It all began with Wayne trying to propagate seeds from our local bush over quite some time, but he was having trouble with damping-off, even after much reading and harassing the librarians for books on native plants. Our first plantings were in the windbreak up across our top paddock, mainly of red gums, blue gums, she-oaks and a flowering gum, also a couple of callistemons. Callistemon viminalis is doing well up there, it's the only one that I know the name of as we were not into names only plants then. Still not with a lot of success, until when Wayne saw the television ad for the open days at “Tyalge' Native Gardens at Tynong North, so off we went to investigate. What an eye opener and introduction into Australian Native Plants, after talking to Alvina (the owner of the Tyalge property) and some of the members from SGAP Vic group, we joined up that weekend.
We were hooked, this was the start of our native plants in 'POTS' collection, 12 months later another weekend visit to 'Tyalge' Native Gardens.
Then Wayne saw the advertisement in the Express of local or like minded people forming a Native Plants Group, we had missed the first meeting, but made it to the second one and at this meeting it was decided to form the Society for Growing Australian Plants, Latrobe Valley Group with Warren Simpson as Leader, I dubiously put my hand up for the Newsletter Editor's job and as you know I'm still at it and enjoy doing so.
With the advice and encouragement from The Knowledgeable Ones in our group, we started to plant out. Our soil is not of the best quality but with TLC and learning to protect our plants from hares, rabbits and cows and with only having the dam for watering gardens and livestock, mulching helped too as we found out over the last several years with the drought. We planted our first (South bank) garden bed and along the top of the bank behind our house from the steps end, Grevillea stenomera, Banksia coccinea (Scarlet Banksia) the wattle birds love it's flowers, Banksia integrifolia (Coast Banksia), Callistemon 'Kings Park Special', Isopogon formosus, Alyogyne huegelii 'Native Hibiscus' white form, this is just a some of them. There have been more added after a few casualties, even now I have to check the gardens if I have been away for a day or two as plants seam to pop into the ground when I'm not home.
Our 'South Bank' has Grevillea jenkinsii, Banksia marginata 'Mini Marg' 'Silver Banksia', Callistemon 'Rocky Rambler' prostrate and soon to be covered in Red with gold tip flowers (Last Nov I used these flowers at my brother's wedding, what a picture they made). Correa decumbens, Correa reflexa, stuck in between is little Melaleuca thymifolia 'Little Beauty' and it is with it's bushy mauve flowers, Zieria prostrata and on it's last legs is poor Hypocalymma xanthoptelum with fluffy bright yellow flowers that always give a good show. I'll have to plant another one of these in the garden. Then came the first of two garden beds out the front of the house, looking out the lounge room windows watching the Blue wrens, the Eastern Spinebills and the New Holland Honeyeaters flittering through and around Acacia aphyla, the Anigozanthos Green and Yellow forms, Callistemon 'Captain Cook', Grevillea alpine 'Warby', Grevillea ilicifolia, Acacia glaucoptera (Clay Wattle) covered in bright yellow flowers and with it's green — red tipped foliage this plant looks great anytime of the year. One of the birds favourite plants is a well established Correa baeuerlenii (Chef's Hat), along with Grevillea lanigera 'Mt Tamberitha', Phebalium lamprophyllum and many more. Over the years planting has extended to all areas around the house and the latest has been the large bank below our machinery shed, looking out the dinning room window I can see one of my favourite plants, Alyogyne huegelii continually showing off its eye catching purple flowers for all to enjoy.
With the clearing of the willows from our bottom boundary the Tanjil River, our view has improved tenfold, we have fenced off most of the river and the Gippsland Water Mob have replanted it and left us 8 trays consisting of Manna Gum, Strzelecki Gum, Blackwood, Prickly Tea Tree, Slender Tea Tree, Woolly Tea Tree and Burgan's to be planted there too. This is on top of other windbreaks and gardens that we have plans for in the future.
I've had to make a few forays out around the gardens checking on what plants are still with us, in doing this it has made me realize that I need to up date our plant list and definitely find a better way of numbering or naming plants in the gardens. So the number of plants in Pots had dwindled until the plant sale at Wilson Park, Berwick recently. OOPS. Look out we are going to the Garden Expo at Lardner Park this coming weekend.
We have had many interesting days and weekends (Party's) treks and trips with all of our friends in the LVAPS Group over the years and there will be many more no doubt, thanks to you all for helping to keep our enthusiasm in growing Australian Native Plants, from Wayne & Marg Wilkinson, Happy Gardening.