Gardening expert Trevor Cochrane from The Garden Gurus gave a rare in-person talk in Busselton recently, sharing stories and insights from his television career and travelling the world, along with key takeaways for starting a garden from scratch in the sandy soils of the South West.
Fifty-eight people attended this latest GeoCatch Bay OK workshop, delivered in partnership with local developer Embark Busselton, and delved into how to turn sand into healthy, living soil; helping native plants thrive and waterwise tips for a successful and resilient garden. Embark Busselton supported this event encouraging its new residents to learn how to garden in an environmentally responsible way while growing thriving plants.
Local garden centre, Soils Ain’t Soils displayed products including popular stone and wood mulches, soil amendments and a beautiful selection of native plants.
Trevor explained that feeding the soil, rather than feeding the plants, is key. “What makes plants grow really well is consistency of moisture in the soil. Clay is so effective at binding the sand together and combined with organic matter creates a beautiful loamy soil base. If you have good loamy soil, you can grow anything,” says Trevor
“It’s really incredible how well plants grow in a nice compost, along with a good, chunky mulch that helps to reduce the rate of moisture evaporation.”
West Busselton resident, Anne Cosgrove, attended the workshop and has a well-established native verge garden she is always adding to.
“We’ve learnt a lot about gardening and wouldn’t be where we are with our garden if we didn’t have GeoCatch,” says Anne. “We’ve got lots of birds coming in and we’ve even got possums! I’m always curious to learn more and every time I go to an event, I always do learn more.”
Lucky winners walked away with fantastic door prizes provided by Soils Ain’t Soils, including a variety of soil amendments and planting mediums; and a native species Geraldton Wax with ceramic pot from their large range.
This event was delivered by GeoCatch in partnership with Embark Busselton, with funding from Healthy Estuaries WA and Revitalising Geographe Waterways, supporting the long-term health of our south-west waterways.
Photo Above: From left: Chelsea Clarke (Soils Ain’t Soils), Trevor Cochrane (The Garden Gurus), Lisa Massey (GeoCatch)
Photo 2: From left Nathalie Johnson (Embark Busselton), Trevor Cochrane (The Garden Gurus), Lisa Massey (GeoCatch)
Photo 3: The Garden Gurus Trevor Cochrane speaking at The New Gardens workshop
Photo 4: The Garden Gurus Trevor Cochrane and attendees at The New Gardens workshop
