Green thumbs potty for plants

The Society for Growing Australian Plants foundation member Andy Nisbet.

Sarah Harvey

WHEN Andy Nisbet joined the Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP) Ipswich branch in 1974 as its first member, he had no idea what a native plant actually was.

Since then he's become an expert and taken part in community plantings at Opossum Creek, Springfield; the Rosewood Arboretum; the Bremer Institute of TAFE at Bundamba; and his own neck of the woods at Bluegums Nature Reserve at Karalee.

He estimates that he's planted close to 5000 trees in the past 36 years.

Originally, Mr Nisbet came from the Shetland Isles in Scotland.

“I had a spell in Hong Kong with the army and got to like the hot weather,” he said.

“With the dry climate in Australia, a lot of native plants will withstand harsh conditions.

“They help maintain the wildlife and they're easy to look after.

“I'm not against ornamentals – I'm against the environmental weeds they sell that spread everywhere.”

The 75-year-old would like to see more young people get involved with SGAP.

This society has changed its meeting place, from the Blackstone Bushland Centre to the Queens Park Environmental Education Centre, on the corner of Goleby and Merle Finimore avenues.

Its next meeting will be held at 7.15pm next Tuesday, August 10.

Guest speaker is Andrew Elphinstone, Wild Mob business development officer.

Wild Mob is a not-for-profit, non-political organisation giving volunteers the opportunity to work on environmental projects in remote and iconic Australian destinations.

Mr Elphinstone will present a case study of its work on Brampton Island and talk about upcoming projects.