Newsbuds Archives - Hort Journal Australia

The impact of plastic on marine life (Image: cloud_purple, Pixabay)

New developments with biodegradable plastics

07/05/2025 admin 20 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

With the ongoing concerns of plastic waste and pollution it is heartening to hear that Japanese researchers have recently developed innovative biodegradable plastics that decompose rapidly in marine environments.

A team, led by Takuzo Aida at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS), in collaboration with the University of Tokyo and Eindhoven University of Technology, has created a durable plastic that fully dissolves in seawater.… Continue reading

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Artificial intelligence, not so smart

09/04/2025 admin 54 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Compiled by Karen Smith

Most of you have heard of Artificial Intelligence, commonly called AI. It has uses in many diverse fields, from illustrating comics to identifying tumours pictured in medical images. I have used an AI-powered app to identify plants in the field.… Continue reading

A farmer drives a harvester to harvest sunflower seeds in a field in Linhe District of Bayannur, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

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Small Chinese city reaps global success with sunflowers

07/03/2025 admin 145 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Wang Fei is hailed as the ‘King of Sunflower Seeds’ in his hometown of Bayannur, in Northern China.

The title reflects his passion for the crunchy snack and his remarkable achievement in transforming locally grown sunflower kernels into a global commodity, with markets spanning the Republic of Korea, Egypt and Germany.… Continue reading

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IPM ESSEN 2025 records significant increase in visitors

07/03/2025 IPM ESSEN 108 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Strong growth in international trade fair participants

This year, IPM ESSEN confirmed its role as the world’s leading innovation platform, and powerful industry driver, when the global horticultural industry gathered recently at the Messe Essen exhibition grounds. “The spirit of optimism in the green sector is palpable,” says Oliver P.… Continue reading

Lemon myrtle flowers (Image: Janet Hodgkiss)

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Lemon Myrtle growers in demand

07/03/2025 admin 150 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Lemon myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) is experiencing a surge in demand due to its versatility in culinary, cosmetic, and medicinal applications. As consumers and industries seek natural and native ingredients, growers are finding expanding market opportunities both domestically and internationally.… Continue reading

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‘Putricia’ attracts the crowds

05/02/2025 admin 181 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

The rotting corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum) at the Sydney Botanic Gardens is a rare and captivating botanical event that has become a crowd favourite when it blooms.

t’s a bit of a tradition for Corpse Flowers to receive nicknames when they bloom: @thehuntingtonlibrary recently celebrated the flowering of Odora, Scentennial, Stankosaurus Rex and Stinkie, while @denverbotanic had Lil’ Stinker burst into bloom in 2022.… Continue reading

Digested remains of a giant millipede (Image: Akviana Damit)

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Botanist names carnivorous plant after threatened orangutan

05/02/2025 Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria 111 Views 0 Comments

Supplied by Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Dr Alastair Robinson, Manager of Biodiversity Services at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, together with a team of Malaysian botanists, has documented a critically endangered carnivorous plant in Malaysia, Nepenthes pongoides, which they named after the orangutan to raise awareness of the major threats to its survival.… Continue reading

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Pollinator friendly lighting

05/02/2025 admin 119 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

In Finland, the concept of pollinator-friendly streetlights is gaining attention in an effort to enhance biodiversity and support local ecosystems. Traditional street lighting, with its bright, artificial glow, can disrupt the natural behaviours of nocturnal pollinators like moths, bees, and other insects.… Continue reading

The MiniWeed experiment cube (Image: Plants for Space/University of Adelaide)

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Australian duckweed launches into space

15/12/2024 admin 232 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

The ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space, headquartered at the University of Adelaide, has sent its first payload of duckweed into space, jumping aboard a sounding rocket launched by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) as part of its MAPHEUS 15 mission.… Continue reading

A visit to Kings Park and Botanic Garden was enjoyed by all at the GIA Conference in 2020 (Image: Karen Smith)

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Greenlife Industry Australia to hold national conference in February 2025

15/12/2024 admin 196 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA) is excited to be hosting the national Greenlife Industry ‘Stronger Together’ conference in February 2025.

Returning for the first time since 2020, the conference will take place from 19–21 February at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.… Continue reading

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