Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Memorable Topics – Threads and posts that are just too good to lose => Plant Information and Portraits => Topic started by: Paul T on August 21, 2008, 12:26:03 PM
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Howdy All,
Some months ago I promised I would start a topic on some of the wonderful Australian native plants that are growing at the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) here in Canberra. While I was working there from April to June I had a lot of opportunity to photograph some of the many joys I got to see every day, and I want to share them with you. Somewhat tardily, I am starting this topic. I have LOTS of photos that I have taken and I am trying to work out how to handle posting pictures here. Before I start posting I would like to ask a couple of questions as to what people would like to see in my pictures.....
Do people want full shots of the plants as well as shots of the flowers themselves (where possible I tried to take both, as I figured there would be those who would ask what a particular plant looked like)?
Do people want me to organise this around families, or just work through different times of year as things flower so that people can see the progression?
Is there any particular family that anyone is interested in? (I can try to track down and take photos specially for this person if so)
I haven't taken any photos in the last couple of months since I ceased employment there, but I will be commencing there again in a couple of weeks time, so I will be then able to start the progression of flowers throughout spring, summer and autumn. I'm going to try to put up a selection of pictures from my previous 3 months of work, but will probably start to concentrate on stuff currently in flower once I am back working there again, as I would imagine I am going to have enough trouble sorting and preparing photos to post here then, without still trying to work through the backlog. ;)
So, any input from anyone as to preferences? The technical details for the ANBG are that it is approximately 90 hectares in size, with only around 40 of that actually developed (the rest is native bush). It is devoted to Australian native plants from all over the country, organised into different families or places of origin in different sections (for example there is an Acacia section, Tasmanian Section, Rainforest Gully, etc). Their website is .... http://www.anbg.gov.au/ if you want to look at the information there as well.
Once I work out what people want I will start uploading some of the pictures I took from April to June. 8)
Moderators.... I assume I have posted this in the right section? If not, please let me know and move it to wherever it is best. Once I have caught up it could easily fit into "flowering now", but I thought as the initial photos are a few months old it might be better to start it here.
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Simple answers Paul,
1) Yes please
2) Just let them flow ... please
3) Anything and everything would be fine ... please.
Many of us will never get to Canberra, the ANBG or Australia in general, so every image will be a revelation. Many thanks for thinking about us.
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I second Cliff on this one Paul !
Just fire away and blow us all over ... 8)
Thanks in advance !
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Paul,
Photographs of plants are always welcome, I think.
Looking forward to your report.
By the way, I saw an extraordinary display of the most brilliant red flowers on a Eucalyptus at the Malahide Gardens in Dublin recently. As it would be tender here it was growing in a glasshouse.
Paddy
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I'm looking forward to seeing your pics :)
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Plants as well as flowers would be best I think Paul-gives us a better impression. Thanks for taking the time to do this.
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Just go for it Paul.
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Thanks for the feedback everyone. Just wanted to get a feel for whether there were any major preferences or not. I shall just run through things as I process them..... I'm going to work through from when I started at the ANBG in the first week of May 2008, through until I finished up at the end of June. It is now confirmed that I will start there again on the 1st of September, through until the end of June 2009, so if you are liking the pics I'm posting you should have plenty to enjoy! ;D
Now, please forgive some of the pictures as my camera doesn't always produce wonderful shots of the whole plants.... it works much better on the smaller shots, which was why I bought it in the first place anyway. It gives you the idea of what the plant looks like though, and that is the important thing. Other than working through in a very approximate time sequence of when I took them (i.e week to week, not particular times within a given day) there is no particular order to the photos. If there are photos that you would like closer shots of, just ask as I may have them, or can create a more closeup shot through editing the much larger original files. The worst I can say is that I can't manage to do it... the best is that I might be able to do exactly as you ask. :D
So..... to the very first shot I'll post here.... not exactly a wonderful picture, as it was taken around 7am one morning in early way as I was walking up to the depot at work. This is the scene that greets me as I walk along the road...
[attachthumb=1]
Cool eh? ;D I can think of MUCH worse things to greet you. Sometimes later in the day as I walk through on my way down to the Tasmanian Section that I was responsible for, the misters are on, and if the wind is right they waft gently across the road....
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The first shot that greets me in the morning is standing on the right hand side of the road in this picture, looking up to the right. I actually come into work from the carpark that is off in the distance through the fog in the picture, then continue to walk up the road directly behind me when I was taking the fog picture.
As I continue up to walk up toward the depot, the edge of the road has all sorts of rainforest type plantings, as it is the boarder of the Victorian Rainforest section in that area. Here's a picture of some of those plantings along the road....
[attachthumb=3]
That's just a little insight into my views as I arrive at work each morning (or later in the day as I am using the same road).
While I'm doing the "scenic shots", I've attached a pic of one of the views from the bottom of the Tasmanian Rainforest Gully (which is predominantly Dicksonia Antarctica) and a view of the waterfall below the "Rockery" area, which I'll get to sometime later in more detail.
More pics coming along shortly.
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Here's some pics of a few of the ANBG Banksias. I recall that I posted a pic of a Banksia elsewhere on the forums and it surprised some people. The ANBG has a lot of different species and varieties of the genus, and I could take up a few pages posting pics of them I would imagine. I'll post a few here that were in flower at the beginning of May, just to show a couple of different types and shapes.
The Banksia ericifolia x B. spinulosa (Family Proteaceae) was about 2.5m in height, and about 3 metres wide. The plant is quite imposing, with LOTS of flowers. Banksia flowers are rich in nectar so the birds just love them. Each inflorescence (for those who aren't familiar with this word, it is the "flower head") would be about 9 to 10 inches in length, composed of hundreds of individual flowers. This particular plant and it's neighbours were "owned" by a bunch of Red Wattle Birds which chased off any competitors (which included Little Wattle Bird, Eastern Spinebills and New Holland Honeyeaters amongst others) which came anywhere near the plants. They then spent the day just doing the rounds of flowers, eating their fill and wasting energy chasing everything else away that might try to steal any of their food.
The Banksia integrifolia ssp integrifolia is on the steps leading up to the Rockery area, just to the right of the picture I took of the waterfall, above. The plant is about 4 metres wide, by about 1.2m in height. Each inflorescence is about 7 or 8 inches high. The silvery leaves really set off the flowers, and it is a good hiding place for birds as it is quite dense.
Banksia marginata 'Cape Patterson Dwarf' is smaller again, with this plant being only 1.5m at it's widest, and maybe 2 feet in height. The inflorescence in the picture is about 5 inches long.
These are just 3 examples of Banksia that were in flower at the time, and are by no means the extremes of sizes of either flowers or plants.
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There are a miriad of Grevillea (Family Proteaceae) out at any time, far too many to photograph and post them all. They're also a favourite of birds, as they're rich in nectar. I'll post bits and pieces from time to time as I photograph them, and I will also repeat them at times, just to show how long flowering they are. For the moment here are a few that were in flower at the beginning of May....
The Grevillea dielsiana I didn't photograph as a full plant. Each flowerhead was about 4 inches long, on a rather spidery plant about 1.2m tall. It didn't come out well in a picture, as there really isn't much to it, but the flowers were spectacular, even though comparatively small.
Grevillea humifusa is perhaps the smallest groundcover Grevillea that I have seen. The whole plant was about 3 feet wide, and only 6 inches tall. The flowerheads were about 2 inches long, but the plant was very noticeable as you walked past. VERY nice!!
And lastly for tonight, there's Grevillea sericea which is fairly small, but I don't think that it is a fully mature plant as yet. The plant in the picture was about 3 feet tall, and the flowerhead was about 2 inches wide. Very delicately coloured, up close it was really beautiful.
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Paul,
Delighted you have started to post your photographs. For us in the northern hemisphere this will be a special treat, seeing plants we are not normally able to grow or see.
Looking forward to many photographs.
Paddy
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Thanks Paddy. Glad you liked them.
That's it for now, as getting late. I hope that the "narrative" I am using is OK? Not quite sure how to describe everything, but hopefully it reads OK? If I can improve anything, please let me know.
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Paul,
Don't know what you were worried about. You have posted a lovely selection of photographs in a variety of styles, overall views, individual plants and close -ups of some very interesting ones.
I must say, my first impression is that the whole setting and the cultivation and care of the plants is of the highest standard. The plants are obvously doing very well and all look so very healthy.
Dicksonia antarctica hs become a very popular plant here. Not many years ago, it was one to be well wraped for the winter but now it is often left to its own devices and comes through our winters with no damage. Here at home, Mary would love to put in a few but I disagree as I don't think they would suit our garden - which reminds me of hearing a local nurseryman replying to a person who asked for a very unusual and hard-to-find plant, one of those rare and unusual one. The answer he gave the customer was, 'I don't think your garden is ready for this plant yet.' OUCH !
Looking forward to further postings.
Paddy
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Promising start Paul - I bet you will open up a new world to a lot of us !
May I add that your "entrance" looks quite a lot more pleasant than the concrete parking lot I have to cross walking to my office... 8)
Look forward to (lots) more ! ;)
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Wow Paul :o I can see we are in for some real treats, as someone who will never get to the Southern Hemisphere - unless they reinstall banana boats - I am really enjoying the start of what looks to be a fascinating thread.
Cheers ;D
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Paul
Wonderful shots - looking forward to the next instalment
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That plant with the big leaves (RHS of pic 1) looks like something I have in my classroom from Trinidad (Tarot?)
edit by M: suggestion from Paddy: Anthony,
I wonder is the plant Colocasia esculenta? It looks quite like it though I find the leaves hang down in a more pronounced manner and are more angular at the shoulder, so to speak. I bought a plant of colocasia earlier in the summer, potted it into a very large pot, watered it generously daily and fed it regularly and it has made huge growth, enormous leaves up to a metre long and 60cm wide. Now, there is a black-leaved cultivar available which is absolutely delicious, and quite cheap.
Paddy
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Cracking start Paul and your introductions are spot on. Looking forward to more.
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Paul,
thank you for introducing a total different flora to us from the NH.
Very interesting.
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Edit by M : this first comment refers to some lovely pix by Miriam, showing how well the Aussie plants can do in Israel: these have been moved to this page: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2363.0
Miriam,
Please stop! I can accept that I might have difficulty growing southern hemisphere plants and not be terribly upset about it. But now I see you growing them to perfection so much closer to home and am terribly jealous. How lucky for you to be able to grow such a selection of plants, beautiful indeed.
Many thanks for posting and adding to Paul's thread. Paddy
And what a strange name for a plant Grevillia 'Spiderman' !
Anthony,
I wonder is the plant Colocasia esculenta? It looks quite like it though I find the leaves hang down in a more pronounced manner and are more angular at the shoulder, so to speak. I bought a plant of colocasia earlier in the summer, potted it into a very large pot, watered it generously daily and fed it regularly and it has made huge growth, enormous leaves up to a metre long and 60cm wide. Now, there is a black-leaved cultivar available which is absolutely delicious, and quite cheap.
Paddy
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Anthony,
Yes, it is one of the Taro species I think. When I start work again I'll have a check in there for the name tag and see exactly what it is.
Miriam,
Nice to see our natives overseas as well! 8)
Here's a few more.....
Just outside the main entrance (there are a couple in the grounds as well) is a fine example of the Queensland Bottle Tree, Brachychiton rupestris. The trunk is a water storage device for hard times for the tree. You just want to go up and hug it, it looks so cool. One of the other ones in the gardens they can't actually plant anything near for just that reason.... everyone wants to go and give it a hug and end up standing on anything planted between it and the nearby path. I can't help it, I brought a small one recently at a nursery.... heaven knows where I'm going to plant it. ::) Into a pot for now. The one in the picture has a trunk about 2 1/2 feet thick, and the plant would be about 6m tall? I really must look at it more closely to work out dimensions. I never really thought about it until I tried to describe it here. ::)
Calothamnus quadrifidis sort of resembles a bottlebrush (Callistemon at first glance, but they are actually quite different. In the Calothamnus the flowers are usually only on one side, not in a complete cylinder, and they often emerge straight from the stem, rather than being part of the new growth as in Callistemons. The plant in the picture is about 1.6m high from memory, with about a 2.5m spread on it. The striking red flowers are set off beautifully by the bluish foliage. I have a form of this in my garden as well, because I just adore it!! My form has a much softer fuzzier foliage.... you can buy either type it seems as I have seen both forms for sale at different places. Both the same species, just somewhat different in the leaf type.
The last 3 pics here are of different stages of the flowers of Hakea laurina. While some Hakea are not so nice (in fact some really are just downright ugly! :o) this species and a number of others are absolutely stunning. Each ball of open flowers on this species is well bigger than a golf ball, and you can see from the pictures how they look from when they start to open until they go through to darker as they fade. Another plant I HAD to buy when I saw it for sale at a nursery, but again I guess it is doomed to a pot for the moment. The plant these flowers were on (I don't have a picture, but I will try to rectify that at some point) is about 3m tall, and about 2.5m wide. Quite an open, sort of woody shrub. Out of flowers the plant isn't that noticeable, but when it is in flower it is wonderful. Both this and the last one are great for nectar feeding birds.
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The Lomatia tinctoria ssp multiflora to me looks very much like a species of Grevillea but I haven't looked into how closely allied it is. I am guessing quite closely though. The plant is about 1.8m high and 2.5 to 3m wide, very light and airy and not particularly easy to get a good picture of. ;) The flowerhead in the picture is about a foot long all up, but that is really a spray of smaller balls of flowers. I'll be interested to watch this and see if/when it is fully in flower, as I think this might have been a one-off flowering as there were so few of them. Maybe it should be flowering at a different time of year? I guess we'll find out.
And lastly for now, a lovely little shrub.... some form of Swainsonia but they hybridise a bit so I don't have a species name for it. Bright flowers, on shrubs to about 4 feet high, with "pea pod" seed pods. They come in a range of red through to bright pink. Very noticeable in flower, and they flower for a long period.
The Correa 'Marian's Marvel is easily available in garden centres here, as are so many of the genus. Great plants ranging from ground covers to medium shrubs, and loved by the birds, particularly as they flower throughout winter. The plant in the picture was about 1.5m tall, but in a garden situation you'd likely keep it trimmed a little to keep it more dense. Each flower is about an inch long, and there were hundreds out on the plant in the picture.
Will try to go through and prepare some more pictures this evening. Glad you're all enjoying them.
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Howdy All,
I've started a separate topic for Australian native plants in our own gardens, for those of us that grow them. I thought it better to keep the Australian National Botanic Gardens thread mostly separated (No Miriam, I don't mind in the slightest that you posted your pics here. They're lovely!) from my own garden as the majority of the things in this thread I would most likely have problems growing in my own garden either due to needing warmer microclimates or better draining soil (the latter being the most important barrier to my garden most likely... well that and space. ;)).
edit by M: I have moved Miriam's pix to the Australian Native plants in our gardens thread! See here: http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=2363.msg53600#msg53600
OK, on to more pics from the ANBG....
I've mentioned the Rockery area previously.... well here are a couple of pictures of part of it. It is currently a very open, sunny area with garden beds built up with large rocks etc. Drainage is pretty much perfect, and it is most definitely hot and sunny in summer. Perspectives don't really show well in the bigger pics.... those green grass shoots in the back of "Rockery 2" are actually about 10 feet tall and way down at the foot of the rockery area to the left hand side of the waterfall I shows in the first pics. They are actually almost behind the big spreading Banksia next to the path I showed yesterday. They are Gymea lilies, and I'll show them at another time when the flowers actually open.
The following pics are all from within this rockery area.
The Scleranthus biflorus is a mounding plant, relatively solid to the casual touch. It just produces these dense green mounds in hot and sunny areas. Rather a cool plant if you have it growing in the right conditions. Looks like it should be soft and grassy, but it isn't. Biggest mound in the picture might be around 6 inches tall, by abut 2 feet in length.
Also pictured is a small flat daisy type thingy (to be precise! ;)) called Brachycome rigidula. The flower is about an inch and a half wide, with the plant being less than a foot wide in total. There are a lot of different Brachycome species and varieties, this is just an example of one of them.
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Bossiaea walkeri is an absolute pain to photograph as a plant. It is basically a collection of long canes, leaning out from underneath another plant. This is partially a product of the position it is growing, and partially the type of plant growth. There are a few leaves, but nothing particularly noticeable as a plant, and altogether a hassle to try to photograph. The first pic is the best I could do to show you what it sort of looks like. The flowers on the other hand are tiny pieces of fire, growing straight off the stems. You can see a couple of other buds starting to appear off the stem near the open flower.
Something that grows easily in gardens as well as at the ANBG is Crowea exalata. It is a small shrub, only to a few feet high at the most (or at least the available clones anyway), with bright pink flowers about an inch across for many months of the year. My plant at home is virtually permanently in flower, or at least there always seems to be at least a couple of flowers on it any time I think to look for them. There may be times that it isn't flowering, but they can't be for that long. A real treasure!
I've photographed the whole plant of the Epacris robusta just to show that a scrappy plant growing in quite harsh conditions can still have the most beautiful flowers. Each of the flowers is a bit under 1cm long, but you miss them if you aren't looking for them. But the flowers themselves are beautiful. I would imagine that this plant grown in softer conditions could likely be denser and more showy, but this shows how well it can do with much more extreme conditions. The plant in the picture is about 2 1/2 feet tall and across.
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If non-gardeners looked at this thread they would surely understand what it is gardeners find so fascinating about plants. The variety, amazing design and growth habit of these plants is so clearly extraordinary that they would immediately see the attraction.
Wonderful selection of plants.
Paddy
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Paddy,
You have such beautiful plants in your climate that I wish I could grow them here in Israel, like: Hosta, Helleborus, Paeonia and more...
So every climate has its advantages.
About Grevillia 'Spiderman'-this is how they called this plant in the nursery where I have bought it...I don't know why :P ;D
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Marvellous Paul, really enjoyable. My favourites so far-Hakea laurina, Swainsonia and Crowea exalata.
Brian, if you decided to walk out of Tesco without paying (or some other similar minor misdemeanor) then a benign Judge could well have you 'transported'. You would then have ample opportunity to see Australian Native Plants and at the same time would not feel out of place with your hosts! ;D
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Knowing Brian's luck he would end up breaking rocks in an East Lancashire quarry!
Wonderful topic Paul ... and excellent images. Many thanks.
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Miriam,
We say, "Is glas iad na cnoic i bhfad uainn" - faraway hill are green.
We will always wish to grow the plants we see growing in other countries. I grow very few of our native plants in my garden but the native plants of other countries all seem so very interesting.
I enjoyed seeing your photographs and wished so much I could grow the plants here in Ireland.
Best wishes, Paddy
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Paul,
thank you for this excursion of Australian native plants. 8)
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Thanks everyone.
David,
The Hakea laurina is also a favourite of mine, although it is a scrubby looking large shrub when out of flower. Still had to buy one for myself though when I saw them available.
A couple more from the rockery in mid May, that I didn't get posted last night.
Homoranthus darwinoides is quite a dense plant, with little touches of orangey yellow all over it that you realise are tiny flowers. Each flower is maybe 1cm long in total, always in pairs. I've posted two pics of the flowers to show them from in front and beside, because the flowers really aren't that easy to appreciate from just one angle. They are made up of two covering sepals (I think?) with the tubular flower emerging from between them. One pic shows the flower side on, but doesn't show the fact the flowers are in pairs, and the other one shows the pair. They fade to a dark orangey colour as well. The plant really doesn't come up well in the picture because it is such fine foliage that you lose the detail with my camera and this size of picture for posting. It is approximately 3 feet tall by 1.5m wide. I must find myself a small measuring tape I can attach to my keyring so I can more accurately work out sizes. I'm running most of these from memory, so there is probably a reasonable margin of error! ;D
And the last thing that I had prepared last night are a couple of pics of Pelargonium australe, which was starting to show it's autumn colours coming through. Lovely flowers on some of the plants still, but definitely heading into autumn slowdown. These were not in the Rockery, but were down in the Tasmanian section. Just happened to be here in the sequence of things I photographed as I am working through the hundreds of pictures I have taken and stored to process later for sorting through and posting a selection here.
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Hope we are going to be treated to some images of that gorgeous Kosciusko native; Ranunculus anemoneus, Paul?
Only joking ... I know how rare and difficult this beautiful plant is!
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Cliff,
Nope, not even seen that one. :o I haven't seen them flowering, but I know the Tasmanian section as R. collinus and R. glabrifolius, but I have no idea whether they are particularly unusual or not. Managed to track down a couple of small plants from friends too, so have a pot of each at home now as well. I keep seeing things at the ANBG and then having to try to track down a source.... because I just HAVE to grow them myself. ::) Bought a half dozen more Aussie native shrubs in the last couple of days to add "somewhere" in my garden. Goddess only knows where. :o I really should stop visiting nurseries, but when they have 25% off sales I can't help myself, and then the other one has what we call the TLC table (stands for needing Tender Loving Care)... and I find I just have to liberate plants from the TLC table and take them home and grow them myself. Can't stand seeing a poor dying or somewhat ratty plant looking for a home at a mark down price. ;D
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Paul,
I remember visiting the ANBG in the early 1970's. I thought at the time they were being a bit optimistic trying to establish a rain forest in Canberra but obviously time and persistence and no doubt lots of water have borne fruit.
We can also claim Scleranthus biflorus as a New Zealand native: it is not surprising as the New Zealand and Australian floras share many genera and have a number of common species.
Please keep posting. I am looking forward to seeing more.
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David,
Until I actually worked there I never had twigged to the layout of the rainforest gully at the ANBG..... the bottom is the Tasmanian section, then there is the Victorian, then the NSW and finally the Queensland... designed to mimic the arrangement of Australian states heading north (in this case up the gully). There were also plans to cover the upper end of the gully to create a Far North Queensland tropical rainforest, but funds never stretched far enough to afford that sort of major infrastructure outlay apparently. Would be a big job, covering and enclosing the top end of the gully to effectively create a massive glasshouse.
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Wonderful show Paul - this is all so new to me ! Do go ahead, don't be shy to post dozens more... ;D
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Just outside the main entrance (there are a couple in the grounds as well) is a fine example of the Queensland Bottle Tree, Brachychiton rupestris. I can't help it, I brought a small one recently at a nursery.... heaven knows where I'm going to plant it. ::) Into a pot for now.
Hakea laurina. .. Another plant I HAD to buy when I saw it for sale at a nursery, but again I guess it is doomed to a pot for the moment.
Paul,
you could always try Bonsai as a number of Aussie natives are suited to it despite their reputation for resenting root disturbance. If you get to Gentiana Nursery in the Dandenongs ask Craig for a look at the ones he's done.
cheers
fermi
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Paul, since it takes you some effort to track down the plants
you want to buy, that suggests that the garden doesn't sell
plants. Or do they have occasional sales?
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Diane,
There is a "Friends" group that sell plants a couple of times a year, but there are limits on what they can propagate. The ANBG does not sell it's own plants unfortunately.
For those others reading.... I do intend to post more pics, just barely even had time to view much of the SRGC forums themselves, let alone prepare stuff for posting. Back at work now so rather tired by the end of the day.... will be better once my body acclimatises again. ::);D
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Paul our Correa backhousiana is just coming into flower, if it ever stops raining I'll go out to the greenhouse and take a photo. We had C reflexa nummularia in flower and on the Show Bench from March to June this year. C 'Dusky Maid' is very straggly so I have cut it hard back and hope for a better shape next season, the flowers though are beautiful a wonderful deep pinky red.
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Shelagh,
I've found that most of the Correas like regular pruning to thicken them up. If done from young they can be kept quite small, although that depends on variety of course. Some of them can get a bit straggly if left to grow without at least tip pruning. And the birds love them so much I can never steel myself to prune them when in flower, and then when I next remember to look at them for pruning they're back into bud again. I just love em!!
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Paul and Shelagh, you have given me heart, I tip pruned this year as I wasn't sure but will definitely have a good go next year on them all to get a better shape. Thanks
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OK it has finally, after 3 full days, finished raining temporarily, so I have rushed out and taken this photo of Correa backhousiana which is just comming into flower. There are plenty more buds and from our experience of these shrubs it will flower away for a couple of months or more.
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Correas certainly do flower for a long time. I don't think I've yet come across one with a brief period..... at least a couple of months, sometimes much longer. I find some of them will tend to spot flower at other times a bit, too.
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Howdy All,
Well, it has been a while since I've posted pics in this thread, but I've finally managed to prepare some. Rather than continuing to try to catch up I am posting here some pics that were taken in the last couple of days, and if I get to some of the other pics I have taken I will specify when they were taken.
So..... these pics were taken at the ANBG in the last couple of days (i.e late September 2008)...
These first 4 plants are all ground cover types, although they can mound up to a certain amount. There are SO many Acacias in flower right now, but these smaller types are particularly spectacular right now. The Acacia pravissima 'Kuranga Cascade' is about 7 feet across, and maybe 2 feet at it's tallest point (it cascades out from a garden bed, but the actual growth is no more than 2 feet, even though the plant effectively is a bit taller as it drapes down further). Far better in real life than in the picture too!! :o The Acacia triptera is another smaller type, this one about 2 feet tall by maybe 3 feet wide. Not exactly a ground cover, but definitely still small.
Another lower or ground cover plant is Banksia 'Stumpy Gold' which is about 6 feet wide and around 18 inches tall. The inflorescens are approximately 7 inches tall, made up of hundreds of nectar containing flowers. Great for the honeyeaters.
And last ground cover for right now is Brachyscome formosa which has flowers about an inch across and spreads by stolons. Quite flat, but very pretty when it is in full flower.
More pics shortly......
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Grevillea lavandulacea is best called a "sprawling shrub", or at least this particular plant is. Quite woody at the base in this particular individual and about 2.5m wide by maybe 1.2m high. Lovely grey foliage, contrasting the bright flowers beautifully.
The Hibbertia empetrifolia are a good mound of a plant...... in leaf and flowering from the ground on each side, which really gives the mound effect. The plant in the picture is a bit under 2 feet by 2 feet. Flowers are about 1.5cm wide, but there are lots and lots of them. There are a couple more larger versions of this plant just coming into flower on the main concourse of the Gardens. When they're in full flower I will photograph them as I think they will be spectacular. They look to be spreading out much more, but I have to investigate how tall those plants actually are, as they may be cascading out of a higher garden bed.
Philotheca verrucosa almost glistens. As can be seen in the flower picture, they are relatively shiny but have great texture. SO many flowers on the plant too. Individual flowers are about 1cm wide, but you can't miss the plant as it just glows.
And lastly for this post..... Pimelea sericea which looks fascinating out of flower due to it's overlapping leaves, now topped by the flowers just opening. I don't know how big these plants get as these that I was photographing are all quite small. Not sure whether they'll stay that way or not. The flowerhead is about an inch wide.
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Hi Paul,
Delighted that you have found time to continue this thread as you are bringing us, in the Northern Hemisphere, a selection we would no normally see, certainly not see growing so very well.
The Grevillea lavandulacea, first photograph, in your last post above is absolutely beautiful, a great combination of flower and foliage colour.
Keep them coming. Paddy
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Thanks Paddy. Here's a few more I never got around to posting yesterday......
One of the pea family is Pultenaea juniperina. Flowers are a bit over 1cm wide, the shrub is about 4 feet tall. Couldn't get a decent pic of the whole thing as it was in light and shade. Appears to spread a bit by suckering, although not badly by the look of it.
Next we have a couple of native Ranunculus.... Ranunculus glabrifolius and Ranunculus collinus. These are closeups of the flowers, but I took some better photos today I think which show the foliage a bit better. Both are small groundcovers when in full sun, and a bit taller in the shade. The former might get to 3 inches tall in the shade (an inch tall in full sun) and the latter to about 6 inches maximum (maybe 3 inches in full sun). Both have flowers less than an inch wide.
Ricinocarpus speciosus is an upright shrub, but I don't know exactly how large as I don't think this one is mature. This was just to about 6 feet, but the way it was growing I think it will continue upwards for a while yet. Flowers are about 1.5cm wide and subtle but nice.
And lastly for yesterday's unfinished postings.... Rulinga luteiflora, which is a soft yellow small shrub to a couple of feet tall, but when you look at the individual flowers they are quite striking. They remind me of a bunch of eyes watching. The centres aren't noticeable from a distance, the shrub is just soft yellow from the backs of the flowers and the calyxs (I think I have the right name there) that are left behind when the flower drops. I'd grow it just for those flowers though, even if you have to stop and look properly to see the details.
That's it for yesterday's, but I took a bunch of photos today to post once I get a chance to prepare them. Lots of wattles of assorted types today, as they're at their peak or starting to go over now.
Enjoy.
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Hi Paul, when you started this topic I was on holiday.
Just now I've found it and I am very happy to see so many native plant of Australia.
Great pictures and very interesting!
Good that it's spring in your country, which means we can await many more pictures then??
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Sorry for the delay in posting more pics...... here's a few from the last week or so....
The first are a couple of Acacia varieties..... the Acacia floribunda as you can see grows into a tree. Lovely flowers to it, a wonderful soft yellow rather than the strong gold of so many species. And towards the other end of the scale is one of the mounding varieties... Acacia 'Green Mist' which grows to maybe 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide. It rarely flowers well, so this plant is rather heavily in flower. Normally only a flower or two here and there in a home garden, but most aren't as well grown as those at the ANBG.
Here's a photo of Alyogyne 'West Coast Gem', the same as Lesley posted in her pics from her visit to Australia. Just to show another picture of the flower plus how it becomes such an open shrub. I'd imagine that this one likes a good prune periodically to keep it bushy. This one is about 8 or 9 feet tall, with each flower about 5 inches across. I used to wonder whether it was related to Pelargonium as the leaves are so similar and it has quite fleshy new growth.
Chamelaucium 'Cascade Brook' is a variety of Geraldton Wax Flower from Western Australia. They are used here in the cut flower trade, but I think they are exported now as well? This plant is maybe 6 foot tall by about 8 feet wide. Individual flowers are less than an inch wide.
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The ANBG has representations of the rainforest regions from the eastern states of Aus. In some of them they have epiphytes attached to the trunks etc. To start with here are a couple of these epiphytes...... The Asplenium ferns are attached up the trunk, collecting rain in their fronds and funneling it down to their roots below. We also have numerous different orchids, this one being the Orange Blossom Orchid, Sarcochilus falcatus. The second pic shows it in relation to the other plants on the tree with it.
As well as the numerous Acacia and Grevillea that are around right now, this seems to be a very happy time for members of the pea family. Here are just a few (there'll be more tomorrow hopefully when I have prepared some more pics. I'm working my way through the pics I've taken this week)...
Daviesia horrida has thorns that live up to the name. Nasty little beasties they are too. The plant is quite sparse to about 4 feet high in this individual, but I don't know their potential in that regard. Can't tell from just the one plant. ;) Must find out where there are more in the ANBG to have more idea of the potential size.
The Swan River Pea is Gastrolobium celsianum and is a ground cover to around a foot or so tall, depending whether it is climbing over obstacles or not. Lovely red flowers are about 1.5 inches long. This plant is well over 6 feet wide.
Another spreader/climber is Hardenbergia comptoniana which can either grow flat and cascade, or grow up things and cover them beautifully. This picture is taken in an alcove on one of the buildings, showing how well it can climb and cover something. Very striking when in full flower like it is now.
And lastly for this post (there'll be more shortly) is Indigofera australia which is a loose shrub with blue-ish green leaves and wonderful racemes of flowers at this time of year. Can sucker a bit, but nothing major. The plants grow to about 4 feet tall. At the moment you can see them all over the ANBG as they are so noticeable right now.
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Here's a photo of Alyogyne 'West Coast Gem', the same as Lesley posted in her pics from her visit to Australia. Just to show another picture of the flower plus how it becomes such an open shrub. I'd imagine that this one likes a good prune periodically to keep it bushy. This one is about 8 or 9 feet tall, with each flower about 5 inches across. I used to wonder whether it was related to Pelargonium as the leaves are so similar and it has quite fleshy new growth.
Paul, most interesting pictures. What a beautiful large 'Blue Hibiscus'! My plant is
about 1.5 m tall. A good pruning seems to be essential.
Does this species grow in the wetter parts of Australia?
My plant obviously enjoyed the cold and wet summer here.
Gerd
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Gerd,
I would have thought it was from the drier and hotter areas, as it seems to do quite well here. No idea of exactly where it comes from, but if southern Western Australia then it is likely to have pretty hot summers. Interesting to know that it likes your conditions too.... a cold and wet summer is just something I can't replicate here to test it. ;D In fact the whole idea is almost alien to me. :o ;)
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I can't go long without posting a pic of a Grevillea, so here is Grevillea 'Cara Lynn'. This plant would be around 2 metres tall and wide, perhaps a bit more, with the flowerheads being around 1 inch wide. The overpowering scent of honey and nectar hits you whenever you're near it, because there are just SO many flowers out on it. Needless to say it is popular with the birds and insects.
Another good sized plant covered in flowers is Philotheca myoporoides ssp acuta (formerly in the genus Eriostemon for those who are thinking that is what it is). This bank of plants is just under 2 metres tall and absolutely covered in flowers that are about 1.5cm wide. Beautiful!!!!
And for something different, here's Richea dracophylla. About 5 feet or so tall, with terminal inflorescences, the buds spiraling around the flowerhead and interspersed at times with bracts. hard to capture it properly, but I hope you get the idea?
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And lastly for tonight...... The "Sturt's Desert Pea", or Swainsonia formosa, which the ANBG is currently having a display of (along with a large display of everlasting daisies to show their use as a bedding plant etc). They're in pots to show them off. They're only just starting to flower and should continue doing so for most of summer. The flowers are stunning, such a striking combination of colours and such a thick texture to them. I've included some information on them, but I am not sure exactly how much of it can be read. I've made this pic a bit larger than usual to give people a better chance of reading it, but hopefully the size doesn't inconvenience people too much when downloading.
That's it for tonight's ANBG pics. As I mentioned earlier I will hopefully get some more of this weeks pics uploaded and posted tomorrow as we have a long weekend here. May or may not get the time, but otherwise hopefully within the next few days.
I'll also post a pic in the Wildlife thread of some of the Eastern Water Dragons that live around the bottom pond in the Tasmanian section of the ANBG, if anyone is interested. Wondered whether I should post it here or not?
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What a great series Paul 8); thank you very much.
Swainsonia formosa we saw at Alice Springs Desert Park last winter had a less prominent black eye than yours. Are different forms or populations recognised do you know?
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Magnificent pictures Paul!
I enjoyed these very much, while raining all day outside with max. 12° C.
The Chamelaucium 'Cascade Brook' Is at least imported here for the flowertrade I think.
It's often seen in mixed bouquets.
Last year the flowers of Cham. uncinatum were sold engros for 12 to 40 Eur. cts. each.
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Paul,
what a fascinating different flora. 8)
I'm resorbing all the provided info.
Please continue... ;) :D ;D
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Interesting that Sturt's Desert Pea grows in extreme desert areas, but only flourishes in the wetter years and in damper patches of ground. You'd think, in that case, it would inhabit somewhere not so desert-like.
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Thanks for the responses everyone. Glad you're enjoying the pics.
Ashley,
Yes, there are different colour forms. The one with the black boss is the most striking to most people's eyes, but there is on the type like you saw, plus whites, "pink", and I've seen comments relating to yellows. We have some of the white and pink types (I think) still coming along in the glasshouses at work, but they are still smaller and not yet into flower. I'll get photos of these when they start flowering so that you can all see what they look like.
Lesley,
If the plant get regular water in less harsh conditions they can apparently last up to 3 years (we have been told with judicious pruning and care we could keep ours growing for that long), but only when they're grafted onto better rootstock. My pics are of stock that is cotyledon grafted onto Clianthus puniceus from New Zealand. This gives it a much more adaptable root system that helps it survive much better. They are actually in self-watering pots so that they get a constant moisture source. Apparently they like lots of water while in growth so that is not problem, but in nature they have the cyclical climate that is damp or dry. Their natural roots require extreme drainage (the Clianthus is more forgiving in this way, but still likes plenty of air at the roots I think) so that does limit the soils it can grow on in nature. The other key to maximising flowers with this species is to trim it regularly when young to thicken it up. Once the stem shifts into flowering mode it cannot shift back into growth. If the growing tip is damaged it can't replace itself, instead some growth points back towards the base of the plant will initiate. By tip pruning it regularly to delay initiation of flowering we've ended up with something like 20 stems per plant that should all flower, instead of perhaps 5 or 6 stems.
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I've also read that it is or may be semi-parasitic on something else and in that case, it would be difficult to grow without a suitable host plant.
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Lesley,
I don't "think" so, but that doesn't mean anything. ::) Seed will germinate and grow fine providing the proper conditions are provided. I hadn't heard anything about a parasitic nature to it?
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Stunning display Paul ! :o
Grevillea and Philotheca sure have flower power !!!! 8)
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Paul there was a plant that was used in flower arrangements and at the back of borders in some of the old books - Humea elegans - Calomeria amaranthoides, smoke bush, which comes Australian wet sclerophyll forests or near rain forests in NSW or Vic. it is many years since I tried to source seed but this topic reminded me of it. One of the first plants that I spent a lot of time in trying to find.
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Pat,
So did you find it? Never heard of it before, but looking it up on the Net it is rather interesting. 3.5m bienniel herb!! A guess a bit reminiscent of some of the Echium species. ;) Looks rather cool to be honest, although perhaps a bit large for my garden (but wouldn't stop me trying it though).
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Paul, thanks for taking the time to post these, very interesting and some lovely plants.
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Thanks David,
More are partly prepared, but off to work now so won't be ready until at least tonight.
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Paul,
Great to see you have posted more plants. I was very taken by your photos Richea dracophylla. We have numerous species belonging to the sister genus Dracophyllum in New Zealand. They can be quite prominent in subalpine scrub and bogs. Some of the larger ones are fairly spectacular trees. Our one species of Swainsonia has now been tranferred to its own genus Montigena. The grafting of Swainsonia formosa on to Clianthus puniceus rootstock would indicate these Australasian genera are closely related not withstanding the views of taxonomists.
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David,
Swainsonia formosa used to be Clianthus formosa, so they used to think the link was even closer! ;) It does however show they must be fairly compatible, eh? ;D
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Here's some more pics taken last week.....
I'll start with some Grevilleas again....
This Grevillea acanthifolia ssp acanthifolia is about 3.5m tall, and perhaps 5 or 6m wide. It is covered in flowers and the birds just love it. The flowerheads are each about 3 inches long.
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Grevillea acanthifolia ssp acanthifolia
Grevillea curviloba is down towards the other extreme, being a ground cover. This one is perhaps 6 inches tall, and a couple of metres wide.
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Grevillea curviloba
This one is planted in a piece of pipe outside of the visitors centre at the ANBG. Grevillea leptobotrys is a tiny little thing (the whole plant is about 2 1/2 feet wide), with slender leaves and small flowerheads. Very beautiful when looked at closely, but I would imagine that a lot of people never even notice it is in flower. ::)
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Grevillea leptobotrys
This is the only lavender species I have come across to date (which doesn't mean there aren't others).... Grevillea rivularis is a decidedly lavender pink, a rather delicately beautiful colour. The plants are about 5 foot tall or so, with the flowers being in a spray about 4 inches long. I've included a side picture to show just how much their "toothbrush" arrangement, as is so common in many of the genus.
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Grevillea rivularis
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These are three other Grevillea that I don't have plant pictures for as they were all smaller plants that I had no idea as to the potential size they'd reach (so there was no point I felt in giving you information on what they currently looked like, when it might be nothing like what they look like at maturity....
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Grevillea minutiflora has flowehreads about an inch long, on what appears to be a very small plant.
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Grevillea speciosa. Flowerhead is about 5cm across.
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Grevillea tripartita ssp macrostylis. Each flower is about an inch long, coming virtually straight off the stem.
And these are pics of the Gymea Lily, Doryanthes excelsa. The flower stems are between 4 and 5 metres tall I think, but I haven't exactly measured them. Stunning architectural plant. Also comes in a white flowered for, but that is not flowering this year it appears.
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Doryanthes excelsa
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Howdy again All,
Can people please let me know whether they prefer this method of posting the pics within the message, or whether they preferred them attached at the end like I had been doing? I'm happy to do it either way, so let me know which is better.
Here's some other assorted bits and pieces in flower at present at the ANBG...
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There are so many Banksia in flower at the moment, from small tree size down to ground covers.... this Banksia spinulosa var spinulosa is currently only around 5 feet tall, and looks like it is probably mature at that size. Flowerheads are about 7 inches tall.
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This little shrub is Bauera rubiodes. Only about 18 inches tall and perhaps 2 feet wide, it has quite a cute flower. Each one is about an inch wide, facing downwards and giving a light and airy feel to the plant. The plant was in dappled shade and the pictures didn't work out well enough to post here. These closeups of the side and face show you what the flowers look like and will have to do. ;)
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Boronia anemonifolia ssp variabilis stands out as it is covered in flowers. It's about 2 feet tall, with quite small flowers, but they make up for it in sheer number.
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A favourite of mine is Epacris longiflora, also called the native fuchsia, with it's striking red and white flowers. There is also a pure white flowered form which I can post a pic of if anyone is interested? I grow the straight species at home already, plus have the white plus a couple of other forms on order from that wonderful Native nursery down in Victoria.
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Paul, the way you did it before had the advantage of having a name to each picture
and most of us were used to the system.
I never tried it this 'new' way, but see it more often now on the Forum.
(I never looked at the manner how to do it, I must confess ;))
You make me envious looking at the pictures, while I think that you are able to see
all those beauties every day.
I hope the work you are doing is not to bad either?? :-\ ;D ;D
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Luit,
I look after Tasmanian section, plus various other areas in the lower parts of the ANBG. We each have our areas to work and tend to do what is needed when it needs doing, be it pruning, weeding (far too much of that of course! ::)), mulching, watering, planting, improving etc. If we want to we can work with others in their areas, or can ask for help from co-workers to help with ours. Working outside in an "office" like the ANBG is the closest thing I have found as yet to my dream job. So Yes, the other work I am doing is not too bad!! ;D ;D ;D
I still have more pics ready to post, but getting tired so heading off to bed. I tend to start before 7am in the morning (by choice.... I like to start early) so I need my beauty sleep. ::)
Thanks for the feedback re the pics.
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weeding (far too much of that of course! ),
Paul I have been weeding quite a lot of my lifetime.
But have learned that it's a good exercise for the brains. :-\ :-\ ;D ;D ;D
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Luit,
But I swear that some of the weeds hide while you're there, only to come out after you've gone. Every time I walk through the area I see some I've missed. :o
I'm not paranoid... the weeds ARE out to get me. ;)
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David,
Swainsonia formosa used to be Clianthus formosa,
Or even Clianthus formosus :). I had seed of it at one time maybe 40 years ago, twice in fact but never got any to live longer than the first true leaf stage. Love to try it again. And it IS on our Bio Index, as Swainsona formosa (not Swainsonia)
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I also grew a Doryanthes for about 5 years in my tunnel house. I think it was D. palmeri though. Needless to say as soon as it went outside and a frost hit it, it died.
Luit, the way Paul has posted his pics is very easy and I like it better because one can write between the pics, knowing exactly where the pics will be in the text. There's no problem so long as the name of the plant is typed in with the attachment, as Paul has done. I think I've always used this way to post pictures.
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Thank you Lesley for the tip.
It might sometimes be useful. But a picture with a name seems to me very essential.
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Well of course I agree that a named pic is essential and if the file name is the plant name, no problem but many posters have numbers or codes as the file name and so there's no hint in the file under the pic, what the pic actually is. They have to do a list of the plant names above the pics and not everyone does that, or if they do, one has to scroll up and down to match the plant name to the pic, if you see what I mean. As an example, go to "Flowers and Foliage October 2008. John W has posted two great pics of Bessera which we know is Bessera because he says so, but the file name doesn't say so. Not an issue there but if 8 or 10 pics of different plants are posted, it's a pain having to scroll up and down to see what they all are.
I think I should be putting this in the "Moan, Moan, Moan... " thread ;D
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Luit,
I also always tried to associate each description with a picture, so that you have the associated name there with it. At one point I was trying that with the description above the pictures, then the name below them again, just to make sure it was clear, then I changed to pictures with the description and name below. Do they not come out that way for you?
Lesley,
The best way to grow the Sturt Peas is to have them grafted, in the case of ours they were cotyledon grafted onto the Clianthus. No way the rootstock can grow itself, and the benefits of a much better rootsystem that is not so touchy to fungus, moisture, temperatures, days ending in a "y" etc. ;)
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As I've mentioned before, lots of pea flowers (Fabaceae) out at the moment, so I'll start with three of them....
click the pix to enlarge....
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This is Bossiaea scolopendria with it's leafless stems and flowers sprouting right out of them. I've posted one of this genus before, with the same characteristics (but much larger and with bright red flowers from memory). This one is only about 20 inches tall, with flowers about 1cm wide.
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Pultenaea flexilis as you can see is quite tall, this one being cut so that people can walk under it. Flowers are only about a cm or so wide.
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Pultenaea stipularis is quite similar, only slightly different in flowers and foliage. This has also been cut to walk under it, plus a closeup of the flowers to who what they look like.
And on to other things.....
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I've shown a small plant of Hibbertia empetrifolia before, but this shows it when fully established. It is a ground cover type of plant, rooting down in places. I think it would mound up over time, but spreads out beautifully over rocks etc and trails down. Very desirable to me, and I shall have to find find a source. ;D
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Hibbertia dentata is a twining ground cover (i.e it will cover the ground or twine up things). Flowers are about 2 inches wide. Very attractive.
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The last Hibbertia looks very like my H. scandens. Are they synonyms?
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Lesley,
I'd wondered the same thing to be honest. Is H. scandens really flat if a groundcover, but twines up and through anything it encounters?
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Lesley,
A quick search revealed that H. dentata has dentate leaves (i.e an at least partially toothed margin in this case), whereas the H. scandens doesn't. H. dentata is also more shade tolerant that H. scandens apparently. It also doesn't smother plants like H. scandens is want to do.
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Fair enough. I can't say that my scandens is so vigorous that it's likely to smother anything. I have it on a brick house wall to get whatever heat is going. It would probably be frosted if allowed to wander away from the wall.
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Lesley,
Do you want me to get you a packet of Swainsonia formosa seed? They sell it here at the ANBG, and got fresh stock in yesterday. I found out today when I went to check for someone else. I'm happy to get you a packet if you want me to?
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The last few pics that I had prepared the other day but still haven't uploaded.....
The first couple are from the display glasshouse at the ANBG....
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This is an Australian bulb called Proiphys cunninghamii (at least I think ti is that species anyway). Flowers are about 4cm across and grows to about 18 inches to 2 feet tall. Leaves are a bit similar to a Eucharis
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This is Syzigium wilsonii ssp wilsonii, one of the native lillipillis. Weeping shrub, at least in our glasshouse conditions anyway. Gloriously flowers, the flowerhead in the photo is about 6 inches across all up.
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And lastly a couple of quintessential Aussies..... the Waratahs (Telopea sp). A red and a white to show you the differences. A few different varieties are currently in flower in teh gardens, so if you're interested let me know and I can take and post some more pics of other species and varieties.
That's all I have prepared for now, but I took a few more pics today so I might have more to post soon. I hope you all are enjoying them. 8)
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Paul I (we?) are enjoying it
The Hibberta scandens I saw in the botanical garden of Ajuda here in Portugal was more of a bush but it might have had support.
Yesa I liked the last flowers so if You can mire please :) Are they as big as they look (10-15cm in diameter)?
BTW it took me a while to realize that something was different but I could not figure out what untill I realized now that You are Paul T and not the old signature.
Kind regards
Joakim
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Joakim,
The signature is the same as I've always had it, but I've shifted my ID now to Paul T (Thanks again Maggi) as I think it made it a bit more consistent. ;) I don't know whether anyone else has noticed it, at least you're the first person to comment on it.
I'll photograph some more of the Telopea for you. The whole flowerhead (the middle bit are the actual flowers) is around the 15cm size, perhaps a bit larger. I have been meaning to try to find a small tape measure that I can keep on my keyring so that I can accurately measure flowers when I photograph them. I haven't had time to shop around and find one. For larger flowers I tend to use my handspan as an easy guide. With my hand spread it is almost exactly 9 inches from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my little finger, which is very handy to know when you're trying to measure things. Two handspans is a neat 18 inches, four is 3 feet etc. Great for larger things, but doesn't work quite so well for small flowers. That's what I need the tape measure for.
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This is an Australian bulb called Proiphys cunninghamii (at least I think ti is that species anyway). Flowers are about 4cm across and grows to about 18 inches to 2 feet tall. Leaves are a bit similar to a Eucharis
Wow!! Paul does it smell too?? Never heard of it before.
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That bulb is certainly beautiful!
Yes please Paul, re the Swainsona. It's on our permitted list so should be OK in a commercial packet. Put on the envelope that it contains seed though thanks and let me know how much it costs. Our dollar almost up with yours at the present time, don't know why as it's plummeting against the pound and the US dollar, yet I'd hardly want those as a gift lately. ???
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Will do, Lesley. Won't be costing you anything though, as it will be a gift! ;D Will let you know when I have sent it.
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Luit,
Will stick my nose into a flower next time I am up in the glasshouse and then tell you whether it is perfumed. No idea.
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Thanks Paul, very kind. There's a Clianthus puniceus out here at the moment so there will be seed in due course. I might try the cotyledon grafting you mentioned, with a few, see what happens.
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Lesley,
I got you a packet today. It suggests on the packet that the smoke treatment should be used, but I have never heard of that for Swainsonia before so I haven't bought you a packet of the smoke treatment stuff. I an always pick one up on Monday if you're wanting it as well. Any other Aussie natives you're wanting while I am at it and can check for seed?
Luit,
I dropped up there today to check on perfume of the Proiphys and couldn't detect much perfume at all. A very vague scent, but quite elusive and not enough to bother looking for really. ;)
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Paul thanks for the information about the Waratahs (Telopea sp). I did not notice that it was flowers in the middle I thought it was one flower looking a bit like Protea so to say.
Living and learning.
Kind regards
Joakim
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Joakim,
Very much like a Protea, but I think that the floral arrangement of the Protea is pretty similar to the Waratah, although not as obvious. I'm nearly certain that the Protea flowerhead contains lots and lots of tiny flowers, but the Waratah ones are much more visible. Today I photographed T. mongaensis x speciosissima and in it the individual flowers were even more obvious as it doesn't have the surrounding bracts that look like the petals. I'll try to get pics processed this evening or tomorrow so I can show you what I mean.
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Paul that is what happen when I try to show my wisdom I just show my ignorance but now I learned more :)
Looking forward to the picture :)
Kind regards
Joakim
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Joakim,
There are heaps of different Proteaceae family members amongst the Australian flora.... Banksia, Grevillea, Telopea to name but a few. We and Africa are I think the only two areas that have them? Not sure whether they extend anywhere else... do they have any of them in NZ?
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There are heaps of different Proteaceae family members amongst the Australian flora.... Banksia, Grevillea, Telopea to name but a few. We and Africa are I think the only two areas that have them? Not sure whether they extend anywhere else... do they have any of them in NZ?
Paul,
There are Proteaceae in South America - Embotrium coccineum for instance.
Gerd
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Thanks Gerd, I hadn't realised that. Makes sense of course as we were all once connected. I guess the higher numbers are from Aus and Africa, or at least the better known ones? It certainly is a variable genus, although the basic floral structure amongst all of them remains fairly standard, with different proportions etc. I'd not realised there were any in Sth America, so Joakim isn't the only one learning new things. 8)
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I was really amazed with the uniqueness of Australian plants. Once in the past accidentally I have found one site where I could see many photos of different habitats ans plants in Australia. I think it was about Victoria, but I am not sure. I tried to find any site where I could watch many photos like in an album, but with no results. I could find only very few photos on them. Can any one help me with that, please? These topics with Australian native flora photos made my aesthetic experience hunger only bigger. I need MORE! Much MORE!
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I have really enjoyed seeing all these plants!!!! I truly appreciate them!
If/When one day I have a real garden, I would seriously think of creating an Austrialian corner - there are so many irresistible plants!
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As a collector of anything rare and unusual I fully understand. Seeing things that you don't usually see brings out the collector in you and you just have to have it. ;D You should see some of my reactions to some of the postings elsewhere on these forums. :o
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A few more things from the last couple of days......
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David mentioned NZ having Dracophyllum when I posted something similar earlier in this topic..... well here we have Dracophyllum macranthum. Pretty flowers and rather nice foliage.
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Homoranthus prolixus is a beautiful plant but I can't say I find the scent attractive. A tinge of mouse droppings somewhere in there, mixed with an almost sickly honey sweet smell. Stunner of a plant, but the perfume is offputting to me at least. ::) About 2 feet tall and maybe 3 1/2 feet wide. Can't miss it in flower!
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Libertia paniculata
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Olearia phlogopappa looks at first glance almost like an Aster species, but it is a small shrub. As you can see though, clearly part of the Asteraceae. This is about 4 foot tall with flowers over an inch wide. This is the pink flowered form (they are normally white, but there is also a blue).
Enjoy.
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Some of our Swainsonia formosa pots. Coming more and more into flower and looking so beautiful.
And as requested.... a couple more Waratahs.
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Telopea mongaensis x speciosissima which doesn't have the surrounding bracts to make it look more like a single flower. Is about 4.5 inches wide.
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Telopea speciosissima 'Red Ned' which has a larger flowerhead but also less in the way of the bracts. A around 5.5 inches wide I think, but I still don't have that tiny tape measure to carry with me as yet, so I can't be sure.
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Striking pictures, Paul.
Especially the Olearia is a gem.
Gerd
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There are heaps of different Proteaceae family members amongst the Australian flora.... Banksia, Grevillea, Telopea to name but a few. We and Africa are I think the only two areas that have them? Not sure whether they extend anywhere else... do they have any of them in NZ?
Paul, New Zealand has managed to keep a couple of genera of Proteaceae. The sole NZ representatives are Persoonia toru and Knightia excelsa. The latter is quite a large tree and is found predominantly in the North Island. There is a large specimen growing outside the Otago Museum in Dunedin. Other genera we share are Libertia and Olearia.
Keep posting Paul though pink Dracophyllums are a bit over the top (a bit like that Australian icon, Priscilla, queen of the desert).
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David,
Fascinating to hear what we share between our countries. Surprisingly little when you really think about it, given how close we actually are. ::) So you don't have pink Dracophyllums then?
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Striking pictures, Paul.
Especially the Olearia is a gem.
Gerd
Thanks Gerd. Glad you're enjoying them. :D
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Fantastic species! That Olearia phlogopappa is really fascinating! I doubt it was frost resistant... Also Swainsonia formosa looks so attractive and genteel. :) I hope to visit you and Australia one day!
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Krzysztof,
Well the Olearia is at least somewhat frost hardy, given it is in the Tasmanian section and in the open. Also this section is at the bottom of the ANBG so that intensifies the frost somewhat, at least in relation to the rest of the ANBG.
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I was really amazed with the uniqueness of Australian plants. Once in the past accidentally I have found one site where I could see many photos of different habitats ans plants in Australia. I think it was about Victoria, but I am not sure. I tried to find any site where I could watch many photos like in an album, but with no results. I could find only very few photos on them. Can any one help me with that, please? These topics with Australian native flora photos made my aesthetic experience hunger only bigger. I need MORE! Much MORE!
Hi Krzysztof,
if you still haven't had enough after all of Paul's pics you can try this site:http://www.goldfieldsrevegetation.com.au/ (http://www.goldfieldsrevegetation.com.au/)
you can search for pics (not all entries have pics though) by genus, common-name or even by flower colour!
cheers
fermi
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Paul this Waratahs looks like a cactus dahlia on a rhododendron. A great combination :) 8)
Thanks
Joakim
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Joakim,
I had to go back and look at the picture to work out what in the world you were talking about...... but now I see what you mean. Not sure that the cactus dahlia is quite right.... more like one of those big fancy ball type chrysanthemums. You're right about the leaves though. Never looked at them quite like that before, and likely never will look at a waratah quite the same way again now! ::)
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Hi Krzysztof,
if you still haven't had enough after all of Paul's pics you can try this site:http://www.goldfieldsrevegetation.com.au/ (http://www.goldfieldsrevegetation.com.au/)
you can search for pics (not all entries have pics though) by genus, common-name or even by flower colour!
cheers
fermi
Fermi, I just had a look at this Website. Will keep me some days off the streets I think... ;D ;D ;D
Put it to the favourites for winterevenings. To many interesting plants there! Thank you.
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Hi Krzysztof,
if you still haven't had enough after all of Paul's pics you can try this site:http://www.goldfieldsrevegetation.com.au/ (http://www.goldfieldsrevegetation.com.au/)
you can search for pics (not all entries have pics though) by genus, common-name or even by flower colour!
cheers
fermi
Fermi, I just had a look at this Website. Will keep me some days off the streets I think... ;D ;D ;D
Put it to the favourites for winterevenings. To many interesting plants there! Thank you.
Hi Luit,
This is one of my favourite nurseries as it grows a lot of plants native to this region so they can be expected to survive our extreme weather. It's also just 40 minutes away so we can get there a few times a year!
cheers
fermi
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Howdy All,
Sorry for no new postings of ANBG stuff this week. I've been on training courses most of the week and yesterday forgot to take my camera with me. Saw so many things that I now have to remember where they are for photographing for you this coming week. ::) Did take some photos of a couple of unusual things mid-week after one of the courses but I haven't processed them as yet so I have no idea whether they've worked out or not.
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Howdy All,
I have taken heaps of photos this week, so I will start with some of them then maybe work back through a few previous ones if/as I get time. I did take a bunch of the different Telopea (waratahs) as requested, so I will prepare some of them at least in the near future....
First up for tonight, I thought I'd start with a few of the Callistemon (bottlebrush) that are out in flower at the moment....
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Callistemon 'Firebrand'. Grows to about 5 feet with a more or less weeping habit, or perhaps more of a spreading type. Branches face outwards rather than growing upwards, but it isn't like a ground cover or anything like that.
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Callilstemon 'Peak Downs' is a rather lovely pink. These plants are about 8 feet tall.
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Callistemon 'Purple Splendour' is such a striking colour!! :o
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Callistemon salignus is a rather large tree, putting on a wonderful display at the moment.
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I don't have a name for this one, as I couldn't find a name tag. Beautiful pink flowers, with a smallish growth habit (to about 6 foot tall, with spreading branches). Would grow it in my own garden if I knew the name of it. Only a few flowers out on it as yet, but when it is in full bloom it should be absolutely stunning. 8)
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And now some close relatives of theirs, the Melaleucas...
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Melaleuca fulgens looks just like a small Callistemon. This is the normal species colour I think, but there is a cultivar 'Hot Pink which I will show at some point.
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Melalecua incana has small, fluffy flowers in heads about an 2.5cm long. These plants were only small, so there was no point showing a photo of the plant as I don't know how large it will get. I must look around and find some mature ones to find out how large they get.
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Melaleuca squarrosa seems to be another smaller type. The largest plant I have come across in the ANBG at this stage is about 5 feet tall, but that doesn't mean that they were mature. Flowerheads were about an 4cm long.
And on to some other unusual bits and pieces....
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Lambertia formosa, also known as the "Mountain Devil" is a shrub to about 1.8m, tending to be a bit straggly in our climate at least. The flowers are just beautiful though.
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And this I just love for both the colour and the name ;) .... Gompholobium confertum is a small plant, this one was planted 5 years ago and has only about a 45cm spread. Each flower is approximately 1cm wide.
Still to come tonight.... some assorted Grevillea varieties.
Edit by Maggi: Please remember, dear Readers, click the pix to see the full image
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Paul.
thank you for introducing those unfamiliar, beautiful plants to us. There is an amazing high number of plant variations in the Australian biota.
And there is so much I don't know yet and have never seen before :o
Please continue... ;)
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Wonderful series once again Paul - numerous plants I've never seen or heard off.. I love that small gompholobium i Very cute ! ;)
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Here's Doryanthes excelsa (the Gymea Lily), still in flower.... about 6 metres tall I think, but too tall to measure easily. ;) One of the plants across the path for some reason has much shorter flowering stems, making it possible to climb up on a rock and just reach up to the flowers to get a closeup for your enjoyment. I've taken a pic of the whole plant, a distance shot of a fully open flowerhead, and a closeup of one of the flowers on the shorter stem.
Enjoy.
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Thanks Armin and Luc. Glad you're enjoying them. Luc, that Gompholobium is a favourite of mine as well, but not something I am expecting to ever be able to source for my own garden unfortunately. :o Cute and purple, what more could you ask for. ;D
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"Cute" is not the word I'd use for the Doryanthes excelsa Paul... Impressive seems more appropriate :o
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Doryanthes excelsa ... just amazing! :o
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And the Grevilleas as promised....
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Grevillea johnsonii x wilsonii is located near the cascade at the main entrance to the ANBG. It's about 3 metres tall I guess, although it leans out from under some nearby trees. Very, very noticeable at the moment while in flower.
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This is a parent of the previous one, Grevillea johnsonii. This plant is about 4 metres tall, but didn't come up particularly well in the photo so I'm not posting it.
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Grevillea 'Mason's Hybrid' is a larger flowered variety with the flowerhead probably being about 7cm wide with 12cm long. The whole plant is about 1.5m high and 3 or more metres wide. Beautiful!! 8)
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Grevilela rigida ssp rigida, about 75cm tall and 2m wide. Flowerheads are about 3cm wide by 10cm long.
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And this last one is Grevillea floribunda sssp floribunda. The plant itself isn't much to write home about, but once you look closely at the flowers they're amazing. I've posted pics of the buds to show the fuzzy brown, a flowerhead to show the leaves and how the buds are terminal on the branch, and a closeup of the flowers to show how intricate they are. I just love this one for it's difference to so many of them.
That's it for pics for tonight, but there are a heap more I still have to process from the last few days. :o
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The Pictures of the Doryanthes don't really do it justice as they really don't show the scale. The leaves are taller than I am, and I'm just under 6 foot. The ball of flowers on the top would be about 45cm wide I would think, but again I haven't been able to get up there and measure them to find out. I am intending to keep an eye on the shorter one as it comes into full flower and see how big the head gets on it, just to give me some idea. It is really handy to have the shorter one to help out with measurements. ;)
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Super images yet again Paul!
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Paul,
A great display of plants, all very interesting and impressive. You really do grow an extraordinary range of plants which are so foreign to us, completely unusual for us to see them and so a delight to see the photographs here.
The purple/lilac callistemons are a revelation to me. I grow the red and yellow flowered ones and they thrive here but I have never seen such colours as you have shown here. Wonderful!
Many thanks, Paddy
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Paddy,
Glad you're enjoying them. There are more Callistemon that are more purple than that, in fact I do actually grow one of them ('Burgundy Jack) in my own garden at home. I'll photograph when it flowers this year. Haven't looked at it recently, so I am not even sure whether it has buds or not. It should do, but it is only a couple of years in the ground as yet.
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Paddy,
I found today that the purple Callistemon is actually already in flower in my garden. Shows how much I am getting time to see at the moment. :o Have photographed, but haven't looked at the pics yet to work out how well they represent it.
Here are a few more pics taken earlier this week..... for starters I'll post some more of the Olearia, as I have posted a couple of species earlier on in this topic.
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Olearia lirata, about 2.5m tall.
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Olearia megalophylla was a bit of an eye-opener for me.... the flowerheads are around 20cm wide. The balls of flowers make a great display. I don't think the plant is full height as yet, given the area it is planted. Reminiscent at first glance of one of the "snowball trees".
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This half circle is of Olearia quercifolia. Striking bright white flowers, and quite interesting leaves. These plants were about 90cm tall or so.
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And here are a selection of Leptospermum, otherwise known as Ti-trees (they are used commercially for ti-tree oil, plus of course for their wonderful flowers).
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Leptospermum 'Daydream' appears to be a smaller grower than many of the named varieties, although it could just be age of the plant. Seems quite compact, but still with good sized flowers.
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Leptospermum 'Mesmer Eyes' has very large flowers (probably about 3cm wide) with dark eyes and aging to pink. This plant is about 1.6m tall and 2.5m wide. Spectacular!!
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Leptospermum 'Outrageous' (I have this variety in my home garden as well)
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Leptospermum 'Pageant'
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Leptospermum 'Tickled Pink'
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Leptospermum scoparium 'Horizon' looks like another good compact form, giving a nice mounding effect. Good crisp white too.
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And a final one....
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Leptospermum polygalifolium ssp tropicum which is a good sized shrub, this plant was a bit under 3m tall, and well over 4m wide. Lovely drooping branches, dripping with flowers. I've included a closeup of the flowers, as well as a closer shot of the way the branches and flowers are held. Really lovely plant, although way bigger than my little garden could support.
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Some more pics from this week.....
To follow on from yesterday's Melaleucas here are some more...
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Melaleuca elliptica has large, pendulous flowerheads, far more like a Callistemon in size, but even larger than most of those. Around 2.5 to 3m tall.
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Melaleuca fulgens 'Hot Pink' is the named variety of the orange species I posted a pic of yesterday.
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Melaleuca wilsonii is a small shrub, more like a ground cover except not so thick. Beautifully fluffy pink flowers.
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And this is Kunzea ambigua - prostrate form which is very striking. Striking enough that I bought one on the weekend for my garden. Only about 30 to 40cm in height, but a couple of metres wide. Very, very nice.
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This, rather unusually coloured flower is Hakea trineura. Quite tall and thin (the plant in the picture would be at least 3m tall), the flowers are just amazing, large and bushy and so unusually coloured. They hang from the branches as you can see in the second picture. Different, and I just LOVE it.
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Hymenosporum flavum is known as the Native Frangipani due to the similarity to the flower of that name, and also the perfume. Beautiful in all sorts of ways. This plant is about 5m tall and still growing. Each flower is about 4 or 5cm wide.
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And lastly for tonight, a selection of Boronias...
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Boronia 'Carousel', such a wonderfully deep pink.
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Boronia heterophylla is the largest of the genus I have ever come across, these plants were around 2m tall. Unlike many of the species this one has the same perfume as the brown boronia (B. megastigma), a favourite flower to sniff for me. Not as strong as the brown, but still the same lovely scent.
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Boronia mollis 'Lorne Pride' is an absolute corker of a plant. This was about 1.4m tall and over 3m wide, covered in these wonderful pink flowers and interesting leaves. Striking, in a very different way to many of the genus.
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Boronia 'Spring White, a nice and compact variety.
That's it for tonight. I still have to sort, name and then prepare pictures from later this week. Still a lot I can post if people aren't overloaded with the Aussie plants? I don't want to put you off by posting too many of them. SO much in flower right now.
Thanks for viewing!!
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I don't want to put you off by posting too many of them.
Oh yes, we are SO fed up of seeing all these glorious plants beautifully photographed! :D
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Oh, well in that case I'll stop then. :P
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It's a real joy to see all these on a scraggy, dank autumn morning here in England. Also an education to see many of these things which are quite different to the plants available here such as Olearia megalophylla. Cheers Paul :D
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I had never realized that there were so many Leptospermum around... :o
This thread doesn't stop amazing me ;)
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Luc,
There are more Leptospermum than I have shown here, particularly species-wise. I can think of at least another half dozen named hybrids we have here in Aus. At least!
Brian,
The Olearia amazed me too. I'd only seen the small Olearias like the pink O. phloggopappa that I posted earlier in this thread, and those only when I started working at the ANBG. I keep finding new things all the time at work. You're only seeing a small fraction here, which is why I am a little concerned that I'm posting too much already. I don't get much time to process the pictures, which is why they're a bit sporadic, but I have lots in my files now. I add more every time I take my camera to work with me, just taking a moment here and there to photograph things as I see them. ::) The processing takes far more than the few moments of photography. So much to see. 8)
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What a great series, Paul, thank you.
I intend to move this thread to the Memorable Topics section.... 8)
Many of us will be familiar with that most excellent product Tea-tree oil, or as you call it, Ti Tree oil.... which is useful for a myriad of ailments and injuries..... I have a question which I hope you, or another Forumist, can help with..... I have been told, indeed have read on some packaging of certain Tea-Tress products, that the oil is derived from Melaleuca alterniifolia...... whereas you, and others , cite Leptospermums as the source........can you cast any light on the matter, please?
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Maggi,
Thank you for the move.... I'm honoured to have this topic in such illustrious company!! :D
I couldn't recall whether it was spelled Ti Tree or Tea Tree, so I just chose one. I don't use the stuff, so I don't know the spelling. As to the sources.... I think I recall something similar now that you mention it, that it comes from something else other than Leptospermum, which are coloquially known as Tea-Trees (or however it is spelled ;)). I really don't know for sure, but will see if I can find out for you.
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This thread doesn't stop amazing me ;)
I can only repeat what Luc said - and: the richness of your flora is just incredible!
Gerd
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I keep finding new things all the time at work. You're only seeing a small fraction here
You are just so lucky! What a job. Keep 'em coming ;) I grow a couple of Olearia phloggopappa but they are surpassed by the O.megalophylla, does it only come in white 8)
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Just caught up with this thread Paul. just fantastic. ...and do you get paid for this too??? ;D
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Paul, you show so many plants new to me, like Boronia or Gompholobium confertum.
Always looking out for new plants I cannot resist to find out where and how they grow
in their own habitat.
Never get enough of plants you are able to show here, because Australia is a bit far away for us. :(
It might be of interest for you that W. A. Florabase describe this as an erect shrub.??
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What a great idea this thread is Paul; many thanks. Presumably it could be stretched to include natives elsewhere in Australia ;) or even abroad ;D
In my experience excellent seed sources for oznuts 8) outside Australia include Nindethana (http://www.nindethana.iinet.net.au/ (http://www.nindethana.iinet.net.au/)) & Wildseed Tasmania (http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au/ (http://www.wildseedtasmania.com.au/)).
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Thanks All,
Ahsley,
At the time I started this I also started a topic for Aussie natives in our gardens, so that I could show stuff from my place and Fermi's etc. The stuff grown at the ANBG is in a lot of cases not actually suited to the conditions in Canberra, but microclimates are located for them to be successful. The ANBG is on a hillside which helps, as they don't get the heavy frost pockets etc.
Glad you're all enjoying these. 8)
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Ti Tree is generally the common name for the NZ species Leptospermum scoparium (Maori name, Manuka) and it is from this that a major industry has grown in NZ for its oil, and for manuka honey, when the bee hives are placed in manuka bush for the nectar in the flowers. It is a very strongly flavoured honey and perhaps not what one would want on one's morning toast but it has antibiotic qualities and is available in different strengths. Manuka honey is used here now, instead of regular antibiotics, to heal surface injuries such as cuts, grazes and the awful ulcers that elderly people get on their legs which normally take months to heal, if they ever do, properly. Manuka honey as a dressing clears them up very quickly. Even main steam doctors and hospitals have embraced it for its healing properties, as has one of our favourite Forumists.
The Australian leptospermums are generally more spectacular in flower, though L. scoparium has a number of different selected cultivars with pink, crimson or double coloured flowers. Most Aust species are marginally hardy here.
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I've been doing a little research myself and it seems to me that the term Tea-Tree is usually applied to the Australian product, derived from
Melaleuca alternifolia, while the T-tree refers to the New Zealand oil, from the Leptospermum or Manuka.
Both jolly useful plants, that's for sure.
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Interesting, I had no idea that the NZ Manuka honey came from a Leptospermum.
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Paul,
You are continuing with a fabulous selection of your Australian plants, great selection and great photographs. The Leptospermums are outstanding and I certainly would like to grow the colour variations you have shown. The more common reds and pinks grow very well here, good tough plants, and one on the boundary of my garden is about 10 feet high. I also have one of the compact ones and it is doing very well also.
You also showed a selection of the olearias - a personal hate of mine. For some reason I despise these plants though might make an exception for Olearia x traversii (hope I have the name correct).
Paddy
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Pady,
Ah well, can't please everyone! ;) ;D Before working there I'd never heard of Olearia, so you have more experience of actually growing them than I do. Glad you're enjoying the other pics though. 8)
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I'm not fond of Olearias either, though I had a good hedge of one species some years ago. I would have got rid of it except for the fact that hundreds of stick insects lived and presumably bred in it. For the same reason, I could never trim it so it got very shaggy in time.
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Wow! :o How much fun it is to see all these wonderful plants Paul, very much enjoying going through this thread. Please keep it up.
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Thanks Paul for posting so many lovely natives. I don't have that many but I do like to get Eremophila species. Boronias are sometimes treated as a potted plant - I can't get them to live here in South Australia - but the perfume is divine!! One of the nicest you could find. I would love to walk through an area of them.
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Thanks Linda and Pat,
I haven't had a chance to take many photos recently, but I do have a few still to load. Hopefully in the next couple of days. 8)
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Paul, thank you so much for showing us these exotic beauties,from most of them
I have never seen and heard before.
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You're welcome Rudi. Took lots of photos yesterday as well, so should be plenty posted when I get the chance to prepare and upload them.
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Hi Paul, super pictures. I'm having to keep a pad next to the PC to write down all my wants. I like the Olearias although the only one we grow is O nummularifolia 'Little Lou' as it is just right for the show bench. Please keep this thread going it's wonderful.
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Howdy All,
I finally got some time tonight to prepare some pics for posting. These are pics from the last couple of weeks, not including all the pics I took this week (so there will be plenty more pics when I get the chance to prepare some more).
Enjoy.......
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Another of the bottlebrush .... Callistemon viridiflorus, which is a medium size shrub to a couple of metres unless it is really happy and then it can get a little bigger than that. Flowers really are a pretty pure green.
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Dietes robinsoniana is the only Dietes representative in Australia. It grows to about 5 feet tall, with each flower opening to around 12cm wide. Very impressive plant, particularly when a flower stem may have a half dozen flowers open on it at the same time. As with so many others in the genus the flowers only last a short time.
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This is the "Flannel Flower" (Actinotis helanthi, with it's flowers that are furry and lovely silver furry leaves. Soft and emminently touchable. We have a seeding colony in one particular location, despite the usual difficulties in growing them from seed. It seems that a large gravel mulch is ideal conditions for the seed to germinate!
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This Jacksonia scoparia ssp scoparia was so bright when in flower. You just couldn't miss it. The plant is fairly non-descript and you don't see it except when it is in flower. The plants in the picture were around 3m tall, weeping in habit. Scrappy plant the rest of the time (at least in our conditions here), but Oh what a show when in flower.
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This stunner is Kunzea pulchella. At first glance it looks like a bottlebrush, but the floral arrangement is quite different. Seems to get about 4 or 5 feet tall in our condtions, with decidedly weeping stems. The red is just so strong!
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And here's a couple more Leptospermum to add to those I have posted before....
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Leptospermum grandifolium
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Leptospermum rotundifolium 'Lavender Queen' is a shrub to about 6 feet tall and with a good covering of flowers.
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Myoporum floribundum has very thin, downward hanging leaves which are rather interesting in their own right, but when it comes into flower it is quite spectacular, even though each flower is less than 1cm wide. SO many flowers are produced that the tops of each stem are covered in white, slightly reminiscent of snow if you quint your eyes just right. ;) The bugs adore them, crawling over all the flowers and enjoying the honey scent. I have a small plant of this at home in my garden as well, but it has a long way to go before it looks as spectacular as the specimens in the picture. ;D
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Some don't like Olearia, but this one is such a delicate shade of mauve. It is labelled as Olearia ramulosa sens lat and seems to be a small grower to perhaps 5ocm tall. The delicate colour of the flowers is just beautiful, and I very much wish I was growing it in my own garden. Not the spectacle of Olearia phloggopappa, but nicer in it's own way to me at least.
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This appears to be a Pattersonia sp. but I have no name further than that. Very small, only to about 15cm tall with flowers about 3.5cm wide. It looks similar to something I have had come up from seed in a plant I received from Tasmania a few years ago, but mine hasn't flowered as yet. I can but hope it might be the same thing.
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Pelargonium australe is a bit weedy in places at the ANBG but it puts on a stunning display for months on end. The plants are to maybe 50cm tall, and the flowers go on endlessly through the warmer months.
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And lastly for this topic tonight..... a couple more colour forms of the 'Sturt's Desert Pea' (Swainsonia formosa)
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A white form.
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A lovely red and white bicolor which is both strange and beautiful at the same time.
That's all for tonight. Hopefully tomorrow I can load some more pics for the Southern Hemisphere topic, and maybe get some more pics up here from the last couple of days photos at the ANBG.
Enjoy. 8)
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Thanks, Paul, more lovely plants and info there!
And remember, Folks, click the pic to enlarge the photo..... 8)
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Wonderful images Paul ... keep them coming please ...
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More treats Paul, that Olearia ramulosa sens lat seems to grow to an ideal height, so many of them get so rangy here that they look a mess, and despite cutting back hard I don't seem to get any growth from lower down so end up chucking them out and starting again from cuttings :-\
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Hi Paul,
great pics.
I'd not seen Jacksonia scoparia before; do you have any details on where it's from? How tall it eventually gets?
cheers
fermi
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Beautiful again Paul!
I love this Actinotis helanthi, such white flowers on the grey leaves..! Super pictures.
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Luit,
And they are so lovely and furry, a bit like felt. Gotta love em!! 8)
Fermi,
By the books Jacksonia scoparia grows to about 4.5m, although the species is quite variable. I had another look at those at the ANBG and they're probably 3.5m or so, but the largest may be a bit bigger than that. They grow on "low-nutrient gravelly soils associated with shales or clay, on hillsides and ridges, north from the Bega district" through to Queensland.
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Howdy All,
Here are some plants that were flowering in mid to late November (and in many cases they're still in flower now)....
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The ANBG has put on a display this year of annual native plants, to show that mass displays of colour can be achieved by our own plants, not having to use exotics. Here's a pic of a small amount of the main display area. The predominant flowers in this part of the display are Brachyscombe.
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This climber is Billardiera viridifolia. Fairly non-descript when not in flower, it is striking when out. Each flower is about 3cm long, but there are lots of them. The plant in the pic is about 2.4m tall, climbing up and draping out of a small eucalypt.
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A relative, this time a small shrub, Billardiera cymosa has flowers that range from pale blue to white during their life, each about 1cm wide.
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A Bulbine species, a small perennial plant with fleshy leaves that look a bit onion-like. Flowers for a very long period, seeding freely and becoming a benevolent weed in places in the gardens.
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Dampiera sylvestris is a stoloniferous "ground cover" (tends to loosely wander about a bit, rather than crowding anything out) to about 40cm tall. Glorious blue flowers for many months of the year. The pics don't do it justice.
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Scaevola albida
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Scaevola albida var albida
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Leptospermum spectabile has flowers about 3.5cm wide. Very, very noticeable when in flower as it is extremely striking.
More pics shortly......
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And now for a couple of Darwinia. These are small shrubs, and the pictures of the overall plant really weren't clear enough to post here. Both are about a metre tall and quite open. The flowers though are beautiful, particularly in closeup...
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Darwinia masonii
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Darwinia oxylepis
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I think that this is Eremaea beaufortioides var beaufortioides, although I could not find a name on this particular plant. It appears to be the same as one of that name in another part of the ANBG. The orange is extremely pure, and I imagine that a thriving plant of this in full flower would be a real show-stopper. The plant in the picture is about 1.2m tall and a bit under 2m wide. The flower head is around 2.5cm wide.
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Goodenia macmillanii unlike those of the genus usually seen is pink rather than yellow. The flowers are around 4cm wide, and it is a sprawling groundcover type of plant.
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This is Grevillea nudiflora. It produces a carpet of leaves, which I would imagine could almost be a lawn substitute in the right conditions as they are only about 10cm long and the plant does stay quite flat, perhaps to around 20cm high. The flowers appear to be produced on naked stems, hence the name I assume, or at least they are on this plant. Each flower is about 2.5cm long and as you can see in the picture (these buds are only just opening) they are slightly hirsute and extremely cute. ;) If anyone is interested I can send them a larger pic which better shows the detail in the flower. I've tried to stick to pictures which fit onto smaller screens, so I've lost a bit of the detail but I think the flower still shows up pretty well?
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Isopogon 'Little Drumstick is a small shrub to about 75cm by maybe a metre wide.
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This mound is Marianthus paralius. Very glossy green leaves make a nice display by themselves, but the bright tubular flowers are great when viewed up close.
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Melaleuca 'Little Beauty' is a mound to about 50cm tall, by 75cm wide. The flowers are very intricate, and when in full bloom the bush is shaded pink.
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Melaleuca pentagona is a bigger brother of the last one, growing to about 5 foot tall (well the plants I found anyway), with little balls of pink flowers all over them.
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Prostanthera porcata I think was only a young plant, so I have not included a pic of the whole bush. The flowers are much more tubular than most of the Prostanthera I have seen before, almost reminiscent of some of the species Penstemon from overseas.
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Pultenaea ferruginea which has the purest yellow pea flowers. Beautiful!!
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Ozothamnus argophyllus is one of the larger of the genus I have come across. This plant is around 2.5m tall with good sized flowerheads.
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Ozothamnus purpurascens is only to about 30cm or so tall, or the plants I have found are anyway. Beautifully pure white flowers are rather liked by the insects, as you can see from the picture. ;D
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Persoonia chamaepitys is one of the creeping geebungs, it being a groundcover. Since taking these pictures I have found a better specimen and will post a pic of it sometime if anyone is interested. The plant grows to maybe 10cm tall and when in full flower is a blaze of colour. There is also at least a yellow form.
That is it for tonight. That brings me up to the pictures I had taken by the 27th of November, and I have plenty more I have taken since then. So much in flower right now.
Enjoy.
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one of the creeping geebungs
Sounds like a disease of some sort Paul, but I'd welcome it any time, likewise many of the others.
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If anyone is interested I can send them a larger pic which better shows the detail in the flower. I've tried to stick to pictures which fit onto smaller screens, so I've lost a bit of the detail but I think the flower still shows up pretty well?
Paul, that is a kind offer for anyone wantingto really examine the plnants in close up detail, thank you.
I would just remind folks that you can "click on the pic" to bring up a larger version on your screen... and most will find this a good size to see super detail.
As an aside, Paul, you will see I have been editing your posts to make a space between your attachments... this makes each pic more clear, I think!
Thanks indeed for introducing so many of us to plants we really know nothing about.... I'm learning so much from your posts, I am just delighted!! 8)
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:o :o :o Australian plants are superb! I wanna go there, i wanna go there!!!!!
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I used to grow the desert pea - as stunning in real life as Paul's photo - but I've never seen the white one
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If anyone is interested I can send them a larger pic which better shows the detail in the flower. I've tried to stick to pictures which fit onto smaller screens, so I've lost a bit of the detail but I think the flower still shows up pretty well?
Paul, that is a kind offer for anyone wantingto really examine the plnants in close up detail, thank you.
I would just remind folks that you can "click on the pic" to bring up a larger version on your screen... and most will find this a good size to see super detail.
As an aside, Paul, you will see I have been editing your posts to make a space between your attachments... this makes each pic more clear, I think!
Thanks indeed for introducing so many of us to plants we really know nothing about.... I'm learning so much from your posts, I am just delighted!! 8)
Maggi,
The reason I had left them together was to show the name applied to both photos, rather than labelling each photo separately. Do I continue doing the one name/information for a pair of pics (with a space between the pics) or would you prefer me to put name information below each pic?
Sorry re the click information. I just think of them as the same as the attachments below postings (which I assume people know to click) and so never remember to put a reminder in to click the pictures to get bigger versions.
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Lovely stuff Paul, thanks for taking the time to post them.
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You're welcome, David. 8)
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Paul, not a problem about putting a "click" reminder... I just mention it every now and again for new readers who may not be aware that the pix enlarge.
I don't think it's necessary for you to put the name twice when you have two or more pix relating to the same plant... I think it is fairly clear that there are multiple shots... and very handy that is, too, by the way, shows us the closeup/ flowers/ foliage and general habit etc.... very useful, especially for plants we've never seen before!
So enjoying these threads from the deep south..... thanks again!
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I've just discovered this thread. It's absolutely fascinating
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Paul,
Great to have you continuing this fantastic thread as you are showing us a range of plants not common here.
Many thanks, Paddy
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Paul,
an impressive series of great shots. 8)
Thanks for displaying and introducing a colorful unknown part of the world to us :o
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Howdy All,
A few more pics from around the 30th November/1st of December......
Click on the pics for a bigger version.
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Agrostocrinum scabrum is a small grassy plant to about 60cm tall. Flowers are around 2.5cm wide. Very pretty, but something I have never seen until I came across them in an area of the ANBG that I don't usually get a chance to look through.
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Billardiera fusiformis, a scrambling plant that tends to climb up something then drape all over it.
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Billardiera lehmanniana, another scrambling plant.
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This Hibiscus divaricatus was only a relatively young plant, so there wasn't much to photograph plant-wise. The flower was about 12cm wide and the most glowing yellow.... but deep in the flower there were reds, oranges, touches of purple on the stamens etc. The pics don't do the colours justice, but hopefully you get the idea.
I think I'll leave it there for tonight. I have some more prepared which I'll post tomorrow, but time to get to bed for my beauty sleep.... and boy, do I need a lot of that. ::) ;)
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Howdy All,
Here are the others from last night which I didn't get a chance to post....
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Conostylis misera is something that is easy to miss. The flower is about 2.5cm wide, and the plant really isn't much taller than that either. There are a few species which are very flat like this, as well as species that have tall stems of small flowers.
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Grevillea pilosa ssp pilosa is another of the small groundcover types that probably a lot of people never notice. Like the G. nudiflora this one has wonderful flowers when you really look at them, which again aren't really shown in the smaller picture.
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The Pultenaea elachista are wonderful in closeup, on a rather small plant that again many would miss. So many small things that some people would never see. :o
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:o :o :o Australian plants are superb! I wanna go there, i wanna go there!!!!!
Start saving your pesos, Michael!
You know you'll have plenty of Forum members who'd be happy to give you a bed when you get here! Canberra, South Australia, Redesdale, the dandenongs...
cheers
fermi
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Thanks Fermi!
I know it will be a little expensive to make a trip there, but i want and will do someday, just after i finish my studies! The old world region is fascinating, and Australian flora speak by itself.
By the way, the bulb seeds you sent me last year are getting huge. They grew a lot, taking onto account that they are only one year old. I am expecting flowers very soon!!
:D
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Meant to respond to Fermi's comment, but forgot until now.....
No spare beds at our place unfortunately. You would be most welcome to visit though, and there is always the couch to sleep on. We quite literally do not have a spare bed.... :o Never actually had to accomodate people staying over, but I'm sure we'd manage if it came to it. ;)
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Paul,
This seems a never ending story.............
So many goodies.... totally unknown to me... but very beautiful indeed !
Thanks again for taking the time to post all these ! ;)
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You're welcome Luc! 8)
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Howdy All,
Rainy day here today (Yeah!!), so came home from work early and have been processing a few pics for posting. Rather than mixing them up I thought I'd post a bunch of different varieties from different genus together, so that you could see some comparisons. I thought I'd start with Grevillea. 8) These are all loved by honeyeaters.
Remember to click on the pic if you're wanting to see a larger version.
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Grevillea arenaria is very subtle when in flower, and I guess most would miss that it even has flowers. The small flowers are very subtlely coloured, with small heads of maybe a half dozen buds where only a single flower (ocassionally 2)are out at one time. I love the silvery foliage to it as well. The plant in the pic if about 2.4m tall by maybe 3m wide. The flower is about 3cm long.
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Grevillea barklyana grows to about 2.5m from memory, spreading out wide branches which show off the flowers nicely.
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Grevillea caleyi has almost horizontal branches, neatly showing the "toothbrush" flowers The flowerhead is about 10 to 12cm long and the new growth in particular is a soft and fuzzy bronze. ;D
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I think I posted a pic of Grevillea dielsiana early on in this topic, but it is such a nice flower that I'll show it again. Also shows that it flowers for long periods, as I think I photographed it last in around May or so. The flowers don't sit out horizontally like the "toothbrush" types, but rather are pendulous in appearance. These flowerheads were about 7 or 8cm long in total.
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Grevillea insignis ssp insignis has the most stunning flowers, on good silvery blue foliage. The main drawback is that it is very spikey, and there is one on the main rockery that harbours weeds beautifully under it, making it SO much fun for weeding. ::) I've included a closeup of a set of freshly opening flowers, plus an older set of flowers with some foliage in view. I have seen plants of this to at least 3m tall, but I do not know whether this is a maximum height or whether that it just as large as any have yet got in the ANBG (out of the ones I have found, anyway).
More Grevilleas in a moment......
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Some more of the Grevilleas currently flowering at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.....
Click on the picture to see a bigger version.
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Grevillea 'Poorinda Adorning', a low growing plant to around 20cm tall and this plant was about 1.8m wide. Lovely orangey red flowers in clusters.
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This is Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite'. These pics don't do it justice, it is a strong reddish-pinky colour. Only about 45cm tall, with small clusters of flowers. Only just starting to flower at the moment I think, as there were only a couple of sets of flowers open.
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Grevillea treueriana is an absolute stunner. The flowers just glow, drawing the eye from qutie a distance. It is a small, wiry plant, with quite spikey leaves but the flowers are an incredible glowing yellow, orange and red. I wish the pictures captured the colour properly, but hopefully you get the idea. One I'll be looking out for to add to my garden if I can find it.
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This is an unknown (i.e I couldn't find a tag on it), but I have my suspicions as to name. Where it is growing it could either be a plant with a missing label, or else it could be a seedling, but it is nowhere near any other similar plant so who knows how it got there if it was a seed. The plant is a decent size, already well over 2m high and the same wide. The flowers in this one are mostly terminal, in a lovely apricot blend.
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Another "unknown", but this one I am sure is just because I couldn't find the tag. It's probably buried a bit under leaf litter or something and I didn't have the time to go properly looking for it. Plant was probably about 2.3m high by 2.5m wide, but I don't remember for sure. Good pink flowers on it, whatever it is.
A couple more Grevilleas still to come shortly.....
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I've saved the biggest Grevillea for last....
This is Grevillea robusta, a small tree to around 10 or 12m here. It is not ideally suited to our climate (I think we're a bit cold for it ideally), it tends to be a bit scrappy and irregular in appearance around Canberra, although it is still quite plentiful in gardens or as street trees in a couple of places. When in flower it is a blaze of orange flowers, in great clusters on the branches. Each "brush" is around 15 cm long, perhaps a bit longer? I forgot to note their approximate size, but there are hundreds and hundreds of them out on the tree at the same time. I've included a bunch of pics to show everything from buds still a way off opening, through buds that are just opening, to fully open flowers on the branches etc.
I'll also post a pic in the Aussie Natives in our gardens topic or another Grevillea that I have flowering at home at the moment. It fits in here but I wanted to keep this just to the ANBG stuff.
I hope you've all enjoyed this selection of Grevilleas, but it is by no means all that are flowering now. I've tried in general not to duplicate any that I've posted before, but many of them are still flowering now as well.
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Paul, fascinating series!
Thank you for introducing.
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You're welcome, Armin. 8)
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Howdy All,
I've finally had time to go through and sort a bunch of pics for preparation for posting here...... except that I have come up with 100 of them! :o Are there particular areas of interest that people may want? At this stage, I'm thinking that posting all the bits and pieces I have put aside (it was the highlights from most of a month, so there really aren't THAT many pics if you think about it) would definitely be overkill.
Any ideas anyone? ???
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Are there particular areas of interest that people may want?
How should we know which highlights to choose from the highlights, when we don't see them Paul? ??? ;D ;D ;)
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Luit,
yeah I know,that is the problem. I can't even work out which highlights to put up when I CAN see them. ::) Maybe I'll prepare and post a few, and see what people think. I realise that 100 is too many to post in a short period, but I am not sure which ones to drop. There has been so much flowering this month at the ANBG that there is just so much to chose from. :o
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Paul, life is easy here. Could only try to make pictures of iceflowers on the windows.
Not much choice, eh? ;D
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Luit,
That sounds quite nice. I'd love to see the pictures. So much cooler than here! ;D
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Luit,
I realise that 100 is too many to post in a short period, but I am not sure which ones to dro :o
Why too many, Paul? It has never stopped me! :D Please post more of your wonderful images.
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All-Paul!! ;D
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As you can see, we are interested. :D
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Paul,
I also find your posts very interesting, please continue!!!
We use many species from Australia in our gardens, mainly Grevilea, Callistemon, Eremophila, Melaleuca, Metrosiderus, Leucadendron etc.
Most of these have adapted very well in our climate and have the advantage of needing little water, which is becoming a precious meter.
Israel, Cyprus and other neighboring countries enter their fifth year of sever drought and so these make an excellent choice.
By the way there are some very big Grevilea robusta trees growing here, these where brought in during the British mandatory.
We use to graft many species of Grevilea on G. robusta, in order to prolong longevity, mainly the 'bushy type' such as G. 'Robin Gordon' etc.
Attached a photo of a garden designed by me where you can see the use of different Melaleuca, I love them for the natural shapes and leaf color.
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Paul you will have to bow down to the inevitable. We want to see them 8)
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OK, I can hear my back cracking under the weight of the inevitable...... I will start posting them today sometime.
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OK, I can hear my back cracking under the weight of the inevitable...... I will start posting them today sometime.
I wondered what that noise was ??? ::) ;)
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OK, for starters..... I think someone was interested in the Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthos) so I have prepared a selection of pics of some of the different flowers. The Bush series all tend to be smaller varieties, ranging to perhaps a metre tall at the most (some considerably shorter than that), while others can be close to 2m tall ('Turner's Pink' for example). I also include a pick of one of the beds of them in the ANBG, as well as a shot of one clump of one of the Bush series just to give you an idea of their appearance. The rest are detail shots to show the colour of the flowers etc. If more are wanted, or different pics of those shown, please let me know.
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And now for some of the smaller Banksias.....
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This is one of the groundcover varieties called Banksia blechnifolia as it's leaves resemble Blechnum ferns. The leaves grow to around 5ocm tall at the very most, but the plant can end up 2-3m wide. The flowers sit on the ground at the growing tips. As with all the Proteaceae they are loved by birds for their nectar. I've included various pics to try to show how the plant grows, as well as showing the flowers.
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Another of the groundcover types, but this one with linear leaves, is Banksia petiolaris. Similar in growth habit to the first one, but I haven't seen specimens quite as big and thick of this one.
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Banksia caleyi has the flowers in underneath it, and this plant is around 1.2m tall. These are still buds, but they are so striking that I thought it was worthwhile posting pics. I haven't seen them open yet, so I don't know how much they will change.
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And lastly for the smaller ones I will show now.... Banksia pilostylis. Also around 1.2m tall, this one has terminal flowers that sit up and look at you. You can see the flowers opening from the bottom upwards.
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More amazing plants!
We can get Kangeroo Paws in flower arrangements from fancy florists.... really cool flowers, so unlikely for a plant to have that structure and texture!
I think I must vote for those Banksia caleyi to be awarded "Buds of the Week"..... they are perfect..... never seen anything like that!
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Those buds are pretty amazing, aren't they. Each set is probably somewhere around 15cm long by 12cm wide, but that is just a rough guess from memory. I didn't measure them. The colour means that they can be seen from quite a long distance too, and they're near the main path so a lot of visitors get to see them.
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Absolutely stunning Paul, hope the back is easing ;D
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That is a very good start Paul.
Oooh, a bed with such Anigozanthos would be something in my backyard.. 8)
And then colour of Banksia caleyi. Such strange flowers for us. Amazing!
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And now for something a little different.... some members of the Myrtaceae family, for starters some Melaleucas....
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Melaleuca linarifolia is a tree, this one is about 8 to 10m tall I think. If you take the eaves of the building as about 2m, I think that is what it works out to be. Intricate flowers when you get some low enough to look at.
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I think that Melaleuca 'Sea Foam' is a form of linarifolia. The plant in the pic is about 5m tall, and is covered in flowers. This one is situated just below the cafe lawn, so it is seen by everyone. You barely notice it when it isn't in flower, but you just can't miss it when it is. The flowers are very striking, as you can see. Each flowerhead would be around 5cm wide.
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Melaleuca radula is a delicate lavender colour, on a small shrub.
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This is a white form of Melaleuca thymifolia, a small shrub to only 50cm or so in height.
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This stunner is Melaleuca nesophila. The flowers are very striking, being a ball of bright magenta with gold tips. These plants were about 1.8m tall and covered in flowers (the long shot doesn't really show it, so I included a medium shot to show them a bit better). In a moment I will post a sequence that shows flowers from buds through to full flower, as I think it is a cool progression....
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And the sequence of Melaleuca nesophila flowers opening (this is not a time lapse, they are flowers at different stages on the plant).....
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Cool, eh? Each ball of flowers is about 3cm wide, perhaps a bit more.
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What are the frilly white bits of the flowers of Melaleuca linarifolia?
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Diane,
They are actually the stamens. Most of those that I have looked closely at seem to have 5 bundles of stamens surrounding a single style. These bundles are the frilly bits, topped in pollen.
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Here are some more of the Myrtaceae family, in this case Verticordias. These are all small to very small shrubs, with flowers that don't seem even remotely related to the Melaleucas above. Many of these come from Western Australia, so they are probably far out of their comfort zone here in the Canberra climate. I would imagine in the wild they would likely be much more spectacular.
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This little Verticordia monadelpha var monadelpha is only around 20cm tall, with cute little fluffy white flowers. It still isn't in full flower, so if I get a chance to photograph it in full flower I'll post it.
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This is Verticordia galeata, which blazes in yellow. The whole plant was maybe 30cm tall (can't remember if this particular plant was, but the tallest I can recall coming across was about that) and the flowers are around a cm across. The flowers last for weeks and weeks, holding up to rain and wind etc. it is really surprising how long they last, given how delicate they look.
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This is the tallest of the genus i have come across as yet (but there could be lots more I haven't noticed yet) at around 1m tall. The flowers are quite tiny though. Verticordia plumosa.
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The colour and form of this one is breathtaking. Verticordia mitchelliana positively glows!! It is a small shrub, growing a bit gangly in our climate but I would imagine much thicker in it's native habitat. The largest of these I have come across was around 30cm tall by 60cm wide, but very open.
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And lastly for this genus at the moment.... Verticordia blepharophylla, a closeup of the flowers. It's habit is a little like the V. plumosa in that it is taller and thinner, topped by the flowers.
Again, with all of these I'd be fascinated to see how big and robust they are in their natural climate. The deep sandy soils they would probably naturally grow on are very different to here, no matter how much we amend the soils. Still, some of the things we grow at the ANBG are pretty amazing given the wide varieties of natural climates they would get in the wild.
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I know I posted a bunch of Grevillea earlier in the month, but here are a couple more beauties that I found in the mean time....
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Grevillea asteriscosa has tiny little flowers that are less than 2.5cm in total length. But they are the cutest little things. Spiky, glossy leaves set it off quite well. A fairly small grower, at least in our climate.
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Grevillea haplantha ssp haplantha
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And a new favourite of mine Grevillea buxifolia which I am going to have to try to get for my own collection. I just love the greyish flowers, with hints of green and pink, and the way they open, leaving a hole where the end of the style once sat. These were only young plants, and I haven't had a chance to look into how big they will get. Excellent flowers though.
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This is the Western Australian floral emblem... Gossypium sturtianum, Sturt's Desert Rose. A lovely hibiscus-like flower, with interesting blue-grey leaves that curl in at the edges. Once you get your eye in the leaves stand out very prominently. It grows with quite an open habit here, to 2.5m or so. The flowers are around 10cm across.
And to continue with hibiscus-like flowers, well actually to continue with some Australian native Hibiscus to go with the Hibiscus divaricatus that i posted a while ago.....
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Hibiscus splendens. Flowers are around 15cm or so wide, perhaps a bit wider.
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Hibiscus heterophyllus ssp heterophyllus has white flowers with a pink edge on the reverse. The centre is an intense deep purple, which I have shown a closeup of. We have plants at the ANBG of this which are probably 4.5m tall or more, and the stems have fine thorns all over them, although not really nasty ones. A beautiful flower, but I am not sure I would like to have to push my way through a cluster of the plants. ;D
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Super plants Paul.
It's a good flowering season here for our NZ native trees but nothing to match the display you are posting.
With such a heavy 'mast' year being predicted here there should be plenty of food about for native birds ,some of which i understand only breed under these current favourable conditions .
The flip side is that the Dept of Conservation are already warning of an explosion of pest numbers --stoats /wessels /rats /mice .......and unfortunately a few of these will target birds.
To to be able to work as you do in such a botanical wonderland makes me so envious.
Keep posting.
Cheers dave.
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Paul, when I look at the flowering of Melaleuca linarifolia, it looks almost the same as if when I yesterday saw all the shrubs and trees covered with frost here around the house.
The Verticordia mitchelliana (and the other ones too!) is an absolute stunner.
I am curious how these flowers get pollinated.
I presume that they show the style outside of the flowers.
They look a bit sticky to me.
Very interesting shrub!
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Luit,
The Melaleucas have a style in the centre of the flower, with the clusters of stamen arranged around them. They have a good supply of nectar and are a favourite with the honeyeaters, so they would transfer pollen on their heads to the style of the next flower etc. I am not sure re the Verticordia, but I would be guessing that the V. mitchelliana is also bird pollinated, because of it's shape and colour. I think the others are more likely to be insect pollinated, but I really don't know for sure.
Dave,
Glad you're enjoying the pics. I'm pretty impressed with working in such a botanical wonderland too!! ;D
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Wonderful pics Paul, have to say the banksias are my favourites ( just)
What fabulous variety there is in Australian native plants.
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This Melaleuca linarifolia pic is just extraordinary...... I thought I was seeing an underwater photo from Hans and Lottie Haas of some fabulous sea anemone ! What gorgeous flowers..... how glam are those for sexy bits? ::) 8)
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...the best sexy bits I've seen in a long time. I'm stunned into (almost) silence :-X
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Paul, I knew that there are interesting plants from Australia but I have never imagined such a great diversity. Fantastic plants and photos. I am really looking forward to your next pictures. :D
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Just looked at this thread today, I've been saving it for when I had some spare time. What an incredible treat. An amazing place to work in Paul, no wonder you have your camera surgically attached to your body. ;D
I've been promised an Australian holiday when Vladimir Ashkenazy is in residence with the Sydney Symphony later in the year but I might have to combine it with a trip to Canberra. :)
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Lesley,
Would be wonderful to catch up with you again. Lots of stuff to see here in Canberra if you have time.
Arne,
I have only shown a small fraction of the plants they actually have at the ANBG, just those with noticeable flowers etc. I've not shown any of the trees, or many of the rainforest species etc. SO much more I would love to be able to show you, but hopefully will be able to show more as time goes on. I really can't spend much time taking photos, as I have a job to do, but just whip the camera out here and there to take an opportunistic picture or two. ;D
Maggi,
They do look a bit like that, don't they. Having them focused in a picture on screen shows the details a bit more than you may see in person, but then the overall shots never do them justice as well as seeing the plant in person. So you gain some things from photos and lose others.
The main thing is that everyone is enjoying them. I'll try to get the rest of the pics uploaded over the weekend..... still just under 50 of them to do. And I've already taken a couple of pics at work today as well, but they can wait a bit yet. ;)
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I should also mention, given that we were discussing Myrtaceae and the Melaleucas etc, that Eucalyptus are also in this family. So there are a LOT of Myrtaceae about. ;D Just thought I'd add those to the mix for Myrtaceae with the Melaleucas and Verticordias. All rather different to each other.
I'll upload more pics from December today most likely. 8)
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Howdy All,
Some miscellaneous bits and pieces that I haven't particularly grouped....
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Billardiera lehmanniana is a climber that is very reminiscent of some of the smaller Jasmines at first glance, and a bit like the Aussie native Sollya heterophylla. Again, just at first glance. I do not actually know whether the species is normally white or mauve, or whether both are found naturally. I have included pics of both colour forms of the flowers, plus a pic of one of the plants. This certainly doesn't look much like Billardiera viridifolia, which I posted pics of a while back.
and another climber......
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Jasminum simplicifolium ssp suavissimum, is fairly large as you can see. The top of this is over 4m off the ground and has to be pruned relatively regularly as it grows quite well!! ;D
I was asked in another topic to post some pics of Blandfordia, so here's a few pics...
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Blandfordia grandiflora, showing both the flowers and a pic of one of the plants. My own plant at home is just opening at the moment.
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This is a relative of the Queensland Bottle Tree (which I think was one of the first things I posted in this topic).... it is Brachychiton bidwellii and the flowers are produced directly on the stem. These are still only relatively small plants I think, as they're only about 2.3m tall or so. I can only imagine what a large specimen of this would look like.
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Helichrysum boormanii grows to a bit under 1m tall. A good blaze of colour.
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Mirbelia dilatata has the most intensely coloured pea flowers, with somewhat spikey foliage. This is another, I think, Western Australian plant that might be a bit out of it's comfort zone here.
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I grew up with this on our farm an hour East of here... Patersonia occidentalis, a rather delightful member of the family Iridaceae. The flowers just last the day, but are produced over a long period of time. Each flower is about 4cm across.
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I'd seen this plant many times, but never noticed it was flowering until I was doing some work right next to it. The flowers of Prostanthera walteri are an unusual grey-lavendar in colour and they almost disappear into the foliage. I discovered an Eremophila the other day with flowers almost exactly the same colour, which I walk past every day at least twice (usually quite a bit more) and it had obviously been in flower for a while already without me noticing it. I must remember to photograph it and show you all.
That's it for right now, but will hopefully post some more pics this evening. Maggi et al, there are even Rhododendron photos coming.... :o :o
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Paul, please continue! Everytime a new surprise!
Especially like the Blandfordia grandiflora - might be a good indoor plant
here in the NH.
Gerd
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Gerd,
Glad you're liking the pics. No idea how Blandfordiae would do inside... no need for that here. ;)
Later than I had expected, so won't post many more now, but here's a couple more for tonight....
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This is Tripladenia cunninghamii, a shade lover. Flowers are about 2.5cm across and a lovely delicate shade of pale pink. I am assuming that this is rhizomatous, or something akin to this. It reminds me a bit of Solomon's Seal when not in flower, but I don't know whether it has actual rhizomes or just perennial roots etc.
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This Tripladenia is new to me so I went looking for info... found some here:
The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants
By Karl Ulrich Kramer, Klaus Kubitzki, Herbert Huber, P. S. Green
Published by Springer
ISBN 3540640606, 9783540640608
Volume III- Flowering Plants -Monocotyledons
This is what they have to say about the plant....
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Paul, am really enjoying your pics, you have really opened my eyes with some
Special thanks for the Blandfordiae grandiflora pics,they they take me back to my childhood.
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Maggi,
The Tripladenia is really beautiful. The pics don't do it justice. I have had a small plant for a little while now, but have never flowered it as yet. I have been watching the ones at the ANBG to see whether they flower. I think mine needs more water and probably a bit more shade, so I have recently moved it. I think it is actually the water that might be the key, as the ones at the ANBG are in both sunny and shady areas, but they get more water than mine has been. I've shifted mine into my shadehouse now, where I keep the watering more constant. It is already looking better than it ever has before. I hope it does well. When I was putting the information in last night I realised that I had never looked at the root system to see what the base was like, just potted it up each time without disturbing the roots. Funny how some things you just never check. >:(
Helen,
Glad you enjoyed the Blandfordia. The ANBG has some named varieties with larger flowers than the normal species, but they are in the polytunnels and I do not have permission to post pics from there. All the other pictures I have posted are in the public areas and can be seen by any visitors to the gardens.
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Maggi and Paul, Where were you both a couple of years ago or a bit more recently when Tim Orpin posted a pic of something Otto had found in a native garden nearby, and it was weeks before anyone could identify it, with Polygonatum, and other genera suggested. I think it may have been an American Forumist who eventually came up with this name. (Or maybe it was something else altogether and my rapidly decayiong brain is deceiving me again :'() Anyway Tim sent me some seeds of whatever it was but they haven't come up yet.
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Lesley,
I probably wouldn't have recognised it anyway, as mine has never flowered. The ANBG plants are the first I have ever seen flowering, and then connected the name to my plant.
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Hmm, that's embarrassing... I do remember the quest to find the name, but I have no recollection of learning what that was! Great plant, anyway!
Original quest was here..... http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=362.0
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Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics. One would think no-one was interested in them? :o Despite the dearth or response, I shall dutifully post the pics that I had prepared..... (sob!) :'(
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Rhododendron lochiae x macgregoriae. The former is an Australian species, but the latter I think is New Guinean. The plants are only about 60cm high or so, with quite small flowers but in a lovely coral colour. The straight species lochiae is currently in bud and about to open flowers.
However, a qualification..... According to some sources the plants predominantly in cultivation under the name R. lochiae are in fact R. viriosum. Originally it was all thought to be one species but was in fact 2 distinct ones. It is therefore possible that what is at the ANBG is actually R. viriosum as the floral tube appears to be straight (in lochiae is is supposed to be curved). As the flowers open I will check on our species one to be sure. The odds are that despite the label, the hybrid shown (I have kept it labelled as it is within the ANBG) is likely to involve viriosum rather than lochiae. That also depends on whether the split into the two species is recognised by authorities or not. Things can vary from state to state and I do not know whether this split it fully recognised by all botanists etc.
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And some Aussie native orchids......
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Dipodium atropurpureum, a terrestrial leafless saprophytic. This one is actually growing wild near one of the ANBG roads. It is a volunteer, not technically part of the collection I think, as I could not find a tag for it. Each flower is about 2.5cm wide, the whole inflorescens is around 50cm or so.
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Cymbidium suave. This is a lovely pendulous miniature species, here growing in a log. Each flower is around 1.5cm wide, but I unfortunately don't have any "good" pics of the individual flowers, so I am sorry but you get quite a poor one. The flower is now just on finished, so I don't think I will be able to get a better picture unfortunately.
I still have a few remaining pictures from December to prepare, but it is too hot to get to it right now. Currently 9:30pm and still 23.3 degrees outside here in Canberra, according to the Bureau of Meteorology website. All our windows are open but not helping. Going to be a yukko night for sleeping! :o
Anyway, enjoy the pics.
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Is that it? Three pictures? :o You promise Rhodo pix and I get all geared up for a Down Under Rhodo Fest and you show THREE pictures?????? :P
Well! I hope you can do better than this, Paul ........mind you, the mere thought of those vireyas growing inthe open ground is enough to raise my heartbeat for the next hour!! :D
Good enough to divert my attention from the fab Cymbidium, even!
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Maggi,
After the silence I deleted the other 150 pictures I had taken and was going to share. :P Your loss.
Given that Australia has only 2 species of Rhododendron that are nearly identical, and the ANBG only grows Australian Native plants (with a few from the islands north of Aus and New Guinea), there wasn't really much chance of variety now was there? Here I thought that you might just have been thrilled by the fact that there actually ARE Australian Rhododendrons (not exactly something you associate with Australia in general). And I promised pics of R. lochiae/viriosum as well, but no thanks for that either. ::) I don't know WHY I bother really? :'(
I'll just take my bat and my ball and go home..... oh wait, I'm already there. Well I'll just take my bat and my ball and go!! ;D ;)
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Paul, have enjoyed all your pics, thanks.
Btw, when I was a child ( many moons ago), the bushland surrounding our house had many tiny orchids, some pink and some white.
We just called them 5 fingers, is there any chance you might know what I am referring to, and if so, what their proper name would be?
These plants were only about 6 inches high ( from memory which isn't too reliable at times )
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Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics. ..... (sob!) :'(
Many thanks for this great thread Paul. I'm enjoying it a lot and learning too 8)
(For example) I didn't realise that there were rhododendrons native to Australia. Are they vireyas, and are they restricted to northern Queensland or also found 'further down'?
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Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics. One would think no-one was interested in them?
Paul, this doesn't mean that nobody would like to see the pics. Like many others (I presume)
I overlooked this! Please show the Rhodos - I'm very much interested in these species, especially those from tropical regions and the SH.
Otherwise I also noted, that a lot of distributions which I made to this Forum are of no or only poor interest for other forumists. It seems - just like with music - there is a 'mainstream' here!
Nevertheless I'll continue according the motto: How silent would it be in nature when
only the best song birds are allowed to sing (I hope I translated this German saying correctly).
Gerd
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How silent would it be in nature when only the best song birds are allowed to sing (I hope I translated this German saying correctly).
Well said Gerd!
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How silent would it be in nature when only the best song birds are allowed to sing (I hope I translated this German saying correctly).
That is how 'X Factor' gets away with it! ;D
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Well, not a single reaction to the promise of Rhododendron pics. One would think no-one was interested in them?
Paul, this doesn't mean that nobody would like to see the pics. Like many others (I presume)
I overlooked this! Please show the Rhodos - I'm very much interested in these species, especially those from tropical regions and the SH.
Gerd,
I'm sorry, that was my tongue-in-cheek humour getting the best of me again. I was more having a dig at Maggi, who is usually somewhat enthused about Rhodos (hence my original comment about Rhodo pics coming), when she didn't respond at all. I realise that we often don't get comments about things we post.... it was meant as humour, and obviously failed. Sorry again. And your translation read just fine.... I know exactly what you mean.
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Paul - Would love to see any rhodo shots you might have. Somehow I missed the offer. I must have been entranced by the other natives there - for a Canadian it's a bit like seeing plants from another planet.
johnw - +1c and a bit of mist
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John,
I posted some further up this page, but will hopefully have some more in the next couple of days when they open. Fingers crossed. They're miniature vireya types from one area in North Queendland.
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Paul, forget my previous enquiry, I found what I was looking for with google :)
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Paul, forget my previous enquiry, I found what I was looking for with google :)
Come on then, tell the rest of us what they were called, please! :D
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Come on then, tell the rest of us what they were called, please! :D
Lady Fingers
http://www.waratahsoftware.com.au/wp_flora_orchids.html
There are pink and white ones. :)
Maggi, here's another very interesting link if you ever get some free time with nothing to do..hah!!
http://hvbackyard.blogspot.com/2007/06/20-autumn-orchids-in-hunter-valley.html
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Caladenia catenata and Caladenia carnea.... very cute......
and you've got to love any orchid called the Large Duck Orchid, dontcha?! ( Caleana major)
( these are all native Australian Orchids, not sure whether they'll be at the ANBG, though :-\ )
After a brief glimpse..... more study later..... lovely sites you've given links for there, Helen, Ta!
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John,
I posted some further up this page, but will hopefully have some more in the next couple of days when they open. Fingers crossed. They're miniature vireya types from one area in North Queendland.
Paul - Thanks for the shots of vireyas growing the ground - not common in North America. I wish I had the space for more of them. In 1986 I went to Los Angeles and came back with 20 or more, within a few years they had taken over the greenhouse. I kept two which are hybrids of one of your native species - Rhododendron gracilentum x lochae ('Valentine's sister) and Valentine itself. Both these have stayed small and bushy, the former with purply bells and the latter a good red. Nice to hear of viriosum which is completely new to me.
johnw
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John,
It is highly likely that the hybrids you have that contains Rhododendron lochiae actually contains Rhododendron viriosum. According to some sources, most of what is cultivated is actually the latter, despite having been identified as lochiae. They originally thought they were all the same thing.
Maggi,
I would have suggested Caladenia.... we also had small blue Lady Fingers at our farm an hour East of Canberra, when I was growing up. White, blue and pink ones. All just so beautiful. Also Beardies, Flying Ducks, Sun orchids, Donkey Orchids etc (to use the common names).
Maggi, there are a number of wild orchids at the ANBG but unfortunately not many flowered this year so I couldn't see for sure what was what. I posted the pic of the Dipodium, and there are also have a couple of established clumps of some of the Chiloglottis varieties. There also should be Diuris. The ANBG backs onto "Black Mountain" (not much more than a small hill really) and there are all sort of Pterostylis, Caldenias, Diuris etc growing there, so the odds are that they would have them in various places throughout the gardens as well.
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Paul have you come across
Homeria Humea elegans syn. Calomeria amaranthoides at all in the Bot Gdn?
Pat
(Edit by M to remedy mistaken name )
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Pat,
No I haven't, but that doesn't really mean anything. Looking at Mt Tomah pictures they are in full flower at the beginning of February, so I haven't been working at the ANBG when it is due to be in full flower. I'll keep an eye out for anything that is a plume of red in the next month and let you know. At 3.5m that is a decent size to it.
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Paul, can't find any reference to a blue Lady Fingers, would love to see a pic if you come across one. :)
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He probably just saw the blue Lady fingers on very cold days.
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He probably just saw the blue Lady fingers on very cold days.
Haha Lesley, I get to see those quite often when I go outside. ;)
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OK, I recall them as blue, probably mauve. There were definitely 3 diferent colours we had, maybe it was just a light and a dark pink as well as the white. Was over 20 years ago that we sold that place, so it is not exactly fresh.
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Well, in all the excitement of posting pictures over the life of this topic I was absolutely dreadful at producing typos (actually, perhaps I was just really GOOD at producing typos). I'm sure I've missed a lot of them, but I have been through my postings in this topic and corrected a whole bunch of them. I am not sure whether that makes this topic come up as unread for other people or not...... so I thought I would just post a quick explanation here in case it did suddenly come up as unread for you and you couldn't see anything new. I'd rather explain, even if it did mean I had to admit to duff typing on a lot of occasions. :o ;D ;)
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Paul,
I know that the Humea is a large plant but this forum has so many knowledgeable members - such as you. ;)
It was a plant that was used in the 1950s and 60s I think by English flower arrangers such as Constance Spry. An older friend and fine gardener in Ireland asked me about seed donkey years ago - at least 20 years ago. I did get some old seed from somewhere but none germinated at the time.
From Flower Decoration by Constance Spry first published 1934 republished 1953.
"Another arrangement which suits these same vases is auretum lily and Humea elegans.
This aromatic plant is sometimes called the incense plant. It is of value from many points of view. It is graceful, as well as apparent from the illustration on page 139; it has lovely coppery colour, it lasts for a very long time when cut, and can be kept throughout the winter. Its scent fills the room and may remain long after the plant has been removed."
Constance Spry also used quite often the nearly fabled Iris susiana which is like hens teeth now to find.
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Pat,
So are you trying to find seed of Humea? I am not quite sure what you're asking? Or are you still referring to what you had called Homeria elegans in the previous posting? Humea would make more sense, as I thought Homeria was a south african bulb that has now been sunk into Moraea? I only looked up the Calomeria name at the time you mentioned it.
Edit by M. : I have changed the mistaken name Homeria for Humea in Pat's earlier post.
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Thanks Maggie for editing my texts - I am thinking one name and putting in another by mistake - must be the grey cells not talking to each other so well.
If you can get seed I would love to get a few sometime.
Pat
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Pat,
Have you checked the Kuranga Native Nursery website for their listing, to see whether they at least stock it? It's just near the Dandeongs in Victoria, so maybe you could convince someone to pick one up for you if they're over that way, and send it to you? A first thought, at least.
Good luck.
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I am pleased to tell you that Paul Tyerman has offered to continue his postings about the native plants growing at the Australian National Botanic Garden in Canberra. 8)
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Thanks Maggi!!
Yes, I know it is now April and I am only just starting this topic, but I have been taking pics in the meantime despite not posting them, although nowhere near as many as I was taking back in spring (also because of a few camera problems). These are just pics I took here and there in the public areas around the gardens at the time. I'll work my way through some of the plants in flower from the beginning of the year until now.......
I'll start with a few pics (a random sample) from the first week of January, to show how the year started at the ANBG. 8)
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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Acacia beadleana, a small shrub with singular cluster flowers a bit over 1cm wide. An absolute glowing golden ball!! ;D
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Acradenia frankliniae is about 4 metres tall, with clusters of small flowers.
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Angophora hispida is another of the Myrtaceae family (and as you can see, very similar to the Eucalypts) with individual flowers well over an inch wide. The plant I photographed these flowers on was badly damaged in storms at some point in it's life and was not worthwhile photographing as a plant, but the flowers were spectacular. Behind is the sunny summer sky in Australia in January...... are you Northern Hemisphere types jealous of some aspects of our summer weather, or what? ;D ;D ;)
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Obviously fairly closely related to the Leptospermum is this Babingtonia 'Howie's Feathertips'. Small flowers are made up for in sheer abundance, with this plant well over 4 metres in height.
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Yet another of the Myrtaceaea is this Melaleuca species that I wasn't able to identify. Extremely showy, to put it mildly.
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Banksia caleyi, as shown in the previous topic. The flowers didn't open much more than in the bud stage, but it is still so beautiful.
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This Clerodendrum tomentosum occurs naturally at the coast and hour away from here. Classic Clerodendrum flowers (each flower about an inch across), but glowing white and in large balls. Nice flowers, nice leaves, nice plant!! ;D
Lastly for tonight....
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This is Doodia media, a colonising fern with wonderfully colourful new foliage. Commonly called the "Prickly Rasp Fern" because it's foliage is rather rough as it matures.
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Paul I am glad that you decided to show us more so beautiful and interesting pictures
from the Botanical Garden.
I know how much work it is to choose and fit the pics. for the Forum... ::) ::)
But I am not a working person. :D
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Good to have them back Paul, and yes we are jealous!
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Glad you're enjoying them. I should have more ready this afternoon.
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Look forward to the next lot Paul, we have missed this topic and the incredible flora you are introducing us to.
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A couple for the bulb lovers......
Please click on the pic to see a larger version.
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Crinum angustifolium growing out in the open in the rockery. The flower stem was a around 70cm tall with only a few spidery flowers.
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Crinum pedunculatum on the other hand is a large frost-sensitive (to a degree at least) mostly evergreen Crinum that doesn't have a bulb as such but rather a thick "trunk". Mature plants down the coast from here can top 6 feet tall in flower, but these plants were about 4 feet tall. If the flowers had stayed upright they would have been even taller, but they lean out from the tree canopy (they're planted beside the road) and overbalance. Each flower is about 10 to 12cm wide I would guess, with most of them flowering together.
And a couple of followups from previous postings in the 2008 topic....
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Grevillea leptobotrys still in flower in early January (and incidentally still having a couple of flowers on it now in early April!!) with it's musk candy, vanilla perfume.
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Verticordia monodelpha var monodelpha in almost full flower.
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Howdy All,
I just realised that I should put a note in here for those who are monitoring this topic by email...... A separate topic has now been started for pictures I have taken (and will be taking) of the 2009 flowerings at the Australian National Botanic Gardens....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3339.0
Enjoy.
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Howdy All,
Some more postings of flowerings in January....
For starters, here are some pics of some of the assorted Calostemma purpurea that flowered then.....
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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And the last two pics are included to show some of them growing amongst the rocks in the "rockery". They're up to maybe 70cm in height in flower, mostly flowering before the leaves are produced.
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Another pic of Crinum angustifolium, showing a better flower I think.
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And from the edge of the rainforest gully.... .Alocasia brisbanensis, one of the Taro family.
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This little orchid is Spiranthes australis, formerly Spiranthes sinensis, which grows wild in parts of the ANBG. I posted pics of this that I had in flower in a pot at home in another topic, but these photos are of one of the plants in the ground at the ANBG. They're about 20 to 25cm tall in the pic.
And now a quick tour of a couple of things in the open glasshouse in late January.........
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This is the aroid Amorphophallus paeoniifolius in leaf. The leaves are about 2 metres tall by perhaps 1.5m wide, with army camouflage on the stems and small prickles. Very, very cool plant!! There are forms of this that can apparently grow in areas that get -20'C in winter, but they are dormant then so there are no leaves above ground. I would imagine that those forms would need to be grown from seed to have that sort of tolerance. Apparently some tubers from these glasshouse plants have been tried outside but have no survived. I think they are just too programmed for the warm conditions.
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This tiny little flower is from the orchid Ceraia pseudocalceola. It is only maybe 1cm wide and rather difficult to photograph as the light wasn't the best at the time I was there. Tiny little flowers for such a large sprawling/hanging plant.
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This is Cycas cairnsiana, apparently coming into fruit by the look of it.
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Still focusing on flowerings from January.........
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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These Banksia serrata are about 5 metres tall or more, standing behind a bust of Joseph Banks himself. This species flowers for quite a long period, with the birds constantly patrolling the flowers to check for nectar.
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This unknown species of Banksia (I'll insert the correct name when I find out what it is) is only about 1.5m tall, and about 1.5m wide. Very nice, whichever species it is.
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Crowea 'Festival', looking very similar to the flower that my little bee/wasp thing from the wildlife topic was perched on. The plant is about 1m tall.
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Desmodium gunnii is a rampant ground cover with tiny little 1cm or so pea flowers. Very cute, but can definitely fill in space very well.
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Eromophila polyclada is a Western Australian plant. The one is grafted to give it a root system more suited to our clay soils (naturally it grows on very sandy, perfectly drained soils. It's about 1.4m tall and the flowers are a bit over an inch wide. The photo of the plant doesn't really do it justice, it is far more noticeable than it appears.
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This is Lycopus australis, an obviously fairly happy plant. It is maybe 1m tall, but is covering many square metres as it spreads quite healthily it would appear. I've included a shot of the flowers and of the arrangement on the stem as well, just to show the flowers themselves.
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Lythrum salicaria seeds well in various parts of the ANBG. It likes moist areas, but will tolerate drier situations if necessary. When in full flower it is stunning, growing to around 1.5m tall. Such a glorious colour, particularly en mass.
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Melia azedarach, known here as the 'White Cedar', has beautiful flowers about an inch across, and interesting leaves as well. Can grow to a good sized tree in the right situation.
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And that is the last I'll post for January. I'll get to sorting and preparing some of the February Pics soon.
Enjoy.
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...and enjoy we certainly do, thanks again Paul, I particularly liked the Crinum pedunculatum and the Grevillea leptobotrys. What a difference to the Northern hemisphere!
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Glad you're enjoying them Brian. The Grevillea leptobotrys is a most definite favourite of mine too..... still trying to find a source for it. ::) I just wish we had smellavision so you could all get that side of the flowers as well. :D
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Howdy again All,
Actually, I still have a few pics from January that I hadn't loaded. I must have been having a senior moment as they were prepared and in the folder with the others I loaded..... but I forgot to put them up. ::) I must be getting old! :o
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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This is Beaufortia sparsa, about 1m tall but I think still quite immature. The picture doesn't do the colour justice. The flowerhead is about 7 or 8 cm wide. Beautiful!
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This one is Eucalyptus ficifolia 'Dwarf Crimson', which at present is only a bit over 2m tall. Each flower is about 2.5cm wide or so.
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Eucalyptus ficifolia 'Dwarf Orange' is another named selection of the species. It is actually a little darker than the orange of the next one.
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This Eucalyptus ficifolia variety positively glows orange. This one is about 2.5m tall, but naturally in it's own range would be somewhat larger. These are a bit frost tender so the ANBG are obviously doing well for them to be growing in Canberra at all. I do not know whether this is the straight species or not.
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This is another Western Australian species called Eucalyptus lansdowneana. Beautiful flowers, but the plants are still quite small and not worth photographing as a specimen at this stage.
So that now actually IS it for the pictures that I took at the ANBG in January. 8)
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Great work Paul - The orange Eucalyptus looks gorgeous !
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Howdy All,
I didn't get a lot of chance to do much photography in February, so there aren't many things to show you. Here's a few of the pictures I did take.....
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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This is Allocasuarina monilifera, about 6m tall, with it's flowers and seedpods. The Allocasuarina seem to be a good seed source for the small seed eating birds as when these are shedding seeds a number of finches appeared on the scene and are constantly scrounging around on the ground for seed.
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Hibbertia vestita, about 40cm tall and maybe 1m wide. Each flower is about 2.5cm wide.
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This is a Lechenaultia biloba, which is about 30cm tall. The pic of the plant really doesn't do it justice, as the flowers stand out beautifully when viewed in person. The problems of a "two dimensional" view from a camera. ::)
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This little groundcover is Velleia montana, a member of the Goodeniaceae family. The whole plant is not more than about 5cm tall, with each rosette of leaves spamming maybe 15cm in width. Beautiful tiny yellow flowers are nestled in the centre though. Quite beautiful!!
I'll post a few more when I get the chance, but there really weren't that many more pics that I managed to take. I did take a few wildlife pics which I will post in the wildlife topic as well.
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As well as the bunch of wildlife pics I posted this afternoon, here's some more February shots from the ANBG....
A selection of Proteaceae...
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This Banksia aemula is about 1.5m tall by 3m wide. The green flowers are quite fascinating, and most definitely a hit with the honeyeaters.
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Banksia blechnifolia, showing the wonderful new leaves that have appeared since the flowers have finished.
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Grevillea aff. humilis ssp lucens is a small plant, but it hasn't been in that long so I don't know how large it will get.
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Grevillea tripartita ssp macrostylis, showing the buds, leaves, and open flowers. This one seems to have flowers on it every time I think to look at it.
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And the last few for February....
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This is Clerodendrum tomentosum, which I previously showed in flower a while back, now in fruit.
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Melaeuca lanceolata, about 2.5 to 3m tall.Each set of flowers is about 5cm long.
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I can't find the name for this one, so I've just called it "unknown waterplant". Very pretty flowers on it, whatever it is. ;) Added later... It is probably a species of Ludwigia, but unsure which.
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A quick shot of the edge of the rainforest gully, along one of the internal roads.
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A shot of the foggers in the Tasmanian rainforest gully one morning.
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Paul, great pictures again.
And thanks for showing the last picture. I wanted to ask about earlier, but did not know
how to formulate.
I was puzzling about this rainforest in your very dry area, but now it's very clear to me. :D
Very impressive!
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Luit,
The foggers usually only come on during the middle of the day a few times (they were testing it that morning which is why it was on at that time of day). The rainforest has quite a heavy tree canopy in most places, and down in the gully they are a number of degrees cooler in summer with much higher humidity, plus of course there are large sprinklers that are regularly used to keep the place moist. The foggers are only in one area at this stage, but are to be extended further up the gully in the next 6 months or so. They just add a bit of humidity during the day, but most of the rainforest grows just fine without them due to the watering and the good tree cover. I think that the very first shot I posted in the 2008 topic was a view up the gully. I can always take some more pics to show you what it looks like if you're interested?
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Thanks Paul! I don't mind seeing more pictures about the cultural methods in such a
sort of artificial forest.
I think I am not the only person in the Forum who is interested?
I am always looking how people manage to grow things everywhere.
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Paul, Thank you very much for all the interesting species you showed!
Your unknown waterplant is a Ludwigia species.
Gerd
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Top stuff as usual Paul, much appreciated.
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Your unidentified Melaleuca is superb, will it fit in a 36cm pot or can I at least get seed?
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Thanks Paul! I don't mind seeing more pictures about the cultural methods in such a
sort of artificial forest.
I think I am not the only person in the Forum who is interested?
I am always looking how people manage to grow things everywhere.
Hear! Hear! Luit, I agree that such things are of considerable interest 8)
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Gerd,
I had wondered whether it was, but not finding an actual name tag I was unwilling to put a name to it. I'll try to look into it further.
Shelagh,
The best I could do is to try to find out the name of it so that you can look for seed. Seed cannot be collected from the ANBG for private purposes unfortunately. Given it's size at present I am sure it would grow in a 36 inch pot, but until I find out a name I could not give you any info on how to get hold of seed. Even with a name the odds are pretty small that you'd be able to track it down, as most of the stuff in the Gardens was originally wild collected and this plant may have been around for quite a few years.
Luit and Maggi,
Not sure what I can really give you as cultural information. I am just posting pictures that I take for myself, not speaking on behalf of the ANBG or anything like that. I will see what I can do.
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OK, continuing on to March pictures........ Again, not that many pics for the month....
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Firstly, another picture of the foggers, this one with the mist billowing out of the rainforest and across the internal road. Depending on the conditions at the time and which direction any breeze is blowing, the effects can be very cool. 8)
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This is Acacia brachystachya which, unlike traditional wattles, has elongated flowerheads instead of the usual spherical flowerheads. I've included a pic of the plant (about 2.5m tall, perhaps a bit more), it's flowers (each head is about 3cm long) and the seedpods on the shrub at the same time. A rather nice species and one I think would look rather good in a garden situation.
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This is Acacia implexa, something somewhat different to the last one. I don't think this plant has reached maturity as yet, but it is probably around 7 or 8 metres tall at this stage (I didn't climb up to check. ;)). The flowers are a creamy white. So nice to see both these wattles flowering in late summer. Apparently there are Acacias that flower in every month of the year, so you could set up a collection where there was always one in flower in your garden.
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It was a bit rainy the day I took these pics of Acronychia imperforata, and I forgot to take a picture of the whole plant. From memory it was about 3.5 to 4m tall, growing on the rainforest verge. It is VERY attractant to birds, bees and butterflies, with masses of them about in sunny weather. There's obviously quite a bit of nectar in there for them to enjoy. Each flower is only about 1cm wide, but the combined effect was that it was covered in flowers.
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Auranticarpa rhombifolia is a member of the Pittosporum family. I've never managed to notice it flowering (but I don't often get up to that area of the ANBG anyway), but you can't miss it when the berries are on it. The orange just glows, particularly if a shaft of sunlight is falling on the tree. It's about 6 or 7m tall I think.
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This is a prostrate form Banksia integrifolia. There are a number of these lining the road outside the main entrance to the ANBG and they're looking brilliant right now. This plant is probably 1.3m high, perhaps a bit more, and 2.5m wide or more. Very, very nice. I've shown a pic of the buds as well as one with the flowers fully open, just to show the difference between them. Each have their own charm (and I am sure the honeyeaters prefer the second. ;))
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Banksia 'Stumpy Gold' is a low growing variety. This one is also outside the main entrance, and looking stunning right now. It is perhaps 1.5m wide, maybe a bit less. Very nice.
And while we're on the Proteaceae family.......
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I've posted pics of Grevillea nudiflora here before, but it has been flowering beautifully and I couldn't resist posting pics again. Such a gorgeous ground cover. I purchased one back in Spring at a nursery a couple of hours north of here in a 6 inch pot, potted it up into a tall and relatively thin pot and placed it in my garden. It is already 4 feet across and I am having to rethink where I have it because it is growing so quickly. No flowers on mine as yet, but I get to see the flowers right at the main entrance at the ANBG, so I know what will happen on mine at some point hopefully. Such a beautiful flower, particularly in closeup where you can see the fine furriness of the flowers.
Added 16 April..... I've now updated the name of the prostrate Banksia integrifolia that I couldn't recall when I originally posted the images.
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I took this picture of a perfect Dicksonia antarctica in early March to capture at it's peak. In autumn (and they've already started into it) the Crimson Rosellas come and start nipping off bits of the fronds, for reasons I am still unsure of. They do it in my home garden as well, but always only in autumn. This is therefore the "before shot" in the Rosella makeover programme. ;D Even looking at it now I can see there had already been some nibbling, on the frond at the top, just to the left (at about 11 O'Clock on a clock face), which is missing a few pinnae in that area.
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And a couple of weeks later here are some "Rosellas in the Mist". The dark spots in the fog are examples of what happens when you try to zoom in on my old camera now..... you get dust spots appearing in the image. ::) I can normally edit these out selectively with cropping, but in this case I have left them in as the Rosellas in the mist pic is quite cool. 8) Not quite as impressive as the old "Gorillas in the Mist". ;D
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And a better shot of them hoeing into the fronds. This is not the same fern, but they've started into that one too. I'll post a pic again in a few weeks of the results. Not quite the same beautiful symmetry and perfection to it by then (it already is looking somewhat ragged in early April.
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I have taken some pics of a couple of Solanum to show some of the rather wicked little adaptations they have in the thorn/spines department. This one is Solanum brownii, with a nice little selection of armament.
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And this one I don't have a name for, but it appears to be another Solanum sp.. It is definitely packing more weaponry. :o
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Fascinating plants! (Our only exposure, otherwise, to the plants of Australia, is at the florist! Must be a huge industry there?)
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Lori,
I think a lot of the Aussie native flowers you see in florists are not grown here in Aus, but rather are grown overseas. Some would come from Aus, but if they are popular I would doubt that someone hasn't jumped on a bandwagon somewhere. I can recall seeing a program on TV at some point which was showing our native flowers being grown heavily in a particular country, but no recollection of which one it was. ::)
Also, for those who may be interested.... I've added the name of the Banksia at the front entrance to that particular posting. It is a prostrate form of Banksia integrifolia. It is one of the largest of the Banksias normally, but this is a prostrate form of it.
Hopefully should have some more pics posted within the next couple of days. 8)
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Would you like to enumerate the different plant in Australia and their specifications?
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I'm not quite sure what you're asking? This topic has been posting pictures of Australian Plants and trying to give information about them as I do. I'm not sure exactly what else you're wanting?
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Sorry that it took a week, rather than a couple of days, but.......
Here are some pics from early April....
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This tiny shrub (only a few inches tall, and about 35cm wide) is Astroloma foliosum. Each flower is about 2.5cm long. I would imagine that these would work well if mass planted as a groundcover in ideal conditions.
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Something a little different in colouration to those I have shown you before is Banksia ericifolia 'Red Clusters'. This is distinctly more of a reddish than orange colour, glowing beautifully. The flowerhead is probably about 18cm high, with the plant in the picture being about 4.5m tall.
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This is a Banksia there was no species name for. It was about 3.6m high by 4m wide, perhaps a bit more. Very, very nice as it is growing by itself so it shows up beautifully.
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This is Bursaria spinosa ssp spinosa, putting on a wonderful "frothy" display of small flowers about 1cm wide. As the name suggests it has quite a lot of very sharp spines (experienced by this photographer as he was trying to find the name ::)). They're rather large plants, probably something like 8m tall, and very visible from quite a distance.
Getting late here now so I'm off to bed. More pics here tomorrow.....
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Thanks Paul, I'm really enjoying this thread.
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The Bursaria is quite something Paul ! Beautiful shrub ! :o
Thanks for sharing !
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This is Dryandra quercifolia, a member of the Proteaceae family. This one is only perhaps 70cm tall, but the flowers are beautiful (5cm, perhaps a bit less, across). Quite unusual, but utterly desirable. ;D
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Grevillea suaveolens has quite delicate little flowers and attractive buds. This was perhaps 4.5m tall, and 5.5m wide. I would imagine the honeyeaters just love it. :D
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I am unsure of the species if this Eucalyptus. After a storm this branch was lying on the ground so I was able to get a closeup of the flowers and how they're arranged on the branch. I must track down what it is as it is a nice shaped tree, not too big, and very floriferous.
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I've posted pics of this previously, but the colour of Melaleuca fulgens 'Hot Pink' just has to be seen again. I look forward to mine getting big enough to flower in my garden. it is striking, particularly if the sun is shining on the flowers (or through them), and a major drawcard for honeyeaters.
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This Olearia elliptica ssp elliptica is fairly nondescript when not in flower, but you certainly can't miss it when it is. This plant was about 1.7m tall, with flowers around 1.5cm wide. It just glowed in the sunshine.
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The 'Sturt's Desert Pea' (Swainsonia formosa) are still in flower now, more than 6 months after they started, although some of them have slowed down and stopped flowering for this season. Still a showstopper, as nearly everyone walking by stops to have a look at them because they are so unusual here in Canberra.
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This little member of Epacridaceae is Woollsia pungens, which has quite sharp tips to it's leaves. The flowers are quite small (less than 1cm across), but they do stand out as they are in clusters on the stem. The plant photo doesn't really do them justice. The whole plant is about 80cm tall.
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Paul, you do have so many interesting plants in your country.
I really like this weird 'sunflower' Dryandra quercifolia. What a beauty!
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Luit,
Yeah, some of the Protea family are pretty different. The other little one I like is Isopogon, which has a lot of similarities to the Dryandra. All very cool. 8)
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The subject for today will apparently be Correas, as I have collected a few pics of different varieties in the last week or two. I hadn't intended to photograph for a feature on them, but it seems like I was meant to by the selection I ended up with.... ;D
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Correa alba var alba has small flowers to about 1.5cm wide, but they open out instead of the more traditional tubular flowers on most Correa. This plant is about 50cm tall by around 1m wide. It still has some size to attain as well.
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This is a somewhat sprawling version of Correa backhousiana, but I have seen more upright forms. This would be 1.5m wide I think, but it is hard to tell as a number of plants grow together in the area.
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This Correa glabra var glabra is a good dense shrub, with glossy green leaves and green flowers. It looks good by itself, and good as a mass of them planted together. The combination of such dense growth and the nectar rich flowers would make it a haven for small birds, especially honeyeaters. The plant in the picture is about 1.3m tall, by perhaps 80cm wide. The flower would be about 3cm long or so.
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Correa lawrenciana var glandulifera is a much larger plant than the previous ones I've just shown. This plant is around 5m tall (that overhang you can walk under with a good distance of head clearance, to give you an idea of the size. The flowers are slightly longer than many of the genus (being around 4cm or so?) but it grows into a large shrub instead of something small, so in many ways the flowers appear smaller than they are. I have seen a couple of these plants in different places and they all have the larger size.
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This is Correa reflexa, or should I say that this is one of the forms of it. It is a very variable species with types that range from groundcovers of only a few cm tall, to this plant which is probably close to 1.7m in height. It also varies considerably in size and shape of flowers, and the size, shape and texture of the leaves. I'll include a couple more reflexa forms below, with their names included.
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Correa reflexa - Variant 1 (that's how it is labelled)
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Correa reflexa 'Black Range, which I assume refers to the place it was found.
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Correa reflexa 'Kangaroo Island Form' was obviously found on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It is a more delicate plant in appearance, but is a strong grower, with quite slender flowers.
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This is a hybrid of Correa reflexa and C. pulchella.
That's it for right now with the Correas, but there are certainly plenty more of them around. 8)
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Hi Paul- only just discovered this thread- well done on the postings. Is there any change in the attitude to native plants among gardeners over there? I remember 20years ago suburbia seemed to be acres of roses, daylilies and fuchsias. Even the 'Botanic Garden' in Ballarat seemed to be mainly nothern hemisphere plants! I went to a nursery in Cheltenham, Melbourne, which stocked some natives, and that made me wish I could have brought some 'up north'.
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Simon,
Very much so. The difference in rainfall patterns over the last 10 years in particular has meant that people are becoming much more water conscious, and there is a much greater push to plant more natives that are drought tolerant. There is a big movement towards native plants, to put it mildly.
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That's good to hear, Paul. I did a lot of planting of natives with the ATCV- I hope to come back some day and see how the areas look.
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Simon , pity there was'nt a FORUM 20 years ago-we could have met in Melbourne while you were here . There is an Australian Native Plant Nursery only 15 minutes
from my home , beautyfully landscaped and an amazing range of plants- certainly the most comprehensive one in Australia . Look at their Stocklist on
www.kuranga.com.au
There are many australian plants that are not drought tolerant , obviously those from rainforrests and alpine plants from the mainland and Tasmania .
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Thanks Otto. I spent 6 months planting trees and shrubs in some amazing places around Victoria. One day I will return and see how they are doing :)
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Howdy All,
Some more from Mid April....
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An unknown (by me) Leptospermum sp., about 1.8m tall with small flowers, but lots of them.
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Leptospermum rupicola is quite a low plant, this one being maybe 35cm high and a metre wide.
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This is Eriostemon verrucosus 'J. Semmens', a "double" flowered form of the species. This was only a small plant, so no point showing the whole thing.
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Diplolaena microcephala is an unusual plant, with green flowers in hanging clusters. This was about 1.2m high by about the same wide, but I am not sure how mature it was.
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I have shown Acronychia imperforata before, but at the time I forgot to show a photo of the whole plant. Here is a reminder of the flowers and a full pic. Very attractive to butterflies and honeyeaters.
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This Banksia ericifolia is a good strong colour. Growing in a fair bit of competition, this plant was quite sparse, but still flowering quite well.
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The yellow form of Calostemma purpurea (formerly known as Calostemma lutea).
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A bicolor red and yellow form of Calostemma purpurea
Enjoy.
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Thank you Paul - always something new and worth admiring!
Gerd
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Lovely Paul, I think I've fallen for Calostemma ;D
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Gerd,
Glad you're enjoying the pics.
David,
You and me both. I've definitely fallen for them over the last few years. Very cool plants. 8)
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I noted the posts on Australian Native Plants at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. I also live in Canberra and enjoy regular visits. We have had over 100 mm rain here over the weekend (late summer), and coupled with good rain over Christmas, we can expect a great flowering year there in coming months. But while viewing plants in gardens is good, growing them is even better! I have had two Australian native plants in flower recently that would be of interest to readers of this forum - Golden Weather Grass (Hypoxis hygrometrica Labill.) and Diplarrena latifolia, as well as Bulbine bulbosa which is a bit of a weed here. You can see pics of the Hypoxis on my blog : http://utopiacanberra.blogspot.com/2010/02/gardening-in-february.html. I also have Dietes robinsoniana growing - for over 10 years in a frost free spot (under a tree) - It flowers at the ANBG, but so far it hasn't done so for me. Any suggestions on why would be welcome. Just Plants
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Hello, Just Plants, welcome to the Forum. I'm in Aberdeen, Scotland, so no useful advice from me for you.... but the other Aussies and those with better climate than I will help, I'm sure ;)
BTW....
I must congratulate you for your choice of quality links from your Blog pages!! ;D
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Hi I know this is 2 years to late to post in this thread but I wanted to say some of these plants are really awesome and thanks Paul ! Not sure how often you post these days but thanks for all the pics.
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Paul, I've just caught up to this thread... FANTASTIC! I'm a huge fan of Australian Native Plants, and at the height of my gardening obsessions when I joined about 25 different plant societies, I was a member of an Australian native plant society for a number of years; couldn't get enough Grevillea, Banksia, Hibbertia, Leptospermum and other plants that are so utterly distinct and unlike other plants in the world.
About 7-8 years ago I visited the Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA. It was November, and many Australian plants were in bloom or coming into bloom, never have I seen such wondrous plants, the Correa cultivars making a great impression. Now, I'm racking my brain trying to remember the name of a genus of small shrubs, very light and airy, almost like small airy conifers, dripping with nodding blue saucers... there were several species of them.
Thanks for taking the time to show and document all these Australian native plants.
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A note for those just finding this great thread.... there is also a 2009 version.....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3339.0
:)
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About 7-8 years ago I visited the Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA. It was November, and many Australian plants were in bloom or coming into bloom
Another wonderful collection of Australian plants is just a bit south of San Francisco, at the
university botanic garden in Santa Cruz. (also South African plants - great bushes of proteas
flower in winter )
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Another wonderful collection of Australian plants is just a bit south of San Francisco, at the
university botanic garden in Santa Cruz. (also South African plants - great bushes of proteas
flower in winter )
Thanks Diane, not sure when next I'll get out to San Francisco... I used to travel there occasionally because we had a branch office in SF. And yes, even at Strybing Arboretum the South African flora was well represented and remarkable, I think I could oogle proteas every day. Ah, sometimes I long for a milder climate such as what San Francisco affords, you know, the grass is greener thing :D
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Oh lovely ! thanks Maggie for that and good to see others still looking at the australian thread too!
I will have a good look at the 2009 one Paul sent as well.
Speak soon.
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Howdy All,
Following on from a couple of topics from previous years, I'll continue giving you a tour of some of the plants in the Australian National Botanic Garden (ANBG) here in Canberra. I have not worked there now for a couple of years, so these will just be pics from my wanders there, which I am intending to make fairly frequently now. My first visit for this year was in late January, so I shall start by posting some pics from then.
Enjoy!! 8)
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Howdy Folks,
My first visit of this year to the ANBG was on the 20th January. I've taken a bunch of pics from all along the main path. I didn't wander off into any of the miriad of side paths as I was accompanied by my wife and we had her in a wheelchair to make it less of a strain for her. As it worked out, this was her last visit to the ANBG before her hospitalisation less than a fortnight later, so as you'll see we had a wonderful day with LOTS to enjoy as we walked (or rolled) down the main path. ;D
At various places along the path the Blandfordia grandiflora were in full flower. Some of these were planted near the entrance to the Sydney Basin are of the gardens, trying to mimic some of their natural sandstone habitats. There were also some display pots outside the visitor's centre where you really could get up close and view the flowers. I've included a range of pics here to try to show the beauty of these wonderful plants. Each flower is up to about 6 or 7cm long, so you really can't miss them when they're in flower. They positively glowed!!
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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There were numerous different Grevilleas in flower along our walk, far more than I managed to photograph. Here are just some of them.
Grevillea bipinnatifida is rather spikey, but the large head of flowers (maybe 15cm long) is beautiful. I have a redder flowered form of this growing at my place.
Grevillea buxifolia has the most unusual greyish colouration to the flowers. Not easy to photograph as a plant, so you've just got the flowers. ;)
Grevillea caleyi has beautifully furry new foliage as it emerges, with a tinge of pink to it. Classic red toothbrush type flowers make it quite striking.
And as is so often the case, Grevillea leptobotrys was in flower outside of the visitor's centre. Candy pink flowers with a candy perfume to match. Tiny (each individual flower is around 5mm wide) and very beautiful.
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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Grevillea oligomera was planted in a large pot beside the main path and had bright pink and purple flowers. Very, very unusual colouration for a Grevillea. I want one for my home garden now. ;D
Grevillea plurijuga ssp plurijuga had quite a fine foliage, arching stems, and then the flowers stood upright from the stem. Quite large flower (each one probably 2.5cm each), and held further apart than the majority of the genus.
Grevillea sericea has lovely round heads of flowers, each small, but so bright. The flowerhead is probably 4cm across, perhaps a little larger?
And lastly for the Grevilleas, a species I forgot to get the name of. The bright flame-orange flowers were tightly packed and stood out like beacons. Still only a small plant as yet, but these flowers were another that really glowed.
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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You are quite sure these grevilleas are plants, Paul, and not creatures?
Grevillea buxifolia looks like it is more than capable of spinning a web and eating little critters and that last red one seems to be an alien version of the dreaded lily beetle :o
Fantastical flowers!
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Maggi,
I agree, although I see the Grevillea buxifolia more as that it should be somewhere on a coral reef with the featherstars etc.
Glad you're enjoying them. I'll try to post some more stuff tomorrow.
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although I see the Grevillea buxifolia more as that it should be somewhere on a coral reef with the featherstars etc.
Yup, I can visualise that, too. :D
Super plants with such complex looking flowers.
Wet grey day here.... hard to imagine walking a path bordered by Blandfordia....... :)
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Well I hope this little piece of sunshine cheers up your grey and dreary day then. 8)
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I hope it will be doing just that for many readers, Paul. I've got one of the Blanfordia pics enlarged on my screen and just feel warmer by seeing it.
Thanks for the reminder to new readers that a left mouse click on the thumbnail pictures will enlarge them 8)
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Paul - brilliant pictures! I became so interested in the Proteaceae some years ago that I invested in the three volume Grevillea Book (and I do quite like spiders too Maggi!). They are fascinating plants, and if only more were hardy enough to be grown in the UK. I do remember seeing G. alpina many years ago at Holehird in the sunken alpine house, and that should be pretty hardy I would think. G. rosmarinifolia has been fine with us for over 15 years, and 'Canberra Gem' too until the severe winter before last which killed it.
Love the blanfordias - we have even had B. punicea flower here in the garden, but are much too dry for it really.
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Well I hope this little piece of sunshine cheers up your grey and dreary day then. 8)
Not so grey and dreary here today, but your pictures are fantastic as always Paul.
Hard to imagine shrubs like Grevillea with such brillant flowers. I love the combination of the hairy leaves and the colour of flowers of G. caleyi most!
Thanks for showing.
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Paul, - I spent 3 years in Adelaide nearly 50 years ago and worked at the Australian Wine Research Institute. (Yes, there were the obvious perks!) One of my colleagues there brought in a book from his childhood in which there were characters called 'Sugglepot and Cuddlepie, the gum nut babies'. I seem to remember they wore hats like the operculum covering the unopened flower buds of Eucalyptus. Does my memory serve me correctly? There was a "baddie" who was a Grevillia and my colleague was so frightened of this character when a child that he hated Grevillias into adulthood. I can well imagine from your picture that Grevillia buxifolia might have been the offending baddie? Loved your photos, thank you.
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Thanks folks. Glad you're enjoying them.
Maureen,
They are 'Snugglepot and Cuddlepie', and the baddies were the Big Bad Banksia Men, based on Banksia not Grevillea (all in the Proteaceae family though). I have some photos coming of a couple of Banksias, but I'll also photograph some Banksia cones (seedpods) for you at some point, which is what the baddies were based on.
Tim,
You just need to be selective about what you try to grow. Some of the Grevilleas are much hardier than others. The majority of the gorgeously large flowered types tend to be softer, many being ungrowable or borderline here. Often some of the problems stem from cold wet roots and rootrot, rather than the plant itself not being cold tolerant. Often the rarer and touchier ones from Western Australia (WA) are grafted onto Grevillea robusta (a tree sized Grevillea) which has a much stronger and more tolerant rootsystem. Those softer types on if which come from sandy soils in WA are able to grow fine on this rootstock, rather than rotting out in our clay soils that we get around here. You still need to work on the drainage, just not as much as if they were on their own rootstock on their own weaker roots. I grow a few grafted types in my garden, usually in pots anyway to increase their drainage. You pay a lot more for the grafteds, so you try to make sure they survive. ;)
'Canberra Gem' originated near here I think (may not be from here as a species, may have been bred near here and given the name? Not sure?), hence the name. Takes more cold than many others for that reason I think, but there would definitely be colder tolerant ones. I'd still be making sure the drainage is as perfect as possible, whatever you're growing in the Proteacea family. Also of course beware of Phosphorus fertilisers, which the Proteoid rootsystems don't like in most cases.
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Paul, I am so pleased you have resurrected this thread. It is absolutely mind-blowing to see all these varieties of Grevillea and hard to pick a star, but Grevillea buxifolia would have to take the prize. Looking forward to more from your visits.
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Thank you Paul. After I had shut down the computer, it came to me that it was the Banksia men who were the baddies. 50 years is a long time to remember things correctly! Is it still regarded as a children's classic, or are today's kids more interested in stories about robots etc? After returning to the UK we moved from Leicester to Aberdeen. In the back of the car amongst other plants was the Kangaroo Paw, Anigozanthus manglesii which we were growing. As the furniture was going to take 2-3 days en route, we made a mini holiday of the trip. When we got to Aberdeen, the plants had all grown, benefiting from their substitute greenhouse, and we had a job to get some of them out of the car including the Anigozanthus!
We later mangaged to grow and flower Sturt's Desert Pea, (I see it has changed its Latin name) by grafting it onto seedlings of Colutea arborescens. When in Adelaide, the gardeners at CSIRO tried to grow it, and it always succumbed just before flowering, the theory being that the coastal climate was too humid for it.
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Howdy Again All.
Sorry, it was a bit longer before I got back to post more. I do "procrastination" very well at the moment. ;D
Firstly, here's a couple more Grevilleas that I didn't post in the last lot. Senior moment I think. ::)
Grevillea albiflora has very large flowerheads, and the bees and the birds just love it.
In the rockery there are a few of these big carpeting type of Grevillea. Even out of flower they look effective.
And Adenanthos sericeus is a close Grevillea relative, commonly called 'Albany Woolly Bush'. It is so soft and furry. Some forms grow to 1.2-1.5m, while other forms of the species can grow to 3m+. You just can't help handling the foliage as it is so beautiful. I have a small plant in my garden, just starting to take off.
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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For Maureen, here's some Banksias.
I can't remember what species the Big Bad Banksia Men were based on, so here are just a couple of the Banksia species flowering at the ANBG at present, and a pic of the cones of one of them. Very prominent seedpod on this species.... as you can see there are 2 of them on the cone. Each swelling will split open and there will be 2 seeds inside (I think!?)
Banksia aemula
Banksia serrata
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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The Flannel Flower (Adenanthos helianthi) has soft and furry grey leaves with these interesting white furry flowers. I have one in a pot on the front stairs at my place at present, so I hope I can keep it going. It's only a recent purchase.
Then there area few pics of Calostemma purpurea, growing amongst rocks in the rockery. These bulbs have been shown in the Southern Hemisphere and Amaryllidaceae topics a few times in the past. They look really good as a clump amongst rocks.
Calothamnus tuberosus has brilliant red-orange flowers that up close up feathery. Looks a bit like a bottlebrush (Callistemon) at first glance, but the flowers are very different. This plant is about 1.5m tall and perhaps 2m wide. I have also in the past shown Calothamnus quadrifidus (sometimes called the one-sided bottlebrush) which has flowers coming out from only one side of the stem. Both these plants are interesting in that the flowers sprout straight out of the stem, often stem that is years old. It means that the flowers can appear throughout the plant, not just at the tips.
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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A great thread Paul 8) Thanks
The Flannel Flower (Adenanthos helianthi) has soft and furry grey leaves with these interesting white furry flowers. I have one in a pot on the front stairs at my place at present, so I hope I can keep it going. It's only a recent purchase.
Isn't it a lovely thing? One of my (many) failures from seed unfortunately :'( but maybe time to try again. Can you offer any hints on conditions?
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Here's some Eucalypts and their relatives....
Corymbia ficifolia used to be Eucalytpus ficifolia. The flowers are stunning, there being a number of named hybrids in a range of orange, red and pinks. This one is only a small plant, so a bit of growth to go yet. The heads of flowers would be getting towards 25-30cm wide.
This ia a young Eucalyptus langleyi, still actively growing in height. Lovely white flowers were clustered all along the branches. Beautiful.
This plant of Eucalytpus marcrocarpa was a bit distorted so the pics of the plant itself weren't very good. The lovely silver-blue foliage and those huge blooms are amazing though, so I couldn't resist including a few angles of the flower. This flowerhead is about 15cm wide, like a little fireworks display all by itself. ;D
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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Ashley (and Brian and Maureen),
Glad you're enjoying the assorted mishmash of plants I'm posting here. ;D
The place I'm aware of the Flannel Flower growing best at the ANBG is behind one of the buildings where it is seeding about into large gravel/stones. It is a relatively dry area, but with decent drainage. I think the gravel helps the soil surface stay a little cooler, but also not as dry even though there wasn't as much watering. It was in one of the areas that I looked after when I was working there. Lots of sun, not too much water, but I think there was still a reasonable amount of moisture below all the time, so it was never wet but never dry. I'll be growing mine in a pot on the stairs against a wall where I can keep it on the drier side.... we're yet to see whether I will be successful or not. ;)
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Lots of sun, not too much water
Should love Ireland so ;) ;D
Thanks Paul.
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We weren't the only ones enjoying the ANBG when we were there in January....
Nice to see that the name signs were useful for other than just reading (that's an Eastern Water Dragon using it as a sitting point).
And New Holland Honeyeaters were having an arguement in the trees. There was a big family group having a squablle (don't they all! ::)) and they were there in the one area long enough for me to photograph them. I've never managed to photograph them before, so I was pleased. I was also almost taken out by a couple of them when they flew off in what was obviously their usual exit route.... which unfortunately I was standing in. I felt the wind from one set of wings as they skimmed my head. ;D I am wondering what would have happened if I hadn't ducked. :o
A friend of mine who has just bought a house in a suburb not far from here reports that there are New Hollands in her garden..... this was a big surprise to me as I didn't realise that they got out into this part of the city. I have hopes of one day seeing them here in my own garden as well. 8)
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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Lots of sun, not too much water
Should love Ireland so ;) ;D
Thanks Paul.
Is that a note of sarcasm I hear there, Ashley? :-\ Doesn't everywhere get long hot summers like we (well at least normally) do? ;D
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I was watching the New Hollands on the Brunsvigia flowers only a couple of weeks ago - they used the pedicels to perch on whilst nectar feeding just like they were native South Africans. Very flighty and easily disturbed; you must have been very quick getting the photo Paul.
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Is that a note of sarcasm I hear there, Ashley? :-\
Only the gentlest of irony Paul ::)
Western Australians especially object to our winter cold + damp.
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Here's the last from the January visit.....
While I've tried grouping the others into similar types.... the majority of these are in no particular order. ;D
Calytrix flavescens is a tiny little thing, this plant only 20-25cm high. Beautiful flowers though.
Another smaller one, and I'm guessing may be closely related, is Hypocalymma strictum ssp strictum. This was about the same size as the previous one. The flowers are very intricate.
This is a Commersonia species, which didn't have a species label. This is only a young plant at the moment, but the flowers when you look closely at them are almost architectural.
Teucrium argutum is a ground cover, rather reminiscent of some other genus that we see in garden centres like Lamium etc.
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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The Crinum angustifolia were in flower in the rockery as well. These flower very well each summer.
Goodenia macmillanii is a ground cover, although very sparse. Each flower is about 2.5cm across, but they never seem to make a mass of flowers, at least not in our climate here (which I think is far from it's native one).
Another groundcover is Hibbertia vestita. The whole plant was maybe 10 to 15cm tall, and 50cm across. Yellow flowers, like the majority of the genus.
Scaevola ramosissima is a lovely pruple groundcover, I would imagine very showy once established. This was in one of the newly established areas at the entrance to the Sydney Basin (I'll show a picture of one of these areas shortly). Each flower was about 2cm across.
Melaleuca nesophila is one I would grow in my garden here if I had the space. The flowerhead is about 2.5cm across, but the most beautiful bright purple. The plant in the pic was about 2.5m tall, but there are taller ones in other parts of the ANBG. Really striking, and very covetable. ;D
Persoonia pinifolia is has bright golden orange flowers. Not nearly noticeable at a distance as they are up close. The birds would love these.
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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And the last from this trip.... a couple of more general pics of some areas.
The first is one of the new areas at the entrance to the Sydney Basin area. Everything is still small and newly planted. There is some very interesting stuff in this area that will be gorgeous in future years. The second shot is from further down the Sydney Basin, showing some of the established tree ferns and rainforest type areas.
The other shot is of the waterfall near the rockery. There are Eastern Water Dragons sunning themselves on all the rocks around it during the warmer months (they hibernate underground during the winter).
I have had one other short trip to the ANBG a couple of weeks ago. I will post a few pics from that soon. I'm hoping to get back there in the next week or so, and hopefully there should be a new range of plants out by then. I hope you've all enjoyed some of these posts from this trip.
Enjoy. 8)
Please click on the pic for a larger version.
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Paul, thank you for your further pics. Although many of the plants are unfamiliar to me, others bring back memories. I clearly remember Eucalyptus flowers like E. macrocarpa or similar when in King's Park in Perth. We drove from Adelaide to Perth and back circa. 1964 when there was still 700 miles of dirt road across the Nullarbor plain between Port Augusta and Coolgardie. It was considered quite an intrepid thing to do at the time.
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I'd still consider it fairly intrepid now!! :o
;D
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I seem to remember the tarmac was laid after we left Australia in readiness for the Commonwealth Games in Perth.
Yes, it was quite a journey. The quality of the road left a lot to be desired. Where it had not been recently graded, it had become corrugated through use and you could not do more than about 20 mph. Then there was the “bull dust” which could be up to a foot deep which could hide the pot holes. Large uncovered potholes could be just as deep, and you often got warning of them because some kind motorist who had found out the hard way had left a branch sticking out of them. That is, where there were branches to be had. After all Nullabor means “no trees”
Just after we left Port Augusta there was a large sign full of bullet holes which read "No water for 700 miles". Highlights that I remember were stopping at Eucla and seeing the remains of the old Telegraph station (including the privvy!) almost completely covered by drifting sand. Another memory was lying flat on the ground between the longest straight stretch of railway line in the world to take a photograph of the track stretching into the distance and ‘meeting’ at infinity. Do they still run the “Tea and Sugar” - the train which takes a week and stops at remote locations where station owners can come on board and do their shopping, banking, have a haircut etc?
When we got to Coolgardie, every garage amongst other services advertised vacuum cleaners for hire. This was to get the by now ubiquitous dust out of the car. It even stuck to our eyelashes. We visited the gold mines at Kalgoorlie. On the return journey, we decided when we were close enough to civilsation to use our emergency fuel. When we got to the first filling station to replenish, there was a power cut, and we had to sit it out, entertained by a pet sulphur crested cockatoo.
Sorry, I seem to have digressed from the thread topic.
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One last tale I remember: because we had underestimated the time the journey would take and had a deadline to meet, we had to do some night driving which was even more challenging than the day. At one stage we spotted headlights coming towards us. Estimating that the other car could travel no faster than us, and noting the time it took from first sighting to when we met - about half an hour, - we calculated the distance away he must have been when we first saw him. Can't remember what it was, - probably the maximum it could have been before the effect of the earth's curvature intervened? When we drew alongside, the other car stopped. We stopped to see if he was in any trouble - "no" he said "I just stopped for a chat!"
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No idea about the Tea and Sugar run, unfortunately. A very, very long way from here.
I love the "just stop for a chat".... on straight roads like that you can see for such long distances that it can be very confusing to judge how far anyone is away from you..... it's hard enough on normal straight stretches, but given the sheer scale of them out west, I can only imagine. :o
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Those of us in Western California can grow most of those plants; and those, like me, in western Oregon can grow very many of them. So for us there is no need to wish. I believe that the same is true of Southern France and Italy ; and likely Western Spain, and Portugal. It may also be true of the west coast of southern England.
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Lesley,
A quick search revealed that H. dentata has dentate leaves (i.e an at least partially toothed margin in this case), whereas the H. scandens doesn't. H. dentata is also more shade tolerant that H. scandens apparently. It also doesn't smother plants like H. scandens is want to do.
I have pink and blue Wisteria and Hibertia dentata climbing my Laburnum anagyroides.
The Laburnum has a really short bloom season; but it has a nice structure. the vines put flowers on that structure over an extended time. Twice over a six year period the Hibertia has frozen to the ground, and come back from the root. At first I thought that the Wisteria and Hibertia would look strange together when they overlap; but, they look fine together.