Groundswell | February 2022 by ngivictoria

Volume 33 Number 1 February 2022 PUBLISHER

CONTENTS 4 EXECUTIVE UPDATE 6 BOTANIX: THE KEYS TO SUCCESS

NURSERY & GARDEN INDUSTRY VICTORIA

10 2021 AUSTRALIAN HORTICULTURAL TRIALS WEEK RECAP

PRESIDENT Simon Gomme

15 NGIV POLICY PRIORITIES

CEO Craig Taberner

18 LABOUR: SEASONAL WORKFORCE INDUSTRY SUPPORT PROGRAM

CONTRIBUTORS Simon Gomme, Leigh Siebler, Craig Taberner, Matt Ross, Eily Schulz

20 VALUE OF VICTORIAN NURSERY AND GARDEN INDUSTRY

ADVERTISING NGIV T: (03) 9576 0599

22 RISING FREIGHT COSTS AND STOCK SHORTAGES AFFECTING ALLIED TRADE

ADDRESS Unit 3, 307 Wattletree Road,

24 REDUCE, REUSE, REUSE, REUSE

Malvern East VIC 3145.

26 VSGP: 2021 AWARDS CEREMONY

MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 2280, Wattletree Road LPO, Malvern East VIC 3145. TELEPHONE (03) 9576 0599 FAX (03) 9576 0431 EMAIL ngiv@ngiv.com.au www.ngiv.com.au

29 WEED MANAGEMENT IN PRODUCTION NURSERIES

Our front cover: Botanix Plant Supply growing high quality trees and shrubs

www.botanixplantsupply.com.au

31 WORKPLACE WELLNESS IN THE NURSERY INDUSTRY 32 NEW MEMBER PROFILE: VICTORIAN ALPS NURSERY

FINISHED ART Vale Graphics

34 TRELOAR ROSES CELEBRATE SUCCESS AT AWARDS NIGHT

M: 0409 88 77 06

36 TRADE DAY NEWS

E: angie@valegraphics.com.au

38 NEXTGEN: JOSH TAYLOR

PRINTING Norwood Industries 6 Wedgewood Road, Hallam VIC 3803.

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Executive update Welcome, everyone to our February Groundswell, and our first issue in 2022. We trust that you all enjoyed a very happy holiday season with loved ones.

Simon Gomme President, NGIV

Craig Taberner CEO, NGIV

Whilst many of us were hoping that we could leave behind the challenges of working and operating businesses amidst a pandemic, it is clearly still something that requires a safe and sensible approach. NGIV will continue to provide timely updates to support all our members to navigate the ever-changing restrictions and requirements. If you have any concerns or queries relating to operating your business in a COVID-Safe fashion, please do contact NGIV’s office for support. Congratulations to all exhibitors at the Australian Horticultural Trials Week 2021. It was another successful year, the relaxed yet professional environment created by exhibitors is ideal for visitors to enjoy and learn. There were some beautiful exhibits, stunning new plant lines,

and whilst the weather wasn't always as bright as the flowers, it didn't stop the visitors from enjoying the exhibits. Trials Week got off to a great start with guest of honour, The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP, Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development, cutting the ribbon at Ball Australia to officially open the event. Minister Thomas also officially opened December Trade Day at KCC Park. After speaking passionately about the essential nature of our industry, she joined NGIV CEO, Craig Taberner, and President, Simon Gomme, for a tour of the site, and took the opportunity to chat to stand holders and buyers alike. She left with a strong sense of the size and scale of Victoria’s horticulture industry, as well as the challenges we face. Advocating for Victoria’s horticulture industry and our members businesses to all levels of Government, is paramount to what we do. We have refreshed our Government Policy Priorities which will guide our advocacy and promotion of Victoria’s horticulture industry to Local and State Government into the future.

Gro owing quality plants is our o priority.

Est. 1985

E orders@grandviewmonbulk.com.au | PH: (03) 9756 612 1 E: W: www.grandviewmonbulk k.com.au CONTAC T US TODAY TO ACCESS OUR VIRTUAL SP EC TRUCK! SEE US AT TRADE DAY Y, STA AND F4

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

We’ve recently written to all 130 Members of Parliament, across Victoria, to meet in person and share our vision for Victoria’s horticultural industry and have already held successful meetings with 25. Government backing and support is key to the realisation of these priorities, which will be of enormous benefit to our entire industry. You can view our Policy Priorities on page 15. Our Seasonal Workforce Industry Support Program (SWISP) has been successfully delivered. The Program aimed to help to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on seasonal labour during the harvest period. Find out more about the success of the Program on page 18. Our Industry Statistical Report: Realisation of growth Opportunities, is also progressing. Thanks to all the businesses which took the time to complete the survey. Upon its completion we will have a clear understanding of the contribution our industry makes to the Victorian economy, the limitations and opportunities of our workforce, and recommendations for future industry growth. Both the SWISP and the Statistical Report have been funded by Agriculture Victoria. We’re working closer than ever with them, it’s a relationship we value enormously, and its hugely beneficial to our industry that we have those close ties with the political leaders in our space. Preparations for MIFGS are ramping up with the expectation that the 2022 will see the largest and most impressive flower and garden show in the southern hemisphere return. The Show means so much to so many, and we’re convinced the 2022 events will be embraced by visitors and industry alike. Make this the year you choose to get involved, find out how on page 21. Amidst the personal and professional challenges that so many of us continue to experience please do ensure you continue to value and nurture your, and your employees, mental health. The Small Business Wellbeing Project provides our members with free and confidential wellbeing, financial and business support. Our mental health clinician, Gerard Tan, will support our members to cope with the challenges that COVID poses to social and emotional wellbeing, as well as facilitating referrals to the small business financial counselling and business advice and mentoring services. Gerard has already provided support to a number of NGIV members, connect with him at Gerard.tan@each.com.au, or make a time to have a chat at calendly.com/gerardtan/30min. On behalf of the NGIV Board and team, we’d like to wish all our members a happy, healthy and prosperous 2022.

Simon Gomme

Craig Taberner

President, NGIV Powerplants Australia

CEO, NGIV

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

PROFILE: BOTANIX

Hard work and business acumen the keys to success for Carl Soderlund and Botanix By Matt Ross It’s always fascinating to sit down with a grower and understand the origins of their horticultural journey. For Carl Soderlund, Director of Botanix Plant Supply, there was an air of inevitability that his career path would lead him to growing. It was in the blood. His Swedish great-grandfather, a merchant seaman, who decided on a life in Australia as an orchardist. His grandfather followed him into the orchards. And his parents, Alan and Sylvia, were founding partners of Plantmark, a large national wholesale marketing company for the nursery industry. Growing up, nursery visits were commonplace, even family holidays were sometimes hijacked with horticultural goings on. And whilst he has no formal horticultural training, he’s always been immersed in the industry, and he’s learnt through osmosis. But whilst there’s a consistency to the family industry, Carl was adamant that he wanted to make his own mark in the nursery industry and not to inherit an established business from his parents. “Before my parents sold Plantmark in 2004, there was a brief conversation as to whether I would step into the business. I felt I didn’t have the relevant experience at that time, and still wanted to forge my own path”

Bottom row: Aftermath of the 2011 flood

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And so, in 2007, a 26-year-old Carl, established Botanix Plant Supply, a wholesale nursery in Carrum Downs growing trees and shrubs. Launching a horticultural business in the midst of the Global Financial Crisis and the millennium drought, would have put many off. “I backed in myself and worked damned hard. I said yes to every customer request which led to some long days. We still have customers from those early days because we’ve always been able to deliver for them. I had a sense that if I could establish Botanix under such adverse conditions, it would set us up well for long-term success.” He also acknowledges the role his wife, Mandy, played in those early days. “Mandy backed me and encouraged me to focus on the business, working full time to ease the financial burden of a new business. Our rapid growth would not have been possible without her support”.

Carl’s first day at work

Like many small businesses, family played a large part in the early days. “My parents were, and are, a great help, both as a sounding board for ideas, and pretty cheap labour when I needed some weeding done!” Botanix was finding its feet when in 2011, their 9-acre site at Carrum, suffered a massive flood and they lost $200,000 of stock and put them back 18 months in production and replacing stock. “The flood taught me an important lesson. From that moment I vowed not to invest energy into the things I can’t impact and to focus solely on the things I can.” The result is a calm, unflustered demeanour, that serves him, his business and team, well. And having recovered from the impacts of the flood, Botanix has grown year on year to what it is today; a 24 acre, two site, wholesale nursery, with a reputation for outstanding professionalism, competitive pricing, and quality tree and shrub stock. The knowledge gained through his Business Management degree proving to be an invaluable resource as Botanix rapidly scaled up. Carl is also quick to credit the team behind Botanix. He’s strived to create a workplace that retains its nine ongoing staff. “I love coming to work and a lot of that is about the team we’ve assembled. Our staff are well looked after, the work is varied, the nursery is largely automated to minimise risk of injury. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we have a lot of fun. We’re a tight knit team.” Casual workers are brought in during busy periods through NGIV Partner, Sidekicker, a service Carl has found to be cost effective, convenient and reliable. Another pivotal moment came in 2018, when Botanix engaged fellow NGIV Partner, Moshie Enterprise Coaching and Development, and underwent the Lean Leaders Program, an approach to business management that focuses on cutting out waste and inefficiency, whilst ensuring quality. It was quickly identified that Carl was spreading himself too thinly and his team were not being effectively utilised. From that point, he put his trust in the team, giving them clearly defined roles and came off the tools himself. The restructure u GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

PROFILE: BOTANIX

u freed

up time in Carl’s working week, time he could spend working on the business and not in it. These days their customer base is a mix of commercial landscaping, large-scale infrastructure projects, local government, wholesale nurseries and high-end residential. They actively encourage their customers to visit the nursery so both client and grower can understand one another’s processes and needs. It’s helped Botanix to develop an understanding of future market trends. Carl feels that Botanix are now at a point where the business is running efficiently, and the focus is on fine tuning the business, like an improved inventory system for increased visibility for customers. So, what’s next? Carl admits he gets bored easily and needs new projects. “I am sure 2022 will bring further opportunity to our business and industry, so watch this space!” And having reaped the rewards of the industry Carl is extremely conscious that he wants to put back in; whether it’s providing stock for MIFGS designers, attending horticultural careers fairs, or sitting on the NGIV Board. “The industry gives me my livelihood; I’d feel I was letting the industry down if I didn’t put back in. Sitting on the NGIV Board has actually been a fantastic learning tool and exposed me to situations and organisations I’d otherwise not be involved in.” His one vice is a well-earned annual fishing trip with his dad and friends in far north Queensland. No phone, no work, no hassles. And what advice would this grower, who has gone from 500 trees to over 60,000, give to others who are interested in starting their own nursery? “Have a crack, back yourself and be prepared to work hard.” And if you need any more evidence that Carl was destined to be a successful grower … “In year 8 the school ran a history trip to Europe. My parents were happy for me to go on one condition. I had to pay for it. I grew and sold 4000 English Box in 8-inch pots.” The seed was sown early, and it’s never stopped growing.

GREENING LET’S GET GREENING CITIES & A P R I L

New in 2022 is Greening Cities, a leading forum for urban greening professionals commi ed to reimagining our urban landscapes and making it happen; from current best practice to disruptive horticultural ideas. Greening Cities will ignite meaningful conversations to educate, inspire and support a endees to get greening.

WHERE: The University of Melbourne, Burnley Campus WHEN: Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st of April 2022

Delivered by

Contact NGIV’s Policy & Technical Manager, David Reid, for more information david@ngiv.com.au.

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EVENT: AHT2021

2021 AUSTRALIAN HORTICULTURAL

TRIALS WEEK 7 – 10 DECEMBER

PRESENTED BY

A look back at the 2021 Australian Horticultural Trials Week For four wonderful days in December, NGIV, Australia’s top breeders, growers and allied businesses, delivered the 2021 Australian Horticultural Trials Week presented by Powerplants. This year’s Horticultural Trials Week took place between 7 –10 December. “The general sentiment was that the 2021 Australian Horticultural Trials Week was a great week and visitor numbers were certainly u on last year. There were some beautiful exhibits, stunning new plant lines, and whilst the weather wasn’t always as bright as the flowers, it didn’t stop the visitors from enjoying the exhibits,” says Craig Taberner, CEO, Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV) The week started off as it traditionally does with a very busy NGIV Trade Day on Tuesday. Trials Week got off to a great start with guest of honour, The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP, Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development, cutting the ribbon at Ball Australia to officially open the event. The next generation of horticulturalists, studying at Swinburne, were treated to educational tours of exhibitor sites. And industry members enjoyed the opportunity to relax and socialise at the Wednesday Trials Week Celebration Dinner, sponsored by Garden City Plastics. Having adapted their offering for Trials Week 2020 to accommodate travel restrictions for interstate visitors, exhibitors were well prepared to deliver a range of digital experiences for interstate parties that did not wish to travel. Video tours and live presentations were deployed to ensure everyone could enjoy this year’s event.

Minister Thomas breaking ground with Carl Van Loon, Director of Powerplants, watching on

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Ball Australia Ball Australia knew that trials this year would require the same protocols and diligence as in 2020. Not wanting to let customers down, it was front of mind for the team who pull our Trials Week together, to make sure customers were exposed to a maximum collection of new varieties and choices that wouldn’t disappoint. ‘You Can’t Stop the Flowers’ was the theme being re-enforced and Ball was conscious that despite the last two years of restricted visitations, customers would see ‘Colour’ as the standout for this year’s Ball Grower Trials. Again, virtual on-line visitations gave interstate customers a front row seat of what was on display, focusing particularly on the ‘What’s New’ collection. Several new releases: Begonia ‘Megawatt – White Green Leaf’, Heucheras in six colours and Coleus ‘Spitfire’, all added great interest. Two strong performing petunias with outstanding colour appeal: Petunia ‘Circus Sky’; a vibrant-rich pink with white speckles giving the flowers a celestial appearance and Petunia ‘Bee’s Knees’; a refreshing, bold, look at me yellow, will delight home gardeners in spring 2022. The Coleus ‘Heartbreaker’ was used as a central display making up a Christmas tree and was a constant talking point, with customers impressed with seeing a product used in a different, creative way.

EVENT: AHT2021

To make information quickly accessible for customers, whether they were on site or online, Kate Grant, Ball Australia’s Marketing Manager said, ‘we wanted to promote a more sustainable and responsive way for customers to access and download key product information, so QR codes that linked to corresponding information flyers were displayed throughout the trials. Customers could access key information in a timelier manner’, she said. ‘Our new release; Calibrachoa ‘Starjump Hot Pink’ that was included in our ‘What’s New’ catalogue was a great hit and the QR codes allowed customers to know all they needed to know quickly.’ External garden bed layouts were changed up, planting some staple varieties in different locations to previous years, which allowed customers to see performance and how well the pants managed in a different position. “We had a great week”, said Tony Collins, Ball Australia’s National Sales and Marketing Manager. “Despite the usual all-weather conditions, we were very pleased with the quality of this year’s displays. The response from our customers was terrific, taking the time to step away from their businesses and experience all the colour and excitement of BGT21.”

Greenhill’s Propagation Nursery “We have had a very positive response from our customers on the new products showcased at PlantFest 2021.This year PlantFest was completely virtual. We had put so much effort into reducing our risk of COVID impacting our team and business that we thought opening up for visitors could undermine that hard work, and it was decided early to focus our efforts into a virtual presentation,” explained Leah Harrison, Director at Greenhill’s Propagation Nursery. “We spent the week hosting online meetings where we shared our presentation with our customers and their teams and had conversations about the product just like we would in person. It was really encouraging to see so many businesses include team members in the virtual presentation that would not normally visit on site. There is nothing better than seeing, touching and feeling the plants in person but this was a fantastic alternative while COVID was a concern and most states still having travel restrictions in place.”

A group of horticulture students from Swinburne enjoying AHT21.

REVEALED NGIV are delighted to announce that REVEALED will be continuing at the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show in 2022. Limited opportunities for members to exhibit new plants and products are available. For more information contact Lizzie Earl at NGIV on 9576 0599 or lizzie@ngiv.com.au.

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EVENT: AHT2021 u

“Having such a varied offering and a good mix of succulents, natives, exotics and perennials it’s hard to choose a standout plant as we had good interest across the board. But the Sempervivum SuperSemp ONYX which boasts large 20cm single rosettes in as little as 20 weeks, and the SuperSemp Onyx which creates a stunning geometric shape 5cm high x 20cm wide and boasts a stunning dark mahogany/black colour, were both big hits.” “And Chorizema Fire Sticks. A brilliant, compact selection that presents very nicely in a pot. Large sprays of bright orange and hot pink flowers from mid-winter through spring and into summer. Full sun to part shade. 1m x 1m.”

Haars Nursery Haars Nursery delighted guests with an outstanding showcase of their latest plant lines. Throughout the week they established many new connections, providing tours to retail, wholesaler and landscape customers, including some new faces not already in their direct network. For those interstate parties who were unable to travel, Haars created a suite of video presentations, live digital tours and product catalogues, to ensure nobody missed out on their exhibits. They also used Trials Week as an opportunity to educate and inspire their whole team, exposing them to new areas of plant genetics. Two genus which were particularly drew people’s attention, included the new Kalanchoe Bi-colours and both the Dahlia Maggiore and Piccolo collections.

JD Propagation and Super Starters “We always look forward to trials week at JD Propagation and Super Starters as it allows us to showcase our product lines and see new additions,” enthused Bobby Birch, Super Starters. “Online Zoom meetings were in full swing and a great way to present our products to those that unfortunately could not attend. We also found we were able to spend quality time with those that did visit our Nursery for a guided tour. It is always good to catch-up with the usual crew, but this year we noticed many new faces seeing what we had to offer.” “This years ‘Kaleidoscope of colour’ was exactly that! We had more on show and more colour than ever before. To see our new WOW plants grown out was fantastic with Rudbeckia’s, Echinacea’s and the curious Trifolium ‘Luck Red Stripes’ attracting plenty of interest. The new Dahlia Sincerity Rose Bicolour got plenty of positive feedback. But the showstopper was our Lavender Pink Queen sitting high on her thrown in full bloom.” “Overall Trials Week is a very important event for the horticultural industry and one that we are honoured to be a part of.” Matt and Symone Mansfield giving Minister Thomas a tour of Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery

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Majestic Young Plants “Our Trials Week 2021 was held online due to the uncertainty of restrictions. We used this opportunity to present our newly introduced and upcoming products virtually via the Majestic and Australian Horticultural Trials Week websites. We had showcased some of the high value, rare varieties that we have been recently bringing into production. We also presented a ‘Selections’ range for Succulents, Caladiums and Ozbreed products. Our standouts were the Succulent Selections and the Alocasia Azlanii,” explained Halil Sahingoz, Tissue Culture Coordinator at Majestic Young Plants “As we continually expand our business, part of our focus is to build trusted relationships with new suppliers and breeders, while strengthening existing ones. We will strive to keep introducing unique high-value and common varieties to our product range, allowing both our Australian and international customers to stay ahead of the trend.”

Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery “This year our numbers were up on 2020 and it was nice to see some new faces visit our exhibit,” says Julie Graham, Sales Account Manager & Marketing Coordinator at Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery. “We tried to create a much more open exhibit this year that allowed visitors to slowly enjoy the different displays throughout our gardens.” “We had displays featuring plants from Austraflora, Ozbreed, INSTYLE Succulents, Rootstock Services, Aloe-Aloe and for the first time we invited visitors to view a Tissue Culture Australia exhibit of plants produced from our tissue culture lab. One of the standout plant lines with our visitors were the Mandevilla All Seasons Pink (PBR int.) and Mandevilla All Seasons Red (PBR int.).” “It was lovely to open our doors to a group of horticulture students from Swinburne and gardening groups, it’s such a great learning experience for them and we take a lot of pride in sharing what we do with them.” “Overall, we were delighted with AHT21 and we’re looking forward to an even bigger and better exhibit this year.”

Powerplants (Presenting Partner) “Powerplants has a strong affinity with Trials Week as an event that centres around progress and innovation within the Horticultural Industry. We were proud to see a strong number of Powerplants customers represented in the Plant Exhibitors for the event, which included Ball Australia, Haars Nursery, JD Propagation, Majestic Young Plants, Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery and Touch of Class Plants,” said Simon Gomme, Director of Power Plants. “As always, AHT was a highlight in the horticultural calendar and a wonderful opportunity to network with old and new friends from across the country. Bring on Hort Trials 2022!”

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EVENT: AHT2021 u

Looking ahead to 2022 “Exhibitors are really embracing digital content and appointments as a means of allowing all visitors to experience Trials Week,” says Craig from NGIV, “If Covid has taught us anything it’s the need to adapt our offerings and I have no doubt that increased digital scope has benefitted Trials Week, making it accessible to even more, and will continue to play a significant role in future Trials Weeks.” “I was also thrilled to hear how many exhibitors are increasingly using Trials Week as a means to develop team knowledge and culture. I see that as something which is becoming part of the Trials experience. There’s a lot of work that goes into creating these stunning displays and it’s a real team effort and a lot of pride in the end results.” “I’m hoping that this year Trials Week takes place in an environment which isn’t impacted by Covid, with all exhibitors having the confidence to open their doors and commit to some stunning displays. I’d like to thank all exhibitors and visitors to AHT 2021 for another fantastic Trials Week.”

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GOVERNANACE: POLICY PRIORITIES

Victorian Horticulture:

for healthy communities, the economy and the environment

Advocating for Victoria’s horticulture industry and our members businesses is paramount to what we do.

• Develop and deliver a state marketing campaign to promote the benefits of a greener Victoria through:

The advocacy work that NGIV has undertaken in previous years has stood the industry in good stead. A strong focus on engaging Government and exposing them to the essential nature of our industry meant that those relationships were already in place when we really needed them throughout the pandemic.

o Having a focus on private land to encourage communities

We have refreshed our Government Policy Priorities which will guide our advocacy and promotion of Victoria’s horticulture industry to Local and State Government into the future.

contribute to the COVID-19 Reactivation and Recovery Plan.

1. Increase awareness and commit to improving Victoria’s Green Infrastructure (GI) NGIV supports Victoria’s target of achieving net- zero emissions by 2050 and improved future climate resilience, with initiatives that support communities and businesses to take positive action. Fostering a greater sense of awareness, appreciation, and commitment, to deliver improvements to our state’s ecological systems (Green Infrastructure), both natural and engineered, is vital. Taking the following steps will help us to achieve those goals: • Partner with Local Government Authorities (LGA’s) to define the key metrics, to monitor, measure, and grow, canopy and vegetation data • Encourage and support LGA’s to increase GI in their municipality based on canopy and vegetation data, through increased spending and/or policy change • Increase GI across identified Victorian Government owned assets. A perfect example would be supporting the Victorian Schools Building Authority to develop climate and curriculum ready outdoor natural infrastructure, through alignment of the Building Quality Standards Handbook, associated materials, and application of current best practice.

o Establishing an overarching community engagement

program to place an intrinsic value on GI o Supporting Victoria’s horticulture industry to promote the

benefits and value of GI to their communities o Delivering this campaign could create more jobs and

We recommend that the State of Victoria supports and adopts the above.

2. Horticultural Industry Resilience Our local and global climate is changing, and will continue to change, in ways that will adversely impact resilience of Victoria’s horticultural industry. To combat this, we recommend that the government establishes a fund to support horticultural businesses to adapt to the challenges of a rising climate. The fund would enable them to become more resilient and competitive in the marketplace, whilst protecting businesses and jobs. The fund would be dispersed through targeted grants, and allow Victorian horticultural businesses, to undertake resilience and disaster planning and process. This would include: • Providing resources to assist with disaster assessment and planning • Supporting the future proofing of utilities through energy management plans, instructional communications, and water security. • The acquisition of an adequate and suitable power supply, including renewable energy upgrades. • Technology and infrastructure upgrades to reduce labour shortages and increase stock volumes. This will be identified as an outcome of the Realisation of Growth Opportunities Project.

We recommend the State of Victoria establish a fund that disperses grants to support horticultural businesses adapt to the shocks and stressors of climate change in innovative and efficient ways. GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

GOVERNANACE: POLICY PRIORITIES

3. Help Victoria maintain its position as Australia’s leader in horticulture

Simon Gomme, Minister Thomas, Craig Taberner, Joanna Cave (new GIA CEO) and Glenn Fenton

Victoria is recognised as Australia’s horticultural powerhouse, and we need investment to maintain our position. Challenges from competing industries, cost pressures, labour and skills shortages, and a changing market, leaves our industry at risk of losing its position as Australia’s leader in horticulture. Victoria leads in the following ways: • Victoria produces over one third of all Australian greenlife • Victoria leads domestic exports, critical to the food production supply chain • The NGIV delivers Australia’s largest wholesale greenlife market • Our industry has been growing annually by 5–10 per cent • 80 per cent of all overseas genetic material are imported into Victoria • NGIV jointly owns the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show. Maintaining our position requires the development of a periurban located Horticulture Centre of Excellence, which will provide the following infrastructure: • Demonstration space to showcase new horticultural technologies • Display facility for horticultural trials and new plant genetics • Research and development space for horticultural businesses • Distribution centre/logistics hub for plant movement • Training centre to educate teachers and students, and promote careers in horticulture • Permanent home for Australia’s largest wholesale greenlife market and a satellite flower market.

In this regard, we seek financial support to undertake a feasibility study to develop a masterplan including costings for a Horticulture Centre of Excellence.

4. Market Access (Exports)

natives / exotics / grasses ornamentals / contract grow specialists

INFO@TALL A TREES.COM.AU (03) 59830 166 | TALL TA TREES.COM.A T U 16

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

With government support, the Victorian horticultural industry is ideally positioned to provide outstanding quality, high demand horticultural products to a global market. NGIV recommends that government works closely with industry to outline the framework and processes for those businesses that have the capacity and appetite to be involved in future export markets. Upon understanding the opportunities and developing a framework, government would collaborate with our industry to develop an export strategy.

GOVERNANACE: POLICY PRIORITIES

6. Skills & Education We seek support from the State of Victoria to develop a framework and processes for businesses wishing to enter the export market and help create an overarching export strategy.

5. Workforce Capacity (attraction and retention) NGIV is committed to facilitating and maximising the growth potential of our sector. To achieve this goal, we must develop a larger, more skilful workforce to fill the diverse and rewarding careers on offer. Working with government, we hope to: • Position horticulture as a rewarding career choice and address negative perceptions that may exist. • Employ more trainees and apprentices to meet labour shortages and breathe new life into the industry. • Raise awareness of the educational pathways to gain the correct industry qualifications, creating a skilled workforce. • Promote the industry use of the latest technologies, to build workforce capacity, and attract future employees. • Facilitate immersion and taster days for secondary schools, to increase engagement and awareness of Victoria’s horticulture industry.

We seek to partner with the State of Victoria to help promote our industry as a rewarding career choice, and offer incentives to encourage employers and employees, to utilise and or take on an apprentice and trainee.

NGIV requires government support to attract, train and retain high calibre horticultural educators, and thus improve the standard and outcomes of horticultural education. Working with government we hope to: • Support the professional development of Victorian horticultural educators • Increase funding to encourage a greater uptake of horticultural educators • Equip our educators with the latest resources and infrastructure to develop our next generation of horticulturalists.

We encourage the State of Victoria to invest in horticultural education institutions to ensure they have access to skilled educators, adequate resources and modern teaching facilities.. We believe that the realisation of these priorities would be of enormous benefit to our entire industry, and we will continue to actively seek opportunities to engage Local and State Government over them. We would encourage our members to familiarise themselves with these items and if presented with the opportunity to engage with Local and/or State Government, to share this document with them. Contact the NGIV Office to receive hard copies of our Policy Priorities brochure.

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LABOUR

Seasonal Workforce Industry Support Program delivers for our industry By Matt Ross Over recent years, the horticulture sector has found it increasingly challenging to consistently source labour for full time and seasonal employment. Adding to this are the challenges faced by many horticultural employers during the COVID pandemic. A considerable positive of the pandemic has seen significant increased demand for horticulture products as a result of many people spending more time at home. Which has exacerbated the labour shortage issue across the industry in the following ways:

We have identified two communities to work with; the Khmer Cambodian and the Haka Chin Burmese communities. The program exposed under-represented groups to the horticultural industry providing them with meaningful work opportunities, whilst solving the shortage of seasonal workers.

» Labour supply interruptions due to lockdowns

Program Actions

» Labour supply interruptions due to isolation and quarantine

NGIV Industry Partner, Moshie Enterprise Coaching and Development, were engaged to develop Program materials and deliver a tailored course to introduce CALD communities to horticultural employment.

requirements

» Labour supply interruptions as a result of employees choosing not to comply with vaccination requirements

» Reduced transient labour supply, typically made up of backpackers, students and other seasonal workers

» Significant limitations in overseas and domestic travel and movement

Program Aims The Program aimed to help to address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on seasonal labour during the harvest period, by supporting seasonal worker recruitment and retention activities, with Casey, Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Shires being identified as suitable employment catchment areas. Furthermore, the Program helped to overcome the barriers associated with the engagement of CALD communities.

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

“In this moment our industry needs to entice people from all walks of life. We have so much to gain from embracing diversity across our teams and businesses. This program has helped to bridge the gap between prospective employees and employers, so both can thrive.” said Bruce Yelland of Moshie Enterprise Coaching and Development. NGIV Industry Partner, Sidekicker, were engaged to undertake the recruitment, selection and placement process. They built a technology platform that the Seasonal Workforce to connect seasonal workers with businesses needing staff. “With strong leadership, onboarding and training, this Program helped build long-term relationships with new workers, hopefully creating a strong talent pipeline of future horticulturalists,” said Penny Lee, Business Development Manager for Sidekicker.

LABOUR

Penny Lee, Business Development Manager for Sidekicker, onboarding eager recruits

NGIV, Moshie and Sidekicker, delivered three presentations to engage and support potential candidates into the horticultural workforce from the Khmer Cambodian and the Haka Chin Burmese communities.

Program Outcomes Expressions of interest – over 100 Sidekicker registrations – 74 Candidates onboarded and available for employment – 51 Candidates currently working within NGIV Member businesses – 20 Stephen Lade, Manufacturing Manager at Oasis Horticulture was delighted with their involvement in the Program. “Our experience of the seasonal worker program at Oasis was very positive. We had seven workers start with Oasis to assist with our seasonal tomato staking work. All seven were great and fitted in with our existing workforce without issue. We found the team to be conscientious, polite, great at following direction and very hard working. We found any language barriers were easily resolved given the nature of the role and the willingness of the team to learn. There were also a number of multilingual workers within the team who acted as interpreters where required. Sidekicker did a wonderful job of supporting us, and the workers themselves, throughout the busy season. We look forward to welcoming them back in 2022 and incorporating the seasonal worker program into our routine seasonal operations ongoing.”

More information The NGIV were successful in their application for funding through Agriculture Victoria’s Seasonal Workforce Industry Support Program (SWISP). Set up to fund peak industry bodies and organisations to strengthen and boost Victoria’s seasonal horticulture workforce. Delivered by

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

INDUSTRY NEWS

New project to uncover the value of the Victorian Nursery & Garden Industry Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV) is keen to realise the opportunities for growth within the horticulture sector and its allied trades, which is performing strongly with projections of continued advancement in the medium and longer term. To achieve this, NGIV is working with consultancy firm RMCG to determine the value of Victoria’s nursery and garden industry and its future growth needs.

The project, funded by Agriculture Victoria, will involve Victorian nursery and garden businesses upstream of production, including nursery producers and industry supply chain participants.

“NGIV is investing in a comprehensive review of the Victorian nursery and garden sector, at a state and local government level, to determine its overall value and contribution to the economy. This will go a long way in supporting our discussions with policy makers,” NGIV CEO Craig Taberner said.

How it will work

“The process will clearly identify the skills gaps and employee shortages and improve future workforce planning. It will also encourage business investment and provide direction as to how the sector can better market horticulture as a career of choice. “We want to make sure that the next generation of horticulturalists meet the needs of a resilient, sustainable and skilled workforce.”

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The project will be delivered in three stages. 1. Industry analysis: Industry members and businesses are currently being surveyed and interviewed to collect robust information on the extent, scale and performance of nursery and garden businesses across Victoria. This will help to establish an accurate figure of the overall size of the industry and provide current and future employment estimates. 2. Gap analysis and recommendations: An analysis of the future projections for the skills, workforce, technology and business strategy necessary to support the industry in

INDUSTRY NEWS

realising its potential growth will be undertaken, including consideration of broader workforce influences and current barriers to employment. It will focus on providing solutions for the industry and draw on activities undertaken by Greenlife Industry Australia. 3. Market growth opportunities: Current export trade and future opportunities in domestic, interstate and export markets will also be reviewed. Recommendations will then be developed to achieve market growth and may incorporate activities such as introducing bespoke strategies at a local government level, co-investment in technology and developing overseas networks, trade missions and planning officers. All information collated during the project will be kept confidential and managed independently by RMCG. Only de-identifiable data will be shared as an aggregate with NGIV and Agriculture Victoria.

Further information Clinton Muller (RMCG) m: 0498 192 596 or e: clintonm@rmcg.com.au David Reid (NGIV) m: 0421 885 257 or e: david@ngiv.com.au Supported by

Delivered with

With the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show set to come back bigger and better in 2022, there are a host of opportunities to promote your business, products and services, to up to 100,000 gardening enthusiasts. Sponsor the Emergent Gardens – showcasing designs from young designers. Sponsor the Achievable Gardens – offering students and educational institutions the opportunity to showcase their designs skills and horticultural knowledge. Exhibit at REVEALED – display your latest plant and gardening product innovations. Book your retail site – NGIV members enjoy a 10% discount to exhibit at Australia’s largest and most loved horticultural event. Email Trent.Cornish@img.com to find out more. Advertise in March Groundswell 2022 – promote your business in this special consumer-focused edition distributed to attendees of the Show Donate plant stock and products – show your support to garden designers through donation. After a two-year hiatus play your part in the return of Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show, it’s success benefits Victoria’s entire horticultural industry in so many ways. Contact NGIV’s Training & Events Officer, Lizzie Earl (lizzie@ngiv.com.au), to find out more about these exciting opportunities to be involved in the Southern Hemisphere’s premier horticulture event.

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GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

BUSINESS NEWS

Rising costs and lack of stock availability hits allied businesses By Matt Ross The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has, and will continue, to be felt across the horticulture industry in a myriad of ways. Whether it’s the increased public demand for greenlife borne out of lengthy lockdowns, a desire to connect with nature and beautify homes and gardens, or the toll it’s taken on a diminished seasonal workforce and loss of employees through mandated vaccinations. But there is another concerning outcome that is having severe ramifications on one sector of our industry, that needs to be raised. Our allied businesses are being hit hard by astronomical rises in stock and shipping costs, as well as an unparalleled shortage in stock availability. And those factors could ultimately impact growers and retailers across the state. We caught up with three of our Industry Partners to understand how they have been impacted by rising stock and freight costs, and stock availability.

Shipping Costs The Drewry world container index shows shipping costs have increased by around 400% over the last 12 months. We spoke to one allied business that reported an increase from $2,500 to $12,000 to ship a for a 40-foot container.

Product Cost There have been significant price increases for many key inputs that are used to manufacture finished products for our industry (both domestically and internationally). One business we spoke

Port Congestion: Supply chain disruptions increase global congestion rates Anchorage

Total ships

Waiting ships

In port

Congest (%)

Net change

Shanghai/Ningbo/Zhoushan

269

46.9%

-4.9%

Hong Kong/Shenzhen/PRD

237

58.7%

+15.5%

Los Angeles/Long Beach

112

54.7%

+1.2%

Singapore

47.2%

+10.6%

Rotterdam

8.1%

-11.3%

Busan

16.2%

-1.7%

Qingdao

24.3%

+0.3%

Jebel Ali/Dubai/Sharjah

10.3%

-6.3%

Bangkok/Laem Chabang

12.0%

-10.7%

Savannah

85.7%

+10.7%

Antwerp/Zebrugge

0.0%

-23.1%

Surabaya

61.5%

+11.5%

Sources: Bloomberg, IHS Markit, Genscape Note: Congestion % estimated as anchored container ships waiting divided by sum of anchored container ships and container ships in port. Total container ships provided above include all vessels in anchorage area to show all activity. Net change shows current congestion minus April-Oct. median.

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

Image: Jerome Monta, Unsplash

BUSINESS NEWS

to has reported receiving three price increases for key items in the past 12 months (in some instances well over 20 per cent) across numerous product lines. The drivers for these increases generally due to reduced manufacturing capability. As an example, the impacts of shutdowns for COVID-19 has led to less production staff and reduced output. In China, due to power shortages, restrictions have been placed on business operating hours to ensure enough supply of heat throughout the winter for their large population. This creates a supply and demand effect leading to large price increases.

Product Delays In addition to the above challenges, this is further exacerbated by the global supply chain delays for importation of products across the globe. Shipping congestion at some of the largest ports all over the world and throwing lead times into disarray. The table above provides a good insight into the severity of this problem with congestion rates at or around 50 per cent and with very little improvement on the horizon.

We know from discussions with our allied businesses, that time of order to time of receipt for internationally sourced products is taking well over six months in some cases, which means larger orders need to be placed (at larger prices) to ensure that there is enough raw material to continue to manufacture finished products. If not, this leads to a risk of being able to supply the market. The difficulty for these businesses to secure stock, with unprecedented lack of availability both from the Australian and overseas market is a perfect storm for allied businesses. And what does that mean for our growers and retailers? Ultimately some allied businesses will need to raise their prices in 2022 to ensure they can continue to supply goods to the industry. And if that does transpire, that may prompt an industry wide review of the prices growers sell to retailers, and retailers sell on to consumers.

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

INDUSTRY NEWS

Reduce, Reuse, Reuse, Reuse! By Eily Schulz, Australian Ecosystems At Australian Ecosystems, we are always challenging ourselves to improve the sustainability of our operations, from our devotion to native and locally indigenous plants, to our use of recycled water, onsite organics composting, and our reusable plant trays. We have been operating for 23 years at Melbourne’s Eastern Treatment Plant, which gives us great access to recycled water for growing our stock. We are a multipronged organisation, providing full landscaping services including our nursery plant sales, landscaping construction and maintenance, as well as design of residential landscapes and urban farms through The Sustainable Landscape Company. We are thrilled to have been nominated as a finalist in the 2021 Premier’s Sustainability Awards, as Industry Leaders in the Waste Reduction & Circular Economy category, for our reusable and recyclable multipack plant trays. Our nursery began growing native aquatic plants to supply our wetland landscaping operations. Wetlands reduce the sediment and nutrient runoff into Melbourne’s waterways and Port Phillip Bay. During this time, we have grown over 40 million plants, making us realise that single-use plastic pots used by the horticultural industry have the potential to generate large amounts of plastic waste, much of which can potentially end up in landfill. To avoid this waste in our operations, we decided to create our own circular-economy solution that benefits our own planting operations as well as our clients who purchase our plants.

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Our objective was to replace almost all single-use plastic pots at our nursery with durable, reusable multi-plant trays. In 2013, we designed and developed our own unique moulded trays, manufactured in Melbourne from Polypropylene. The 20-cell x 200cc multi-use tray replaces forestry tubes, and our 12-cell x 600cc trays provide stock similar in size to 150mm pots. This was done in consultation with our planting teams, who benefit from the multi-pack trays as it reduces bending and lifting with individual pots as they trays can be easily clipped onto planting belts. It also cuts down on the clean-up of containers after a massive planting project! We invested in the design and fabrication of tools that allow us to locally manufacture our injection moulded multi-plant 200cc and 600cc trays and purchased a hydraulic popper machine that lifts the plant out of the cells before being sent out for easier handling and planting. We modified our nursery delivery truck with stillages for the delivery and return of our specialist trays to and from planting projects. To incentivise our clients to return our trays to us, we offer a deposit refund on all returned trays, effectively paying our clients to recycle! Upon the trays’ return, we use a pot-washing machine to sterilise the tray for reuse. Once a tray’s lifecycle is

INDUSTRY NEWS

complete, they are recycled into other plastic products. We have seen great success from our container deposit scheme, with customers coming back because they appreciate our approach. As a society, we are coming to terms with the amount of plastic waste we create; how to responsibly deal with and even reduce it. The horticulture industry is similarly assessing its impact, with initiatives encouraging all nurseries to use Polypropylene as the standard pot material. We are passionate about educating the industry on the environmental benefits of using these moulded multi-plant trays over single-use plant pots, so that hopefully their use becomes commonplace. We encourage other nurseries in Victoria and beyond implement container deposit schemes to ensure that pots are reused in-house as many times as possible, and don’t end up in landfill. We are privileged to work in an industry which values the environment and is devoted to plants. No doubt the horticulture industry is looking at the waste that we all produce, and inspired to do something about it, even if it starts out small!

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

VSGP

Mother of God School takes top prize at the 2021 Victorian Schools Garden Awards Ceremony By Matt Ross The 45th annual Victorian Schools Garden Awards Ceremony premiered on Thursday 2 December 2021. A big thank you to VSGP advocate, Costa Georgiadis, who hosted the virtual ceremony and announced the winners with Deputy Premier and Minister for Education, James Merlino, congratulating schools, teachers, and students on their achievements in what’s been a very challenging year. And the 2021 Award winners were;

Catholic Education Melbourne – Most Engaging Student Garden for Wellbeing Learning winners:

Most Engaging for Play Award winners are:

Kevin Heinze Perpetual Award winner

Jackson School, St Albans St John’s Primary School, Footscray

St James Catholic Primary School, Brighton

Mother of God School, Ardeer

Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College, Geelong

Rosewood Downs Primary School, Dandenong North

Horticulture Media Association Award winner:

St Columba’s Primary School, Elwood

Independent Schools Victoria – Greatest Demonstrated Improvement of School’s Green Space Award winners:

Whittlesea Primary School

St Joseph’s Primary, Sorrento

Sandringham College

Sacred Heart Primary School, Newport

Maxicrop – Best Edible Garden Award winners:

Point Cook Senior Secondary College

Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria – Best School Garden Exhibiting Biodiversity Award winners:

Wandin Yallock Primary School

Turf Victoria Award sponsored by StrathAyr winner:

Murrumbeena Primary School

Maldon Primary School

Footscray High School

Leopold Kindergarten

Swan Hill Specialist School

Australian Growing Solutions Award winner: Noble Park Primary School

Fleming’s Nurseries Award winner: Wallington Primary School

RB Landscape Award winner: Sunshine Heights Primary School

State Award winner (Primary and Special Schools with less than 280 pupils) Mother of God Primary School, Ardeer

State Award winner (Primary and Special Schools with over 280 pupils) Camberwell South Primary School

State Award winner (Prep–9, Prep–12 and all Secondary Colleges) Parade College, Bundoora

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

VSGP

Mother of God School took out the top prize, the Kevin Heinze Perpetual Award. The small school of 139 culturally diverse students, incorporates outdoor learning and garden projects into their curriculum with learning gardens next to their classrooms. Students are involved in every phase of the gardening works, from concept, to design and implementation. The school staff have observed that this approach provides a sense of belonging for the students, as indeed does the community garden for the broader local community. The other state Awards winners, Camberwell South Primary School and Parade College, also boast garden programs that endorse community engagement and improve student learning outcomes, with meaningful hands-on learning opportunities in their gardens. The VSGP applauds all schools that give their students the opportunity to engage in learning activities which are incorporate school gardens. We’re passionate about encouraging all schools to view their external environments as interesting and engaging additional classroom spaces to be utilise and to get involved in VSGP’s 2022 Grant and Award Programs.

Kevin Heinze Perpetual Award winner, Mother of God School

We would like to thank the Victorian Schools Garden Program’s wonderful sponsors who recognise the benefit of involving students in outdoor learning, we greatly appreciate your support and contributions to the program.

More information To view the 2021 VSGP Award Ceremony or a full list of all 2021 VSGP Award results, please visit the VSGP website at vsgp.org.au.

The Victorian Schools Garden Program is proudly supported by

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

RETAIL STATE OF PLAY

SPONSORED BY:

What will 2022 bring for our industry? We are now well into 2022 and looking forward to autumn, and of course MIFGS. I feel confident that the balance of summer and autumn will be busy. Weather permitting, it will encourage your customers to garden more than ever. Will the borders be open and will people travel? Some will, some won’t, some will stay home and spend their spare dollars on more Garden Releaf (Garden Therapy) as they have been doing, and loving it. The secret to making the most of this opportunity is to be sure to have plenty of stock in your garden centre. You know the old saying: “If you ain’t got it then you can’t sell it”. Ok, be a little responsible but don’t lose sales by being too conservative. And do remember to book in now for Garden Releaf 2022.

Lovely foliage display at Gardenworld

Follow GCA on Facebook for updates www.facebook.com/gardenreleafaustralia Leigh Siebler Garden Centres of Australia | e: leigh.siebler@bigpond.com

www.gardenreleaf.com.au

Gardens and plants are therapy for body and mind 28

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

PRODUCTION NEWS

Weed Management in Production Nurseries By Joy Conroy and Andrew Manners, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Weed management is one of the most important and costly aspects of container nursery production. Weeds reduce the rate of crop growth, crop saleability and spread pests down the supply chain. This nursery paper can assist you to develop a weed management program for your nursery. Cultural and physical weed management

» Avoid moving containers infested with weeds. Dehiscent

Effective weed management uses different cultural and physical practices as a baseline to prevent entry of weeds into the nursery and reduces weed pressure passively. These practices reduce time spent hand weeding and herbicide applications.

seeds can be spread over the nursery easily during this process. Carefully remove such weeds before moving them.

Nursery hygiene and cultural strategies The following practices are recommended to proactively mitigate weed pressure in the nursery:

» Inspect new plants brought into the nursery and remove any weeds present in containers. Follow up actions may be required depending upon how weeds were managed in the supplier’s business.

» Store media on a clean sealed surface and cover media to reduce exposure to organic matter, sunlight and water (irrigation and rain).

» Ensure regular monitoring of freshly potted plants for weeds. Any seeds present in the growing media are most likely to germinate once watered and fertilised.

» Do not recycle growing media; this practice substantially increases the risk of infection from a range of pests including soilborne pathogens and weeds.

» Disinfest re-used trays and containers. Re-used pots should be cleaned thoroughly to remove all organic matter. Heat and chlorine treatments do not kill weed seeds.

» Store containers hygienically. New and disinfested containers should be stored under cover and in such a way as to avoid contamination with organic matter.

» Disinfest tools, equipment, machinery and vehicles to stop spread of diseases and weed seed.

» Manage discarded plants proactively. Do not leave discarded plants in a heaped pile on site. Waste should be managed by composting, deep burial, or covered and promptly removed from the site.

» Use organic or plastic mulch to minimise weed establishment. Weed mats or similar products are essential underneath containers in production areas. Coir weed mat covers can also be used as a surface mulch for containers and may be cost-effective in certain cases. Plastic mulch can be helpful in areas where mother stock are grown in ground.

» Dibble or incorporate fertiliser into the growing media to avoid nutrients being available on the media surface. Avoid topdressing slow-release fertiliser. Altering fertilising practices can reduce the growth of common nursery weeds by 85%.

» Clean and disinfest growing areas and remove all organic matter in growing areas between crop cycles.

» Filter and disinfest irrigation water. Weed seeds, bryophyte spores and algae can be spread in recycled water.

» Avoid overwatering and allow for sufficient drainage of containers; increase air-filled porosity where possible. Allowing the surface of the growing medium to dry between irrigation cycles reduces weed abundance.

» Use of raised benches and/or coarse gravel improves water drainage by preventing water pooling under pots. It can reduce weed seeds from blowing from the growing area into pots.

Weed infestation in containers can reduce plant growth and vigour by interfering with water and nutrient uptake.

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

PRODUCTION NEWS

Herbicides can be either selective (products that only kill certain plants with little to no effect on others) or non-selective (toxic to most plants). They can act systemically by travelling throughout the plant, or by contact action. Herbicides are also differentiated by timing of application as either preemergence or postemergence products. Carefully read the chemical label to ensure the herbicide is not toxic to the crop plants in question. It is recommended to test preemergence products on a small number of plants from commonly grown plant lines to determine if a phytotoxic reaction occurs. Leave some plants untreated as a point of comparison for container plant (and weed) growth. Manage herbicide resistance by using as many cultural strategies as possible, hand weeding regularly and rotating between herbicides of different modes of action. Weeds growing in non-cropping areas can quickly spread into container plants.

Hand weeding and mowing Hand weeding often has a massive impact on weed pressure. Employing a fortnightly hand weeding schedule can reduce overall weed growth by up to 70%, compared to hand weeding only when weeds are an undeniable and large problem. Focus on the removal of relatively large weeds that could potentially flower before the next hand weeding event. Small weeds that will not flower and go to seed in the next fortnight do not need to be weeded. The exact timing and size category targeted may need to be altered depending on climate and weed species. Dispose of weeds hygienically, in covered bins or bays or bagged until they are removed from the site. Weeds left in or around the growing area may still release seeds that can become a problem. Weeds in non-crop areas (such as the nursery perimeter, fencelines, driveways, and around irrigation sources) will inevitably move into production areas if they are not controlled. Mowing peripheral areas and lawned areas to prevent seeding is very effective.

Herbicide weed management Many production nurseries use herbicides as a component of their weed management plan. Be aware that herbicides will not eliminate the need for hand weeding, however their use will reduce overall weeding costs and time, dependent on the conditions in your nursery. There are four main factors to consider when selecting a herbicide: the crop, the weed species, the weed growth stage, and herbicide chemistry. Proper weed identification is crucial to the success of a herbicide management plan so that an appropriate herbicide is chosen. Even broad spectrum herbicides can have varying performances on different weeds. In most cases, a single herbicide does not control all weeds at a specific site. Combining herbicides may be useful to increase the spectrum of weeds controlled and reduce the risk of inducing herbicide resistance. 30

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

Preemergence herbicides Preemergence herbicides are applied to the surface of weed-free container media and surrounding production areas. Irrigation activates the herbicide to incorporate it into the growing media. A complete and uniform chemical barrier is required for the product to be effective; weeds can germinate and proliferate in gaps in the chemical barrier. Preemergence herbicides last between 6 to 12 weeks, so reapplications are often necessary. Note that excessive irrigation can impact herbicide efficacy by leaching away from the media surface and may increase phytotoxicity. There are also restrictions on the use of some preemergence herbicides in production nurseries as they are not labelled for use in enclosed structures; volatilisation increases risk of phytotoxicity.

Postemergence herbicides Postemergence products must remain on weed foliage for several hours without rain or irrigation to be effective. Postemergence herbicides are generally non-selective and may provide broad-spectrum weed control if used carefully. Avoid applications directly onto crop foliage, and limit spraydrift. Many products are best used in non-production areas and between crop cycles that do not drain into waterways or irrigation catchments. Postemergence products are most effective when weeds are actively growing, small and not under moisture stress; stressed plants are not controlled as easily. Products are often temperature sensitive; activity may be reduced with cold temperatures and volatilisation may occur at high temperatures, which can increase the risk of phytotoxicity.

About the authors This nursery paper was written by Joy Conroy and Andrew Manners, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, as part of the Hort Innovation and Levy funded project ‘Resourcing, supporting, and assessing biosecurity in nursery production (NY20000)’ in 2021.

MARKETING

Whither workplace wellness in the nursery industry? By Gerard Tan The Australian nursery industry workforce is ageing, with 85% of workers aged 40 years or older. Despite growing six per cent each year, employers have been challenged by a shortage of skilled labour. Over the last 10 years, more complex operating requirements and strong growth in the sector have combined to intensify work demands and increase job stress for individual workers. With three-quarters of Australian employees saying that a mentally healthy workplace is important when looking for a job, businesses cannot afford to ignore workplace mental wellness. Almost half of all Australian adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and 1 in 5 within any 12-month period. 15 per cent of depressive episodes among Australian adults is directly linked to workplace conditions. An employee experiencing a mental illness is likely to take more sick leave and to be less productive at work. They are also more likely to put in a worker’s compensation claim. Mental ill health costs Australian businesses $11 billion each year; $4.7 due to absenteeism, $6.1 due to presenteeism and $146 million in compensation claims. Mental ill health therefore clearly impacts employers. However, workplaces can also affect employees’ mental wellbeing. Organisational change, job strain, job dissatisfaction, bullying and harassment can give rise to stress, anxiety and depression, with their attendant costs. It is therefore in the interests of employers to support the mental wellbeing of their employees. Creating mentally healthy workplaces also makes good business sense. Every dollar spent on creating a mentally healthy workplace yields a return of $2.30 in the form of improved productivity, reduced absenteeism and presenteeism (reduced productivity at work), and lower numbers of compensation claims.

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So, what does a mentally healthy workplace look like? It has been suggested that mentally healthy workplaces have nine key attributes:

» prioritisation of mental health; » trusting, fair and respectful cultures; » open and honest leadership; » good job design; » effective workload management practices; » employee development; » employee inclusion and influence; » work-life harmony; and » mental health support. Creating a mentally healthy workplace is a collaborative endeavour that requires commitment from the organisation’s business owners and leaders, participation from employees and ongoing communication across the workforce. Worksafe Victoria have developed the WorkWell Toolkit as a step-by-step guide to assist employers to promote mental health and prevent mental injury in the workplace. Heads Up, a collaboration between Beyond Blue and The Mentally Healthy Workplace Alliance, have a downloadable guide to developing a workplace mental health strategy. In addition, staff of NGIV member businesses can access free and confidential wellbeing consultations through the Partners in Wellbeing program. They can book an appointment directly with NGIV’s dedicated mental health clinician/consultant at https://calendly.com/gerardtan/30min.

ngiv gala Dinner Join the Nursery and Garden Industry of Victoria for our 116th Annual Gala Dinner celebrationat the prestigious Park Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne. The dinner is an opportunity to acknowledge the support of our industry partners and present our industry awards. Saturday 28 May, 2022 Park Hyatt Hotel, 1 Parliament Place, Melbourne

For more information call NGIV on 9576 0599 GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

PROFILE: VICTORIAN ALPS NURSERY

New member profile: Victorian Alps Nursery The Victorian Alps Nursery specialises in the production and propagation of alpine flora, making it a unique offering in Australia. What makes your Nursery unique? We propagate a large variety of alpine and sub-alpine species for rehabilitation and restoration projects at all major Ski resorts, including Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham and Perisher, Alpine National Park, Mt Buffalo NP, Kosciuszko and NSW National Parks (Perisher Valley). Our core work provides plants for alpine ski fields and National Parks. Plants grown for resort management boards and ski companies are used in the revegetation of ski runs, snow and soil stabilisation, village landscaping and recovery following infrastructure works. We also supply plants for peatland bog restoration, bushfire recovery, threatened species habitat (a large component of our work is to grow food plants for the Mountain Pygmy Possum), and supporting habitat restoration programs. We are the only supplier of local provenance indigenous plants to Victorian alpine areas. We grow up to 200 different species and hold the only indigenous seed bank for use in conservation for Victoria’s alpine region. It is also the only seedbank for lowland valley species surrounding the alpine areas of the North-East. We are the leading supplier of indigenous lowland plants for revegetation projects in valleys surrounding the mountains. Clients include various Landcare groups, such as, Upper Ovens Valley, Myrtleford, Mudgegonga, Omeo/Benambra, Mitta Mitta and Swifts Creek/Ensay. Our staff collect all seed and cutting material used for propagation, maintaining seedbanks for each mountain or provenance.

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

An exciting part of the job is experimenting in germination trials of alpine species, many of which had never been grown under cultivation before. This involves many different methods, including stratification for different time periods. We successfully propagate species once thought difficult or impossible to grow and continue to refine our techniques and trial new species.

What is your stock range? Any local plant requested to order including trees, shrubs, herbs and wildflowers, grasses and bog species. We also sell a selection of non-local natives for the home gardener. The slowest alpine species can take up to two years to produce for sale (in 70mm square tube) so planning ahead is a must and predicting future orders can be challenging, as much of the work is funded by grants.

Who is a typical customer? We mostly grow to contract for land managers, such as, alpine resorts management, ski lift companies, ski lodge owners, Parks Victoria, DELWP, catchment management authorities, Landcare Groups and local council. We sell to the public by appointment only.

Do you have any longer-term plans? We would like to increase the capacity of our seedbank and collection team to establish a seedbank in North-East Victoria that a wide variety of land managers in the north east can benefit from. Currently we only collect for use for our own propagation needs.

PROFILE: VICTORIAN ALPS NURSERY

We’re also looking to expand the growing capacity and consulting side of the nursery and employ more staff to meet production targets for ever increasing environmental projects.

What challenges do you face given your remote location? Freight! Getting plants to site in alpine areas can be difficult. Often crews will have to walk and carry plants long distances to get to planting sites. The long distances to travel is time consuming and slow. We deliver to Perisher via the Great Alpine Way, with a fully loaded truck we crawl up the steep mountains behind Kosciuszko. The trip takes about six hours and is a difficult drive! Also, freight costs and difficulty in obtaining materials for day-to-day operations is a challenge. All our nursery supplies are shipped up from Melbourne.

Tell us a little bit about your core team. We are a small team of three and looking to expand the crew. We are currently advertising for a nursery supervisor. Our combined experience in alpine plant propagation totals 39 years.

Where does your passion for horticulture come from? My passion for indigenous plants, bush regeneration and revegetation came through being lucky enough to work and train with many experts in the field. Their wealth of knowledge impressed me so much that I wanted to follow in their footsteps and work to restore our natural environment.

Why did you choose to become an NGIV member?

ESTABLISHED 1998

WHOLESALE NURSERY | LANDSCAPING AND SEASONAL LINES BORDERING PLANT OPTIONS | POTTED PLANTS

Hopefully to increase the awareness of our nursery and our amazing alpine flora, and that Australian alpine plants are produced and are commercially available. We also want to have access to industry resources and to keep in touch with latest developments.

We’re delighted to have Victorian Alps Nursery join the NGIV as a full member. As Victoria’s peak industry body, we are committed to helping our member businesses and the State’s horticulture industry to grow. Find out how you can become a member – ngiv.com.au

More information Victorian Alps Nursery, 5338 Great Alpine Road, Ovens m: 0408 151 130 | e: alpinenursery@mthotham.com.au w: https://rmb.mthotham.com.au/Our-Services/ Victorian-Alps-Nursery

JMK NURSERY 160 Wandin Creek Rd Wandin East VIC 3139 E jmknursery@bigpond.com | T 03 5964 2971 | jmknursery.com.au GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

INDUSTRY NEWS

Three gold medals and rose of the year for Treloar Roses at awards night By Matt Ross NGIV member, Treloar Roses, received an unprecedented three Gold Medals, in addition to the 2021 People’s Choice Award and Australian Rose of the Year at the National Rose Trial Garden Awards held in October in Adelaide. In total there was thirteen awards handed to Treloar Roses on the night, won by seven outstanding varieties bred by the leading hybridizer, Thomas Proll of W. Kordes’ Sons, Germany. Treloar Roses is the Australian agent for Kordes and each year the team select premium varieties from their test beds in Bolwarra for entry into the two-year trial.

TU GR O DE BES WE LI TO RS VE C RY K N ORD DE OW ER C 20 FOR 22

The National Rose Trial Garden plays an important role in rose introduction, as it tests for the roses best suited for Australian conditions. Pest and disease resistance is a priority, with flower beauty, repeating ability, and fragrance also important scoring criteria.

“It is essential for new rose varieties to be easy care. Home gardeners are more environmentally conscious, but still want to enjoy amazing displays of colour in their garden,” said Gary Matuschka, Director of Treloar Roses. “Our customers love these healthy, disease resistant varieties and it is wonderful to have their quality confirmed independently by the National Trials. Three Gold Medals with a total of thirteen awards is a fantastic result. There is an exciting future for roses in Australia.” The outstanding performers for the night are without a doubt the Gold Medal winners. Awards received on the night were: HEAVEN ON EARTH

AFRIKAANS

» Gold Medal » Rose of the Year » Best Floribunda of Trial

» Gold Medal » Most Pest & Disease Tolerant Rose

» National Rose Trial Garden DELIGHTFUL PARFUMA

» Gold Medal » Fragrance Award

People’s Choice Award PINK ILLUSION

» Bronze Medal

A Silver Medal, two Bronze Medals and a Certificate of Merit were also received for varieties listed for future release.

Delightful Parfuma

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

INDUSTRY NEWS

Heaven On Earth

Afrikaans

About the National Rose Trial Garden Awards The National Rose Trial Garden of Australia is based in Adelaide, with rose trials conducted over a two year period. During this time, each variety is evaluated fourteen times by a team of ten independent assessors drawn from all forms of gardening. The criteria for judging includes habit, health, flowering, pest and disease tolerance and fragrance. The scores are then converted to a percentage for the purpose of determining awards. For further information visit www.nationalrosetrialgarden.net.au.

Pink Illusion

About Treloar Roses Treloar Roses is Australia’s largest rose production nursery, with over one million rose plants in various stages of production. For over 55 years, we have been sending rose plants Australia wide during the Winter bare root season. Each year we introduce to Australia the world’s finest new varieties, from the world’s best rose breeders. Many of these new and healthier roses can be seen in our two-acre display garden at our farm, located in Portland, on the beautiful south west Victorian coast.

treloarroses.com.au

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

TRADE DAY REPORT

Trade Day report By Nan Cleven

After two cancelled Trade Days due to COVID restrictions, it was wonderful to open the doors at KCC Park for our November Trade Day. There was a lot of excitement amongst buyers and stand holders for what was our first spring Trade Day of 2021. A big thank you to our Silver Industry Partner, SureGro TreeMax, for sponsoring November Trade Day. Neil Taylor and Bruce Durant were representing SureGro TreeMax on the day and enjoyed catching up with customers and industry peers.

and President Simon Gomme, for a tour of the site, and took the opportunity to chat to stand holders and buyers alike. She left with a strong sense of the size and scale of Victoria’s horticulture industry, as well as the challenges we face.

December Trade Day always has added significance, and this year was no different. We were delighted to have the Victorian Minister for Regional Development, and Agriculture, The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas, officially open December Trade Day at KCC Park.

December Trade Day also featured our first quarterly Trade Day Showcase, a host of celebrated growers and allied businesses took the opportunity to exhibit their latest and upcoming products.

After speaking passionately about the essential nature of our industry, Minister Thomas joined NGIV CEO Craig Taberner

It was our busiest Trade Day at KCC Park to date, with many visitors then journeying on to the first day of the Australian Horticultural Trials Week.

The Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas taking on the tradition of ringing the bell to commence trade.

Finally able to cross the NSW border and travel south to join us again at Trade Day, Steve and David from Solomons, were quickly surrounded by buyers eager to secure their amazing stock of indoor plants.

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

We were thrilled that the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas accepted our invitation to officially open December Trade Day.

A big thank you to our Silver Industry Partner, SureGro TreeMax, for sponsoring November Trade Day. NGIV CEO, Craig Taberner, assisted Neil and Bruce in the all-important drawing of the winning tickets and prize sharing.

Humphris Nursery’s stand proving to be a big hit with the buyers.

Another highlight of November Trade Day was the mass of colour and top quality roses on offer at the Hanneman Roses stand.

TRADE DAY REPORT

Proof that nobody leaves NGIV Trade Day empty handed, the plants are too good to resist.

Petunias or Pansies anyone? More spring colour at the Haars stand, the buyers found it hard to go past their eye-catching display of seasnal blooms.

It wouldn’t be December Trade Day without masses of gorgeous poinsettia, these beauties are courtesy of Haar’s Nursery.

It wouldn’t be Trade Day without Chris and Lorraine Gourday’s of Austral Ferns, maiden hair ferns disappearing by mid morning.

Colourful signs of spring with beautiful baskets of potted colour at the Plantopia Stand, quickly snapped up by November buyers.

December Trade Day was proudly sponsored by NGIV's Platinum industry partner: Garden City Plastics

NGIV Partner, Botanix Plant Supply, sharing their latest products and services with visitors to the first Trade Day Showcase.

Our thanks once again to Dianne Mitchell and the crew from DNS Electric Vehicles. They were kept busy during set-up on Monday afternoon and again on Tuesday, helping stand holders and buyers with stock movement in and out of the shed. Contact Dianne at DNS for more details – t: (03) 9769 0201 www.dnselectricvehicles.com.au

A big thank you to our Major Corporate Industry Partner, Garden City Plastics, for sponsoring December Trade Day. They took the opportunity to have a stand at the Trade Day Showcase, where their allied suppliers were on hand to offer technical support to visitors.

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

NEXTGEN: JOSH TAYLOR

Interview with NextGen

JOSH TAYLOR Peninsula Growers Where do you work and what is your role? I am employed at Peninsula Growers which is located in Boneo on the Mornington Peninsula. I am a grower, this consists of a range of jobs including pest and disease management, looking after the propagation houses, creating space for new cuttings in the prop rooms, and moving stock into the hardening house before they are potted up.

How long have you worked there and how has your role progressed in that time? I have been working at Peninsula Growers for the last three years, I started my apprenticeship there as a 16-year-old. I had limited knowledge of the horticulture industry only having spent a short time ‘testing the waters’ during work placement. I started at base level learning about the different varieties of plants grown at Peninsula Growers and how to care for them to ensure healthy growth. Over the years as my knowledge has increased, so has my role.

What/or who inspired you to choose horticulture? My family are to thank for lighting the spark of interest for gardening at a very young age. They also supported me in my decision to leave school to pursue an apprenticeship in the industry. My mother and father have inspired me ever since I’ve been a young boy, some of my fondest memories are with my parents teaching me about different trees and shrubs we had growing in the garden. As I got a little bit older, I started taking cuttings and germinating seeds at home, before too long our garden was overrun with out-of-control vines, trees and shrubs that I had propagated. Even now, eight years later, I come home from work every day with a new plant that I’m obsessed with and must plant in the garden.

What do you enjoy most about working in horticulture? My favourite thing about working in horticulture is being challenged with a pest or a disease that I have not encountered before and being able to research, learn and formulate a solution to the problem. Loving plants and getting to be around them all day, every day is a pretty great feeling too.

What are your ambitions within the industry? Being able to run a nursery has been a dream since I have been working in the industry. Being involved in all aspects of the nursery, cuttings/propagation, potting and looking after

through the hardening house deciding what plants have developed strong enough roots. If strong enough, they will be taken down to the tubing staff where they will get potted up. I also have to ensure that the prop team have enough cutting material for the day. After the morning jobs I am then able to walk around the prop houses and decide what cuttings need to be moved into the hardening houses, whilst making sure that all the cuttings are pest and disease free. Doing routine liquid feeds and insecticide drenches in prop and freshly tubed stock is another big part of my job.

Are any of your family members in the horticulture industry? None of my family members are in the horticulture industry. My grandparents and parents enjoy gardening and as a child I was always outside with them. They have always encouraged me to pursue things that have made me happy.

Why should more young people choose horticulture as a career? Horticulture is an essential industry that has job growth and security. It is an industry that is constantly bettering its production techniques and adopting new technologies. New nursery automations such as automatic shade screens, retractable glass roofs, circulation fans, temperature control and full nursery automation, including new seeding machines and potting machines will inspire younger kids or students to get into the industry because the opportunities are endless. As well as working in an industry with increasing job opportunities horticulture has positive effects on the environment and gives you great job satisfaction.

What is the best piece of career advice you’ve received on your journey? The best piece of advice I have been given is to listen and learn, ask questions if unsure and never be frightened to give something new a go.

What is a typical day like for you?

Are you/have you studied a horticultural course? If yes, where and when?

My day starts on the drive to work as I think about what needs to be done throughout the day. I start my morning by walking

I have now studied and completed a Certificate III in Production Nursery at the Chisholm TAFE campus in Cranbourne. I enjoyed

GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

my time at TAFE thoroughly, although COVID-19 kept me away from on campus learning for a good portion, it was still a fantastic way to learn. I picked up knowledge not only from my mentor and teacher, but also from other students that were doing apprenticeships at other nurseries and discussing their methods.

What was/is the most enjoyable element of your study? My favourite parts of my studies were all the practical work we did, sitting in a classroom listening and writing about it is helpful and informative, but there’s nothing like trying it for yourself. Learning different propagation techniques such as budding and grafting and learning to do cuttings by knife instead of secateurs, was very fun and interesting.

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Melbourne Geelong

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107.12

107.67

108.77

109.21

Usage below 2,500 litres

97.77

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GROUNDSWELL FEBRUARY 2022

Groundswell | February 2022

Articles inside

NEW MEMBER PROFILE: VICTORIAN ALPS NURSERY

VSGP: 2021 AWARDS CEREMONY

LABOUR: SEASONAL WORKFORCE INDUSTRY SUPPORT PROGRAM

VALUE OF VICTORIAN NURSERY AND GARDEN INDUSTRY

REDUCE, REUSE, REUSE, REUSE

NGIV POLICY PRIORITIES

2021 AUSTRALIAN HORTICULTURAL TRIALS WEEK RECAP

RISING FREIGHT COSTS AND STOCK SHORTAGES AFFECTING ALLIED TRADE

BOTANIX: THE KEYS TO SUCCESS