Monday, May 6, 2024
Business File

Are you in a rut running your business?

By John Corban

For several months you may have felt that everything at work is tough, whether its winning work, trying to find a new employee, managing team members or managing cash-flow, your energy is flat and you feel you and your business is in a rut.… Continue reading

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Shapes and colours in mass planting cannot be overlooked (Image: Patrick Regnault)
Plants

Let your creativity flow when exploring mass planting

By Patrick Regnault

Mass planting has been used to great effect over a long period of time, sometimes with flair. There are inconveniences with mass planting such as lack of diversity and monotony. Both can be overcome if we use layers and let our creativity flow.Continue reading

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Capers (Image: fedelacarrera1 Pixabay)
Plant Nutrition

Capparis – what am I eating?

By Clive Larkman

If you look up the word ‘Caper’ you will get a reference to a silly activity or dance-like movement, neither of which really points towards the tart little garnish we eat with cheese, pasta and whatever else we can imagine.… Continue reading

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Omeo Storks-bill seeds photographed in the National Seed Bank (Image: John Fitz Gerald)
Botanic Gardens

The Rare Bloom Project – building horticultural knowledge for conservation

By Zoe Knapp and Amelia Stevens

The Rare Bloom Project™ is a three-year program delivered through a partnership between Botanica by Air Wick and the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia (WWF) in collaboration with the Australian Seed Bank Partnership (ASBP). It aims to improve conservation outcomes for 120 Australian native wildflowers from fire-affected areas through seed banking, germination research and restoration.Continue reading

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The University of Adelaide's Waite Arboretum provides an invaluable resource to better understand which trees can survive in Adelaide's changing climate as the trees planted there are not watered after establishment (Image: The University of Adelaide)
Landscape

Future trees and climate change – how not to lose our cool

By Gabrielle Stannus

With a PhD in the impacts of climate on vegetation and trees and a Diploma of Arboriculture, University of Adelaide Adjunct Lecturer, Dr Stefan Caddy-Retalic is well placed to speak on the impact of climate change on our urban trees.Continue reading

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Station Creel Tree Farm display
Industry Event

Industry comes together at Queensland’s Green Expo

By Karen Smith

The Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ) Green Expo was recently held at the Gold Coast Turf Club, showcasing greenlife displays which included everything from potted colour to advanced trees and everything in between.

All under the one roof, visitors have the opportunity to speak direct with suppliers, growers and allied traders.… Continue reading

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General guidelines for successful tree planting: (a) 75mm watering basin around the trunk, (b) 75mm of mulch, clear of the trunk and beyond the edge of the hole overlapping the undisturbed soil, (c) backfill with site soil (based on Craul 1992, drawn by K. Smith, Metropolitan Trees Handbook, 2003
Advanced TRees

Giving trees their best start: It’s worth it

By John Fitzsimmons

The benefits of trees in our landscapes and streetscapes are many, widely published, and should be widely recognised and accepted. Monetary valuations of mature urban trees (2022 estimated values) can range up to $220,000 each, and annual maintenance costs, depending on management programs, can be $150/year or more for decades of benefit.Continue reading

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Plastic pot collection bin
Recycling

Advancing horticulture through closed-loop recycling and product innovation

The Plastic Smart Program, a joint venture between Garden City Plastics (GCP), Norwood Industries, and Polymer Processors, is driving innovation, sustainability, and growth in the Australian horticulture sector. This collaborative effort aims to establish an innovative infrastructure that enables the industry and its communities to consume and reuse plastic in a sustainable way.… Continue reading

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Bio-retention swale testing, Area 2, after three years
Research

Decade-long research identifies suitable plants for wet conditions

By Todd Layt

Evaluation of survivability of different landscape plants in various wet feet conditions.

Waterlogging has become a significant horticultural topic, particularly as our industry observed Australia enduring three years of exceptional wet conditions, including record floods. In a recent decade-long Australian study, researchers examined the impact of urbanisation and altered land use on ecosystems, particularly related to weather extremes, plant waterlogging, and increased flooding.… Continue reading

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Something to suit everyone
Retail

Like a good wine, Altra Nursery gets better with age

By Karen Smith

This immaculate boutique nursery in Sydney’s South has managed to stay afloat when other nursery businesses in the area have disappeared through the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the rising number of big box stores, the last El Nino, and the COVID19 Pandemic.Continue reading

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Careers

Ten pathways in amenity horticulture – Part 1

By Daniel Fuller

Amenity horticulture is more than just mowing, pruning plants, and spraying weeds. You can move from one sector of this industry to another to keep things fresh. Let’s look into ten pathways you can take in amenity horticulture, from production to maintenance and beyond.Continue reading

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Greener Spaces Better Places Update

What’s Growing on?

WE HAVE BIG PLANS FOR THE NEW FINANCIAL YEAR

Welcome to this month’s Greener Spaces Better Places program update. Read on to find out the latest news and highlights to keep you up to date on what’s happening and how you can benefit.… Continue reading

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On-site discussion ensures a succesful and appealing outcome (Image: Michael Casey)
Green Infrastucture

What’s roadblocking urban greening projects?

By Michael Casey

Green infrastructure projects can be incredibly beneficial for the environment and communities, but they can also come with challenges when trying to plan and be granted approval to build these into our built environments. Our councils are on board, communities love the introduction of nature spaces and our planners and designers understand more about the added benefits of introducing green infrastructure into their designs.Continue reading

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The world’s largest plant is a sea grass Posidonia australis (Image: Rachel Austin, University of Western Australia)
International Plant Propagation Society

Plants that have rewritten the record books

By Daniel Austin

The kingdom of plants is a big one, each member is a standout and potential record holder if you dig deep enough. Even something as seemingly obvious as the world’s largest plant hasn’t been as straightforward as it might have seemed.Continue reading

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Playspaces that are well planted with trees offer nature play in mini forests (images supplied by Remarkable Trees)
Trees

Ideas for improving tree outcomes in new development areas

By Jason Summers

Creating treescapes can be impactful and improve the look and feel of a destination. To achieve high quality outcomes, it takes a lot of planning and appropriate species selection that is relevant to the location and local environmental conditions.Continue reading

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Male red and blue beetle (images supplied by Denis Crawford)
Pest and Diseases

Overlooked predatory insects

By Denis Crawford

We are all familiar with predators such as ladybird beetles and lacewings, but some of the less familiar predators are just as important.

Ladybird beetles are certainly the most well-known predators and common species are instantly recognisable with their bright colours and dark spots.… Continue reading

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Capricorn catchments group discussing planting techniques
Botanic Gardens

Bringing Nature Back: Yeppen Lagoon – Riparian Restoration Projects, Rockhampton Botanic Garden

By Stuart Elder

Yeppen Yeppen (now known as the Yeppen Lagoon) is located at the gateway to Rockhampton City, Central Queensland on Darumbal Country. Situated on the Fitzroy River floodplain, the Lagoon links directly to the Great Barrier Reef catchment. Recognised as Rockhampton’s first town water supply in 1861, the Lagoon continues to play a key role in our community today, providing a picturesque backdrop for a popular walking, running, cycling, fishing and birdwatching area.Continue reading

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A well-protected paperbark tree (Image: Janet Hodgkiss)
Trees

Garden trees – the choices we make

By Patrick Regnault

There is a big emphasis on planting trees in gardens, parks and streets to help cool down our towns and cities, and to reduce the need for air conditioning. Whilst trees bring great benefits, we also need to be smart and mostly practical about which trees to use, where to plant them and how to look after them.Continue reading

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