Tuesday, August 12, 2025
EditorialEditors editorial

Turning over a new leaf

It is an honour to be able to introduce myself to you as the new editor of Hort Journal Australia, and only its second in its 17-year history.

I never expected to be a writer, let alone an editor! I suspect that Karen Smith, our recently retired editor, has perhaps been gently coaxing me into this position for some time now.… Continue reading

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LandscapeRevegetatation

Time anchors a regenerative landscape

By Gabrielle Stannus

How many young landscape architects can say that they have worked on a project for ten years? Heidi Mikulic can, and she says it was time well spent. Heidi started on the Stonehill Gully and Escarpment Regeneration project in 2014, around the same time that she joined Thompson Hay Landscape Architects, the design practice undertaking this work for the site’s developer, Devine Pty Ltd.Continue reading

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Environment & SustainabilityPest Management

Preparing for climate-driven pests and diseases

By Patrick Regnault

Horticultural pests and diseases are constantly evolving, and increasingly so in the face of anthropogenic climate change. This global phenomenon is also changing the natural range of pests and diseases. What might this mean for Australia, and what can we do about it as an industry?Continue reading

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PlantsTurf

Reviving the riverbank

Turf’s role in erosion control

Supplied by Lawn Solutions Australia

Nestled on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, just outside Windsor, New South Wales, is a newly completed turf project that demonstrates the power of natural erosion control using turf. A collaborative effort led by Green Life Turf has transformed a flood devastated riverbank into a resilient green embankment.Continue reading

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Environment & SustainabilityGreen Space

The green advantage

How nature-inspired workplaces are keeping staff loyal

By Michael Casey

Green infrastructure is reshaping schools in Australia and around the world. But its impact need not stop at the school gate. Could similar approaches improve our workplaces, making them healthier, more inviting spaces?Continue reading

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Greenhouses & TechnologyRobotics

Cutting costs with robotics and AI

By John Fitzsimmons

Horticultural enterprises today have access to an increasingly broader and evolved range of equipment and technologies, which are still revealing themselves step by step. Much of the transformation in this space is occurring on-farm, with robots and artificial intelligence increasingly used to drive productivity.Continue reading

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Business FileEditorial

How the R&D Tax Incentive fuels papaya innovation

By Tania Harman and Daniel Knox

For Lecker Farming, a specialist in papaya propagation on Northern Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands, the R&D Tax Incentive is assisting them to continue to drive genetic breakthroughs and set new industry standards.

Lecker Farming, under the stewardship of Gerard Kath, undertakes agricultural research and development activities.… Continue reading

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EditorialNursery Papers

Nursery Papers – Navigating pesticide regulation in horticulture

Safeguarding access through industry coordination

Introduction:

Australia’s horticulture industry is operating in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Domestic and international bodies are intensifying scrutiny of pesticide use in response to growing concerns about environmental sustainability, food safety and trade standards.

Many growers have historically taken a reactive approach to pesticide regulation, often discovering limitations only after key products are withdrawn or restricted due to regulatory changes.… Continue reading

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AdvertorialEditorial

Most popular trees and large shrubs of 2024-25

By Daniel Fuller

Nursery businesses are always interested in what plants are popular in the market because this information can help them make informed choices for what to stock. According to Ozbreed’s data from the 2024-25 financial year, here are the Australian trees and large shrubs that showed the biggest demand through our nursery networks based on unit sales.Continue reading

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Melbourne International Flower and Garden ShowPlants

A photographic tour of MIFGS

By Gabrielle Stannus

Continuing from the article I wrote in May, which covered the Gold medal winning ‘‘ǝ’skāp’ display garden at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS), I have put together some of my other plant highlights from that event just for you!Continue reading

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