Sunday, August 24, 2025

Garden Design

Business File

Financial strategies to boost sales and profits

By John Corban

The beginning of the new financial year has begun, so now is the perfect time to analyse your Profit & Loss (P&L) from the year just finished. Then, create a forecast knowing what areas of quoting, projects, project management and maintenance, and retail you need to improve.Continue reading

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Environment & SustainabilityPest and Diseases

The benefits of having wings

By Denis Crawford

Insects are the only invertebrates that can fly, and flight has allowed insects to dominate most terrestrial ecosystems.

Insects first took to the air 350 to 400 million years ago, but like most evolutionary developments, it didn’t happen overnight.… Continue reading

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Landscape

Lessons learnt

By Lynne Testoni

In their Paddington Public School project, Outdoor Retreats Landscaping have vividly revitalised an educational space.

Outdoor Retreats Landscapes believes that great results come from working collaboratively, and their award-winning work for Paddington Public School in Sydney shows how well that approach has worked for them.… Continue reading

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International Plant Propagation Society

An insight into plant tissue culture

By Lisa Wightwick

Many members of our industry would have encountered ‘tissue culture’ or ‘TC’ at least once in the course of their careers. I’m usually met with fascination when I tell people I work in plant tissue culture, due, in part, to the mysterious and technical reputation the field seems to have garnered.Continue reading

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Careers & EducationHorticultural Careers

Nursery retail careers: Between the grower and the garden

By Daniel Fuller

The average gardener often thinks that the nursery they buy their plants from is the same nursery that grows them, but that is rarely the case. In fact, there’s a whole sector of the nursery industry that exists between those that grow plants and the end user, the gardeners, that we call the retail nurseries.Continue reading

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Plant PalettePlants

Naturalised plants

By Clive Larkman

My wife Di and I and a good friend were invited to a birthday celebration for two friends. One was turning 50 and the other 40! The catch was the party was happening on the island of Vulcano of the coast of Sicily.… Continue reading

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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

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Newsbuds

A new entry in the electric pro-tools market

By Patrick Regnault

(Intro) Tools and equipment are an investment that needs careful consideration. Regardless of their cost we need to ensure we do not spend on lesser quality tools. Reputable makers have their up and downs, standards can slip before rising again.Continue reading

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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

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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

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