March Due date for contributions for next edition: 14 May 2004

Transcription

1 Australian Plants March 2004 Society Central West Group PO Box 240 Oberon 2787 Dates for 2004 Saturday 27 March: Bathurst City Panthers Bowling Club, 10 am (on the Great Western Highway opposite Red Rooster). Plenty of parking. Lunch, tea and coffee can be purchased very reasonably. Christine Mcrae, fresh from the Third National Native Grasses Conference Sustainability and Beyond, held in Cooma in November, where she was one of the organisers, will help us to better appreciate and use grasses in our landscaping. Further notes on page 5. Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 April: Mt Annan Plant Sales. This annual event (run by the Grevillea Study Group) has become a Must Do on just about everyone s calendar. The range of plants on sale is enormous and not limited to Grevilleas. With nurserymen from all parts of the country it offers the visitor the widest selection of native plants anywhere in Australia. There is a full program of talks by experts on various topics dealing with native plants, and numerous stalls selling refreshments, bush tucker and other goodies. Gates open from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm each day and the usual Mt Annan entrance fees apply. Be sure to be early. Funds raised by the sales go to Grevillea research. 29 May: Bathurst City Panthers Bowling Club, 10 am. Geoff and Gwen Clarke, leading lights in the Canberra Australian Native Plants Group, will be on their annual trek north and have agreed to stop by and talk to us about their experience in observing and growing native plants. They have some great slides to show. 25 July: Burrendong Arboretum, 10 am. Meeting at the new visitors centre, with a tour of the extensive collection and the magic of Ferntree Gully, and lunch among the gum trees. Wear sensible footwear and bring lunch. 25 September: Visit and barbecue in Donna and Terry Rath s award-winning native garden near Mt Rankin,10 am. The Blue Mountains Group is invited to join us. 20 November: Dunn s Swamp bush walk, 10 am. Car pooling in Orange. Bring your own lunch and plenty of water. Due date for contributions for next edition: 14 May 2004 President: Marcia Bonham, Bondura, Bridle Track, Duramana Tel: Vice President: Terry Rath, 490 Freemantle Road, Mt Rankin Tel: raths@lisp.com.au Treasurer: Joanna McLachlan, 1566 Orange Highway, Dunkeld Tel: bandoolajm@bigpond.com Secretary: Sue Wakefield, 1307 Ophir Road, Rock Forest Tel: peckatoe@netwit.net.au List Collator: Geoffrey Windsor, Wattle Flat Tel: Editors: Isobel and Hans Guldberg, 55 Whiteley Road, Oberon Tel: esi@lisp.com.au

2 President s report My first report to you, the members. I hope I can live up to the standards set by previous presidents. Our last meeting was held at Orange TAFE in an air conditioned room, thoughtfully provided by Mick Harvey, so it was great to relax and enjoy Fiona s slides and ideas on gardens, particularly on design. Fiona emphasised that your garden must be designed to suit you and your needs. Some informed, stimulating discussion followed and we viewed some excellent native plant books (the bookshops will get lots of orders). Thanks Fiona, it was most interesting and informative. Thanks to Terry Rath who brings our library to every meeting, and to Isobel and Hans for providing the plant raffle and selling the tickets. Thanks also to those who brought tube plants for sale. As usual I succumbed. The babies went into the ground next day, so I ve been watching anxiously in this heat wave. By watering every second day they are not only surviving, but growing. By hand watering at our place it means counting to twenty, and then on to the next one. The mature plants are looking really happy with an occasional mil or two from showers and the Persoonias are a picture, with light green foliage dripping with golden flowers. The plague of Christmas beetles has gone its way and the eucalypts are bursting with new leaves. Nature never ceases to astonish me. On business: our next meeting is March 27 th, 10am at the Bathurst Bowling Club where Christine Mcrae will help us to find ways to use native grasses in the garden. They make a wonderful easy-care under-story and are certainly water-wise. Should be full of exciting new ideas for us. Hope to see you there and bring a friend if you can. Marcia Fiona on garden design Our outgoing president Fiona Ogilvie s talk (illustrated by slides) covered gardens ranging from humble cottages to palaces. Designing a native garden is similar to designing other gardens insofar as gardens need to sit with the house. Some larger and more monumental gardens go well with statues of large dogs (?!) but all gardens benefit from water features ranging from the formal to the informal and natural. The next fundamental consideration with native gardens is ground covers. Bark and wood chips and mulch blend in well, while cover brought in from a totally different place can look artificial, for example red gravel in Bathurst. Fiona praised Marcia s garden with its Microlina lawn (Sue Wakefield later made the point that native grasses such as Microlina are less flammable than exotic grasses). Marcia has mulched her beds with eucalyptus chips. Fiona showed several slides to demonstrate how attractive Marcia s garden is. Her beds are not mounded but on a natural slope. John Hunt s large garden in Kenthurst is the prototype of a mounded garden (for his book, see literature list following). Isobel and Hans decided to use mounded beds based on John s design, as illustrated by some of Fiona s slides. This continues to work well seven years down the track. Other gardens shown included the Spirit of Tranquillity garden in Young, which uses native garden in a formal European style setting. The garden is open to the public. In contrast, the Logan Nature Reserve garden south of Brisbane is designed to look natural rather than formal. It features the use of railway sleepers. In answer to the question, How much formal structure do you want in a native garden?, Fiona said that she likes some structure. She demonstrated this with slides of her own garden, though she also showed her very attractive natural pool surrounded by Acacia rubida. One problem with lined ponds is how to avoid that they are surrounded by bone-dry plants. In conclusion, Fiona warned against mixing up too many different materials sleepers, pavings etc. She observed that some people make their own pavers, and that anything home-made always looks effective and inviting. Co-ed

3 Books on Australian garden design The following books were tabled for discussion by members after Fiona s talk: Gardens by Design, Norman Ford The Australian Garden, Diane Snape Creating an Australian Garden, John Hunt Australian Garden, Gwen Elliot Gardening on the Wild Side, Angus Stewart The Bush Garden, Esther Wettenhall The New Native Garden, Paul Urquhart Designing Bush Gardens, Betty Maloney and Jean Walker (1966) More about Bush Gardens, Betty Maloney and Jean Walker (1966) The books stimulated a lively discussion, and provides an opportunity to show the face of some of those present. Clockwise from upper left, Fiona at the projector, secretary Sue Wakefield in full flight on gardens by design, vice-president Terry Rath in studious mood, and Ed. Members badges Thanks to Donna and Terry Rath, who have made name badges for members and will bring them to each meeting. Roadside watch Members will have enjoyed Geoff Windsor s great article in the February newsletter on priceless roadsides. The Oberon Council regularly shaves our immediate roadsides wherever it is possible. I had to go a little further afield along the branch road to Lithgow to find Goodenia sp, Billardieri scandens, Pimilea linifolia and the large blue Brachyscome with its rosette of spoon-shaped leaves; out towards the turnoff to Jenolan to find the large clear yellow pea flowers of Gompholobium huegelii and the noble Pimilea ligustrina; down the Lowes Mount Road towards Tarana for the shy, quite deep blue Viola betonicifolia; and along the road to Black Springs to see the yellow spikes of Bulbina bulbosa and large bushes of white Olearia phlogopappa. And that s only some of the wonders. These roadsides are an ever-changing scene throughout the year, a chain linking all areas of the Central West. What about just putting down a note about your roadside or one you have observed in your travels across the region? Ed PS by Co-ed on the risks of roadside botanising: Ed (perhaps understandably) failed to report that when we approached Oberon at the end of the field trip she sent ancient Co-ed up a crumbly five metre roadside cut to collect the Pimilea linifolia. Reaching the top he realised that he had no pot into which to put the plants, and asked Ed to throw him a couple. This revealed that she could only throw underarm and not very far at that. So she climbed a metre or so up the slope and threw again but the movement made her lose her balance and roll down the slope in a heap. As she had a hip replacement only six months previously Co-ed looked on with some alarm and utterly unable to do anything. Fortunately nothing happened to the hip but the shoulder was rather bruised. Morale: Do remember your pots when your partner sends you up steep slopes! The Pimelias are still alive!! Plant table Please remember to bring plant material and any current flowers to meetings for identification and discussion and a source of cutting material.

4 Louisa Atkinson ( ) How many of us know the name of this first Australian-born woman novelist, noted naturalist and illustrator? Louisa was born in 1834 at Oldbury station near Sutton Forest in the Southern Highlands to James and Charlotte Atkinson. Her father, a pioneer farmer, was the author of a very early book on agriculture; her mother, a former governess, was a talented writer and painter. James died just after Louisa was born. Some years later Charlotte made an unfortunate marriage to the overseer at Oldbury who turned out too be unbalanced, abusive and alcoholic. Charlotte fled with her children to the Shoalhaven and later to Glebe. Despite her stressful childhood, intermittent education (she was entirely educated by her mother) and poor health Louisa began writing articles for the Illustrated Sydney News when just 19. These were a forerunner of her much more ambitious A Voice from the Country, written from when she was 26. She had by then moved to live at Fernhurst at Kurrajong. She had already achieved the remarkable distinction of having her first novel, Gertrude, The Emigrant: A Tale of Colonial Life, published in 1857 when just 23. This first novel published in Australia by an Australian-born woman was to be followed by many, all of which depict Australian country life against a sensitively drawn natural background. There was no longing back to England. She saw Australia as her home and wrote both of its beauty and its adventurous and sometimes harsh life. She was one of a very small number of talented women in 19 th Century Australia who despite having no formal scientific training became expert botanists and plant collectors. This was a time when Australia s unusual flora and fauna was a source of wonder both here and throughout the world. Famous naturalists, botanists, zoologists and entomologists were investigating Australia s peculiar and diverse plants, animals and insects, many never before known to science, and they depended on gifted amateurs like Louisa Atkinson for specimens and information from the field. While living at Fernhurst she spent her time riding through the gullies of the Grose Valley and Mount Tomah looking for botanical specimens, wearing a skirt done up like trousers. She then began the long series of nature articles headed A Voice from the Country, published in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Sydney Mail. These articles eventually became lost in the files of the newspapers and they languished in libraries for the next hundred years by which time people had long forgotten about Louisa Atkinson. Louisa sent some 400 plant specimens to Ferdinand von Mueller in Melbourne often accompanied by a personal letter. When Baron von Mueller published his twelve-volume listing of Australian plants he named several plants after Louisa, including Louisa s Mistletoe Atkinsonia ligustrina, now listed as rare and threatened; Erechites atkinsoniae, an erect herb growing several feet high which she found in the Blue Mountains, and Epacris calvertiana (after her mother s death she married James Calvert and they moved to the Berrima district).apart from plants previously unknown Louisa Atkinson also discovered specimens of plants previously noted only on one or two occasions. When the British botanist, George Bentham, with the assistance of von Mueller, published his seven volume Flora Australiensis between 1863 and 1878, he acknowledged Louisa s specimens 116 times. She wrote a series on the native arts of the Aboriginal people who she knew and observed around Oldbury and the Shoalhaven district. In 1862 she wrote A Peep into the Herb Doctor s Basket which described some of the medicinal properties of Australian native plants. She died in 1872 just 38 years old. Oldbury station homestead near Berrima still exists. Louisa Atkinson s granddaughter Janet Cosh has donated a collection of Louisa s work for permanent display at the Fitzroy Falls Parks and Wildlife Centre. On 28 th February a tribute day was held there with contributions from publisher Victor Crittenden, who has published many of Louisa Atkinson s works; Elizabeth Lawson (descendant of Henry Lawson) who edited a book on Louisa Atkinson s natural art; and Jan Allen, botanist and records officer at Mount Tomah Botanic Gardens. Louisa Atkinson s drawings and paintings, many in brilliant water colours, also depict birds in their natural setting. The backgrounds are in pencil and lightly sketched pen and ink. The originals are housed at the National Library. Kurrajong and Mt Wilson Historical Societies are currently researching for an exhibition of the life and works of Louisa Atkinson. In the coming summer the results will be on display at Mount Tomah Botanical Gardens. Isobel

5 Native Grasses Next meeting we will have the privilege of listening to Christine Mcrae talking about native grasses. She will be bringing along lots of samples and giveaways and some of the amazing spear grass Stipa which literally plants itself. Bring a large magnifying glass so you can be part of the action. Christine graduated in Advanced Urban Horticulture at TAFE in Orange and is at present studying for a Bachelor of Science through the University of New England. She joined the Stipa Native Grasses Association at its first conference in 2000 and was the coordinator of the November 2003 conference in Cooma. Christine and her husband run a farm which is nearly all native grasses. The previous owner replaced all these with introduced pastures like rye grass and clover with the accompanying heavy input of fertilisers. The expectation was of high profit but as fertiliser prices continued to rise this did not eventuate. When the fertilising ceased, the native grasses gradually re-established themselves. This is a hot topic, with drought around us and estimates that Australia has only got 2% left of the native grass cover it had. Native grasses not only feed our wildlife but sustain our stock in hard times. Because land clearing and weeds threaten their survival and seed is time-consuming to collect and expensive to buy (kangaroo grass can cost $70 for 100 grms) we all should be paying more attention to them; sowing a patch in the garden, collecting seed and re-sowing it to gradually replace our lawns (as our president Marcia is doing), using it for ornamental purposes in the garden or contributing it to a seed bank. Isobel OAM for Gwen Harden I am sure that any of us who have used and admired the Flora of NSW volumes have thought what a wonderful and massive work that is. It should be no surprise that Gwen Harden has been recognised with the award of an OAM. The custodian of our library, Terry Rath, carefully brings four volumes of the Flora and many other volumes to meetings for members to borrow. Some books on Terry s book list are: Eucalypts of the Mudgee District Nicole French Australian Plants for Canberra Gardens SGAP Canberra. Bush Regenerators Handbook National Trust. Australian Plant Genera Baines Pub. SGAP Flora of NSW Vols 1,2,3,4... Baines. Royal Botanical Gardens. Eucalypts. Vols 1 & 2 Kelly The Use of Trees & Shrubs in the Dry Country of Australia Forestry Dept. Native Plants of the Sydney District Fairley/Moore Wildlife in the Home Paddock Breckwoldt Acacias of South East Australia Tame Trees & Shrubs of South East Australia Costermans Guidelines for the Translocation of Threatened Plants in Australia Australian Network for Plant Conservation Germplasm Conservation Guidelines for Australia Australian Network for Plant Conservation Australian Plants for the Garden Elliott The Bush Garden Wettenhall Bottlebrushes Wrigley & Fagg Paperbarks & Teatrees Wrigley & Fagg Creating an Australian Garden Hunt Drought Gardens Management & Design Windust The Water Efficient Garden Archer Managing High Rainfall Native Pastures on a Whole Farm Basis NSW Agriculture. Beautiful Gardens with Less Water Patrick Native Bees of the Sydney Region Dollin, Batley, Robinson & Faulkner Cradle of Incense (Prostantheras) Althofer Grow Your Own Bushfoods. Keith & Irene Smith Native Wildflowers in Inviro Cells & Inviro Tubes. Growing Native Plants No.4. National Botanic Gdns. Wildflowers of the World.. Barbara Everard. Trees of NSW Anderson. The Honey & Pollen Flora of NSW Goodacre (1947) An Elementary Textbook of Australian Forestry Botany Vol. 1..White(1925) Australian Plants. Vols 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 Australian Plants. Index to Vols 1-18 Local native nurseries Blue Wren Bush Farm Wattle Flat Geoffrey Windsor Tel: Includes local seed sales Glenbrook Native Plant Reserve Great Western Highway, Glenbrook Open 12 noon to 4 pm, Sat, Sun, Wed. Oberon Plateau Farm Trees Sam & Vicki Keen Evergreen, 1460 Abercrombie Road, Oberon T/F: E: samvicki@lisp.com.au Native tube stock for gardens, windbreaks, wildlife refuges and revegetation.