Monday, April 29, 2024
Display of the Nambour Orchid Society (Image: Patrick Regnault)
Fertiliser

All in the soil

By Patrick Regnault

The Queensland Garden Expo took place recently in Nambour. Once again it attracted a very good crowd of seasoned and new gardeners, all intending to obtain quality plants from growers, and reliable information from speakers as well as the Horticultural Media Association Australia (HMAA) Garden Clinic.Continue reading

Read More
Inside the Bonsai House Gallery
Botanic Gardens

New Bonsai House for Brisbane Botanic Gardens

By Dale Arvidsson and Perry Naumann

All images supplied by Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha

Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mt Coot-tha is Queensland’s premier subtropical botanic gardens and features a variety of spectacular living collections. Many of these themed displays feature categories ranging from geographic to climatic, and conservation to amenity horticulture, which are both educational and inspirational for the Garden’s million-plus visitors annually.Continue reading

Read More
Editors editorial

A greener future

Battery powered tools have been used on building sites for a number of years and the range of options increases continually. Several manufacturers have embraced this market with a range that suits the home handyperson and professional alike. Increasingly, a range of maintenance tools for professional landscapers are finding their way to the market.… Continue reading

Read More
Brice Higgs presenting the Rod Tallis Award to Elliot Akintola, pictured with his wife Joana
International Plant Propagation Society

Propagation – essential to life

By Karen Smith

The 51st conference of the International Plant Propagators Society (IPPS) held recently at the Novotel, Geelong in Victoria was awash with the enthusiasm of up-and-coming horticulturists ready to take advantage of the seek and share attitude that is the society’s main purpose.Continue reading

Read More
Plants grown in tissue culture can be induced to produce roots or shoots using auxins and cytokinins
International Plant Propagation Society

Phytohormones – an important list that keeps getting longer

By Dan Austin

When talking about plant hormones there are five big players that get exposure, but over the years, it has been discovered that there are many more and the roles they play within plants are nothing short of extraordinary.Continue reading

Read More
Brenden Moore addressing the Bush Foods Conference (Image: Michael Casey)
Industry Event

The role Australian bushfoods play in our urban environments

By Michael Casey

This year’s Australian Bushfoods Conference, held in the City of Logan, Queensland, showcased the diverse range of professionals working in the Bushfoods sector. Titled ‘Design and Development of Urban Landscapes for Bush Foods’ the conference was a showcase of best practices around Australia in bush food culinary use, cultivation, and production, along with designing of green spaces using bushfoods and native plants.Continue reading

Read More
Newsbuds

Biochar – not just fertiliser

The steel industry is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions. Turning iron ore into steel is an energy intensive process relying heavily on coal. BlueScope Steel in Wollongong received funding in 2022 from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to investigate biochar as a partial substitute for coal in the blast furnace refining process.… Continue reading

Read More
Newsbuds

Green Group acquires Oasis Horticulture

Oasis Horticulture has been acquired by The Green Group, which is a group of Wholesale Nursery businesses that have been operating for over 40 years supplying greenlife in our industry. The Green Group businesses are owned by the Green family and include Andreasens Green Wholesale Nurseries,

Alpine Wholesale Nurseries, Thrive Plant Wholesalers, and Ellison Horticulture.… Continue reading

Read More
The UTS laboratory testing chamber (Image: Ambius)
Newsbuds

World-first research proves plants remove cancer-causing toxins from air

A world-first study conducted by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has uncovered a never before proven set of capabilities for plants; their ability and efficacy in removing toxic petrol fumes from indoor air.

The study was led by bioremediation researcher UTS Associate Professor Fraser Torpy, in partnership with leading plantscaping solutions company, Ambius.… Continue reading

Read More
Robots are increasingly saving labour performing even menial tasks in nurseries
Greenhouses and Technology

Productivity elements for successful growth

By John Fitzsimmons

Just what are the most common tools and structures used by successful greenlife growers? A visit to  Boomaroo Nurseries outside Geelong in Victoria during the recent IPPS conference generated much interest and provided a useful site as a basis for discussion of such ideas.Continue reading

Read More
The Wildflower crew went ‘back to school’ for this installation in Glebe
Landscape

Wildflower: Gardening for good

By Gabrielle Stannus

If you have ever doubted that landscaping could be a vehicle for social change, think again. Working on Gadigal land, Wildflower Gardens for Good are making it possible for their Aboriginal workforce to build financial freedom and personal empowerment through connection to country and community.Continue reading

Read More
Attendance at the Landscape Show was significantly up on last year’s event (Image: The Victorian Master Landscapers)
Industry Event

Innovation and sustainability at The Landscape Show

By John Fitzsimmons

2023 saw Landscaping Victoria Master Landscaper’s (LVML) Landscape Show move from Caulfield to Sandown Park. The event’s following continued to grow and moved with it. While many attendees use the show as an opportunity to touch base with existing suppliers, our focus this year was drawn to a number of new products introduced to the industry.Continue reading

Read More
Greener Spaces Better Places Update

What’s Growing On?

We Launched our NSW School of Thumb Series

Across three episodes hosted by TV personality Claire Hooper, we helped young Aussies to level up their gardening skills. Our green gurus included Tim Robson, a horticultural expert from Eden Gardens, Amanda Snelling, the Director of Rambling Gardens Design, and Mark Engall, a fourth-generation nurseryman.… Continue reading

Read More
This tiny weevil is helping pollinate these Thryptomene flowers (image supplied by Denis Crawford)
Pest and Diseases

Weevils are not all pests

By Denis Crawford

Think weevil, think pest? Think again. Weevils are incredibly diverse, and some species are plant pollinators.

With about 400,000 species worldwide, the insect order Coleoptera (beetles) accounts for about 25% of all animal species on earth. 20% of those beetles are weevils of the superfamily Curculionoidea.… Continue reading

Read More
Scissor lift in action maintaining a city green wall (Image: Fytogreen)
Green Infrastucture

Machinery and green infrastructure

By Michael Casey

Green Infrastructure installations are fast becoming an inclusion in our cities as we work towards finding solutions to mitigate the negative effects of climate change.

These installations, located around our cities, appear on rooftops, sides of buildings, within tight spaces, and in locations that makes the installation and maintenance of green spaces much more difficult than what we commonly install at ground level.… Continue reading

Read More
Angophora costata, Sydney Red Gum, was added to the lawn and sloped areas of the reserve to provide additional shade and protection (Image: The Landscape Association)
Landscape

Harbourside haven

By Lynne Testoni

A careful and considered planting schedule is the key to the continued maintenance of a high-profile public parkland.

There is a lot of pressure for any company tackling a high-profile public project, but Landscape Solutions (landscapesolutions.com.au) rose to the occasion with the maintenance of this award-winning parkland for Barangaroo Point Reserve.… Continue reading

Read More
Pineapple (Image: Security, Pixabay)
Plant Palette

Pineapple – A dinosaur of a fruit

By Clive Larkman

Our modern world is made up of fruits from all parts of the world that have undergone a range of breeding from nil to full-blown commercialised and targeted selection. Western nations have the widest range due to their wealth and the resultant ability to transport fruit around the world and/or develop the complex growing conditions many of these fruits need.… Continue reading

Read More
Landscape construction requires many skills (Image: Rich Earth Landscape Gardens)
Careers

Building your career in landscape construction

By Daniel Fuller

A career in landscape construction quite literally puts you smack bang in the centre of the industry. Designers and architects create the framework you’ll use, production and retail horticulturists provide the plants you’ll use, and maintenance professionals look after the landscape once you’ve long since left the site.Continue reading

Read More
The Water Treatment Plant holding and irrigation tanks (images supplied by Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne)
Botanic Gardens

Water security in the Australian Garden, Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne

By Trent Loane and Mitchell Burns

The Australian Garden is an inspiring and immersive display of Australian flora, landscapes, art, and architecture. The garden places a focus on sustainable horticultural practices and the conservation of south-east Australian flora. Set across 15ha, the Australian Garden follows a metaphorical journey of water from the arid inland landscapes of central Australia, along dry riverbeds and down mighty rivers, to the coastal fringes of the continent.Continue reading

Read More