Tags: 2017, Australian Plants, Jo O'Connell, Meeting, Season 2017-2017

For our June event, Jo O’Connell discussed the best Australian plants for a South California garden and their care.

Jo O’Connell has over 30 years experience growing plants from arid and Mediterranean areas of Australia and South Africa. She studied horticulture at the University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Richmond NSW Australia. B. App. Sc. – Horticulture. Jo has experience in Zoo Horticulture in Australia and has consulted with several zoos in the US on plant species for habitat design. She has worked in the Native Cut Flower Industry in the Blue Mountains on the outskirts of Sydney and with local cut flower growers in California. She spent 2 years working on revegetation of areas disturbed by mining and other environmental projects for Mount Isa Mines in outback Queensland. Jo is dedicated to introducing new and diverse plant material for drought-prone areas.

Jo’s company, Australian Native Plants, was established in the early 1990s with the help of her husband Byron Cox. From the beginning, their vision was to provide plants that are hardy, drought tolerant, cut flower producing and bird attracting.