Horticulturist, author, and advocate for Australian native plants, Roger Elliot AM joins Cass Dowding on The Sentimental Gardener to explore how a lifetime of noticing — from childhood bushland to decades of fieldwork — can shape the way we understand the natural world.

From early days learning under mentors like Edna Walling, Jack McLeod, and Glen Wilson, to co-authoring alongside David Jones the landmark Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation, Roger has spent more than sixty years asking: How do plants, people, and place shape one another? And what grows when we care with curiosity?

In this episode, they talk about:

• the "web of life" Roger saw long before ecology had a name
• the quiet, essential partnership of Roger and Gwen
• how nurseries, fieldwork, and mentoring shaped generations of plant lovers
• and why caring for plants is inseparable from caring for people

A gentle, generous conversation about legacy, relationship, and the slow work of cultivating a life with meaning.

— SHOW NOTES:

See extensive show notes over at The Sentimental Gardner - Rodger Elliot

Visit the Australian Garden at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Cranbourne to see one of the landscapes Roger helped shape.

Music by Hayden Schueler @vereyagardening
Audio Engineering: Tom Dowding
Production and Editing: Cass Dowding

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Landscape architect, horticulturist, and Director of Outlandish Ventures, Fleur Flanery joins Cass Dowding on The Sentimental Gardener to explore how the landscapes we shape — from backyards to public parks — reflect what we value.

From childhood gardens brought to life by the imagination to managing Canberra's urban forest and curating the Australian Landscape Conference, Fleur has spent a lifetime asking: What is this place saying? What could it become?

In this episode, they talk about:

• memory, lineage, and legacy held in plants

• rethinking beauty in public spaces

• what it means to sit on the edge of an idea

• and why design — done with intent — is an act of care

A reflective conversation about tending both land and life with purpose.

—

SHOW NOTES:

Learn more about Fleur's work, garden tours and The Australian Landscape Conference at Outlandish Ventures.

Follow @outlandishventures on Instagram for updates.

Music by Hayden Schueler @vereyagardening
Audio Engineering: Tom Dowding
Production and Editing: Cass Dowling

Privacy: libsyn.com/tos-policies/privacy-policy

Canberra-based gardener, horitculturist, educator, and advocate for sustainable horticulture Attila Horgosi joins Cass Dowding on The Sentimental Gardener to explore what it means to live a life of observation — one that moves in rhythm with nature, not against it.

From his home garden in Bywong, New South Wales — affectionately known as his plant zoo — Attila has spent nearly thirty years cultivating more than plants. He's cultivated a way of being.

In this conversation, they talk about:

• how his family's migration shaped his philosophy of patience and observation,

• why he believes every weed tells a story,

• what the garden can teach us about paying attention, and

• the quiet rebellion of living slowly in a world that wants everything now.

A grounded, reflective conversation about time, attention, and what can happen when we stop rushing for answers and start listening to the world around us.

// Show notes //

Follow Attila The Horticulturist on Instagram

Find links and resources mentioned in the episode here.

Credits:
Music: Hayden Schueler from @vereyagardening
Audio Engineering: Tom Dowding
Production and editing: Cass Dowding

See libsyn.com/tos-policies/privacy-policy for privacy information.