Indigenous for Ballarat Gardens

Silver Wattle dealbata

FAST FACTS Silver Wattle (Acacia dealbata ) is an Attracts : Silver Wattle are a good food Tree Australian native tree from the Ballarat area. source for Sugar Gliders. Family: Mimosaceae Location : It likes a sunny position and can Planting : Silver Wattle will grow well if Wattle grow into quite a large tree if given plenty of planted in a hole not much larger than its Size: 6m H x 5m W water, so make sure you locate it where it pot within a few days of purchase. Give it a Position: Sunny will have the room to grow over the next 10 good ½ bucket of water as soon as you Soil: Any years or more. The Silver Wattle will remain it and it should be fine after that. Flowers: Late winter much smaller if planted in a drier spot. Fruits: Purple-brown pods Care : Silver Wattle don’t need to be Care: Low maintenance Leaves : The leaves of the Silver Wattle pruned and are fairly low maintenance. look beautiful all year round. They are finely Propagation : Silver Wattle grow well from divided, soft and a silky blue-grey in colour. collected over summer. More of the Flowers : Regarded as one of Australia’s seed will germinate if you first crack the most beautiful wattles, its flowers occur in hard seed-coat by soaking them for a few bright yellow fluffy balls in clusters on the minutes in a cup of freshly boiled water. end of every branch. Silver Wattle can be Just pour on the hot water and let them completely covered in flowers during late sit until cool. Sprinkle the seed on the winter and early spring. The flowers are surface of a pot, cover with a couple of followed by attractive purple-brown pods millimetres of soil, keep it moist and then over late spring and early summer. watch them grow!

For further information contact Environmental and Conservation Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia. Indigenous Plants for Ballarat Gardens

Photograph: Jenny Ryle Photographs (above): Roger Thomas Black She-oak Allocasuarina littoralis

FAST FACTS Sometimes mistaken for a pine tree, the Planting : Black She-oaks are quite tough Tree Black She-oak (Allocasuarina littoralis ) is an and will grow well in your garden if planted Family: Casuarinaceae Australian native from the Ballarat area that in a hole not much larger than the pot She-oak will eventually grow into a graceful, upright within a few days of purchase. Give it a Size: 6m H x 3m W tree with rough, dark bark and fine, soft, good ½ bucket of water as soon as you Position: Sunny dark green ‘foliage’ . plant it and it should be fine after that. Soil: Well drained Location : Black She-oaks like a sunny Seed : If you have a female tree, after a Flowers: Late spring position. Allow room for it to fully grow. few years it will produce lots of small Fruits: Cones (Females) woody cones scattered throughout the Care: Low maintenance Leaves : The fine, delicate ‘foliage’ provides older branches. The cones are 1-2cm long light shade over summer and produces a and covered in rounded bumps which gentle whispering sound in a breeze. The eventually spilt open to release a fine seed. true leaves are minute scales surrounding each slender green stem. Propagation : If you want to grow your own Black She-oaks, dry cones can be Flowers : Flowers are inconspicuous, but in picked and placed in a paper bag and left late spring you will notice an attractive fine indoors for a few days. The tiny seed will dusting of tiny rust-coloured flowers be released and can be sprinkled on moist amongst the dark green foliage. potting mix.

For further information contact Environmental and Conservation Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia. Indigenous Plants for Ballarat Gardens

Photograph: Roger Thomas Photographs (above): John Gregurke Drooping She-oak Allocasuarina verticillata

FAST FACTS An Australian native tree from the Ballarat Planting : Drooping She-oaks are quite Tree area, Drooping She-oak (Allocasuarina tough and will grow well in your garden if Family: Casuarinaceae verticillata ) will grow into a somewhat planted in a hole not much larger than the She-oak rounded tree with rough dark bark and pot within a few days of purchase. Give it a Size: 8m H x 4m W drooping, grey-green, needle-like ‘leaves’. good ½ bucket of water as soon as you Position: Sunny plant it and it should be fine after that. Location : Plant in a sunny, well drained Soil: Well drained spot with room to for the tree to grow. Seed : If you have a female tree, after a Flowers: Late Autumn few years it will produce lots of small Fruits: Cones (Females) Leaves : Drooping She-oaks have fine, woody cones scattered throughout the Care: Low maintenance delicate ‘foliage’ that provides light shade older branches. The rough surfaced, over summer and produces a gentle globular cones are 3-5cm long and will whispering sound in a breeze. If you look eventually open to release the fine seed. closely, you will see that the true leaves are tiny scales arranged in circles around the Propagation : Dry cones can be picked slender drooping green stems. and placed in a paper bag and left indoors for a few days. The tiny seed will be Flowers : The flowers are inconspicuous released and can be sprinkled on moist but from late autumn through to early potting mix. summer you will notice an attractive fine dusting of golden flowers amongst the grey-green foliage.

For further information contact Environmental and Conservation Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia. Indigenous Plants for Ballarat Gardens

Silver Banksia Banksia marginata

FAST FACTS Attractive, small and neat, Silver Banksia Attracts : Although the flowers are not Tree (Banksia marginata ) is an Australian native particularly showy, the nectar attracts Family: Proteaceae tree from the Ballarat area that is a favourite butterflies and native birds, including Protea with birds and gardeners alike. Ballarat’s many small Honeyeaters. Size: 5m H x 2m W Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos enjoy Location : Silver Banksia can grow quite Position: Sunny feasting on the from the ‘banksia tall (5-6m) but don’t have wide spreading Soil: Well drained, dry men’ fruit. branches, so a sunny position in a narrow Flowers: Spring – Summer spot or a small garden is perfect. Planting : Silver Banksia are quite tough Fruits: “Banksia Men” and will grow really well in your garden if Care: Not too much water Leaves : Leaves are dark green with silver- planted within a few days of purchase in a grey undersides and toothed edges. hole not much larger than the pot. Give it Flowers : Every year, over spring and well a good ½ bucket of water as soon as you into summer, pale yellow flowers blossom plant it. It should be fine after that. amongst the foliage. They also make great Care : Once settled in, Silver Banksia cut flowers. actually don’t like too much water so plant Bark : As the tree matures, it develops a them somewhere where fussy plants gnarled, dark grey trunk which will add won’t survive. some great character to your garden.

For further information contact Environmental and Conservation Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia. Indigenous Plants for Ballarat Gardens

Photograph: © M. Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens Photograph: © M. Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens Golden Spray Viminaria juncea

FAST FACTS Fast growing, Golden Spray (Viminaria Planting : Golden Spray will grow really well Small Tree / Large Shrub juncea ) is an Australian native plant that will in your garden if planted in a hole not much Family: become a beautiful small tree within a few larger than the pot within a few days of Pea years if given plenty of water. Indigenous to purchase. Give it a good ½ bucket of water Size: 4m H x 1.5m W parts of western and coastal Victoria, this as soon as you plant it. Position: Sunny, well watered plant will make a wonderful addition to your Care : Make sure that the soil doesn’t dry Soil: Moist garden. out over summer because Golden Spray Flowers: Late spring Location : Golden Spray has long narrow prefers to grow in damp areas in the bush. Fruits: Pods hanging branches and will grow about Care: Keep soil moist Seed : Golden Spray grows well from seed 1.5m wide and between 4-5m high – so collected from the pods over summer. planting in a narrow space is fine. It likes a sunny, well watered, position. Propagation : Golden Spray grow well from seed collected over summer. More of the Flowers : Golden Spray has fine, green seed will germinate if you first crack the weeping branches, however long sprays of hard seed-coat by soaking them for a few bright yellow pea-shaped flowers that form minutes in a cup of freshly boiled water. in late spring and early summer are its best Just pour on the hot water and let them feature. sit until cool. Sprinkle the seed on the surface of a pot, cover with a couple of millimetres of soil, and keep it moist.

For further information contact Environmental and Conservation Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Federation University Australia.