Edimentals, those plants that are both edible and ornamental, are reshaping planting design by delivering yield, resilience and visual appeal in a single planting choice. This issue explores fruit trees, shrubs and other edible plants used well beyond kitchen gardens — in streetscapes, campuses, public landscapes and private gardens.… Continue reading
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The Summer Soiree kicks off the Australian Horticultural Trials Week (Image: Ludovic Vilbert, Inwardout Studio)
By Gabrielle Stannus
The 2025 Australian Horticultural Trials Week kicked off on Monday 1 December with a Summer Soiree held at KCC Park in Skye. The Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV) announced the winners of its 2026 Plant of the Year awards during the evening, with Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery taking out the top gong for Corymbia ficifolia ‘Precious Pearl’.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Stanley, Sid Raisch and Dries Jansen
This series of articles aims to look at the future opportunities, changes and challenges that independent garden centres around the globe face in the next few years. Before we look into our crystal ball, we should first look back.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Chris Williams
In this article I outline reasons for integrating community-based food production into municipal-level open space strategies. I argue that food production in public landscapes should be a fundamental part of a multi-functional urban green space system. Within this framework, thinking of crops and food plants as potentially edimental (both edible and ornamental) offers a powerful way to achieve the following: high-quality aesthetic objectives for general open space users; increased cultural relevance (through so-called culturally appropriate foods); and production of food for use by volunteer growers or for donation to food relief organisations.… Continue reading
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Focal tree, Canistel (Pouteria campechiana) accompanied by an understorey of turmeric, Salvia sp., Hemerocallis sp. and Taro ‘Black Magic’ (Images supplied by Pauline Haydock)
By Pauline Haydock
Australians have been avid gardeners for many decades. We have come a long way from the post war aesthetic of a front yard with a bed of roses, a cypress hedge and a competitively tended lawn. Things are changing.… Continue reading
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Urban food gardens need space, resources, volunteers and/or paid staff and plenty of planning if they are to become successful and feed the people they are intended for (Image: Evergreen Infrastructure)
By Michael Casey
Over the past decade, urban farming has gathered extraordinary momentum with it being framed as a clean and hopeful solution for cities wrestling with food insecurity, population growth and the impacts of climate change. The promise is attractive; where someone can take under-used space, stack it vertically or spread it across rooftops, suddenly you can have a decentralised, resilient, hyper-local food system.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Tania Harman and Daniel Knox
The Australian Government’s R&D Tax Incentive offers horticulture businesses a valuable opportunity to fund innovation and reduce costs. This practical guide explains how to prepare a successful claim, avoid common pitfalls and maximise benefits.… Continue reading
Read MoreHow one nursery transformed its business
Between managing orders for 3,000 trees a year, planning for staff retirements, and keeping day-to-day operations running smoothly, big-picture improvements like clarifying roles or tightening systems often
sit in the ‘too hard’ basket.… Continue reading
By Daniel Fuller
Australia is home to many plant species that have fed people for thousands of years. Did you know that the following ornamental species are edible?
Dianella caerulea berries are almost like little blueberries with pleasantly crunchy seeds.… Continue reading
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Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus (globe artichoke) (Image: Björn S via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
By Patrick Regnault
During COVID-19, the popularity of growing one’s own food increased dramatically. However, food production to the level of self-sufficiency requires more land and effort than most people are willing to do or capable of making. That said, we can add trees, shrubs and climbers, or even aquatic plants to our plant palettes that will look good and produce food.… Continue reading
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