Landscape

Gold standard

By Lynne Testoni

Maintenance of this award-winning garden has been a labour of love for the landscapers involved.

It takes a lot of work to maintain a beautiful garden full of mature plants and lush greenery, especially when there are tricky access issues involved.… Continue reading

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Plant PalettePlants

Performance breeding shaping the future of landscape plants

By Todd Layt

Main photo: Grey Box Westringia performs very differently than regular westringia in the wet (Image by Ozbreed Green Life)

In the verdant realm of landscape and ornamental plant breeding, a significant evolution is unfurling. Plants that were once cultivated purely for their aesthetic allure are now being bred with purposeful intent, optimising performance to meet specific needs.… Continue reading

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Careers

Seven more pathways in amenity horticulture

By Daniel Fuller

Do you feel stuck in your current job? Do you ever wonder if there is another path for you? Over the last two months we have looked at many career options in this beautiful industry, but as we know our industry is vast and there is always room to plant more dreams.Continue reading

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BiosecurityEnvironment & Sustainability

Biosecurity – a complex but worthwhile process

By Clive Larkman

Biosecurity refers to all levels of plant and animal imports. There is a federal department within the Department of Agriculture called Biosecurity Australia and they set the rules for all imports. This includes surprising issues like the importation of cars from countries where they are often parked on grassed areas before shipping.Continue reading

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Editors editorial

Education – an investment in your future

Now is probably a good time to review your business performance and assess whether adding an apprentice or trainee could benefit next year’s bottom line.

Motivated school leavers are looking at their career options now, and not just ‘schoolies week’, so finding the right employee is best done sooner rather than later.… Continue reading

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Green InfrastructureLandscape

Education and training the right mix for a greener built environment

By Michael Casey

The significance of training and development of staff cannot be understated for its importance in any industry, and for the success of businesses worldwide. The opportunities that training and development programs can bring to staff extend beyond just improving their skills, to also enhancing employee productivity and company culture.… Continue reading

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CareersCareers & Education

Negotiating the career ‘lattice’

By John Fitzsimmons

Whether your working life is just beginning or is somewhere further along, while the initial vision might be climbing the career ‘ladder’, the reality could well be negotiating the career ‘lattice.’ An individual’s journey to a rewarding and satisfying working life could be via either route.Continue reading

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Business File

Challenge accepted : Managing growth in multiple growing businesses

By Andrea Caldecourt

Managing the demands of a horticulture business is challenging enough but what happens when you have multiple rapidly-growing businesses to manage, all with very different needs?

Multi-award-winning Sunshine Coast business Cedar Hill Group is the parent company to seven separate entities, each operating in discrete horticultural fields, from tissue culture and tubestock production, to cut flower export and online retail.… Continue reading

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Landscape

A home entrance with a sense of flair and wonder

By Matthew Sears

When people think about their gardens, more often than not the first thing that comes to mind is the backyard and their main entertaining space as this is often the focal point of the home and outdoor space.Continue reading

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Newsbuds

A special night for motivated young Australians

By Karen Smith

The Global Footprints Scholarships awards night, held recently in Sydney, celebrated a group of fifteen talented young people as they chase their dreams and prepare to travel the world.

This program, previously known as (Big Brother Movement) BBM Awards, is all about aligning the goals of young tradespeople and the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development.… Continue reading

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