Plectranthus cremnus

                Plectranthus cremnus

I call this the Byron Bay Plectranthus as it is from that part of northern New South Wales. Like a lot of native plants it has failed to cross over into the general garden scene despite having these extraordinary deep marine blue flowers and lovely velvet soft heart shaped leaves. The problem is that it is an untidy plant and a bit of a sprawler. Along the way it sheds its stem leaves so you are left looking at a mass of bare stems with leaves and flowers at the terminal. I have tried tip pruning in the hope of making it more compact but this has not made a difference to the overall appearance. Nevertheless it is a hardy plant and does not have any special water or fertilizer requirements.

 

Billy Buttons

 Craspedia species "Billy Buttons'

 Helenium puberulum

The native 'Billy Buttons' (Craspedia species) is one of those really tricky plants to grow in a garden situation. In its Alpine habitat it has a trickle of melted snow underneath its roots while it is making its spring growth. It is grown commercially as a cut flower but perhaps is treated as an annual in that case. By the time it makes it to a florist it has often been dyed a range of lurid colours, though I am never sure what the appeal is in doing so. The technical description for flowers of this type in the daisy family is that each head appears as mainly a 'spherical bunch of disk florets'. The petals or 'ray florets' are tiny or absent.
I have doing some trials of the Californian native Helenium puberulum which has this flower structure and it is certainly much easier to grow. It hails from the Baja region of Southern California (think surfing and dramatic scenery) where it is given the Mexican name of 'Rosilla'. An English seed company has called it by the dreadful name of 'Autumn Lollipops' which is a slightly kitsch sounding name. I will stick to Billy Buttons I think. In Australia many Northern hemisphere perennials will flower in spring and then again in autumn following a cut back of the main flower stems. This Helenium makes growth as a single multi-branched stem of flowers with few leaves. The leaves have been modified to form a flange or flap clasping the stem. This economy of appearance, no leaves nor petals, is perhaps an adaptation to a harsh climate where all the plant's energy is put into producing a big ball of pollen which is large enough to use by any passing insect as a landing strip. The other possibility is that because it grows mainly along streams it is able to adapt to any rising water levels with its overall rhythmic shape. I have yet to try picking a bunch of the flowers so I will be interested to know what their vase life is and whether they dry well. Further details to follow.

Median-strip plants

Everyday I drive on a freeway or motorway and join that random group of vehicles all going at 100kph or more across 2 or 3 lanes. Going any less than this speed means you find yourself being tail-gated or worse, but that is another story. Along the way (eyes on the road of course) you see quite a diverse range of plants, with some being planted to plan but more often than not, it is just the usual assortment of feral weeds. Looking at weeds can be really quite disheartening when you see the way they have degraded the landscape. Embankments of Lantana stretching over 50 square metres or vines such as "Balloon" or "Madeira" smothering tall Casuarinas, are my least favourite sights. However other plants stay imprinted on your mind long after the journey. What springs to mind immediately ......the golden wattle in bloom right now beside the Hume Highway with purple Hardenbergia and Clematis in summer; the Bottlebrush, "Bird of Paradise" and cascading Bougainvillea on the drive into Sydney from the airport; the statuesque Agaves and the robust young Moreton Bay Figs on sections of the M7. The figs on the M7 are juxtaposed against a dramatic curved flyover which always reminds me of a Jeffrey Smart painting. 

This post is to remember the great Australian historian and art critic Robert Hughes who has passed away in New York at the age of 72.

Platycerium superbum, Staghorn fern

Staghorn fern
 Platycerium superbum

Looking like a giant moth, the newly emerging fronds of this fern will eventually divide and turn into streamer like lobes as it matures . I will have to take more photos of it over the coming months. It is found naturally on trees in the rainforests of northern New South Wales and tropical Queensland but makes a spectacular garden specimen when given lots of room. It can be grown on a wooden garden fence or retaining wall as is this one.
2017 update: I do not have any plants available.

Bunya Nut, Araucaria bidwilli

Bunya Nuts from the tree Araucaria bidwilli

Local tree growing in a park

A friend has just given me some Bunya nuts which I have not eaten for years as they are not the sort of thing you find at the local supermarket. The process of cooking them involves boiling them in their shell for 30 minutes and then leaving them to cool for 4 hours after which time the shell can be removed with ease. They have a flavour not unlike chestnuts and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. They are apparently gluten free and high in complex carbohydrates according to Vic Cherikoff writing in his book Uniquely Australian: A Wildfood Cookbook. He gives a selection of interesting recipes using bunya nuts including one with crocodile steak....mmm

It is unfortunate that the tree is so tall and with such prickly leaves, it is unsuitable for city gardens or parks.The cones containing the nuts are so large (30 cm) round they could be deadly if one were to be hit on the head as they drop to the ground

Drawings by Betty Maloney of leaves and cone of Auracaria bidwilli (right) and A. cunninghamii (left)

Glenlyon Drive in Ashgrove, Brisbane lined with Bunya Pines

The most famous avenue of Bunya Pines is in the Brisbane suburb of Ashgrove . These trees marked the driveway to Glen Lyon estate, the farm of Scottish businessman Alexander Stewart who built a house there in 1876. The trees remained after the property was subdivided in 1918 and the house became the home of the Marist Fathers' Monastery from 1930.
I am not sure how popular the trees are with local residents who have to deal with the falling leaves and cones.

Hakea bucculenta

Hakea bucculenta

I came across this spectacular shrub at the Illawarra Grevillea Park on the weekend.The park was having one of their open days and every time I go there I always see native plants which I have never come across before or ones which are not well known in cultivation. This red flowering Hakea is from the Geraldton region of Western Australia. The Latin name bucca refers to the seed pods which resemble fat cheeks. If you have a garden with very well drained sandy soil or a site with sloping ground where water can rapidly drain away, it would be worth trying to grow this beauty in a home garden situation.Flowering normally occurs during the winter months

Doryanthes palmeri, Spear Lily

Sir Arthur Palmer 1819-1898
Queensland Premier 1870 -1874

Doryanthes palmeri named in his honour.

The giant spear lily is just starting to flower with its enormous flower spike (a panicle technically) snaking skywards up to 5 metres.This species is found on cliffs and rocky hillsides above 600 metres, from Mt Warning in northern New South Wales to Mt Mistake in Queensland. I prefer this species to the more common, especially around Sydney, Doryanthes excelsa , the Gymea Lily, with its more upright flower stem. Doryanthes palmeri has adapted well to cultivation and will grow as far south as Melbourne being tolerant of frost. It adds a lot of drama to a garden with its robust clump forming habit and long leaves even when not in flower. It needs a spot in rocky well drained soil preferable on a slope. Propagation is usually from seed but seed grown plants will take up to ten years to flower. If collecting seed you need to wait at least six months after flowering has finished for seed to be mature. I have never attempted to divide a clump which is another way of getting new plants but I imagine it would be a bit like trying to divide a clump of Strelitzia, Bird of Paradise. You could do all that work only to find it fails to flourish after planting.
2017 update: I have limited stock available in 200mm pots.

Doryanthes palmeri

The Woody Pear

Pear shaped seed pods of Xylomelum angustifolium from WA

I am reading Barbara York Main's book in which she writes fondly of the Woody Pear tree growing in small pockets of uncleared bushland in the Western Australian Wheatbelt: Tassels of heavy scented, small white tubular flowers hung from the terminal branchlets of the woody pear trees... distal to the bizarre clumps of 'pears' arranged in groups along the branches, each clump representing the fruits of past successive flowerings. Growing elsewhere in association with the 'pears' the large orange flower heads of Banksia prionotes were coming into bloom.......
The Woody Pear tree of New South Wales is Xylomelum pyriforme and as a protected plant it cannot be propagated or offered for sale in Nurseries. I once saw a specimen growing in an old "mansion" garden in the Sydney suburb of Darling Point. It was probably left behind amongst the largely exotic plantings because of the quaintly decorative fruit which were a popular florist item before the protection status was given in the mid 20th century.

Xylomelum pyriforme
Woody Pear by Edward Minchen (1862-1913)

Agonis flexuosa and Eucalyptus diversicolour

Eucalyptus diversicolour
  Karri Tree of Western Australia

I have just finished reading the bitter sweet novel Breath by Tim Winton. The book was published in 2009 and has won a swag of literary awards, deservedly so. The main character, 'Pikelet' is very much aware of his environment, on both land and sea, and even spends a bit of time in the library reading books on plants when not distracted by conquering the surf. Two trees form part of the narrative and each represents a different aspect of his growing up in that southern region of Western Australia. The majestic Karri tree, one of the giants of the plant world is held in awe and the forest of these trees is a place of loneliness and fear, shunned by others in his community. Pikelet spends time amongst these trees to overcome his fear of some of the dangerous surf breaks he is yet to experience and to have alone time to contemplate and work out why his friends act the way they do.
The other tree is the coastal Peppermint or 'Willow Myrtle', Agonis flexuosa. In the book this tree is all sweetness and light, alive with honey eating birds while releasing an invigorating fragrance from its leaves in the hot sun to make the surf even more inviting for Pikelet and his friends.
Of all the wonderful trees from Western Australia, this is one which grows well on the east coast especially on coastal sands but also on difficult sites away from the coast in humid sub-tropic regions. It needs room however to reach its full potential and can reach 8 metres in height with a dense spreading crown of weeping willow type branches.The dwarf form A.f. 'Nana' only grows to 2.5 metres and makes an excellent windbreak or low hedge in coastal sands but has largely fallen out of favour since the rise and rise of the Lilly Pilly hedge of recent years. The coloured leaf forms, 'Variegata' and 'Fairy Foliage' are handsome small trees/large shrubs with dainty open habit and leaves tinged creamy yellow in the former and blush pink in the latter. Some shade is needed to stop the foliage from burning. Both are not easy to come by in the nursery trade perhaps due to their difficulty in propagation and slow growth habit. The cultivar 'After Dark' is more readily available and it fits the bill perfectly for the burgundy/black foliage colour mania which has been popular in recent years. It makes a decorative container specimen for even a tiny balcony garden.
Whenever I come across these trees in the future I will think of Tim Winton's terrific novel Breath

Willow Peppermint, Agonis flexuosa in the blinding white sand of WA

Photo:K.C. Richardson

Agonis flexuosa 'After Dark'

Breath is published by Penguin books

2 Rainforest Pioneer trees

Omalanthus populifolius 
 Native Poplar

Polyscias murrayi 
 Pencil Cedar

These two trees make an appearance from Gippsland in Victoria to Northern Queensland. They have evolved to be the first on the scene to fill a gap whenever a tree falls in the rainforest , land is disturbed bordering thick forest or a road verge is cleared of excess vegetation. The native poplar, which is also called bleeding heart is so successful in colonisation that it often appears in a variety of habitats and even makes an appearance in shady city gardens far from where you would expect to see it. It is a quick growing small tree, rarely growing more than 4 metres tall with a single trunk and bushy crown. It is the heart shaped red/orange leaves which appear throughout the year which gives it the bleeding heart common name and makes it quite distinctive when seen against the dark green of surrounding trees. The insignificant tassel like flowers followed by glaucous 10mm fruit are very attractive to birds which carry the ingested seeds and deposit them far and wide. Newly established trees are able to eek out a living in quite dry and inhospitable places though their leaves are often much smaller than those growing in better sites.
The Pencil Cedar is a more elegant tree with a beautiful silhouette when seen against the sky above surrounding vegetation. It is clever in establishing itself by means of a slender trunk to over 6 metres before deciding to branch. It grows a further 6 metres with an umbrella shaped crown of metre long pinnate leaves consisting of 30 opposite leaflets and one terminal leaflet. At this time of year it produces greenish yellow flowers on large branched panicles followed by small red fruit which are also attractive to birds.

The Catbird likes to eat the fruit of these trees.

Poa labillardieri, Tussock Grass

Poa labillardieri 
Tussock Grass

Though this native grass is widely used in public landscaping and roadside plantings it deserves a place in the home garden as well. It is in flower now and the shimmering gauzy flower stems look terrific, as pictured above, when moving in the breeze with a sparkling surf beach in the distance. I like to plant it around spiky Agave and Yucca plants as the fine blue grey foliage makes a good contrast to their thick broad rigid stems. Maintenance of this grass involves shearing off the old flower stems after they have dried off. New growth appears very soon after.
This species is named for Australian explorer Jacques Julien Houtou de La Billardiere

Jacques Julien Houtou de La Billardiere (1755-1834)
sketch by Julien Leopold Boilly 1821
Wellcome Library, London

Isolepis nodosa syn Ficinea nodosa:Knobby Club-rush

Knobby Club-rush, Ficinea nodosa with clipped Westringea fruicosa

If you like exploring coastal ecosystems you would be familiar with this native plant growing in hind dunes or bordering damp swampy places. Despite this origin, it is perfectly adaptable to the home garden situation where it can be grown as a decorative plant in ordinary garden soil or as a container plant. The tall stiff stems to 90 cm carry globular flower heads at this time of year which last for many months and which make terrific cut flowers. The plant is slow spreading by underground runners and can be maintained by shearing off old flowering stems once a year. The old flower stems often lurch sideways under the weight of the developing seed heads. The plant is still known under the old name of Isolepis despite the name change to Ficinea.

Ajuga australis

Ajuga australis
drawing:Kathleen McArthur

Native to the east coast and Tasmania, this groundcover is not readily available in the nursery trade. I have seen it growing along bush tracks in shady spots under gum trees. The flower spikes are quite striking and are just starting to appear after good winter rain. The exotic Ajuga reptans with its multitude of colours and leaf forms is a popular and hardy garden plant.

Happy Wattle Day

Acacia suaveolens
 Sweet Acacia (drawing by Kathleen McArthur)

I was reminded that it was Wattle Day after watching the evening news. Members of our caretaker government were wearing a sprig of wattle in their lapels. So Spring is here and it's warm, humid and a thunderstorm is forecast for tomorrow.....
This is one of my favourite wattles. It is found all along the east coast usually close to the sea. It lives up to its name by having a very sweet perfume but flowers during June/July and then forms bluish purple seed pods which are quite decorative.

NAIDOC Week 4-11 July

NAIDOC, National Aboriginal Islander Day Observance Committee,  Week is a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures and an opportunity to recognize the contributions of Indigenous Australians in various fields.

Bonsai: Acacia howitti

Beautiful pendulous foliage of Acacia howitti, the 'Sticky Wattle', a native of Victoria.

Grevillea 'Coochin Hills'

Magnificent Bougainvillea at Coochin Coochin homestead near Boonah in south east Queensland. It was planted to celebrate the homecoming of Aussie troops after World War1.
Coochin means red in the Jagera language of the Ugarapul people and is named for the red bill of the black swan

Coochin Run 1854
Conrad Martens (1801-1878)
Queensland Art Gallery
Grevillea 'Coochin Hills'indigenous to the area

Black Swan 1792
First Fleet Artwork Collection
Natural History Museum
London

I collect Floras

Grevillea floribunda, photo by Peter Althofer

Halgania preissiana photo by Beth Williams

The Lifeline Big Book Fair, on in town this weekend always turns up long out of print books.I am always on the lookout for Floras about particular regions I may visit someday. Floras always contain interesting information on history, geology and land formation, ecology as well as descriptive 'keys' to the plant life. The one pictured above is from the town of Wellington in New South Wales.
The other interesting one I found was from the Northern Territory Conservation Commission about Plants of the Tropical Woodland and in the introduction you are invited to 'feel, rub, squeeze, bend, smell and even taste certain plants so that you may get to know them better'.

Derwentia perfoliata, Digger's Speedwell

Derwentia perfoliata syn Parahebe perfoliata
  Digger's Speedwell

This small native shrub from the inland and highland regions of New South Wales and Victoria has pretty mauve flowers even though they are a little on the small side for my liking. It usually gets tagged with names such as lax and floppy to describe the way the stems sprawl about. At first I thought it was an exotic plant as the leaves looked very lush and bright green, atypical of most of our flora. It is a good shrub for front of border planting in a casual native or cottage garden especially in cool temperate regions. It is available from the Growing Friends' Nursery at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney but is not common in the commercial Nursery scene, probably because it doesn't look perky enough in a pot.
2017 update: I no longer grow this plant.

2 Native Hibiscus

Hibiscus heterophyllus

This local species of Hibiscus is most noticeable at this time of year as the white and faintly pink flowers are fairly large (about 10cm across) and they are produced in quantity and are clearly visible from a distance. Up close the flowers have the texture of a crepe bandage and from their crimson throat out tumbles various beetles and bugs which have taken refuge. It is often seen beside roads or growing in open paddocks but does not quite make the grade as a garden specimen as it forms a fairly ungainly shrub to about 5 metres and is covered in prickles .The seed pods which follow the flowers are also fairly unfriendly as well. They are densely packed with fibreglass-like hairs which can irritate the skin.

Pink and white dot flowers of a Hibiscus heterophyllus beside a local road.

Hibiscus geranioides
 Geranium leaf Hibiscus

This is a little charming species which only grows to about 70 cm. It is covered in musk pink flowers which seem to prefer to open on dull days.Native to the tropical north, it often acts more like an annual there, responding to the wet and dry seasons by shedding seed at the end of the wet and returning after the dry season. It does well further south and will even tolerate a light frost. Growing it in a cottage style garden with other small perennials is an ideal situation for it as long as it is given a well drained soil. It also makes a great container plant on a sunny balcony.
2017 update: Plant breeders have produced some spectacular new colour forms of native Hibiscus.