by Carla Caruso

There’s been a call to establish an urban farm within your Park Lands, to increase biodiversity and supply food for Adelaide’s charities.

The appeal has come from prominent horticulturist and woodturning craftsman, John Sharp.

APA’s Carla Caruso spoke to John about his passion for the environment and more.

John works as the head horticulturalist at a private estate in the Adelaide Hills, is a busy dad, and for the first time will exhibit his woodturning crafts at an exhibition next month - at the Adelaide Botanic Garden (Park 11).

In between, he loves a meander in your Adelaide Park Lands.

Hi, John. Please tell us about your background in horticulture.

My first memory of gardening would be with my grandparents. They had a big veggie and ornamental garden, with a pond and a chook shed out the back.

As I got older, I experimented with growing my own garden, which involved making a lot of mistakes along the way. However, watching and learning from Gardening Australia on the ABC was a weekly ritual and, still is!

On weekends, I’d explore as far as possible from home on my pushbike, mostly involving trips to the Little Para River - either on my own or with a mate. I loved spending my free time exploring as I have always been curious about the surrounding environment, plants, and nature.

I joined the Scouts and we went on lots of camps and hikes. It was guaranteed I would bring home a collection of rocks, fossils, and plant samples. As you would expect, I was awarded all the nature study badges!

I left school in 1990 and began working at a garden centre. However, it was at this time that the recession started, and I end up enrolling at Gawler TAFE to begin studying horticulture full-time.

With the encouragement of my lecturers and a fellow student, I was motivated to study horticulture further, and after many years, I completed a Cert III in Horticulture and a Cert I in Conservation and Land Management.

While I was studying, I was working at market gardens, a wholesale rose bush farm/nursery in Virginia, cut flower farm, landscapers etc. I’d move onto other jobs to learn and gain experience. At night, I would visit my local TAFE campus to either type or print my assignments, which involved the use of floppy disks; very clunky tech!

My certificates granted me many opportunities that involved being employed at various horticultural enterprises, on a dairy farm and, even as a groundsman at a country hotel. 

While being a stay-at-home parent, I completed my Cert IV in horticulture, and it was at this time, I created my own gardening business. This is where I developed and honed the skills and knowledge I had accumulated over the years.

As my children grew up, I worked more hours and began to manage gardens at kindies and childcare centres, private homes etc. Eventually, I began searching for new opportunities, and here I am, currently working as head gardener for a private estate. 

Can you tell us a bit more about the property you work at?

The place I currently manage is 20 acres in size [or 8ha] and located in the Adelaide Hills. The property has remnant native vegetation, an English-style formal garden, lengthy hedges and a veggie patch, along with 140-year-old exotic trees.

Additionally, the garden is abundant with camellias, roses, and azaleas. Another aspect I cherish is the beautiful amount of native wildlife there. That includes fairy-wrens, cockatoos, kookaburras, frogs, kangaroos, koalas, and ducks.

Most lunchbreaks consist of relaxing on top of a hill that overlooks Piccadilly and Woodside. The garden always has something new, and I appreciate its uniqueness and beauty. 

You’re also into woodturning – the art of fashioning wooden pieces through the use of a lathe. Please share more about your passion.

I have always enjoyed woodworking, but in recent years, I have begun to prioritise and focus more on woodturning, becoming more proficient at it over the last few years. But I still have a long way to go before I master the craft.  

When I enter my workshop, it allows me to have sole focus and devote my full attention to perfecting my creations, without any distractions. It also comforts me to know that the trees I have removed - by myself or with my arborist friend - get to be renewed and potentially exist for many more years to come.

However, my favourite thing about woodturning is getting to witness the reactions of the recipient who I have either gifted or made something for. It makes my day seeing the wonder and admiration, and having the honour to create a piece of art someone can feel, use, keep and cherish.

Woodturning also involves problem-solving and creating different shapes, curves and textures, which are all factors I enjoy. 

I enjoy chasing the idea of creating the ‘perfect bowl’, so I make lots of those items. But I make various things from vases to mice, fruit platters and more - whatever takes my fancy on the day, I guess. Sometimes I’ll make an item if I can to a request.

I look forward to the upcoming Nature Festival exhibition I will be displaying at, in the Adelaide Botanic Garden [Park 11]. Along with many other artists, it’ll be my first art exhibition, so I’m quite excited.

Your favourite spots in the Adelaide Park Lands, and why?

It would have to be the Himeji Japanese Garden [in Park 18]. It’s something quite different to other areas in the Park Lands, and I feel it is a special and beautiful, little nugget of a spot.

Plus, Light’s lookout and memorial [in Park 26] – a great location to view the city and the Torrens. I also like how the Park Lands are mostly quite accessible, and are for anyone and everyone to enjoy, recreate and rest, if need be.

Colonel Light knew what he was doing when he chose the location for the city and the Park Lands.

Is there anything you’d change about the Park Lands or things you’d like to see more of?

The Park Land areas consist of quiet spaces, native vegetation, communal spots, and magnificent trees. So, I feel the balance is about right at the moment.

However, if the Park Lands were to make any changes, perhaps an urban farm would be ideal, not only to help the environment but to provide food for charities and organisations that create meals for the homeless and disadvantaged.

So, any changes should be of a horticultural nature only, not a built/structure environment change. 

You can follow John Sharp’s adventures on Instagram here.