potted history

Ken Turnidge worked at Swane’s Nursery in Ermington, New South Wales, before going on to run his own nursery. He took these photos (above) in the 1950s. “Jane’s description of working in a nursery in the 1970s brought back memories of the start of my career,” Ken says. “The tins would have their tops cut out, and holes punched in the sides. Then two inches of ash was put in the bottom for drainage. Potting soil was obtained from a ploughed-up paddock. I can still remember the day when a rep arrived with the first sample of plastic pots. Ted Swane said, ‘Son, these will never take on – they’ll just break’!”