Australian Plant Society
Mornington Peninsula Branch Inc
Incorporation Number A0055734E
Newsletter 19
Issued April 2015
Results of Annual General Meeting 2014
Held on Tuesday 19 August 2014, the committee was voted unanimously with Leader Verena Reich, VicePresident Tricia Allen, Treasurer Chris Long, Secretary Jenny Bolger, Ordinary Members Ruben Buttigieg and
Pam Sayers.
State of the Newsletter – Situation Vacant – Help Wanted Urgently
Sadly, after attempting to soldier on in spite of his health issues, our editor Philip Robinson has decided to
retire from this role completely. As a result we are now looking again for some-one to take this on. In the
meantime, you will be receiving a few “catch-up” newsletters from Verena. They will be quite large because
I’m not skilled at distilling information.
The committee will also be looking at other ways of sending out information about our activities, maybe
making better use of the internet rather than focussing on print. Perhaps you’d like to see more of the
photos that members take on excursions than are feasible to include in a newsletter, and see them sooner.
We would welcome any ideas you may have. And if you have any inclination to help in producing a
newsletter in whatever format, please let me know as soon as possible!
Many thanks to Philip for the time and effort he has made as Editor for our group. Also thanks to Mark and
Karen Allison for their article on Inverawe.
Contents of next Newsletters
·
·
Catchup – October 2014 Orchid Hunt, October 2014 Backyard Birds, December 2014 Flowers and
Fruit
February and March 2015 Downsizing talk and garden visit
April 26 Plant Sale at Seawinds
There will be 6 growers present, mainly local. We need a few volunteers for our publicity table, to
give gardening advice and provide some traffic control. Please contact Verena if you can spare a
couple of hours between 9:30am and 4pm. And of course, come along and get your locally-grown
plants (Philip Vaughan will also be present with his showy plants). With the current rain pattern, it
looks like being a good year to plant in Autumn.
What’s on elsewhere in April and May 2015
April 11, 12
APS Geelong Plant Sale
April 18,19
APS Loddon-Murray Plant Sale
April 18
RBG Cranbourne Friends Eucalyptus Workshop
May 2
APS Melton Bacchus Marsh Plant Sale
May 3
APS Yarra Yarra Plant Sale
Past and present garden design of Coolart Wetlands and Homestead and the
inclusion of Australian native plants
Presented by Eileen Rowe, Parks Victoria Ranger, Tuesday 19
August 2014
The original inhabitants of Coolart were the Bunurong Aboriginal
people. The name ‘Coolart’ is derived from the word "Colourt"
or "Callert" – the Aboriginal name for nearby Sandy Point.
The Coolart estate was purchased as a farming property in 1895
by Frederick Sheppard Grimwade, a Melbourne businessman and
parliamentarian. He built a homestead as his family’s country
retreat.
The property passed through various hands during the
early 20th century before it was acquired by Tom Luxton in
1937 as a place to retire.
He was attracted to Coolart for its swampy area with a lot
of bird activity. This small lagoon was probably on the site
of a quarry used to make the bricks for the original
homestead.
Luxton persuaded the state government to declare the
property a wildlife sanctuary and began a program of
habitat development that included the enlargement of the
lagoon, adding an island for nesting birds.
The garden at time of purchase had functional orchards and
vegetable beds. Some of the existing hedges/wind breaks
would have started senescence. Mrs Luxton was keen to
get the garden developed. In 1938 she commissioned David
Matthews, the Head Gardener at Footscray Botanical
Garden and keen naturalist, to design improvements to the
existing garden. An interesting person in his own right,
David Matthews and the Luxtons most likely met at field
talks given by Matthews at the Somers camp which is next
to the Coolart property. Although he had no formal
qualifications in horticulture, he had an active in designing
local recreation fields and reserves, was a founding member of Tree
Planters Society Victoria, lectured at the Botany School of Melbourne
University and corresponded internationally with experts and colleagues.
In 1930 Lord Somers (then Governor of Victoria) invited him to join him
and his wife as the chief botanist on a trip to Central Australia.
Australian plants chosen by Matthews would have been easy to
propagate and while not widely sold in nurseries were most likely
available from his sources. Australian native plants listed on the plan
included Grevillea rosmarinifolia, Grevillea hillii, Grevillea robusta,
Acacia prominens, Acacia normalis (decurrens), Eugenia (Syzygium)
smithii, Hymenospermum flavum, Eucalyptus (Corymbia) calophylla,
Eucalyptus (Corymbia) ficifolia, Pittosporum undulatum, Melaleuca
hyperifolium. He also specified many non-native shrubs common to the
era.
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Mrs Luxton did not implement all of Matthews’ suggested improvements. It was explained by her daughter
that she did not like parts of the design. It is not known whether that was her personal taste or her opinion
about whether the plants would function in the environment. On Matthews’ plan a lot of trees were
crammed into small spaces. Only a few of the native plants listed were planted and not much in the
suggested placement on the plan. One aspect of the plan that the Luxtons did use is a rock pond and rose
arbour similar to those in Footscray Gardens.
Australian plants that were planted are recorded as including Banksia ericifolia, Eucalyptus ficifolia (Corymbia), Eucalyptus calophylla (Corymbia), Eucalyptus
cladocalyx , Alyogyne huegelii, Dodonea viscosa ‘atropurpurea’, Brachychiton acerifolius (Illawarrra
Flame Tree).
After Tom Luxton died in 1968, Coolart was purchased by the Victorian State Government for conservation
and education purposes. Several conservation plans for the garden were developed. In 1986 J. le Patoural
wanted to implement the Matthews design paying homage to his early additions of Australian natives to the
garden. John Hawker in 1993 found it unfeasible to implement Matthews design and directed the garden to
follow on with Mrs Luxton’s plantings.
When the government took over, it was seen that the park needed more car-parking, picnic areas and so on.
In the early stages they re-vegetated the paddocks and created the wetlands beyond the lagoon. In the initial
stages the plants came from forestry sources and were not indigenous. Car parks were planted with spotted
gum (Corymbia maculata) and mahogany (Eucalyptus botryoides). Other plants included Melaleuca
armillaris, Acacia baileyana, Acacia elata and Callistemon species.
In the mid-80’s Coolart had a strong volunteer
community as well as other community programs, a large
nursery was create to grow a lot of locally collected seed,
these plants were planted in the wetlands and outer
paddocks.
Parks Victoria took over the management of the property
in 1996, advised by the Coolart Wetlands and Homestead
Trust and further plantings have since taken place,
particularly of indigenous plants.
The present garden with regard to native plantings
Introduced native plants have come to create
problems in the nearby regeneration areas. The
mahogany gums cross-pollinate with the indigenous
manna gums, they seed easily and the resulting trees
are unpalatable to the koalas. Acacias planted in the
picnic and car parks areas have seeded into the areas
that are not maintained under the garden program.
In particular, even though Acacia dealbata is found
locally, it is not a common member of the coastal EVC
(Ecological Vegetation Class) so its spread is a
problem. Melaleuca armillaris is just an ugly plant
and tends to fall over. The Grevillea robusta have
been spreading their seed across the garden beds.
Pittosporum undulatum has a lovely form but has
become a major pest across the peninsula.
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Management plans for Coolart now have zones for the exotic garden around the house and native plantings
for carparks, picnic areas, the revegtation and wetland areas. The public car park and picnic areas provide an
opportunity to show how you can create a great effect with native plants areas. However, the past theory of
“plant it and leave it on its own” created daggy growth in unkept garden beds. These areas are a first
impression and need more care spent on them. The challenge is how to do this with extremely limited
resources.
In the non-formal beds such as the picnic area we have
begun working to replant with indigenous species. They
grow with little looking after to establish themselves, only
a couple of watering cans on hot weeks and wire guards
to stop the rabbits grazing. However, they will require
pruning and thinning out as well as weeding. We have
been very impressed with the outcome and will keep
filling these beds. Plants are sourced from Kareelah
indigenous nursery in Bittern. The photo shows an
attractive bed of Myosotis australis, Pelargonium australe,
Correa reflexa, Bursaria spinosa, Lomandra longifolia,
Dianella revoluta, Billardiera longiflora, Hakea sericea.
Other plants used include Allocasuarina paludosa and
Kunzea ericoides.
In the difficult to grow areas, plantings of Tetragonia implexicoma
and Rhagodia candolleana cover the ground, this works well under
the old uplifted cypresses. The rhagodia can be an issue of
smothering in areas where you plant it with younger trees we
have also attempted to plant these ground smoother plants to
reduce the weeds in the carpark. It works to the point that you
don't notice the weeds growing up until they are seeding.
We are introducing indigenous species to the non-formal areas for the same reasons as for revegetating with
local source seed. The provenance of the seed increases the success rate of survival, the local genetic
memory bank helps with that plant’s ability to cope with the local soils and weathers. This practice will help
in future with the seed disposal and pollination of other species grown in the bush surrounds.
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Point Nepean National Park Saturday 20 September 2014
For September’s excursion we headed to the “deep south” of the Peninsula, to explore Coastal Moonah
woodland on calcareous (alkaline) sand, within Point Nepean National Park. The 560 hectares of this park
contains fairly intact remnant coastal vegetation and time constrained us to see only a small area of the
variety of plants in this region.
Ranger Kate met 18 members at Gunner’s Cottage to give directions for the walk. She took us to the first
point of interest on the Walter Pisterman Heritage Walk to show the results of a controlled burn that had
been carried out in 2012. Our main guide for the day, Vice-President Tricia Allen then took over. The
difference between the 2 sides of the track were evident. On the right, unburned degraded woody weedinfested understorey, on the left the results of the burn. Pre and post burn monitoring conducted to
establish the flora species showed that pre-burn there were 19 indigenous species, while after the burn 32
species were identified. Even though more weed species were also identified post-burn, the weeds were
removed by follow-up treatments. The photos below show the dramatic change in appearance.
Pre-burn
Post- burn
Our main guide for the day
was Tricia Allen
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Tricia’s enthusiasm
about the recovering
vegetation was
contagious:
Not surprising with a colourful mix of Swainsona
lessertiifolia and Zygophyllum billardierei (Coast
Twin-leaf)
Two of the many species of
Olearia that grow in the
Park, their lush growth
under young Moonahs
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An unexpected precursor to October’s Orchid
Hunt, a solitary stem of Caladenia latifolia
(Pink Fairies) persuaded the cameras to
appear.
Our stroll took us to the remains
of the former quarantine cattle
jetty at Observatory Point, where
a couple of flowers of Running
Postman (Kennedia prostrata)
were spotted behind the sign on
the right, once we left the cover of
the weed Polygala
myrtifolia.
From this point, a unanimous choice was made to
return along Coles Track through the woodland,
rather than continue along the beach. We were
rewarded with further delights and surprises. A
solitary Correa reflexa flower glowed in the shade.
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The succulent leaves of
ground covers and climbers
show adaptation to the dry
coastal conditions, but can
also grow in semi-shade
under the Moonahs - Bower
Spinach (Tetragonia
implexicoma ), Seaberry
Saltbush (Rhagodia
candolleana) and Rounded
Noon-flower (Disphyma
crassifolium ssp.
Clavellatum). Note the weed
Polygala myrtifolia on the
right.
Besides Moonah (Melaleuca
lanceolata), Coast Wirilda (Acacia
retinodes var uncifolia) also makes
up the canopy in many places
behind the dunes.
Many thanks to Tricia Allen for leading us on this lovely morning.
If you would like to read more about the vegetation at Point Nepean, there is an excellent booklet at
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/204154/CoastalMoonahFieldGuide.pdf
For information about weeds in this area, look at
www.nepeanconservationgroup.org.au/f.ashx/environmental-weeds-brochure.pdf
Verena Reich
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Two Mornington Gardens Saturday 15 November 2014
November is not usually a time you would think of for visiting gardens, the Spring flush of flowers is mostly
over, the plants have only just been pruned so the foliage is not at its best either. Spring in 2014 was
unusually hot and dry, but two of our members were brave enough to let us see their gardens. The locations
of these gardens are quite different in soil type (sand vs clay), size (small suburban vs 2/3 acre) and
topography (flat vs slope), and the underlying plans for each garden. Both gardens had recently undergone
heavy maintenance. As a result, the 19 members and visitors were able to learn a lot from comparing and
contrasting the two.
Pat Holeywell (third from left)
provided us with notes about
her small garden with a list of
plants, a surprisingly large
number of different plants for
an area of about 500 square
metres, and quite a few of
them in flower Hymenospermum flavum,
Agonis flexuosa, Grevillea
Robyn Gordon, Peaches and
Cream, and John Evans,
Alyogyne huegelii, Pimelea
rosea, Chrysocephalum
apiculatum, Scaevola albida, Goodenia ovata
prostrate, Callistomen and Lasiopetalum species.
Here are her notes:
My garden was started in 1993 which had
previously been farmland. The idea was to plant
small trees around the perimeter, with a
planned garden area, so that when we were
unable to garden ourselves, the garden part
could be out into lawn and easily mown. About
three years ago I decided to clear out some of
the straggly plants in the garden area and
replace them with lower growing shrubs which
could be easily managed.
Most of these replacements were in small
pots (mainly from Bunnings) after I had
some garden plastic put down which makes
it more difficult to dig big holes. The front
garden (no plastic) is very dry because of
the street tree. Because of water
regulations the sprinkler system is no
longer in use and has been replaced with a
limited drip system.
Visitors were a little distressed by the carcass
of a bird on the grass, caused by a Little Raven,
it turned out to be a Noisy Miner, no great
loss, according to Pat.
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Melaleuca huegelii
grown from seed by Pat
From left to right: Acacia cognata, Grevillea Peaches and
Cream, Hymenospermum flavum, Indigofera australis
Pat’s small suburban garden was so interesting and took so much time to inspect and ask questions and
discuss, that the morning tea provided by Moira Robinson at their place was almost lunch.
Mature banksias and grafted grevilleas on the North-facing slope thrive on the good drainage for the heavy
clay soil as well as plenty of sun. Small paths define the garden beds, with no lawn areas. One of the beds
has suffered from too much runoff from building works at the back of the property, and has been raised to
compensate. He uses black mulch which provides a background to highlight foliage.
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Philip Robinson is a lover of the genus Eremophila and
he has a marvellous collection of mature species,
including Eremophila pinnatifida, an endangered
species.
Help with weeding is always appreciated
Philip’s garden has also undergone many
changes recently, due to the removal of huge
decrepit cypresses. He has taken advantage
of the areas newly exposed to sunshine to
plant Xerochrysum and Chrysocephalum with
long-lived and brightly-coloured flowers.
Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by
the number of plants in flower, as well as
being enthralled by the multitude of
textures.
Many thanks to Pat, Philip and Moira for allowing us to visit and for providing notes and refreshment.
Verena Reich
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Inverawe Native Gardens January 2015
In January we flew down to Tasmania to stay with friends who lived in Margate. One afternoon we visited
local attraction, the Inverawe Native Gardens, whose ad we had see in Growing Australian. It’s 15 minutes’
drive south of Hobart. On our arrival we met the aptly named owners, Margaret and Bill Chestnut. Margaret
was able to give a detailed summary of what the garden offered and how they had gone about creating and
continually extending it in the last eleven years. After that she left us to wander, map in hand. We set off
along the upper terraces past correas, goodenias and grevilleas.
Pretty soon we came to the first of the many quirky
features of the garden, life size models of two old
botanists, Robert Brown and Jacques-Julien Houtou
de Labillardière discussing their discoveries from over
two hundred years ago.
We continued through an area of hakeas out to a section of
Tasmanian trees and shrubs which are helping to create/extend
a wildlife corridor. Along the way we passed a number of
collections of cute clay sculptures of worker elves and from
time to time there were mounted poems.
It was all very interesting. We kept to the lower paths and made our way to the banksias, our favourite
plants. Most of the ones we saw we recognised, banksias ericifolia, serrata, praemorsa and …
Banksia petiolaris …
…. but seeing the quirky
Banksia quercifolia was a lovely
surprise.
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From there we returned towards the house, past the
section of the garden named Rabbit Hill Lookout. Sadly
there was lots of evidence of rabbit burrowing which was
certainly making it hard for the groundcovers and other
shrubs to hold the soil in that area.
Melaleuca hypericifolia
Goodenia elata
More poems, a couple of quizzes and a chat with
Bill and Margaret were followed by a quick circuit
of the lovely paper daisies (Xerochrysum hybrids) in
the Secret Garden section which saw us complete a
very pleasant couple of hours.
After purchasing a packet of seeds to try growing
the paper daisies back in Dromana we escaped to
the car just as rain started. Perfect timing!
Mark and Karen Allison
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Day
Date
Tues
17 February
Evening –
7:30pm
Benton Square
Community Centre
Downsizing
Bob O’Neill
21 March
Day –
10:30am
Narre Warren
Garden visit
Bob O’Neill
Tues
21 April
Afternoon
– 2:30pm
Benton Square
Community Centre
Putting Nature into
your nature strip
Mornington Peninsula Shire
officer
Sun
26 April
9:30 am 4:00pm
Seawinds
Plant Sale
Sat
16 May
Day –
10:30am
RBGC Orchid
Conservation Facility,
Cranbourne
Excursion and talk
Dr Noushka Reiter
Ecologist
Australian Network for Plant
Conservation
Tues
16 June
Evening –
7:30pm
Benton Square
Community Centre
Plant Maintenance
Warren Warboys, RBGC
Sat
18 July
Day –
10:30am
TBC
Garden visit
TBC
Sat
?? July
Day 9:30am
Devilbend Reserve
Planting morning
Sam Pollard
18 August
Afternoon
– 2:30pm
Benton Square
Community Centre
AGM
Tues
Peninsula Pea Family
Gidja Walker
Sat
19
September
Day –
10:30am
TBA
Pea flower field trip
Gidja Walker
Sat
??
September
Day 9:30am
Devilbend Reserve
Weeding morning
Sam Pollard
Sat
3 or 10
October
Day –
10:30am
Buckley & Woods
Reserves TBC
Wildflower Walk
Tues
20 October
Evening –
7:30pm
Benton Square
Community Centre
Members’ Night
Plant Table
Members
Tues
17
November
Evening –
7:30pm
Benton Square
Community Centre
Peninsula Eucalypts
Leon Costermans
Sat
5 or 12
December
Day –
11am
Rosebud
Flowers & Fruit
Final Lunch
Verena Reich
Sat
Time
APS Mornington Peninsula Calendar 2015
Venue
Topic
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Speaker / Guide