Australian Plants online - Subscribers' NewsletterNumber 7 - September 1998Published by The Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants CONTENTS
1. September issue of "Australian Plants online" Magazine
The September issue is now online at:
http://www.silo.riv.com.au/SGAP/APOL11/ac98-03.html
Contents include:
2. Hydroponics and Australian plants
This seems to be a fairly neglected field. Mauro Pecollo from Italy is interested in contacting anyone who has information on the topic. You can reach Mauro at mpecollo@sistel.it. Don't forget to send a copy of any info to me as well so that I can pass it on via the newsletter.
3. Mint Bush Cold Tolerance
Tim Longville has the following experience on the cold tolerance of Prostanthera rotundifolia:
"A quick word in response to Iris Cohen's query about hardiness of Prostanthera rotundifolia. Depends where she is, of course, since hardiness to winter cold is to a degree influenced by preceding summer heat, but in my own mild but cool and wet part of the north west coast of the UK, it's only hardy down to circa -3C. I'd guess it would be two or three degrees hardier in a place with more regular summer heat and less regular all-year-round rain (a sheltered corner of the Dorset, Devon or Cornwall coast, say).
End of quick word."
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Thanks Tim
4. Raised Garden Beds - Drying Flowers
A two-pronged question from Robyn McKinnon (tscted@tpgi.com.au)......
"My questions (2) are:
1. When building a raised garden bed for native plants (over a clay bed), what is the best top soil/sand ratio? 2. What is the best way to dry native flowers and proteas?"
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Well....I had a go at this but both Robyn and I would be interested in other ideas. My response was....
"My view is that a sandy loam is the best soil for building raised beds but you could probably find any number of people who would disagree. I think most people would reject pure sand as a medium except for very specialised plants.
As for drying flowers - I believe that most dry well is hung in a dry, protected location."
5. A Question of Ethics
Maria Hitchcock (dhitch@hotmail.com) writes......
"I am the leader of the ASGAP Correa Study Group and have approximately 60 members around Australia. Every now and then I get requests from overseas from different people wanting to join the study group but I have a dilemma. Members are entitled to newsletters and cutting material but I am concerned that if I send cutting material overseas, I am unwittingly allowing valuable genetic material out of Australia. I had requests from several nurseries wanting material and I worry that they may register our plants overseas and as a result we will not be able to grow them here. What do other people think? There are no Correas with PBR rights but several cultivars have been registered with the Cultivar Registration Authority. Up until now I have been denying membership to overseas members."
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An interesting dilemma...please let us know what you think.
6. CDs on Australian Plants Diana Snape's request for details on Landscaping programmes aimed at Australian conditions brought a couple of responses.
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John Wrigley advised that he is involved in the preparation of a design programme featuring mainly Australian plants. It will contain about 2000 native species and about 1000 exotics that are in common use in Australia. Every species will have at least one photograph, mostly several. It will also cover pests and diseases.
As well as plants and their descriptions, it will allow viewers to design their own garden and view the effect in 3D. Murray Fagg will be providing most of the photographs.
The CD will probably be released early next year.
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Tim Langdon of Native Knowledge Pty Ltd has already produced an Australian CD. He writes:
"Native Knowledge Pty Ltd's new Native Australian Tree Index Visual Encyclopaedia (NATIVE) is an interactive computer software program which has been designed to provide the user with information on a wide range of native plants. This very innovative program is simple to use and is of great use for those with little knowledge of native plants right through to those who make their living from propagating native plants. Australia's floral diversity will become glaringly apparent to the users of this wonderful resource tool.
It contains:
7. Devil's Twine
Andy Rawlinson (andy.rawlinson@anu.edu.au) has a problem that will be familiar to many people. He writes:
"I have a 1 acre block on the NSW South Coast near Moruya. The area is plagued by two weeds,Bitou Bush which is being sprayed by National parks and remnants hand weeded. The other is in fact an Australian native Cassytha spp - a misiltoe relative - also called the Devils Twine.
This plant is a parasite spread by the Misiltoe bird and grows rapidly in all directions and if not checked will quickly smother and choke plants without preference. The Twine does not often kill a plant but so severely weakens it that it then succumbs to other threats (insect attack, wind damage lack of water etc.) The only control I have found is to pull the twines from the plant and spend many hours unwinding from desirable and delicate plants or cutting out and burning badly infested plants.
I would very much like to hear from anyone have experience with the Devils Twine and particularly with its control."
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As usual I could be less than helpful. I believe that this is the same plant that is also called "dodder". I don't know of any way to control it other than by physical removal but I'm sure someone out there can be more helpful.
8. Now That's What I Call a Leaf!!!!
Ned Rahn (rahn@hargray.com) has found an unbelievably long eucalypt leaf....
"Today a friend showed me a leaf from a "eucalyptus" that was 15 inches long and 4.25 inches wide. Can you identify the species based on the leaf size or does more than one species have such large leaves?"
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Well, the one that comes to mind is E.ptychocarpa from tropical Australia. It can have juvenile leaves up to 45cm by 17 cm. However I'm sure there are others. Has anyone got any other suggestions?
9. A Forum for Australian Plant Growers
I've been remiss in not mentioning this before but John Allen has jogged my memory.
"I have recently come across an interesting site which you may know about. It is a forum for asking questions about, and getting answers on, facets of Australian natives plants.
http://www.au.gardenweb.com/forums/
No doubt there are other readers who would be interested in this site and may be unaware of its existence. So thought you may like to mention it in the next edition."
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I certainly would. I came across the site when it first started but there wasn't much happening and I sort of lost track of it. I'm not sure how active it is now but it would be useful if readers made use of it. It provides a service that the Society isn't in a position to supply at present.
10. Kingia australis
Graham Harris (HarGra@topnz.ac.nz) from New Zealand writes:
"Does anyone know a source of Kingia australis seed? One Australian commercial seed supplier told me that it rarely sets viable seed so is difficult to obtain. Any comments on this?"
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I have no experience with this species so I hope someone else can assist Graham.
11. Rapid Eucs...
In response to Dick Glick's (dglickd@pipeline.com)request for info on fast growing eucalypts, Tony Stuart has a suggestion or two.
"The best place to contact would either be the Forestry Department at The Australian National University in Canberra 02 6249 5111 (I don't know an email address but it would be easy to look up the uni on the web and go from there) or CSIRO in Canberra has a tree research division (or at least it used to 10 years ago).
When I studied Forestry in the early 80's there were people in Brazil growing Eucalyptus grandis to 35 metres in 32 months if my memory is right. We found this out from the CSIRO (department of forest research??)in Canberra. I know that then there was work being done in Australia with hybrids which was getting good results."
12. ...and Toxic Eucs
Tony also has some info on Thomas Patten's (tpatten@rocketmail.com) concern about possibility of toxicity of eucalypt foliage:
"I doubt if you would ever have any problems with children being poisoned by eucalypts. They are poisonous but I'm sure that the leaves taste so bad that no one would eat them. As far as wildlife goes I don't know I have seen giraffes eating Eucalyptus sideroxylon leaves at Dubbo zoo.Stock on farms will eat eucalypt seedlings as there is usually strong eucalypt regeneration in paddocks when grazing animals are removed and a suitable seed source is present.
According to what I have read the basic principle of toxicity is that plants which grow in (or possibly species from) the more fertile and better watered sites have a lower toxicity or lower concentrations of the toxic essential oils in their leaves. I think this is in accordance with the general principle that most aromatic plants (e.g. culinary herbs) which are grown with fertile soils and plenty of water will generally have a weaker flavour than those grown under harsher conditions."
13. Ant Bait
Tony collects a hat trick with this response to Bob Weston's search for an effective ant bait....
"I have heard that a mixture of half icing sugar and half soduim bicarbonate works well. Obviously not on carnivorous ants. I have no personal experience with this."
14. Plants for Cold Climates
Lyndall Thorburn made the following response to my request for information on plants suitable for cold climates (this being a fairly regular request in messages to the web site.
"We in Canberra get pretty chilly seasons - winters down to minus 7 and frost frost frost (except this year which has been rain rain rain). Ground doesn't freeze over through. SGAP Canberra has a website and on it are all the Aust spp in our database - around 850 plants, all with descriptions.
These might be useful for people trying to identify plants or find growing conditions. The address is http://www.anbg.gov.au/sgap"
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Thanks Lyndal...Canberra Region's database is a great idea and one that I hope might be taken up by other Regions of SGAP.
15. Backhousia citriodora
Rodger Elliot is a familiar name to many Australian plants enthusiasts through his many books and articles and, in particular, as co-author of "The Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants". Rodger has the following advice for Roger and Joan Brine (rbrine@bigpond.com)who were interested in growing Backhousia citriodora in the Adelaide Hills:
"B.citriodora may do alright in the Adelaide Hills. It needs relatively warm, protected sites with good drainage but will have difficulty coping with a series of consecutive frosts especially if below 0°C. Best to do trial plantings in different locations to find the best spot. They respond well to slow release fertilisers and regular pruning promotes vigorous growth."
Finally....
Is there a better small wattle than Acacia flexifolia? Mine is about 5 years old and is still less than a metre high (admittedly I do cut it back by about a quarter each year). It's growing in a well drained, sunny position and is covered in lemon-yellow flowers in late winter. I wonder how widely it's grown?
There are other small wattles, of course. A.drummondii comes immediately to mind but it's not reliable here.
What are your favourites?
Best wishes Brian
Brian Walters, |