INTEREST in all things earthy is enjoying something of a resurgence, thanks to the first home owner’s grant and the plethora of home improvement television shows.
INTEREST in all things earthy is enjoying something of a resurgence, thanks to the first home owner’s grant and the plethora of home improvement television shows.
All this interest has prompted Curtin Radio Let’s Talk Gardening Host Matthew Lunn to relaunch the West Australian Gardener magazine.
The West Australian Gardener was first put together in 1932 and run successfully through to 1998.
“Basically the magazine belonged to the Western Australian Horticultural Council and they saw it as a publication for all the different gardening clubs,’ Mr Lunn said.
“I approached the society in 2001 and said, ‘come on WA needs a decent gardening magazine’.”
Mr Lunn is the curator of the grounds at Curtin University and now edits the new magazine.
The quarterly publication is currently sold through a number of gardening retail outlets, including Dawson’s Garden World and Bunnings, with Waldecks coming on board from June this year.
Interest from advertisers has been a bit patchy but this is mainly because people weren’t aware of the magazine’s new look, Mr Lunn said
“It’s now a very colourful publication with modern photos and good strong WA writers,” Mr Lunn said.
“The writers are mainly people who are very experienced in the nursery industry and people from Agriculture WA, which does a lot of work on plants.”
Mr Lunn is passionate about plants and, at just 32, he’s keen to get more young people interested in gardening.
“I want to entice young people from 18 to 80 to pick up the magazine,” he said.
“I’ve tried to launch it in a way that people who like Burke’s Backyard will find things in it that they like, but it’s still got good strong factual information.”
The home improvement market is surging ahead on the back of interest in renovations and the first home owner’s grant.
Research suggests a good garden can significantly increase the resale value of a home.
“Gardening is going through a bit of a high at the moment but it’s also going through a bit of a change,” Mr Lunn said.
Water restrictions were driving renewed interest in native plants and succulents in domestic gardens, he said.
It’s not good news for cottage garden fans, however, but Mr Lunn concedes roses will always attract a sector of the market.
“What I am trying to do is entice people to get into gardening and garden makeovers. I think people are desperate to get quality information,” he said.
All this interest has prompted Curtin Radio Let’s Talk Gardening Host Matthew Lunn to relaunch the West Australian Gardener magazine.
The West Australian Gardener was first put together in 1932 and run successfully through to 1998.
“Basically the magazine belonged to the Western Australian Horticultural Council and they saw it as a publication for all the different gardening clubs,’ Mr Lunn said.
“I approached the society in 2001 and said, ‘come on WA needs a decent gardening magazine’.”
Mr Lunn is the curator of the grounds at Curtin University and now edits the new magazine.
The quarterly publication is currently sold through a number of gardening retail outlets, including Dawson’s Garden World and Bunnings, with Waldecks coming on board from June this year.
Interest from advertisers has been a bit patchy but this is mainly because people weren’t aware of the magazine’s new look, Mr Lunn said
“It’s now a very colourful publication with modern photos and good strong WA writers,” Mr Lunn said.
“The writers are mainly people who are very experienced in the nursery industry and people from Agriculture WA, which does a lot of work on plants.”
Mr Lunn is passionate about plants and, at just 32, he’s keen to get more young people interested in gardening.
“I want to entice young people from 18 to 80 to pick up the magazine,” he said.
“I’ve tried to launch it in a way that people who like Burke’s Backyard will find things in it that they like, but it’s still got good strong factual information.”
The home improvement market is surging ahead on the back of interest in renovations and the first home owner’s grant.
Research suggests a good garden can significantly increase the resale value of a home.
“Gardening is going through a bit of a high at the moment but it’s also going through a bit of a change,” Mr Lunn said.
Water restrictions were driving renewed interest in native plants and succulents in domestic gardens, he said.
It’s not good news for cottage garden fans, however, but Mr Lunn concedes roses will always attract a sector of the market.
“What I am trying to do is entice people to get into gardening and garden makeovers. I think people are desperate to get quality information,” he said.
