We wish You all the Blessings of Christmas and a Bright, Healthy and Happy New Year
Our New Officers for 2016
At the recent AGM reports were presented for the Year 2015 (see pages 2 and 3) and our management team for 2016 was elected – indeed the 2015 team was reelected. We thank them for their excellent service to the Group last year and wish them well in leading us next.
Although we have no President or Secretary, Committee members are determined to share the work so that 2016 is a successful year for our Group.
We have what the Committee believes is an interesting program in hand for 2016 but are always willing to receive suggestions for other speakers and/or topics. Please do not hesitate to pass on suggestions.
We finished last year with a profit of $478.02 due in no small measure to the success of our plant sales at the Samuel Gilbert School fete in September.
We must be delighted with the continuing success of the monthly Propagation Workshop that has enabled many pot plants to be given to schools this past year and enabled members to become good propagators.
Calendar
Dec 2015
Wed 9 Propagation at Bidjiwong Community Nursery at 10am (Plants require care right through summer)
Jan 2016
Wed 6 Deadline for Calgaroo news / articles
Wed 13 Propagation at Bidjiwong Community Nursery at 10am
Feb 2016
Sat 6 Deadline for Calgaroo news / articles
Wed 11 Propagation at Bidjiwong Community Nursery at 10am
Sat 27 APS NSW Gathering hosted by Northern Beaches Group at Stony Range Regional Park – details to be advised
AGM Reports
Committee Report (in lieu of President’s Report)
The changes introduced in 2014 have continued and multiplied in 2015. Saturday afternoon meetings at Gumnut Hall have been accepted and generally regarded as a positive change. The meeting format changes with the wider use of activities within the meetings has been successful in generating involvement, interaction and interest from attendees. Numbers at meetings have varied but have been usually respectable although certainly with no sustained growth. We still have a lot to do to grow membership and attendances at meetings and activities. Current membership stands at 32 but includes 11 couples so current headcount is 43 (static).
Our monthly program for 2015 started in February with a talk by Peter Street on A Scientific Expedition to Kakadu. Peter had a great collections of photos on the natural environment of this interesting area. The meeting activity was DIY Home Propagation ably conducted by Pip Gibian and Lesley Waite. In April Mark Abell talked on Vertical Gardening with Native Plants. This is of increasing interest as our gardens become smaller in urban areas. The meeting activity was conducted by Pip Gibian – Identification of Local Banksias. In June Michael Batley talked on Bee Families of Australia. All the bee freaks turned up and Michael’s photography and videos were stunning. Brodie Sutcliffe hosted the meeting activity – Making Insect Hotels. In August Karlo Taliana spoke on Eastern Banksia Cultivars. Karlo’s passion and knowledge of his subject came through in the talk. The meeting activity was again hosted by Brodie Sutcliffe – Eco Flower Arranging. Doug Rickard returned in September after his tour de force on western wildflowers last year. His subject this year was Dirt for Dummies (Getting to Know Your Soil). This basic (but very important) topic was presented by Doug in his inimitable style with absolutely no loss of audience interest throughout. Doug also hosted the meeting activity where members brought in their own soil samples for profiling.
Saturday activities in the “off” month ran as follows. In March a bushwalk was held at Lake Parramatta. In May the activity was postponed due to a clash with the APS NSW Gathering and AGM. In July an Open Garden tour was held at Ian and Tamara Cox’s lovely native garden at Kenthurst. In October members toured the Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden at Dee Why. In August we ran our traditional stall at the Samuel Gilbert School Fete at Castle Hill. This was the usual botanical, people and financial success – it helped to contribute to our profit for the year.
Our Propagation Group guided by Lesley Waite continues every month producing great quality local native plants – all are welcome to attend. Chris Coe and Sue Bell manage our web site – great thanks to them. Gordon Brooks, assisted by Marilyn Cross, produce a great quality Calgaroo each month – 8 pages full of interest and photos and an integral elemant of our Group. Sue Gibbons is managing the disposal of our library with great care and attention.
Your Committee met four times in 2015 and in the absence of a president have allocated the various tasks among the Committee. This Report has been prepared on behalf of the Committee for the information of members. The Committee wishes you all a safe and happy Christmas and looks forward to a successful 2016.
FINANCIAL REPORT APS PARRA-HILLS GROUP
1st November 2014 to 31st October 2015
SUMMARY | |
Income | $2046.82 |
Expenses | $1568.80 |
PROFIT | $478.02 |
CURRENT FINANCIAL POSITION Bank Balance at 31 October 2012 | $2751.98 |
Term Deposit at Bendigo Bank | $3017.01 |
Perpetual Investment Account | $248.45 |
Petty Cash | $180.80 |
TOTAL | $6,198.24 |
PERPETUAL INVESTMENT ACCOUNT Amount transferred back to bank account | $120.28 |
Total annual interest paid | $4.62 |
Amount remaining in Perpetual Investment | $248.45 |
TERM DEPOSIT BENDIGO BANK Capital Invested | $3,000.00 |
Interest (2.3% at present) | $17.01 |
Current Account Balance | $3,017.01 |
Pip Gibian (Treasurer)
Subject to audit
Propagation Group Report
Lesley Waite
2015 was a good year for the Propagation Team. A band of up to 7 happy workers turn up on the 2nd Wednesday of the month to propagate native plants from our gardens or from our growing stash of reliable stock plants.
Apart from local Banksias and Acacias, which grow reliably from seed, we still find that we propagate mainly from cuttings. An important reason for this is that the plants that we grow tend to be special cultivars that we want to duplicate exactly. The large flowered Crowea saligna from the late Fred Johnson’s garden; the Persoonia chamaepitys that Ron Gornall discovered; or more recently the magnificent Lambertia formosa from Ted Newman’s garden are just a few excellent examples of our growing stock of plants that we propagate from cuttings. (We need a few more plants to grow from Ted’s Lambertia before we can put it on my sales table at meetings, so watch out for it in late autumn /winter 2016). Meanwhile, do you have any plants in your garden that we can take cuttings off? Give me a call and we’ll organise to get them from you!
As usual, we focused our energies on producing plants for our Saturday meetings (raffle and sales), and also on preparing for the Samuel Gilbert fete, held in August. This year the fete had a particularly good year, reflected in the bumper profit that was made to boost our Group’s earnings for 2015.
We also have an excess of plants that can’t sell through the meetings or at the fete, and so we have a number of outlets for these.
- The Council Nursery. Selected plants go on the table for giveaway to Hills Shire residents to take away for their garden
- Samuel Gilbert Public School. Chris Coe has taken plants that are getting pot bound or a bit leggy to plant in the grounds of the school. With her care, she finds that they thrive there and contribute to the character of that bushland school.
- In February this year 40 or so pots were delivered to the Teachers’ Green Network meeting. (This is for local school representatives who meet once a term to share ideas on “green” education ideas for their students). All the plants were taken for planting in the various schools. Thank you to Chris Coe for this initiative.
- Christmas gifts to members at our AGM/November meeting!
If you know of any other schools or community gardens etc that would appreciate a donation of our plants, please let me know.
Our numbers in June were swelled by the arrival of 6 Green Army helpers who were looking for some working experience for their studies. They were a big help and it was lovely to share our passions and exchange tips with them.
Thank you to The Hills Shire Council, for the use of the facilities of the Community Nursery, and to Lisa and Fresa for your friendly help and advice. It is greatly appreciated.
Thank you to Pip, who regularly supplies us with cutting material. Thank you to Chris who is our link with Samuel Gilbert, and who is terrific for coming up with ideas for making things work just that little bit smoother. And thank you to Ron and Barbara who have done an excellent job in setting up a system for cataloguing our growing number of stock plants so that we could keep track of them all.
And of course thank you to my merry band of co-workers over this year (I hope I haven’t missed anyone out!) Jennifer, Ron and Barbara, Chris, Grahame, Judy, Sandra B and family, Sandra C, Trevor, John, Pip and Ted.
A Trip to the Gammon and Flinders Ranges
For those who enjoy travelling – and we have had many members do this over the years, we recommend that you read the account of the trip made by Graeme and Merrilyn Mee in the October edition of Gumleaves, the newsletter of the APS Hunter Valley Group for which Graeme is Editor.Visit our APS NSW web site at http://www.austplants-nsw.org.au/ and then, under User Menu on the left margin, click on District Group Newsletters, and run down the list to Hunter Valley Group 2015 which you click on and finally run through to their October issue.Of course, if you have not previously registered you must do that as directed using your APS membership number. And periodically visit the web site for all the great articles and information published therein.
A Puzzle
*Barry Kemp
Twenty years ago, when propagating for the heathland beds at the botanic garden, one of the easiest was Banksia spinulosa var collina. Fairly common locally, I have a mental picture of mature flower spikes packed with follicles containing easily-germinated seed.
As a couple of the shrubs in the beds are looking decidedly senescent, I decided to collect seed from them and re-propagate, but I was surprized to find that there were no developed follicles, so no seeds. No worries, there are large numbers of plants in the woodland south of the airport road, I’ll collect from there.
From maybe 100 plants, I found only enough developed follicles for a handful of seeds, and they have not germinated. What is happening?
As this variety reputedly has a lignotuber, so is able to re-sprout from the base, perhaps there is no immediate problem, but I’d be interested to hear from anyone who has this shrub growing naturally nearby, or in their garden, and whether the seed follicles are developing normally.
*Barry Kemp (barrykmp06@gmail.com) is a member of APS Coffs Harbour Group in whose newsletter this was first published. Please let Calgaroo know if your Banksia is not normal – we’ll pass the news on.
APS NSW Membership
The Committee reported a membership of 32 including 11 couples making 43 persons in total but we all need to watch that we renew our membership when it becomes due.
With climate changing – and who can refute this in the light of Sydney’s weather over recent years and certainly in the past few weeks, there may be many plants that find conditions so changed that they are at very least threatened. We still need to learn more about our flora and give it a hand to meet these changes.
So ensure you renew membership and contribute to its well being. Encourage other to join APS! If in doubt as to when you are due, please ask. We will try to send reminders but its your membership!
APS NSW Facebook Pages
This is, of course, one of the latest media for communication and you may find it interesting to visit https://www.facebook.com/APSNSW It does require registration – follow directions on the web. You will find our Group’s web site mentioned there together with a lot of news, pictures and even this picture of a Tawny Frogmouth (apparently Mr from his colouring) with chicks. And the submission by Judy and Jason. Go down far enough and you discover the story of the wondrous discovery in 1994 of the Wollemi Pines.
The Wollemi Pine
The story of the chance discovery of the Wollemi Pine, back in September 1994, has become the stuff of modern-day legend. No sooner was the thought-to-be-extinct conifer found to be still living than a propagation program began – one that culminated in people around the world paying thousands of dollars for a single specimen.
Now you see them everywhere from front gardens in Hawthorn to botanic gardens in Vienna to remote landscapes in Denver. On a recent tour of the British Isles we were shown so many Wollemi Pines – on windswept English islands, in Irish country estates, on gardens by Scottish lochs – that our botanic guide began to expressly request that we not be led past any more.
Warrawee Gardens
Judy and Jason, owners of the private Warrawee Gardens in Beaconsfield, Victoria, submitted this comment and photo to APS NSW Facebook
“Our Grevillea ‘Flamingo’ has never displayed such sensational and deep pinky-purple colouring. It starts off as per normal with pink with some orange thrown in but maturing now to this. Checking google this appears to be “normal” but wasn’t our normal. Not complaining though. Awesome.
The photo colour does reflect the flower colour too.”
Grevillea ‘Flamingo’ grows 2-3m x 3m with rich pink flowers all year.“
Please let us know how yours grows. Not got one – better get one.
APS NSW Conservation Matters
Our thanks to Ron Gornall, our Conservation Officer, who has linked to the APS Conservation group with the hope of keeping us better informed on conservation matters.
APS NSW Group Newsletters
Although I receive several APS NSW Group newsletters direct I do like to go to the APS web site to access other newsletters. There are so many other great articles and so many lovely images of plants, birds and bush to see.
I was struck by the beauty of the Scaevola ramosissima photographed in the Royal National Park by Ralph Cartwright of APS Sutherland Group that first appeared in their newsletter.
Most of us used to grow it but I rarely hear of it now. It is an open, prostrate plant which is not particularly vigorous and rarely exceeds about a half metre in spread. The foliage is slightly hairy and fairly sparse. Flowers are seen in summer, are mauve to purple and 25-30 mm in diameter. It is indigenous to the heath, woodland and open forest of coast and mountains of Victoria, New South Wales and southern Queensland. It is generally not long lived, perhaps 3 – 4 years, but it is easily propagated from cuttings.
Scaevola is a genus within the Goodeniaceae family of about 70 species, most of which occur in Western Australia. They are mostly small, herbaceous plants distinguished by their fan-shaped flowers. Indeed their common name is Fan-flower.
Scaevola aemula is probably the most commonly grown species in the genus. Because of its wide range, a number of forms exist but, in cultivation, it is typically a sub-shrub to about 150mm high by a width of half a metre. The leaves are 10 to 50 mm long, oval or wedge shaped and sometimes toothed. Flowers that are seen in spring and summer, are mauve to purple and 25-30 mm in diameter. It is wide spread throughout Southern Australia.
If you are not growing a Scaevola, try one. They are usually available from nurseries.
So visit the APS NSW web site at http://www.austplants-nsw.org.au/ then go to User Menu on the left and click on District Group Newsletters. Choose the one you wish to see, remembering that the last newsletter will be listed last in that particular series. In the example below I clicked on North Shore Group and ran down to the July 2015 issue and then clicked on Blandfordia to open that newsletter.
Remember that there are many other newsletter, articles and items to see and read. You can follow the links to other publications. Great Christmas reading!
Another great Read
Having just read the December newsletter of the APS Menai Wildflower Group, may I suggest you look at it too for great stories and great pictures. Visit http://www.austplants-nsw.org.au/ for this newsletter too and in this case choose Menai Wildflower Group.
Another is the newsletter of APS East Hills Group
Eremophila Study Group – Sydney Branch
One of the early decisions of the Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants Inc, now the Australian Native Plant Society Australia (ANPSA), was to establish Study Groups to learn more about our Australian flora. Study Groups may study plants within a Family or within a Genus. One that falls within the latter category is the Eremophila Study Group. The recently appointed leader is Dr Lyndal Thorburn.
There is, however, a branch in Sydney led by Charles Farrugia of Seven Hills. Of recent date there has been a fascinating discussion of Eremophilas involving members from at least four States and the ACT. In particular Ken Warnes of SA and Ian Tranter of ACT have discussed issues relating to field observations and scientific factors of species and cultivars.
One eagerly awaits the next fascinating part of an incredible jigsaw puzzle – I have received over 100 emails re Eremophilas in the past four months.
All Study Groups don’t work in the same way – they have developed their own methodology over many years to suit their subject and their members. Some are fortunate to have highly knowledgeable leaders and some depend on the enthusiasm of the leader and members but all learn new and extraordinary things about our Australian plants.
Don’t miss out – join a Study Group of your choice, contribute from your experience growing those plants, be that little or considerable, to the extent that suits you and learn more than you ever expected about our flora. Membership of a Study Group necessitates membership of a member Society of ANPSA.
A recent list of ANPSA Study Groups, their leaders and their fees was published on pages 60 and 61 of Native Plants for NSW, Vol 50, No 4, October 2015.
Fees vary and are generally a little less if reports are accepted on-line, and range from $5 pa – $15 pa (Garden Design Study Group) for members in Australia.
Ken Warnes declared the Eremophila to be the flower of Eremophila ‘Meringur Isaac’, a cultivar of the hybrid E. bignoniiflora x E. polyclada, the same as E. ‘Big Poly’ but from a much darker flowered E. bignoniiflora.
This led to further discussion about the complexity of the management of names and that having little or inaccurate histories of forms can be a real problem.
APS NSW Growth and Promotions Action Plan
Members should be aware that our Board of Directors has endorsed a Growth and Promotion Action Plan that provides a list of actions for both APS NSW and District Groups to consider to attract new members. The Action Plan is a draft and is constantly updated.
No single action will increase membership on its own, but many actions are reinforcing. The aim is to double membership of APS NSW within 5 years.
Not surprisingly, the Action Plan includes actions that APS must take and others that District Groups like ours must tackle.
Hopefully this will be an exciting time for the Society and its members. There is still much to learn about our beautiful Australian flora and much that predicted climate change may force us to do to protect and nurture our floral heritage.
You can encourage others to join APS and to grow our native plants and trees.
You can suggest ways to increase membership and improve our program to retain members and encourage others to join. You don’t have to be on our Committee to do these things, just speak up and let us know of your ideas. What you want may be what another member or friend wants – just enough for us to retain their membership or have them become a new member.
GardenDrum
I confess to never having heard of GardenDrum until the APS office sent out a reference to a story in it. A quick check on the Internet revealed several stories related to native plants and gardens. Indeed I discovered that GardenDrum is an Australian international gardening magazine about gardens and gardening, plants, garden design, garden tours and travel, product reviews and landscaping.
In particular there are articles by Angus Stewart and Heather Miles, a member of APS Hunter Valley Group and our new APS NSW Secretary, who wrote the lead story in the recent issue of Native Plants for NSW.
Having visited their web site I find that the creator, curator and editor of GardenDrum is Catherine Stewart of Sydney who is “an award-winning garden journalist, blogger and photographer; writer for garden magazines and co-author of ‘Waterwise Gardening‘; landscape designer turned landscape design judge; selector for Open Gardens Australia; compulsive networker and lover of generally putting fingers in lots of pies. Particularly mud pies.”
Although not restricted to natives it suggests to me that this is a future source of information that may benefit all of us. Visit http://gardendrum.com/ and note that besides current stories you may look at past ones by clicking on “archive”.
New Book from Angus Stewart and A B Bishop
A book that you may care to consider as a Christmas present has recently been released by Angus Stewart and Andrea Bishop – The Australian Native Garden. The publisher is Murdoch Books.
Publicity suggests it is a very readable book that provides information for the home gardener on growing natives. It addresses the basics – soils, cultivation techniques, pruning, fertilising and maintenance, and refers to different design issues such as aesthetics, drought proofing, fire resistance and the attraction of native fauna
Prices vary at different stores from just over $42 to a little more than $60. Remember that Florilegium at 65 Derwent Street, Glebe offers APS members a 10% discount on some titles. Give them a ring to check your price on (02) 9571 8222.
Special Bees for Eremophila
On 17 September Australian media reported on four new native bee species (Euhesma spp.) found by South Australian researchers at Cane River Conservation Park in the Pilbara region, WA, and Bon Bon State Reserve, south of Coober Pedy, in SA. Of the four, three special narrow heads and unusual long mouth parts allowing them to feed on emu bush flowers. The bees have narrow faces and very long mouth parts to collect the nectar through a narrow constriction at the base of the Eremophila flowers.
More information is available in the journal ZooKeys (http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=6185).
This is an item in the recent Eremophila Study Group newsletter from leader Dr Lyndal Thorburn. Check the list of ANPSA Study Groups in Native Plants for NSW and join one today.”
Parramatta and Hills District Group
Email: apsparrahills@gmail.com
Website: https://austplants.com.au/Parramatta-And-Hills
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APSPARRAHILLS/