Having been born into a family full of strong interest in native flora and fauna, I obviously have a preconceived bias of natives over exotic species. From a young age my mother and father, being from the far eastern Victorian town of Orbost, would explain some of the interesting subtlety's of the various Australian flora surrounding my house in the township of Sale. They often explained there use, and beauty compared to the exotic species, especially disliking the use of annuals and other commonly used plants, such as Agapanthus.
Although not knowing it at the time, these frequent talks spurred my interest in sustainable gardening, creating a landscape that will not only be enjoyed that season, but hopefully many years to come. In my adolescent years, I began to appreciate landscapes that were inspired by the unaltered bush that would often be just 200 meters down the road. This obsession began to expand to include Australian flora from other regions and eventually expanded to West Australian species (which is where my fascination lies at the moment). This interest led me to take up a job offer at a large wholesale nursery in the foothills of the great dividing range, near Heyfield, Victoria. This nursery, close to the alpine national park further developed my love of the bush, while allowing me to earn a living while continuing to learn.
After 18 months of both some of the worst and best times of my life, I left the nursery and decided to continue my education at the University of Melbourne, studying horticulture. This is where I stand at the moment. While studying I decided to open my own residential gardening maintenance and renovation business, which I currently run on weekends and any time away from school.
Anyway I hope any readers enjoy this sounding board.
Lachlan
Resources
Wildtech Nursery (Nursery where I worked)
http://www.wildtechnursery.com.au/
