Nursery & cutflowers

Western Australia has a significant nursery industry and also grows exotic and Australian native flowers for local and export markets. Nurseries exist in most areas from Broome to Esperance.

Important sectors include land rehabilitation after mining and on farms, state and local government, seedlings for commercial growers and home gardens. There is growing emphasis on ‘waterwise’ plants using local provenance species.

Sales of exotic cutflowers are primarily local whereas waxflowers, South African proteas and bush-picked flowers and foliage are mostly exported.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has developed new hybridised waxflower varieties and produced reports on best propagation, field and postharvest management practices of these crops.

Articles

  • Glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) is a sucking leafhopper known to be a vector to bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which causes various serious plant diseases.

  • Apple dimpling bug (Campylomma liebknechti) adults feed on developing fruitlets of apples, pears, nashi pears and occasionally summerfruit (stone fruit) resulting in distortion that makes

  • Ground pearls are closely related to scale insects and can be serious pests of sugarcane and recreational turf.

  • Pesticides are often used to control western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) in horticultural crops. However, western flower thrips is regarded to be a 'pesticide-induced proble

  • The presence of insects in flower crops can result in feeding damage to flowers, leaves and stems or cause galls to form.