By Clive Larkman
The Columbian Exchange continues to make its impact felt on the world, with the arrival of the yacon on the Australian market. Will this edible tuber make its mark on our nation, or will it prove to be a culinary fad? … Continue reading
Read MoreSupplied by Lawn Solutions Australia
Nestled on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, just outside Windsor, New South Wales, is a newly completed turf project that demonstrates the power of natural erosion control using turf. A collaborative effort led by Green Life Turf has transformed a flood devastated riverbank into a resilient green embankment.… Continue reading
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‘Between Moments’, designed and constructed by Ben Hutchinson Landscapes (Image: Ludovic Vilbert, Inwardout Studio)
By Gabrielle Stannus
Continuing from the article I wrote in May, which covered the Gold medal winning ‘‘ǝ’skāp’ display garden at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS), I have put together some of my other plant highlights from that event just for you!… Continue reading
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Plants collected locally around Cairns being grown on in the Cairns Botanic Gardens nursery before they are ready to be planted out (Image: Cadel Boyce)
By Cadel Boyce
The role of botanic gardens in recent years has changed from a focus on displaying the breadth of the world’s flora to facilitating a living collection of both exotic and local native plants of importance. Australia has a unique floral biodiversity due to its long geological period of isolation.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Caleb Roberts
Botanical name: Theobroma cacao
Common name: Cacao tree or cocoa tree
Family: Malvaceae
Origin: With a long history in the Amazon basin, cacao was traded as a currency well before chocolate coins hit supermarket shelves.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Clive Larkman
The Colombian Exchange resulted in many foods from the New World becoming common in European countries, including but not limited to the potato. Like so many Solanaceae, this humble vegetable is indigenous to the plains of the upper Andes and the lower regions of Machu Picchu and surrounds.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Daniel Fuller
Mass planting beds are favourable from a nursery and plant breeder perspective because less diversity will often equate to larger profit margins, even though they can be risky by having “all your eggs in one basket.” They are also easy for specifiers to use in designs, because it takes less research to source a single variety of plant that tolerates site conditions and can be replicated throughout large beds.… Continue reading
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The leaves rarely show all green or all cream which separates it from most of the other variegated aroids (Image: Clive Larkman)
By Clive Larkman
Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’ took the world by storm in the mid to post COVID years. At the time, indoor plants were undergoing a resurgence that started just pre-COVID and then went ballistic as we were all shut down.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Patrick Regnault
Observing the weed species can tell us a lot about the nutrient availability, soil compaction, recent history of the site, pH, moisture levels, and soil texture. Understanding or reading weeds can guide us in our planting selection. It can help us work successfully with the conditions rather than forcing unsuitable plants upon the land.… Continue reading
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Stampede Hybrid Buffalo is fully established on the demonstration lawn area (images supplied by Lawn Solutions Australia)
Supplied by Lawn Solutions Australia
Lawn Solutions Australia (LSA) has been working with Dr Ambika Chandra, from Texas A&M University in the US, on a new buffalo turfgrass Stenotaphrum secundatum for the Australian market for many years. New turf varieties are not shelf-stock items and take many years of research, data collection, morphological testing and comparable trials in the US and Australia before, and if, they are released to the market.… Continue reading
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