Real World Gardener-Horticulture, Gardening, Learning to Grow

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Scientific Name:Adenanthos sericeus 

Common Name: Albany Woolly Bush

Family: Proteaceae

Etymology: latin sericeus ("silky"), in reference to the very soft foliage. Common name-after a town where it grows indigenously 4.5hrs drive south of Busselton

Height: species grows to 5 metres tall but numerous cultivars are much smaller.

Flowers: insignificant but do appear late winter to early spring.

Many people either grow it themselves or buy an Albany Woolly Bush around Christmas time because it really suits this idea because the. grey-green leaves give it a colour that almost ‘hints’ at being snow covered.

 

Cultivars:

Adenanthos 'Silver Lining' a groundcover 40cm in height with 1.5m spread

Adenanthos 'Platinum' 1.5m height

Adenanthos 'Silver Streak' grows to 2m

One of the best Christmas trees yet because of the soft furry foliage that you just can't help touching it. One thing to watch, when hanging tree ornaments on it, because the branches are quite supply, the tree has this kind of spreading look when you finished decorating it.

The woolly bush is susceptible to phytophthera which can result in the plant dropping dead, seemingly overnight. Particularly if your district has summer humidity.

The leaves are needle like but not stiff like you would see on a pine tree.

I'm talking with native plant expert, Adrian O'Malley

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Scientific Name:Adenanthos sericeus 

Common Name: Albany Woolly Bush

Family: Proteaceae

Etymology: latin sericeus ("silky"), in reference to the very soft foliage. Common name-after a town where it grows indigenously 4.5hrs drive south of Busselton

Height: species grows to 5 metres tall but numerous cultivars are much smaller.

Flowers: insignificant but do appear late winter to early spring.

Many people either grow it themselves or buy an Albany Woolly Bush around Christmas time because it really suits this idea because the. grey-green leaves give it a colour that almost ‘hints’ at being snow covered.

 

Cultivars:

Adenanthos 'Silver Lining' a groundcover 40cm in height with 1.5m spread

Adenanthos 'Platinum' 1.5m height

Adenanthos 'Silver Streak' grows to 2m

One of the best Christmas trees yet because of the soft furry foliage that you just can't help touching it. One thing to watch, when hanging tree ornaments on it, because the branches are quite supply, the tree has this kind of spreading look when you finished decorating it.

I'm talking with native plant expert, Adrian O'Malley

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Scientific Name:Agonis Flexuosa

Common Name: Willow Myrtle/ Peppermint Willow (pictured)

Family: Myrtaceae

Etymology: derived from the Greek word agonos, translated as "without angles," in reference to the drooping branches of some species

flexuous means "bending" or "curvy," referring to the way the branches arch gracefully.

Origins: Native to Western Australia

Height: to 10 metres

Flowering: Late spring-branches are covered in fragrant tiny white flowers.

There are various cultivars available such as Agonis 'After Dark" (pictured) and Agonis 'Jervis Bay, Agonis 'variegata' and Agonis 'Burgundy.'

Also there is a dwarf form Agonis "Nana.'

Another fairly spectacular tree when in flower which although small, there are heaps of them.

The burgundy or dark foliage is a superb contrast to all that green you may have in the garden.

Soil preference is sandy to medium soil, but not clay soils.     

This one's not frost tolerant.

Adrian says you would grow it for the attractive foliage and attracting furrowed bark.

I'm talking with native plant expert Adrian O'Malley

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Scientific Name:Agonis Flexuosa

Common Name: Willow Myrtle/ Peppermint Willow (pictured)

Family: Myrtaceae

Etymology: derived from the Greek word agonos, translated as "without angles," in reference to the drooping branches of some species

flexuous means "bending" or "curvy," referring to the way the branches arch gracefully.

Origins: Native to Western Australia

Height: to 10 metres

Flowering: Late spring-branches are covered in fragrant tiny white flowers.

There are various cultivars available such as Agonis 'After Dark" (pictured) and Agonis 'Jervis Bay, Agonis 'variegata' and Agonis 'Burgundy.'

Also there is a dwarf form Agonis "Nana.'

Another fairly spectacular tree when in flower which although small, there are heaps of them.

The burgundy or dark foliage is a superb contrast to all that green you may have in the garden.

Soil preference is sandy to medium soil, but not clay soils.     

This one's not frost tolerant.

Adrian says you would grow it for the attractive foliage and attracting furrowed bark.

I'm talking with native plant expert Adrian O'Malley

PLANT OF THE WEEK : 

Blueberry Ash

 

Common Name:Blueberry AshScientific name: Eleaocarpus reticulatusFamily:ElaeocarpaceaEtymology:Elaeocarpus - From the Greek elaia meaning 'olive' and karpos meaning 'fruit';reticulatus - Latin word meaning 'net-like' referring to the leaf venation.Tree Height: 6-15m (various cultivars Prima Donna 8-10m)Flowering:April - OctoberOrigin: Australian rainforests along the east coast.

This is a beautiful tree with sculptural leathery leaves that show off a 'bloom' much like you see on some eucalypt leaves. 

Leaves are medium sized (12cm) with a drip tip apex and serrated edges. 

Starting off as mid to dark green the leaves age to a bright red which contrasts well, being opposite on the colour wheel.

The flowers are also quite a feature resembling clutches of lily of the valley flowers in either pink or cream all over the tree.

The fruits are small blue berries, hence the common name. The fruits are liked by many birds including currawongs, parrots, cockatoos and native pigeons.

Fruits can persist on the tree until the next flowering.

Although the height can grow to 15m you can keep it to as small a height as you would like even 2-3m if preferred.

Adrian says they shed foliage 12 months of the years so don't plant them near your gutters.

I'm talking with Adrian O'Malley, native plant expert.

PLANT OF THE WEEK : 

Blueberry Ash

 

Common Name:Blueberry AshScientific name: Eleaocarpus reticulatusFamily:ElaeocarpaceaEtymology:Elaeocarpus - From the Greek elaia meaning 'olive' and karpos meaning 'fruit';reticulatus - Latin word meaning 'net-like' referring to the leaf venation.Tree Height: 6-15m (various cultivars Prima Donna 8-10m)Flowering:April - OctoberOrigin: Australian rainforests along the east coast.

This is a beautiful tree with sculptural leathery leaves that show off a 'bloom' much like you see on some eucalypt leaves. 

Leaves are medium sized (12cm) with a drip tip apex and serrated edges. 

Starting off as mid to dark green the leaves age to a bright red which contrasts well, being opposite on the colour wheel.

The flowers are also quite a feature resembling clutches of lily of the valley flowers in either pink or cream all over the tree.

The fruits are small blue berries, hence the common name. The fruits are liked by many birds including currawongs, parrots, cockatoos and native pigeons.

Fruits can persist on the tree until the next flowering.

Although the height can grow to 15m you can keep it to as small a height as you would like even 2-3m if preferred.

Adrian says they shed foliage 12 months of the years so don't plant them near your gutters.

I'm talking with Adrian O'Malley, native plant expert.

Warraburra Nura Native Garden

In Conversation with Alice McAuliffe Creative Producer

You may not know of garden in on the 6th floor of a building that you the public can visit. From the website, “Waraburra Nura is a public medicinal plant garden at the University of Technoly (UTS) Sydney, developed by UTS ART in partnership with Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research (JIIER). Established in 2018, the garden is located on level 6 of the UTS Tower. 

'Nura' is a local word meaning country or the place that you are from.

Let’s find out more.I’ve being talking with Alice McAuliffe who is a creative producer .

Alice recalled that Waraburra Nura didn't start so much as a garden but as a way of creating a third dimension for artworks by various aboriginal and torres strait islander artists.

Alice put forward a proposal the idea to put in a few boxes with plants initially but the idea grew.

The process to create the garden involved designer Nicole Monk. Garden boxes were sent up from Melbourne.

Garden soil had to be light so that the weight would not be too heavy for the balcony plus a possible 100 people. Aunty Fran Bodkin  (Dharawal Senior and botanist) advised that the soil should contain pumice.

Plants were chosen because they had medicinal properties, and together created associations which increased their medicinal properties.

This garden is open to the public on weekdays during student hours 

'About the garden' section on the website states that “Waraburra Nura (Happy Wanderer’s Place) is a space for visitors to connect to Country in an urban environment. The garden utilises combination planting, an Indigenous agricultural practice which enhances the rich medicinal value of each plant. All of the plants in Waraburra Nura are native to Wa’ran (Sydney) and have been cultivated by Darug, D’harawal and Gadigal peoples for generations. If you have any questions about Waraburra Nura, drop us a line to [email protected] or write to 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

Warraburra Nura Native Garden

In Conversation with Alice McAuliffe Creative Producer

You may not know of garden in on the 6th floor of a building that you the public can visit. From the website, “Waraburra Nura is a public medicinal plant garden at the University of Technoly (UTS) Sydney, developed by UTS ART in partnership with Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research (JIIER). Established in 2018, the garden is located on level 6 of the UTS Tower. 

'Nura' is a local word meaning country or the place that you are from.

Let’s find out more.I’ve being talking with Alice McAuliffe who is a creative producer .

Alice recalled that Waraburra Nura didn't start so much as a garden but as a way of creating a third dimension for artworks by various aboriginal and torres strait islander artists.

Alice put forward a proposal the idea to put in a few boxes with plants initially but the idea grew.

The process to create the garden involved designer Nicole Monk. Garden boxes were sent up from Melbourne.

Garden soil had to be light so that the weight would not be too heavy for the balcony plus a possible 100 people. Aunty Fran Bodkin  (Dharawal Senior and botanist) advised that the soil should contain pumice.

Plants were chosen because they had medicinal properties, and together created associations which increased their medicinal properties.

This garden is open to the public on weekdays during student hours 

'About the garden' section on the website states that “Waraburra Nura (Happy Wanderer’s Place) is a space for visitors to connect to Country in an urban environment. The garden utilises combination planting, an Indigenous agricultural practice which enhances the rich medicinal value of each plant. All of the plants in Waraburra Nura are native to Wa’ran (Sydney) and have been cultivated by Darug, D’harawal and Gadigal peoples for generations. If you have any questions about Waraburra Nura, drop us a line to [email protected] or write to 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

DOCKRILLIAS EP 4

I’m sad to say this is the final in the series about native orchids. If by now your interest in growing native orchids hasn’t been piqued, I would be very surprised. Like most avid gardeners, as soon as someone in the know starts spouting information about a particular plant that has fabulous attributes, you will want one. So it is with dockrillias.?

Let’s find out more. I’m talking with Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and orchidophile Adrian mentioned a primary hybrid between dockrillia schoenina x dockrillia teretifolia.

The most commonly available dockrillias are:

Dockrillia teretifolia, 

Dockrillia fairfaxii, 

Dockrillia linguiformis, 

Dockrillia cucumerina,

Dockrillia striolata, 

Dockrillia. pugioniformis, which are all cool-growing orchids. Dockrillia rigida and Dockrillia calamiformis, grow in tropical Australia, but do well in intermediate conditions, that is somewhere between tropical and cool. 

If you have any questions about native orchids, drop us a line to [email protected] or write to 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675

DOCKRILLIAS EP 4

I’m sad to say this is the final in the series about native orchids. If by now your interest in growing native orchids hasn’t been piqued, I would be very surprised. Like most avid gardeners, as soon as someone in the know starts spouting information about a particular plant that has fabulous attributes, you will want one. So it is with dockrillias.?

Let’s find out more. I’m talking with Adrian O’Malley, horticulturist and orchidophile Adrian mentioned a primary hybrid between dockrillia schoenina x dockrillia teretifolia.

The most commonly available dockrillias are:

Dockrillia teretifolia, 

Dockrillia fairfaxii, 

Dockrillia linguiformis, 

Dockrillia cucumerina,

Dockrillia striolata, 

Dockrillia. pugioniformis, which are all cool-growing orchids. Dockrillia rigida and Dockrillia calamiformis, grow in tropical Australia, but do well in intermediate conditions, that is somewhere between tropical and cool. 

If you have any questions about native orchids, drop us a line to [email protected] or write to 2rrr PO Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675