Austral ian, Plants Society

Central West Group PO Box 240 Oberon 2787

September 2003

27/28 September: Visit of Canberra Group Saturday: Meet at Machattie Park Rotunda, Bathurst from 12.30 onwards for a BYO picnic Machattie Park is situated between George and William Streets and between Keppel and Russell Streets (see Bathurst map). After the picnic we proceed to Marcia Bonham's garden at Duramana north ofBathurst (see Marcia's artistic map on page 5).

Sunday; Meet in front of the Malachi Gilmore Hall, the historic Art Deco building in the centre of Oberon in main street (sunrise colours). After inspecting the Lisle Pearse Memorial Garden, morning tea at Isobel and Hans Guldberg's garden. Map below shows Titania Park - proceed 4 km from Oberon along Duckmaloi (Sydney) Road to top of hill, go right up Titania Road at arrow. About 200 m along Titania Road go right up steep Brien Road, then 50m left along Harris Road at T-joint, then 400m right along Fairview Drive and 550 m left along WhiteleyRoad. Our house on left has round roof.

Barbecue lunch at Cheryl and John Mackinnon's garden at 'Tanderra', Porters Retreat. To get there go back to Oberon, through town and lett along Black Springs (Abercrombie) Road. At Black Springs, go left at the crossroads. When some 20 km later you pass the Shooters Hill turnoffon the left and then Running Stream, Tanderra is on the left hand side. If you run out of sealed road you've overshot the mark by a few km!

President Fiona Ogilvie

St Anthony's Creek Raglan 2795

Tel: 0263373419 Email: fio@lisp.com.au

Vice President Terry Rath

490 Freemantle Road Mt Rankin 2795

Tel: 02 6336 9091 Email: raths@lisp.com.au

Treasurer Joanna McLachlan

1566 Orange Highway Dunkeld 2795

Tel: 026337 3810 Email:

bandoolajm@bigpond.com

Secretary Sue Wakefield

1307 Ophir Road Rock Forest 2795 Tel: 0263374853

Email: peckatoe@netwit.net.au

List Collator Geoffrey Windsor

Wattle Flat 2795 Tel: 0263377155

Editors Isobel and Hans Guldberg

55 Whiteley Road Oberon 2787

Tel: 02 6336 0239 Email: esi@lisp.com.au

Due date for contributions for next edition: 20 October

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President's Report Spring is here. Not that the weather is warmer, indeed September has been as cold as any month this win­ter. But birds are on the move and the garden is full ofbirdsong. Grow­ing native plants can increase a gar­den's bird life overnight.

This is especially true if, as Marcia Bonham pointed out to me, you plant with nectar eat­ing birds in mind. Grain eaters can usually fend for themselves, but nectar eaters can miss out unless you plant with them in mind. Our prickly rosemary grevillea (G. rosmarinifolia) hedge is presently full ofhoneyeaters. It is a safe haven from predators and flowers when the birds most need nourishment, at the tail end ofwinter.

G. rosmarinifolia has produced several good cultivars, including smaller forms if you don't have room for a two-metre monster such as 'Canberra Gem'. My fa­vourite is 'Scarlet Sprite'. It stops at one metre, and has clear scarlet flowers in late September.

At our last meeting at Charles Sturt University at Bathurst we had the pleasure of welcoming local bota­nist Dr. Donna Windsor to give an introductory presen­tation on identifYing native plants. This was hands-on workshop to which members brought plant material and then identified it with the help ofDonna's instructions and botanical keys.

If, like me, you have ever had trouble identifYing plants in the wild, there's nothing like going through the basic steps of identification with an enthusiastic expert and then practising what you have learned. There are many reasons for identifYing native plants: if you see some­thing you love in the wild it helps to know if it's likely to become a weed in the garden, what its growing needs are and even if it can cause allergies. Identitlcation is challenging and time consuming but ultimately reward­mg.

Donna passed on plenty of practical tips. Learn to rec­ognise one family at a time, such as legumes that all have pea-type seeds. A plant's place in the landscape ­hill, valley, woodland, creek edge and so on - helps with specifics, as does its leaf type, whether a Dicotyle­don with reticulate veining or a Monocotyledon with parallel veining. Many flowers need to be identitled when fresh as they lose characteristics when dried.

Press specimens between several sheets of newspaper and weigh down with a heavy object. When dry, mount on paper or cardboard, using clear drying wood glue or sticky tape, and label. File your collection in alpha­betical order of Division, class, family, genus and spe­cies; loose-leaf ring binders simplifY adding and replac­ing sheets.

Finally, remember that plant names change frequently as botanists continue to study plants and technology improves, so cross check names with the most up to date botanical references. Don't forget the Central West

Group's library: books are freely available to all members and we continue to expand this valuable resource.

Once again Sue Wakefield and others will be manning a stand.at Orange Garden Expo, on behalf ofour group, on Sunday 2 November at Orange Botanic Gardens. I will be there and we will need a few more volunteers. This is always a fun occasion with lots to see, do and buy for the avid plantaholic.

Our next event is the visit of Canberra Group, w/e 27/28 September. Meet at Machattie Park Rotunda, Bathurst from 12.30 onwards for a BYO picnic followed by a visit to Marcia Bonham's garden at Duramana. On Sunday we will be in Oberon to inspect the Lisle Pearse Memorial Garden, followed by morning tea at Isobel and Hans Guldberg's garden, and a barbecue lunch at Cheryl and John Mackinnon's garden at Black Springs. This is a won­derful opportunity to talk to members of the Canberra Group, many of whom share our challenges of drought, heavy frost and intractable soil in creating a beautiful na­tive garden. I hope to see you there.

Happy gardening!

Fiona

PS: Bathurst Garden Club's Spring Spectacular will take place w/e 25/26 October, 2003 and apart from the win­ning gardens, six open gardens will be on display. Lithgow & District Garden Club present its Floral Art Extravaganza a fortnight later, w/e 8/9 November in the Union Theatre, Bridge Street, Lithgow.

Events in November 2 November: Orange Garden EXPO Please help us man (penon??) our fifth Central West Group plant sales and information stand at the Expo in Orange Botanical Gardens. Any member is welcome to bring plants for sale under the Australian Plants Society ban­ner on the understanding that 20% of sales be contrib­uted to the Central West APS Group.

8 November: Hands-on propagation workshop At Sue Wakefie1d's and Jim Watt's property at Rock For­est, members will share knowledge about making cuttings and planting seeds using material brought along by par­ticipants. Again a hands-on experience!

Remember - we have an extensive library for

members' use, includinc;l Volrumes 2, 3, 4, 5 and

6 of NSW Flora. Available for loan from our

Librarian, VP Terry Rath (6336 9091 l.

Also do brinQ alonQ plant specimens for

Identification and discussion at meetlnQsl

NBNBNB! ED Isobel wishes it to be known that thefact that she has a similar name to the current US hurricane is where the similari0' ends. Coed

2

I have become involved in a large project looking at the cost of climate change to Australia. My task is to look at what it may do to tourism over the coming decades. As temperatures rise, many ofour World Heritage Areas will be threatened (including the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics rainforests), snowfields will melt, and there will be a host of other impacts including what may happen to our native flora. The following may interest you. Coed

Southwest Australia - Australia's Only Biodiversity Hotspot Conservation's big dilemma In a world where a huge number of species are threatened with extinction, conservation budgets just aren't sufficient to protect all areas. Priorities must be set. In 1988, British ecologist Norman Myers came up with the biodiversity hotspot idea to address the dilemma of conservation: What areas on this planet are most important for preserving as many species as possible?

Two factors are considered for an area to qualify as a biodiversity hotspot:

demic plants are attributed to millions of years of isolation from the rest ofAus­tralia by the country's vast central deserts. Extreme climate swings and poor soils also promoted specialisation of the re­gional flora.

Plants contribute most to Southwest Australia's biodiversity, but 19 birds, seven mammals, SO reptiles and 24 frogs are also endemic.The endemic western swamp turtle (Pseudemydura umbrina) is the most critically endangered reptile in Australia and possibly the most endan­gered freshwater turtle in the worldThe

ustr

• The region must support at least The Southwest Australia Biodiversity Hotspot numbat is the mammal symbol of WA1,500 endemic plant species to (Source: Conservation International 2003)

qualify - that is, species that are found exclusively within its boundaries.

• The region must be under threat by having lost more than 70% of its original habitat.

Since 1988, 25 biodiversity hotspots have been created around the globe. They contain 44% of all plant species and 35% of all terrestial vertebrate species in only 1.4% of Earth's land area.

The SouthwestAustralia Botanical Province Southwest Australia is Australia's only biodiversity hotspot, covering 309,850 km2 between Shark Bay in the north and Point Culver east of Esperance in the south (see map). Of this vast area, almost 90% is lost or gravely threatened, leaving only 33,336 km 2 in more or less pristine conditionThe area is host to 5,469 plant species, including 4,331 endemic species, so it passes the hotspot test with flying colours on both biodiversity and being under threat.

Seventy-three of the 685 gen­era in the area are found no­where else in the world.Ardent botanists may wish to note that there is even one endemic (am­ily, Cephalotaceae. It has only one species, the pitcher plant Cepha/otus (ollicularis - with cup­shaped leaves that can trap and digest insects and hold water. I couldn't resist shOWing a pic­ture of this unique Western Australian plant! It looks a bit Source: http://wv,w.duke.edul like a space invader, especially -nplummer/cephalotus.htmL

when printed in black and white, but it does stop at in­sects! And being unique it's a gem.

Why such high biodiversity in WA? The reason is that the Southwest is literally an island. The high plant diversity and the large number of unique en-

and has become a de (acto endemic spe­cies after dying out in its other natural habitats. It is now rare and considered highly endangered.

Why is the area threatened? The clearing of native vegetation which has taken place over the past two centuries is recognised as the single main cause of biodiversity loss. It is not just the physical removal of Australian flora ranging from the jarrah and karri forests to small plants, but also the increased salinity that occurs as a result of changes in the water cycle causing a rising water table which brings natural salts to the surface. Climate change will aggravate this with drying trends predicted for the south­ern parts of the continent.

What can be done? The 33,336 km2 of reasonably pristine land is the area cur­rently in national parks and nature reserves. The current system of protected areas is considered insufficient for long­term survival. Hotspot agency Conservation International concludes: 'Southwest Australia represents one of the best opportunities for long-term conservation among the hotspots because of its low population density and effective land management. However, immediate action is necessary to ensure the survival of the region's unique and highly threat­ened flora and fauna. In addition to maintaining the integ­rity of existing protected areas, ecosystem representation in the protected area system should be increased through the creation of new reserves from private and public lands (www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/hotspots/Australia).

Go and see it - and become an activist! There will be a magnificent opportunity to see Southwest Australia at ASGAP 2005 - the biennial conference be­tween I and 7 October 2005. Pre-conference tours I and 2 will be held on Monday 26 September, post-conference tours 3 and 4 on Saturday 8 October. Coed

ps: Ed and Co plan to be there celebrating their golden wedding anniversary (we did marry (airly young)!

Frost and Wind Pruning Pruning is a horticultural practice which is increasingly accepted to apply to native plants as it always has been to introduced plants in our gardens.

I start pruning when a plant arrives and has to be planted out if it is a bit root bound. Take the same amount off the top of the plant as off the root. Tip prune it and use the prunings as cuttings and there is an insurance against loss of the plant and the possibility of producing multiple cop­ies of same.

Pruning after flowering induces new growth at the nodes below the cut and a more prolific flowering next season. Some types of pruning are forced upon us.

While we realise that we want to preserve the natural char­acteristic habit, the natural shape of the plant, it is often necessary to prevent the plant becoming over-wooded and straggly. Some plants like Prostanthera ovaliJolia or Westringia fruticosa retain a compact habit. They only need pruning if they are used as a hedge or a rounded shape, in particular, is desired to add variety to the garden. Pruning should take place before the plant has developed an ungainly shape and has dead wood at the base. Some plants will tolerate being coppiced and you get a second chance. With others it is difficult to cut back the branches leaving enough foli­age to sustain the plant and you may have to take the risk and coppice. Most eucalypts and some banksias can be coppiced with the added value ofretaining juvenile foliage which is often very attractive. I have also coppiced Baeckea liniJofia and Leptospermum lanigera very successfully.

Ifyou have Acacia baifeyana in your garden suddenly some are split as ifby lightning. Their branches split and fall and some even continue to grow in the fall position - such is their persistence. Acacia baileyana we can probably also do without for its ability to become a weed and there are so many other more disciplined wattles. Acacia boormanii de­velops such a head of flower that it will also fall apart but then it will sucker to replace itself. Acacia covenii, the blue bush, grows into a tall tree and is a spectacular focal point in a garden with its bluish foliage and yellow blossom. Three years out ours is asking to have the extremities of the main branches rounded back. Bought as a 'rare plant' we now know it is quite common. Those prunings simply put in a mixture ofsharp sand and coco peat or even just in the ground will strike.

Preventive measures can be taken by watching plants that lean and trimming back the foliage on that side. It was reported in the Canberra regional newsletter that the cura­tor of the Eurobodalla Regional Botanical Gardens advo­cated pruning to reduce wilting in drought. Has someone out there perhaps tried this?

In the high country Jack Frost has laid a heavy hand on the garden. Some plants like Rhodante and Scaevola aemula ap­pear as dead in exposed positions but if you look deep there are green touches; others like Acacia howittii have just been singed on top. If you are prepared to accept a some­what untidy garden in the winter months, come mid Octo­ber when we think that frosts may be gone we can remove the damaged areas and most of these plants quickly re­cover and make a colourful display all through the sum­mer. Isobel

Native Grasses If you have lawn or grass you may find that your garden will grow better if its companion is native grass rather than introduced lawn grasses.

The place of native grasses in the landscape is being re­assessed. STIPA Native Grasses Association Inc was formed in 1997 by a group of landholders in the Central West of NSW. Since then it has grown from strength to strength.There are now 300 members from all over Aus­tralia, the majority being landholders. They are working on methods of mechanicall harvesting of native grass seed which will make seed more available to farmers and home gardeners. STIPA has provided the follOWing notes:

"Historical research has shown that grasslands covered much of the interior of Australia prior to European set­tlement. Much tree clearing today is of trees which have invaded the grasslands since 1800.

In 1826, James Atkinson, writing in "An account of the State of Agriculture and GraZing in New South Wales", recorded:

Extensive plains are a distinguishing (eature in the interior o( New South Wales. These tracts, although termed plains in the Colony, are very seldom level, but generally a gently undulat­ing surface destitute o( timber, and covered with grass; they extend, with many interruptions, but still (orming one great chain, (rom Liverpool plain ... to Maniroon Plains, to the south­ward o( lake George. approaching nearer to the sea coast as they extend to the southward.

Perennial plants, including many species of grasses, herbs and legumes were the major components of the grasslands.They were in balance, attuned to the variable Australian climate - some summer growing, others win­ter growing. Some responded to large rainfall events, oth­ers to lower rainfall & periods of no rain. Compatibility between species ensured effective use of available re­sources.

European settlement brought with it large numbers of livestock that changed the nature of the grasslands be­fore I845.The demand for forage over the cooler months brought about the depletion of the winter active and highly nutritious grass species. The perennial grasslands did not have the ability to recover from severe defolia­tion qUickly and gaps appeared in the groundcover. This was the opportunity for eucalypts and other woody per­ennials including the wattles to establish in the grasslands.

The Eucalypts and other woody plants insidiously multi­plied in the difficult to manage areas of poor soil, particu­larly upper slopes and hill tops.This was aided and abet­ted by the aggressive grazing system that depleted the better quality grasses, allOWing the low water use plants to invade.

Much of the treed country that today we think of as "Rem­nant Vegetation" is, in fact, a remnant of European mis­management of the grasslands in the first 50 years of European settlement. Much of the tree clearing that has occurred in the past is in fact a re-c1earing of the grasslands.

'It is often said that two football fields per day are being cleared of trees. It is qUite possible that two football fields