Hort Journal Australia

Indoor displays out of the winter weather were popular at the Landscape Show

Great timing for Landscaping Show

01/07/2021 John Fitzsimmons 1147 Views 0 Comments

Report by John Fitzsimmons –

Given the challenges of the last two years, organisations like Landscaping Victoria Master Landscapers (LVML) must have been sweating on ultimately delivering The Landscape Show 2021 at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne recently. As it happened though, all organisers, sponsors, exhibitors and attendees fortuitously found a window ahead of the (yet another) COVID-19 lockdown and some extreme winter weather events.… Continue reading

Main gates and walk at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 1877, lined with used Wardian cases

Botanic Gardens

Wardian Cases, an Adelaide and South Australian perspective

01/07/2021 admin 1235 Views 0 Comments

By John Sandham

In the British summer of 1829, while undertaking the collection of a moth pupa into a sealed glass vial, Dr Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791-1868) observed that fern spores and grass seed, captured within the closed environment, could germinate and grow without any outside assistance.… Continue reading

Advancement in technology means messy fuels and oils no longer have a place

Landscape

Gardening tools are becoming greener

01/07/2021 admin 983 Views 0 Comments

By Michael Casey –

‘They are quiet, clean and offer complete freedom in use’ states Stihl tools. Here they’re referring to their battery-operated power tool range. Makita and Husqvarna are also providing similar statements about their range of battery-operated power tools.… Continue reading

Business File

What are the four ‘R’s that make a successful business?

01/07/2021 admin 1054 Views 0 Comments

By John Corban –

We have come to the end of a busy financial year, so now is a good time to start planning your business for a successful new financial year. Start thinking about what worked well over the past 12 months and what could be improved.… Continue reading

Nursery Papers

Nursery Papers – Preparing for exotic pest incursions

01/07/2021 admin 1032 Views 0 Comments

In Australia, should Lycorma delicatula (spotted lanternfly) invade, it is expected to threaten nursery, fruit, landscape and hardwood industries.

Its ability to ‘hitchhike’ due to non-discriminatory egg laying behaviour means that imported containers and their contents including, vehicles, machinery, equipment, nursery stock, fresh produce, cut flowers, foliage, forest products and passenger luggage are risk pathways into Australia.… Continue reading

Wandering Lilac (Hardenbergia violacea) (Image: Suzette Hosken)

International Plant Propagation Society

Using plant selection as a tool for butterfly conservation

01/07/2021 admin 1083 Views 0 Comments

By Tyson Felix –

It’s certainly not a revelation that pollinator species are under increasing strain in recent years. It’s a topic that has been keeping people up late at night and while there is an impressive diversity of insects of value that frequent the garden, none seem to hold a place in our hearts as much as butterflies.… Continue reading

Seedlings are handled with care with TTA Vision Transplanters

Industry News

Automation is here

01/07/2021 admin 1139 Views 0 Comments

By Malcolm Calder –

Automation in nurseries across the country is being adopted. Malcolm Calder from Transplant Systems gives an insight into how savings and efficiencies can be achieved.

In today’s world of production nursery outcomes and requirements, adoption of automation is an absolute necessity.… Continue reading

Greener Spaces Better Places Update

WHAT’S GROWING ON?

01/07/2021 admin 1077 Views 0 Comments

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

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)

Interior Plantscaping

Spider lifts – knuckling down, or up, to the job

01/07/2021 admin 1127 Views 0 Comments

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

Inside a native fig with wasp larva on rim (Supplied by Denis Crawford of Graphic Science)

Environment & Sustainability Pest and Diseases

Are gall-inducing insects pests?

01/07/2021 admin 1292 Views 0 Comments

By 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