Avocado is too good?
Clive Larkman
As a child I doubt I ever ate avocado and I don’t think any of my friends did. It was an exotic fruit that you might have seen as a dip at the original Taco Bills but rarely elsewhere.… Continue reading
Read MorePlants
Native plants and grasses surveyed with Landscape Architects
By Daniel Fuller
Plant breeding has made significant strides over the past couple of decades. What once impressed landscape architects no longer suffices, as new cultivars are now more resilient, requiring less maintenance. While nursery businesses know what has sold well in the past, predicting future popular cultivars remains a challenge.… Continue reading
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Edimental avocado an evolutionary enigma
By Clive Larkman
Last month we looked at a great garden plant that looks good, is easy to grow and has great use in the kitchen, Tasmannia lanceolata, an attractive large shrub that comes from SE Australia. Another equally attractive plant is the Avocado Tree (Persea americana) which is native to a small area in Central America between Central Mexico and Costa Rica.… Continue reading
Read MoreBest new plant survey with native shrubs and groundcovers
By Daniel Fuller
Buying in newly-bred plants is always a risk for nursery businesses. Retailers have to gamble on whether consumers will buy their stock, and wholesalers don’t know whether landscape architects are going to specify them.
Ozbreed surveyed both landscape architects and consumers.… Continue reading
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Showcasing New Zealand indigenous plants in creative ways
By Barbara Wheeler
Often seen growing as scrappy carpark plants, badly pruned to keep within the bounds of narrow strips of garden beds and frequently planted in the wrong place, the wonderful indigenous flora of New Zealand has had a history of being overlooked and much maligned in its own country.… Continue reading
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Edimental Tasmannia?
By Clive Larkman
Plants in the garden fill so many parts of our lives. The ‘Edimentals’ are the best, as they are both attractive, useful in the kitchen and some have medicinal value as well. You can tick another box if they are Australian natives.… Continue reading
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When there is little space or too many underground pipes, pots can be used (Image: Patrick Regnault)
Shrinking backyards – are trees a viable option?
By Patrick Regnault
For those of us who have chosen the rural life, finding the right location and types of trees to plant is our dilemma. For people living in urban and suburban areas it is much more difficult, and sometimes planting a tree is not advised.… Continue reading
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Colour, floral form and size are common breeding traits focused on by cyclamen breeders (Image: John Fitzsimmons)
Why innovation takes time
By John Fitzsimmons
Next time you see, seek or get offered a new greenlife development, spare a thought for the time, expertise and effort that went into delivering that innovation. It could have been up to a decade or more!
At this point in time many people in our world anticipate rapid, even instant, responses to needs and wants.… Continue reading
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Buffer plants: Wet and dry feet superstars
By Daniel Fuller
The old saying, ‘right plant, right place’ will always be the fundamental rule for horticulture and landscaping. But some plants are ‘right’ for more places than others. At Ozbreed, we’ve bred a range of buffer plants that can handle both the driest and the wettest of soils.… Continue reading
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Is my plant edible, ornamental or maybe edimental?
By Clive Larkman
Over the decades garden plants have become an important part of modern life. A house without a garden just doesn’t seem finished. The balance between edible and ornamental plants has shifted. For many years, the major range of garden plants were what we could eat or at least use in the house.… Continue reading
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