Newsletter No.8
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AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS SOCIETY (AUSTRALIA) 1 WARATAH & FLANNEL FLOWER STUDY GROUP NO.8 DECEMBER 2014 ISSN 1838-9082 NEWSLETTER Leader: Maria Hitchcock Welcome to any 16 Hitchcock Lane new readers! In this issue. Armidale NSW 2350 Why not join us? Ph. 02 6775 1139 Maria writes:!!!!p. 2 [email protected] It’s free! From the members!!!p. 3 Mt Tomah Waratah Festival!!p. 4 Just send an Aloxylon pinnatum""" p. 5 email. Waratah pests & diseases!!p. 6/7 Checklist of Telopea species !!p. 8/9 and varieties Checklist of Actinotus species !p. 10 and varieties Share this newsletter with friends, colleagues and other garden lovers. Encourage them to join. Past Newsletters are available here http://coolnatives.com.au/w"sgnewsletters .html Aloxylon pinnatum Image: M. Hitchcock The Waratah and Flannel Flower Study Group is afliated with the Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) - ANPSA This is an electronic only group. Newsletters are sent out twice a year usually in May and November (electronic only). Membership is free to individuals and APS (SGAP) groups. There is no deadline for newsletter contributions - send them anytime, sooner rather than later. ! AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS SOCIETY (AUSTRALIA) 2 WARATAH & FLANNEL FLOWER STUDY GROUP NO.8 DECEMBER 2014 Maria writes: in for our normal (what’s normal these days) This newsletter is a little late but I was rainfall figures. The dry and hot conditions determined to get it to you before the end of made it a challenge to keep the garden alive. the year. Since October I have been leading I do have a bore that I can call on for an intensive campaign to save our iconic supplementary watering and it was a case of Dumaresq dam. The NSW Dam Safety using a low pressure sprinkler and timer and Committee decided that the dam wall (about moving the hose from one part of the garden 120 years old and built of stone) was not built to another. In this way I was able to save to modern standards and either had to be most of my waratahs - one Shady Lady Red strengthened or removed. This wonderful succumbed but it had the most competition body of water was the town’s first water for water so it was understandable. supply and since 1972 has been a recreation reserve enjoyed by locals and visitors. I’m still working on the right potting mix for my Flannel Flowers - germination is not a Council gave the community four options problem but I tend to lose them in the first but the word had got around that their two months after potting on. My latest batch preferred option was to lower the wall which seems to be more successful. I’m now would leave us with a reedy puddle unfit for collecting seed o' plants which I propagated boating, kayaking and swimming. The last a couple of years ago. I find the best way to submissions and petitions were sent in just grow them is in terracotta pots on my place before the closing date of December 22. but I will try scattering them in the garden During the campaign I had to drop my usual now that the drought may be over. activities such as this newsletter but I’m sure you will all agree that saving the dam was Thank you to the members who contributed worth it. At this stage I think we may have to this newsletter. It’s always good to get won. There has been overwhelming your emails and photos. I’d love some community support to retain the dam at its research articles from those of you working current height. The di$culty will be in in institutions. finding almost %2 million dollars to reinforce the wall according to the engineering recommendations. It has to withstand a Due to a mealybug infestation while I was 1:100,000 year flood. Go figure! The flood overseas and the e'ects of the drought, my that led to Noah’s Ark was less than 10,000 Waratahs didn’t flower well this spring. I am years ago if one believes the bible story. looking forward to an Autumn flowering. Armidale has been in the grip of a major I would like to wish everyone a Happy New drought for 2 years but we have had some Year and look forward to communicating respite with excellent December rains. Let’s with you all in the coming year. hope the drought has now broken and we are Maria Seedbank I am still holding Flannel Flower seed donated by Margaret Guenzel but it’s getting a bit old now. If you would like me to post you some please send me an SAE (2 stamps required). Grow- ing instructions are enclosed with the seed. I always welcome fresh FF seed for our seedbank so any contributions are welcome. Please make sure you add the date of collection to your packet. I am also looking for any Waratah seed - must be collected o' private property or garden. ! AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS SOCIETY (AUSTRALIA) 3 WARATAH & FLANNEL FLOWER STUDY GROUP NO.8 DECEMBER 2014 From the members Brian Walters Webmaster of the ANPSA web- site suggested putting a link to our past newslet- ters on their website. They have some other in- formation about Waratahs which may be of in- terest. Go to http://anpsa.org.au/waratah.html Margaret Sleigh writes: We definitely have some waratahs this year. We have two red bushes, one white and one pink. We had three red but one died in the extreme heat last summer and it has been replaced with the pink. We have a couple of white flowers this year. Very exciting! Margaret’s Flannel Flower in a pot. I finally managed to get some Nitrosol. But, like the other fertilizers I used, it made no di'erence to the flannel flower foliage. Margaret’s white waratah coming in to flower. However, then after we’d had some problems This is the time to fertilise (at bud break). with yellowing of Correas and Prostanthera at Mt. Lofty BG nursery, the penny dropped. Margaret Lee writes: I tried iron chelates on them all and they I’m thrilled with my flannel flowers this year. have greened up beautifully after only 2 ap- I’ve attached a photo. This was taken at the plications. I don’t think there’s much iron in flower show on 11th October. I took the pot the potting soil we use, and our water is in- to the Home Show the following week and clined to be alkaline. I used the flannel flow- it’s still looking great with about 4 times as ers in my Christmas table decorations, with many flowers. You mentioned a fertilizer for white Syzygium flowers and green leaves and dealing with the yellowing, but I’ve mislaid gold-sprayed tiny gumnuts and leaves and the name. slim Banksia marginata seedpods. Ed. I sugested Margaret try Nitrosol. ! AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS SOCIETY (AUSTRALIA) 4 WARATAH & FLANNEL FLOWER STUDY GROUP NO.8 DECEMBER 2014 Mt Tomah Waratah Festival Frank Alatt Secretary, Sent 22/9/14 Wildflower Industry Network NSW Inc. This year’s Waratah Blooms Competition has been the most di$cult in its 17 year history. The long winter and no warm/hot weather in late August has meant that waratahs are just now be- coming available and then only in some parts of the State, so only some of the early varieties have reached market ) Cardinal, Mirrigan, Starfire, a few seedling waratahs , Brimstone early, Brimstone blush and some of the Truncata hybrids. The ‘flush’ has not yet occurred. However, a big thanks to the 9 growers who managed to scrape up enough product to send in for the com- petition and for the floral displays. A big thanks to Bettina and to Cathy for the Judging. Also to Craig Scott (East Coast Wildflowers) for the additional product supplied for the floral ar- rangements. Whilst spectacular, much of this product is also unusual. East Coast Wildflowers is a Festival sponsor. The Show Champion bloom was judged to be a cultivar. This is a Brimstone Blush bloom supplied by Gordon Meiklejohn. Gordon wins 2 nights accommodation at the jungle Lodge, Mount Tomah. The winning seedling bloom was supplied by Craig Scott. This is a %50 prize. The winning cultivar bloom was supplied by Katie Maul. The cultivar was Sunflare. This is a %50 prize. Katie and her partner Dennis had Bilpin Waratah Farm until it was sold a few years back. Dennis (now deceased) was a president of WIN for a number of years. Katie still grows a few waratahs in her backyard. Sunflare is a clone from the 1990‘s. The winning hybrid bloom was supplied by Col Terry. It was a speciosissima x truncata cross. The cross is known as Georgie Girl and is one of the Wild Brumby series developed by Brian Fitzpatrick of Batlow. Again a %50 prize. Below is a collage showing a part of the display with judges, the win- ning blooms, and some of the floral arrangements. ! AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS SOCIETY (AUSTRALIA) 5 WARATAH & FLANNEL FLOWER STUDY GROUP NO.8 DECEMBER 2014 flower attracts a large number of nectar - feed- Alloxylon pinnatum ing birds and insects. Woody brown follicles Dorrigo or Tree Waratah containing flat papery seeds appear from Feb- ruary to June. Seeds lose their viability after 12 At the Armidale Farmers Market yesterday one months so fresh is best. Plants need to be cross- stall was making a killing selling bunches and pollinated to produce seeds.