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~
Newsbits
September2008~
Visitors Welcome.
Next
Meeting:
Friday 5th September
7.30pm for 8.00pm start.
*Venue:
Horticultural
Research Station, Research Rd., Narara
*Guest
Speaker: Paul
Speaker for September Paul Our speaker for September will be Paul. Paul is a horticulturist and nurseryman by training and has worked in local government for 20 years and for the last 13 of these has specialised in noxious weeds. He is currently working with Wyong Shire Council in the capacity of Noxious Weeds and Pest Species Officer and has been involved in the “Grow Me Instead” programme with the nursery industry and State Government since its inception. On the night Paul will be talking about weeds and what to do about garden escapees.
Speaker for August Ian
Following a major
taxonomic revision many orchids have recently undergone a name
change and even more will follow in the future (and just when we
were getting to learn the old names). Our local ‘Rock Lily’
Dendrobium speciosum has now been renamed
Thelychiton speciosum and
the ‘Rock Lily’ from farther north
Dendrobium speciosum var hillii
will become Thelychiton tarberi. The D.speciosum var hillii is an epiphyte and grows on trees so characteristically grows its roots upwards, unlike the local D.speciosum which is a lithophyte and has downward growing roots that help it to establish on rocks which is its preferred habitat. Another one to change its name [Pictured right] is the Dendrobium kingianum now known as Thelychiton kingianus and they too are lithophytes liking to grow on rocks although they have been seen growing on trees such as Casuarinas on occasions. D.kingianum will flower better if given a fair bit of sun although their foliage will look a bit on the scrappy side and they are drought tolerant so don’t require much water. However, they are not frost tolerant so need a bit of shelter in the cooler areas where frosts occur. These plants multiply not only by seed but with the emergence of new buds that develop from the top of the plant within the leaf axles and then aerial roots form creating a new plant. These can be pulled off and potted up. A good time to water and fertilise is when new shoots appear but avoid high nitrogen fertilisers from February and through winter months. Plants that have been fertilised and cared for can be recognised by their thick and fleshy stems unlike the neglected ones that produce thin, spindly growth. It is best to use slow release fertilisers such as Osmocote, Dynamic Lifter or a native soluble fertiliser.
When the orchid has
outgrown the pot it should be re-potted into a slightly larger pot
and October is a good time to do this. Don’t over pot; too much
room in the pot allows the orchid medium to break down and the roots
to rot which can bring about the premature death of the plant. Ian
demonstrated the lack of care required when removing the plant from
the pot by simply tearing away the roots. Ian brought along a pot of Pterostylis curta a ground orchid that grows around the Central Coast in profusion. It spreads by shallow underground tubers and can even form a dense mat on the lawn. Another local ground orchid is the Diuris punctata or Donkey Orchid which regenerates by growing a new stalk as the existing flower dies off.
Then there’s the
tropical swamp orchid, The Cymbidium suave is another local orchid, an epiphyte that can be seen growing in the trees at Katandra around the lower car park and also up the top of Katandra at Mnt. Elliott. This plant collects rain water with its fluted leaves that channel the water down onto the plant. Apart from the swamp orchid most of these plants don’t require a lot of water; they can be watered regularly in hot weather in the cooler part of the day but less frequently during the cooler months.
Specimen Table Presented
by Ian Pittosporum undulatum [Pictured left] is a small tree to 10m that bears white fragrant flowers in spring followed by orange capsules. It has weed potential and is a serious problem in the Sydney are and mid-north coast.
Amongst several
Grevilleas on the table was G.sericea a local shrub that grows to
about 1.5m and bears pink flowers for most of the year. Another
local was G.speciosa with red spider flowers that also occur for
most of the year. G.shirressii made another appearance this month;
it’s a quick growing shrub that enjoys a damp spot and flowers in
winter through to spring. Warren from Kincumber has it growing in
a pot with Boronia crenulata and both species are doing well.
Other Grevilleas that were presented on the night were
G.‘Red
Clusters’ which is a small rounded shrub to about 1m that bears
small dark red flowers in clusters for most of the year and attracts
birds and the ever-flowering G. ‘Evelyn’s Coronet’ a registered
hybrid between G.buxifolia and
G.lavandulacea. It grows to 2m high
and bears woolly, pink terminal spider flowers. Long flowering and
propagated by cutting. We saw two Hardenbergias; H.componiana or Native Wisteria, a vigorous climber from WA and then the local H.Violacea, False Sarsaparilla or Happy Wanderer, that will trail or climb and is popular with the birds. Both plants are easy to propagate from treated seed. Another climber was Kennedia rubicunda [Pictured right] another local that bears attractive large red pea flowers mainly in spring. Philotheca myoporoides grows 1-2m and has pink buds that open to white star flowers and will accept a sunny or shady position. Wallabies like the young plants but seem to leave the mature plants alone (if they should be lucky enough to reach maturity that is). A hardy plant and easy to grow. Margaret brought along a large fine specimen of Acacia triptera the Spur-wing Wattle. This is a shrub that will spread to 3m high and even more across. The flowers are rod like and appear in spring and the foliage particularly sharp and prickly. Other Acacias to make an appearance were A.sophorae and A. prominens the Gosford Wattle. Hakea sericea is a tall shrub that grows to 4m high and has prickly foliage. The flowers are generally white but pink forms are around and it flowers from winter through to spring. They have a tendency to attract cockatoos that seek out the borers that attack the plant.
Plant of the Month Presented by Rosemary
Rose chose two plants
for her presentation, the first of these was
Leptospermum laevigatum, This is a tall shrub to 8m high forming dense scrubs beside the sea immediately behind sand dunes. Together with Banksia integrifolia it forms a protective barrier against salty winds for forests of Bangalay (Eucalyptus botroides) or coastal rainforest to develop. The plants range is the NSW Coast, WA, Tas., SA and Victoria. It has flaky bark with grey/green leaves, 15-30mm long, that are flat and broad with three visible veins. The flowers are white and occur from August to October and the capsules smooth 7-8mm wide, green when new, non-woody, and they have ten chambers. All other tea-trees have nine chambers.
In Latin, laevigatum
means smooth and shiny referring to the sheeny capsule. Rose’s second choice for her presentation was Grevillea sericea, [Pictured left] commonly known as the pink spider flower. This is an attractive heath shrub 1-2m high and is the most common of the local grevillea species. The naturalist Robert Brown travelling with Flinders, noted the length of the style is half an inch, and William Woolls noted later on the uniformity of nature, as he measured it also at half an inch. This plant appears throughout the sandstones of the Sydney region, mainly coastal, has tough stiff leaves with hard pointed tips and down-curved margins, that are silver underneath with a layer of fine silky hairs. The flowers are pink and the style always over 12mm long and appear from July November.
Library Update Our Librarian Ann made a request for suggestions for new books to be purchased for the library and circulated a catalogue for people to make some recommendations. Ann and Rosemary will be looking through the library and culling some of the less popular books that are not being borrowed, making way for new publications. The books that are culled will be offered for sale to members or possibly sold off at the Flora Festival. If you have any recommendations to make for new books contact Ann or Rosemary.
World Tree Day Celebrations at Katandra
The weather was good but
cool and quite a crowd turned up for our 10th Anniversary
celebration on World Tree Day. Bill and Betty were amongst the official guests and Gosford City Council was well represented with counsellors Terry and Larry, Natural Resources Manager, Rick, Phil and the Bushcare team; Robyn, Kate, Phil and Damien present . Other guests were the people from the Baha’i group that have been planting trees in an area set aside for them at Katandra for the past 6 years and they hastened to point out that in 4 years they too will be celebrating their 10th anniversary. Most of our Bushcare team was there and it was good to see some of the people who used to be part of the team; Cathy, Heather, Margritte & Bruce, who are no longer able to participate for various reasons; work commitments, moved away, etc.
The day started with a
welcome from APS Central Coast Group President Andrew and was
followed by a thankyou to all Bushcare workers for caring for the
environment from Terry. Audrey introduced guests and Bushcare
members including past members and gave a run down on the planned
activities for the day. We then settled into a delicious morning
tea provided by our APS members. Following morning tea Audrey led the way around the work sites and Geoff Bakewell spoke about the need to enclose the plants in wire baskets to avoid them being grazed by the wallabies. He also spoke about the compounds that have been set up to keep the wallabies out and mentioned the down sides i.e. weeds growing unchecked with no wallabies grazing on them and then weighed them up against the upsides with natural seedlings getting a chance to survive and grow.
All of the plants that
are planted at Katandra are natural seedlings that have been
collected by the Bushcare team from places where they are unable to
establish such as on the edges of pathways and on fallen logs.
They are placed into tubes using an open potting mix with trace
elements and native slow release fertilizer according to directions
on long stem planting and then grown on until they reach the desired
height for deep planting (about 18 months). After checking out the work sites we made our way over to the main track where a deep hole had been prepared to plant a tree – Gmelina leichhardtii or White Beech to commemorate our 10th anniversary of Bushcare at Katandra. A plaque will be erected beside the tree in the future by Gosford City Council. At this point Geoff talked about the advantages of deep planting with Harry standing by while he proceeded to plant our tree and everybody was invited to add a shovelful of soil to the hole.
Following the planting
we all made our way back to the car park, with some of us inspecting
the fungi on the way, and enjoyed a BBQ lunch complements of Gosford
City Council Bushcare.
No anniversary celebration is complete without a cake. Once again the very talented June Strong, our APS group head cook also well known for her jams and pickles, made and decorated a beautiful cake that featured flannel flowers, wattle and bottle brush. Betty and Bill did the honours cutting the cake and a great day came to a close.
June’ Recipe for Lumberjack Cake June not only made and decorated our celebration cake she also brought along a Lumberjack Cake for morning tea and many people who attended Katandra on the day requested a copy of the recipe. Lumberjack Cake Recipe can also be found in Bits & Pieces along with other recipes from June.
Lumberjack Cake Method
Topping Method
Flora Festival Thursday 11th September – Sunday 14th September Festival time has arrived and the first set up day is Sunday 7th September and we will start at 12 noon. Some of the sessions on the roster are looking a little lean. These are the early sessions of the sale days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday 9am until 10am and the late sessions on Thursday and Friday of the sale days from 2.30pm until 5.30pm. If you are able to help for even a part of one of these sessions it would be a help. Points to Remember –
Saturday 27th September Frogs This exciting workshop is about Australian frogs and their conservation. The main focus of the day will be the habitat requirements of frogs, how to construct backyard habitats for frogs and restoring frog habitat. Bookings essential. Phone Community Environment Network (CEN) Administration 4349 4756 or email cccen@cccen.org.au to book your place.
Friday 31st October Bats Everything you wanted to know about bats but were afraid to ask. A two hour information session focusing on bat biology and ecology; bat recognition; and Flying foxes and microbats.
Bookings essential. Phone Deb on 4320 4224 or John 4358 0406 to book your place.
Gosford Bushcare Training Calendar
Bookings essential, please contact 4325 8195 or 4325 8169 to book your place.
Lost Gardens of Sydney Exhibition The Historic Houses Trust of NSW is holding an exhibition at the Museum of Sydney from the 9th August through to November. Lost gardens of Sydney explores Sydney’s rich and diverse gardening heritage, tracing the rise and fall of a number of Sydney gardens and garden styles, from the native bush and significant early colonial gardens, to nurseries and the gardens of the rising middle class, to the small domestic gardens of the inter-war years, to corporate roof-top gardens and threatened gardens of today. The exhibition features paintings, drawings, photographs, plans, statuary, floral albums and botanical images, and is sure to charm anyone with an interest in gardens, flowers and the environment. The Museum of Sydney is situated on the corner of Phillip and Bridge Streets Sydney and the exhibition is open from 9.30am – 5pm. Entry is $10 for adults, $5 for children and concession and family entry is $20. For more information telephone (02) 9251 5988 or visit the HHT website.
Gardening Australian Expo Friday 29th – Sunday 31st August Sydney Olympic Park 9.30am – 4.30pm Admission $17 Adult or $15 for Seniors/Pensioners. www.abcgardeningexpo.com.au
Open Gardens Saturday 30th – Sunday 31st August Silky Oaks, Oakdale 140 Russell Lane, Oakdale Visit Margaret & Peter’s garden part of the Australian OpenGarden Scheme. There will be guided tours, plants & books for sale and refreshments. Sunday 21st & Sunday 5th October Hartley Hill Homestead, Newcastle 12 Knight Street Cardiff Sth Hartley Hill has 1.5 hectares of native gardens surrounded by natural bushland. It is positioned within the Newcastle urban zone and is an important wildlife refuge. Entry $5 per person. Devonshire teas available. All proceeds to be donated to the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
September Bus Trip Sunday 28th September
Our September bushwalk
will be a bus trip which has been arranged for Su The bus will leave at 8.30am sharp from the western side of Gosford Station with a stop at Kariong to pick up more passengers and take us on tour of 2 gardens and a Reserve in the Newcastle/Hunter region. The first of these will be the garden of Mark Henley at Charlestown which is a long established native garden on a double sub block and here the APS Newcastle Group will join us for morning tea which they have kindly offered to supply. Our second stop will at Awabakal Reserve at Dudley on the coast just north of Belmont. This will also be our lunch stop. Following lunch we will be moving on to Leanne Patterson’s garden which is a large property with horse paddocks. The plan is to be back at Gosford Station at around 4pm. Come along, bring your friends, bring your family but be sure to book early to guarantee your seat on the bus. The cost of a seat on the bus will be $25 which we would like to collect at the September meeting or sometime before the day. You will need to bring a picnic lunch, drinking water, hat and sunscreen and of course the camer
August Bushwalk Thommos Loop 25 Eager people set out from Staples Lookout for a stroll/walk in Brisbane Water National Park. The floral display was magnificent and gave us a taste of what to expect in the coming months. Our display at the Flora Festival should be terrific this year. Some of the highlights included Boronia serrulata, B.ledifolia, Tetratheca thymifolia, T.ericifolia, Acacia oxycedrus, Gompholobium grandiflorum and Pultenaea rosmarinifolia and the very interesting scribbles on a Eucalyptus haemostoma that was popular with the shutterbugs. A short storm with some hail shortened our lunch break and sent us all scurrying for cover. Thanks Diana for a very enjoyable walk that begs to be revisited sometime soon.
Audrey
Pultenaea rosmarinifolia Acacia oxycedrus
Cd - Native Plants & Bushwalks Of The Central Coast The CD contains over 400 photographs and lists 24 bushwalks in National Parks, State Forests and Reserves of the Central Coast region and each bushwalk has a listing of the plants which may be found along that walk. In some cases maps are included. The disc is available for $15 plus $2.50 if postage (within Australia only) is required and can be ordered by filling in the form below and posting to Diana Dean 4 Grants Road, Somersby 2250, or purchased at any of our monthly meetings. An order form is now available for download on our website. With most computers it will be necessary to click on the ‘Start’ menu, go to ‘My Computer’, and double click on the CD or DVD drive. Most people will be able to access the CD by clicking on the ‘Internet Explorer’ icon. For computers that are not operating with Microsoft the CD can be accessed by clicking on the ‘Acrobat Reader’ icon.
CD - Native Plants & Bushwalks of the Central Coast
Many years ago Alan created a list of plants that the group had identified while on their monthly bushwalks. This list was passed over to Diana & Barry a few years ago and it was then converted into a data base. Over the past 3 years a great many more plants have been added to the list and now 800 plants are included on the data base. Photographs were also collected along the way some taken by Diana & Barry and others taken by some of the keen photographers amongst the group members. From this data base and collection of photos a DVD was produced to run on the coach for the Sydney Tour of the ASGAP Conference last year. This particular tour was subsequently cancelled due to lack of numbers but a seed was planted and the thought of a CD began to grow. After many hours spent at the computer the CD is now complete. It contains over 400 photographs and lists 24 bushwalks in National Parks, State Forests and Reserves of the Central Coast region and each bushwalk has a listing of the plants which may be found along that walk. In some cases maps are included. The disc is available for $15 plus $2.50 postage (within Australia only) The CD can be purchased at any of our monthly meetings.
or if you wish to order
a form is available from this website.
The Committee and members would like to thank Diana and Barry for all the effort and hours spent in producing the CD the profits from the sale of which will benefit the group.
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