Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Landscape

Closer focus on the macro view Part II

By 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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Botanic Gardens

Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens showcases the life of ferns

By 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

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Careers & EducationEducation

Education is key to staying on top of the horticulture game

By 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

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Business File

How to build trust with a prospect faster and win the job

By 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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Nursery Papers

Nursery Papers: Greenlife Market Analysis Report

The greenlife industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, employing thousands of Australians and contributing
to healthy people, homes, urban spaces, and the natural environment.

To support strategic decision-making for the industry, the Greenlife Market Analysis Report was developed by ACIL Allen as part of the Nursery Industry Statistics Project 2019-20 (NY17008).… Continue reading

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Landscape

New beginnings for the former Pentridge Prison with new public Piazza

The former Pentridge Prison in the northern Melbourne suburb of Coburg has undertaken a transformation, turning a decommissioned landmark of controversial history into a new residential and retail precinct.

“ASPECT Studios is dedicated to transforming brownfield sites in our inner cities into thriving new communities, that also protect and value their past lives and the deep histories of places and people,” said Kirsten Bauer, Landscape Architect and Director of ASPECT Studios.… Continue reading

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Interior PlantscapingLandscape

Interior plantscaping job opportunities and educators – it’s a two-way street

By Gabrielle Stannus –

In 2020, Skills Impact facilitated a review of the AHC Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management Training Package offered through the vocational education and training (VET) sector. As a result, the updated ‘AHCNSY208 – Maintain indoor plants’ unit of competency superseded its predecessor on 23 December 2020.Continue reading

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Environment & SustainabilityPest and Diseases

The butterfly effect:

By Denis Crawford –

Recent media reports demonstrate how seemingly minor changes can have profound unforeseen effects down the track. A bit like the butterfly effect in chaos theory.

I don’t pretend to be an expert on chaos theory in general, or the butterfly effect in particular, but the way I understand it, the idea centres on how “small, nearly imperceptible changes can have massive implications in complex systems”.… Continue reading

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