Australian Plants Society Yarra Yarra Inc.
An APS district group based in Northeastern Melbourne. Growing, conserving, and sharing a love of Australian native plants.
This is Granite rock country. Although it was a hot day, it was lovely to see the property, and admire how much work has been put into the extensive revegetation of the acres surrounding the house, done over 20 plus years. The photos below are of the expansive gardens surrounding the house, a continuing project.
Images and text by Jill L
Check out our updated online Plant Sale forms if you haven’t already ordered. Some species have already sold out as many are in small numbers.
See our Australian Plants Expo page for revised Order Forms, and all details, including other plant sellers you may wish to order from.
Images of Mike Williams clockwise from top left: Kunzea affinis, Correa reflexa ‘Point Hicks’, Prostanthera aspalathoides – red, Prostanthera striatiflora, Eremophila lehmanniana, Melaleuca radula, Prostanthera calycina.
In place of our usual Australian Plants Expo, we are running a limited Online Spring Plant Sale. Numbers are very limited, but there are other plant sellers you may be able to order from as well. See our Australian Plants Expo page for full details. We will endeavour to add some photos of species to our Facebook page, to show the wonderful variety of species available.
Here is a great selection of images from a garden in Eltham, also some from Warrandyte Kinglake Conservation Reserve, and from Happy Valley Track in Watsons Creek. These were taken by one of our members, Sue, in April, when we were able to wander locally.
Sue’s garden in Eltham is quite new, just over 3 years old. She inherited a very old, overgrown, mostly exotic garden and has worked to turn it into a native garden in that time. It is on clay with some steep sections and has large trees in surrounding gardens providing shade in hers. She still couldn’t resist planting a few trees but otherwise likes small plants, grasses and groundcovers.
There’s lots to look forward to when we can wander once again. Meanwhile enjoy your own gardens – gardening is great exercise, and relaxing for the mind.
Images: Sue Gwilym, and Evan Gwilym.
Enjoy the huge selection of flowers brought to our August meeting from members’ gardens – in Early Spring. There were a good selection of eremophilas and hakeas and plenty of acacias.
Thanks to Ben Eaton and Mike R. for images.
Click on an image, and scroll through via the arrows. You may see extra information at the bottom of each image.
Don’t miss our Autumn plant sale with books also on related topics, all at great prices. Sat 13th April 10am-4pm, Eltham Senior Citizens Centre. Most plant lists are up on our website now – click on the links for each plant stall. If you are intending to print them out, do that just before you come, as they are being regularly updated as we receive more information. This is the best time of year to rejuvenate your garden, so take advantage of all the unusual species available.
Way back in the warmer month of February, members brought in a wonderful array of flowers and potted plants to our meeting from their gardens – in Late Summer. These are just a few of them. Some of the more unusual ones were Verticordia luteola and V. pennigera. Still flowering this month were all the daisies (though no images this time).
Thanks to Ben Eaton and Rob Dunlop for images.
Click on an image to scroll through via the arrows. You may see extra information at the bottom of each image.
This is just a small selection of native flowers from 3 of our members – from Eltham, Mill Park, and Montmorency gardens in High Summer, since our group doesn’t have a meeting in January.
Thanks to Carmen, Mike and Jill for images.
In the absence of the usual Flower display at our final meeting in December or High Summer, here are some that are flowering in our members’ gardens in Wattle Glen, Hurstbridge, Heidelberg, Mill Park, and further afield. Platytheca galioides (from WA) is an unusual one, as are the 3 Verticordias and Prostanthera eckersleyana…….all also from WA. Looking forward to all the daisies flowering over Summer.
Thanks to David Redfern, Miriam Ford, Charles Young and Carmen Cooper for images.
Click on an image to scroll through via the arrows.
We rounded off this year’s garden visits as we had started, with visits to two smaller-sized gardens, this time in Donvale; those of Helen and Joe, and Nancy and Lee.
Joe, a former nurseryman and Maroondah APS member, outlined in his knowledgeable manner some of the problems of down-sizing. Joe acknowledged the influence of Peg McAllister on his own ideas of an Australian garden. Peg’s garden was largely open with not a lot of talls, but masses of daisies, flannel flowers, wahlenbergias and other small plants. Joe and Helen’s garden echoed this, and he emphasised that he shied away from mulch to allow plants such as the above, and Ptilotus spathulatus and Podolepis jaceoides, to seed and spread “en masse”. Amongst his taller shrubs/trees were both juvenile and adult foliaged Eucalyptus lunata, a brush cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis), Acacia cognata and a South African Leucospermum. Joe’s native gardenia (Randia fitzalanii), three different forms of Templetonia retusa and a Verticordia plumosa were also worth noting, as was his planting of the nature strip.
Lee and Nancy’s garden is Lee’s creation as we know Nancy creates through her art and this was evident in pieces placed throughout the garden. Lee has achieved much in a short time with some Eucalyptus caesia, several Grevilleas and a Callistemon ‘Kings Park Special’ taking off. The daisies here were also thriving (Lee using mulch), Brachyschome (perhaps ‘Happy Face’), forms of Chrysocephalum apiculatum and Bracteantha, and Xerochrysum all showing off. A lovely Pimelea ferruginea, Philotheca ‘Cascade of Stars’, Epacris reclinata, Verticordia plumosa and a couple of amazing Leptospermums were full of flowers. We walked past Lee’s trademark Banksia baueri to the newly planted back garden, to admire more of Nancy’s art work while we settled in to afternoon tea. A most enjoyable day out.
Many thanks to Helen and Joe, Nancy and Lee, and all who shared their gardens with us this year.
Australian Plants Society Yarra Yarra Inc. 