Claire Bickle

Horticulturalist Extraordinaire

Claire Bickle has worked in the Horticultural industry for 28 years. Along with nurturing her garden, children and two dogs, she also has a menagerie’s worth of chickens, ducks, geese and quails. Claire kindly spoke with us about her work, her industry and her favourite flowers. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in Horticulture?

I finished high school and was thinking of heading off to do a psychology degree but before that started, I had some time off, and thought I’d do horticulture in the meantime – and I never did end up doing that psychology degree. I think the seed was really sewn when I was a child. Series like the BBC’s ‘the Secret Garden’, books by Cecily Mary Barker’, Both my Grandmother and my Great Aunt were active members of the Australian Native Plants Society and the Camellia Society so much of my childhood was spent going on field trips, attending flower shows and exploring gardens with them. Those experiences gave me a real sense of curiosity about nature, insects, plants, flowers, and the weather. I also find that many of my childhood memories are linked to flowers and their different scents.

What does an average week hold for you?

Lately I’ve been reflecting that I am fortunate to have my fingers in many ‘horticultural pies’, so to speak. Usually I would travel a lot for work as I am a Ross Garden Tour Leader. In that role I take groups of up to 20 people on trips to enjoy beautiful gardens around the world. Last year we went on a wonderful lavender tour around Tasmania and this year we were also going to Japan for a Cherry Blossom Tour. That obviously wasn’t able to go ahead. At the moment, I am working in retail. I started out at a nursery called ‘Parents’ in Enoggera, back in the early 90s. Now I’m at Brookfield Gardens giving advice and training staff. I also appear on ABC talk-back radio each Tuesday at around 1:40, answering people’s curly gardening questions. I write regularly for a range of publications, Earth Garden Magazine, Good Organic Gardening Magazine. I blog for the Brisbane City Council’s ‘Live for Less’ Program, Rocky Point’s seasonal magazine and many more over the years. Usually I would also give demonstrations and talks but those events aren’t happening at the moment. Some are planning to offer talks online for now. I am also online connecting with other garden-lovers through my social media. I have so far side-stepped garden design, but every now and then I think ‘maybe I’ll do that landscape architecture degree’… For now, I’m just enjoying working in my own garden.

… I accidentally drowned my avocado plant recently… Do you think it will survive?

Unfortunately, avocado plants are quite sensitive and need good drainage. They are very susceptible to phytophthora, which is root rot. If the leaves are drooping and there’s any blackness, then it probably won’t be back. You could try some Yates anti-rot. That might help. 

Thanks Claire. It looks like it’s a goner, I’m sorry to say. 

Could you speak about what you see for the future of the industry?  Have recent times brought any new threats or opportunities?

For now, gardening is on trend and I think it will stay that way. I like to say, ‘green is the new black’, with climate change being discussed often and passionately, the ‘grow your own’ movement is really taking off. Grass roots skills are making a comeback as people realise the wonderful benefits of connecting with nature. 

We did see a huge decline in our industry when we were under level 5 and 6 water restrictions about 15 years ago and with shrinking backyards and increasing population density as well. The flipside of that has been people really embracing indoor plants. Over the past 5-10 years, younger people, especially, have been interested in having plants around them, even in small apartments. As they’re growing older and moving out of their apartments, they’re expanding that love of plants to their backyards and sharing it with their children. There’s also a much greater awareness of bees and other pollinators.

I really think the future is looking rosy for the world of horticulture. It’s actually been amazing to see the tremendous uplift in people purchasing plants and gardening equipment during lock-down. We were able to stay open as we were considered an essential service and we have been seeing record-breaking numbers of people visiting. I think people thought, ‘well, we can’t go away on holidays this year, let’s spend it on the garden’. There’s real momentum there.  

More and more, people are demanding green spaces. I’m seeing it in schools, hospitals and public areas; across most sectors really. Statistics are showing that businesses that have plants in their office spaces have 60% less absenteeism at work. In Japan and Germany doctors are now prescribing forest-bathing. The science is really supporting a need for plants. They bring a sense of peace and safety, they reduce anxiety; even crime-rates are lower in greener suburbs. As a species, we have an inherent need to commune with the natural world. There is so much peace to be found in the garden.

A message for flower lovers or florists of the Gold Coast?

Whether you’re growing them, picking them, eating them, smelling them or attracting bees with them; I think my message would be to keep doing what you’re doing! Flowers and their scents are so intertwined with the key memories and moments in our lives; births, deaths, marriages. They are so important for our pollinators and they bring real joy to people. We found that with more people working from home, there was a real interest in buying vegetable seedlings and flowers. They really are such a mood lifter. I hope that people support their local florists and growers and grow their own flowers, too. It really connects you to the seasons and the climate.

Do you have a favourite plant or flower?

That is an impossible question. I will try to group them. I love scented flowers and the memories they conjure; freesias, native frangipanis, rondeletia, which is a gorgeous pale pink flowering shrub, and roses, of course. For now, I’m really enjoying my flowering hybrid aloes. They’re blooming in amazingly vibrant, reds, yellows, oranges and creams. The bees love them, and they’ll flower right through until early spring. Then there’s Australian natives; the honey scent of Geraldton wax, I’ve managed to grow some here, on a mound with good drainage, though it prefers the climate of WA. Silver wattle (it’s about to come into flower now), flowering gums with their gumnuts, and grevilleas. Then there’s all the flowering annuals that you can plant each season. They’re lovely. Nothing beats planting a punnet of colourful snap dragons with children and waiting to see what colours emerge. That really teaches patience and an appreciation for nature. There’s too many. I could go on and on!