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Favourites - 6
Contributions from readers are invited for this series on their favourite species, cultivar, hybrid or plant group. You don't need to write much - three or four paragraphs would be fine! So, if you'd like to give it a go, please get in touch with the editor (sgap@ozemail.com.au). If you have a good colour photograph to accompany it, that would be great but, if not, we may be able to dig up one from somewhere!
Grevilleas - Lots of them!!
Ron and Cathy Powers
We hope our experiences with a range of Grevillea species and cultivars might be interesting for the "Favourites" segment of the magazine....
We have included as under-story plants within our three, fenced eucalypt plantations (of about half a hectare each) several varieties of other native plants. Included are sixteen forms of Grevillea to provide additional flowers for nectar eaters.....birds, mammals and insects.
The sugar gliders are quite happy to feast, but the brushtail and ringtail possums are too rough on the plants and thus are wire-netted out of individual plants. We have had almost non-stop flowering although the individual plant tags for most indicate limited flowering periods. Perhaps by snipping off spent flowers regularly we have extended their flowering periods.
Flowering most of the year are: "Splendour", lanigera, "Poorinda Elegance", "Winpara Gem", rivularis and shiressii. "Clearview David", "Pink Pearl", "Winpara Gold", "Jenkinsii", "Murray Valley Queen", olivacea, "Gingin Gem", "Poorinda Peter", "Poorinda Anticipation", thelemanniana and "Pink Lady" are able to flower for months and overlap each other.
The mixtures of red, mauve, yellow, pink, green, apricot and blue bring needed colour to the green and grey of the eucalypts when they aren't in flower. The native grasses presently are green but as summer comes on will change to brown, matching the tree trunks.
Currently being constructed is a 4th plantation of one half acre which will have eucalypts and understory plants starting at the same time to see if that is as successful as giving the trees a year's head start. The understory for this one will be entirely grevilleas either grown from cuttings or from seeds harvested and planted in peat pots. Like all of our previous efforts, plantings will be in deep holes drilled with tractor assistance, then backfilled with scoria fines and the drilled clay.
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Australian Plants online - September 2001
Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants
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