When moving our Crows Nest office in 2022 to North Sydney (after 17 years in the one place!) we wanted to create a more inviting, natural environment. Part of achieving this has been the use of plants, as a “vertical garden” feature and around the office atop our storage.

Our vertical garden features the following varieties, designed to build a nice wall of deep green with some interesting splashes of gold, and varied leaf shapes:

Jade Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)		A hardy climber, chosen to provide a good bulk of deep green leaves
Golden Pothos aka Devil’s Ivy (Epipremnum aureum)		A small number of these thrown in with it’s sibling to add some interesting flecks of colour
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum)		Very similar to the Jade Pothos, a good number of these popular climbers were added for bulk
Oakleaf Philodendron (Philodendron pedantum)		A small number of these chosen for their larger, interesting leaves
Philodendron Florida Green		Closely related to the Oakleaf, adding some variety
Hanging Syngonium aka Arrowhead plant (Syngonium podophyllum)		Another tough climber with nice shape and colouring.

The majority of our plants have survived their initial transplant and are starting to grow nicely, though we have some way to go in order to really fill the space. We have one definite casualty and a couple in “the nursery” making a gradual but remarkable recovery .

Our Peace Lilies:

Throughout the office we also have almost 40 Peace Lilies (Spathiphyllum cochlearispathum) which are of historical significance, being divided from one original plant (which still lives, though we’re not sure which it is!).

Originally received as an “office warming” gift from former financial planner Kathy Andrews to AGS director Alex Berlee around 2000 or 2001, the early peace lilies have survived many near-death experiences but have proven to be a resilient and productive “investment”.

A number of the AGS team have been involved in establishing our plants, notably director Alex Berlee (procurement & planting), client services member Maddy Baldwin (ongoing care), and IT manager Joel Fortmann (general advice and eco-friendly bug control). Perhaps we can become known as the Amateur Gardening Society?

Would you like a plant or cutting from our garden?

Our plants have generated quite a few comments and discussions, from gardeners of all ages and experience levels. At some stage in the future we will be looking to prune back any excess growth and will be in a position to offer a plant or cutting – so if you like our plants you can register your interest here.