July 2021 Sutherland Group Newsletter

About Sutherland Group Coming up.. We meet at 8 pm every third Wed, 21 Jul Sutherland Group meeting – Zoom meeting Wednesday from February to November at Gymea Community Sun, 1 ug JB Reserve working bees are currently Centre, 39 Gymea Bay Rd, Gymea. Thu, 5 Aug suspended, more here Visitors welcome. Wed, 18 Aug Sutherland group meeting. We support awareness and Look out for.. Woolsia pungens (snow wreath) conservation of Australian native plants.

See our website & Facebook http://austplants.com.au/Sutherland

www.facebook.com/APS.Sutherland

President Leonie Hogue 75A Wattle St Jannali 2226 [email protected] Ph 0416 286 083

Secretary Rhonda Daniels [email protected] Ph: 0491 629 760 Woolsia pungens growing on the Florence Parade Trail, Treasurer (Ph: P. Shelton) Anne Webb Here’s another fantastic plant found on my currently restricted 9 Connels Rd walking range! Again it is one best seen on a bushwalk as not a lot Cronulla 2230 are in cultivation. Right now there are quite a number of these in full Ph 9523 6067 flower, sometimes generating a honey scent when there are enough Publicity Officer & of them. I even saw a Superb blue wren under one last week. He Speaker Convenor was too quickly gone to watch for long (or photograph). Ralph Cartwright W. pungens is named for its sharply point leaves (pungent as in [email protected] sharply pointed), just reach out and touch one. The flowers age to Ph 9548 1074 pink and the shrub is erect to 1.5m high. It is endemic to the central 0416 030 872 eastern coastal area around and a little beyond.

Newsletter Editor Inside this issue Peter Shelton For your diary ...... 2 [email protected] From the President ...... 2 Ph 0411 286 969 At the June Meeting ...... 3 Walk at Burnum Burnum ...... 7 Newsletter Deadline: Life Member - Leonie Hogue ...... 8 First Wednesday of the month Conservation award – John Arney ...... 10 News and more ...... 12

For your diary Contact John Arney ph 9525 0449, [email protected] Wed, 21 Jul Sutherland Group meeting Member From 7.15 pm Yes, we’re still having a July meeting, but it’s back to Zoom – details below. We’ll have a for 7:30 pm start members’ night focusing on photos of whatever plants you want to share. It could be members’ night focusing on photos of whatever plants you want to share. It could be something in your garden or from a recent walk, a flower or something else interesting. Because Dan is having internet access issues, please email any photos to Rhonda at [email protected] by Tuesday 6 pm. Or you can prepare your own Powerpoint of a few photos and share your screen during the meeting. Ralph Cartwright will also provide an update on the consultation for Royal National Park’s plan of management so you can make a submission by the closing date of 2 August. Zoom meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82161160014?pwd=MXVUcHdlaEliaHRydTFuVDF3Nmludz09

Meeting ID: 821 6116 0014 Passcode: 314516 Official start time 7.30 pm, but join from 7.15 pm for a chat. Sun, 1 Aug Joseph Banks Reserve working bees are currently suspended Thu, 5 Aug more here Wed, 18 Aug Sutherland Group meeting. From 7.45 pm for 8:00 pm start, at Gymea Community Hall. (Covid19 regulations permitting) Sun, 12 Sep Stony Range 60th Anniversary Spring Festival. Sutherland Group will have a trip to visit Stony Range at Dee Why by public transport. See story below, page 6 Sun, 19 Sep Bushcare Fair, Park Menai 11 – 16 Sep, 2022 ANPSA Biennial Conference delayed until 2022 due to Covid-19 considerations.

APS groups nearby Have you considered visiting another local APS group? Each group welcomes APS members and visitors, so check your diary. East Hills Group Menai Wildflower Group Wednesday 4 Aug, from 2 pm Saturday 11 Aug, 1 pm (1st Wednesday of every month except January) Illawong Rural Fire Brigade Lugarno-Peakhurst Uniting Church Old Illawarra Rd, Illawong 909 Forest Road, Lugarno (opposite the Lugarno shops) https://austplants.com.au/Menai-Wildflower https://austplants.com.au/East-Hills From The president Welcome to our July newsletter and our members meeting for this month. I hope you aren’t feeling too miserable at home after you have had to cancel activities, get-togethers with family and friends and all your social face to face time. I must admit I am! But at least this month we can get together on zoom. And have a chat. It will be a members meeting with no formal speaker. If you have something to share, get it ready and Rhonda or Ralph will help you. We will have some time limits to keep the meeting moving so most people can contribute. Let’s hope it works well. For those who haven’t heard, Jan Taylor, our invaluable supper hostess, had a bad fall when out gardening. She is now out of hospital and is at home moving very gingerly. After all this Covid lockdown is over, she may enjoy some visitors. Keep well and safe. Leonie Hogue

APS Sutherland – July 2021 2

At the June Meeting Visiting Mungo National Park and Central Western NSW Heading for , we made our way quite leisurely west from via the Blue Mountains stopping first in Portland. Portland is a one-industry town and is the site of ’s first cement which have now re-badged as The Foundations and is undergoing a transformation into an arts and cultural destination with artist in residence, a sculpture trail, a plant nursery and garden centre, café, monthly indoor markets and of course the painted silos. Our first night was spent at Cowra and we had time to explore the Japanese gardens before they closed. Designed in 1977 by the world-renowned Japanese architect Ken Nakajima, the design is a copy of the first Japanese landscape garden (Strolling garden) built by the first Shogun, Tokugawa, in the early 16th century. The main features of the design incorporate the mountains of Japan, waterfalls and mountain lakes. The hills from the mountains to the ocean are represented by trimmed hedges. The geographical formation of the local terrain and the rocks already on-site made it ideal to replicate the landscape of Japan, in particular the existence of two rocks at the top of the hill. Plantings are mainly exotics, but there are a few native plants in the garden, including the grove of gum trees at the top of the hill which represent the Australian soldiers who were killed in the infamous Cowra breakout in 1944. Nakajima calls this garden his favourite in the world, outside of Japan. They were listed on the National Trust Register in June, 2013 and well worth a visit. Some natives that I recognised were some Westringia fruticosa (Coastal Rosemary) which hedges nicely, and several Grevillea and Callistemon sp , a Brachychyton , a spotted gum, E. maculata , a Sydney blue gum, E. saligna and E. albens, white box. Leaving Cowra and heading towards Griffith, we stopped off in Grenfell, a small town of around 2,700 people. Established in 1866 after a major goldrush nearby, it was on the goldfields diggings that Henry Lawson was born a year later in 1867. Coming into town, you pass a lookout at O'Brien's Hill where there are old mine remains. Interpretive signs, good toilets and a fine view out over the town. It is also the site of the Grenfell Endemic garden. In early 1996, 2 families, including a Noel Cartwright (No relation), wrote to the shire council to lobby for such a garden. It was opened in August 1997 with many of the plants grown from seed and cuttings taken from local bushland and propagated by Noel.

Ruby saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa) Silo art, Portland (Ph: R. Cartwright) A brochure which lists both the common and botanical names is available from the Visitors centre in town. There is also good signage at the garden. Established in 2012, the Weddin Shire community native nursery propagates and sells many of the featured plants. Grenfell and nearby Weethalie both sport more painted grain silos. APS Sutherland – July 2021 3

Our overnight stop was Griffith in the NW of the , famous for food, wine and a university. We explored the nearby Cocoparra NP. The park is 8,000 hectares and includes a line of small hills to 455 metres high overlooking the flat, irrigated land around Griffith. We walked the 2.4km Jacks Creek trail which explores a vast gorge, passing through sheltered gullies and along exposed ridges. Saw several plant species worth talking about. The first one is this small shrub with the common name of Urn heath (Melichrus urceolatus), after the shape of the flowers. They are said to have a pleasant smell, but I forgot to try, being a somewhat spiky specimen ! The plant that most caught my eye was the inland form of Pandorea pandorana or Inland wonga vine. I mentioned this in my cemetery talk a couple of months ago and seems a very different plant out here. The leaves for a start are much thinner and longer than the cultivar in my garden. The flower colour is a creamy/white with reddish/brown markings in the throat. They were flowering profusely when we were there in mid-May and even though described as a woody climber, it was still surprising to me how big and woody some of the stems were. They had taken over some trees on the hillsides and were showering out from rock crevices and leaving a carpet of spent flowers on the ground. Stunning. Leaving Griffith, we travelled west through to Lake Mungo via around 85 km of dirt roads. We settled in to our accommodation at the Mungo Lodge, a privately run facility just outside the park and joined the sunset tour which drove out to the Walls of China lookout and walked up onto the dune system with a guide showing us some artifacts and explain how they were preserved. The semi-arid of South Western NSW is an amazing landscape of dunes and lunettes. Lake Mungo is just one of several long-dried up lakes. Famous for the discovery of Mungo Woman in 1969 and Mungo Man a few years later, Mungo became a National Park in 1978 and is now also a World Heritage area. The creation of the lunettes along the Eastern shoreline of this ancient lake is a long and complicated story, but mainly formed by the winds from the west that blow almost continuously and have done for millennia. When graziers arrived, their hard-hoofed animals did two things to help create the Mungo Walls of China. They cut into the surface of the dried-up lakebed which allowed wind-blown particles to erode the fragile 20m high dunes and overgrazed the remnant vegetation binding the dunes together. As the vegetation cover was removed, wind and rain further eroded the dunes, exposing the artifacts from 45,00 years of occupation. Sand continues to blow and the dune system is moving steadily eastward by about 1 metre every year. The dune vegetation would have been Mixed shrubland consisting of mallee Eucalyptus spp, cypress pine (Callitris spp.), Butterbush (Pittosporum angustifolium), Sandhill Wattle (Acacia ligulata), Needlewood (Hakea leucoptera), Black Bluebush (Maireana pyramidata), grasses and herbs. A compress of warmed butterbush leaves is said to induce milk flow in new mothers and our guide said it is called the weening tree by the local aboriginal peoples. In the Bluebush/saltbush shrublands around the lodge where I went for a walk, I came across a few different saltbush species, including old man saltbush, ruby saltbush and curious saltbush, or cannonball.

Cannonball (Dissocarpus paradoxus) Mungo National Park (Ph: R. Cartwright)

APS Sutherland – July 2021 4

The leaves of many species can be eaten raw or dried, crushed and used in place of salt. Typically, small fleshy, hairy leaves adapted to minimise water loss in harsh conditions. Patches of spinifex too. Despite the harsh landscape, there was plenty of wildlife. We saw grey kangaroo, emu, and quite a few bird species, including Southern whiteface and Mallee ringneck parrots. I also spied a mistletoe, common name harlequin mistletoe (Lysiana exocarpi). You can make out the bright red edible fruit, but like most mistletoe fruits, the pulp is very sticky and so birds spread the seed inside by wiping their beaks on a branch were the seed sticks and grows into a new plant. Leaving Mungo, we drove to Narrandera for a couple of days before heading home. One attraction worth a visit if out that way, is the Narrandera Fisheries Centre who are already supplying one million native fish fingerlings for release into our rivers and looking to expand. Cod used for the breeding program are only kept for a maximum of 5 years before being released again. They can live for 50 years or more. A very interesting couple of hours. Narrandera is situated on the Murrumbidgee River which, via Lake Talbot, provides water for irrigation in the area. Narrandera Wetlands was created to catch the town stormwater which prior to 2005 was discharged direct to the river untreated. River red gums are the main tree seen along the flood plains along the riverbanks and they are home to a growing colony of koalas. Ralph Cartwright

On the plant table The plant table is a great way to see what grows which will attract the birds. Dissected foliage well in Sutherland Shire and what flowers when. with thin segments. Not overly fussy. Give a Please free to email some photos in addition to well-drained soil with good sunlight. Prune showing the plant specimens at the meeting. periodically for good results. These may be included in the newsletter. You can email by reply to the newsletter or to Dan Clarke Grevillea ‘Miami Pink’ A shrub to 1.5 x 1 m, it at: [email protected] has metallic pink inflorescences and the strongly dissected foliage with narrow segments. It is a Plant steward Phil Keane’s nursery, Ausplants R cross between Grevillea banksii x Grevillea Us, is in Sutherland. Visits by appointment or nana.Great for shrubberies and rockeries, allow check out sale days (often Saturday 12 – 4:30) on a well-drained soil which can be on the sandy or https://www.facebook.com/ausplants/` clay side. Prune after flowering and to keep it Ph: 0435 410 857 or [email protected] tidy. Proteaceae Grevillea mucronulata (Green Spider-flower) Banksia ‘Stumpy Gold’ A form of Banksia A locally common shrub in Georges River spinulosa which only grows to 0.5 metres tall x sandstone bushland, it has short elliptic leaves 1.5 metres wide. Produces the typical orange which are finely pointed. The flowers are very inflorescences which can be profuse. interesting, been mainly green but also with Grow in a well-drained soil. Very useful for small tinges of red and yellow. Flowers are hard to gardens. Very attractive plant. see and not produced in large numbers. But this Banksia integrifolia ‘Roller Coaster’ A is a very attractive plant. Not often grown in prostrate or low-growing form of Banksia cultivation but well worth a try. integrifolia – it provides a great ground cover Ericaceae plant for a hillslope or bare area. Prefers a Epacris longiflora (Native Fushcia) One of sandy soil with good drainage. Pruning the few ‘epacrids’ that has taken to cultivation periodically to encourage flowers. and found locally in sandstone outcrops and Grevillea ‘Bush Lemon’ A shrub to 3 m x 3 m, along watercourses. Stunning red-white tubular it is another cultivated grevilla with brilliant flowers for most of the year. Likely needs very yellow flowers and grey-green dissected leaves. good drainage and sandy soils to thrive. Grows Tolerates a range of soils and is very hardy. to about 1 m tall. Brid-attracting. A very nice grevillea. Woollsia pungens One of the ‘epacrids’ which Grevillea ‘Moonlight’ Another popular cultivar, is locally common in our sandstone bushland it grows to 3 x 3 m. Bright yellow inflorescences and one of the few things flowering in Autumn,

APS Sutherland – July 2021 5 though will also flower in winter and spring. It Correa ‘Ivory Beacon’ has slightly spiky clustered foliage that is A form of Correa glabra with pure white flowers interesting to touch and clusters of 5-petaled amongst lush mid-green leaves. It is a very hardy white to dark pink flowers which can be sweetly- shrub and can be pruned into a round shrub to 1 m scented. Is not as easy to grow as Epacris x 1 m. Can grow to about 2 metres tall. Very useful longiflora but is worth a try. Propagate from to plant in a row or as a gap filler. Can be nicely cuttings and give a free draining soil. Grows to shaped. It also goes by the name ‘Ívory Lantern’ potentially 2 metres high. Try it in a container Lamiaceae first! Chloanthes stoechadis A common plant but not Aspholedaceae seen often in Sydney. It grows as a semi-prostrate Geitonoplesium cymosum (Scrambling Lily) A herb and looks a little like lavender when local bushland native vine, closely related to things encountered in the wild. It grows to about 1 m tall such as Asparagus, it is often found persisting in and typically spreads horizontally. It has linear backyards from the original bushland vegetation. It leaves with crenulate margins. It has large cream- is very hardy and can be left to its own devices. It green labiate and tubular flowers in leaf axils which does not get overly large or robust and tends to are often as long or longer than the leaves. It is stick to shady areas. Produces nice six-tepaled often found on rocky ground. Not often cultivated flowers which are very interesting to study, but could be useful in dry gardens. Often found in followed by black berries. Not often cultivated but if the open. you have it, it will hang around. It may need to be Fabaceae pruned back if it “scrambles” over other plants. Acacia linifolia (White Wattle) A somewhat Myrtaceae spindly shrub to 4 metres tall, it is found locally in sheltered gullies and upper ridges, in sandstone Xanthostemon chrysanthus (Golden Penda) and enriched forests. Has very narrow leaves to 3 Endemic to Northern Queensland, it has taken cm long with dainty flower heads in leaf axils. It well to cooler climates. It is a tree reaching 15 does not flower as profusely as other wattles but is m. However, a dwarf form has also been still attractive. produced, growing to about 2 m. Stunning Acacia howittii (Sticky Wattle) A small tree to 8 arrays of bright yellow flowers produced at the m from Victoria with perfumed, pendulous foliage. terminals and attractive lush foliage. Give it There are a number of cultivars including A. some protection from wind and full-hot sun with ‘Green Wave’ which is a sprawling groundcover plenty of water and some soil improvement to good in pots and baskets. It copes with dry and get the best out of it. shade. Prune after flowering to encourage a denser habit and for better flowering next season. Eucalyptus pulverulenta ‘Baby Blue’ This species is small tree native to NSW, with a very Malvaceae restricted distribution and is considered Abelmoschus moschatus (Native Rosella) threatened in the wild. It grows from around One of the native hibiscus-allied species from Bathurst, south to Bombala. It has distinctive northern and eastern Queensland, NT and WA, it blue-grey orbiculate (circular) to heart-shaped has large red hibiscus flowers and trilobed to leaves with makes it attractive to grow. A cultivar palmate leaves. Grows to about 2 metres tall and called Baby Blue is on the market which is likely wide and provides plenty of attraction. Flowers are just a form of the species. Flowers well and produced individually and are about 8 cm across. produces nice fruit. Tolerates heavy soils and Likely hardy enough in a moist well-drained frost. garden, as it can be a weed in some places. The Likely hardy. Can be pruned into all sorts of flowers can be preserved used in jam. The seed shapes and appearances. are used for oil extraction. It is also used in herbal medicine. See page 13. Rutaceae Asterolasia ‘Lemon Essence’ Asterolasia is a More information can be found at these websites: common genus in NSW with several species, www.anspa.org.au www.anbg.gov.au some threatened with extinction. Lemon Essence plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au www.wikipedia.org is thought to have originated from a chance www.austplants.com.au/plant-database seedling of A. correifolia in cultivation. It grows to Plus: Dan Clarke has all the monthly plant table about 2 metres tall. It has elliptic to ovate green information compiled in his Plant Table Master list leaves and lemon yellow star-flowers which are document available from our web site. very attractive. Grow on a well-drained soil in a semi-sunny position. Prune after flowering to Dan Clarke Plant Table Masterlist encourage a dense bush and more flowering.

APS Sutherland – July 2021 6

Walk at Burnum Burnum, Saturday 26 June It seems a long time ago now, in the midst of our stay-at-home orders, but on Saturday 26 June we were able to go on our planned morning walk around Burnum Burnum, a sandstone plateau on the edge of Sutherland and Bonnet Bay. As well as Bruce and me, there was Lucinda, Russell, Anthony, Mary and Dora. It’s a great place to see Proteaceae family species including Grevillea sericea, Hakea sericea, Isopogon anemonifolius, Petrophile and Lomatia silaifolia. There were lots of Banksia serrata and Banksia spinulosa, but we only saw B. ericifolia and B. marginata (with small yellow flowers) in one spot and nowhere else. Under the east–west power lines, an area kept trimmed low, is a mass of heathland plants, very dense and enjoying the moisture. Plant of the day in terms of being everywhere and in flower was Woollsia pungens. Other species we noticed just one of were Boronia ledifolia, Angophora hispida, Exocarpos, and a few Caladenia catenata (white fingers orchids). Along the track edges, there were lots of fungi of various shapes and colours due to all the moisture. We even debated whether one unusual white piece was natural or a piece of plastic – it was tricky. Russell and Anthony pointed out a sea eagle high above.

Boronia ledifolia Caladenia catenata Drosera spatulata (sundew) (Sydney boronia) (White Fingers orchid) (Photos: Lucinda Islip) A photo from a previous walk in this area is on our Sutherland Group pull-up banner. I remember Aileen Phipps talking about the raised swamp. Here we saw plants which like the moisture including Patersonia sericea, Callistemon linearis and Banksia oblongifolia which looks very similar to B. paludosa which does like swampy conditions, but we looked for the rusty hairs on the underside of the leaves. I also remember Aileen telling me about the less common Acacia hispidula, a small shrub with sticky leaves. On the western edge overlooking the Woronora river and the high-level bridge, I said “it should be around here”, and lo and behold we saw one specimen just there. Consulting Robinson, it says “isolated specimen”, but then we did find a few more around it, very small. This area is also interesting because it has both Acacia ulicifolia with cream-lemon flowers and the almost identical Acacia brownii with bright yellow flowers. We saw both in flower. The less common Angophora bakeri is also found here. A word about using ‘Robinson’, full title Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney. This book is 400 pages, with no photos only drawings, and it may seem overwhelming to new members. But once you realise how it is organised, it is much more usable. The front has major families: Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus, Callistemon, Melaleuca and Kunzea), Proteaceae (all the local sandstone favourites), Fabaceae (Acacia). Then it has minor families. Then the sections at the back have particular groups and locations: grasses, ferns, orchids, climbers, rainforest and coastal/estuarine. To identify a plant you see in the bush, you don't have to thumb through every page. If it looks like a fern, go to the fern section. If it is not from one of the major families and is not found in a particular habitat like rainforest or coastal, that also narrows down the pages to look at. The tabs on the top corners of the pages remind you what section you are in. Rhonda Daniels

APS Sutherland – July 2021 7

Sutherland members awarded by APS NSW At the APS NSW quarterly meeting two Sutherland members were awarded. Here are the nominations submitted by Sutherland Group. Life Member - Leonie Hogue

Sutherland Group is very pleased to nominate Leonie Hogue for her outstanding service in several areas: • Increasing awareness and appreciation of Australian native plants through her 20 years of participation in the Royal Easter Show by entering plants in competitions and coordinating the APS NSW stall • Fostering the growing of Australian plants in home gardens and public places, particularly at Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve, Kareela.

Leonie Hogue at Joseph Banks Reserve, Kareela (photo: Liz Aitken April 2021)

Increasing awareness and appreciation through the Royal Easter Show Leonie has made a major contribution to the presence of Australian native plants at the state and national- level public event of the Royal Easter Show. Since the native plant competition was first introduced in 2000, she has coordinated many entries in the native plant competition at the Royal Easter Show from Sutherland Group and from Joseph Banks Reserve for over 20 years. Each year, the entries in many different categories of Australian plants create a great display to attract the public’s interest and showcase the diversity of Australian native plants, despite the timing in autumn which is tough for flowers. She coordinates Sutherland Group entries every year, gathering masses of plant material from members at her home for arranging and leading the arranging team. See photos of entries from 2019 here and from 2021 here. The Royal Easter Show attracts millions of visitors including people from throughout Sydney and NSW, and international visitors, making it a significant public opportunity to display Australian native flowers – both individual specimens and floral arrangements.

APS Sutherland – July 2021 8

Leonie has won many prizes for Sutherland Group which are then used for publicity for APS and Sutherland Group in the local media. She has encouraged other groups to participate, particularly East Hills and Menai, by providing information about the process in Native Plants for NSW and giving talks. She has been so successful in increasing entries over time that the Royal Agricultural Society has gradually expanded the number of categories for Australian plants to include pots and foliage and many sizes of flower arrangements. We were also offered a second day of competition for banksias only. She also coordinated the APS NSW display in the Horticultural Pavilion at the Easter Show for many years (from approx. 2011) until the last year in 2019. This involved designing the limited space to use it most effectively, buying flowers, coordinating a volunteer roster, preparing materials and instructions for volunteers including plant sales and money, setting up the display, regularly visiting to refresh flowers, and packing up the display. Leonie initiated the popular idea of selling packets of pink paper daisy seeds. APS NSW has been one of the few stalls left in the Horticultural Pavilion as other community groups could not maintain their involvement.

Leonie (seated) at the APS NSW stall in 2019 Fostering the growing of Australian native plants Leonie has fostered the growing of Australian native plants in home gardens and public places in several ways. Supporting Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve, Kareela Joseph Banks Reserve at Kareela is one of the few local government gardens in Sydney featuring Australian native plants. For over 25 years, Leonie has been the co-leader of Sutherland Group’s involvement in Joseph Banks Reserve including liaising with Sutherland Council over the Sutherland Group garden area and events and activities. She has participated in our monthly working bees on the first Sunday at the reserve for at least 30 years and in the working bee on the first Thursday since it started in 2010. She has planned and cared for a mixed display of natives in a highly prominent entry position. She initiated our annual massed plantings of pink paper daisies. She has supported our open days at the reserve by giving guided walks and supported our more recent walks and talks. Her prizes in the Easter Show with entries from the reserve have led to media stories on the reserve and native plants. Leonie’s long involvement is shown by her being named, as President of Sutherland Group, on the reserve’s 25th anniversary plaque in 1995. She liaised with Sutherland Council over two stages of masterplan works from 2010 to initiate improvements to the reserve and improve the overall design. In 2020, she planned to be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the reserve, and over 50 years of APS involvement, but COVID restricted our activities.

APS Sutherland – July 2021 9

Participating in open gardens Leonie has promoted growing Australia native plants by opening her garden to APS members and the community. Her garden participated in the Open Garden Australia scheme twice. Her garden was also open to the public in our group’s 50th anniversary year in 2013, and again in 2014 and 2017. Leonie’s level, sunny garden showcases colourful Australian natives in an easily accessible suburban garden setting, and features many of her own artworks particularly mosaics, with an Australian native theme. Leading Sutherland Group Leonie has contributed to the ongoing success of Sutherland Group, one of the largest District Groups in APS NSW, by serving multiple three-year terms as President, and also terms as Vice-President or Secretary for many years and leading the group. When Sutherland Group celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013, Leonie was active in organising our celebrations including a day of six members’ open gardens for the public and anniversary celebration event. She chairs our monthly meetings, ensuring our meetings run efficiently and visitors are welcomed, and hosts our committee meetings. Leonie has initiated and supported innovative ideas for meetings such as propagation workshops and art and craft displays. She regularly brings specimens in flower from her own garden for our plant table at our meetings to share with members. She has supported public events by Sutherland Group over many years such as displays and stalls, and supported APS NSW activities such as Sutherland Group hosting quarterly gatherings. For instance, in March 2021, she gave a talk at a local garden open day supported by Caringbah Garden Club. Other service Leonie has been a Sutherland Group delegate to the board of APS NSW, Vice-President (2002–2004) and Exhibitions coordinator. She has contributed to garden shows at Rouse Hill, Castle Hill and Gardening Australia. She is an enthusiastic supporter of APS events, attending many and welcoming people at the entry table at quarterly gatherings. In summary Leonie’s service is impressive for her unwavering commitment over many years, at least 30 years, to every aspect of Australian native plants, APS Sutherland Group and APS NSW. She has maintained her enthusiasm for promoting Australian native plants through many changes in the organisation and the community. Many of Leonie’s contributions in the 1980s and 1990s, including supporting events and flower shows, are not fully documented here because it was before most current committee members’ time. She even lives in Wattle Road. Rhonda Daniels Conservation award – John Arney

APS Sutherland Group is very pleased to nominate John Arney for the APS NSW Conservation Award.

John Arney is deserving of recognition for his contribution to conservation of Australian native plants through his efforts to increase knowledge and awareness amongst APS members and the public.

APS Sutherland – July 2021 10

Active in Sutherland Group as Walks coordinator and more For many years, he has been the Activities Coordinator for Sutherland Group. In this role he has organised bushwalks and outings to introduce members to the area and share knowledge about our local plants. In many cases, John prepares a list of species likely to be seen on the walk. He uses many different sources for these lists such as older lists in the group, our Coastal Plants of the RNP CD, books and previous walks. Lists are regularly updated. Afterwards, John often writes up these walks for our monthly newsletter to share the activity with other members who were not able to make it. A particular focus of John’s in recent years has been rediscovering plants on the list of over 100 plants collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in 1770 at Botany Bay to use on walks in Kamay National Park. This has required many walks in the area leading up to the 250th anniversary in 2020. John wrote an article on this work for Australian Plants journal in 2020.

John Arney at the label engraving machine John in the field (ph: Ralph Cartwright) He has also organised Sutherland Group’s very popular week-long trips to Charlotte Pass in the Snowy Mountains every two years. These trips are a great introduction to alpine flora for Sutherland Group members, and more recently members of other groups. John organises the week very carefully with a program of walks and alternatives and lots of information. He is also an active member of the twice monthly working bees at Joseph Banks Native Plants Reserve at Kareela. He made plant labels on our metal engraving machine for the reserve for many years and contributed to other projects at the reserve. The reserve is an accessible environment to introduce people to Australian native plants. Prostanthera densa John has also participated in Sutherland Group’s conservation project to locate populations of the endangered Prosthanthera densa in Royal National Park on several outings, led by APS Conservation Officer Dan Clarke. John’s local knowledge and experience has been invaluable. Friends of Royal - https://www.friendsofroyal.org.au/ John has also had a very active role in conservation through his founding role in the group Friends of Royal National Park which was established in 2010 with objectives to coordinate and foster understanding and cooperation between people and groups with diverse attachments and interests in the Royal Area and to support and encourage volunteer community involvement in these reserves. John was elected President of Friends of Royal for two terms from 2015 to 2019 and has been Vice President since 2019. In various other roles with Friends, he has liaised with National Parks staff and other stakeholders on a range of projects to maintain the quality of the natural environment and to improve services and facilities at the park so more visitors can appreciate the unique natural environment. He has conducted Streamwatch activities to monitor water quality.

APS Sutherland – July 2021 11

John leads volunteer working bees in the Royal National Park to achieve conservation in a very practical sense by removing weeds, often in less accessible areas. As part of this work, John discovered a new coastal weed in the Royal National Park, Plecostachys serpyllifolia, which he reported in Native Plants for NSW January 2018, including that it appeared to be the first official record in Australia. John has also designed tools to make killing weeds even more efficient. John also has a strong interest in history including of the Royal National Park and environs which enhances his conservation work with a deep understanding of context. All activities John organises and leads are always conducted to the highest safety standards. Through his efforts in so many different areas, John has contributed to conservation of Australian native plants. Rhonda Daniels News and More Membership academic or researcher or a horticulturalist. I am a volunteer. If you are not receiving the monthly APS NSW enewsletter from enewsletter editor Rhonda I support the aims of the Society by volunteering Daniels, please email [email protected] and being that background helper who runs so we can sort out whether we have your correct meetings, joins committees, helps organise email address in our records. Each monthly issue activities, opens their garden to the public, is a is emailed at the end of the previous month. contact with the local council and generally when someone else has a great idea for promoting Membership renewal Australian plants is there helping in a small way to Members receive an email from APS NSW when bring it to fruition. their membership is due through the year and can I do believe passionately in the aims of the Society renew online on the APS website. Check your and feel that in the present times with climate membership status with our treasurer Anne Webb change and over population there is more need at the March meeting or by phone. than ever for everyone to do whatever they can to Update your first aid for free help support the environment and our flora and fauna. I hope in my own small way I can contribute In 2020, we received a federal government as well. volunteer grant for first aid training. Members can Leonie Hogue complete the one day first aid course at the St George and Sutherland Community College at Jannali. It is held regularly through the year on the first Saturday of the month, approx. 9 am to 3 pm. RNP Draft Plan of If you would like to attend, please contact and pay the college directly at www.workskills.sgscc.edu.au Management or phone 8543 7412. Let me know at It has been over 20 years since the last Plan of [email protected] so we can keep track and Management (PoM) for our local National Parks. reimburse you $120 on course completion. We all And, as we all know, much has changed in that benefit from up-to-date first aid knowledge. time, so this document is badly needed. Rhonda Daniels You can download the 3 related documents via Some thoughtful words on volunteering from this link from the NPWS website: life member Leonie Hogue https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/parks- Rhonda asked Leonie to jot down her wise words reserves-and-protected-areas/park- at the quarterly gathering in May. management/community-engagement/royal-parks- draft-plan-of-management/planning-for-the-future I want to say how I flattered and humbled I am to be nominated by my friends and colleagues for The three documents have the following catchy Life Membership of the Society. I have spent many titles: years as a member of the Australian Plants Royal National Park, , Society and it has been my pleasure and privilege Garawarra State Conservation Area Draft Planning to participate in its many activities. I am not an Considerations

APS Sutherland – July 2021 12

Royal National Park, Heathcote National Park and Member updates Garawarra State Conservation Area Draft Mountain Biking Plan Jan Taylor has had a fall while gardening and after spending some time in hospital she is back at Royal National Park, Heathcote National Park and home recovering. We all wish her well. Garawarra State Conservation Area Draft Plan of Management Anne Webb passed on news of the recent death of former member Gladys Weaver, who was our These are very detailed documents running to over librarian and committee member. 170 pages in total. New member The most contentious issue is that of the mountain bike plan. This is unsurprising given the huge Ian Percy, who was a member 1992–1996, has growth in the sport in the time since the last plan of renewed his interest in growing natives after management. During this time there have been seeing some segments on Gardening Australia. hundreds of kilometres of illegal MTB tracks put He said to membership officer Merle Thompson: I into the park, predominantly in the Heathcote, am happy about following your suggestions of Loftus, Grays Point and Helensburgh areas. The belonging to the Illawarra sub-group of Sutherland, plan calls for riding on approved and well- and even receiving information about activities maintained trails that have passed environmental down at Nowra. I was a member of the Society in impact assessments, which sounds fine, but past the 1990s when there was an Illawarra group who performance has indicated a lack of funding and met at the Corrimal library meeting rooms. In ambition to monitor and police what is there hindsight I perhaps should have been more already. actively engaged with the group instead of pursuing career and work. Having retired now that Other issues raised by Friends of Royal, relate to has changed so hopefully I can be more Fox and Deer control, which are barely mentioned. supportive of the Society’s endeavours. Deer in particular cause enormous environmental damage and have actually changed many plant communities in the park through overgrazing in fragile areas. Recently, you may have heard that parks engaged in some aerial culling from helicopters and removed around 80 animals over the course of a couple of days. Our members have already noticed a change in the vegetation in one of these areas as re-growth from previously browsed plants is allowed to happen. You are encouraged to make a submission and an easy way is to use the link below which takes you to a survey on the PoM: https://dpie.mysocialpinpoint.com.au/pomsurvey I have already made my individual submission and it was easy, took me about 10-15 minutes. Rather than wade through all of the documents and put together a white paper, you can go to the link above. You can then choose to concentrate just on the issues that you care about and write as little or as much detail as you want, or just check a box to say you agree/disagree with the proposal. Couldn't be much easier. Every submission will count and don't complain in the following years if the issue that you care about is not addressed if you don't have your say now. The closing date for submissions is Monday August 2nd, so you have 2 weeks left to make Abelmoschus. moschatus (Native rosella) your voice heard. See Page 6 (Ph: K. Townsend, ANPSA.org.au) Ralph Cartwright

APS Sutherland – July 2021 13

More gardening at Woronora .. to this: In my recent talk I mentioned ‘Karinya’, the children's garden area near the Northern side gate. I don’t think I mentioned the hedge of Grevilleas along the road edge, but I saw just last week, that this hedge, of about 2 metres tall and judging by the trunks, quite old plants, has been dug out and replaced by a row of non-natives, which I am sure will form a nice hedge in years to come, but seems such a shame. I wonder who makes these decisions? The new hedge is made up of young NZ Christmas bush, Metrosideros thomasii. So, from this:

Ralph Cartwright (Ralph presented a talk at the April, 2021 meeting on the Woronora Memorial Gardens - Link for Newsletter archive)

Catch up at our youtube channel Watch archived zoom meetings at our youtube channel. For example, watch any of last year’s meetings including Plant Tables with Dan Clarke or Rhonda Daniels’ talk on “From flower to fruit” at the July meeting of APS Menai group. From North Shore group: Growing/Greening our Bushland Shire (Hornsby Council) You can also refer to the APS NSW newsletters and journals archive

If undeliverable, return to: Australian Plants Society, Sutherland Group 169 Peninsular Road Grays Point NSW 2232

Print Post Approved PP2453h58/00027

APS Sutherland – July 2021 14