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Sigma Planters Pty Ltd
Trusted by Building and Landscape Professionals Since 2008
Nicholas Jones has been a garden enthusiast since childhood, helping his grandfather in his North Balwyn garden (a Melbourne suburb). Although he pursued a career in business, he maintained his own garden and grew much of his own food.
To combine these passions, he studied horticulture in 2002 at Melbourne University’s Burnley School of Horticulture, a centre for urban horticulture teaching and research since 1891, is located within the beautiful, heritage-listed Burnley Gardens.
In 2003, Nicholas founded Gardenware, dedicated to sourcing high-quality garden tools and equipment worldwide. In 2008, he launched IOTA Australia under the banner of the UK-based IOTA Garden and Home.
While Nicholas now prefers shopping for fruits and vegetables at the Saturday market with his wife, children, and border collies rather than getting his hands dirty in the soil, he still draws on his extensive horticultural knowledge daily in sales calls with IOTA clients. His articles expand on these conversations, exploring client questions in detail, from the basics of planting in containers to drainage solutions and plant selection.
Here is the list of recent articles by Nicholas Jones:
IOTA’s round and trough fiberglass planters helped green this parking lot in Red Rooster, Maroochydore, QLD. The area along Maroochydore Road, hosts a variety of establishments and some wide roads. The surrounding area has some large trees, however it is still mostly...
Trough planter boxes can add a number of functional and aesthetic elements to your indoor and outdoor designs. We normally see these rectangular planter boxes lining up the sides and corners of buildings and streets. To give you a few ideas, we list down some ways you...
Denise Malateaux is a Brazilian architect living in Australia. Denise has been working with interior design and landscaping for workplaces and residential properties for 9 years in Brazil. She has been studying and working in Australia for the last 12 months. We asked...
IOTA's fiberglass cube planters were recently specified for King George Square, a historical landmark in Brisbane, to help add some greenery. The square is located between Adelaide St. and Ann St., next to Brisbane City Hall. The square was last redeveloped in 2009....
IOTA’s fiberglass trough planters are being used in the restaurants at Worongary Shopping Centre at the Gold Coast. The planters serve as partitions between the different restaurants in the establishment. One of the best ways of using trough planters indoors is for...
IOTA’s Manhattan fiberglass planters enhanced this residential complex in Taringa in QLD. The clean white colour added a nice contrast to the green foliage making the view more appealing to the complex’s residents. The trough and cube planters helped to add form to...
IOTA’s Venice tall round planters were placed throughout Epicurious Garden to soften the hard landscaped areas. They give height and depth to the overall design which enhances the terrace effect given by the stairs and the natural slope the garden is on. The planters...
IOTA Venice Lightweight Concrete planters have enhanced the entrance at Cotton Beach Resort on the Tweed Coast. Cube lightweight concrete planters were strategically positioned to create a soft boundary and stop vehicles from being driven onto the travertine tiled...
Last year we did some interviews with well-known landscape designers. One of our long-term clients sent us an email to say “I love your newsletters/blogs. Very informative and interesting. I was just thinking could we have a top ten gardeners. They are the ones who...
IOTA’s Venice Tall Round and Venice Taper planters helped add emphasis to this residential home by gracing its entrance. Venice is a lightweight concrete planter. These Venice planters are named for there distinctive look inspired by Italian polished plaster. Since...
Landscape architecture is defined as the design of outdoor public areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. People enjoy being in nature for multiple reasons like trying to to escape from the stress of...
Using planters in interior design is more of a challenge. The design trends nowadays seems to demand clean lines and simplicity, while nature tends to be wild and chaotic. But, that doesn’t mean interior designs need to avoid greenery. Bringing plants into the design...
Don’t ask why healthy food is expensive. Ask why junk food is so cheap. – Unknown More and more research are linking chemical pesticides, herbicides, and even fertilizers to diseases, such as certain types of cancers and birth defects. This is the reason why more...
Landscape design is a process of developing practical and pleasing outdoor living space. The design of the landscape in conjunction with the overall site planning and architectural design can create a place where people want to spend time, socialise, or work....
Architecture is one of mankind's most noticeable forms of expression. Every now and then, there comes that extraordinary architect that changes how we see and perceive design. In no particular order, here are some of the most influential and most famous architects of...
St. John of God Burwood Hospital wanted to add some impact to their front garden. IOTA’s range of Manhattan Fiberglass Planters, with its satin smooth finish was chosen for the job. The fiberglass planter boxes graced its front garden. The end result added some...
IOTA’s Granite Trough 1000 and Granite Cube 600 planters took care of the greenification of Greenway Supa Centre at Wetherill Park. What was once a space filled with concrete and steel railings now has a bit more life. All thanks to container planting, Greenway Supa...
In an area dominated by asphalt and concrete, IOTA’s range of granite planters allowed for just a little bit of foliage. A dull landscape such as this parking lot in Bankstown in Sydney has been softened significantly with the added greenery. The steel railings were...
The City of Canterbury in Sydney gets a hint of greenery with IOTA’s range of stylish granite planters. This is one of our modern planter box ideas. An attractive makeover was provided with Granite Trough 1000 planters when the Canterbury City Council was looking for...
Stanhope Village Shopping Centre in Sydney is now greener after installing IOTA’s Extra Large Granite Trough 1200 Planters. This urban landscape is filled with hard concrete paving, sharp corners and a lot of parked vehicles. With some low-lying foliage planted in...
IOTA custom granite planters were commissioned for the redevelopment of the town centre for the town of Leek in Staffordshire County. This town centre development project enhanced the beauty and charm of the place. The town of Leek, located at the foot of the Peak...
To turn your IOTA garden pot into a work of art, you must plant it. Planting it correctly will mean the difference between exquisite long-lived plants that complement the aesthetics of the container materials and an urban eyesore. Make sure you plant your garden pots...
Taking care of plants in garden pots is a bit different from maintaining traditional “in ground” gardens. Here’s how to take good care of your IOTA garden pot plant or plantings. Watering Garden pot plants are in small, self-contained worlds. The plants can’t grow...
The look of an IOTA planter only starts with the container. What you put in it matters just as much as the container materials. When doing plant selection for your planters, there are a number of factors to consider: Where will the container be sited? What is the...
Natural stone planters from IOTA were the planters of choice for the Park House Hotel development. A luxury country house hotel located in Bepton, West Sussex, the development is an architectural sight that made use of 58 IOTA granite planters of various sizes ranging...
IOTA’s Granite Taper 800 urban street plant containers were utilised to help improve the area in the Dockside of Douglas, Isle of Man. IOTA planters are a popular solution for improving streetscape designs. The natural toughness of granite makes them particularly...
IOTA’s Slate Trough planters were on scene at a terrace redesign in a home in Drummoyne, Sydney. Kev Quelch and his team at Inovasis Design took on the redesign challenge and specified IOTA’s slate planters which blended well with a backdrop of natural colours....
IOTA’s Extra-Large Granite planters were recently showcased at Fenwicks Marina in Brooklyn, Sydney. The extra large garden planters blend nicely with the background of the Sandbrook Inlet along the Hawkesbury River. The Long Island Nature Reserve can also be seen over...
Plants grow in a vast variety of pots but you need to know which materials are really great for your garden. The following guide will show you the pros and cons of various materials used for the best garden pots for landscaping. The Pros and Cons of Terracotta...
Using potted plants in landscaping have numerous benefits. They are easier to move and maintain and their environment can be controlled more than plants planted into the ground. For large landscaping projects, plants in containers represent a great alternative to...