In this episode I speak with Steve Dedrick from Endemic Environments. Steve is a landscape designer and native plant specialist based in Adelaide and has 20+ years of experience. Shortly before this episode is released, he'll have sold out a gardening workshop which he's running, and he also has plans to create a podcast in the future where he's talking to what he calls 'future gardeners', people who dedicate their career to a brighter future. So there's plenty of reasons to give Steve a follow!...
Mar 26, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 19
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on March 19, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as: Who's the best landscaper in Australia? What is one material/product you refuse to use again? What are you worried/stressed about with your display garden at MIFGS? If you were a landscaping product, what would you be and why? You can foll...
Mar 22, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 18
In this episode I speak with Charlie Albone from Inspired Exteriors, a landscape design, construction and maintenance business operating in Sydney. Charlie is also a presenter on Better Homes and Gardens and has worked in TV for around 16 years, so I asked him about how challenging it is, working in TV while having your own business. He has an amazing story about how he started in the industry and got his first job. And has some great advice about making mistakes when you're starting out in busi...
Mar 19, 2023•34 min•Season 3Ep. 17
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on March 12, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released as a podcast on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as: What is the rudest client experience you've had and how did you deal with it? What's the best study/qualification to have to get a job in landscaping? Should a quote be split 50/50 between materials and labour? Is a uniform necessary on a ...
Mar 15, 2023•26 min•Season 3Ep. 16
In this episode I speak with Adam White from Dorset Bottega, a landscape design and construction company based in Brisbane, Queensland. Adam started his landscaping business later than most, but had plenty of valuable experience prior, working as a cabinet maker, carpenter, furniture designer, renovating 17 houses and having hardworking and creative parents. He talks about the vision he created prior to starting Dorset Bottega and how he wanted to build beautiful gardens for nice people, and he ...
Mar 12, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 15
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on March 5, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as: What is the hardest thing to teach employees? Work ethic or detail? What do you think of the IQ Power Tool saw with its dustless, dry cut system? What's a power tool you wish you had? What is the most profitable part of landscaping? You ...
Mar 08, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this episode I speak with Les Edwards from ED Landscapes, a design and construction company which started in 2006 and is operating in Sydney and Mudgee in New South Wales. Les has a great story about where his love for the green industry began as a small child watching his dad's cousin mow their lawn, before going on to study horticulture at Ryde TAFE, and then going on to work for his dad's cousin for 6-7 years as a landscaper. Les talks about how in the early days of business he was taking ...
Mar 05, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 13
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 26, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as: What attention do you pay to soil conditioning? What do you think is the ideal crew size? Cost effective/productive? What's a power tool you wish you bought earlier? What was the motivation to start the podcast? Did you think it woul...
Mar 01, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this episode I speak with Adam Gee from Anston Architectural Products. Adam works as a sales manager at Anston but originally started his working life out of school as an apprentice landscaper at The Garden Company in Melbourne. Adam became qualified and started his own landscaping business before realising it wasn't for him, so moved into sales and ending up at Anston 10 years later. In this chat we talk about Adam's time as a landscaper and how that experience has helped him in his role wit...
Feb 26, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 11
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 19, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as : Do you meet on site, or at the shed in the morning? How do you balance work and life, and when do you find time to do quoting and other paper/computer work? Long pants, or shorts all year? What's the first question you get asked or ...
Feb 22, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this episode I speak with Liam Riley from Indigenous Design Landscaping. A design and construction company based in Melbourne who build sustainable and environmentally sensitive landscapes. Liam has 18 employees and completes residential and commercial projects and in this chat he talks about the importance and his willingness to upskill his staff. He has a great story about the luck he had in starting in the industry, just by handing out flyers in his street. He also talks about how he studi...
Feb 19, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 9
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 12, 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as : What design program do you use and why? What's the best purchase for your business you've made under $100? What is the best staff numbers to have on site? Where do I begin when landscaping on a sloping block? You can follow along wi...
Feb 15, 2023•43 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this episode I speak with Malcom Berce from Desert Flower Landscaping, a landscape design and construction company based in Adelaide, South Australia. Malcom is a wealth of knowledge and a great person to talk to. The conversation I had with him prior to the podcast officially starting was so good that I had to leave it in. He talks about the reason he charges for consultations, where his passion for gardening and landscaping originated and what it's like being on the MLSA board. Malcom had a...
Feb 12, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 7
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on February 5 2023, is part of our mid week release which are recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 EST and released on the podcasts on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as : When did you know you'd made it in business? What job management programs do you use? When is the best time to put on an employee? Any advice for a first time MIFGS entrant? You can follow along with the projects we're currently worki...
Feb 08, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode I speak with Darin Bradbury from Mint Pool and Landscape Design, a design company based in Melbourne. Darin has a great, well rounded resume of experience prior to starting Mint, having started in a Vineyard, before studying at Burnley, working in maintenance and then working for Ian Barker and Associate's and then starting with Scott Wynd from TLC Pools. Darin talks about the importance of garden maintenance and I also ask him the best way to go about working out how much you sh...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This episode, which is a recording of an Instagram Live I did on January 29 2023, will be the first mid week podcast episode, which will be a weekly event, recorded Live on Instagram every Sunday at 8.30 est and released on the podcasts on Thursdays. In this episode I answered questions such as : What’s the most memorable point of your career? Thoughts on landscapers using subbies more? Why did you decide to do a podcast? How are you handling the wet weather in terms of lost time and profits? Yo...
Feb 01, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this episode I speak with Martin Semken from Semken Landscaping, a construction and maintenance business based in Melbourne which Martin started 35 years ago. Semken Landscaping were the first Australian construction company to build a Show Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and have also been involved in the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show every year since inception, so we discuss both shows in this chat. Martin discusses the value of garden maintenance and why more landscapers...
Jan 29, 2023•48 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode I answer questions submitted via Instagram in an Instagram Live recording. This is something that I'll be hoping to do weekly, recorded on Sunday night at 8.30pm EST and released as a podcast on the Thursday of the following week, in addition to the regular guest, released on the Monday as normal. Some of the questions answered in this episode are : What is your process for leading clients into getting their project drawn up with a design? What do landscapers do? Any words of adv...
Jan 22, 2023•35 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In this episode I speak with Peter Donegan from Peter Donegan Garden Design. Peter is a Landscape Designer based in Ireland and will be designing a garden at the 2023 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, so we discuss how that came about. Peter started his passion for gardens and design at a very young age, 5 or 6, and still has the same passion for it 40 years later. He comes across as a very knowledgeable individual, and shares plenty throughout the chat, such as the importance of d...
Jan 15, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 1
In this episode, this final for the year, I speak with Phil Withers from Phillip Withers Landscape Design. Phil runs a landscape design and horticulture company based in Melbourne and has done for around 10 years. Phil talks about how he started in the industry studying design but also working in construction and maintenance to get a better idea of what everything actually is that he was designing. He talks about how great Garden Shows are and shares when he'll be doing a garden show next, as we...
Dec 18, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 49
In this episode I speak with Myles Baldwin from Myles Baldwin Design. Myles heads a team of 16 landscape architects from a studio in Redfern in Sydney and is one of the most sought-after designers in Australia. Myles talks about the great start he had in the industry, completing an apprenticeship at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, followed by studying at Ryde Tafe prior working on a project at Bronte House before starting out on his own. He talks about why he downsized the services he off...
Dec 11, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 48
In this episode I speak with Weston Zimmerman from Synked Up. Weston was the creator of Synked Up, which is a complete landscape management software that he developed during his 16 years as a landscaper. Knowing your numbers, and understanding the true cost of doing business is the key message Weston is trying to get landscapers to understand, and in this chat he mentions the benefit of knowing your numbers, as well as the two things people always get wrong when trying to work out the amount the...
Dec 04, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 47
In this episode I recorded an Instagram Live where I answered questions from followers of our Instagram accounts as well as one who were watching live. There were some great questions including asking about our 2023 MIFGS garden, have I thought about life after landscaping, when's the last time I washed the tools after a concrete pour and about 12-15 others. You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page @instyle_gardens @thelandscapingpodcast You can vi...
Nov 27, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 46
In this episode I speak with Matt Harding from Outdoor Oasis Landscapes, a design and construction company based on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. Matt only started the business a few years ago at the start of Covid, but is already working on some really nice projects and it's clear through the chat that he's got and idea on where he wants to get to, and what he needs to do to get there. We discuss the benefit of only posting the type of work you want to do to social media, so that you get mo...
Nov 20, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 45
In this episode I speak with Neale Wilson from Terrain Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Auckland, New Zealand. Neale started studying horticulture in High School and was fortunate to start work working for a high end landscaping company early on, before heading overseas to Sydney and London to travel and also work in landscaping. Being a construction only company, Neale discusses the importance of only quoting projects which have had a design done, and we discuss what the Ne...
Nov 13, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 44
In this episode I speak with Emmaline Bowman from Stem Landscape Architecture, a landscape architecture and design company based in Melbourne who specialise in natural, sustainable designs which also create habitat for animals and inspects. We discuss how Emmaline started out in the industry, including the similarities between the aquariums and aquascapes she was creating with landscaping. Emmaline also shares some great advice about the best time to start working on your systems and processes a...
Nov 06, 2022•54 min•Season 2Ep. 43
In this episode I speak with Mark Ryan from InStyle Paving, and it is one of my favourite episodes I've done in the 72 episodes of the podcast so far! Mark started out as a landscaper in Adelaide and then niched down to doing mainly paving, which is what he does today. We talk about why he niched down, why he doesn't have up to four employees like he once did and the importance of communication. We also discuss the amount of extra work that goes into paving these days compared to when we started...
Oct 30, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 42
In this episode I speak with Ineke Clark from Ambition Social, a Social Media and Brand Strategy company based in South Australia, working with clients around Australia and New Zealand. Ineke has previously worked for paving suppliers and was the CEO of the Master Landscapers Association of SA and has been successful in every roll she's done prior to starting her own business . In this chat we talk about the importance of doing a career you enjoy doing, even if you've spent four years studying a...
Oct 23, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 41
In this episode I speak with Jim Wertz from The 7 Figure Landscaping Newtork. Jim is a landscaping business coach and consultant, working with clients remotely. Prior to starting the coaching/consulting business, Jim ran a landscaping company for 35 years so is well experienced in what he's coaching. Jim talks about the reason to put systems and processes in place as well as when a great time to do this is. One of the most important skills Jim relates to a successful business is the ability to b...
Oct 16, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 40
In this episode I speak with Paul Pritchard from Paul Pritchard Landscape Design. Paul is a designer based in Melbourne and has been in the industry 26 years. He originally started out in construction and ran a couple of construction crews and was doing design and construction but has recently made the transition to being design only, so we discuss what that process was like. Paul also talks about the importance and value of having a great bunch of landscaping contractors he can refer work to, a...
Oct 09, 2022•46 min•Season 2Ep. 39
