Gardener Folks - Jan Kerr
Hello Gardener Folks.
It has been great to chat with some of you as you’ve begun reading the first GF profile I shared about myself. I’ve really enjoyed feeling the positive vibes that you’ve expressed as you anticipate reading about future Gardener Folks.
So let me introduce you to Jan Kerr who is a passionate gardener, both personally and professionally, and is a font of knowledge and experience. I quite enjoyed what Jan said about how she got interested in gardening through the joy of becoming friends with a lady would walk her around her garden and talk about the different plants. Such valuable opportunities like this are open for us all if we choose to connect with each other over shared passions and interests. And i really like her motto for gardening. Wise words indeed!
I hope you enjoy this read as I did. Happy gardening.
Cheers, Steven
Can you please provide a brief background of yourself
I grew up in Geelong, and got my first job in the bank. This wasn’t the job for me and I didn’t enjoy it, although it taught me a lot and I was good at customer service ( I wanted to go into the theatre, which I had been in, but my dad was against it). When we married, I moved to Melbourne, due to my husband’s work, and after our three children were born, fairly closely together, we decided to move from Melbourne to be nearer to my parents. We bought a half acre block of land in Moriac near Geelong, and we built a mud brick house, which I had always dreamed of doing. Three kids, a big block and no knowledge of plants really, although I wanted a beautiful garden. I loved cooking and crafts especially sewing. We did plant out the garden, of which the design grew organically, and I was inspired by and helped by a lady I became friends with. I started reading gardening books and magazines, anything I could get my hands on at the library, and then started a Horticulture course, until I broke my foot and couldn’t get to the course. Circumstances changed when my youngest was 10yrs old, so I got a job at a Garden Center (gosh that was a learning curve!) and haven’t stopped learning since. Thirteen years later, when the kids were teenagers, and I was transporting them back and forth into town, we moved into Grovedale a suburb in Geelong. Just a bit later I also started work at Valley Road Nursery and have now been there for 20yrs. Part of my job is garden consultations. I absolutely love this part of my job. Helping people find their garden. Working with them to discover what they love and then helping them to create their own beautiful spaces.
Jan Kerr
How did you get interested in gardening?
My interest in gardening started when we bought our first home, as I like things to look nice. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and I remember having hanging baskets out the back door, which after having our first baby I was notorious for killing, because I kept forgetting to water them. My mum would just roll her eyes and ask why I kept pursuing them. However I was determined. When we built our mud brick home, and our children were at school together I became friends with a lady who I very much admired and who was very knowledgeable about plants ( and was also a fabulous cook). She would walk me around her garden and talk about the different plants, and this inspired me to at least learn the botanical name of the plants in my own garden. I thought this was a good starting point, and although initially the names wouldn’t sink in, I was determined to remember, no matter how long it took me to learn (no body would know how slow I was!). Eventually it clicked.
Describe your gardening experiences now. What does gardening and your garden look like for you?
My husband does the main maintenance such as mowing, edging and sometimes pruning (although his pruning does sometimes cause disagreement). Generally speaking we are a very good team. I come up with the ideas (John generally makes them for me), I make the changes in the garden and I do the finessing. We have recently had ours and a neighbours big trees cut down, so we have had to re-evaluate the garden again, its an ongoing, and ever changing thing. I love colour, in the changes of seasons, and therefore I plant out pots and baskets twice a year. As to when, its when I’ve been able to put aside some time between elderly parents, kids and working. Although in summer, it is watering every night after work.
What do you enjoy the most about your gardening?
I enjoy creating interesting spaces, especially for our grandchildren to play in, and trying plants out that I see at work. I enjoy growing my hanging baskets to give a burst of colour, no matter the season. Creating different textures and colours.
I have also become interested in Natives in the garden and the habitat they provide, so I’m now trying to incorporate them into what I already have. Natives and the habitat they provide have also become very popular at work.
Do you have a quote or life motto that inspires you to live and or garden by?
Give it a go and don’t worry about what anybody else thinks.
What are your “go to” plants/planting palette and why?
My natural instinct has always been what I call country garden style, a mix of cottage and shrubbery because I like cut flowers but also love lush green, hence the shrubs. There are some wonderful shrubs for foliage and cut flowers, such as Buddleia, and Notcutts Variety Viburnum.
Who has inspired or influenced you in your gardening pursuits and how did they inspire you?
The Open Gardens Victoria scheme and garden picture books, whether they be books by designers or Country Style Garden Collection book. I endlessly change my mind, so its bit of everything. Currently I greatly admire Fiona Brockhoff and Phillip Johnson because they have changed the face of the scrubby 60’s native garden to a more curated look which I prefer, especially for city dwelling.
What are some valuable things you’ve learnt while being a gardener?
To just try. Don’t care what anybody else thinks, just give it a go. To think about design, because that is what makes a space relaxing, or vibrant or fun or productive. Regardless of what you are growing, make every space beautiful, even the path to the garden shed.
If you could be a plant in your garden what would you be and why?
A grape vine. Lush and green, creating cooling and calm over the spring and summer, a riot of colour over the Autumn and then the hibernation over the winter.
What do you either lie awake at night or find yourself daydreaming about with your garden, gardening pursuits or the horticultural world?
Gosh, where to start. Creating a new something in the garden, of owning a country garden, and of being a full time garden designer in a team, creating spaces especially for children’s play, not necessarily playgrounds, but beautiful interactive and creative spaces. Which is what I try to do at home.
What is your most favourite gardening tool to use when gardening?
My potting mix scoop. Feels a bit luxurious, when I could just use an old pot, but I love it.
What words of wisdom do you have to impart to other gardeners?
Just give it a go. Don’t worry about all the science and horticulture, as sometimes it’s easy to get put off by all of it. Just give it a go. If it dies, lesson learnt. Try again. Go to the Open Gardens Victoria open gardens and see what others are doing in their gardens, and how plants look when they are a mature size. Notice where the sun and shade is in your garden, as this is important when talking to the person at the nursery.
How do you think we can encourage, inspire and support more people to be gardeners?
I think Horticulture should be taught in both Primary and High school. It’s a life skill. You can feed yourself, it can heal and relax, it’s creative, and its science and biology, and its physical. It covers everything. Not just garden clubs, a subject. Even if you have tried and it wasn’t successful it was probably just the wrong plant in the wrong spot. Ask the person at the nursery what they would recommend, they will have the knowledge to advise you.
All words and images supplied by Jan Kerr with thanks.
