Support for successful establishment of trees may be available under Victoria's Trees on Farms Program (Image supplied by John Fitzsimmons

Plants Trees

Victoria offers grants for farm trees

15/09/2025 John Fitzsimmons 157 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By John Fitzsimmons

The Victorian Government has announced the availability of grants to support the planting of trees on farms, promoting the potential benefits for farmers, the greenlife industry and the environment. This new grant program is broadly separated into two parts: one where the farmer or landowner implements the program, and a second where specialist planting and/or plantation management services are engaged by the farmer or landowner.

… Continue reading Read More

Business File Editorial

Is a toxic team member costing your business?

15/09/2025 John Corban 158 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By John Corban

In landscaping, where teamwork, reliability, and attitude matter every day on site, one toxic employee can drag down the entire team, annoy your clients, and cost you time and money through disrupted workflow, mistakes and substandard workmanship. Here I outline how to spot a toxic employee, what their behaviour does to your business, and how to deal with it properly.

… Continue reading Read More

The harvest from one yacon plant (Image: Farmcore via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Plants

Yacon takes root in Australia

15/09/2025 Clive Larkman 138 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Clive Larkman

The Columbian Exchange continues to make its impact felt on the world, with the arrival of the yacon on the Australian market. Will this edible tuber make its mark on our nation, or will it prove to be a culinary fad?

… Continue reading Read More

Editorial Editors editorial

Turning over a new leaf

11/08/2025 Gabrielle Stannus 432 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

It is an honour to be able to introduce myself to you as the new editor of Hort Journal Australia, and only its second in its 17-year history.

I never expected to be a writer, let alone an editor! I suspect that Karen Smith, our recently retired editor, has perhaps been gently coaxing me into this position for some time now.…

… Continue reading Read More

Solenopsis invicta (Image: April Nobile, CASENT0005804 from www.antweb.org)

Environment & Sustainability Pest Management

Preparing for climate-driven pests and diseases

11/08/2025 Patrick Regnault 364 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Patrick Regnault

Horticultural pests and diseases are constantly evolving, and increasingly so in the face of anthropogenic climate change. This global phenomenon is also changing the natural range of pests and diseases. What might this mean for Australia, and what can we do about it as an industry?

… Continue reading Read More

The Bruce building in Kensington, Melbourne offers a blend of interior and exterior plant life, providing multiple environmental benefits for people working there (Image: Evergreen Infrastructure)

Environment & Sustainability Green Space

The green advantage

11/08/2025 Michael Casey 359 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

How nature-inspired workplaces are keeping staff loyal

By Michael Casey

Green infrastructure is reshaping schools in Australia and around the world. But its impact need not stop at the school gate. Could similar approaches improve our workplaces, making them healthier, more inviting spaces?

… Continue reading Read More

SwarmFarm robot mowing and slashing (Image: SwarmFarm)

Greenhouses & Technology Robotics

Cutting costs with robotics and AI

11/08/2025 admin 436 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By John Fitzsimmons

Horticultural enterprises today have access to an increasingly broader and evolved range of equipment and technologies, which are still revealing themselves step by step. Much of the transformation in this space is occurring on-farm, with robots and artificial intelligence increasingly used to drive productivity.

… Continue reading Read More

Papaya crop in northern Queensland (Image: Lecker Farming)

Business File Editorial

How the R&D Tax Incentive fuels papaya innovation

11/08/2025 Tania Harman 367 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Tania Harman and Daniel Knox

For Lecker Farming, a specialist in papaya propagation on Northern Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands, the R&D Tax Incentive is assisting them to continue to drive genetic breakthroughs and set new industry standards.

Lecker Farming, under the stewardship of Gerard Kath, undertakes agricultural research and development activities.…

… Continue reading Read More

Advertorial Editorial

Most popular trees and large shrubs of 2024-25

11/08/2025 admin 339 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Daniel Fuller

Nursery businesses are always interested in what plants are popular in the market because this information can help them make informed choices for what to stock. According to Ozbreed’s data from the 2024-25 financial year, here are the Australian trees and large shrubs that showed the biggest demand through our nursery networks based on unit sales.

… Continue reading Read More

‘Between Moments’, designed and constructed by Ben Hutchinson Landscapes (Image: Ludovic Vilbert, Inwardout Studio)

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show Plants

A photographic tour of MIFGS

11/08/2025 Gabrielle Stannus 344 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Gabrielle Stannus

Continuing from the article I wrote in May, which covered the Gold medal winning ‘‘ǝ’skāp’ display garden at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show (MIFGS), I have put together some of my other plant highlights from that event just for you!

… Continue reading Read More