New fuchsia pest found in Britain
Evidence of the fuchsia gall mite (Aculops fuchsia), which has the potential to spread rapidly and affect gardens and greenhouses, has been found for the first time on mainland Britain. RHS entomologist Andrew Halstead says, “The fuchsia gall mite is very bad new for anyone who grows fuchsias. The damage the mite causes prevents further growth at the shoot tips and it destroys the flowers”. The Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate is assessing the extent of the outbreak to determine whether it is possible to eradicate the mite.

New image for Landscape Association
The Landscape Industries Association of NZ has adopted a new logo and brand name – ‘landscaping new zealand’. The official name will remain Landscape Industries Association of New Zealand Inc. The logo and the words ‘landscaping new zealand’ will become the new brand, with the acronym LIANZ becoming defunct.

Tesco takes over 21-store UK garden centre chain
UK supermarket giant Tesco, has taken over UK garden centre group Dobbies in a buy-out worth more than NZ $450 million. Tesco has been trading in plants and garden products for a few years from marquees in its supermarket parking areas and has been keen to snare a bigger share in the market. Dobbies with sales of NZ$187 million, is UK’s second largest garden centre chain – but that represents only about half a day’s sales at Tesco. Tesco says Dobbies, which has 11 outlets in Scotland and 10 in England, will keep on trading under its own name, continue to increase its number of stores and also add to its range of products selling everything from light bulbs to solar panels.

Palmers new Whakatane store caters for three climate zones
Just out of Whakatane on the Whakatane-Tauranga Road, Allan and Ann Clarke officially threw open the doors of their brand-new Palmers Gardenworld on the weekend of 22 September. The 4000sq m site has a generous 1600sq m of shop and crop cover and sealed car parking for 80 cars. It features a gift and décor department and its Le Jardin café with a French flavour will provide ambience. Including Ann and Allan, there’ll be four full time staff and up to 10 casuals. Allan’s expertise is in engineering and business and Ann has been a florist and managed her own gift shop.

Personality Profile
This month we meet Graeme Platt – outspoken, sometimes controversial, but never dull. Kerry Johnstone profiles the plantsman, nurseryman, pioneer, innovator, traveller, writer, speaker, and ecologist – who once described himself as ‘something of maverick’ within industry circles and possibly outside them too. Few, if any in the horticulture business in New Zealand, haven’t heard of Graeme Platt – he is certainly a nurseryman with a difference. See Comm Hort’s four-page article on Graeme in this month’s issue.

Melbourne Flower Show back on rails after State secures venue
Organisers of the annual Melbourne International Flower and Garden Sow were assured at the end of September that their Show will be allowed to continue to be held at the Carlton Gardens and in the Royal Exhibition Buildings into the foreseeable future. City of Melbourne councillors had voted in June to disallow all high impact use of the site after 2008. Now the Victorian Government has stepped in and announced that it will pass legislation to keep the Show in the park.

Regional finalists chosen for NZ Gardener of the Year
We congratulate two horticultural industry identities, Jo Dawkins and Fiona Eadie, who have been chosen with 13 others as regional finalists in the New Zealand Gardener magazine’s quest to find New Zealand’s Gardener of the Year. The aim of the search is to find and acknowledge gardeners who have contributed to the community through their passion for plants and gardening. Each finalist receives a $1000 prize package. The winner will be decided by public vote and win $10,000 prize package which includes a trip for two to the Ellerslie International Flower Show, $5000 to spend at Bunnings, $1000 worth of Kiwigold plants, $500 worth of Tui garden products and an assortment of other garden gadgets, books and tools. Voting can be done online at www.nzgardener.co.nz

International element to join IPPS conference next year
It is the turn of the NZ International Plant Propagators Society region to host an IPPS International Board meeting just prior to its own annual conference 22 to 25 May next year and planning is well advanced. A major highlight will be a 12-day pre-conference tour starting in the South Island and led by Grant Hayman and Mark Brown. People can also join this tour, with plenty of scenery and several nursery visits, at Wellington as it continues to travel up to Auckland. Malcolm Woolmore will lead a day trip just before the conference to the young volcanic cone of Rangitoto, and Jan Velvin will head a party to the Titirangi Matangi bird sanctuary. The IPPS conference will be held in the Langham Hotel.

Quieter but successful GLEE
More than 23,000 people visited the 1500 exhibitors at Glee 2007, Europe’s largest annual trade exhibition for the garden, pet and leisure industries held at the NEC in Birmingham on the 16-18 September. Although some felt it was quieter than usual, organisers pronounced themselves pleased with the event and the number of products and plants on display.

Native trees – do they add to or reduce carbon emissions?
Scientists are trying to determine whether native trees are adding to or reducing New Zealand’s carbon emissions. Two projects are under way at Ensis, in a joint venture between Crown Research Institute Scion in Rotorua, and Australia’s CSIRO. The research team is developing tools to predict native tree carbon emissions, “Our aim is to work out the amount of carbon that is being absorbed by living trees and the amount of carbon that is being released when trees die and decay”.

Weed-wise nursery award
Julia Colgan and Tom Lindesay of Kerikeri Plant Production received the title of New Zealand’s Most Weed-Wise Nursery in the inaugural Council of Australasian Weed Societies’ awards. The annual awards are being run in NZ and Australia to celebrate nurseries that sell only ‘environmentally-friendly’ plants that are unlikely to invade natural areas. “We were really pleased to win the award as we’ve always put significant resources into keeping the plants we produce as weed free as possible”, say Julia and Tom. More details on criteria and on how to enter for the award see www.nzpps.org.

Garden Design Conference Report
Top landscapers from the UK, Spain, USA, Australia and New Zealand enthralled 280 delegates who gathered in Auckland last month for the Garden Design Conference. Organised by Australians, Warwick and Sue Forge and their Auckland team of Lisa Powlesland and Jenny Taylor, all went smoothly from the pre-conference trip to several Waiheke Island gardens through the two days of addresses and the excellent dinner and social occasion on the Saturday night. Comm Hort has a full report of proceedings.

Trees And Climate Change
In an address to the Landscape and Garden Design Conference in Auckland last month, plant scientist Dr Gregory Moore of Burnley College, Melbourne, makes a plea for the public and designers to place more value on the importance of trees in the battle against climate change. One example he quotes: “In the event of increased Summer rainfall and flooding due to climate change, my Melbourne colleagues realised that our drains are not big enough to cope with the water. They thought the solution was to dig bigger drains but then they realised that the city can’t afford bigger drains. But then they made two further astonishing discoveries. When it rains, trees intercept and hold water in their foliage. Some 30-40 percent is held, not indefinitely, but it is held there. And the other big surprise? Engineers realised that when rain does fall from the foliage, it hits the tree’s root system which absorbs it. Amazing! The engineers were now able to account for 70 percent of the water so they didn’t actually need bigger drains as long as there are sufficient street trees and the water can get to them.”

Nominations flood in for Garden Centre of the Year
The NGIA in-box ran hot last month with on-line Yates Garden Centre of the Year nominations coming in from customers, and also plenty arriving by.

40 turn up for regional industry meeting in New Plymouth
Preceding a meeting in September, members of the NGIA Board gathered with invited guests from the Taranaki region at the Plymouth International Hotel. Around 40 people were in attendance and interestingly enough more non-NGIA members attended than members. It was a great opportunity for all to meet the Board members and other industry people from their region, said NGIA Pres Peter raser. The gathering was very well received by all who attended – indicating to the Board the need to repeat this event in other regions.

Retailing and Landscaping in California
Natalie and Jac Spyksma of Naja Garden Centre in Mangawhai spent two weeks in California recently combining visits to places of horticultural interest with a well-deserved Winter break. Natalie penned a five-page report on their trip for Commercial Horticulture. Of San Francisco: “Many of our (NZ) native plants were used in display beds, mixed in amongst annuals and perennials, and other plants from around the world. Things were kept immaculately. We rarely saw a blemish amongst them. Phormiums and cordylines were thick and lush and seemed untouched by disease and caterpillar attack. Private gardens were small as space is at a premium, but clipped and trimmed, shaped and manicured was the order of the day. Lots of flowers, Juniperus chinensis Kaizuka everywhere, always lovely in their manicured shapes, hebes trimmed and trained, even Coprosma repens beautifully shaped and clipped. Metrosideros had things done to them that would possibly have people here running to the authorities claiming, “abuse”, but it reinforced to us that you really are only restricted by your imagination.”

Spring Round-Up
It’s the time of year nursery people look forward to with great anticipation – and it’s here! So Comm Hort Editor Kerry Johnstone worked his fingers to the phone ringing around to find out how they’re coping. He asks nurseries and garden centres about what they’re doing and what they plan as Spring descends on the trade. Contributing comments are Leanne Ford of Big Trees on Lansdowne, Nelson; Alister Davis, Plantorama, Timaru; Joy Bristol, Bristol Plants and Seeds, Wanganui; Alan Haggo, Dawn Rothay, Auckland; Alan Baker, Baker Boys, Kerikeri; Sue Pawsey, Gardenways GC, Christchurch; Diane Watton, Paeroa Garden Centre, Paeroa; Janice Philburn, JJ’s GC, Hamilton; Michael Isherwood, Kings Plant Barn, Silverdale; Damian Luyten, Palmers, Whangarei; Nadine Barclay, Plain Garden Centre, Milton.

All About Seeds
Fiona Eadie continues her series on plant basics, “All those plants that believe an early start is in order have started to warm up to the start of Spring. The real smart plants though, are waiting for the right day-length (night-length to be technically accurate) before they will even consider bursting forth…”

Plants, Products and Services
New introductions of phalaenopsis, the world’s best-selling houseplants; Garden gloves are now all the fashion says Neville Dodds of glove importers, Takapuna Distributors; An electrically-powered utility vehicle from Pan Pacific Motion is billed as a useful machine for moving around nurseries, lifestyle blocks or parks and reserves. The Holdm Clip tying system for plants; New from Colorworx are three lavender hybrids – Lave, Winter Lace and Violet Lace.

Above is a synopsis of articles printed in one issue of Commercial Horticulture - Magazine of the Nursery Industry.

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