Next Meeting

Inverloch Weekend

Meet at Railway Reserve (opposite shops at the start of the Rail Trail) at Boolarra at 9.00 am Saturday 12th.

Travel to South Gippsland for garden and Aust. Plant Nursery visits.  You will need to bring a picnic lunch. Arrive Inverloch mid afternoon.  Accommodation at Chamber's and Ingram's.  BYO sheets or sleeping bags and pillows. Shared Saturday evening dinner-  each person/couple asked to bring a casserole to share and either some  predinner nibbles or a dessert. BYO drinks.  Tea, coffee provided.

Sunday breakfast- cereal and toast available. Sunday lunch- to be decided.  Committee suggest each person could contribute a small amount (around $5-$10) to cover costs. Sunday program- options include- Local Walks, Melaleuca Native Nursery,Caves Beach, Flat Rocks and Dinosaur Dig Area and the Environment Centre, Koonwarra Bush, RACV Resort Plantings.

We will need to know how many people require accommodation by 10th April or ASAP. Marilyn Ingram (For the Planning Committee)

Leaders Report

Around the Garden

A quick look around the garden to assess progress is hardly necessary. I seem to keep talking “rain” or the lack of and the “battle” over the summer months. Although last year was very good to us, with a total of 914 millilitres we have had no significant rain since the 21st of February. Needless to say the garden which was already parched has dried out considerably over that period. This in conjunction with the late; very hot summer conditions we have recently experienced, has seen the demise of many plants. I think it is a myth that natives require less water! We have been watering using tank water (while it lasted), then town water where possible and tending our plants regularly only to witness roses; conifers and agapanthus etc. in neighbours’ gardens seemingly to thrive with little or no water! Although I recently saw, on television, the new native gardens at the Melbourne Zoo and they are quite impressive. They claim a 60% saving on water by using appropriate natives over the previous exotics. We have lost some well established plants including a local Correa reflexa and this only adds to our annual dread of the summer season. Two steps forward and one back (or is that plants?)!

Talking of steps forward etc., I recently potted up many “babies” that had been sitting patiently in the propagator awaiting bigger pots. You guessed it, the next few days saw that incredible heatwave and despite all my efforts it was too hot and windy for some of them. That green concrete sounds appealing, not so silly really. On a recent visit to Taylor’s Hill on the western fringes of Melbourne I saw many barren house gardens, however among them were some of the neatest and greenest lawns I have ever seen. Water thieves, I hear you remark. No, closer inspection revealed plastic turf! Hm, I wonder if there’s a market for plastic native plants?

In addition to the above mentioned problems I noticed the other day that some “***” had hacked numerous

Hakea sericea damaged by cockatoos

Hakea sericea

branches off a tall, prickly Hakea sericea growing on the fence line. It looked like a passing idiot had taken to it with a machete or a golf club! I despondently picked up the very prickly pieces that were scattered around and placed them on the growing pile of “deaduns” awaiting a bonfire. Then I debated the benefits of pruning or not pruning the remains of the plant which looked very like a Xanthorrhoea australis with a tall and tufted spike. The next day I noticed that the culprit had visited again with additional devastation! This was definitely a case for “Bony” the detective, a creation of Australian author Arthur Upfield or perhaps it would require the talents of the famous Sherlock Holmes! How would Bony approach this problem? Yes, with true aboriginal skill he would look for tracks or signs of someone having visited. No, there were no recognizable prints from hobnail boots or golf shoes, no grass pushed over, no twigs bent by the passing of a human! Well who did this dastardly deed? On observing the shrub closely I noted that many of the “nuts” or fruit were also in a mangled state. Yes, that looks suspicious, I suspect a member of the parrot family. The first clue was a visit from some Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos a couple of days later. I am certain that they sat up in a nearby tree and laughed as I studied my poor Hakea once again. And while I have no real proof, having not caught them red-clawed, I am certain they are the offenders. Ah the joys of gardening!

Despite all this doom and gloom, there are some good things happening at present. A treasured Hakea “Burrendong Beauty” is in flower, the Lambertia formosa is now in full flower, many Banksias are looking resplendent in their various guises and yes, many of the Grevilleas are still flowering! I have been busy “enhancing” the paths between the beds in the back garden, which will hopefully be graveled soon, with treated pine log edging. Mind you some of the plants have grown so much despite the dry, that I may soon need a machete to negotiate paths in some areas.

We have also had numerous birds visiting the garden over recent weeks. Late last year a dog (I suspect) or other creature completed the destruction of our treasured bird bath, begun by a thirsty (or clumsy) kangaroo, some years ago. This was an extremely popular meeting spot and sparring place for birds and a “stopping station” for some bigger birds such as my friends, the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos that appeared to use our trees and bird bath as a “rest area” on their way back to the Tarra-Bulga vicinity each evening. With no available water the number of visiting birds declined dramatically. We had trouble finding a replacement birdbath, however did so early this year although it took a surprising amount of time for the bird population to rediscover its existence. However all is back to “normal” now and we can enjoy their antics out our window once again.

If the criteria for judging the success of our display at Churchill is the number of enquiries for free plants, then it was a success. We had many “interested” people come up and ask for advice and display an enthusiasm for Australian plants.

A HUGE thanks must go to Col and Harold for their effort in providing those freebies and to the team who assisted on the day. It is the season for all to turn green (but not with envy). Get out and get active!

Last Meeting – Native Grasses

It was great to have a local speaker Tania Brooker, ably assisted by Debbie, come along to tell us about native grasses, their appearance, propagation etc. Tania, from the DSE offices in Traralgon, has had some success in harvesting and growing some of our local grasses at her home. While she does not claim to be an expert she certainly proved that she has a sound knowledge of this area and members were able to gain lots of information. She provided a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on a number of grasses found in our area, concentrating on species such as Microlaena, Poa, Austrodanthonia and Themeda. Special thanks to Alan for using his charm to persuade Tania to attend. (Proves that old teachers never lose their class?)

An excellent website on identification of native grasses can be found at www.stipa.com.au/bwWebsite/followon.aspx?PageID=5113

Next Meeting – Inverloch Weekend

Please do not forget that due to the planned weekend activities there will be no meeting on the Thursday night in April. I have not been involved in the planning however it sounds like a fun and interesting weekend. Thanks to those doing the planning and to Alan, Doris, Brian and Marilyn for offering the accommodation once again. I hope many members will be able to make the trip as I am sure it will be worthwhile. See you soon from John Stephens.

Plants in My Garden

By Mike Beamish

Pultenaea
capitellata

Species: Pultenaea capitellata
Family:Fabaceae
Derivation:

Pultenaea: Named after Richard Pulteney (1730-1801), an English botanist and surgeon, who practiced at Leicester, writing on local plants, and then at Blandord, Dorset, leaving an unpublished manuscript entitled ‘Flora Anglica’.

capitellata: From the Latin, capitatus, meaning headed, with the diminutive -ell- added, it means, in botanical terms, forming a small head.

Common Name: Hard-head Bush-pea
Distribution: High elevations in NSW and Victoria.
Description:A prostrate shrub spreading to 50cm, with small, pale grey-green elliptical leaves to 1cm long, hairy on the under surface. Yellow pea flowers are borne in terminal heads in spring and summer.
Opinion: There aren’t many plants flowering in my garden at this time of year (late March), but this is one of them, not particularly striking, but putting on a muted display as it competes for space amongst a grass-tree and a rampant Baeckea imbricata, at the eastern end of the island garden bed around the frog pond in the front yard. In its efforts to find some space it always wants to grow out on to the pathways, where it either gets pruned or walked on, both of which diminish its appearance. The snails and slugs seem to like it as well, adding to its defoliation at times. According to the literature, it is a good ground cover or rockery plant for cooler climates, preferring full sun and plenty of moisture, which seems to fit the bill perfectly for its position, but I’m not so sure that the spring/summer flowering time is accurate, as mine seems to look its best in autumn. Perhaps in its natural habitat it does the job a bit earlier. Propagation from cuttings has been successful for me in the past, though I haven’t tried any recently. Scarified seed apparently does the job too and as I’ve just found some ripe pods on the plant (see the photo), I might just have a go.

Sources: Wrigley & Fagg- Australian Native Plants, 5th Edition.
Baines- Australian Plant Genera.
Sharr- Plant Names and their Meanings.

The Churchill Festival - March 15, 2008

Cathy and I fronted up to Gaskin Park in Churchill just before 9am on the Saturday morning, to find Ranger Rob Howell and a few Festival volunteers in the process of gazebo erection. Pitching in, we soon had a bit of shade in which to work, and we would probably need it later in the day, as it was predicted to be hot and windy. Setting up of our display boards and tables soon followed, our new banner looking the part on the front of the gazebo. Ken Harris arrived to help out for the Friends of Morwell NP, while Mary Jackson appeared to perform a similar role for APS LV. As the time crept around to 10am, more and more people began wandering around the site, with plenty of interest being shown in our stall. Mary was the consummate salesperson, ably engaging any interested customers and promoting the benefits of involvement with our group. Her allotted time was soon over however, but Mark Watkins was there to continue the good work, followed by John Stephens and Delma Hodges. On the Friends Group side of the gazebo, Darren Hodgson, Kai Ming Ting and Wendy Steenbergen all put in an appearance.

Once again our offer of a free native plant to enquirers proved to be a significant drawcard. We tried to stick to our limit of one plant per person, but for those who showed interest in our group, not just the free plant, we were able to be talked into giving away one of each species, particularly towards the end of the day. Although we had heaps of magazines and newsletters to give away as well, the public either weren’t interested or didn’t realize (or enquire) that they were freebies.

Would we consider the day a success? We gave away 90% of the plants, maybe 30% of the APS LV brochures and less than 5% of magazines and newsletters. Most of the plants went to people interested only in the freebie, but we did have perhaps half a dozen genuine enquiries about the group and a couple more seeking free advice and/or labour for their personal gardens or public gardening activities. The Friends group sold several books and also had some limited interest in the group itself. In future we should consider whether there are better ways to promote our group, such as alternative venues or different approaches to provision of materials.

APS Victoria Quarterly Gathering - Warrnambool, March 1-2, 2008

Cathy and I also attended the APS Victoria Committee of Management Meeting, held in Warrnambool on Saturday, March 1. From our point of view, it was business as usual for much of the meeting, but here are some points of interest:

• APS Victoria carry bags are on the way, final approvals for design, style and numbers were given.
• The Garden Advisory Service folder (Grow Australian) is still being worked on with the intention of having it ready by June, but there are still some concerns about its purpose, scope, target audience, format and content.
• We have gained approval for an upgrade to the Membership Database system and have made some initial enquiries about options and costs. There is still plenty of debate on how to approach the future computerized requirements of APS Victoria, but in the meantime we will sort out our own concerns and hope that what we end up with will be able to cope with future developments.

Following the meeting, we joined in with the rest of the registrants (including Warren & Carolyn) in checking out the landscapes and gardens of the south-west, including the western end of the Great Ocean Road, Tower Hill Reserve and Cherree Densley’s covenanted bush block at Mt Clay. A thoroughly enjoyable weekend!