Ben Hutchinson, Heathmont

I have been in the landscaping and horticulture industry for over a decade now, starting out as a nursery hand while I completed my qualifications in Horticulture and Landscape Design. I started my career as a Chef, however since making the change to horticulture, my passion and skills for what I now do have grown exponentially and every day I get to do the best job in the world – create beautiful Australian native gardens.

I remember when I started working in a nursery, it blew my mind at the sheer number and variety of native plants we have available on our doorstep. When the wholesale nursery trucks would roll up, I’d get so excited to see what they had to offer. And that made me want to share these amazing plants with my customers, and it still does today.

I draw my inspiration from all sorts of places, but mostly from looking to our local landscape with the vast palettes of colour, texture and combinations of what our country’s flora has to offer. I take note of how wildlife interacts with the local landscape to build gardens that attract the most diverse collection of birds, lizards and insects – a very exciting and unexpected result for our clients.

To say I love water is an understatement. Creating natural water features and ponds is the most amazing part of what I do and to share this with others is so rewarding. As a Certified Aquascape Contractor, I use a method which utilises natural filtration, no chemicals and bespoke designs. I work with the best rock that suits the site and local landscape to make these water features and ponds feel like they’ve always been there.