By Lisa Wightwick
Over the past few years, the term ‘sustainability’ has been increasingly utilised in the world’s collective vocabulary. This greater awareness of anthropogenic environmental impact has necessitated products and practices that either minimise or negate them. Ironically, the horticulture industry, particularly the production sector, isn’t actually as ‘green’ as it might seem.… Continue reading
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A biodiverse green roof was built on top of a seven-story commercial office space in Kensington, Victoria
By Michael Casey
Biodiversity is increasingly recognised as a driving force behind many of our urban greening projects worldwide. As cities expand, they face the challenge of preserving and enhancing natural ecosystems, leading to a surge in biodiversity-centred urban planning.
Biodiversity in urban environments contributes to ecosystem services, such as improved air quality, climate regulation, and enhanced human well-being.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Stuart Elder
‘Making Water Work’ is the name of the Water Hyacinth Harvesting Pilot Project at Murray Lagoon, Rockhampton Botanic Garden. Murray Lagoon is a vital ecosystem and community resource situated at the gateway to Rockhampton City in Central Queensland on Darumbal Country and is a significant natural asset.… Continue reading
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Designers have ensured all spaces are utilised and enhanced with greenery in this spacious inner-city courtyard
By Michael Casey
The integration of greenery into the built environment is gaining momentum as urbanisation continues to reshape cities worldwide. The movement towards developer-led greenery inclusion is driven by the need for sustainable development, improved quality of life, and recognition of the multifaceted benefits that green spaces provide.… Continue reading
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Adding in greenery to a conventional pergola adds another level of shade coverage (Image: Michael Casey)
By Michael Casey
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) confirmed 2023 was the warmest year on record. The annual average global temperature in 2023 was close to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a significant benchmark set by the Paris Agreement to limit long-term temperature increases.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Arnott
At time of writing, I am a few weeks off ‘hanging up the boots’ at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, entering a ‘retirement phase’ of a gardening career that has straddled five decades of public gardens horticulture. Over this period, I have witnessed numerous trends come and go, and thought it would be fun to quickly reflect on a few of these in this article.… Continue reading
Read MoreCompiled by Karen Smith
Among the global targets set at the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference, COP 15, in Montreal was an agreement to cut global food waste in half, and significantly reduce over-consumption and waste generation, and reduce by half, both excess nutrients and the overall risk posed by pesticides and highly hazardous chemicals.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Denis Crawford
Gardening for wildlife has been in vogue for some time, but gardening for insects seems to be gaining in popularity. How do you create an insect garden without increasing pest numbers?
This Pest Files was inspired by an article I read on BBC online titled ‘Why you should let insects eat your plants’.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Denis Crawford
Several invasive insects currently of concern to the horticultural industry have something in common – the ability to travel long distances in horticultural material.
If reading a newspaper recently might make you think that we are under threat from invasive insects from all points of the compass, you would be right.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Denis Crawford
Conventional wisdom tells us that the bush will recover after fire, and that the wildlife will return. It’s not that simple.
I’m not likely to forget February 13th 2024. It was the day a bushfire descended on my local town of Pomonal, destroyed 45 homes, many sheds and other structures, kilometres of fencing, and over 2700 hectares of bushland and private land.… Continue reading
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