SOCIETY FOR GROWING AUSTRALIAN PLANTS Warrnambool & District Group Inc. Newsletter APRIL 2015 No 403 Incorporation No: AOO1312OX ABN: 51672752196 Web: www.warrnambool.org/sgap DIARY OF EVENTS: 24th April - Neil Marriott speaking about the new Native Botanical Garden planned for Halls Gap. 28th April -Committee Meeting-Artis’ 22nd May - AGM- Cherree Densley speaking on “Regeneration after A Spot Fire on Mt Clay”. 26th May - Committee Meeting-Halls 8th June - Correa Crawl to Portland/ Mt. Richmond area. 26th June - Members Hands on Propagation Night. Come along and learn how to put cuttings in. 19th August 7.30pm at HIRL at Hamilton. We are invited to attend their meeting where Cathy Powers will be speaking on diversity and distribution of native orchids. 25th Sept - Brian Lacy “Brian & Betty’s Gardening Story” Hi members, EDITORIAL We are very fortunate this month to have Neil Marriott as our guest speaker, Neil is well known of course as the APS (Vic) Conservation Officer. He will be speaking to us about the proposed WAMA Wildlife Art Museum and Botanical Garden planned for Halls Gap. Joyce and I had the opportunity to join in a tour of the site last year lead by Neil and as we were suitably impressed by the proposal, I took the opportunity to invite him to come to Warrnambool to discuss it with us. The WAMA Project through community and educational programs will: * Recognise the achievement and contribution of Australian and international wildlife artists. * Cultivate a world-class, scientifically-based collection of Australian native plants. * Promote the collection and preservation of Australian wildlife and natural history art in all its artistic forms. * Provide an enriched view of Australia’s unique place in the history of man’s exploration of the natural world from earli- est steps to the present day. * Foster recognition and understanding of Australian wildlife and natural history, both nationally and internationally. You can read more about this exciting project at: http://www.wama.net.au/vision-objectives.html Put this date in your diary: Cherree Densley will lead a Correa Crawl on Monday June 8th to the Portland/Mt. Richmond area. Meet at 10.00am at Shell Service Station in Portland, on the right after the divided highway. BYO everything. Thank you to Coral Moore, Bev Bell and Cherree Densley for doing a native flower display for us at the Anglican Church “Festival of Flowers” in Port Fairy this weekend. Check it out if you get the chance. Going cheaply are sausages left over from our Xmas function, been in freezer since at Lemmens Ph: 55624848 Don’t forget to bring along specimens from your garden for our display table, this shows people what we can grow here in Warrnambool and helps us promote our native plants through our newsletter. Also join with our guest speaker at the RSL at 6.30pm for dinner, I will book a table for 12. Hope to see you on Friday 24th. Cheers, Kevin Members Night: Friday 24th April from 8.00pm Speaker, Neil Marriott speaking about the new Botanical Garden & Art Complex planned for Halls Gap Correa reflexa ‘Grannys Grave’ The Warrnambool & District SGAP holds meetings on the 4th Friday of each month at the Mozart Hall Warrnambool at 8pm. ‘Plants of the Great South West’, book on plants of South West Victoria $20, available from Kevin Sparrow at [email protected]Ph: 55626217 Like us on Facebook
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Society for Growing Australian Plants - Warrnambool & District Group April 2015 Newsletter
SOCIETY FOR GROWING AUSTRALIAN PLANTS Warrnambool & District Group Inc. Newsletter
DIARY OF EVENTS: 24th April - Neil Marriott speaking
about the new Native Botanical
Garden planned for Halls Gap.
28th April -Committee Meeting-Artis’
22nd May - AGM- Cherree Densley
speaking on “Regeneration after A
Spot Fire on Mt Clay”.
26th May - Committee Meeting-Halls
8th June - Correa Crawl to Portland/
Mt. Richmond area.
26th June - Members Hands on
Propagation Night. Come along and
learn how to put cuttings in.
19th August 7.30pm at HIRL at
Hamilton. We are invited to attend
their meeting where Cathy Powers
will be speaking on diversity and
distribution of native orchids.
25th Sept - Brian Lacy “Brian &
Betty’s Gardening Story”
Hi members, EDITORIAL We are very fortunate this month to have Neil Marriott as our guest speaker, Neil is well known of course as the APS (Vic) Conservation Officer. He will be speaking to us about the proposed WAMA Wildlife Art Museum and Botanical Garden planned for Halls Gap. Joyce and I had the opportunity to join in a tour of the site last year lead by Neil and as we were suitably impressed by the proposal, I took the opportunity to invite him to come to Warrnambool to discuss it with us.
The WAMA Project through community and educational programs will:
* Recognise the achievement and contribution of Australian and international wildlife artists.
* Cultivate a world-class, scientifically-based collection of Australian native plants.
* Promote the collection and preservation of Australian wildlife and natural history art in all its artistic forms.
* Provide an enriched view of Australia’s unique place in the history of man’s exploration of the natural world from earli-
est steps to the present day.
* Foster recognition and understanding of Australian wildlife and natural history, both nationally and internationally. You can read more about this exciting project at: http://www.wama.net.au/vision-objectives.html
Put this date in your diary: Cherree Densley will lead a Correa Crawl on Monday June 8th to the Portland/Mt. Richmond area. Meet at 10.00am at Shell Service Station in Portland, on the right after the divided highway. BYO everything.
Thank you to Coral Moore, Bev Bell and Cherree Densley for doing a native flower display for us at the Anglican Church “Festival of Flowers” in Port Fairy this weekend. Check it out if you get the chance.
Going cheaply are sausages left over from our Xmas function, been in freezer since at Lemmens Ph: 55624848 Don’t forget to bring along specimens from your garden for our display table, this shows people what we can grow here in Warrnambool and helps us promote our native plants through our newsletter. Also join with our guest speaker at the
RSL at 6.30pm for dinner, I will book a table for 12. Hope to see you on Friday 24th. Cheers, Kevin
Members Night: Friday 24th April from 8.00pm
Speaker, Neil Marriott speaking about the new Botanical Garden & Art Complex planned for Halls Gap
Correa reflexa ‘Grannys Grave’
The Warrnambool & District SGAP holds meetings on the 4th Friday of each month at the Mozart Hall Warrnambool at 8pm.
Chrysocephalum semipapposum (photo bottom left) was shown by Lorraine Charles. It has yellow flowers and is a peren-
nial, clumping plant growing in most soils and needing a sunny, dry position. Lorraine also brought along a Goodenia spe-
cies that is easy to grow from cutting, has yellow flowers and likes shady, moist conditions and Correa calycina var calycina flowers for most of the year
and is a medium shrub with greenish flowers which the birds love.
6 Society for Growing Australian Plants - Warrnambool & District Group April 2015 Newsletter
Tour of the Myers’ Garden Dunkeld and Royal Mail Kitchen Garden Tour
Join with SGAP Hamilton
Tours of Myers’ garden in Dunkeld can precede a tour of the Royal Mail kitchen garden on Wednesdays and Fridays.
If you wish to go on a tour of the Myers’ garden followed by the kitchen garden tour at The Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld, please let us know
which of the following days would suit. The cost is $15 per person regardless of whether you do the Myers’ garden tour or not. You could
join the tour at the kitchen garden at 11.00am if you would prefer.
Myers’ garden tour begins at 10.00am. Kitchen garden tours begin at about 11.00am. Please indicate which of the following days would suit
and send them back to me by email as soon as you like. If you prefer, ring me on 55741223.
Thanks
Liz Cummins
Secretary SGAP Hamilton
YOUR NAME:…………………………………………………………………………………………
TOUR
DATE
Wednesday
6th May
10am Myers
Garden
Wednesday
6th May
11am Kitchen
Garden
Friday
15th May
10am Myers’
Garden
Friday
15th May
11am Kitchen
Garden
Friday
22nd May
10am Myers’
garden
Friday
22nd May
11am Kitchen
garden
Indicate YES
or NO if this
date would
suit
7 Society for Growing Australian Plants - Warrnambool & District Group April 2015 Newsletter
Planting Opportunity For SGAP To Plant Out Hub Embankment At Community Gardens
Recently we received an invitation to plant out the
embankment area at the Community Gardens at
Albert Park surrounding the building Hub with a
selection of local native plants. The committee at
the Community Gardens has expressed an interest
in forming a partnership with our group and this is
an ideal opportunity for our two group’s to work
together.
While Community Gardens is primarily a
permaculture, recycling and vegetable growing
group, the planting of indigenous native plants
actually fits very well with this scenario, especially
if you include the planting of “Bush Tucker” and
aboriginal traditional use plants.
It also gives us an opportunity to erect some signs
in the garden to explain what these plants and their
uses are. This gives us a valuable public presence,
something we have been lacking in the past.
Some of the plants that can be featured include
Kunzea pomifera (Muntries have an edible berry),
Rubis parvifolius (Native Raspberry) Microseris
lanceolata (Yam Daisy), Carpobrotus rossii
(Native Pigface has an edible fruit that forms after
the flower finishes.
We would need to source enough suitable plants
for this but it could be planted out over time if necessary as plants became available.
[EDITOR] By the way, we are also funding a sign at Swan Reserve to be erected in the Banksia Bed which will explain the Proteaceae species and identify
the plants growing in the bed.
Yellow area indicates the area to be planted out around the Hub Building, a new monument is planned to
recognise the original inhabitants and the significance of the site to their people.
8 Society for Growing Australian Plants - Warrnambool & District Group April 2015 Newsletter
The old quarry at Albert Park above the Community Garden site has links to the Warrnambool community as a place once used by many in their childhood
days as a place to explore and escape with friends to adventure.
After many years as a city council dump the site was neglected and has since become infested with various woody and herbaceous weed species and pest
animals including foxes, cats, and rabbits. Weeds include bird, wind, water, and pest animal dispersed species, with a now saturated weed seed store and
almost complete weed cover (see Figures 1 & 2), apart from the occasional Acacia melanoxylon and small patches of indigenous tussock grass (Poa sp.).
Recently the bulk of the woody weeds and weeds of the quarry central basin area have been removed to expose impressive sandstone cliff areas and an
amphitheatre-like area with many potential future uses.
The staged rehabilitation process (see Figure 3) will utilise fire to reduce weed biomass and potentially trigger the germination of long-stored indigenous
seed stores. After initial spraying and burning, the rim of the quarry area will be planted with triple-row and clump plantings of Allocasuarina verticillata
which has useful weed suppressing qualities. These will be used to form a barrier to and interrupt the continued movement of heavy Kikuyu sward down
quarry embankments. Direct seeding of Poa, Themeda, Austrodanthonia, and Lomandra species will be used post-fire to out-compete germinating weed
species.
Quarry rehabilitation Project at Albert Park by Peter Austin
Figures 1 & 2 – Weed infestation issues at the community garden quarry area.
9 Society for Growing Australian Plants - Warrnambool & District Group April 2015 Newsletter
Quarry rehabilitation Project at Albert Park by Peter Austin
In time the whole area surrounding the quarry area will be planted to
Allocasuarina, Acacia melanoxylon, and Banksia marginata (see Figure 4).
She-oaks will be selectively coppiced over time to provide high nitrogenous
mulch that will be chipped for use in the community vegetable gardens in a
renewable and self-sustaining process, to meet ongoing mulch requirements.
After some 5 years the site should reach a point where the embankments and
central quarry area later stage plantings could occur. The transformation pro-
ject will take many years to arrest the ongoing and re-occurring weed issues
on site, however there is scope in later stages of the rehabilitation process for
plantings to showcase the indigenous/endemic plant species on the embank-
ments and future central amphitheatre landscaped areas.
The idea with plantings would be to showcase and educate the potential uses
of local indigenous species for visiting community members gardens, rather
than try to have a botanic gardens-like plant collection. Mass plantings of
species utilising site niches would encourage locals to utilise such species in
their home gardens by providing planting ideas, and promoting low water use