September 2016

---

---

Saturday Morning in the Gibian Garden – on 17 September at 10am

This year the committee has decided to move the October, between-meeting activity to September to avoid wasting the wonderful spring time, where flowers are there to be admired.

Tom and Pip Gibian have invited the Group to see their garden on Saturday morning, 17 September at 10am. Their address is 37 Carters Road, Dural.

The visit is principally to see some large areas of Orchids, Dendobrium kingianum and D. delicatum, which put on a show at this time of year. Various other plants will also be in flower in the garden. It is a wild garden, without lawn or formal garden beds for the most part. Native grasses grow between the plants as in the bush. Many plants have self-seeded and are mixed with wild species, native to the area. There will be morning tea on the deck. For the very surefooted there is a walk down the old planted rainforest. It is pretty rough and dangerous.

Parking is difficult. There is a small amount of parking available in the old retail nursery area, only 4 or 5 spaces, as long as everyone parks close together and perpendicular to the drive. Otherwise members will need to park further along Carters Road where there is space to get well off the road. Please don’t park on the inviting grass verge opposite no 37. It is a very boggy area, and driving on it ploughs up the neighbour’s carefully manicured lawn.

---

Our September Speaker, Greg Bourke – “Carnivorus Plants”

Greg Bourke, Curator and Manager of the Australian Botanic Gardens, Mt Tomah, will speak to us at our next meeting at Gumnut Hall on Saturday, 24 September at 2.00pm, on Carnivorus Plants

Hunting down these strange and magnificent plants has taken Greg to all corners of Australia and right through South East Asia and into remote and harsh areas to which he attributes to not having a large group of friends. They grow in nutrient poor environments. Australia being such an old continent, with most of the nutrients washed away, is fairly nutrient poor and a pretty harsh environment for plants to survive in. Carnivorous plants really thrive in these habitats and are able to supplement their diets with insects.

Probably the best known Australian carnivorous plant is the Albany pitcher plant, Cephalotus follicularis, which is unique. It only occurs in Oz, there’s only the one species and it is found in the south west of WA.

Pip Gibian will show us how to identify Casuarinas and Allocasuarinas.

---

Calendar

Sep 2016
Wed 14 Propagation at Bidjiwong Community Nursery at 10am
Sat 17 Visit to the garden of Tom and Pip Gibian, 37 Carters Road, Dural at 10am Sat 24 Our meeting at Gumnut Hall at 2pm – speaker Greg Burke on Carnivorous Plants

Oct 2016
Wed 5 Deadline for Calgaroo news / articles
Wed 12 Propagation at Bidjiwong Community Nursery at 10am

---

Our Facebook Page

Our Facebook page is up and running thanks to Marilyn Cross. Please visit and “like” the page. https://www.facebook.com/APSPARRAHILLS/

---

Our Team at Samuel Gilbert School Fete

“Other members were helpful with plant selection when it was needed, too. Pip in particular could do this very well.

It was great to see members turn up to help man the stall. Those involved in one way or another were Ben, Marilyn, Tony, Daniel, Sue, Lesley, Ron, Graeme, Pip and Tom (and Chris). We are so lucky to have a number of willing and fit workers for our Group, aren’t we? Thank you all!”

---

Boongala Native Gardens Spring Open Garden

Boongala Native Gardens at 76 Pitt Town Rd, Kenthurst, which displays a diverse collection of native flora from around Australia will be open Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from the 2nd to the 26th of September, 2016, 10am to 4pm. They will have a large range of native plants in gro-tubes and larger sizes available for sale.

Entry to the gardens (Donated to The Royal Flying Doctor) – Adults $2.00, Children Free Rainforest tour – Adults $3.00, Children Free

---

Have a look at the lovely images of WA flowers in the report of a talk given by Kevin Stokes in APS Central Coast Group newsletter of September 2016. Visit the APS NSW web site at http://www.austplants.com.au and log in to access the newsletter. Elsie Bartlett is editor.

---

Our Last Meeting

Lesley Waite stepped into the breach when Dr Peter Weston was unable to come and spoke to the subject ‘Bringing Small Birds Back to Your Garden’. Thank you, Lesley.

Lesley stated that land clearing and smaller backyards means that the small native birds and other wildlife need help to survive. Our gardens need greater plant diversity to encourage greater wildlife diversity and to provide more food, shelter and nesting materials year round. In turn, the wildlife will provide a more natural balance in the garden by being your pest controllers and thereby decreasing your reliance on pesticides. A win-win!

Diversity demanded

• layers of foliage from prostrate shrubs to trees;
• food including fruit, nuts, seeds, berries, nectar, insects, worms and decaying matter;
• shelter such as dense foliage, tall trees down to low shrubs, strappy/broad/narrow leaves and both prickly and soft foliage;
• lookouts and other safe havens that are open yet with a canopy for birds to ensure their own safety;
• nesting places such as old and dead trees with hollows and materials such as grasses, mulch and types of bark; and
• water sources such as ponds and bird baths that are constant, dependable, shaded, clean and fresh with a nearby lookout perch. Small birds like to be able to seeif danger is coming, and, if so, to be able to quickly hide in nearby bushes.

Connectivity is a requirement because our local wildlife finds it tough enough already with our occasional drought conditions. A wonderful initiative from Macquarie University is Habitat Stepping Stones at www.habitatsteppingstones.org.au which is set up to help anyone achieve connectivity in their own backyard.

• we can pledge via the web site to add three “stepping stones” to our place (Food + Water + Shelter).
• we can take advantage of the on-line information, free or discounted plants and other incentives.

Small birds we may help are:

• insect feeders with short pointed beaks such as finches such as Superb Fairy Wren, Eastern Yellow Robin, Spotted and Striated Pardalotes, Willie Wagtail. Species of Eucalyptus, Acacia, and Leptospermum attract a lot of insects and other invertebrates which may be found amongst nectar on flowers, in the bark or on the ground;
• nectar feeders with long slender beaks, often curved, are the Honeyeaters. They feed from the copious nectar found in the flowers of Banksia, Callistemon, Eucalyptus, small flowered Grevillea, Hakea, Melaleuca and Correa;
• seed eaters with short, stout beaks that are mainly the Finches. They find seed in many plants including Acacia, Casuarina, Leptospermum, as well as Lomandra, Themeda and Poa;

The habitat we provide is crucial to attracting small birds such as the following to our gardens:

• Noisy Miners which are aggressive and territorial and feed in grassy areas with isolated open habitat on nectar, fruits and insects;
• the shy Silvereyes which prefer a messy garden with overgrown dense shrubs;
• the highly sociable Double-barred Finches feed on the ground from seeds and nest in thorny bushes, always near water;
• Superb Fairy Wrens which are sociable birds that like parks and gardens but need low shrubs for foraging and if they do find insects in the open, like to have some dense shrubs close by to escape from danger; and
• Small Honeyeaters such as the Eastern Spinebill can sneak into flowering plants if there is enough foliage cover to hide in, Their nectar comes from grass trees, Banksias, Grevilleas, Correas and Kangaroo Paws primarily.

If small birds are to feel welcome in our gardens, diversity, density shelter and protection are words to keep in mind.

There are several interesting web sites that provide excellent data and images of birds, particularly our native birds. They generally provide details of preferred habitats, nesting arrangements and foods.

One to visit is http://australianmuseum.net.au/birds-in-backyards-top-30-urban-birds , another is http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/birds/
and another http://www.waratahsoftware.com.au/wpr-birds-about.shtm

Of course there are other sites but make sure they refer to Australian birds.

---

Orchids with Margaret Bradhurst

Margaret has spoken to several Groups about Orchids but now she has written an article for GardenDrum with the title Trickery, mimicry and deceit of orchids in the wild.

With about 18 large illustrations of Orchids this is a must for all Orchid lovers who are on-line.

Visit GardenDrum via http://gardendrum.com/2016/08/24/trickery-mimicry-and-deceit-of-orchids-in-the-wild/ and check out the whole issue while you have it open.

Here are two images to whet your appetite.

Visit GardenDrum at http://gardendrum.com/

---

Florilegium – Sydney’s Painted Garden

Sydney Living Museums celebrates 200 years of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

An exhibition of contemporary botanical paintings from the Florilegium Society which reveals the horticultural development of the Royal Botanic Garden and its influence on domestic gardens and the public parks and landscapes of NSW since 1816.

When: 1 0 am – 5 pm, 30 July to 30 October 2016
Where: Museum of Sydney, corner Bridge and Phillip Streets, Sydney
Cost: Free with Museum entry
Website: rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

---

Stoney Range Botanic Garden Spring Festival

This event will be held on Sunday, 11 September 2016, from 9am to 4pm. There will be a sale of native plants and cultivation advice will be available. There will be exhibitions, guided walks, activities for children, a sausage sizzle, coffee shop and home made cakes. There will be a talk from Jake Cassar on Bush Survival at 11.30am. Stony Range Regional Botanic Park is at 810 Pittwater Road, Dee Why.

---

FJC Rogers Seminar 2016

This annual event will be hosted by SGAP Hamilton and APS Warrnambool & District Groups in Hamilton, Victoria, on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th October 2016.

Registration of $105 for an APS member or $115 for a non-member must be paid by 24 September 2016. The Registration Papers are attached to this on-line document.

It may be a long way off but it is a very successful event each year. If in a position to travel, go!

---

Grafting Australian native plants – the cutting graft method

*Phil Trickett

Any gardener who has tried to grow some of the spectacular Western Australian plants outside their natural environment knows all too well the difficulty in keeping these plants alive for more than a few months. Grafting onto hardy eastern Australia rootstocks has long been touted as the answer to this problem. However, the cost and time involved in producing grafted plants commercially has been a huge brake on their development and availability. These plants are often priced at two to three times the price of nongrafted plants, resulting in both limited demand and consequential reduced supply.

Most commercial grafting to-date has concentrated on the genus Grevillea, and many successful long-lived plants have been produced. Despite these successes, the supply of grafted native plants in NSW and Queensland nurseries is currently negligible.

Grafted Corymbia ficifolia and related hybrids, Eremophila nivea and the odd Grevillea, if you are lucky, are pretty well the limit of expectation when visiting nurseries in these states. Expectations are slightly higher in Victoria and South Australia, but depend on a few specialist grafters.

So what can we do to encourage the availability of grafted native plants for our gardens? One option is to use a simpler, less resource intensive method of grafting with the potential to increase the supply, diversity and range of grafted plants, at a lower cost. This method is where the scion is grafted onto a cutting of the rootstock and the resulting graft is processed as a cutting, called a cutting graft.

Although not widely used, the cutting graft method has a number of advantages for professional grafters and is also suitable for the home gardener wanting to graft:

• the time and effort growing stock seedlings needed for the ‘traditional’ method is eliminated, which is likely to encourage more grafting;
• growers can choose a rootstock from their own garden, from a plant which is proven to be vigorous and hardy in their conditions;
• given practise, cutting grafts are easier and quicker to process than ‘traditional’ grafts.

The most common method of grafting in current use is to graft the scion (the plant being grafted onto the rootstock) onto a rooted seedling. This is the method most used by professional grafters of Australian native plants. A major cost of this method is the production of rootstock seedlings ready for grafting. The main advantage of this method is that the grafted plant is ready to plant out slightly quicker than cutting grafts.

This article focuses on the alternative method of the cutting graft. Wider use of this technique would allow for greater experimentation and production among grafters of native plants. I produce cutting grafts using the wedge technique for a large range of species within the genera Grevillea, Hakea, Banksia, Dryandra, Eremophila, Isopogon and Pimelea. I graft all year round and I continue to experiment on ‘new’ species, depending on the availability of scion material. My techniques are the result of many years of experimentation and learning from other growers, and I continue to develop them. Here are the three most vital parts of my method for successfully producing cutting grafts.

Key steps for successful cutting grafts

• Scion (plant being grafted): Choose firm, semi-hard scion material. New tip growth should be avoided as this will tend to wilt quickly resulting in the graft failing.
• Stock: Take a cutting of your chosen stock plant from a plant growing in your garden. This cutting should be chosen to match the diameter of the scion material and should be around 4–5 cm in length. Remove all leaves from the stock cutting, apart from one leaf at the very tip of the cutting. All other leaves can be removed – don’t strip the bark when removing leaves. Keeping the top leaf is vital to prevent any ‘dieback’ around the graft union.
• Soak stock and scion cuttings in a bleach solution (1 part bleach to 8 parts water) for a few seconds then rinse in water and pat dry with paper towel. This prevents any fungal issues developing while the graft takes.

Choosing your stock plant species

Which species should be used as stock plants for cutting grafts? There are four main criteria I use. The chosen species:

• should be hardy to your conditions;
• must be long-term compatible with the scion being grafted;
• must strike roots readily, ideally in a period less than 3 months; and
• should be a non-lignotuberous species to avoid the problem of the grafted plants resprouting below the graft.

Here are some examples of species which satisfy these criteria for the main genera currently grafted:
Grevillea – G. ‘Carrington Cross’, G. ‘Burgundy Blaze’, G. ‘Bronze Rambler’
Hakea – Hakea salicifolia
Isopogon/Petrophile – Isopogon anethifolius, I. mnoraifolius
Banksia – Banksia integrifolia, B. cunninghamii
Eremophila – Myoporum acuminatum, M. insulare, M. montanum
Pimelea – Pimelea ligustrina, P. ferruginea

Key requirements in successfully raising cutting grafts

The actual grafting is only one part of the process for successfully producing cutting grafts. The conditions provided to these grafts as they undergo the twin processes of the graft taking and the stock producing roots are equally critical to the success of the graft. Substandard conditions can very easily wipe out an entire production of grafts in one day! Key dangers are the death of the stock or scion, fungal disease, and incorrect levels of light, warmth and humidity.

So what are the things to consider in providing optimal conditions for successful grafts?

• Recognise that each species being grafted requires different levels of humidity. For example Isopogon cuneatus only requires the protection offered by shadehouses, whereas Grevillea leptobotrys requires the very high humidity provided by a glasshouse under misting for at least the first month after grafting. Trial and error is the only real way to determine the level of humidity needed. However, a rough rule of thumb is that flat, more leathery leaves such as those on Isopogon cuneatus or Banksia media require less humidity than the fine, terete leaved species such as Grevillea leptobotrys or Grevillea dielsiana.
• The correct light and heat are vital, and the variation in temperature throughout the year needs to be tempered through shading/temperature reduction measures,
• Ensure that the cutting mix does not become too wet or too dry. Both will result in the death of the stock plant before roots are formed.
• Once roots have formed, plants should be potted on using a potting mix with high air porosity. Perlite can be added to commercial potting mixes that may retain too much moisture and compromise plants successfully growing on after potting up. Protection from direct summer sunlight and strong winds is important at this stage.

Above are some young cutting grafts where the graft has successfully taken and roots have formed on the rootstock. Each image clearly illustrates one leaf only at the top of the stock plant.

*Phil Trickett is a former officer within the Australian Public Service in Canberra who retired in 2010 with his wife Catriona to the South Coast of NSW. Phil has spent the last decade experimenting with grafting native plants. He is a member of APS NSW Ltd. This article was first published in Research Matters, newsletter of the Australian Flora Foundation. Visit www.aff.org.au for more info.

---

Summary: Bushtucker and Bush Medicine Workshop

Marilyn Cross

The workshop at the last meeting introduced bushtucker and bush medicine of the Western Sydney area including native plants from the Cumberland Plain, Hawkesbury Sandstone and Rainforest Gullies.

Aborigines of the Sydney region recognised three groups of food plants wigi, watangal and dharuk. In the Dharug (or Dharuk) language, wigi refers to plants bearing ‘fruits and seeds’ including Geebungs, Persoonia spp., and Macrozamias. Watangal are nectar bearing plants, for example, Banksias. Dharuk are plants with underground storage tubers, such as yams (Dawes, 1791). Medicinal plants were used by Aborigines to cure many kinds of ailments. The leaves of Sweet Sarsaparilla, Smilax glyciphylla, were boiled and the liquid drunk for internal pain and to restore healthy body function (Kohen and Downing, 1992).

The plants of the Cumberland Plain provided food, medicines and tools for the Aboriginal woods tribes of western Sydney, the Darug peoples. A substantial part of the diet of the Darug consisted of edible tubers, from plants such as orchids or lilies, and tuberous roots. The open woodlands and flood-plain east of the Nepean River provided small “wild yams” (Dioscorea transversa). A solution was made from the gum or ‘kino’ of the Forest Red Gum and drunk for diarrhoea and dysentery. Kangaroo Grass, Themeda australis, was gathered in wooden bowls by Aboriginal women. The seeds were separated and ground with stones to produce flour which was mixed with water and cooked into a damper. Nectar bearing flowers from banksias and bottlebrushes were doused in water to make a sweet drink. Hickory Wattle (Acacia implexa) was used as a poison in women’s fishing.

References

Collins, D., 1975. An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales. 2 Vols. Sydney: RAHS and A.H. &

A.W. Reed.Dawes, 1791

Kohen J.L. & Downing A.J. (1992). ‘Aboriginal use of plants on the western Cumberland Plain’. Sydney Basin Naturalist. 1: 1–8.

Tench, W., 1979. Sydney’s First Four Years. Sydney: Library of Australian History.

---

Red Flowering Wattle

Many botanic gardens are involved in conserving rare or threatened plants. A wonderful success story is the involvement of the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne with Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’.

In 1995 a single specimen of this striking red north east of Melbourne. Plant conservation staff from the RBG Melbourne were able to propagate flowered Cinnamon Wattle was found by bushwalkers in state forest in the Kinglake area cuttings and the plant was registered under plant breeders rights as Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet Blaze’. Perhaps this will be seen as one of the most work critically important.

The success of that work enabled this plant to be selected as Victoria’s floral emblem for the Centenary of Federation celebrations. surprising and significant discoveries of twentieth century Australian horticulture.

With the demise of the single specimen in the wild the conservation at RBG Melbourne became

Now in commercial production plants are available in native plant nurseries. It will grow to 4 or 5 metres in full sun or dappled shade in well drained moist soil and does not need to be pruned. It can make a spectacular ornamental garden specimen.

*This short article is by Alex Smart, President of Friends of RBG Cranbourne. If you plan to travel south consider a visit to Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne or visit www.rbg.vic.gov.au/visit-cranbourn

---

Still They Come!

It is amazing that there remain undescribed species of Australian flora in 2016 but there are.

Ian Tranter, a member of the Eremophila Study Group, has drawn our attention to a recent discovery by Andrew Brown of the WA Department of Parks and Wildlife.

On a six day trip to the Kalbarri area in WA Andrew discovered an unnamed species which he exhibited along with many other wonderful images of beautiful native plants, including orchids, on Facebook.

Visit Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1280683535277875&set=pcb1280685828610979&type=3&theater

Meanwhile, Charles Farrugia leader of the Sydney Branch of the Eremophila Study Group has photographed a pair of Rainbow Lorikeets on his Eremophila maculata ssp brevifolia X.

This shrub is derived from an E. maculata ssp brevifolia that the late Ray Isaacson planted in his garden at Geranium, South Australia, when he retired.

Ken Warnes, first Eremophila Study Group leader and a member of APS SA wrote:- “When Ray moved into Geranium to live he planted an E. maculata ssp brevifolia in his front garden and one year 3 seedlings came up. He grew them on and this plant is the only one which had potential. One of the others had a nice flower but was a hopeless bush. Just what was the pollen provider? Whatever, it’s a good plant.”

Dr Lyndal Thorburn is leader of the Eremophila Study Group and may be contacted by phone on (02) 8297 2437 or on-line at lthorburn@varia.com.au Membership is $5 per annum.

---

Parramatta and Hills District Group

Email: apsparrahills@gmail.com
Website: https://austplants.com.au/Parramatta-And-Hills
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APSPARRAHILLS/