In this episode I speak with Bec Bennett.
Bec is another lucky person who knew what industry she wanted to work in from an early age, taking trips to the local nursery before starting work there as soon as she was able to.
She went on to start her own business and talks about the challenges of knowing your worth when charging for landscape design.
Bec is the president of Encouraging Women In Horticulture and also teaches at Chisolm Tafe
You can follow Bec on Instagram @annan_homestead
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
Episode 176 - Matt Ferguson - Ferguson Landscape Design
In this episode I speak with Matt Ferguson from Ferguson Landscape and Design, a landscape construction company based in Melbourne.
Matt has only been in business a short time, having started the business in January 2020, but he's doing a lot of things right early. He employed a business coach in the first few months and we talk about the benefits this has brought.
Matt also talks about how he worked for his last employer as a subbie when he started his business, to fill in any gaps he had, which is a great way to start out.
He also talks about getting plenty of work in a new estate where a client praised him on a Facebook group for the estate, and how this lead to many new projects.
You can follow Matt on Instagram @fergusonlandscapedesign
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
Episode 175 - Stacey Swetnam - Legacy Gardens
In this episode I speak with Stacey Swetnam from Legacy Gardens, a landscape construction company based in Sydney. Stacey currently works at Harrison's Landscaping where she began and completed her apprenticeship and will commit fulltime to Legacy Gardens in the coming years.
I first became aware of Stacey through her podcast "Tradie Lady Talk" where she spoke with women in the construction industry. There's just three episodes so far, but they're a great listen for people in the construction industry.
In this chat Stacey talks about the value of having sub contractors on site and learning from these specialists in their field. And she also talks about ho challenging it as to get started in landscape construction, particularly on a first year apprentice age, but how she did whatever it took, including working three jobs at once, so that she could work in a job she enjoyed.
You can follow Stacey on Instagram @landscaper.stacey or @legacygardens.syd and you can see where she learnt he trade @harrisonslandscaping
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
Episode 174 - Michael McCoy - Michael McCoy Gardens
In this episode I speak with Michael McCoy from Michael McCoy Gardens. Michael is a garden design, writer and was the host of the TV show Dream Gardens. Michael is an extremely enjoyable person to talk to and he's got some amazing stories about how he ended up spending 4.5 months at Great Dixter, as well as the story about how he ended up hosting Dream Gardens.
Michael also talks about the importance of designing a garden to meet the maintenance possibilities of the client it's for.
He also talks about the garden tours he offers in New Zealand.
You can follow Michael on Instagram @michaelmccoygardens
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
Episode 173 - Lucy Willcox - Lucy Willcox Garden Design
In this episode, the final for 2023, I speak with Lucy Willcox from Lucy Willcox Garden Design. Lucy is a solo landscape designer based in London and has won several design awards in her time in the industry.
Lucy didn't start out in the industry but realised she had a passion for it, so jumped in and that passion has only increased since!
I first discovered Lucy after seeing her home garden on Instagram and I assumed it was an Australian garden based off the plant selections and hardscaping, but obviously it wasn't, so we discuss Lucy's design inspiration as well.
You can follow Lucy on Instagram @lucywillcox and follow her house reno @our60srevamp
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
Episode 172 - Scott Latham - Latham Landscapes
In this episode I speak with Scott Latham from Latham Landscapes, a landscape construction company based in Geelong.
Scott has only been running the business for a couple of years, but worked for some high quality companies prior to that, so we discuss that experience, as well as the pros and cons of having equipment, such as an Excavator called Bessie, and a tracked dumper called Wendy!
Scott also instigated a Geelong landscapers catch up earlier this year, so we discuss the reason behind this as well as what he took away from it.
You can follow Scott on Instagram @lathamlandscapes
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
Episode 171 - Crazy Client Stories
In this episode, I read out a collection of "Crazy client stories" that listeners sent in.
There's a story about a cigarette smoking client, a client who baked Olive bread, an alcoholic client, and that's all in the one story!
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
Episode 170 - Ben Scott - Ben Scott Garden Design
In this episode I speak with Ben Scott from Ben Scott Garden Design, a Landscape design company based in Melbourne.
Ben is one of my favourite designers and has a pretty cool story about how he started in the industry, working for Julian McCarthy Landscapes and working on Paul Bangay's garden at Woodend, before eventually working for Paul in design.
Ben also talks about how he uses photoshop in his design presentations rather than 3D, and also speaks of the importance of communicating with those building and maintaining the gardens he designs so that they achieve what he creates.
You can follow Ben on Instagram @benscott_design
You can follow along with the projects we're currently working on via our Instagram page
@instyle_gardens
@thelandscapingpodcast
You can view each episode on our YouTube channel
