Speakers & Special Guests
Stephen Ryan
Stephen started working in his father’s nursery at the age of 10 and at the same time joined the Mt Macedon Horticultural Society. By the age of 19 he was the president and still is to this day.
In 1980 Stephen started his own nationally recognised nursery, Dicksonia Rare Plants, and has been a passionate plant collector ever since.
As a plant hunter and traveller he has been to many parts of the world including Namibia, India, Pacific North-west of the USA, England, Ireland, South Africa, Peru, New Guinea and France as well as the afore mentioned Argentina. He has also led tours to Madagascar, Reunion, Mauritius and North-west France.
Stephen’s garden and nursery hold four national collections for Plant Trust. They are Cornus, Sambucus, Acanthus and Osmanthus.
In 2001 the Royal Horticultural Society of Victoria recognised Stephen with a John Pascoe Fawkner Gold Medal for Distinguished Service to Horticulture.
Merryle Johnson
Merryle has a life-long addiction to flowers, colour and designing with plants. Merryle grew up on the family farm in central Victoria. Merryle has built up a seed collection of some of the most beautiful and unusual plants from around the world. With her new web site that allows others to share the wonder, her Seedscapes business has taken off.
Merryle has spent a lifetime working with perennial plants many of which are grown by seed.