Eden of the East
An advanced tree leaves the nursery carrying years that are easy to miss.
Its trunk has been shaped by repeated seasons. Roots have filled and been managed within changing containers. Water, spacing, pruning and observation have helped determine whether the tree will arrive as a balanced living structure or merely a tall plant.
At Van Berkel Wholesale Nursery, that time is part of the work. The third-generation Gippsland horticulture business is led by father-and-daughter team Arch and Leree Van Berkel. They grow native, ornamental, citrus and fruit trees for landscapes that may eventually be measured in streets, public spaces, developments and broad private properties.
The nursery’s official account describes young plants being sourced carefully and grown on site over several years. Healthy roots matter because the most visible part of the tree depends on the part hidden after planting. Balanced branch structure matters because a tree must keep meeting wind, weather and the demands of its eventual setting long after delivery day.
Growing is therefore also preparation. Trees are selected for the project, coordinated through orders and readied for transport. Delivery can be staged to meet a landscape programme. Each tree must leave in a condition that gives the next team—and the next place—a strong beginning.
This is horticulture working at civic scale. One nursery row can contain future street shade, blossom beside a path, citrus on a rural property and the feature tree around which a new garden will take shape. The colour is distributed across years and kilometres before it becomes part of anyone’s familiar view.
Seen through Eden of the East Foundation’s Power of Colour lens, Van Berkel’s work begins before spectacle. Colour is supported by root development, structure and the discipline of waiting until a tree is ready. The later display depends on care that happened while the tree was still one among many.
The Garden City connection is equally physical. Greener towns require living infrastructure, and living infrastructure has to be grown. The knowledge held by a Gippsland family nursery moves outward in every well-formed tree, connecting regional enterprise with the long life of streets and landscapes.
Once planted, the tree’s nursery years disappear below ground and into its structure. People may come to know it by the shade it gives, the fruit it carries or the season when its leaves change. Arch and Leree’s work remains inside it—the early years that made all the later ones possible.
Power of Colour
Power of Colour Awards
An advanced tree carries future shade, blossom, fruit and seasonal change inside years of careful growing. The Power of Colour Awards celebrate the colour and pride that gardens and shared effort bring into Latrobe. This is Eden of the East Foundation’s editorial connection, not evidence that Van Berkel Wholesale Nursery participates in the Awards.
Explore the Power of Colour Awards