GARDEN lovers, horticulturalists and landscapers will be familiar with the name John Patrick, for he is loved and known by many of them.
Leaving England in 1980 to lecture at University of Melbourne’s Burnley College of Horticulture, Patrick gained celebrity status by appearing on Burke’s Backyard and ABC’s Gardening Australia.
Members of the Creswick Garden Club, celebrating its 25th anniversary, were delighted when Patrick accepted an invitation to give a presentation at this important event.
Rather than reflecting on the past 25 years, Patrick spoke about the future of garden design and plantings with which young designers are experimenting.
“Designers today are looking at doing things differently, with patterns of plantings linked to the plants themselves, their structures and colours,” he said.
“Rather than relying on European plants, that maybe will not cope with the changing weather patterns, the designers are becoming increasingly creative with plants closer to home.”
Patrick stressed the importance of planting in context to the landscape, especially when planting within the Australian landscape.
“I believe that Australian natives are some of the most exciting plants in the world and there are innovative ways to experiment with plants and other natural finishes to increase the sensitivity to place and the overall composition of a garden,” he said.
Sitting next to John Patrick was Val Lawrence who was an original member of the Creswick Garden Club, 25 years ago.
She has enjoyed his company on a number of tours that he takes to gardens around the world.
“John Patrick is a generous man and I have enjoyed the garden tours,” she said.
“Without his support for our garden club we would not have introduced our annual learning day, which has brought people from throughout the district to listen to and learn from renowned horticulturalists.”