By Denis Crawford
Biodiversity in gardens means growing a variety of plants, which are likely to attract a variety of insects. That might sound alarming to some, but it’s actually a good thing.
Biodiversity can be a bit of a buzzword, but the way I look at it, is insects are the foundation of biodiversity.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Bruce Thompson
Australians produce 3.4 million tonnes of plastic each year but just 13% is recycled. And we’re above average because globally, only 9% of all plastic is recycled. With the future forecast of there being more pieces of plastic than fish in the world’s oceans by 2050, it’s a fate our quickly plasticising oceans seems unable to avoid.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Denis Crawford
Sap-feeding insects may be quite small, but they usually leave signs of their feeding activity.
I had a couple of speaking engagements at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show (MIFGS) this year. I was always on the lookout for insect specimens to show people, either the insects themselves, or the damage they cause, or other signs of their activities.… Continue reading
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SPICEE, Installed 2016, suspended rotating living air plant sculpture, The Friends School, Hobart, Australia, photgraphed July 2019
By Lloyd Godman
With expanding cities, foliage cover is often displaced and replaced with concrete and bitumen. A changing climate and increasing temperatures will place greater demands on ways to integrate plants into the urban environment to mitigate the heat island effect.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Fitzsimmons
By now, most of us are familiar with the key performance criteria of potting mixes but it doesn’t hurt to refresh our knowledge periodically, particularly with the growth in specialist lines available to industry and for resale. It’s also worthwhile to consider the expanding list of applications; potting mixes are not necessarily just for pots any more.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Denis Crawford
For insects which go through a lifecycle of complete metamorphosis, the pupal stage is a critical one. But sometimes the pupal process is not smooth sailing.
Only insects which pass through a lifecycle of complete metamorphosis (holometabolous) have a pupal stage.… Continue reading
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An aerial image shows The Cape’s restoration of the natural environment progressing alongside the residential construction (Image: Alan Foon)
By Georgia Warren and Eily Schulz
The Sustainable Landscape Company (TSLC) is contributing to the delivery of The Cape, a zero-emissions housing community in Cape Paterson, transforming a degraded former cattle station into a thriving habitat site for residents as well as flora and fauna.… Continue reading
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Tillandsia plants installed at level 92 Eureka Tower where they have survived on their own biology for over seven years (Image: Lloyd Godman)
By Lloyd Godman
As the honeymoon period of vertical gardens ends, a critical question asks, How can plants be integrated into architecture in a sustainable manner?
Tillandsia SWARM is an ongoing ecological art project where Tillandsias (air plants) are mounted on a range of extreme urban sites, left to their own biological devices to survive, and monitored over time.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Bruce Thompson
Encountering raised garden beds where corn, tomatoes, beans, lettuce and parsley are growing, isn’t something you expect to see when you’re offloading your truck full of recycling bin items at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), and yet this is the experience of truck drivers who visit Mackay Regional Council’s facility.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Denis Crawford
The populations of some insects can vary dramatically in size from one year to the next. Why does that happen?
As I write this Pest File my garden is a-flutter with clouds of cabbage white butterflies (Pieris rapae).… Continue reading
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