John Gabriele paints the picture of a new generation of exterior paints, which have more than their fair share of new technologies thrown into the mix. Paul Kirkpatrick checks out the ‘New Australian Garden’ full of natives that celebrate where we live, which also burst with colour and thrive in our Australian conditions of low water and minimal maintenance requirements.

Plant-purchase strategies

Landscaping around trees

On the cover: A1 Rubber. Standing the test of time

Mini loaders, skid steers and compact track loaders

Landscape Contractor Manager May - June 2024

Milwaukee Tool introduces the MX FUEL™ Plate Compactor.

Eye on the industry.

Business and finance...

Landscape Contractor Manager January - February 2024

Landscape Contractor Manager November - December 2023 issue

This magazine is like a bible for all landscapers, operators, contractors, apprentices who associate with landscape, earthmoving, construction and building industries.

This magazine is like a bible for all landscapers, operators, contractors, apprentices who associate with landscape, earthmoving, construction and building industries - a must read magazine to keep you update with skills, occupational health and safety, industry news and views......yes , everything that matters to you on day to day working life.

This magazine is a bible for all landscapers, operators, contractors, apprentices who associate with landscape, earthmoving, construction and building industries - a must-read magazine to keep you up to date with skills, occupational health and safety, industry news and views... yes , everything that matters to you in your day-to-day working life.

This magazine is like a bible for all landscapers, operators, contractors, apprentices who associate with landscape, earthmoving, construction and building industries – a must-read magazine to keep you up to date with skills, occupational health and safety, industry news and views... everything that matters to you in day-to-day working life.

This magazine is like a bible for all landscapers, operators, contractors, apprentices who associate with landscape, earthmoving, construction and building industries - a must read magazine to keep you update with skills, occupational health and safety, industry news and views. Yes, everything that matters to you on day to day working life.

Diesel Dirt & Turf is ready to kick off and 2022’s event is likely to be bigger than ever as Australia’s largest construction-industry
Expo hits the starter and rocks the landscaping, construction and earthmoving industries.
As always, we’ve reviewed some frontline equipment, including mini loaders, power blowers and mowing gear. Andrew Tulloch
tested the Ferris Z2 Soft Ride stand-on mower and with a 52-inch cutting deck it’s built to handle some seriously tough terrain.
What have nurseries got to do with landscapers? Marc Worner makes a case for integrating nursery expertise into landscape planning
and general business, and points out that a good relationship with a reputable nursery can have huge benefits for pro landscapers.
In this issue Marc has a few tips on choosing the right tree or trees for an installation and throws up a few thoughts on benefits and
disadvantages of various types and species. And while we’re talking about the right foliage, making sure a site is planned to
allow foliage to thrive is vital. Getting the right amount of air and water onto, and away from, a location is a big consideration, and
it’s not as straightforward as sprinklers and runoff. Jonathan Garner shares his expertise in this field – or backyard, or possibly even
courtyard garden – by underlining some observations on aeration and drainage, and on some of the things which need to be considered to get the balance right. ‘Balance’ is the important concept in getting water and air into and out of soil, because too much air or water, or not enough of either, can spell disaster on an otherwise well-sorted site. Supplying too much water doesn’t automatically make for a tropical setting, either. Like any job, tropical settings and environments require sound knowledge of the ecosystems and their maintenance, and John Gabriele has clearly laid out a few of the factors which need to be addressed in that particular application.

In anticipation of a year better than the last two have been, we cranked out a ripping issue to kick off 2022.
First up we have absolutely on-point stories from LCM’s first-rate crew of industry professionals. Andrew Tulloch has been living on the edge with some AEG equipment, proven he’s a sole man with Blundstone’s #984, and cut straight to the chase with EcoTeq’s MEAN GREEN Rival Battery-powered Zero Turn Mower and the Cub Cadet PRO X 648 Stand-On Zero Turn. Meanwhile, Anna Turner’s continued her focus on getting quotes right, offering a few very salient thoughts on pricing up a job in a world where material prices have skyrocketed, and supply chains have crumbled. Naming a price which will still mean a profit on a job’s completion can be a tricky exercise when markets are so unstable, but Anna’s tips should help to considerably reduce the uncertainty of the exercise. John Gabriele, as usual, has come up with some really excellent thoughts and ideas on lighting a landscape. Water is a huge consideration for all Australians, not just those living west of the Great Dividing Range. Marc Worner’s fired in an article with a sprinkling of ideas and thoughts on irrigation, sprinkler systems, pumps, and how those various facets of handling a very precious asset can fit together. In a clever alignment of ideas, Jonathan Garner’s piece on soil amending gives us the dirt on using existing soils for more water-efficient and sustainable landscaping. Professional insight is all very well – and very much a part of LCM – but we have also devoted a little space to the celebration of our chosen industry. Big news for this issue! Landscape Contractor Magazine is now a Sponsor Partner of The Landscape Industries Association of Western Australia (LIAWA) and we look forward to a long and successful partnership

It’s time to make sure of good hydration and the slip, slop, slap regime so important for those working outdoors.
One of the great Aussie symbols of summer is mowing the lawn. Wandering up and down the quarter-acre with a two-stroke mower pumping out fumes and screaming at high revs fit to wake the dead must be a strong mental image for all of us. But there’s no need for that anymore. Thanks to the evolution of batteries and robotics, there are now quiet, stress-free, and reliable alternatives. Husqvarna leads the pack in robotic mowing, and the cover story this issue highlights just how impressive and automated the system and its hardware have become.
Jonathon Garner has come up with a piece that should have us thinking at the very outset of tendering before we start work: the importance of working with locally sourced soil rather than imported media. It might seem it doesn’t belong at the top of a job’s list of priorities, but Jonathon makes a strong case for considering soil and media in consultation with the client and other trades involved with the job. Marc Worner’s always full of bright ideas, and his rundown on residential outdoor cinemas is a cracker. Marc floated a few great concepts and products, and just the idea alone should have clients grinning. John Gabrielle’s put together an overview on low-maintenance landscapes and Anna Turner has some tips on charging the right price for labour. And probably everyone’s least favourite aspect of Australia’s summer is the bushfire season, now well and truly upon us.  All the regular sections including Eye on the industry and association news.

Landscape Contractor Magazine is now a Bronze Partner with Landscaping Victoria Master Landscapers.
We’re looking forward to a long and successful partnership with LVML, and we admit we’re feeling pretty
chuffed about it. Meanwhile, it doesn’t seem that long ago the term ‘granny flat’ had a vaguely derogatory implication and a granny flat
wasn’t much more than one step above a cubbyhouse. A granny flat these days is a serious building proposition and required to meet
the same building and health standards as any other accommodation.  Marc Worner’s had a look at the state of play with granny flats in the modern world, and it’s an eye-opener. Elsewhere in the issue Andrew Tulloch has put an AEG cordless post-hole digger
through its paces, and it’s fairly astonishing. Augurs usually need to be powered by a small petrol engine to survive in the pro
landscaping world, or at the very least, 240 volts. But such is the technological advances of brushless motors and lithium-ion
batteries that AEG’s 36-volt Fusion digger is a serious, professional-standard augur that’s light, strong, and, best of all, safe. That
thing digs like a beagle with a bone! We’ve also test driven the Ferris® ISX™ 3300 Zero Turn Mower and no introduction is
needed for this brand. John Gabriel’s had a look at hardscape materials and the importance of choosing carefully. Arved Matt’s done a thorough job of outlining hazardous manual handling and aspects which need particular consideration in landscaping  and Anna Turner, as usual, has some very worthwhile tips on improving business efficiency – in this case the possible benefits
of applying some not-too-difficult technology. Finally, this issue welcomes a new contributor. Jonathon Garner comes on
board, taking over from Paul Kirkpatrick.

After returning from The Landscape Show, LCM have uncovered some innovative products and also share some insights in Eye on the industry. John Gabriel explains how to Keep it green in the landscape, whilst Marc Worner gives a very in depth analysis on retaining walls. Along with all our regular features with Anna Turner in Business and Finance showcasing how to onboard staff when busy and our environmental chapter on Hazardous substances and hazards of nature.  There is plenty more high-level landscape tech and advice scattered throughout this issue.

We’re only just back from Diesel Dirt and Turf, and now everyone’s looking forward to The Landscape Show at Caulfield Racecourse, which is back as a face-to-face event on May 26th and that is exciting for all in the industry.
Marc Worner’s continued his presentation of environmentally sound practices with a look at using timber in landscaping, and John Gabriele has explored the fusion of art into gardening, specifically with the use of mosaics. It’s an historical endeavour and, as you’ll see in John’s story, how you can be very effective in both creating an atmosphere and defining a botanic display.
We have also had a look at a truly iconic Aussie brand, Blundstone. 
Blundstone is one of Australia’s most successful and enduring brands. Based in Tassie and fiercely proud of its heritage, the company has a new boot that’ll be a golden pointer over the black dot for landscapers and most workers in industrial settings. It’s a good-looking boot, too, and that’s a winner.
‘If you want to look like a genius, surround yourself with geniuses’ is a common saying. It’s true enough, but hiring staff is a legal minefield these days. Anna Turner, our guru on project management, shares some thoughts on hiring well and making the most of good people. 
There’s plenty more going on in this issue, of course. Equipment and product reviews, industry news and information, and even a little light entertainment here and there.

This issue we look into Compact loaders and Power Blowers, we tested the Ditch Witch SK600 Mini Skid Steer, the Cub Cadet PRO Z 972 SDL Zero-Turn and Blundstone #992 Work Boots and much more.

The Benefits of Biostimulants
By John Gabriele, A Changing Landscape
By Paul Kirkpatrick, Aches and Pains Be Gone
By Marc Worner...

This magazine  is  like a bible for all  landscapers, operators, contractors, apprentices  who associate with landscape, earthmoving, construction and building industries - a must read magazine to keep you update  with skills, occupational health and safety, industry news and views......yes , everything that matters to you on day to day working life.

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - July - August 2024 Edition

July - August 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - July - August 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - May - June 2024 Edition

May - June 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - May - June 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - March - April 2024 Edition

March - April 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - March - April 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - January - February 2024 Edition

January - February 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - January - February 2024

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - November - December 2023 Edition

November - December 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - November - December 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - September - October 2023 Edition

September - October 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - September - October 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - July - August 2023 Edition

July - August 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - July - August 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - May - June 2023 Edition

May - June 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - May - June 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - March - April 2023 Edition

March - April 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - March - April 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - January - February 2023 Edition

January - February 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - January - February 2023

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - November - December 2022 Edition

November - December 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - November - December 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - September - October 2022 Edition

September - October 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - September - October 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - July - August 2022 Edition

July - August 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - July - August 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - May - June 2022 Edition

May - June 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - May - June 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - March - April 2022 Edition

March - April 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - March - April 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  Cover - January - February 2022 Edition

January - February 2022

Landscape Contractor Magazine  - January - February 2022

Download your favorite titles and read them offline, anytime and anywhere

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines and newspapers from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from {{magCount}}+ best-selling international titles.

Name

Please fill out this form if you need any help regarding publishing your content on Magzter

Since we launched, Magzter has been committed to partnering with global organizations to provide the greatest possible newsstand technology & service to our customers. Whether you are looking to offer magazine subscriptions to your customer database or just want to learn more, Magzter is committed to helping your business grow. To find out more, please fill out the questionnaire below:

Landscape Contractor Magazine - January - February 2020

Landscape Contractor Magazine - January - February 2020

In this issue

Landscape Contractor Magazine Description: