Experience

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  AirSeed Technologies

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Greenhouse Manager

    • Jan 2023 - Present
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    AirSeed Technologies are industry leaders in degraded land rehabilitation and mass revegetation.

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  Our Gardens Magazine

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Writer

    • 2017 - Present
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    I write articles for Our Gardens, published by The Garden Clubs of Australia. I enjoy researching and writing about unusual plants and novel horticultural trends. My first article published was about home grown Wasabi and I am currently working on an article about creating gardens for pollinators and another about edible weeds. I like to think that my writing has zest because it's inspired by a fervent love of plants and gardening.

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  Camerons Nursery

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Sales Executive - Horticulture

    • Aug 2017 - Dec 2022
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    I worked in sales at Cameron’s Nursery. This is a wholesale nursery with areputation for growing unique perennials and groundcovers. Cameron's Nurserysupplies Bunnings stores and independent retail nurseries throughout NSW, ACT,Victoria and Queensland. My work was divided between on-the-road sales andoffice/nursery duties. I regularly travelled to regional areas such as Dubbo, Maitland andCanberra to visit clients, monitor staff performance and promote our products.I was the primary point of contact for all clients and our team of merchandisers. Thismeant that I needed to have a thorough understanding of the plants that we grew and can impart that information to customers and our sales team. In this role I maintained positive working relationships with many people in our industry.I created social media content for our nursery and brands. Cameron's have a large following on Facebook and Instagram, where I promoted our latest releases and interesting developments.I worked closely with the Nursery Manager to monitor stock and spend time working in all facets of plant production. This included; plant variety selection, propagation, potting, pest and disease monitoring and dispatch.

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  Food Faith

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Advising Horticulturist

    • 2019 - 2019
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    I recently worked with Food Faith, a Not-For-Profit company, to design and install acommunity garden at MECA (Multicultural and Ethnic Communities Agency), Mt Druitt. I designed the garden and liaised with donors to source materials. I also worked with volunteers to install beds and irrigation. ‘The Living Room’ TV show came on board and injected some extra resources into the project, with a fantastic end result. It was very gratifying to transform a dry, degraded and unused patch of ground into a beautiful, productive space for the local community.

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  Colourwise Nursery

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Botanix Coordinator

    • Aug 2014 - Aug 2017
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Colourwise Nursery grows perennials, fruit trees, ornamental grasses and cordylines. I worked in the sales office at Colourwise and was responsible for managing 19 merchandisers throughout NSW and Queensland. My main duties included; distributing information to staff, recruiting and training new staff, responding to sales enquiries, coordinating merchandiser rosters with deliveries and dispatch, and compiling and updating weekly plant stock takes.My administration duties included; staff rostering, pay processing and the production of monthly sales reports and analyses. I am proficient with Word and Excel. I photographed stock for photo libraries, catalogues and marketing. I was the company's Website Administrator and responsible for all updates and changes necessary to keep the website current. I designed and distributed marketing material using Adobe InDesign. I wrote and compiled a seasonal Newsletter that was distributed internationally, and in 2015 I received the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia award for “Best Newsletter”.I had a keen interest in the production side of the business and I particularly enjoyed observing and documenting the trial of new plants for release to market.In this role I learned a great deal not only about plants, but also about people. This was primarily a people-focused role in which success was dependent upon strong communication skills. The work was varied and stimulating, and served to enhance my organizational skills, diplomatic management style and creative communication skills.

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  Zenscapes Garden Design

  • Owner / Manager Zenscapes Garden Design

    • 1997 - 2014

    I managed my own garden design and maintenance company for many years. I designed and built distinctive, beautiful gardens for a diverse range of clients. Projects included; a fairy themed garden, a variegated garden, a super-productive suburban plot, and a shady tropical oasis. These gardens are a reflection of my adaptability and competency as a horticulturist.I was responsible for the hands-on maintenance of these unique gardens which involved; pruning and shaping, fertilizing, soil care, installation of irrigation systems, lawn care and pest and disease diagnosis and control.

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  Botanical Oddities

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Nursery Manager

    • 2005 - 2006
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Due to our insatiable appetite for interesting and rare plants and our prolific compulsion for propagation, my partner and I amassed a huge collection of exotic and unusual plants. We decided that we had enough spare to open up our property to the public as a retail nursery. We stocked a variety of ornamental and collectable plants including;orchids, heliconia, gingers, carnivorous plants, cacti and succulents. Some of our most popular plants were exotic fruit and nut trees such as Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum), grafted Neem Trees (Azadirachta indica) and Jaboticaba (Plinia cauliflora).My main duties were; customer service, stock maintenance, ordering, signage, marketing and accounts.

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  Garden Elements

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Assistant Manager

    • 2003 - 2005
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    I was working as Assistant Manager at Garden Elements, Australia's largest wholesaleand retail outlet for garden ornaments and water features. My main duties includedcustomer service, stock ordering, pricing, daily sales accounting, creating in-storedisplays and setting up water features. I was also responsible for researching newproducts, marketing and promotion activities and photographing stock for wholesalecatalogues. Working in this position I developed my expertise with an eclectic mix ofgardening styles within the contemporary marketplace.

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  Youth Insearch Foundation (Aust) Inc

  • Kurrajong Heights, New South Wales, Australia

  • Head Gardener

    • 2002 - 2003
    • Kurrajong Heights, New South Wales, Australia

    I was responsible for grounds maintenance and planning for 100 acres of formalgardens and bushland at a health retreat in Kurrajong Heights. I prepared the groundsto a professional standard for media presentations and special events.

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  Ecohort PTY LTD

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Bush Regenerator

    • 1998 - 2000
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    I worked as a team member on projects that included; mass revegetation of degraded sites, primary weed removal and secondary weed control, native seed collection and propagation, general nursery duties, installation and maintenance of irrigation systems, habitat design and construction, and erosion control through landscaping.I was promoted to supervision of Green Corps and seed collection teams. I also helped to coordinate community education campaigns, volunteer groups and tree planting days. I was trained to operate chainsaws, brush-cutters and a 500L pesticide spray unit, and received my Railways Track Safety Awareness Certificate.

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  Arthur Yates & Co

  • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

  • Order Picker

    • 1994 - 1997
    • Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    I was employed at the Yates warehouse whilst completing my degree at university. I worked as a team member filling and packing orders for wholesale customers. In this role I became familiar with a wide range of horticultural products and their applications.This experience was a valuable introduction to working life and the horticulture industry.