2024 | Horticulture

“Incorporating sustainability into my career path is important to me because, as we all know, the planet is suffering at the hands of the human race, with future generations depending on us taking action in the present.”

Hello, my name is Bridie Franks from Tasmania. In 2024, I was lucky enough to be awarded a Global Footprints Scholarship in horticulture, where I went to the UK mostly and a little bit throughout Europe.

My first stop was at the Eden Project in Cornwall, a new-age educational facility with emphasis on displaying the astonishing diversity of plants worldwide and all the ways they are vital for human existence. I spent a couple of weeks in the huge biomes, both tropical and Mediterranean, which were big enough to seem like you were in actual rainforests when inside.

A horticultural trip to the UK can’t be complete without visiting Kew Gardens in London. Here, I spent some time observing the ecology of the gardens, carrying out moth, butterfly and bat surveys. I also had tours of the spectacular glasshouses and got stuck into some alpine plantings.

In contrast to Kew’s neat and formal aesthetic, I also spent some time with fellow scholar Daniel at Knepp Estate in West Sussex, where the regime is all about rewilding, not only of the whole estate at large but also the walled garden, where the inspirational gardeners aim to keep things wild, to enhance biodiversity and interest as much as possible.

A favourite part of my trip was heading up to Scotland, which is such a lovely place with rich history and culture. I learnt lots about the decline of the ancient Caledonian forests and efforts to restore them, both in a nursery and in a community forest.

The botanic gardens of Edinburgh and Logan were so welcoming, and I gained a lot of knowledge and confidence from my time working. At Logan Botanics, there was even a whole section of gardens hailing from my home place, Tasmania.

And, of course, in and around all these amazing places, I made sure to take time to see the sights and experience life in some of these varied areas.

I was very pleased to be able to visit some places in Europe as well, including attending a conference in Istanbul on urban ecology. I met friends and my sister and had plenty of adventures.

I would like to thank the Global Footprints team for all their excellent support through the whole process in helping us scholars plan for and execute some pretty impressive itineraries.

I would also like to give a big thank you to all the people I met along the way, the friends I made, the people I stayed with and, of course, the host organisations of my work experience.

I had an incredible trip and had unique experiences at every single placement. I gained confidence in international travel and broadened my experience of the horticulture industry in many different contexts.

This will be something I remember for life, so I would encourage anyone, if they’re thinking of applying, to just go for it.