Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Plants

Specifically designed flowering border zone retaining beneficial insect populations within the local area (Image: Erik van Zuilekom) Specifically designed flowering border zone retaining beneficial insect populations within the local area (Image: Erik van Zuilekom)
BotanyPlants

Nature’s automation:

Erik van Zuilekom 113 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

Self-organising systems in production horticulture

By Erik van Zuilekom

What if the most effective automation technology available to production horticulture was never engineered in a factory? Self-organising ecological processes, nature’s own regulatory systems, offer nurseries practical pathways to reduced inputs, stronger plant health and increasing resilience over time.… Continue reading

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Murraya koenigii with flowers (Image: Mokkie via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) Murraya koenigii with flowers (Image: Mokkie via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Curry leafPlants

Curry leaf: A trick of the taste buds!

Clive Larkman 114 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By Clive Larkman

Living in multicultural Australia means most of us know what a good curry is, or think we do! However, we may well differ on what our favourite curry style is. Do you enjoy an Indian vindaloo or korma, or maybe a Thai green curry, Indonesian rendang or Japanese katsu?… Continue reading

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The black truffle, Tuber melanosporum (Image: Véronique Pagnier via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) The black truffle, Tuber melanosporum (Image: Véronique Pagnier via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Plant PalettePlants

The hidden harvest

Caleb Roberts 155 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By Caleb Roberts

Botanical name: Tuber melanosporum

Common name(s): Black truffle, Périgord truffle, French black truffle

Family: Tuberaceae

Origin or native range: Found naturally in European forests, the black truffle’s highest producing countries remain Spain, France and Italy.… Continue reading

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Coffea canephora (Image: Vinayaraj via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) Coffea canephora (Image: Vinayaraj via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Plant PalettePlants

Beyond Arabica: The wider world of coffee

Clive Larkman 159 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By Clive Larkman

Despite there being over 100 species in the Coffea genus, only a few of those are cultivated for human consumption. In my last article, I wrote about how we only really grow Coffea arabica and C. canephora ‘Robusta’, or a hybrid of the two (‘Coffee: A shrub with history!’,… Continue reading

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Council staff and apprentices on site installing the new Sir Grange Zoysia turf on the roundabout at Croome Rd, Shellharbour (Image source: Turfco Australia) Council staff and apprentices on site installing the new Sir Grange Zoysia turf on the roundabout at Croome Rd, Shellharbour (Image source: Turfco Australia)
PlantsTurf

Versatile turf reshapes streetscapes

Nathan Edwards 163 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By Nathan Edwards

In the pursuit of sustainable urban landscapes, local councils are increasingly turning to turf solutions that combine visual appeal with long-term efficiency. Shellharbour City Council’s roundabout redevelopments in Oak Flats and Shellharbour, NSW, provide a striking example of how the right turf selection can deliver lasting benefits for both communities and maintenance teams.… Continue reading

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Coffea arabica (Image: Alfredo F. Fuentes Claros via iNaturalist, CC0) Coffea arabica (Image: Alfredo F. Fuentes Claros via iNaturalist, CC0)
Plant PalettePlants

Coffee: A shrub with history!

Clive Larkman 171 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By Clive Larkman

Living in Melbourne means permanent access to great coffee and a culture of having this staple drink with every meal. However, many people seem to have little knowledge of the plant itself. Plants in the Coffea genus provide the source of the world’s most popular morning drink, as well as some very attractive shrubs.… Continue reading

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Banksias and grass trees provide a uniquely Australian beauty to this garden (Image: John Fitzsimmons) Banksias and grass trees provide a uniquely Australian beauty to this garden (Image: John Fitzsimmons)
LandscapingPlants

What makes a plant beautiful?

By John Fitzsimmons 295 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By John Fitzsimmons

If our theme this issue is ‘Ornamentals: Beauty that endures’ then surely, we must start by defining ‘beauty’ and that raises more questions than answers. On such a theme, just where do we start? Beauty is a subjective and multi-faceted quality that evokes pleasure, admiration or deep emotional responses.… Continue reading

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Old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) near Hay, New South Wales (Image: Thomas Mesaglio [thebeachcomber] via iNaturalist, CC BY-SA 4.0) Old man saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) near Hay, New South Wales (Image: Thomas Mesaglio [thebeachcomber] via iNaturalist, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Plant PalettePlants

Atriplex: A story of saltbush

Clive Larkman 632 Views 0 Comments

By Clive Larkman

In my last article, ‘Saltbushes of the world’, I wrote about halophytes including mangroves, samphires and saltbush (Hort Journal Australia, February 2026). Like mangroves and samphires, saltbush occurs around the globe in a diverse range of climatic conditions.… Continue reading

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The autumn senescence gives a wave of colour to the texture of the ginkgo fan-like leaves (Image: Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery) The autumn senescence gives a wave of colour to the texture of the ginkgo fan-like leaves (Image: Daleys Fruit Tree Nursery)
Plant PalettePlants

An ancient tree for contemporary gardens

Caleb Roberts 264 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By Caleb Roberts

Botanical name: Ginkgo biloba

Common names: Ginkgo, maidenhair tree

Family: Ginkgoaceae

Origin or native range: Ginkgo biloba is the sole surviving species within its entire division, class, order and family. This monotypic ‘living fossil’, so called because fossils nearly identical to the modern tree date back to the Jurassic period (around 170 million years ago), is now found virtually unchanged from its earlier iterations in small, woodland populations in temperate China.… Continue reading

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Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus (globe artichoke) (Image: Björn S via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0) Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus (globe artichoke) (Image: Björn S via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
LandscapingPlants

A taste for landscaping

Patrick Regnault 421 Views 0 Comments ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  , 

By Patrick Regnault

During COVID-19, the popularity of growing one’s own food increased dramatically. However, food production to the level of self-sufficiency requires more land and effort than most people are willing to do or capable of making. That said, we can add trees, shrubs and climbers, or even aquatic plants to our plant palettes that will look good and produce food.… Continue reading

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