Groundswell | September 2020 by ngivictoria

GROUNDSWELL RRP $8.95

CONTENTS 4

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

CEO’S MESSAGE

PLANT LIFE BALANCE: 10 WAYS TO IMPROVE SALES

LAWN IS AN EXCELLENT RETARDANT

T&SG: THE SECRET WORLD OF PLANT BREEDING

IT’S TIME GARDEN CENTRES SWITCH ON TO OMNI-CHANNEL RETAIL

VALE: BARRY TEESE

INDUSTRY NEWS

Spring is upon us and Monbulk Rural Enterprises is here to help protect your agricultural growth. We all know just how damaging a hailstorm can be and Hailnet might just be one solution. It is a white fabric designed for a permanent structure as a protective covering.

Our front cover: Diplolaena grandiflora – WA native now grafted for Victoria

www.botanixplantsupply.com.au

Volume 31 Number 9 September 2020 PUBLISHER NURSERY & GARDEN INDUSTRY VICTORIA PRESIDENT Simon Gomme CEO Craig Taberner CONTRIBUTORS Simon Gomme, Adrian Parsons, Leigh Siebler, Craig Taberner, Nan Cleven, Matt Ross, Warners Nurseries ADVERTISING NGIV T: (03) 9576 0599 ADDRESS Unit 3, 307 Wattletree Road, Malvern East VIC 3145. 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

It can also provide a calm under canopy environment, reducing losses due to fruit windrub and helps contain spray drift. In addition, the shade factor of the cloth reduces the incidence of fruit being burnt. As weather isn’t always to blame, we also have Structural Reinforced Anti-Bird Net, available in bales of 100m long in black or white. Made from strong HDPE yarn that won’t rot or absorb moisture. With reinforced selvage edges for extra strength that makes this fabric the most economical for attaching to a structure where permanent year round protection is required. Even a pro rata UV warranty period of up to ten (10) years is provided.

FINISHED ART Vale Graphics M: 0409 88 77 06 E: angie@valegraphics.com.au PRINTING Norwood Industries 6 Wedgewood Road, Hallam VIC 3803.

With kind thanks...

Monbulk Rural Enterprises

Warners would like to thank and acknowledge the following contributors to Barry Teese Vale on page 20:

8 Old Emerald Road, Monbulk Vic 3793 Tel: 03 9756 6355 Email: sales2@monbulkrural.com.au www.monbulkrural.com.au

Michael Warner, Andrew Smith, John Warner, Susan Burns, Lloyd Rankin, Carolyn & Joby Blackman, Kevin Parker

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Simon Gomme President, NGIV I’m writing this a few days after Stage 4 restrictions were announced. Everyone is struggling to make sense of what it means for them and their livelihoods. The playing field is shifting each day and it’s creating uncertainty and confusion across our industry. Change can be a scary thing; it’s something lots of us resist. In this moment we have no choice but to embrace it. Now is the time to show up every day looking for ways to operate your businesses within the restrictions; whilst maintaining your finances, providing a supportive workplace and protecting the health and wellbeing of you, your staff and your visitors. It may be tough, it will be different, but do not give up. You are still in charge of your businesses; you make the decisions and the decisions you make now will determine how you get through this. I also reflect with gratitude that our industry is permitted to trade, albeit under restrictions, knowing that so many others have not been as fortunate. All dealings with Government executives have left me in no doubt that our industry is held in the highest regard and there’s an understanding of it’s significance in these difficult times. I’ve spoken before about the need to have a plan in place as to how you will your business moving forward. I’d encourage you to also be agile in your plans and to have shorter strategies that respond to new developments like the six-week Stage 4. For our retailers that are operating on restricted activity, move fast to respond to the new environment. There’s a fantastic guide from Plant Life Balance to help maximise your sales during COVID-19, featured in this issue of Groundswell on page 5.

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

It’s full of expert advice to give you a strong digital presence and highlights the opportunities during contactless trade. Again, I’d like to extend my gratitude to the team at NGIV. They’re working tirelessly to make sense of the changes, communicate them clearly and regularly and seek further clarification wherever needed; all the while advocating for our industry to change makers. The support they’re providing to Members is invaluable and I believe the whole industry is indebted to the work they are doing day in day out to champion our cause and protect what is so dear to us all. I’d also like to thank all of the businesses that continue to operate within the boundaries of what is permitted. We are all in this together and we are all reliant on one another continuing to do the right thing. Stay on top of developments and if you are ever unsure, contact the team at NGIV for clarification. Everything is temporary, even this. Stay strong and stay focused on your plan.

Simon Gomme President, NGIV Powerplants Australia

INDUSTRY NEWS

Edible Waxflower – exciting native food sensation For many years Waxflower (Chamelaucium sp.) has been a very popular native landscape plant as well as being grown on large scale for the cut flower industry. With the surge of interest in cooking with Australian native plants, Waxflower also has some very exciting culinary applications. Helix Australia has been investing in developing this exciting new growth segment for its expanding waxflower breeding and licensing business. “To date, uptake of our waxflower as an edible native plant has predominantly been at the high end restaurant level with high profile restaurants such as Attica in Melbourne, Orana in Adelaide and Wildflower in Perth all including waxflower in their menu,” said Adrian Parsons, Managing Director Helix Australia. “The citrus flavour profile of waxflower has been used in restaurants alongside native food staples such as Finger

Limes, Lemon myrtle, Quandongs, Warrigal greens and Davidson plums.” Parsons continued,“We have also had our waxflower used in an Archie Rose native gin and waxflower recently featured in the Masterchef Australia final where finalist Laura Sharrad paired seared Bonito with Lily pilly, saltbush and waxflower oil.” Masterchef judge Jock Zonfrillo said, “The use of waxflower oil was pure genius.” Australia chefs have typically been preparing the waxflower as an infused oil and also creating a flavoursome paste similar to salsa verde.

Helix Australia research into waxflower as an edible plant is trialling use of the leaf fresh, dried (for teas) and also in a freeze dried powder form. The ultimate goal will be to turn waxflower into a culinary staple that sits on the supermarket shelf alongside basil and coriander and also as an edible garden plant like rosemary or thyme. Helix Australia looks forward to informing growers and retail garden centres of further development of its range of waxflower suitable for the booming edible native plant category.

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CEO’S MESSAGE

Craig Taberner CEO, NGIV I’ve just stepped out of one of our industry catchup webinars. The attendance was our highest yet, testament to the concern and confusion surrounding Stage 4, everyone had questions and the team at NGIV endeavoured to provide answers. I feel for everyone right now that is doing their best in what is a highly changeable environment. A lot of my time is spent trying to make sense of the changes and it’s not always straight forward. We will continue to communicate developments with you as and when we have them; whether it’s legislative, business requirements, financial support, travel updates or industrial relations management. We want to make it as easy for you to run your businesses as possible, so please do ensure you’re subscribed to our enews service, keep checking the NGIV website and if you have specific questions don’t hesitate to call myself or the office. A number of the most recent developments apply to Stage 4 only, and by the time this comes to print Worker Permits, Workplace Directions, record keeping obligations may no longer apply in their current format. I would however advise that every business develops and maintains their own COVID-Safe Plan to help protect your workers, customers and visitors. On a more positive note it’s been wonderful to see the uptake of NGIV Member renewals, as an organisation we rely heavily on our members and it’s pleasing to see how many of you value the work we do for the industry and for your businesses.

We do appreciate that this is a difficult time for many businesses financially and your support means a lot. Having experienced the boom of gardening in the early stages of COVID-19, the challenge now is to maintain that within a period of restricted trade. I have no doubt that the appetite for plantlife and gardening remains strong; we all need to look to opportunities to ensure we can meet that demand. I’ve also spoken to many in the industry that believe once we get through the latest restrictions, we can head towards Spring with a huge sense of optimism for what could be a very buoyant phase of trading. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice, it’s never been more needed or more available. We are all in this together and we will get through it together.

Craig Taberner CEO, NGIV

Making g the most of a precious i resourrce.

www.agsolutions.ne .agsolutions solutions.ne et.au 06

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FEATURE: PLANT LIFE BALANCE

10 WAYS PLANT RETAILERS CAN IMPROVE SALES DURING COVID-19

In light of the impact Stage 4 restrictions will have on garden centres and retail nurseries in Metropolitan Melbourne we want to share some of the avenues you have to maintain strong sales. There are many simple marketing strategies you can employ to offset the challenges of being restricted to contactless ‘click and collect’ and delivery trade.

Plant Life Balance teamed up with nursery industry marketing expert John Stanley to highlight 10 things you can do to improve sales right now. It’s comprehensive, it’s easy to understand and it can make a significant difference to your business right now. Work through the guide and look for opportunities to implement strategies into your business.

TREND 1 THINK DIFFERENT If you want more people to buy from you then ask:

› Why would they choose you? Yes, you! › Why is your nursery different to all the others that a customer could choose from?

› What makes it unique? › Why must they go the extra mile to come to you? Now is the time to be clear on your point of difference because in a competitive market, it is the clearly differentiated that do best. So, while you might still choose to sell everything, make sure you specialise in something.

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FEATURE: PLANT LIFE BALANCE u

TREND 2 GET YOUR WEBSITE RIGHT First, can you easily find the following pieces of information?

TREND 3 SET UP YOUR SOCIALS

› Your point of difference › Your address › Opening hours › Phone number and email › What’s in stock › Links to your other channels e.g. your social media pages, your blog Second, try opening the website on your mobile. Is it still easy to read and navigate? Statistics show that more Australians than ever are now accessing websites via their mobile phones, so having a mobile-friendly site is critical. Third, can I buy from it in just a couple of clicks? eCommerce was already starting to take over the world, but COVID-19 has made it essential if you want to maximise sales. If you’re just starting out with this, don’t worry – not everything for sale in store needs to be for sale online. Start with the products you sell the most of, and get comfortable selling those online.

Social isolation is making people more social than ever before, but the party’s on platforms like Facebook and Instagram now – so take this opportunity to grow your online following. People are increasingly taking to social media to research businesses and products they’re interested in and join shared-interest communities. Gardening and plants in particular has been trending on social media over the last few years, as established gardeners and budding green thumbs alike look to their social feeds for plant buying information, horticultural advice, and green home styling inspiration. Social media is also one of the most cost effective forms of marketing, making this a great option for small businesses to reach friends, fans and potential new customers. If you’re just starting out, start small. You don’t need to be on every single platform at the same time. Pick one or two that you can really focus on, and sustainably manage, before starting another.

TREND 4 SPEAK THE CUSTOMER’S LANGUAGE Personal health and wellbeing has always been a big reason for people to buy plants, but right now it is the reason people are buying. Whatever is in your marketing and messaging, make sure it has a health and wellbeing angle. Here are a few ideas to get you started: INDOOR AIR QUALITY e.g. plants are cleaning the indoor air you are spending so much time in. MENTAL HEALTH & STRESS RELIEF e.g. the calming effects of having plants in your home, at a time a lot of us need help relaxing.

LEARNING e.g. kids learning from home? Green the classroom and watch their concentration grow. EXERCISE e.g. gardening is great exercise, so why not use this time at home to improve your yard? HEALTHY EATING e.g. want to eat more vegetables? Then grow your own. FAMILY ACTIVITY e.g. everyone needs ways to keep a healthy family vibe. Plants and gardening are a fantastic family activity for doing so.

PRODUCTIVITY e.g that indoor office can’t be all screen time. Add some green time. u

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TREND 5 MAKE BUYING EASY Stage 4 restrictions mean that garden centres and retail nurseries in Metropolitan Melbourne must only trade using contactless ‘click and collect’ and/or delivery. CLICK & COLLECT – Save time, buy online. Setting up a system that allows your customers to browse and buy from home, then collect at your nursery is another winning formula that mixes eCommerce with real world nursery sales. Make it even easier with a drive through lane so people don’t even need to leave their cars. We’re predicting drive-through Click & Collect lanes will not go away after COVID-19 – this will continue to be a trend for garden centres moving forward. They’re just too convenient! HOME DELIVERY – Hardest for you, but most convenient for your customers. COVID is a good opportunity to try creating a ‘milk run’. Remember, the faster the delivery, the more compelling the offer for your customer, and word will spread fast that people can now buy this way.

TREND 6 FRONT UP COVID might be keeping people out of shops, but they are still in their cars. Once you’ve made your products easy to buy, tell everyone by clearly signing your Click & Collect lane and other offers at your store front. While you’re at it, why not use your street frontage to put up health and wellbeing messages and remind people they can buy online? Street appeal matters. u

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FEATURE: PLANT LIFE BALANCE u

TREND 7 OFFER ZOOM STYLING People love to feel special – so why not offer your customers a personalised shopping experience with one of your store’s plant experts? Not only is this a great way to build genuine relationships with your customers, turning them from friendlies into loyal fans – but it’s a fantastic opportunity to engage your staff and show off their expertise. During COVID-19, many people have more time on their hands and are getting stuck into home jobs, making this the perfect time to offer you could deliver this service via a 15 minute phone or video call, using a platform such as Zoom.

TREND 8 SELL SUCCESS

We know plants and home gardening are wildly popular at the moment, but there’s a problem – people want success, but some are scared to get started in case they fail. The good news? Nurseries already have the products on the shelf that will help them. This means there’s a huge opportunity for nurseries to not just sell single products, but bundle together “success kits” that set up customers with everything they need to achieve gardening success at home. Create a variety of packs suited to different customers’ households and abilities. For example: A STARTER’S SUCCESS KIT including easy to grow plant varieties, soil, pots and pest control products VEGGIE GARDEN KIT with vegetable seeds or seedlings, gardening tools and soil improving products

TREND 9 TAG EVERYTHING Every plant is a potential sale, so every plant should clearly communicate why it – in particular – should be picked up, purchased and taken home. Beginner or intermediate-level green thumbs in particular will need a bit of an extra hand understanding which plant to buy, and why that’s a good choice for them and their home. We’re not talking here about the tag(s) that you will already have on each plant showing what it is, and how much it costs – rather, we’re suggesting an additional small tag that communicates a compelling snippet about that plant, for example: I THRIVE IN THE SHADE I’M HARDY & DON’T NEED MUCH WATER

SMALL SPACE KITS with multiple, smaller plants & pots

I’M A FAST GROWER

TREE PLANTING KIT with a stake, fertiliser & plant ties

GREAT WINDOW-SILL GROWER

POLLINATOR KIT with a selection of bee and bird attracting plant varieties for a biodiverse garden

They’re simple measures to point people in the right direction, but go a long way in making sure your customers are able to make confident, informed decisions on which plant to buy for their home.

A ‘LOOKS’ KIT, which groups together plants in curated themes such as easy-care, low light, hanging varieties, native edibles, jungle vibes, and pet-friendly.

I’M I GGREAT ’M HHARDY II’M KID VE WINDOWTHRI & DDON’T DLY IN THE NEED SI S LL NEED MUCH FFRIEN E AD GR GROWER SH WA WATER

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I’M KID FRIENDLY

FEATURE: PLANT LIFE BALANCE u

TREND 10 SPEAK THE CUSTOMER’S LANGUAGE

Events are a great way to:

› Showcase your horticultural expertise and experience. Plants need gardening, and not everyone knows how to do it successfully

› Connect on a personal level with your customers

› Entertain and/or educate your customers – events can help you to grow a following and increase customer loyalty

› Understand your customers better – in a relaxed environment, they’re more open to coming to you for advice, whether that’s about purchasing or maintaining plants

› Recommend your products! The great thing about events is that they’re easy to dial up or down, depending on your team’s capacity, and in the time of COVID-19, you can just as easily host an event online.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to the Plant Life Balance team at hello@myplantlifebalance.com.au. View the full guide at myplantlifebalance.com.au/retailers

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

FEATURE: TURF

Lawn is an excellent bushfire

retardant By Turf Australia During the 2019/20 bushfire season in Australia more than 18.6 million hectares (46 million acres) of land was burnt. The impact of the fires was estimated to cost $3.9 billion to the economy, with insurance claims estimated to be approximately $1.9 billion. Almost 3,000 homes, and thousands of businesses and other buildings were destroyed (According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy). It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the first high-consequence bushfire season and it certainly wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be the last so bushfire planning and preparation remains at the forefront of public policy and the national conversation. A national Royal Commission and several State government inquiries into the fires are currently underway. Fire agencies have long valued the role that turf (both in public spaces and in private lawns) plays in the strategic management of bushfire risk. However very little research has been undertaken to confirm the scientific importance of living turf for fire protection. Similarly, no work has been undertaken to understand whether synthetic grass has similar strategic properties. Until now.

Bushfire at Captain Creek central Queensland

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Professional services company GHD was engaged by Hort Innovation to undertake a study on the benefits of living turf and its role as a bushfire retardant. Keep reading for more detail but the good news is that the study confirmed that not only is living turf a natural bushfire-resilient retardant, but synthetic grass does not share those properties.

Research overview A literature review was initially conducted to review research that was already available in terms of flammability of turf and other materials, and the fire-testing standards of synthetic grass. The literature review also explored the extent to which is turf already being identified as a bushfire retardant.

Pentland Hills Turf

With the literature review completed, the project moved into the experimentation phase. Partnering with the CSIRO’s Bushfire Behaviour and Risks group, samples of buffalo, couch and kikuyu were all subjected to ignition tests at varying fuel moisture levels to understand the combustibility of these turf types. The experiments were conducted at the high-tech Pyrotron facility at the CSIRO in Canberra, during the hot dry spring and summer conditions affecting major fires in eastern Australia at the time. The varieties were tested according to different variables such as wind speed, length of grass and moisture levels. Different fuel sources were also tested. “Ultimately, the experiments proved that living turf, even turf that was under severe moisture stress, was highly resistant to ignition, and had to be in a dead or near-dead state and desiccated to extremely low moisture content levels before it would sustain fire spread.”

The results Buffalo In total, 72 ignition attempts were made in buffalo turf samples. No live turf samples in a green, or partially green state (suffering severe moisture deficit stress) were able to be lit. Therefore, the 72 ignition experiments focused on dead or dying turf, in a very dry state at moisture contents well below what would be expected for a healthy or even drought-stressed lawn. The majority of testing concentrated on extremely dry conditions typical of a dead lawn on a day with severe bushfire danger. Despite the extreme testing conditions applied, of these 72 attempts, only six samples ignited and only under incredibly dry and windy conditions. Four of these samples required partial drying in an oven to get them to ignite.

Couch Couch fared slightly less favourably, with 10 successful ignitions from 66 attempts. However, no live turf samples in a green, or partially green state (suffering severe moisture deficit stress)

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

FEATURE: TURF

Line of fire non sustaining

Point ignitions non sustaining

were able to be lit. The successful ignition attempts were all attempts from the ‘extremely dry’ or ‘very dry’ moisture range.

Kikuyu No live turf samples in a green, or partially green state (suffering severe moisture deficit stress) were able to be lit. 41 ignition attempts were made with ‘uncut’ kikuyu with 13 of combusting. With uncut kikuyu, there was a clear statistical significance in the level of moisture which would support combustion. All ignition attempts made at moisture contents below 11.2% ODW* were sustainable and those at higher moisture contents did not sustain in all wind conditions. Such moisture content levels are only attainable in dead grass blades, in dry, very low humidity conditions. An additional 42 ignition attempts were made with short-cut kikuyu, with distinctly different results than uncut kikuyu. None of the 14 ignition attempts made in calm conditions with short cut kikuyu sustained combustion and only two of the 28 attempts in moderate or strong winds were sustainable, and only then, they were only successful at an ODW of 3.7% which was the driest conditions tested. Such moisture content can only be attained in dead grass, in hot and extremely dry conditions. The literature review considered what impact, if any, water restrictions would have on the ability of natural lawns to retain its fire-retardant properties. “All but the most extreme levels of restrictions allow for some watering of lawns, whether that be on specific days or only during twilight hours. In almost all cases, this should keep lawns alive, even if visibly under water stress.”

*Leaf blade moisture contents are expressed as mass of water as a percentage of oven-dried weight (ODW) of a sample.

Fire resistance in action While the ignition experiments confirm that live turf has fire retardant properties, how does this align with what has happened in real-life situations? According to Paul de Mar, project lead at GHD, there are many examples where post-bushfire assessment has shown strong alignment with the study. “It is common in post-bushfire impacted areas to observe green, or partially green lawns remaining largely undamaged by fire surrounding either unburnt houses, or burnt houses where airborne ember attack has directly impacted the house but the surrounding lawn remains unburnt,” Mr de Mar said. “Live turf is known operationally within fire agencies to both mitigate fire spread, and is a favoured means of providing defendable space near houses, to allow safe defence of properties. Lawns and walkways are a form of firebreak, which interrupt the path of surface fire spread – they can’t stop airborne embers but they can provide defendable space from where such embers can be safely put out. “During the 2019/20 fire season, and in many previous fire seasons, there are thousands of examples where home-owners, or firefighters, or both, were able to use defendable spaces provided by maintained lawn areas to defend their houses against ember attack, saving their homes.” For example, the Waroona bushfire which burnt through Yarloop in Western Australia in 2016 destroyed 181 houses. Green lawns are evident around destroyed houses (which succumbed to airborne ember attack) whilst others with surrounding green lawns, also subject to ember attack, were saved. In 2018, Tathra in New South Wales was subjected to a high intensity bushfire which approached from the west through forest, but fire has not spread across maintained lawns. These lawn areas provided defendable space enabling firefighters to extinguish embers and save homes.

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FEATURE: TURF

Summing it all up The full scientific results of the experiment can be found on the Hort Innovation and Turf Australia websites. However, the findings ultimately tell us that watered and mowed lawns are not combustible under any conditions associated with bushfires unless they are completely dead and have extremely low moisture contents. They also don’t melt or suffer permanent burn marks or damage. Maintained lawns provide a healthy and clean environment which can make an important contribution to creating a defendable space around homes and infrastructure in bushfire prone areas. Jenny Zadro, Market Development Manager, Turf Australia says the findings are significant. “Put simply, this is one of the most important pieces of research that the turf industry has invested in. To uncover the scientific proof that our product can help protect homes in during Australia’s yearly bushfire seasons is game changing. “Not only does it add a completely new element to the turf good news story but it opens up additional avenues for us to collaborate with professional and volunteer fire agencies, local government and other community organisations to help keep them safe. “I encourage you to download all available resources on this project and explore how you can use them in conversations with your customers and stakeholders.” A factsheet has been developed to help summarise the findings. This factsheet can be downloaded from the Turf Australia website and should be used to help you have discussions around this empirical, proven benefit of living grass.

Synthetic grass is not a safe substitute for living grass Synthetic grass comprises a mixture of combustible plastics which are predisposed to melting and ignition. There is a great deal of variation on flammability between products with different types of plastic and additives used. Owing to the variations of product and lack of international standard for fire testing in artificial grass, burning behaviour is difficult to test and evaluate. In addition, although fake grass sold typically passes legal standards relating to flammability and ignition, the standards are typically based around indoor settings and are significantly less extreme than testing undertaken as part of this project. However, there have been numerous examples of where materials made by the same types of materials as many synthetic grasses have contributed to catastrophic fire events including the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London. The cladding used in this building contained a polyethylene core – a main ingredient in many synthetic turf products. Separate to the risks around ignition and fire spread it should also be considered that if synthetic grass does ignite or melt, it results in the release of incredibly harmful toxins and chemicals. For example, many synthetic grasses are made from polypropylene or polyethylene, the smoke from which is considered incredibly toxic. Firefighters will not enter an environment with such smoke without self-contained breathing apparatuses and as many volunteer fire services are not fully equipped with that equipment, other locations will be chosen to defend life and property.

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

T&SG: PLANT BREEDING

Tree & Shrub Growers:

The secret world of plant breeding By Matt Ross

On 28th July the Tree & Shrub Growers held an online meeting to discuss Plant Breeding. Attendees had the opportunity to hear from three experts working in the field of plant breeding in Australia. They took us on the journey of breeding plants from start to finish. The session was expertly hosted by Heath McKenzie of Australian Growing Solutions; putting questions to Digby Growns (D), Senior Plant Breeder at Kings Park and Botanic Garden in Western Australia, Mark Lunghusen (M), Managing Director of OutBack Plants and Adrian Parsons (A), Managing Director of Helix Australia. The session was well attended with over thirty industry figures tuning in to listen, learn and interact with the experts.

A – You need to surround yourself with the right people to identify opportunities. Not all plant scientists understand the commercial side of plant breeding. The best results happen when you have commercial experts and scientists working together. The commercial side will instruct the scientists on what the market is craving, the scientist will then deliver that in a plant’s colour, flowering time, yield, vase life, etc. It can take up to ten years to successfully breed a pant for market.

Digby has been the Senior Plant Breeder at Kings Park for 15 years. They run 8 breeding programs, mostly ornamental, focusing on native flora. The aim of the Program is to promote local flora t cultivate a sense of place, whilst reducing use of water, fertiliser and creating habitats for native fauna.

Once you’ve identified the attributes you want, how do you then develop a plant?

How do you decide which plants to develop? D – It’s about looking at what plants are successful in the market. You then take attributes from closely relating plants in a bit to add to their quality, increasing vase life, yield, etc. There’s also such a thing as accidental breeding; sometimes I’ll be out in the bush and see something special that we can work with, there’s so much variation out there. Also seed lots we’re working with can throw up something unexpected, something unique. M – In normal circumstances I’d spend almost half the year overseas with clients (distributors, growers, retailers) trying to understand exactly what the market is after.

D – You select the parents based on the desired attributes and hope for them to be displayed in the germinated seedling. But it’s not quite as simple as that. Our program has produced one million Kanagaroo Paw seeds since 2007, only one hybrid of which has been released to date. There’s a lot of investment to plant breeding, both financial and time, 99.9 per cent of hybrids produced are destroyed. After pollination the seed is germinated, sometimes using tissue culture. They are then grown and assessed for desired attributes. They’re trialled for flowering, disease tolerance, colour, form and more. They are cloned and further assessed by the commercial sector. We treat the plant roughly, trying to kill it, those that survive have a chance of coming to market. Maybe one plant in every 100,000 will.

How do you protect a new plant from competitors? A – Plant breeder’s rights (PBR) are used to protect new varieties of plants that are distinct, uniform and stable. Protection is expensive and you must do so in each market you plan to sell the plant. It can be complicated to navigate different rulings in different countries. If we’re releasing a plant internationally, we’d always protect the plant in the U.S first. Once plants are protected, we contact agents and partners to notify them of their availability.

Digby Growns

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D – It’s important not to create a plant that’s too similar to what’s already on the market. The PBR database can be used to double check, but it’s important you’re an expert and to be able to identify that yourself.

T&SG: PLANT BREEDING

A – Propagation infringements are not commonplace in Australian, but globally it’s more problematic, not to mention expensive.

What can growers do better for plant breeders? D – Plant breeders rely on industry partners to inform them what the market wants. If growers embraced plant breeding programs, they’d have access to better plants. M – Growers must pay the royalties and that doesn’t always happen.

Which plants are currently in demand? M – ropicals are the hottest thing on the market. Like other industries plant trends are cyclical. I’ve bred plants and been told no, ten years later the same pant has been picked up. or that reason, I throw nothing away. We’d like to thank Digby, Mark and Adrian for giving up their time and sharing their insights on plant breeding. It was fantastic to bring together industry figures from across Australia to share and learn from one another. Proving that meaningful collaboration can continue despite the logistical challenges.

Low technology greenhouse

The Tree and Shrub Growers of Victoria is the largest sectional interest group of the Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV). The group consists of members of the NGIV involved with nursery plant production and allied trade and provides fantastic networking opportunities across all areas of industry. Contact NGIV to find out more and learn how to become a member of the Tree and Shrub Growers of Victoria.

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

RETAIL NEWS: OMNI-CHANNEL

It’s time garden centres switch on to omni-channel retail By Adrian Parsons, Helix Australia and 160 Acres Group With consumer shopping habits changing and customers increasingly choosing to shop online, now is the time for garden centres to switch on to omni-channel retail. Retail marketing strategies have gone through significant change over the last 10 years as retailers across a range of categories clamour to ensure they have a strong online offer for their customers. Traditionally, Australian garden centres have focussed on delivering a compulsive in-store shopping experience. This has typically taken the form of stocking a wide range of quality plants, strong roadside signage and point-of-sale merchandising backed up by expert staff ready to provide advice and suggestions to the home gardener. The addition of cafes to garden centres has also been a successful strategy to lift revenues whilst providing a more enjoyable shopping experience for the consumer and inviting them to stay a little longer.

on online retail, a figure that represents 10.4% of the total retail trade and significantly a 19.5% increase on the previous year.

Whilst this broad generic marketing approach has held our industry in good stead for many years, now is the time for Australian retail garden centres to market their businesses online with professional and competitive online purchase options.

Trevor Cochrane, Managing Director of Guru Productions Pty Ltd, said their Garden Gurus television programme has seen a massive increase in web-based enquiries over the last six months. “In 2017 we had only 37 requests or links to on-line retailers that feature on our show. However, in the first six months of

An omni-channel retail strategy is an approach to sales and marketing that provides customers with a fully-integrated shopping experience by uniting user experiences from brick-and-mortar to mobile-browsing and everything in between.

Between March and May 2020 IBISWorld analysts reported an increase in online engagement across categories such as family lifestyle, personal care and nutrition and home and garden. Online search spikes for plants were up by 26% as more people aimed to improve their homes. The data suggests our industry’s core products, plants, seedlings, soil and pots, are ranking highly in online searches. It’s up to us to provide online purchase platforms that attract and convert customers into strong revenue sources for our nurseries.

The Australian online shopping industry has grown dramatically over the past five years. Rapid growth in internet and broadband penetration and consumer acceptance of electronic commerce as a viable and safe alternative to traditional instore retailing have aided online shopping. The National Australian Bank (NAB) online retail sales index April 2020 reported that that year Australians spent $34.27 billion 18

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

2020 we have had over 200,000 enquiries to our online advertisers featuring plants and garden related products”. It would be folly for our industry to think that signage, stock and expert staff alone will ensure consumers get in their cars and visit our business to solve their plant needs. Especially in this unique moment, a time where people are increasingly nervous to leave their homes unless they have to. Big box retailers such as Bunnings were initially slow to embrace an omni-channel marketing approach but are making up ground quickly with their online presence. Online shopping giants Amazon entered the Australian market three years ago and is slowly taking up a significant portion of the market. Financial accounts filed with the Australian Securities and Investment Commission show Amazon’s Australian online store almost doubled its revenue from $292 million in 2018 to $562 million in 2019. Australia Post, which last year began trading from the southern hemisphere’s

RETAIL NEWS: OMNI-CHANNEL

largest parcel facility in Goodman’s Redbank Motorway Estate, anticipates online shopping to account for 16 to 18 per cent of all retail in 2025. An American survey conducted by Big Commerce showcased the fact that millennials (ages 24-39) and Gen-X’ers (ages 41 to 55) prefer to search for products and purchase them online, rather than doing so in a physical store. These combined generational profiles account for 10 million Australians or 42 per cent of our population. We can safely assume this age demographic would constitute a very high percentage of our industry’s potential consumers. Tim Sansom, Manager of Communications and Horticulture at Plants Management Australia believes strong inventory control systems are crucial when developing an effective online offer, to avoid disappointed clients, refunds and credits. “Delivery rates need to be well investigated with some standardisation of products to help estimate of costs and garden centres need to be aware Australian consumers are increasingly conditioned to expect free shipping. Light and small items are a good place to start an online offer with ‘click and collect’ offers creating opportunities for add on purchases”.

Sansom suggests Australia garden centres should review overseas online plant retailers; Wayside Gardens, Bakker.com and Springhill Nursery, as well as local company Plants in a Box, to see how they execute online plant retailing. A quick survey of leading garden centres in Australia revealed the current online offer is very limited. Of the 30 garden centres surveyed; 20 in Victoria, 10 in New South Wales and 10 in South Australia, only three had a reasonable online range with professional images, an easy to use shopping platform and check-out cart. Some of the garden centres offered the option of an online gift card but the majority of retailers provided no opportunity for consumers to shop and order plants and garden products online. Whilst that’s a frightening statistic, it’s also an exciting opportunity for Australian garden centres to play catch up and give the customer what it wants. The initial investment and risk can be minimised by using off the shelf web platforms such as Shopify, Squarespace and 3dcart. Tapping into the photo database of your growers or leading Australian plant breeders could also fast track assembly of a shopping cart of plants for sale. Alternatively, customising your own web shop could provide a more unique offer, albeit at a significantly increased cost

Failure to give consumers what they want may lead to forward thinking competitors taking your custom, both the instore and the online consumer. As the old adage goes, the customer is always right, and they are telling us they want to shop online.

About the author Adrian Parsons, Managing Director Helix Australia and 160 Acres Group – a consulting company specialising in sales marketing advice for the horticultural industry. helix.com.au | 160acres.com.au

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

VALE: BARRY TEESE

Vale Barry Teese By Warners Nurseries We recently lost one of our industry’s shining lights. Barry Teese passed away on 16th July 2020 – a formidable man, always inspiring, a tireless trail blazer. From an early age, his entrepreneurship developed whilst still at home with his parents in Coburg. Barry would propagate ivy cuttings in old jam tins and place out in the street for sale (at a hefty price no doubt). The retail seed was sown! We first came across Barry as a big burly ex policeman who was running both The Greenery and Greens Corner, Tullamarine in the early 1980’s. His boyhood love of plants had finally won out, and the house plant boom saw him develop a business first based on trading palms and other foliage stock from Queensland. Not content with just one outlet, he and brother Daryl had bought the blackberry infested Heidelberg site on the Yarra back in 1977, and with a further Templestowe site added in 1983 they built what was to become the benchmark for nursery retailing Australia wide. By the end of the 80’s The Greenery was a world class establishment, driven hard by the early rising man on a mission affectionately known as “BT”. From those early days, Barry was a great advocate of Warners – not only the plants, but the people, the philosophy, the whole damn place. Burwood was a constant stop on his way to the “hills”. He loved buying from us – he was by far and away our biggest and most consistent customer, a mantle he kept for over 30 years and never relinquished. Barry got on well with Max, although their sales meetings were like two bulls in a paddock – BT eying off all the good stock and Max trying his best to maintain some for others… the negotiation was good listening. That personal banter has

Warners Narre Warren North Grand Opening 7 April 2000

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

been lost in todays computerised world as emails and texts now suffice for an order. BT loved the ground grown stock, balled and burlapped, always complementing the beautiful work of Tom Edwards and the field teams, he understood who the growers were and the skills they had. John Warner saw Barry as someone always full of enthusiasm, and generous with his praise for the quality of our stock and our service – “it added to the pride in what we did, it felt like a partnership”. When our Rowville site got going with Ross Warner, BT saw that as uncharted territory, and his love of dark green and glossy screening plants took off, especially with the readymade market surrounding The Greenery of old orchards being transformed into large blocks and big luxury homes. The new owners had land to fill, wanted the best, and had dollars to spend. With the move to Narre Warren North, Barry came too. He was our most regular visitor, guided now by Andrew Smith, and they toured the site with big sheets of paper filling quickly. When we opened ‘Narre’ in 2000, we thought about a local dignitary, politician, or celebrity landscaper to open the new complex. Barry Teese was our preferred choice. Again, when the business celebrated our 100th birthday at the NGIV Trade Day with big swathes of industry personnel in attendance, BT was the man at the podium reflecting on the history of his biggest supplier. Barry also loved MIFGS and The Greenery’s 2016 “Best in Show” Garden was a very proud moment for him. Not only

Four decades after opening the doors of The Greenery, Barry Teese has celebrated the milestone with an award-winning Show Garden at MIFGS.

VALE: BARRY TEESE

did it celebrate his 40 years in business, it brought together the very best of landscape design and construction, quality greenlife and garden supply, and all supported by his staff and a bunch of people he had mentored along the way. Barry was a very astute plant buyer. He knew good quality stock would always run out, so he would take them all, and take them now. “Don’t hold them, deliver them tomorrow – I’ll be there at 5am,“ he’d tell Andrew – and he would be, on the forklift ready to unload. He understood the value of volume. If you buy 10, you’ll only sell 8, if you buy 100, you’ll sell 80! “Be confident, tell a story, buy quality and charge for it,” was something he impressed on a younger Susan Burns during her time at the Greenery. To her, Barry was an influential, inspirational, and valued mentor. “He didn’t see your gender, your knowledge, or your status – he saw your passion and skills, he exuded optimism and energy and if you shone that back, he scooped you up”. And it wasn’t just Warners stock. “He was always out seeking and looking for the treasure’s, Barry saw no value in sitting at a desk. By air or by sea there were no boundaries, no limitations.” says Susan. Be it Sydney, Northern NSW, Perth, Darwin or anywhere in between – Barry knew all the good growers, and they knew him.

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

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VALE: BARRY TEESE u

The Greenery – a showpiece for quality nursery stock and our plant industry

Lloyd Rankin recalls – “after busy weekends The Greenery benches would be empty, and BT was on the phone or fax Monday morning ordering and wanting delivery of the stock the next day. Barry was a tough customer who knew what he wanted and when he needed it. “He promoted our roses in his Greenery magazines and often had guest speakers for talks and Spring weekend carnivals with the 3AW gardening program.” Barry had very high standards, great skill in displaying stock and his marketing was leading the trade. He had an incredible work ethic, boundless energy, and business acumen. The Greenery was a showpiece for quality nursery stock and our plant industry. And as John noted – all without a café! The nursery car park was his domain. In recent years it has been modified to become a beautiful display garden, but in earlier days it was like Bourke St on good weekends. Barry would delight in directing traffic, maximising the customer flow, the big burly ex-cop with moustache to match just loving the crowds flocking in. Kevin Parker, Manager of The Greenery, can also relate to his carpark dealings, “Barry would love nothing more than proudly relating the benefits of feeding, watering and good drainage to keen customers in our car park gardens in-between directing traffic in a hi-vis vest on busy weekends. Their gardening success was a happy returning customer in his eyes.” His grandson Ryan, now a strapping 27 year old, just the other day reflected on his last two years spent working part time with his Pa. “He was like a lion patrolling his patch, the nursery was his lair. It was Barry in his natural state.” He loved nothing more than unloading a truck full of great quality stock. His eyes would light up, excited about the sales ahead. Barry was a big man who worked long and hard, but somehow managed plenty of leisure time too. He had a hobby farm in the Yarra Valley where he played with cattle, but the farm had one twist – it had an airstrip, a hanger, and of course his plane.

In the 90’s, we were growing plants on the Murray at Barham – BT got wind of that and needed to see what was on the ground. Alan Edwards and I flew up with Barry in the morning, inspected the stock, had lunch and were back on the ground at Lilydale by mid-afternoon. The plant order was processed the next day. No wonder Barry got all the good stock! Lloyd went one further, he jockeyed with Barry on one of his regular flying adventures across central Queensland to the Top End and back via Kalgoorlie. “It was a two-week adventure of a lifetime; one I will never forget.” Kevin also experienced a number of adventures with his friend and colleague, “We enjoyed many a white knuckled plant expedition, with Barry searching for that exclusive grower with the perfect quality plant. Whether racing around the Northern Rivers of NSW or the Dandenong Ranges. I will miss his boundless enthusiasm, his wisdom, our early morning meetings, his positivity, his keen eye for quality but most of all his great friendship!” A big ruckman himself in earlier days, Barry was a keen Carlton fan. Andrew went to the footy with Barry a couple of times. He had his own season tickets to Etihad with the TV screen --in the chair... “so good, such a generous man. I was looking to buy a block of land at auction...Barry’s advice – just keep on bidding, keep going, you will never regret it, and I haven’t.” But when you scratched the surface and stripped away the nursery, the industry colleagues, the long hours of work and the play, it was his family that was his real life. Carolyn and Joby Blackman were two of the lucky ones who scratched that surface. “During our many garden design visits, we’d listen as he swelled with pride telling us about what his kids were doing in their lives. Later, and even more so as his grandkids grew up, we knew about their achievements, their talents. They were such a source of joy to him. He was never happier than when surrounded by the family for dinner or a gathering, it was euphoric for him. Merle was his rock, the ‘woman behind the man’, and a big part of Barry was lost when she died two years ago. u GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

VALE: BARRY TEESE u

Early morning work satisfied him, he’d hand water, shift stock and prep for the day. At the end of the day, he’d drive the sand and soil truck and do those last few deliveries, never letting an opportunity go by. With Barry, you always had to bring your A game, he loved it. He was driven by success. Not just his own or his family. He wanted those around him to be successful, he loved the people around him doing well.” In Barry’s own words to Carolyn, “it’s just been the best life, I’ve had the best time, I’ve had the most fun, we’ve done great things. I have the best family.” BT was thinking positively and working right to the end. So full of pride and excitement, a huge spring was coming, and he needed to clear space and get ready. “I wish I was twenty years younger, I have so many things I could do,” he said to many. We will miss your stories Barry, your inspiration, independence, and incredible energy for life. Some will miss the fancy dinners and long lunches, some the not so fancy Chinese takeaway. Barry Teese was one of a kind in our nursery industry. His mould will not be re-filled, his combination of passion, enthusiasm, drive, and vision in a very large package will be hard to find. RIP BT On behalf of the Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria directors, staff and members, our sincere condolences are extended to Barry’s friends and family.

Irrigation Booms

“Barry was a humble but devoted man to his business, the industry and his beloved association, NGIV. Only late last year, Barry supported NGIV by participating in a Skills, Training and Jobs Forum attended by secondary school principals and career advisors, promoting the opportunities that exist for the younger generation within horticulture.” Craig Taberner, CEO of NGIV. As Barry said, “My philosophy is, if you‘re going to do something you have to put everything into it.” You certainly lived by that Barry. A legend of the industry, who will be sadly missed.

GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

INDUSTRY NEWS

Your COVID-Safe Plan

Vale: Leon Borelli, Owner of Sunshine Nurseries It is with sadness that we share the passing of Leon Borelli on Tuesday morning 14th July 2020. Leon was a stalwart supporter of the NGIV for over half a century and along with his father Alan, were founding members in the establishment of the Bedding Plant Industry in Victoria. Leon began his horticulture career in the late 1960’s growing indoor plants at the back of his father’s egg farm in Huntingdale, selling them to local supermarkets and florists. The fledgling business soon developed, and he expanded his assortment to grow flower and vegetable seedlings to supply local retail nurseries. Through sheer hard work, a determination to succeed and with the support of his wife Sue, and some very astute business decisions, Sunshine Nurseries has developed into a leading player in the supply of seedlings to the Bunnings group across Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.

A COVID-Safe Plan helps protect your workers, customers and visitors. Under the Stage 4 restrictions, workplaces that remain open must have a COVID-Safe Plan. Every workplace must have a COVID-Safe Plan to help protect its staff, customers and visitors and to prepare for a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace. Whilst guidelines suggest you do not need one if you are a small business with fewer than 5 employees, we would still recommend you proceed with developing one. Your COVID-Safe Plan must set out:

Your actions to help prevent the introduction of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace

The level of face-covering or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce

How you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace

This plan must demonstrate how you will meet all of the requirements set out by the Victorian Government. Some higher-risk industries or workplaces have additional requirements of employers and employees.

Your employees are required to know your workplace’s COVID-Safe Plan and understand what’s needed. Further information and templates are available on our website or go to business.vic.gov.au

It is a testament to Leon’s business prowess and his ability to adapt and implement innovative changes to streamline the production side of his business that has enabled Sunshine Nurseries to grow and withstand economic and environmental pressures over many years and to still be one of the mainstays of the Bedding Plant Industry. NGIV offers it’s sincere condolences to the friends and family of Leon Borelli.

Calling all NextGen’ers At NGIV we think it’s important to celebrate the next generation of horticulturalists. Our industry is full of people that have gone from apprentice right up to general manager or business owner; enjoying a career for life. Each month in Groundswell we give a young horticulturalist the stage to share the journey they’ve been on and where they hope to get to. The article provides a bit of background on their passion and experience within the industry, their study and their personal interests. Not only is it a chance for them to share their achievements and dreams with the industry, it’s a chance for you, the employer to give them the credit they deserve. If you’re an NGIV member and you have an employee that’s 35 or under that you think they deserves a bit of recognition, email ngiv@ngiv.com.au to find out how to have them featured in Groundswell. GROUNDSWELL SEPTEMBER 2020

RETAIL STATE OF PLAY

Groundswell | September 2020

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