Deryn Thorpe is a fanatical gardener, who is passionate about communicating her love of gardening to others.
She has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years, writes regular articles for/Gardening Australia Magazine/, a gardening column and garden stories for/The West Australian/newspaper and online publications.
She presents garden talkback on ABC and commercial radio talkback, is a vivacious and popular speaker at garden clubs and community gatherings, runs gardening workshops, has edited garden books and worked as a garden TV presenter.
Deryn also works in her family’s revegetation and landscaping business Plantation and Landcare Services which plants trees around Perth and the south west wheatbelt of WA and landscapes home gardens.
She volunteered for six years with Open Gardens Australia, most of the time as chair of selectors, and has opened her own beautiful, cottage style garden to the public. She was instrumental in the 2016 formation of Open Gardens West Coast.
In 2011 she was made a Life Member of the Horticultural Media Association Australia (HMAA) and in 2015 a Honourary Member of the Nursery and Garden Industry of WA (NGIWA) for services to these organisations. She has won the prestigious HMAA Paper Laurel for the best garden story published in an Australian newspaper or magazine.
Deryn loves showing people the world and started working as a European tour guide in the mid 1980ies. Today she takes tours around Australia and overseas for ASA Cultural Tours, discovering great food, culture and beautiful gardens.
In 2017 she started the weekly podcast All The Dirt with her colleague Steve Wood to inspire people to connect with the soil, provide the skills and confidence so people can become new or better gardeners and provide an outlet to discuss the concepts of sustainability and good food.
Views of Deryn’s Mount Lawley garden in spring.