By Patrick Regnault
Governments, NGOs (non-government organisations), media scientists, and politicians of all persuasions are thinking about climate change mitigation; good on them! Carbon offset using tree planting is like dressing a deep wound with a small plaster. It takes 10 to 20 years for a tree to become carbon neutral – are the offsets counted after that time?… Continue reading
Read MoreThe discovery of a new species of orchid in Japan underscores the necessity of persistent exploration and conservation efforts for undisturbed native ecosystems.
The orchid, named Spiranthes hachijoensis, was discovered in Tokyo. This discovery will undoubtedly spark interest in the flower which was originally thought to be S.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Michael Casey
Our cities are full of built structures with buildings of all shapes and sizes dominating our skylines, and they all have one thing in common – in most cases, they have an underutilised roof space.
Over the course of decades, roof spaces of all shapes and forms have been used to store HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) installations, and until recently, photovoltaic panels (PV).… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Dr Leonie J. Scriven
Water is a precious resource and vital to any successful horticultural venture. The Adelaide Botanic Garden had the vision and opportunity to diversify its potential water sources used to irrigate its living collection. Through the creation and development of a managed aquifer storage and recovery system, the botanic gardens can now use groundwater to irrigate the botanic gardens and has, in addition, created a wetland habitat used for teaching and horticultural training.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Fitzsimmons
After pandemic interruptions since 2020, Garden Inspirations Group’s GIG 2023 returned to its obviously popular face-to-face format recently with a big attendance of independent garden centre people and some newly recognised retail ‘champions’.
As it turned out, there were more than 165 acceptances for attendance at GIG 2023 – a record!… Continue reading
Read MoreBy John Corban
When I work with a new landscaping client, in the first two sessions, I analyse their profit and loss (P&L) and highlight their four main expenses (as a percentage of their sales), and compare these to what the targeted percentages should be.… Continue reading
Read MoreBy Gabrielle Stannus
Visiting Singapore recently, I took in a good few of its more manicured horticultural highlights, including the Singapore Botanic Gardens, and its showy counterpart Gardens by the Bay. However, seeking design inspiration of a different type, I trekked out to The Grandstand, a rather ‘unfussy mall’, to visit a landscape architecture studio seeking to rewild not only the gardens, but the hearts and minds of Singaporeans.… Continue reading
Read MoreWell established in its class after five years, The Landscape Show has become the must-attend event for all commercial and residential landscape contractors, maintenance specialists, horticulturists, landscape designers and architects, landscape service and product suppliers, as well as Council Parks & Gardens teams, students and educators.… Continue reading
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The system allows ingress of irrigation water to growing media and includes a clip system to prevent wind dislodgement and loss (Image: DeeWeed)
By John Fitzsimmons
Advances in tools and processes don’t always have to be as radical as reinventing the wheel. Sometimes just building a better mousetrap serves us well. In our production nurseries the plastic pot is ubiquitous, but some simple smart thinking, especially in the detail, is also delivering benefits.… Continue reading
Read MoreBACKGROUND:
In 2019, a levy-funded project, ‘Review of nursery industry career pathways’ (NY17002), led by RMCG Consulting outlined a strategy for the industry
that detailed a clear roadmap for skilled career pathway development in the nursery industry.
The document articulated the key challenge, which is supported by industry surveys, that like many other agricultural industries, the nursery industry faces major challenges around high staff turnover and an ability to attract and retain qualified and experienced people.… Continue reading
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