Michael Casey, Author at Hort Journal Australia

On-site discussion ensures a succesful and appealing outcome (Image: Michael Casey)

What’s roadblocking urban greening projects?

21/09/2023 Michael Casey 327 Views 0 Comments

By Michael Casey

Green infrastructure projects can be incredibly beneficial for the environment and communities, but they can also come with challenges when trying to plan and be granted approval to build these into our built environments. Our councils are on board, communities love the introduction of nature spaces and our planners and designers understand more about the added benefits of introducing green infrastructure into their designs.… Continue reading

The world’s largest plant is a sea grass Posidonia australis (Image: Rachel Austin, University of Western Australia)

International Plant Propagation Society

Plants that have rewritten the record books

21/09/2023 Dan Austin 244 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Daniel Austin

The kingdom of plants is a big one, each member is a standout and potential record holder if you dig deep enough. Even something as seemingly obvious as the world’s largest plant hasn’t been as straightforward as it might have seemed.… Continue reading

Playspaces that are well planted with trees offer nature play in mini forests (images supplied by Remarkable Trees)

Trees

Ideas for improving tree outcomes in new development areas

21/09/2023 Jason Summers 304 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Jason Summers

Creating treescapes can be impactful and improve the look and feel of a destination. To achieve high quality outcomes, it takes a lot of planning and appropriate species selection that is relevant to the location and local environmental conditions.… Continue reading

Male red and blue beetle (images supplied by Denis Crawford)

Pest and Diseases

Overlooked predatory insects

21/09/2023 Denis Crawford 374 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Denis Crawford

We are all familiar with predators such as ladybird beetles and lacewings, but some of the less familiar predators are just as important.

Ladybird beetles are certainly the most well-known predators and common species are instantly recognisable with their bright colours and dark spots.… Continue reading

Capricorn catchments group discussing planting techniques

Botanic Gardens

Bringing Nature Back: Yeppen Lagoon – Riparian Restoration Projects, Rockhampton Botanic Garden

21/09/2023 Stuart Elder 356 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Stuart Elder

Yeppen Yeppen (now known as the Yeppen Lagoon) is located at the gateway to Rockhampton City, Central Queensland on Darumbal Country. Situated on the Fitzroy River floodplain, the Lagoon links directly to the Great Barrier Reef catchment. Recognised as Rockhampton’s first town water supply in 1861, the Lagoon continues to play a key role in our community today, providing a picturesque backdrop for a popular walking, running, cycling, fishing and birdwatching area.… Continue reading

A well-protected paperbark tree (Image: Janet Hodgkiss)

Trees

Garden trees – the choices we make

21/09/2023 Patrick Regnault 258 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Patrick Regnault

There is a big emphasis on planting trees in gardens, parks and streets to help cool down our towns and cities, and to reduce the need for air conditioning. Whilst trees bring great benefits, we also need to be smart and mostly practical about which trees to use, where to plant them and how to look after them.… Continue reading

A tough plant that will pop out of wall crevices (Image: Clive Larkman)

Plant Palette

Capparis – more than just capers

21/09/2023 Clive Larkman 239 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Clive Larkman

On a recent trip to the central Mediterranean I observed some tough growing conditions. Most of the plants were non-native but one that stood out was Capparis spinosa – the Caper Bush. It is a tough plant that is able to establish itself in poor conditions with minimal water and virtually no soil.… Continue reading

Create a vision for your business and communicate it with your team (Image: Karen Smith)

Business File

Creating an inspiring business future

12/09/2023 John Corban 260 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By John Corban

Think back to when you started your business – you were probably somewhat fearful, but incredibly excited about what you were starting. And you probably imagined growing your business over time to a larger business with a key team, great clients, good profits, and a reasonably high profile.… Continue reading

Editors editorial

Getting prepared for the predicted hot summer

06/08/2023 admin 375 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

The warnings are starting to roll in with predictions for the upcoming summer likely to be the hottest on record. How can we, as an industry, be prepared? Summer will be here before you know it.

Our industry has been hit hard in the past with a decade of drought and water restrictions, so I think we know which direction we need to be heading to manage it.… Continue reading

Pincushion Hakea (Hakea laurina), Austins Ferry, Tasmania, Australia (Image: J J Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Landscape

Ooh la la! Winter design tips from France with an Australian twist

04/08/2023 admin 441 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Gabrielle Stannus

Whilst travelling in France earlier this year, I met with landscape designer and gardener Clare Obéron in Rennes, the capital city of Brittany in the country’s northwest, ostensibly to discuss how she designs her gardens to look good during winter.… Continue reading

Long periods between maintenance enables insects to colonise (Image: Michael Casey)

Green Infrastucture

Plants and insects can coexist in indoor spaces with the right mix

04/08/2023 Michael Casey 537 Views 0 Comments

By Michael Casey

The rise in interest in interior plantscaping, along with vertical gardens and other forms of interior plant layouts, is being matched with the results of the associated benefits. These include providing clean pollution-free filtered air and cooler environments, along with connecting people to nature.… Continue reading

All images supplied by John Fitzsimmons

Industry Event

Queensland Garden Expo delights gardening enthusiasts

04/08/2023 admin 302 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

The three-day Queensland Garden Expo, the Sunshine Coast’s largest annual event, took place at Nambour Showgrounds recently, attracting a crowd of gardening enthusiasts and plant lovers from near and far, with tens of thousands of plants swapping hands for new homes, both local and interstate.… Continue reading

Different nutrient levels can affect floral development and even colour

Nutrient

Plant nutrition: What, when, how, why

04/08/2023 John Fitzsimmons 326 Views 0 Comments

By John Fitzsimmons

Recent times have seen a rise in consumer concerns not just with ‘what’ they are buying but ‘how’ it was produced. Buying preferences have been increasingly flowing to ‘natural’, ‘organic’, ‘green’, ‘safer’, and ‘environmentally friendly’ labels. While the concepts are appealing it’s also easy to become a bit cynical about the real claims and benefits of some proliferating labels.… Continue reading

Zen Grass

Plant Palette

Transforming Australian Lawns – Ozbreed Zen Grass® Zoysia spp. ‘ZOY01’ PBR

04/08/2023 Todd Layt 408 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Imagine a lawn that ripples and undulates, creating a serene, Zen-like atmosphere in your garden. Picture a low-maintenance, high-density turf that greatly reduces weeds and fills in quickly. Envision a versatile grass that can be manicured for a traditional lawn look, or left natural and mown every two to three years to create a wavy, flowing green carpet.… Continue reading

Rustic™ Poa

Plant Palette

Unleash the beauty of rustic brown foliage – Rustic™ Poa spp.‘POL11’ PBR

04/08/2023 Todd Layt 328 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Visualise a garden where emerald green is gracefully punctuated by hues of summer rustic brown, where the sun’s rays illuminate the landscape creating a warm, vibrant glow that transforms your outdoor space into a stunning visual masterpiece.

Rustic™ Poa is a breed of ornamental grass that seasonally possesses an enchanting brown hue, a distinctive visual attribute obtained through a natural process called senescence which generally occurs in the dryer months.… Continue reading

‘The Motorist’, near Leeds in the UK - this model of presentation is ideal to tailor for the future garden centre

Retail

Into the future with retail

04/08/2023 John Staney 332 Views 0 Comments

By John Stanley and Sid Raisch

While the COVID years of 2020/21 seem to be in the distant past, the challenge now is what is ahead? It is difficult to forecast trends in a market that is changing so rapidly, but somebody has to start the conversation.… Continue reading

Nursery Papers

Nursery Papers: Preparing for El Nino

04/08/2023 admin 335 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Hort Innovation

In July 2023, the World Meteorological Organisation, an agency within the United Nations, officially declared an El Niño. For most of Australia, this typically brings hotter and drier weather, with increased risk of droughts as well as bushfires. At time of writing, the Australian government is yet to declare El Niño, it is expected
to do so in the coming weeks.… Continue reading

Plan for costs (Image: Rich Earth Landscaping)

Business File

Financial strategies to boost sales and profits

04/08/2023 John Corban 284 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By John Corban

The beginning of the new financial year has begun, so now is the perfect time to analyse your Profit & Loss (P&L) from the year just finished. Then, create a forecast knowing what areas of quoting, projects, project management and maintenance, and retail you need to improve.… Continue reading

She may have lost her wings, but he hasn’t (images supplied by Denis Crawford)

Pest and Diseases

The benefits of having wings

04/08/2023 Denis Crawford 375 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Denis Crawford

Insects are the only invertebrates that can fly, and flight has allowed insects to dominate most terrestrial ecosystems.

Insects first took to the air 350 to 400 million years ago, but like most evolutionary developments, it didn’t happen overnight.… Continue reading

Work included the provision of new seating for students, with easy-care synthetic turf

Landscape

Lessons learnt

03/08/2023 admin 318 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Lynne Testoni

In their Paddington Public School project, Outdoor Retreats Landscaping have vividly revitalised an educational space.

Outdoor Retreats Landscapes believes that great results come from working collaboratively, and their award-winning work for Paddington Public School in Sydney shows how well that approach has worked for them.… Continue reading