Tree & Shrub Growers visit All Green Nursery and Garden Supplies and Boomaroo Nurseries and SA tour

By Jess Wozniak

Our Tree and Shrub Growers of Victoria members have been very active over the last couple of months as the weather has begun to warm up once again. In August we visited All Green Nursery and Garden Supplies and Boomaroo Nurseries before heading interstate to South Australia for a jam-packed tour.

More than 70 NGIV members, Tree and Shrub Growers of Victoria members and even some future members headed out the west of Melbourne to see what our friends over the Westgate are getting up to.

The day started with sunny spring-like conditions and a drop-in at All Green Nursery and Garden Supplies in Hoppers Crossing Visitors met the team who provided a great overview of their business and how it has grown and evolved over the past few years. All Green showed off their innovative approach to business with a tour through their recently launched wholesale trade market, as well as their entire site, while sipping on delicious coffee and enjoying the wonderful afternoon tea. All Green recently won the Wyndam City Council Medium Business of the Year award – further underlining the excellent work taking place.

After concluding at All Green, the group continued further west to Boomaroo Nurseries for a mind-boggling tour of their huge greenlife and vegetable growing sites in Lara. The tours were led by CEO Peter Smith and Greenlife Business Manager Josh Kyne who opened their doors for an insightful behind the scenes look. Boomaroo shared demonstrations of their technology and provided insight into what it takes to run such a successful business. A delicious Mexican dinner and of course drinks helped fill the void while Will McIntosh from Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery ran a Q&A with Peter and Josh. Thanks to all our friends in the west who helped make the day such a success!

September’s TSG event saw a tour over the border and into some of South Australia’s best nurseries and amazing sites.

25 Victorian members descended upon Heyne’s Nursery, the first stop of the tour and South Australia’s oldest registered nursery. With family and the local community at the heart of its values, Carl Heyne, fifth-generation owner and managing director, showed the group around the impressive and spotless site, explaining how embracing innovation continues to take the business forward, paving the way for future generations. The group even learned some local lingo, and it’s safe to say that Heyne’s is as South Australian as a pie-floater (Google it!) and two silver balls.

It wouldn’t be a visit to south Australia without dropping into some of the best wineries the region has to offer. Guests enjoyed an historic tour as well as wine-tasting over a fantastic lunch at Wirra Wirra on day one, before piling back into the bus for our next stop – Poplar Grove Nursery.

Jason Scroop, owner of Poplar Grove walked the group around yet another immaculate site in a gorgeous setting with the local birds providing a lovely backdrop of song. Jason described Poplar Grove’s efficient approach to growing plants and the importance his team places on producing the highest quality products.

The next stop on our journey was Victor Harbor where we settled in for the night with an informative Q&A from Dr. Sam Stacey, Technical Manager for ICL.

Sam talked about some interesting trials being conducted by ICL, looking at the early establishment and growth of trees and shrubs in the landscape, after they have left the nursery with the aim of determining the effect of good nutrition (controlled release) and wetting agent on tree survival, early growth and establishment under a wide range of conditions.

Day two started with a visit to Currency Creek Arboretum with self-confessed ‘gum nut’ Dean Nicolle. Dean created the arboretum as a result of his deep-rooted passion for the over 1000 species of Eucalyptus. He busted myths, walked the group around more than 900 plantings that he and his partner Annette regular monitor, while explaining his process of collecting seed from the wild and his approach to the strategy of the arboretum. His passion was so palpable that even a brown snake joined a small part of the tour before thankfully retreating.

Lunch was at The Lane winery for another well-earned three course meal, more wine tastings and a bit of fun with a Eucalyptus-themed quiz led by emcee extraordinaire Heath McKenzie of AGS and Dean Nicolle.

The tour’s final stop was at Freshford Nurseries in Cudlee Creek with yet another insightful tour. Ben Freeman, managing director, shared insights into the most effective tree planting methods as well as the some of the challenges posed by the pesky local kangaroos.

All members and non-members are invited to join NGIV’s monthly events, and we encourage you to get along and meet some fellow Victorians in the industry, all while learning from businesses at the top of their game.

NGIV extends a heartfelt thanks to:

» Samuel Fragapane, Matt Stephens, and the team at All Green Nursery and Garden Supplies

» Josh Kyne and Peter Smith, as well as the entire team at Boomaroo Nurseries

» Will McIntosh, Mansfield’s Propagation Nursery – Tree and Shrub Grower Committee member and emcee at Boomaroo Nurseries

» Carl Heyne and his extended family/staff at Heyne’s Nursery, SA

» Jason Scroop and Poplar Grove Nursery, SA

» Dean Nicolle and Currency Creek Arboretum, SA

» Ben Freeman and team at Freshford Nurseries, SA

» Heath McKenzie, Australian Growing Solutions – emcee and chair of Victoria’s Tree and Shrub Grower committee.