The Summer Soiree kicks off the Australian Horticultural Trials Week (Image: Ludovic Vilbert, Inwardout Studio)
By Gabrielle Stannus
The 2025 Australian Horticultural Trials Week kicked off on Monday 1 December with a Summer Soiree held at KCC Park in Skye. The Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV) announced the winners of its 2026 Plant of the Year awards during the evening, with Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery taking out the top gong for Corymbia ficifolia ‘Precious Pearl’.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Stanley, Sid Raisch and Dries Jansen
This series of articles aims to look at the future opportunities, changes and challenges that independent garden centres around the globe face in the next few years. Before we look into our crystal ball, we should first look back.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Chris Williams
In this article I outline reasons for integrating community-based food production into municipal-level open space strategies. I argue that food production in public landscapes should be a fundamental part of a multi-functional urban green space system. Within this framework, thinking of crops and food plants as potentially edimental (both edible and ornamental) offers a powerful way to achieve the following: high-quality aesthetic objectives for general open space users; increased cultural relevance (through so-called culturally appropriate foods); and production of food for use by volunteer growers or for donation to food relief organisations.… Continue reading
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Focal tree, Canistel (Pouteria campechiana) accompanied by an understorey of turmeric, Salvia sp., Hemerocallis sp. and Taro ‘Black Magic’ (Images supplied by Pauline Haydock)
By Pauline Haydock
Australians have been avid gardeners for many decades. We have come a long way from the post war aesthetic of a front yard with a bed of roses, a cypress hedge and a competitively tended lawn. Things are changing.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Tania Harman and Daniel Knox
The Australian Government’s R&D Tax Incentive offers horticulture businesses a valuable opportunity to fund innovation and reduce costs. This practical guide explains how to prepare a successful claim, avoid common pitfalls and maximise benefits.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Daniel Fuller
Australia is home to many plant species that have fed people for thousands of years. Did you know that the following ornamental species are edible?
Dianella caerulea berries are almost like little blueberries with pleasantly crunchy seeds.… Continue reading
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Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus (globe artichoke) (Image: Björn S via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)
By Patrick Regnault
During COVID-19, the popularity of growing one’s own food increased dramatically. However, food production to the level of self-sufficiency requires more land and effort than most people are willing to do or capable of making. That said, we can add trees, shrubs and climbers, or even aquatic plants to our plant palettes that will look good and produce food.… Continue reading
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Joshua (left) and Mitchell (right) at The Landscape Association’s annual awards ceremony where their team also took out the Landscaper of the Year ‘Residential Construction’ category for their ‘Mosman Hideaway’ project (Image: Supplied by Mitchell Kushturian)
By Gabrielle Stannus
Sydney-based landscape designer Mitchell Kushturian was named Emerging Designer of the Year at last year’s Landscape Design Institute’s annual awards. I spoke with Mitchell recently about family, plants, landscaping and his award-winning design, ‘Grounds of Glossodia’.
Mitchell’s passion for design is contagious and started when he was young, thanks in great part to his family.… Continue reading
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Dwarf fruit trees, including apples, have been highly popular home edibles in small spaces (Image: John Fitzsimmons)
By John Fitzsimmons
For the last couple of decades, the edibles category in garden centres has been one of this sector’s most consistent stars. However, this category remains dynamic as plant breeders refine and expand their catalogues, and retail buyers expand their skills and expectations.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Natalie MacGregor
Increasing global production of citrus offers opportunities for Australia’s little-known six native species, according to a University of Queensland researcher.
PhD candidate Joel Johnson at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation is investigating the chemical composition and nutritional potential of indigenous citrus species.… Continue reading
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