November :30 Tuesday 21st November Pomonal Hall Denis Crawford Insects of the Grampians

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1 Grevillea dimorpha November :30 Tuesday 21st November Pomonal Hall Denis Crawford Insects of the Grampians Tuesday 19th December End of year breakup Murray and Marie Hoskings Details T.B.A. Tuesday 20th February Graces Picnic and Garden Visit Next meeting Another blockbuster from Denis, no doubt featuring sex, violence and bizarre relationships as he reveals the mysterious lives of the insects of the Grampians. SUPPER. This month it s the turn of the A to Ks to show off their culinary prowess. One of the purposes of our group is to promote and and maintain interest in growing and propagating Australian plants in home gardens. Some of our members who have native plants nurseries, provide plants for the public to buy and grow in their gardens.thank you all for being part of the Pomonal Native Flower Show. Last Meeting Reports Notes from the October Members Meeting. Thank you to L-Z members for providing supper. The cake with the cinnamon topping was the hit of the night. Only crumbs remained. The recipe would be welcomed by many, perhaps this could be included in the next newsletter, if the cook is willing to share? Kevin asked members if there were any items to be discussed. * Neil told us there was a change in the meeting place for the SA trip. Members going are to meet at Pangarinda Botanic Gardens on Saturday 4th at pm. Secretary will this information to members. Dinner for Saturday night will be arranged at a suitable venue. Gifts for the hosts was discussed, a basket of local produce would be arranged for each of the hosts over the weekend. * There will be a working bee at Phil Williams to pot up plants for the FJC Rogers Seminar plant sale. Secretary will notify members of the date when this is decided. 1

2 * There will be a 2018 Flower Show meeting on the 9th December at Linda and David Handscombe home. All members are invited to attend from 5pm. Prior to the meeting there will be a walk around their garden, followed by a BYO barbecue or picnic dinner. The theme for the show will be Endangered and depleted communities of Rainforests and Grasslands. Come and share your ideas. * Neil Macumber suggested that we ask Matilda Venn to organise an Orchid walk for the 2018 Flower show. This was agreed by all present. * Discussion was held about the problem of Gazanias. Both Kevin and Neil Marriott spoke about the invasion of this plant into bushlands and offered ideas about we could do. It was decided that Neil would ask the local papers to include an article he has written about this problem that has been published in Growing Australian, to inform people about the concerns of growing this plant in gardens and on roadsides. Neil (APSVic conservation officer) and Wendy (our APSVic delegate), will approach the APSVic committee and propose that a letter be written to Victorian government politicians on behalf of all Districts group, (if all agree) for discussion on the Gazania problem and how to work with communities to find a solution. * Members present were asked if anyone is willing to enter the RHSV Hanging basket competition to be held at the 2018 Melbourne International Garden Show. Entries close soon, if anyone reading this in the newsletter would like to do this, please notify secretary for more details. * Neil Marriott reminded members present that there will be an Open Garden event at `Grannes on Sunday 29th October to support the WAMA project. * Neil Marriott spoke about the plight of Plovers along the Warrnambool to Port Fairy coastline. For further information, offers of support and donations to this cause, please refer to website at vnpa.@org.au * Members present were told there will be a BordererS concert at the Pomonal Hall on 21st October2017. This is being organized by Pomonal Progress Assoc. for the community. If interested, please see Jenny Greenberger following the meeting. Raffle was then drawn. Thank you to Linda, David and Ena for providing prizes for the raffle. Meeting closed. Thank you to everyone who set up the room and tidied up after the meeting. Thank you to Stawell Neighbourhood House for letting our group use your facility for the meeting. The new screen and in built projector is great. Andrea Banksia Talk Our guest speaker was Graeme Woods who gave a very interesting and entertaining presentation on `Beautiful Banksias, an Australian Icon. Graeme has spent many years growing and enjoying banksias and other native Australian plants on his former property where he had 70 out of 80 known species of Banksias. Graeme began his talk by giving us a brief history lesson. When Captain Cook arrived at Botany Bay, he and his crew were fascinated by the different plants they saw. Joseph Banks and his botanical mentor, Daniel Solander, were particularly amazed at the plant we now know as banksia. The species was named after Joseph Banks, who 2

3 felt these plants were the symbol of the Australian bush. Banksias are part of the Proteaceae family, an ancient family of trees and shrubs, and range from prostrate shrubs like B. petiolaris - whose flowers touch the ground - to trees like B. seminuda that can reach 30 metres. For the wow factor in native flowers you can t go past Banksias, Graeme said, for example B. grandis and B. solandri. Banksia flowers can be large and cylindrical in appearance, like B. spinulosa. The showy flower spike has many flowers ranging from several hundred to many thousand. Graeme told us to look closely at their spikes and be amazed at how they are formed. The colours of the flowers range from various shades of yellow and orange to mauve, purple, green and scarlet. Also, a combination of these colours can be found as a seasonal variation, as in B.candolleana, or as a variation in the species itself. Banksia spinulosa Banksias appeal to florists as there is a feature plant for their displays all year round. The B. coccinea (Scarlet Banksia/Waratah Banksia) has a brilliant flower and one which is often displayed in flower arrangements. Remember the grand flower display at the 2016 Pomonal Native flower show, where the B. coccinea stole the show. At the 2017 flower show banksias again took centre stage in the display as B. ericifolia (orange flower) and B. praemorsa (yellow) showed how good those colours worked with the green foliage. Botanical artists enjoy sketching and painting all the forms of the Banksia species, from the developing spikes, to the flowering blooms and to when their seeds have flown. Look at the many paintings done by Celia Rosser, Philippa Nikulinsky and our own Ena and Beverley to see all of the detail and beauty that is portrayed by these botanical artists. Banksias are important for our birds also. They provide shelter for small birds and provide nectar for the honey eaters like New Banksia coccinea Holland, Little Wattlebirds and Lorikeets. The seed cones attract parrots and cockatoos. The seed cones that follow the flowers have intriguing shapes. Those of us who have grown up with May Gibbs books, will associate the seed pods with the crooked eyes and mouths of Big Bad Banksia Men found in the B. serrata and B.canei. Who doesn t walk past a Banksia Tree and not feel the `Banksia Men glaring down at you. Many of us have banksias growing in our gardens and we were interested in any advice Graeme would offer. His simple advice was to plant them in the right place first and they will grow. He did suggest planting them in warm soil, and never fertilising or over watering. Also, Know the species you want to grow. Eastern Australian species seem to be more reliable for our gardens. Many of us wanted to shout, Where is this right spot in the garden? We can t grow them. He wants people to realise they can grow Banksias successfully, though he does admit it may only be for a limited time. How many of us have admired a banksia in our garden and the next day it has died. Graeme agreed with this but could not offer any answer! 3

4 Banksias are usually propagated from seed, in the bush after a fire. Some species survive fire and sprout from buds on an underground lignotuber. The use of heat and fire is attempted by gardeners to collect the seed with some success. Graeme said that the eastern species cones can be opened by placing them in an oven at 120 degrees C for one hour. Seeds should release on cooling or the cones may need to be soaked and dried and then the seed may be gently picked out. Western species require a fire for the cone to open. Graeme mentioned that there are attempts at grafting this genus, by grafting Western Australia species on to Eastern Australian species. There needs to be more work done in this area for this process to be successful. Banksia cuneata Like many of our native plants, Banksias are threatened by phytophthora cinnamomi - the fungus that causes root rot. This kills the plant. More research is being done to try and find a solution for this problem. Graeme showed us his collection of photos, gathered from various sources, some even from our members gardens. Photos of banksias other than those already named were: B. chamaephyton, B. laricina (rose-like fruiting cones), B. saxicola (Grampians), B. burdettii, B.cuneata (matchsticklike flowers), B. menziesii (all stages of flower development drawn by P. Nikulinsky), B.media (lots of colour variation). I particularly liked the photo showing the different leaf forms of banksia plants. The shape of the leaf ranges from tough and toothed, like B.serrata, to the fernlike, feathery foliage of B. brownii. Graeme recommended the `bible, The Banksia Book by Kevin Collins, Kathy Collins and Alex George for further reading. Andrea Banksia brownii 4

5 Jane s Garden by Phil Williams Jane s Garden outside the Pomonal Store has been receiving lots of favourable comments from visitors to the flower show this year. It is providing a spectacular display of local species. New members may not be aware of its history. In 2002, a community meeting was held to discuss the use of a government grant for 'Streetscape beautification'. A.P.S. members proposed a garden of local indigenous plants for an area outside the general store. At the time the only plants growing there were exotic weed species, a few large Aloes and a lonely Hardenbergia violacea. There were no objections except for a general feeling that we would be lucky to get anything to grow there - it was such a degraded patch of dirt. The plan was for A.P.S. members to take cuttings and collect seeds from nearby road reserves and remnant bush and propagate plants for the garden. It wasn't a unanimous decision to use only indigenous plants, but the chance to showcase some of our fabulous local plants was fiercely argued by Jane Williams. Jane was one of the founding members and first secretary of the Grampians Group. She was also Site weeded, ripped and sprayed. Oct 2002 my wife for 45 years. We had the large plants removed and the whole area was sprayed and ripped. Sand was incorporated to improve drainage and sleepers were used to lessen the slope and prevent erosion. Most of the plants were grown in 50mm square tubes in suspension trays to reduce costs, but also because these tubes produce a healthy root system. Trays of tubes ready for the first planting Quick ground cover from Kennedia prostrata September 2003 We wanted to get the bare ground covered quickly so we included lots of Kennedia prostrata and Chrysocephalum apiculatum in our first plantings. A drip watering system was installed early on but soon became redundant owing to water restrictions. Since then the plants have survived (and mostly thrived) on natural rainfall alone. Now all that's required for maintenance is about four working bees per year to prune, weed, replace a few plants and replenish the mulch. After Jane s death in 2011 I was asked if I would agree to the garden being named Jane s Garden as a tribute to her contribution to its establishment and maintenance over the years. I was happy to agree to that proposal with one proviso: that the garden be maintained to the standards Jane had always expected. This Spring it has been sensational, particularly with the smart new gravel mulch. I am sure Jane would have approved! A 5

6 fabulous flower garden using only local plants is possible here because the Grampians region has such a diversity of species. We should all use more of them. As a last word: many of us visit the shop frequently. If everybody takes a few minutes to pull out a few weeds, we can keep it looking smart. Plants in this shot: Micromyrtus ciliata, Dillwynia sericea, Dodonaea viscosa ssp cuneata, Grevillea microstegia, Grevillea gariwerdensis, Grevillea alpina, Coronidium scorpioides, Isopogon ceratophyllus, Pelargonium rodneyanum, Chrysocephalum apiculatum, Austrostipa mollis Jane in her own garden Group Weekend Away Many Thanks to Neil and Wendy for organizing the group trip away for 2017, a four day trip to the Fleurieu Peninsula taking natural bushland, home gardens, both micro and massive and some restored public bush. Our first area was Pangarinda Arboretum, near Wellington in S A, this was our lunch stop on day one. From there we all travelled to our accommodation around Goolwa and Victor Harbor, later meeting for a hearty meal. Sunday morning we visited Currency Creek Arboretum a private 35 ha plantation of eucalypts, the largest collection in the world. After lunch we visited Cox Scrub, a bushland full of small plants in flower, showing the natural beauty of our bush. On Monday the group split into two, one group going to Nangawooka Flora Reserve while the others went to a small private garden in Port Elliott, later the two groups joined up and visited Brian Freeman s garden, a massive area of manmade bush garden with multiple species represented with many planted in different micro climates too see how they adapted. Some people stayed at Brian s and enjoyed his hospitality and BBQ that evening. On Tuesday some members attended a guided tour of local highlights while others headed home. Kevin Full reports and pictures of each of the sites will be in next month s newsletter Remember this is your newsletter and it will only be as good as the articles that you put in it. Thanks to Andrea and Kevin for their contributions. If there are articles you wish to contribute or if there are things you would like to see in our newsletter then Phil Williams at pwn3381@gmail.com or by phone or or even by snail at P.O. Pomonal APSVic Grampians Committee 2017/18 Office Bearers President: Kevin Moulynox ( ) Vice President: Neil Marriott ( ) Secretary: Andrea Shelley ( ) Treasurer: Danielle Chipier ( ) Ordinary Members Phil Williams Wendy Marriott Linda Handscombe David Handscombe Neil Macumber Sandy Moulinox Peter Shelley Anita Evans Ross Simpson 6