Steven Orange

2024 | Horticulture

“Gaining a global perspective will help me devise new strategies to prevent habitat destruction, climate change, and wasteful use of resources and hopefully reverse some of the damage that’s been done.”

This scholarship is an incredible opportunity to travel, learn, and share my knowledge without the usual financial stresses inhibiting those goals.

My experience in Perth has opened my eyes to the issues our biodiversity hotspot faces; habitat destruction, climate change, and wasteful use of resources to name a few.

Gaining a global perspective will help me devise new strategies to prevent further damage and hopefully reverse some of what’s been done.

There are horticulturists and ecologists around the world who have been studying these problems for decades,. Learning from their experience and their expertise will allow me to bring back realistic solutions that may have not been considered in our isolated corner of the world.

I would love to have the chance to expand my context and understanding of the horticulture industry. From technical knowledge to cultural practices, there is always more to learn. Cultivating plants and working with the environment is not just a science, it is an artform. I wish to hone my skillset as a horticulturist to combine these ideologies to create beautiful gardens and landscapes that preserve our biodiversity, use resources more efficiently and sustainably, and welcome a wider audience into the world of horticulture.

A Global Footprints Scholarship is your opportunity to do more of what you love. What have you done at work that you are proud of or passionate about?

I pride myself most on my work ethic. Both in the quality of the work, and the perseverance to complete it. When I started my journey into horticulture it reignited a passion I've had since I was young, but it required a major shift from a sedentary lifestyle to working consistent 10-hour days as a lawncare operator during my apprenticeship. The resilience it took to get up every day and keep working has carried through the rest of my career and has given me the drive to operate my own business, venture overseas for a taste of working abroad, and be selected for the one traineeship available at Kings Park out of several hundred applicants.

While operating my business I was a passionate advocate for waterwise native gardens, particularly planting endemic species, and I am proud to have helped educate people on more sustainable practices that not only benefit them and their household, but the environment and ecosystems that we coexist with. It is now a privilege to work in the premier botanic garden of Western Australia and to be part of the team keeping the gardens beautiful and giving a wide audience the opportunity to see our incredible diversity and wonderful display of plants. In my time at Kings Park so far, I have also had the chance to work with the rare and endangered living collection. I have helped maintain and care for these plants from all across the state in an effort to conserve the species to ensure future generations can admire them in the botanic garden and, ideally, in the wild once their population has been restored. This work has been hugely fulfilling and I am inspired to not just pursue 'satisfactory', but excellence in everything I do.

A Global Footprints Scholarship is for you if you are passionate about creating a sustainable future. Describe something you have done at work or are working on, that helps the environment. Why is it important to you?

During my time as a garden and lawncare specialist I worked hard to convert my clients from turf lovers to native gardeners and took part in several garden transitions in this capacity.

It was always my mission to help people save water, time, and money through this endeavour. Growing a garden of endemic species is far more rewarding than maintaining a patch of grass, it provides vital habitats for local fauna, it massively reduces the use of our critical water resources, offers a window into the natural beauty of our landscape, and aids in conserving our diverse species that are becoming increasingly threatened due to the expanding development of the city.

The list of benefits could go on, and it’s important to me because Perth city has some of the worst canopy coverage in the country and it is only getting worse as natural bushland is cleared for new housing. This practice needs to be stopped, as every year the climate becomes harsher and even decades old trees are losing their lives from an entirely preventable and reversible problem that has shockingly little public awareness.

I have also helped implement more sustainable practices in the nursery department of Kings Park, such as installing a water saving irrigation system and moving to natural or organic pest control methods. This allows the plants to flourish and for an ecosystem to develop that protects the plants and nursery. We could then provide the botanic garden with healthier, happier plants that thrived and brilliantly displayed the beauty of our endemic species.

Working these new practices into the culture of the nursery was rewarding because it gives the plants we establish the best possible chance of aweing the visitors of the gardens and inspires them join the effort to save the environment.

As a BBM Scholar you can choose to go anywhere in the world. Where will you travel with your Scholarship and why?

Unfortunately, I was not a trained horticulturist when I first visited Japan, but with the technical knowledge I now have of horticulture, it would be amazing to go back and understand a new culture of growing living art and then be able to inspire that passion in others. I would love to learn the techniques and practices that masters employ to help entire gardens flourish and thrive together as an ecosystem instead of focusing on individual plants and remedies.

The Japanese culture is also renowned for its sustainable practices and attitudes around conserving natural environments, so gaining first-hand experience of this would mean I can pass on those lessons and hopefully help pioneer a new age of thoughtful garden care and plant cultivation. However, this culture cannot exist without technical knowledge to support the passion. In this pursuit I am eager to visit the University of Helsinki, where the Department of Forest Sciences is researching how forest ecosystems interact internally and with the environment and biomes around them. This research is offering new insights into better methods of forest conservation, and even how natural areas are excellent sources of well-being for human society. It is my dream to combine this level of technical knowledge with the passion and culture of growing wonderous plants, productive and sustainable forests, and artful gardens that preserve the world's biodiversity.

“Steven demonstrates leadership through a strong work ethic and perseverance and is keen to explore permaculture and syntropic agroforest. "
– Global Footprints Assessor Panel