Blooming partners

By Jim Mynard
CHISHOLM Institute and the City of Casey featured strongly at the Carlton Gardens with a united effort at this year’s Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
Their stand, Growing Together in Casey, highlighted the relationship between the two and put the spotlight on Casey’s farming resources.
Chisholm’s manager of food, applied science and horticulture, Jenni Ireland, said Casey provided a perfect setting for Chisholm to expand its highly regarded delivery of horticultural training.
She said the stand was designed to demonstrate plants and vegetation common to each of Casey’s five geographic regions, the Dandenong Ranges foothills, the residential and commercial heart, urban growth areas, rural belt and the coastal villages of Western Port.
“We sat down with the council and decided to characterise each region with a theme and garden.
“I then approached nurseries Hodges of Langwarrin, Bushwalk Native Nursery and Cardinia View Nursery and they supported us with plants free of charge while students grew other plants used.”
Twenty landscape apprentices worked on the site followed by several diploma of conservation and land management students who assisted with construction, garden design and plant placement.
“Horticulture teacher Denis McCarthy led the way with the landscaping, along with George Schroder and Peter Boyd, while Jeff Smith and I worked on the plants,” Ms Ireland said.
The City of Casey provided signs and posters linking the gardens to each other.
Chisholm’s director of school of manufacturing and engineering, Pat Jones, commended the hard work of staff and students and Chisholm’s expanded partnership with the City of Casey.
“We cooperate on projects, but this is the first time we have jointly presented at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show,” he said.