Tuesday, July 8, 2025
International Plant Propagation Society

The ongoing quest for stable and desirable cultivars

By Dan Austin

In a world where ongoing taxonomical changes are making it increasingly hard for the average horticulturist to keep up, we are also faced with an ever-increasing range of cultivars. The plant palette available in Australia in 2021 is enough to make your head spin but as a gardener, there is probably not a more appealing problem to be faced with.Continue reading

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Botanic Gardens

Preventing plant pandemics

By Dr Brett Summerell

Plants, like us, are constantly challenged by a rapidly evolving array of disease-causing organisms that are spread around the world with increasing speed and frequency. Newly arrived pathogens can have devastating impacts on naïve plant species and can even dictate what plants can be grown, where plants can be grown and even if visitors can be allowed into an area.Continue reading

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Environment & SustainabilityPest and Diseases

Pollination at night

By Denis Crawford

The value of night pollinating insects has long been overlooked, but recent studies show just how important nocturnal insects are for horticultural production.

Information about crop pollination is nearly always dominated by the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) and how vital that particular insect is to the food that we eat.… Continue reading

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Industry News

News Buds

By John Fitzsimmons

Biosecurity information portal

The Australian Government has launched a new national website that will help the public find answers to their biosecurity questions more easily. Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management, David Littleproud said the website would help everyone better understand their role in keeping Australia safe from pests and disease.… Continue reading

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Plant PalettePlants

Edible and ornamental

By Clive Larkman

Edible and ornamental plants are usually divided into different categories, however this has not always been the case. We use the term ‘Cottage Garden’ to refer to an ornamental flowering garden of herbaceous and shrubby perennials. In reality, it comes from the small gardens created in the front, behind and along the side of small inner-city cottages that were mostly lived in by working families. Continue reading

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Trees

Playing the ‘long game’ with advanced trees

Report compiled by John Fitzsimmons

Many industries now utilise fast-track design and manufacturing methods to more quickly deliver products that meet customer demands and expectations in a rapidly changing world. However, in the greenlife world, especially in the advanced tree sector, participants must, by definition, play a ‘long game’.Continue reading

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Trees

Selection of advanced trees requires forward-thinking

By Karen Smith

Selecting advanced trees for a landscape design requires forward-thinking for an outcome that is a win-win situation for both growers and landscape architects, but most importantly, the client or end user.

Like any design, whether it be landscape, building or fashion, designers aim for a design that is unique and by putting their own stamp on the project, sets them apart from others.… Continue reading

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