Winter Workshop
On 7 July 2009 Alpine held a Winter Workshop, continuing the successful and popular seminar series held at Alpine.
120 guests braved the winter cold and threatening weather that day to hear presentations on 3 topics – Grass for all Occasions, New & Innovative v Tried and True plants and Plant Establishment issues. This time around there were 3 mobile stations for the presentations and this worked well to keep guests warm and change the setting to add variety.
The Grass session was led by the Production Manager of Impact Grasses, Evelyn Blaikie, with commentary from James Delaney from JMD Design. Impact Grasses was purchased by Alpine Nurseries in September 2008 and has quickly grown into an integral part of Alpine’s business while also serving customers directly from its location at Loganholme in Brisbane. The session went through grass options for different uses such as wetlands, dry road side plantings and more decorative garden uses. James was able to bring this session to life with story boards demonstrating where the grasses had been used in actual projects.
Craig Rich, Alpine’s Operations Manager, presented some new and interesting options for plants highlighting some new varieties that are still being trialed and some new cultivars of existing plants that Alpine sees taking over from the better known varieties currently in use in landscape settings. Craig was particularly keen on the increasingly popular Agonis flexuosa Burgundy and the stunning Eucalyptus cladocalyx Vintage Red. Craig is passionate about plants and he gave a very animated presentation.
Ken Bevan is the Business Development Manager at Alpine with a depth of horticultural and garden design knowledge. Ken addressed the key issues that influence the success or failure of plants after they have been planted. This is always a vexed issue particularly regarding the blame that can be attributed to poor plants, bad planting, poor plant choice and ineffective after care. Rod Andrews from Universal Landscapes provided a commentary on the practical issues from a landscapers’ perspective. Rod acknowledged that there is the potential for things to go wrong and tha
t problems can be minimized by strong communication between plant supplier and the landscaper and effective planning and site preparation. This was a lively session with plenty of interaction from the audience.
Guests couldn’t wait for the sumptuous hot lunch provided once again by caterer Simon Ekas and his team. Simon does a great job as does all the Alpine team in preparing for these events and making guests welcome on the day.
Copies of presentations are available at Alpine Dural for those that might be interested.
Look out for your invitation to the next Alpine seminar to be held in the next 2 or 3 months.
