Melbourne households will be able to water gardens at any time and wash cars at home for the first time in four years when water restrictions are eased to Stage 2 from 1 September 2010.

Premier John Brumby has announced that from Wednesday 1 September, households can apply for a 28 day exemption to enable new warm season lawns to be established.

The NGIV, in conjunction with Primary Skills Victoria, is offering 15 apprentice scholarships to attract new entrants into the nursery industry. There are a number of opportunities for the development of a rewarding and fulfilling career within the nursery industry, in both the wholesale and retail sectors.

Presented by the Nursery & Garden Industry Australia, the Awards recognise and reward excellence within the nursery and garden industry and acknowledge industry leaders as they strive to achieve best business practice.

To ensure horticulturalists are not unnecessarily restricted by upcoming changes to chemical product labels, DPI Chemical Standards are offering a helping hand by conducting a five minute online survey so your voice can be heard.

The 2010 Nursery and Garden Industry held their Conference Gala Dinner and Awards Night recently in Darwin on Thursday 22nd April. Victorian businesses once again won a significant number of awards, and these are featured in this article. Also available for download is the 'NGIA Cream of The Crop' Media Release listing all winners

The Nursery & Garden Industry has been successful in obtaining a federal award for the industry to be officially known as 'Nursery Award 2010 (MA000033)', and having jurisdiction throughout Australia. This includes Retail Nurseries and Production Nurseries.

A carefully designed and well maintained garden is an important addition to every home-owners bushfire plan. It will also provide significant reductions in household energy consumption.