Yarra Yarra Group Inc (Incorporation No
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Australian Plants Society Yarra Yarra Group Inc (Incorporation No. A0039676Y) Newsletter September 2018 General Meeting September 7 Speaker: Katie Holmes Title: The Mallee Landscapes -from a “howling This talk will look at the changing ways in which wilderness” to a “beguiling landscape”: the changing settlers and non-Indigenous Australians saw and ways of seeing and living with the Mallee. interacted with the Victorian Mallee landscape and explore some of the complexities of the ways In the nineteenth century explorers and many in which ‘Mallee-ites’ both love and loath the land settlers thought of the mallee landscape and they live in. vegetation with disdain. It was covered in ‘dismal scrub’ that hardly deserved the dignity of being Biography: Katie Holmes is Professor of History at called trees, and for which the best treatment was La Trobe University and Director of the Centre for to roll it down and burn it, making way for more the Study of the Inland. She is an environmental productive fields. Gradually however settlers came historian and has been working on an environmental to love this challenging landscape, to appreciate the history of the Mallee with colleagues from La diversity of its flora, the beauty and distinctiveness Trobe and the University of Western Australia. of some of its fauna, especially its birds. They Katie’s books include Between the Leaves: Stories campaigned for preservation of large sections of the of Australian women, writing and gardens (2011) Mallee and celebrated the establishment of some and, co-authored with Susan Martin and Kylie of the largest national parks in the country. At the Mirmohanadi, Reading the Garden: the settlement same time however farming practices continued to of Australia (2009) destroy the fragile mallee ecosystems and threaten the flora and fauna which gave such distinctiveness Image: Typical Mallee country near Narung (Courtesy to the landscape. of Katie Holmes) Website: apsyarrayarra.org.au Facebook: facebook.com/APSYarraYarra Email: [email protected] | 1 APS Yarra Yarra Particulars APS YY EXPO these jobs/times then please let us know. Sept 7 (set-up day), When you are on the Front Ticket Desk, please 8 & 9 (weekend) make the public welcome and try to have the line moving quickly. If there are any chatty When you come to help on any of the 3 days, customers with questions, politely pass them please sign in at the front desk, and collect / on to the person who is on the floor welcoming wear your name badge. Members have free people, rather than holding up the queue. entry, so do not take a ticket. Also when you are on any service point try Please bring flowers, labelled where possible, not to have lengthy conversations with friends on Friday anytime to the Eltham Community and YY members while customers wait. We & Reception Centre. Leave in your buckets all know how it feels as a customer in a shop (named) or YY buckets, outside kitchen on to be ignored while the staff chat amongst verandah against wall, so trolleys can get past. themselves, or 2 people are tied up talking to 1 If you are parking in car spaces near the person. kitchen, please just unload and move your car out of that area and up to top carpark as On Saturday and Sunday if you are unsure quickly as possible, so you are not taking up what the jobs are, you can check at the space that another stallholder needs. The Information desk for a list of things to do carpark at the childcare centre opposite is not in each area. But most of all, come along available to us on Friday. and enjoy the event. It’s always fun working together, and so much to learn and admire The roster will go out as soon as possible, so about our plants too. When you see the flower please check your emails every day if possible. display, you wish your garden had them all! We still need people to fill spaces on the roster Future APS YY Speakers: on 4-Oct David & Barbara Pye Melton Botanic Saturday 2-4pm Front ticket desk, Gardens Sunday 12-2pm Front ticket desk, and 1-Nov APS YY Grand Flower Table Sunday 12-2pm Book stall 6-Dec APS YY Christmas Party & Slide Show. So if you haven’t already filled in your Google 6 to 10 images per person, you are welcome to Form, or you have and are happy to help with submit on USB or via Dropbox anytime The APS Yarra Yarra Committee: Contributions to the 2018 October APS YY News to Miriam by September please •Miriam Ford (President, Newsletter Editor, COM delegate) M 0409 600 644 Email: [email protected] OR post to Newsletter editor APS Yarra YarraPO Box 298, •Mike Ridley (Treasurer & Multi-media Tech guy) Eltham 3095 0418 322 969 •Joanne Cairns (Secretary & Co-editor of website & Thank you to Jill Lulham, Joanne Cairns, Mike Ridley, Facebook page) 0425 760 325 Peter Smith, David Redfern & Michael Cincotta for articles, Jill and Joanne for proof reading, Ben Eaton, •Carmen Cooper (Membership Officer) David Redfern, Mike Williams, Jill Lulham, & Joanne 0413 012 045 Cairns for images. Editor (MF) for all other images & articles. •Adrian Seckold (Minutes Secretary & meeting plant sales) 0431 071 503 We wish to acknowledge the major sponsorship of *Peter Smith ( Garden Visits) 0425 798 275. our Expo by Hume Bricks & Pavers Pty Ltd. Thank you to Vicki Ward’s Office for printing 2 | APS Yarra Yarra News - September 2018 AGM Summary - Mike Ridley Our AGM this year had a sudden change of ‘Keeper The 2018/19 Committee elected is: of the Chair’ – Kevin Ley had a medical problem and we hope he has recovered and back on his feet Miriam Ford President again. All the very best Kevin. Vacant Vice President Joanne Cairns Secretary Rob Cooper stepped into the breach and did a Mike Ridley Treasurer great job filling in the gap, especially at such short Carmen Cooper Membership Officer notice. Many thanks to Rob. Adrian Seckold Minutes Secretary Peter Smith Garden Visits Briefly the AGM covered the following: Rob Cooper thanked Rob Dunlop for his time as The President’s report and Financial report – these Vice President. were sent with the August newsletter. The Financial situation is healthy the assets at 30th June 2018 The ‘Special Motion’ put to members was, ‘that were $25,955.29; however, there could be some the Australian Plant Society Yarra Yarra group be costs involved in the repair of the Brougham St. renamed to simplify and reflect the group’s general shed – these costs are unknown at present. The location and be renamed Australian Plant Society Autumn plant sale and 2017 Expo turned a profit Eltham’. This was put to members who voted with with good sales from the Propagation Group’s ballot papers or proxy forms. The results of the efforts. ‘Special Motion’ before the meeting were: 5 votes for the motion; 35 against and 3 informal – so, the Membership is down a few members from 92 to motion was unsuccessful. 85. The membership comprises 48 single and 37 household. The Autumn and Spring plant sales are Rob Cooper thanked everyone for their attendance an ideal time to recruit new members so this is an and the meeting closed. opportunity to practice your sales pitch. Flower Table sselection (see page 5) Grevillea ‘Jelly Belly’, Gastrolobium celsianum, Hakea multilineata & Grevillea chrysophaea Email: [email protected] | 3 Meeting Report Aug 2, Banksia menziesii by David Redfern ‘Firewood Banksia’ is a beautifully illustrated book the muted blue green foliage has an amazing, by Philippa Nikulinsky which shows the progress of chaotic appearance which adds to the character of a single flower from floral bud to flowering, fruiting, the plant. The foliage colour changes as the plant seed release & germination. ages. David’s presentation was a tribute to the book using The colour of the buds change as they grow, starting photographs taken on the one day of three shrubs from white, then soft pink to a darker pink, then a of Banksia menziesii at Royal Botanic Gardens rich crimson as the orange styles start to appear. Cranbourne.. The flower styles arise from the buds, again starting from the base & spiralling upwards (3). The emerging flowering spike grows from the Finally, the dead flowers begin to fall away & seed top of a stem, with the buds spiralling upwards follicles begin to emerge & distort the shape of the (in a Fibonacci spiral) around the spike until it is cone. Once the seed follicles open & seed dispersed completely covered. The buds start to enlarge, by the wind, the follicles provide more colour of growing in pairs – there are 5 to 6 thousand flowers yellow to add to the overall picture of the plant. (4) per spike (1 & 2). Banksia menziesii is a true artistic masterpiece of Compared to the virtually perfect flowering spike, nature. 1 2 3 4 4 | APS Yarra Yarra News - September 2018 JulyFlower Table : Jill Lulham , Images Ben Eaton Thanks to Miriam, Mike R, and Mike W for Gastrolobium celsianum (Swan River Pea, sw WA, presenting the specimens, and members who prostrate or low shrub, bright red flowers, reliable if brought in labelled specimens and contributed to well-drained) the discussion. This is just a small selection of those brought to the meeting. RUTACEAE PROTEACEAE Leionema lamprophyllum (Shiny Phebalium, endemic to Aust, NSW and Vic, <2m), L. elatius ssp. Grevillea acropogon (endemic to sw WA, 1m x 2m, beckleri (Tall Phebalium, NSW and Qld, to 5m) rare and endangered), G. ‘Lady O’ (long flowering, G. rhyolitica x G. victoriae hybrid, 1m x 2m), G.