Ross Shepherd (Site Image) recalls the brief - to develop a multidimensioned corporate garden with many functions. “It was to provide an outlook for the tenants; areas for lunchtime seat-ing; spaces for use during functions.”
All this was achieved by creating a parterre which, when viewed from above, reveals itself as an astonishing flower. Each section within the flower gives Park users that chance to find seclusion, while a stroll around the perimeter takes you through a series of rooms, each distinguished by flora from the conti-nents of South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia and North America. Winding its way through all flows a creek, broken here and there by falls which muffle noise from outside the Park and help build a sense of distance from the city beyond and the traf-fic below.
Probably the most challenging aspect of the project was the slab over which the garden was constructed. “The beams within the slab created planting pockets, the soil depths varying from 600 to 1200mm deep. Our task was to design a landscape without apparent interruption (by the beams) to the design of the garden.”
Also part of the team were Ian Innes and Bruce Rann from Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Ian recalls, “It was a site with a lot of constraints – quite hostile – but that was offset by the fact that we were working with Lend Lease who were open to our suggested solutions to the technical aspects. This was a project where the landscape was not a minor afterthought. It was the key element. The result is a long way from the space marked in green on the initial master plan.”
Bruce and Ian’s main task was to support Eric Kuhne’s plant designs with knowledge of how plants would likely behave in that particular harbourside site. But what any good horticultural-ist knows, success comes from the soil up, and apart from the plant knowledge, it was Ian’s self confessed interest in soils that proved invaluable.
“The garden is essentially a large planter box, sitting over a carpark and Sydney’s Western Distributor. Our first task was to ensure good drainage, not only to reduce the potential load on the slab but to avoid anaerobic soil conditions. We then spent some time getting a specialised planting mixture concocted
– light-weight, free draining, without too much organic matter to produce subsidence later. We explained to Lend Lease that it was important to spend time and effort getting the soil right – you don’t want to have to take it out.”

The final recipe included a high inert quotient (volcanic ash), pine bark nuggets for their ability to break down slowly, ground dolerite for good cation exchange – and TerraCottem. “Not knowing what the future maintenance would be, we specified TerraCottem, not only because of the hydrogel content and additional boost to cation exchange, but because of the slow-release fertilisers.”
The mix proved to be a performer – “Plant growth was a great success from the outset”, says Ian while Ross describes it as “a very high level of success of both the garden and the plant-ing.” However it wasn’t an easy task getting it or the trees into position.
Ross explains. “All materials were brought in on conveyor belts, and the trees, which had been grown specifically in crates only 600mm deep, were planted by crane.”
“Post planting some trees failed, though this was well within the accepted range, and while we don’t have two Darling Parks to make a comparison, TerraCottem reduced requirements for fertilisers and watering - it was an integral part of the solution to on-slab planting.”
From Ian’s perspective, success came through paying at-tention on two fronts; appropriate plant species and a good soil mixture. Ten years ago, TerraCottem was chosen to be part of the mix, and it looks as though the decision was a good one.

Too much growth

Cockle Bay, the waterfront face of the Darling Park precinct, was also given the TerraCottem treatment when crated trees (Ficus benjamina and Waterhousea floribunda) were planted into a decked-over trough sitting on ground. The same soil mixture was used along with a series of buried pierced ag lines inserted into the soil to act as soil aerators. No-one anticipated the trees growing as vigorously as they actually did, quickly blocking out the harbour views from the upper verandah restaurants. After a year of debate the trees were removed to provide clear views.

...TerraCottem reduced requirements for fertilisers and watering. It was an integral part of the solution to on-slab planting.

From the ends of the earth

Sharing what works is what it’s all about. And here in Australia we’ve a great deal to offer others – which
is why Ian Martin travelled from Cornwall to Alice Springs last year. Ian is Curator for the Arid and Semiarid Regions and Curator-designate of The Edge Biome within the Eden Project. (For those who may not have heard of the Project, it’s a horticultural interpre-tive experience, set in a series of massive domes, and its aim is to show the many essential ways in which man is tied to plants.)
The focus of Ian’s visit was the Alice Springs Desert Park where he hoped to learn about the plants of Central Australia

• botanically, ethnobotanically, ecologically and in relation to land management practices. “Given other inhabited continents had pas-toralists and or agriculturists prior to the introduction of modern ‘Western’ agriculture, I discovered a unique story of humankind’s impact on a semiarid and arid environments. It’s also obvious that neither farming as currently practised nor idealised Aboriginal practices, nor even tourist habits, can remain unchanged if sus-tainable biodiversity and viable livelihoods are to be the goals.”
  Spending time with the Desert Park’s team, and Assistant Bo-tanical Curator Gary Dinham in particular, Ian was also able to pick up some tried-and-tested methods, specific to managing a botanic collection in an arid environment. Which is why he was there on the day Russell James held a TerraCottem workshop, the training component of the TerraCottem service package. Seems as though picking up a good tip is sometimes about being in the right place at the right time…

Once upon a time, not so long ago, there were two groups of people, wandering around, looking for each other. Lucky for them, four associations spotted the need to do a little match-making, and the Smart Approved Watermark scheme was created.
“We give consumers the confidence to make informed choices that will help them save water.” Smart WaterMark’s Julian Gray sums up what in essence is a brilliantly simple approach: provide a list of products and services which save water outdoors around the home, and make it available to those who need the information – consumers. On the flip side, the scheme also provides a vehicle for truly useful products and services to reach the end users and ultimately make a positive impact.
Of course the power behind a scheme like this rests in its authenticity and stringent selection criteria. Smart WaterMark has both. Its credibility comes in part from its foundation associations: the Australian Water Association, Irrigation Australia, the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia and the Water Services Association of Australia. And to top this off, the scheme has been written into the National Water Initiative and it is supported by Federal Govern-ment funding.
However it’s the work carried out by the technical expert panel which is making the greatest practical impact. ”We’ve members who are authorities in soil science, irrigation, gardening, retailing, research and development and water supply. We set up the scheme with a critical mass of products and services, and since then the number of applications we deal with has doubled.”
In fact, fifty percent of applications are knocked back, but when you learn more about what the Smart WaterMark represents this statistic isn’t so surprising. “The panel looks at each using four core criteria: is it a fully developed product which anyone can pur-chase and take home ready to use; does it meet with all the neces-sary standards and regulations – plumbing certificates, electrical regulations and for chemicals, health and safety regulations; is it environmentally sustainable; and above all, does it save water?”
Having a recognised symbol to help people navigate often unfamiliar purchases – for example grey water treatment options – is vital and timely given it seems everyone is keen to hop on the water-saving-sustainable-green bandwagon. So let’s thank all those who not only worked hard to get Smart WaterMark off and running, but who make our lives a little easier as we compare drip hoses in the gardening aisle at Bunnings.
TerraCottem carries the Smart WaterMark, and it was one of the first to be given the honour. You’ll find it listed on the scheme’s consumer website - http://www.smartwatermark.org - under gardening where, as Julian Gray points out, “it not only has the polymers to improve water retention and therefore give plants the ability to withstand longer periods without water, but it’s also a soil conditioner.” Obviously TerraCottem is part of the scheme, not only because it met the panel’s criteria, but also because it does a good job getting plants established.