Hi, Welcome to this month’s Greener Spaces Better Places program update. Read on to find out the latest news and highlights to keep up to date on what’s happening and how you can benefit.
Where will all the trees be? Phase 2 Report out now.… Continue reading
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This spider lift can be manoeuvred over obstacles, such as this staircase, to enable plant technicians to access hard-to-reach plants (Images: Tropical Plant Rentals)
By Gabrielle Stannus
Some indoor plant technicians need much more than a dusting cloth, watering can and a pair of secateurs to complete their maintenance rounds. For Interior Plantscape Association member Mitchell Reid, Managing Director of Tropical Plant Rentals, constructing and maintaining green walls is a routine part of his job, requiring a variety of mechanised equipment including the aptly named spider lift.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Denis Crawford –
Galls are abnormal growths that can form on just about any part of a plant. Why do galls form and do they harm the plants they form on?
Galls form in response to a variety of organisms entering plant tissue in some way.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Clive Larkman –
I have written about a number of herbs over the years, some of which have a narrow range and only a few species. These include lavender and rosemary (now salvia) which come from the countries on the northern side of the Mediterranean.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Bruce Thompson –
Common Name: Blue Tongue, Native Lasiandra, Indian Rhododendron, Malabar Rhododendron, Singapore Rhododendron
Genus: Melastoma
Species: malabrathicum subsp. malabrathicum
Family: Melostomaceae
Origin: A pan-tropical species occurring in open forest and disturbed rainforest in north Queensland, down to Kempsey in New South Wales, the Kimberley region in Western Australia, the Northern Territory as well as Indomalaya and Japan.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Fitzsimmons –
Last issue painted the big landscape picture from the 2021 Australian Landscape Conference, leaving several rich understoreys of ideas to be conveyed in this report.
Several topics could be grouped under the subject of ‘plant selection’ and issues like using the words ‘management’ or ‘care’ in design submissions, instead of ‘maintenance’ with its connotations of a cost to be minimised rather than an investment in the ultimate health, value, benefit, utility, longevity and success of the gardens designed and implemented.… Continue reading
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Conceptualising horticulture in education as a subject, tool, context and benefit. (Image: Kate Neale)
By Michael Casey and Dr Kate Neale –
Horticulture has had a long history as a subject in education across all cohorts in one form or another. Watching seeds sprout and grow to seedlings has always been a popular activity within the early years of education.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Dale Arvidsson –
Long before today’s online world created an insatiable desire for exotic and unusual indoor plants, pteridomania, a Victorian craze between the 1840s and 1890s, saw the desire to collect ferns in Britain and its colonies. Glass houses, conservatories and ‘stumparies’, naturalistic displays of felled trees and exposed roots often shrouded by hardy ferns, allowed the wealthy insatiable collectors to display ferns collected from around the globe.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Dan Austin –
The old adage ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ has long been disproven and in reality, older dogs are quite adept at developing new skills. So, with the reputation of mature canines around the world restored, there is no excuse for the ageing horticulturist not to follow suit and ensure we stay at the top of our game.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Corban –
If you think back over the last few years, you may have ‘clicked’ with some prospects from the first conversation, and trust probably developed very quickly. So, let’s break down what happens at the beginning of the sales process when the interaction is great and trust builds quickly, so you can replicate this process with every prospect whenever you choose.… Continue reading
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