Editors editorial

It’s that old chestnut, ‘I can’t believe it is November already’. Are you ready for the Christmas period? Sunshine, stock and staff could determine how merry the trading period will be.

Many sectors have had a difficult post COVID period due to supply-side bottlenecks and staff shortages.… Continue reading

Only after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II did I realise how many Australian organisations had a title that included ‘Royal’. Obviously, we have a Royal Australian Navy and a Royal Air Force for example but there are many more. There are at least ten variations of Royal Agricultural Societies, three Royal Horticultural Societies and a couple of Royal Botanic Gardens.… Continue reading

Spring has arrived at last and one can only hope that the weather is milder and calmer without floods, fires and natural disasters. While the pandemic put the brakes on most of us in various ways, as restrictions ease and an element of ‘business as usual’ is occurring, it can feel as though we are playing a bit of catch-up and on a bit of a roller coaster rolling into spring. … Continue reading

The State of the Environment report (SOE) released in July 2022 certainly reminded us of the challenges we face overcoming a stressed environment. Impacts on biodiversity caused by habitat loss, degradation and introduced invasive species continue to contribute to extinctions and deteriorating ecosystems.… Continue reading

You may have noticed that over the past year we have included articles that cover environmental issues and sustainability from plastic recycling to landfills. If you haven’t read any of Bruce Thompson’s articles this year on recycling waste, I suggest you do.… Continue reading

Well, it really was a delight to go to a conference after a couple of years of not going anywhere. The International Plant Propagators Society celebrated its 50^th anniversary at their conference held at the Fairmont Resort in Leura, which was where their first conference was held.… Continue reading

The summer in NSW and Queensland has been a very wet event this year following a trend of recent wet seasons and I feel so sorry for people affected by floods and torrential downpours. The extended wet periods and extreme humidity have increased the number of unwanted indoor plants in the form of moulds.… Continue reading

By Karen Smith

If you haven’t had a chance to look at our website lately, we have made a few changes. The opportunity to receive a digital version of Hort Journal is available. Interestingly, we have a steady stream of new subscribers each week and yet 82% still prefer the printed copy.… Continue reading

The new year of 2022 has brought many changes with it, the least of which is a change of leadership at Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA). Hort Journal would like to welcome GIA’s new Chief Executive Officer Joanna Cave. Joanna comes to the role with a wealth of experience as a CEO of a variety of peak bodies, membership organisations and not-for-profit associations, both in the United Kingdom and in Australia.… Continue reading

Bring on 2022 and a return to business as we knew it, or perhaps new learned better business strategies and practices. Let’s face it, we are all experts in using Zoom and Google Meets and various chat sites but there is nothing quite like having a conversation face to face and for some, it gets them out of their pyjamas!… Continue reading