand Experts
Julian Matthews from Wellington and Dennis Greville from Christchurch are teaming up for a punchy look at edible gardening, becoming ever more the fashion in New Zealand. These two well-known authors and columnists will combine in a joint presentation sure provide both inspiration and plenty of laughs,
Neil Ross is a well known garden columnist reknowned for his entertaining style and light look at the art of gardening. As co-author of the book “Inspiration from the Ellerslie Flower Show”, there are none better placed to evaluate trends at Ellerslie and across New Zealand
Jack Hobbs is the manager of the Auckland Botanic Gardens, a top class photographer and a well-known media personality. Recently he led a tour of gardening enthusisasts to China and in his talks he will share the images, experiences and findings of the China tour with you.
Merv Cox and Camille Guy will speak on vision-impaired gardening, a hugely important area for many New Zealanders. Merv Cox is a deafblind landscape gardener based in Wellington who has designed the SensibiliTea VIP Garden (for Vision Impaired People) while Camille Guy is an Auckland journalist who lost her sight in the early 50’s who has mastered the art of low vision gardening.
Carolyn Melling is the owner of Landsendt Exotic Plants, a haven for rare and unusual subtropical plants in West Auckland. This year Landsendt won the 2005 Waitakere City Sustainable Business Award — a great achievement for the business. Carolyn will speak on her reconciling her love for rare plants with the demands and realities of business.
International Experts
Jim Fogarty is one of Australia’s leading landscape designers who has exhibited at Chelsea Flower Show and the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show with outstanding success. Passionate about design that is environmentally sensitive he will talk on what is hot in Australian garden design.
Richard Go made a huge impact on the floral design sector during his last visit to New Zealand from Australia, where he is based. This outstanding and innovative designer will live up to his reputation as a “Floral McGyver” with hands on demonstrations of how to go about creating the finest floral displays from your own backyard and other inspirational topics.
Kim Fletcher is based in Tasmania and is a leading expert in the area of herb gardening. Hear how you can use herbs to create theme gardens like medicinal gardens, Shakespeare or aphrodisiac Gardens.
Rob Small is a the current World President Elect of the International Federation of Parks, current CEO of Flemings Nurseries (who sponsor the leading Design Competition for Tertiary students in New Zealand) and a former head judge at the. He will analyse the process of taking a garden to Chelsea Flower Show and also conduct a session on Plant Propogation.
Andrew O’Sullivan wowed the audiences last year with his entertaining style and area of interest. Based in Australia, look to Andrew for exceptional tips on how to improve the look and feel of your garden at low cost using sustainable techniques.
Ruth Clausen hails from New York and is a prolific international writer, consultant, advisor and Flower Show judge. Eloquent across a range of topics, Ruth will draw on her experiences around the world, identifying global trends and challenges in horticulture.
Sessions run daily as follows:
Wednesday 16th — Saturday 19th: 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm
Sunday 20th: 11am, 12noon and 1pm
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