PLANT GROWERS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
3 HARRIS ROAD, WONGA PARK, VICTORIA, 3115PHONE: +613 9722 1444, FAX: +613 9722 1018 sales@pga.com.au INTRODUCTION Plant Growers Australia Pty Ltd (PGA) is a wholesale nursery occupying 12 acres approximately 40 km east of Melbourne, where it has been operating since 1971. Annual production totals approximately 1 million plants, predominantly in 14cm containers. Covering a product range of over 300 varieties consisting mainly of perennials, ground covers and shrubs PGA is well known for its regular introduction of new and interesting varieties.
The Company's representatives call regularly throughout the Melbourne metropolitan area, most of country Victoria, southern New South Wales, Canberra, Adelaide, S.E. and South Australia. Most orders are delivered on the Company's own vehicles except to Tasmania and northern New South Wales.
The Company produces some 96% of its liner stock in its own propagation facilities. PGA's has on-going breeding programs and other areas of research.
PGA meets the vigorous standards of hygiene and nursery practice that are required to achieve accreditation under the Victorian Nursery Accreditation Scheme.
Several new Brachyscome varieties have been produced and protected by PBR during a plant breeding program that concentrated on Australian Native Daisy species. The superior qualities of flower colour and plant habit of these new cultivars have been recognised on the Australian market where they are proving extremely popular. They have also attracted a great deal of interest from growers in other countries. Two Rhodanthe (syn. Helipterum) cultivars have also been selected and granted PBR protection both in Australia and overseas.
PGA has a track record of innovation going back over 15 years and has led the industry in developing soiless growing media, growing practices, plant introductions and marketing. The propagation facility has always been at the forefront in adapting and developing new techniques. It was the second commercial nursery in Australia to introduce an air/water fogging system and was one of the early users of CO2 in its propagation facility.
Several new plants introduced by the Company before PBR protection was available in Australia have been taken up by other growers and now represent important lines for the industry in general. These include Cytisus 'Yellow Imp', Erica cerinthoides pink and red (two exceptional sports that were found in Australia), Erica oatsei x`Winter Fire', Ceanothus 'Blue Cushion', Rhodanthe 'Paper Baby' and many others. The Company We support our customers sales in a number of ways including full colour adverts of many new releases in national gardening magazines. POS material is often available to retailers who wish to make a feature display. We have our own in house graphic department to design pictorial labels, advertising and other sales merchandise.
A quarantine glasshouse is located on site and both have been approved by the the Australian Quarantine Authorities to receive plants brought in from overseas. The glasshouse has mist, fog and heating options to provide optimum conditions for plants on arrival.
PGA. is owned and managed by Michael Cole - Sales and Marketing, Howard Bentley - Production and Operations, and Malchom Dickson - Financials. All staff are trained within the company to a high standard of competence with particular emphasis placed on health and safety.
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PGA was the second in Australia to use pine bark mixes and slow release fertilisers that are now the Industry standard. Several soil and plant handling techniques were developed by the company and have been adopted by other growers. It was also probably the first to recycle water using ultra-violet sterilisation.