Welcome to the January-February enewsletter |
|
|
Native Plants for NSW – Jan–Feb 2021
The monthly enewsletter of the Australian Plants Society NSW |
|
|
Bossiaea heterophylla (photo: Karlo Taliana) |
|
|
In our January–February issue
-
Welcome to the enewsletter
-
From the President Activities – meetings and plant sales -
Pea flowers of Georges River National Park
Graft-chimeras on eremophilas -
Sourcing plants and seeds: responses from our experts group New threatened ecological community listed
Have your say on our direction Summer issue of Australian Plants journal -
Study Group updates: Banksia
-
More summer reading
- On the APS NSW website.
|
|
|
Welcome to the enewsletter
Welcome to the first issue for the year. Hopefully, we'll have more activities than last year, but there's still lots to read.
Our enewsletter is emailed to members at the end of the month. Each issue is also saved as a pdf file here. Stories, photos, events and feedback are welcome. Please email the editor Rhonda Daniels at enewsletter@austplants.com.au |
|
|
|
|
From the President John Aitken
Welcome to a new year. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and had a great start to 2021. Let's hope this year won't be as uncertain and disrupted as 2020 and we will be able to get back to physical meetings and other activities – public health orders permitting.
North Shore had offered to host our first gathering for the year but, with the current space restrictions, it has been cancelled due to hall capacity. Instead, North Shore is holding a plant sale by appointment on Saturday 13 March and APS NSW will be hosting a Zoom meeting at 3pm Saturday 20 March with guest speaker Peter Olde on new grevillea hybrids. More information in the March enewsletter. The board is updating our strategic plan for the next three years and seeking feedback from members. See the article below for details. |
|
|
Activities – meetings
Across all the APS groups, there are various approaches to meetings early this year – some in person and some by Zoom. Please check the calendar on the website here for details and be prepared for changes. Friday 12 February – Mark Schuster on fire management, North Shore Group
The meeting will include the AGM and talk by guest speaker Mark Schuster, Environmental Planner and Ecological Scientist at Ku-ring-gai Council. Mark's talk titled Living on a razor's edge addresses trying to balance both asset protection and biodiversity in fire management. There will also be a short plant ID session. From 7.45 pm. Please email paulandsuefreddo@bigpond.com for the Zoom link.
Saturday 20 March – APS NSW quarterly gathering, New grevillea hybrids with Peter Olde
From 3 pm by Zoom. Details next enewsletter.
Saturday 15 May – APS NSW quarterly gathering at Kurnell
Sutherland Group will be hosting this physical meeting at Kurnell.
Catch up on talks from 2020 on our YouTube channel here. |
Activities – plant sales
Saturday 13 March – Plant sale at Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden
Instead of hosting a quarterly gathering in March, North Shore Group is having a low-key plant sale at our shadehouse at Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden. Our plants have grown well over summer and we have a wide range (although not huge numbers of each species) of home-grown and bought-in local plants needing new homes.
The sale is for APS members only and by prior booking only. This will allow us to be COVID-safe, and avoid over-crowding in our small shadehouse and the very small car park. We will prepare a list of the plants available and their growing details to help buyers choose on the day. Please book with Sue Bowen on suzanneebowen@gmail.com or 0478 957 951. Please bring your own carry boxes or bags, and bring wet weather gear if raining as the shadehouse lacks cover. We prefer payment by credit card.
Saturday 13 March – Sutherland Council Community Nursery open day
The nursery is open Monday to Friday, but this is an open day for those who can't make it to the nursery during the week. Come in and see a selection of plants indigenous to Sutherland Shire, with tubestock from $2.70. Limited parking available on site. Social distancing and COVID-19 guidelines apply. Enter from 345 The Boulevarde, Gymea. Details here. 1–2 May and 8–9 May – Open days and plant sales at Illawarra Grevillea Park at Bulli
|
|
|
|
|
Pea flowers of Georges River National Park
Karlo Taliana from East Hills Group regularly walks around the Picnic Point area of Georges River National Park in southern Sydney where some of the greatest general flora diversity exists. Each year, our local pea flowers decorate the bush with a variety of colours while also providing a valuable food source for insects. Read more here with Karlo's photos.
Photo below: Gompholobium grandiflorum with keel opened by a pollinator |
|
|
|
|
Graft-chimeras on eremophilas
Grafting is often the only option to grow plants in soils and climates outside the normal habit, including for eremophilas. Russell Wait from the Eremophila Study Group reports on graft-chimeras, which can arise in grafted plants. A growth, known as ‘graft-chimera’, can form within callus tissue at the graft union. Chimeras occur in other plant families, either naturally or contrived to produce features such as variegated foliage.
Read more here. Photo below: Eremophila hygrophana |
|
|
|
|
New threatened ecological community listed
The community 'River-flat eucalypt forest on coastal floodplains of southern New South Wales and eastern Victoria’ has been included on the list of threatened ecological communities under the federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Protection of this forest protects habitat for many threatened and fire-affected species including platypus, swift parrot, greater glider, koala and the Camden white gum (Eucalyptus benthamii).
Read more here. |
|
|
|
|
Sourcing plants and seeds: answers from our experts group
We get many emails about sourcing plants and seeds. Our first advice is to look at the list of plant and seed suppliers on our website here. Glenda Browne then shares the message with our experts group in case they have special knowledge (which they usually do). Read some of the questions and responses in 2020 here. |
|
|
|
|
Have your say on our direction for the next three years
We last developed a formal strategy for APS NSW in 2017 and now it is time to rethink our direction and focus. We've achieved strong outcomes over the last three years with our website, social media presence, online payments and outsourced financial management, and our membership has grown with concern about bushfires and climate change.
Have your say on opportunities. Secretary Heather Miles will be hosting three strategy discussion sessions by Zoom in early February for members to contribute their thoughts and ideas or email secretary@austplants.com.au.
See the dates here and email for Zoom details. |
|
|
|
|
Summer issue of Australian Plants journal
The Summer 2020/21 issue of Australian Plants is the second issue commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Endeavour voyage: 1770–2020. Titled 'Along the east coast of Australia', it was produced by Lawrie Smith AM of Native Plants Queensland. It was mailed to members and subscribers in mid January.
Read more here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Study Group updates
Explore our wide range of national Study Groups and their newsletter archives. Read how to join a group for free here. Our Study Group liaison officer Nicole Maher summarises recent newsletters.
Banksia Study Group Newsletter 26, Summer 2020/21
The Banksia Garden at the Australian National Botanic Garden in Canberra was formally opened in October 2020. The beds have been planted with over 80 species and cultivars, with many plants quite aged when planted out. Kevin and Kathy Collins donated a complete collection of cones of all the banksia species to display at the new garden, a first anywhere in the world.
The Collins reported on the great lengths to which botanists in the UK have gone to grow banksias (and other species), ranging from the use of micro-climate areas to growing plants in pots, glass houses and the huge temperature-controlled dome structures of the Eden Project. The Collins saw plants grown from their own Banksia Farm seed, and shared their knowledge to support UK growers in their efforts.
The Banksia Farm has trialled a new mineral rock fertiliser on 20-year old Banksia goodii plants that were overrun with weeds and infested with snails. Dead foliage was removed, and the area weeded and covered with 10 cm of well-decomposed banksia mulch as banksias prefer their own banksia mulch. The mineral rock was applied, then raked lightly into the mulch, and watered well to release the microbes. It has also been applied to other old inactive banksias which have responded well after six months with new growth and vigour. New edition of Banksias book We still have hard cover copies of the new edition of Banksias by Kevin Collins, Kathy Collins and Alex George for sale at $55 + $12 p&h. For more information and to buy the book, visit our webstore here. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Summer reading
- The January 2021 issue of Research Matters newsletter from the Australian Flora Foundation is now available. Read more here.
- The January 2021 newsletter from Angus Stewart at Gardening with Angus, titled Advance Australia Where?, reflects on where we are going after the profoundly momentous year of 2020 and the role of science. Read it here.
- Dr Gregory Moore from the University of Melbourne has written several botany articles for The Conversation website recently:
-
- Associate Professor Adrian Dyer from RMIT University explained for The Conversation website: The mystery of the blue flower: nature’s rare colour owes its existence to bee vision
|
|
|
|
|
On the APS NSW website
Our website has our membership benefits, how to join, District Group details, and resources including our Plant Profile database. Members get a membership renewal email and can also renew online here. The form in Australian Plants is for the journal only. Recent stories include: - Discover volunteering opportunities with APS NSW and partners here
|
|
|
Angophora hispida in summer flower with fiddler beetles (photo: Rhonda Daniels) |
|
|
|
