Species will undergo rigorous testing PHOTO: David Thompson.

As we move around our cities it’s evident that our urban landscapes are increasingly being filled with many of the same plant species.

While plant selection is often influenced by multiple factors, ‘bullet proof’ plants are often used because they have performed consistently in the past. But past performance is no indicator of future performance. Water availability, extreme temperatures and disease all pose threats of failure, especially when only one or two species are planted in an urban green space.

The five-year project Which Plant Where? (GC15002), a strategic partnership initiative under the Hort Frontiers Green Cities Fund, is investigating how well current landscaping species will cope under the more extreme climates that Australia’s cities will face. More

1. Four new plant life balance looks have been released – and they’re bloomin’ gorgeous

Plant Life Balance has released four new plant looks for Australians to try in their garden or courtyard, on their balcony and indoors. More than 30 new plants have been included in addition to helpful tips to create that perfect green space.

The newly launched looks mark the commencement of a three-month campaign that will target lifestyle, health and wellness and fashion publications to drive awareness of the new looks and the sales of green life.

Nurseries are encouraged to visit www.plantlifebalance.com.au to complete their Plant Life Balance accreditation; download the latest assets to promote in-store; and share the positive story with their networks via e-newsletters or social media.

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Growers are encouraged to save the date for two upcoming production nursery pest and disease management workshops scheduled the Northern Territory (NT) and South Australia (SA) this June.

The workshops are scheduled for the below dates and locations:

• Wednesday, 13 June, Berrimah farm, Darwin, NT
• Friday, 15 June, Urrbrae TAFE, Adelaide, SA.

These workshops are the first of a series of informative events to be held in each state and territory throughout 2018, as part of the project Building the resilience and on-farm biosecurity capacity of the Australian production nursery industry (NY15002), a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Nursery Fund.

Registrations for the NT and SA workshops will open shortly, but now is the time save the date for the event and share it with other interested networks. More

The Lendlease headquarters at Sydney’s Barangaroo South has 5000 plants in Australia’s first “breathing” wall.

The push is on for the health and social benefits of green infrastructure to be scientifically recognised in sustainability rating tools commonly used within the Australian infrastructure and building industry.

The project Integrating plant life into building and infrastructure rating tools (NY16007) seeks to inform the development of sustainability rating tools to formally recognise and ‘credit’ the benefits vegetation has in the built environment, and to promote the integration of more plants and green space into urban development projects.

A strategic investment under the Hort Innovation Nursery Fund, the project recognises that architects, urban designers and developers are key influences in either increasing or decreasing green infrastructure.

Sydney-based sustainability consultancy Edge Environment has spent the last 12 months collating scientific data on the benefits of green infrastructure to inform two sustainability rating tools used by key influencers the Infrastructure Sustainability Rating Tool (ISRT) and Green Star.

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Dutch elm disease

Month: April

Disease: Dutch elm disease – Ophiostoma spp.

Importance: Exotic – Australia has one of the best elm tree collections in the world because most other countries have had theirs devastated by Dutch elm disease (DED).

Symptoms: DED is a vascular wilt disease and symptoms vary depending on whether trees were infected through beetle feeding wounds or through root grafts. Where beetles are involved, trees show wilting, curling and yellowing of one or more branches at the top of the tree. If the disease progresses rapidly, infected trees may only survive for two to three years, or they may survive for years with the number of wilted branches increasing annually.

Transmission: There are many bark beetles which are potential vectors of DED spores, but only a few are regarded as significant vectors. It may be spread by root grafts between closely planted elm trees.

Host range: Most Ulmus spp. from Europe and North America are highly susceptible. Some Asian elms have a greater level of resistance. DED has been recorded on the genus Zelkova but it is highly resistant. More

More than 50 delegates from across the nursery supply chain had an opportunity to tour local production nurseries and landscape suppliers on the NGIA wholesale tour ahead of the national conference held in Hobart last month.

Tibballs Nursery, Granton Plants, Horticultural and Landscape Supplies and Westland Nurseries opened their doors to conference delegates providing a first-hand insight into their businesses and the broader operating environment in Tasmania.

The tours – both wholesale and retail – are an important prelude to the NGIA national conference held every two years and provide a valuable platform for local businesses to share knowledge, showcase innovative practices and discuss issues faced and solved.

On this year’s wholesale tour, delegates visited Tibballs Nursery, a third-generation family owned wholesale business established in 1946. The business primarily grows flower and vegetable seedlings, along with a diverse range of edible and ornamental plants.

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