Colin Barlow - Managing Director
Colin is a passionate qualified horticulturalist, landscape designer and garden writer who has worked in the industry for over thirty years. His experience and knowledge of plants and landscape design from around the world is exceptional.
A love for Australia including its plants and climate was begun through growing seeds sent from his Australian relatives. Colin began working as a landscape gardener during his school holidays and three years later trained as a horticulturist apprentice in England and gained the second highest mark in the country for his City & Guilds certificate. During a visit to Perth aged 13, Colin's love of Australia grew and he emigrated eight years later after completing his studies in Horticulture in the UK. He gained valuable experience working for the City of Rockingham while furthering his studies in Australia by completing a an Associate Diploma in Horticulture (Top final year student), teaching degree and studying Landscape Architecture at the University of Western Australia.
Colin has designed and constructed many major displays for the garden shows in Perth including the award winning 'A Touch of French Romance' at Garden Week 2012 with Melville Nurseries. This exquisite garden display won the award for the Most Innovative Display and top show award for Best Landscape Display. Colin also designed and constructed the 2007 Water Corporation display garden for the Gardening Australia Expo and numerous Garden Weeks. Back in 1999, Colin created Western Australia's largest ever outdoor floral display on the Esplanade for the Perth Flower and Garden Show. In 2008 Colin and his family travelled extensively across the UK, France and Italy exploring the magnificent gardens and architecture.
He has lectured at the Challenger Institute of Technology in Perth for over 16 years and is regularly involved in horticultural media activities. Colin is currently hosting a gardening segment Gardening @ Home' on Home in WA' with Channel 7 Perth, occasionally presenting gardening talkback on Curtin FM radio and regularly writing for The Have A' Go News' and previously The West Australian Gardener' magazine.
Colin is a sought after public speaker and regularly provides expert gardening advice in Perth and on the stage at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. You may also find Colin sharing his unique knowledge of the magnificent Wildflowers of Western Australia on a tour by Ross Garden Tours throughout regional and outback Western Australia.
Colin's three daughters are following the gardening path' presenting gardening segments for children at garden shows including Melbourne and on television as the Gardening Gang'. They also regularly write a children's column for the Garden Clinic magazine.
Photo credit to Meleah Farrell abstract photography www.meleahfarrell.com.au
