Flowering in August 2017

Some flowers brought to our August meeting from members’ gardens to show some late Winter (‘Sprinter’) flowering plants. (If you click on each picture, there is often a brief description of the plant.)

Pimelea physodes (Qualup Bell)

Correa pulchella (pink)

Leionema lamprophyllum

Philotheca verrucosa

Eremophila psilocalyx

Eremophila sp.

Eremophila debilis

Dodonaea adenophora (poss. sinuolata)

Darwinia macrostegia

Hypocalymma sp. (white)

Thryptomene saxicola ‘Paynes hybrid’

Hakea bucculenta

Grevillea ‘Scarlet King’ (G. nivea)

Grevillea banksii hybrid

Grevillea ‘Lady O’ (rhyolitica x victoriae)

Grevillea sempiflorens

Grevillea ‘Gold Rush’ (alpina x rosmarinifolia)

Grevillea ‘Charlie’s Angel’?

Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘Scarlet Sprite’ (G. Pryors Hybrid)

Grevillea treueriana

Kunzea baxteri

Grevillea levis

Clematis decipiens

Acacia beckleri

Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’

Acacia genistifolia

Acacia cardiophylla

Acacia sp.

Dillwynia juniperina

Hardenbergia comptoniana

Hardenbergia violaceae (white)

Templetonia retusa (Cocky’s Tongue)

Garden visit to Shirley Carn’s July 2017

Shirley has a gift for combining plants to great effect using height, colour and texture of foliage and flowers. The result is an integrated blending of Aussie plant magic. Her gardens have featured in the Open Garden scheme many times.

Her latest garden in the Dandenongs is only 3 years old. It was a freezing day and 9 of us were brave enough to rug up and make the trip for the sheer pleasure at the end. Shirley is a generous and welcoming host. She explained experiments and names as we were guided around.

The large quarter acre block is a long rectangle running West/East with the front garden on the west side of the house. There is plenty of sun from the North and a wonderful borrowed landscape with the hills to enjoy in the distance on the South side.

Landscaping over the block has raised beds which allowed wide meandering paths for strolling around and for maximum visibility of the collection. The back garden has a loop path along the long axis, with an extensive bed separating the two sides. Compacted sawdust on the paths gives a wonderful springy feel underfoot.

Shirley is ruthless with plants if they don’t perform. She sources plants from all our usual nurseries plus cuttings and gifts from friends.

Banksias low, medium and high were in flower and looked stunning. There were plenty of buds on the phebaliums, many kinds of spyridium in full show as well as epacris waving their floriferous wands in the wind. Shirley uses other favourites such as pimelea, low grevillea and various lomandra to fill in gaps. We all loved Lomandra patens with its unusual flowers.

Various eucalypts formed some protection for this long bed and Shirley also used some prickly shrubs and hardenbergia to make bird habitat. An Eastern Spinebill entertained us with its antics amongst the shrubs and then took a long bath as we watched on.

The garden borders were a lovely mix of tall shrubs with textural contrasts. allocasuarina, acacia, eucalypts and banksias wove themselves into blended curtains of foliage.

Shirley has created a garden of great visual beauty and appeal. It was hard to believe she started from scratch 3 years ago. She has a great knowledge of plants and their conditions, and loves to share her experiences.

Thankyou Shirley for sharing with us.

Report by Joanne Cairns

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Flowering in July 2017

‘Some flowers brought to our meeting from members’ gardens in July to show some Winter flowering plants. (If you click on each picture, there is often a brief description of the plant.)

Hakea petiolaris ssp. petiolaris

Hakea multilineata

Grevillea hybrid

Thryptomene baeckeacea

Hakea lissocarpha

Acacia beckleri

Grevillea ‘Orange Marmalade’ ?

Grevillea ‘Thorny Devil’ (nana ssp nana x tenuiloba)

Corybas sp. (Helmet Orchid)

Banksia serrata

Grevillea pimeleoides

Grevillea intricata

Grevillea sp. (rosmarinifolia hybrid?)

Banksia spinulosa ‘Honey Pots’

Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘Scarlet Sprite’ ?

Grevillea ‘Pick o’ the Crop’

Templetonia retusa (Cocky’s Tongue)

Dryandra fraseri

Eucalyptus preissiana (Bell-fruited Mallee)

Banksia ericifolia

Banksia menziesii

Banksia spinulosa ‘Giant Candles’ ?

Banksia baueri (Possum Banksia)

Correa alba (pink)

Grevillea sp. ? (rosmarinifolia hybrid)

Correa pulchella ‘Mallee Fire’ ?

Acacia podalyriifolia (Mt Morgan wattle)

Grevillea ‘Ellendale Dragon’

Laurimar Wetlands Excursion June 2017

This was a joint excursion with Maroondah Group, led by Bruce Schroder. The following are excerpts from his notes.

The Laurimar housing estate was originally conceived with the logo “City living, country feel” or some similar marketing pitch! At the time in 1995, the owner of what was at the time, arable grazing land, struggled to convince the City of Whittlesea to allow the land to be developed for housing, as it was very much isolated from any other areas of urban development. Today, it is just part of the urban sprawl, albeit at the very northern limits. By working with the original developer and subsequent developers of abutting farm land, Council was able to achieve an excellent outcome in terms of distribution, quantity, quality and presentation of public open space and the preservation of ancient remnant river redgums throughout the housing estate.

The man-made wetlands form a connecting spine for these interlinked areas of open space and are now a haven for wildlife, birds in particular. A family of black swans with 5 fluffy grey balls of cygnets (sic) was sighted 2 weeks ago! By retaining so many of the old redgums (some estimated at more than 400 years old) in proximity to the newly created wetlands, regeneration of these trees has been given a kick start while the trees have provided immediate habitat in the form of nesting hollows and roosts. Less than 20% of the trees on site were removed for residential development and all of these were placed back in the wetlands (stumps, hollow logs, etc) to supplement the habitat values.

This park has an area of 9.2 hectares. Its facilities include walking and bike path, car parking, exercise equipment, shelters, lakes, barbecues, boardwalks and picnic facilities. (Whittlesea Council description).

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Flowering in June 2017

Some flowers brought to our meeting from members’ gardens in June to show some Winter flowering plants. (If you click on each picture, there is often a brief description of the plant.)

Grevillea nansonensis?

Dendrobium ‘Louise’s Rainbow’

Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’

Correa glabra form

Hovea elliptica

Templetonia retusa (Cocky’s Tongue)

Acacia sp.

Correa ‘Lemon Twist’

Correa reflexa ‘Red Jetty’

Correa ‘Pink Pixie’

Correa ‘Carmen’

Hakea petiolaris

Hakea laurina (Pin-cushion Hakea)

Banksia media

Correa ‘Marian’s Marvel’

C. pulchella (white)

Correa ‘Orange Glow’?

Banksia menziesii

Grevillea ‘Moonlight’

Diplolaena grandiflora

Banksia baueri (Possum Banksia)

Grevillea ‘Sylvia’

Banksia spinulosa

Grevillea pimeleoides

Correa alba (pink form)

Epacris gunnii ?

Banksia spinulosa ‘Honey Pots’

Banksia spinulosa

Hakea ‘Stockdale Sensation’

Callistemon citrinus form

Pimelea physodes (Qualup Bell)

Garden visit in Research May 2017

Lyhn and Gordon took over the three quarter acre property in January 2000. The property backs onto paddocks with views over Plenty Valley to Mt Macedon. In the 16 years they have been there they have completely transformed the house and land.

Earthworks were undertaken to create three tiers enabling child play areas, ease of movement and water retention. The soil used in the garden is largely excavated material from the local area. The process took many years during which an 11 square extension was added to the old house.

Lyhn says they made it up as they went along. She enjoys curves and recreated those in the garden. While there have been mistakes they have also benefitted from serendipity. One splendid example being a neighbour offering them a truckload of enormous rocks which he could not get up his steep drive. These were adapted into two new ponds using the neighbour’s excavator and an accomplished landscaper. There were also some problems arising from the bobcat work compacting the soil which meant efforts had to be made to improve drainage for the natives. They have a combination of exotics and natives in the garden which complement each other beautifully.

Of the natives there are Brachychitons, Correas, Grevilleas, Eremophilas, Hakea francisiana, Melalelucas, Darwinias, Olearias, Acacias and Chamelaucium uncinatum (Geraldton Wax). The Banksia present are truly superb – B. spinulosa & B. praemorsa. There is a recovering B. menziesii in a large pot. I do believe the flowering Grevillea nudiflora densely draped all over those large rocks mentioned above was commented on by many who visited.

(Report by M. Ford and edited for website)

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Flowering in May 2017

Just a few flowers brought to our meeting from members’ gardens in May to show some more Autumn flowering plants.

Swainsona formosa

Goodia lotifolia var pubescens

Correa ‘Bemm River’?

Correa pulchella x ?

Correa ‘Coconut Ice’

Correa ‘Win’s Wonder’

Correa pulchella (low growing)

Veronica arenaria

Thryptomene strongylophylla

Grevillea ‘Wendy Sunshine’

Grevillea ‘Ivory Whip’

Crowea saligna

Xerochrysum ‘Dargan Hill Monarch’

Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’

Eucalyptus sideroxylon

Eremophila garden visit to Riddells Creek in April

Russell guided us around a stunning garden of eremophilas, some verticordias, darwinias, homoranthus, grevilleas, acacias and more. At Riddells Creek the soil is a rich clay which he has built up with imported local fill to around 0.5 – 1m high. He has placed, and is still placing local rocks to the edge of the mounds. There is no mulch and he lets the rain do the watering. Some beds had been established for 4 years, others 2 and 1 only – astonishing growth everywhere. The garden is on a large scale, and the property is fenced off from rabbits and emus. The eremophilas were too numerous to list and ranged from large, through medium size shrubs, to some lovely smaller and prostrate species. Russell, being a co-author of the book Australia’s Eremophilas: changing gardens for a changing climate, knew them all, and had some interesting stories about his collection. We were thankful for his knowledge and generosity.
Report by M. Ford and revised for website.

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Growling Frog Golf Course – April 2017

A few of our members visited Growling Frog Golf Course Whittlesea gardens recently to view the additional plantings our group has donated, and the plaque erected to acknowledge our Community Project there. The extensive plantings extend from within the carpark and around the clubhouse, and it is an ongoing project filling in the spaces. It is a lovely collection of eucalypts, grevilleas, banksias, dryandras, eremophilas and others, and include many uncommon species. There are always lots of little birds enjoying these gardens, such as the Flame Robin, Eastern Spinebill, Thornbill and more. These pictures show just a few of the plants in flower.