By Daniel Fuller
Machine pruning is the standard in commercial landscape maintenance. Very rarely are plants given a chance to be pruned selectively by highly skilled operators; instead, plants are generally hedge-pruned or left in their natural shape, which will often get leggy or too large, and end up hedge-pruned anyway even if that was not the original design intent.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy David Khoury and Ian Turner
Maintaining expansive and diverse landscapes such as those at the Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan (ABGMA) is no small feat. Covering 416 hectares on Dharawal Country in south-west Sydney, the Garden balances the needs of natural woodland conservation, open lawns, curated plant displays and visitor infrastructure.… Continue reading
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Mechanical pruning at Harts Nursery has improved consistency, workflow efficiency and plant quality across large-scale production
By Jennifer McQueen
A task that once took two people a full day now takes one person five hours. That is the kind of change many nurseries are chasing, but not through large-scale automation or complex systems.… Continue reading
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Anticipation signage at Marks and Spencer’s Selby store in North Yorkshire, England (Image: Supplied by the authors)
By John Stanley, Sid Raisch and Dries Jansen
The world of retailing has, and is, changing rapidly. Some retailers focus on selling products, while others focus on creating memorable experiences and getting customers to ‘Buy the dream’ rather than ‘Buy the plant’.… Continue reading
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The Keppel Marina Desalination Plant hosts a beautiful 20,000 m2 green roof open for the use by the public (Image: Michael Casey, Evergreen Infrastructure)
By Michael Casey
This is a difficult article to write, partly because it is my last for Hort Journal Australia, and partly because the subject feels larger now than it once did. When I first began writing and speaking about green infrastructure, it was often framed as an emerging opportunity, a new way of imagining what cities could become.… Continue reading
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One of the show highlights was an impromptu session in the Richgro Knowledge Centre, where the scheduled solo 'in conversation' sessions evolved into a combined session with ABC TV’s Gardening Australia presenters, Hannah Moloney and Josh Byrne (Image: Krystle Ricci)
By Lisa Passmore
There are events that simply feel good from the moment you arrive, and the Perth Garden Show 2026 was certainly one of them. Three days of glorious autumn sunshine, with just a sprinkle of rain that fell mostly overnight, set the perfect scene, and with many visitors returning across the weekend, the show delivered everything a garden lover could hope for, and more.… Continue reading
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Super Bloom’s ‘Plant Futures: The Future in Bloom’ garden at Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show 2026 (Image: Sarah Pannell)
By Jac Semmler and Alice Ziebell
As cities respond to climate pressure, resource constraints, and rising expectations for high quality public space, planting should be central to how we shape the future of urban design. A plant driven approach, which embraces naturalistic, multi-layer principles offers adaptive, biodiverse, and experientially rich environments, spaces where living systems structure form, moderate climate, and deliver long term value.… Continue reading
Read MoreSoils and growing media are critical to plant health as they support roots while supplying the water, air and nutrients plants need for healthy growth. They also influence drainage, moisture balance and pH, so poor soil or growing media can limit plant performance even when other conditions are favourable.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Gabrielle Stannus
Despite some wet and windy weather, the 2026 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show drew an impressive 108,672 attendees over five days at the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. Your intrepid editor braved the rain to bring you this roundup of this annual industry event, focussing on the gardens on display, and the plants found within them, including some old favourites and new discoveries.… Continue reading
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Hydroponic nutrient supplies will be impacted by both the Middle East conflicts and restrictions on Chinese exports
By John Fitzsimmons
Amid continuing instability in parts of the Middle East, energy and supply lines for key greenlife production inputs are currently in a state of disruption. What challenges does this bring now and into the foreseeable future for our industry?… Continue reading
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