Tuesday 10th September 

Contemporary planting design Symposium  

Registration‐ Between 8.45am‐9.30am. The registration desk will be located in front of the 

Hall in the Main Building.  

Start time‐ 9.30am and conclude at 4.30pm 

Schedule ‐(see below, on page 2 of this document) 

Presenters‐(see page 3‐6 for presenters bios and photos)  

Guide for presentations  

Evaluation Form‐On event day an evaluation form will be given out to all participants to help us with the planning of these types of events in the future.  

How to get to Burnley map and directions (refer to directions on page 6‐ 9). Please access Hall at the southern end of the Main Building. 

Parking Options‐ Please note there is NO parking on the actual campus. However, there is university parking directly behind the campus (southern side). A visitor parking permit MUST be placed on the dashboard of your car and can be collected either by a University representative that will be ushering people to the carpark or at reception (fines apply). Refer to page 3‐6 for more details for parking access and directions to Campus). If you need assistance please call either reception on 9035 6800 or 0423772710. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contemporary planting design: learning from the London Olympics landscape Symposium Schedule Tuesday 10 September 9.30am‐4.30pm   

 

Session 1  

9:30am‐9.35am  Welcome John Rayner 

9:35am‐10.35am  Planting the London Olympic Park 

Prof. James Hitchmough, Professor of Horticultural Ecology, University 

of Sheffield 

10:30am ‐11.00am  Morning Tea 

11:00am‐11.30am   Planting design in the botanic garden 

      Andrew Laidlaw, Landscape Architect 

11:30am‐12.00pm  Planting in Public, a successful process  

      Paul Thompson, Landscape Architect  

12:00pm‐12.30pm  Plants and Planting for Dry Climate Gardens 

      David Glenn, Plantsman, Lambley Nursery 

12:30pm ‐1.30pm  Lunch 

Session 2  

1:30pm‐2.30pm  Research into the development of sustainable naturalistic planting in 

the UK 

      Prof. James Hitchmough 

2:30pm‐3.00pm  Creating climate resilient urban landscapes? 

Ian Shears, Manager Urban Landscapes, City of Melbourne 

3:00pm ‐3.30pm  Afternoon Tea 

Session 3  

3:30pm ‐4.00pm  De facto design of public plantings in suburban Melbourne 

      Janet O’Hehir, University of Melbourne 

4:00pm‐4.30pm  Q+A/panel     

All speakers 

 

Event 3 Presenters

James Hitchmough

James is Professor of Horticultural Ecology in the Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Sheffield, the top Department in the UK in this field and one of the leading landscape schools in the world.

His research has pioneered new approaches to the use of herbaceous vegetation in designed landscapes, in which beauty is integrated with biodiversity support and landscape function often on a large scale. The new perspectives he has developed have come about through his capacity to combine theory from design/aesthetics, ecological and horticultural science with environmental psychology. To apply the work to practice at a time of diminishing resources, at a scale necessary to create drama and biodiversity support, he has developed techniques to create a range of different herbaceous plant communities by sowing seed in situ, whilst at the same time carefully controlling the composition of the resulting communities, allowing complex spatial and layer arrangements to be designed.

James believes in maintaining an international perspective, and works with plants and plant communities from all of the temperate world, and has particularly strong focus on the semi xeric plants of Western North American, Asian, Southern and Central European and South African Steppe; North American Prairie; South African Drakensberg Grassland; and the Eurasian mesic meadow flora. He strongly believes that increasing biodiversity in towns and cities can only be achieved by designing vegetation that is attractive to ordinary members of the public.

In addition to being an academic, James works extensively in practice. His work at the London Olympic Park with his colleague Professor Nigel Dunnett, has been much praised, "the most ambitious planting design, ever" quipped one North American landscape architecture web site. Projects range from the small to very large; a current project for the RHS involves the creation of almost 20 hectares of the world's meadow vegetation. The most recent projects involve steppe vegetation at Gorky Park, Moscow, and the design of the vegetation for the 2016 European City of Culture, San Sebastian, Spain.

Andrew Laidlaw

Andrew Laidlaw is a qualified landscape architect and horticulturalist with over thirty years of experience in the industry, award winning designs and high profile projects. Andrew is well known for his in depth knowledge of plants, his mastery of design, and his unique, innovative approach.

Andrew is most widely known for his long standing role as the landscape architect at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. In this position, he has designed and developed many projects including the Perennial Border, the Ian Potter Foundation Children's Garden and Guilfoyle's Volcano. His projects have also won three gold medals at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, Landscape of the Year from the Landscape Industries Association of Victoria, and the 2005 Victoria Tourism Award for Best New Tourism Development.

Andrew has taught Landscape Design at the University of Melbourne's Burnley campus (previously VCAH) for over twenty-five years, teaching many of Australia's gardeners and designers. He is a regular presenter on ABC 774's Saturday morning gardening program and is a regular guest speaker at conferences around Australia.

Andrew founded Laidlaw & Laidlaw Design in 2004 with his wife Sarah, and has undertaken a range of domestic and public projects while continuing his work for the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne. Most recently he has been responsible for the new planting design for Melbourne Zoo's main drive, a concept for children's play spaces in the Kyneton and Benalla Botanic Gardens and the works to the Royal Botanic Garden Melbourne's Fern Gully.

Paul Thompson AILA

Paul Thompson commenced a design firm in 1970, specializing in Australian plants. This extensive experience resulted in an in-depth accumulated knowledge of plant performance, far more species than are commonly cultivated.

His work is diverse, ranging from numerous small private gardens to larger acreage's of public, industrial and rural land including work on six Botanic Gardens. He is a specialist consultant to a number of landscape practices and institutions.

His most notable work (1995-2012) is the Australian Garden; Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne and the planting design for the Forest Gallery (2000) Museum of Melbourne (both with Landscape Architects Taylor Cullity Lethlean).

Other significant projects include many gardens at Monash University (since 1991). For 10 years (from 1996) he was consultant to properties in Dunkeld, notably the Royal Mail Hotel and a one-hectare Grasslands Garden (2002).

He has contributed to a number of books and papers on the Australian landscape and its plants. His book Australian Planting Design has been revised and republished (CSIRO Press 2012). Paul is often a speaker to students, clubs, interest groups, professional seminars, conferences and is currently lecturing at Deakin University Landscape Masters.

Ian Shears - Manager, Urban Landscapes

Ian Shears leads the City of Melbourne's climate change adaptation program for urban landscapes. Over the past three years, Ian and his award winning, multi-disciplinary team have delivered a $30 million climate adaptation program focussed on strategic green infrastructure interventions in the public realm. This work includes increasing the city's permeability and urban forest to enhance cooling and mitigate urban heat island impacts, increasing green space and developing a set of stormwater harvesting schemes to reduce reliance on potable water.

Engendering community participation is a core focus of Ian's work. The community's role in collaborating to adapt the city to climate change and to develop a legacy for future generations of Melbournians is critical.

Ian and his team have also been credited with the development of some of Australia's most progressive environmental policies at a city level. His current policy research focuses on understanding the health and economic benefits of green infrastructure, biodiversity and ecology in cities, integrated water management, urban heat island mitigation, the impacts of climate change and catalysing green roofs and walls.

This progressive approach to adapting our city to future climate change was awarded Best Specific Environmental Initiative for Local Government 2013 by the United Nations Association of Australia at the World Environment Day Awards.

David Glenn

David Glenn is the owner of Lambley Nursery. He has been a passionate gardener and nurseryman for most of his seventy years. He gardens with his wife, artist Criss Canning. The garden at Lambley is open to visitors every day of the year.

David's skill as a plantsman is widely recognised, both in Australia and internationally. Earlier this year a plant selected by David, Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow', featured on the cover of the prestigious horticultural journal, The Plantsman in March 2013.

The Dry Garden developed by David at Lambley draws on plants from Southern Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, California, Chile, Australia and all the dry wild places between. Rare and not so rare bulbs, perennials, shrubs and trees are combined to make an original and fascinating garden. To earn a place in the garden a plant must be drought tolerant, frost hardy and beautiful.

As well as making his own garden David has been involved in designing, renewing and replanting many important gardens, both public and private, including the Alexandra Gardens, the Fitzroy, Flagstaff and Parliament Reserve gardens for the City of Melbourne. He has had a long involvement with the gardens at Flemington race course.

Janet O’Hehir

Janet O'Hehir is a PhD candidate at The University of Melbourne, researching plant selection and performance in Melbourne’s public open spaces in the context of municipal management and urban densification. She holds the degree of Master of Urban Horticulture and teaches part-time in the areas of garden history, plant selection and amenity horticulture.

Janet is a prolific networker with a particular interest in botanic gardens and their appreciation by residents and visitors to cities and regional towns. She contributes to Botanic Gardens Australia and New Zealand, the Victorian committee of Open Gardens Australia, the Australian Garden History Society, the Dry Stone Walls Association of Australia and a number of community groups supporting botanic gardens in Melbourne and south-western Victoria.

 

 

 

 

How to get to Burnley 

Melway reference: Map 45, Grid A12 Melway map 472 has a detailed Campus map.  

Street address: 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond 3121 

Reception phone: 9035 6800 or 0423 772 710     

The Burnley Campus is approximately 5km from the city centre.   

If driving: 

All day metered parking is available on Yarra Boulevard.    

The main entrance to the campus is on Yarra Boulevard.  There is no parking directly on campus – but can use the Burnley Campus staff/student car park at the southern end of the campus.  You can’t access the car park from the main drive, so see below for instructions.  

To use the staff/student car park: (see map on page 9‐ directions to carpark)  — If travelling along Yarra Boulevard from Swan St/Bridge Road, drive past the main 

Burnley Campus entrance at 500 Yarra Boulevard and continue to F.R. Smith Drive.  Turn right into F.R. Smith Drive and continue to the end where you will see the entrance to the GE car park straight ahead, and to your right, a driveway that turns uphill.  Take the uphill driveway and park in the University signed area.  

— If travelling along Yarra Boulevard from the Monash Freeway/Citylink, turn left at F.R. Smith Drive and follow the directions above to the staff/student car park.    

— Enter via the main entrance (with traffic lights) of the Botanicca Corporate Park at 570‐588 Swan Street Richmond and keep driving south until you leave the paved area and arrive at University of Melbourne car park area – look for the signs showing where the University area of the car park begins.    Please display your permit on the dashboard!  Walk through the native garden entrance to get onto campus and make your way to Hall in the main building. 

By tram: 

Take the number 70 from Flinders Street to stop number 18.  Walk through Botanicca Corporate Park to the Burnley Campus main building. 

By train: 

The nearest stations are: 

— Burnley on the Glen Waverley, Alamein, Belgrave and Lilydale lines with a walk or tram along Swan Street.  

 — Hawthorn on the Alamein, Belgrave and Lilydale lines.  Navigate through to Morang 

Road (one block east of Evansdale Rd where the station is) and walk along to Swan St.  Cross Swan Street and enter just west of the bridge.  Follow road until reach main building  

— Heyington on the Glen Waverley line. No tram link.  

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Google map –How to get to Burnley 

 

 

 

 

Burnley Hall ‐Symposium 

venue 

Directions to University carpark

Carpark/ entrance 

Burnley Hall‐Symposium venue