ANPSA Correa Study Group ISSN 1039-6926 ABN 56 654 053 676 Leader: Cherree Densley 9 Koroit-Port Fairy Road, Killarney, Vic, 3283 [email protected] Ph 03 5568 7226 Admin & Editor: Barb & David Pye 1220 Bacchus Marsh Road, Bullengarook, Vic, 3437 [email protected] Ph 03 5428 9369 Membership fees: normal $10.00 Newsletter No.44 June 2011 electronic $6.00 LEADER’S COMMENTS Contents page Hello everyone, it is over 6 months since our last Newsletter and so I hope there is lots of New members 2 news about your correas in this issue. David Leaders comments (cont) 2 has emailed members to ask for updates. More of Correa “Moonlight” 2 I do know from feedback that many correas have been lost over the warm and wet summer- Extension of the range 3 so different this year than the usual hot and dry of Correa reflexa ssp scabridula months and the rain still continues. I don’t mean Reflecting on reflexa 3 to ‘crow’ but I have only lost one small correa and half of a large Correa backhouseana which Letters from members re correa losses 4 did the ‘drop dead overnight thing’- the other So you want to name that seedling 8 half is a good as ever- it is a tremendously large correa? bush- possibly 4 metres wide by 3metres high. (it needed a good prune). Perhaps our losses The Correas of Lake Monybiong 10 are few as we are close to the sea and coastal Adelaide Conference: 12 breezes do keep the air circulating and blowing - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED away any mildew or other fungus outbreaks. I was delighted to accept an invitation recently (May 17 TH ) from APS Grampians to speak on Correas- I showed the Power Point SUBSCRIPTIONS presentation put together by David and Barb st which is so informative and with such great Due for renewal 1 July photographs. Perhaps we as a Group, could (except for new members who joined now be looking at putting together a CD on the st named cultivars that our members grow. When after 1 January) you head out to see what is flowering at Fees are: present, do take your camera. After my talk at the Pomonal Hall we had a • $10 for posted newsletter. “Cutting Swap”- Neil Marriott brought along cuttings of what was called ‘Alby’s Best”- Alby • $6 for email newsletter Lindner was a tremendously keen grower of Payment can be by cheque or direct native plants and his collection and arboretum in the Wimmera was legendary. He grew lots of bank deposit. See details on correas amongst all the others and one attached membership form especially- a pulchella- was noteoworthy for its continued on page 2 1 NEW MEMBERS *John was a leading light in Warrnambool Coast Care and Coast Action, Parks Vic and We welcome the following new members NRE- he was an inspirational conservationist Marlene McFarlane of East Geelong, Vic working to protect coastal flora and just loved Dave & Linda Handscombe of Pomonal, Vic correas. He passed away suddenly and by propagating and releasing this correa we LEADERS COMMENTS (from page 1) hope to keep his memory alive. Trip to the Devonport Arboretum: floriferousness (!) and great colour. I do hope I attended a Basketmakers Gathering in mid my cuttings take. I had taken along cuttings March and squeezed in a visit to the as well- amongst them were: ‘White Delight’, Devonport Arboretum surprising Dick Burns “Elegant Green’, “Pinker Pink’, ‘Prolific’ (now and the other members of the APS NW that is what I call a correa) and C calycina Tasmanian Group who were busy at a plant var halmatuorum (I had obtained one of propagation day in the small nursery attached these from Neil about 18 years ago- nearly to the Arboretum. What a great set up they lost mine, David propagated one from my one have and such enthusiasm. The Australian ailing plant- he gave me one back and I was native section was looking particularly good able to give cuttings to Neil (who doesn’t and I was really impressed by the enormous have it anymore). Did you follow all that? It’s growth of the correas in that section- I had what the Study Group is all about I think. seen them just 12 months previously when Joan Pitaro (I stayed with Joan and Nic) at there last to see the Autumn colour of the Ararat also took along cuttings, including myrtles at Cradle Mountain. This time, what she have been calling ‘Gwen’- it has however I spent most of the time at Port that blush of pink on the top of the corolla on Sorrell almost right on the beach- really what is a lovely white flower.(thanks to Paul wonderful area and with wonderful weather. A Carmon and Cathy Hook – the ‘Correa severe change in the weather just as we were Sleuths’ for your notes from the last leaving meant a very ‘rocky’ return on the Newsletter- you idea of putting together a plot ferry. Have you ever tried walking back to at the ANBG Nursery to sort out the your cabin when the floor suddenly contenders once and for all). Her own plant disappears in what seems to be a 90 degree looked sensational and all her correas angle? I asked Dick to put together a list of actually are far more advanced in their the Tasmanian correas in the Arboretum and flowering than mine here at Killarney. this will go into the Newsletter in due course. I was very fortunate to be given three new Correa Crawl 2012; This will be on for the Handscombe seedlings and look forward to Queen’s Birthday Weekend – still working on them flowering. I have asked Linda to supply the details but we will be concentrating on some notes on her seedlings for this South Australia. Meanwhile so get out and Newsletter- she and David are joining as about in your local area to try and track down members. These are the ones she gave me- any remaining correas. ‘Bron’ looks like a glabra, ‘Little Sweetie’ is a Bob O’Neil’s Correa pulchella count: I heard reflexa and “Milly’ is a pulchella. Aren’t I the on the ‘correa grapevine’ that Bob has over lucky one? 100 different pulchellas? Really? Would love CORREA FOR THE MEMORY OF *JOHN a list for the Newsletter Bob. AMOR: SGAP Warrnambool has selected a correa from amongst the ones collected at MORE ON CORREA "MOONLIGHT' Portland over the last few years which will be propagated and released later in the year to from Cherree remember John Amor. The correa has been "I have found that it is a good idea to growing at the Deppelers at Allansford- it is a propagate and give out plants of those reflexa var relexa–huge soft green with an correas whose names are not certain. apricot blush at the top of the bloom- it is on a Cuttings do get mixed up. Jan Simpson gave very hardy upright but spreading small shrub. me a plant about 18 months ago of her The correa is unlike anything else on the 'Moonlight" It is doing very well and now that market and hopefully shall be registered later it has flowered and grown a bit it is obvious with ACRA (Australian Cultivar registration that it is very different to the one I have been Authority). calling 'Moonlight' for ages- mine has the 2 cinnamon spots on the end of the creamy Reflecting on reflexa. Phil Hempel white corolla and possibly I grew this from a cutting from the Mensches- years ago now.It The Correas I lost were generally growing has been particularly great this year- I'm sorry in the open where as those growing with I told the Pyes that it was called Moonlight- root competition from larger plants did not well that is the name I was given. But as Jan suffer. The ground was so wet in parts has done so much research into the plant I that any hole dug would just fill with water shall have to come up with another name for and one flat area started to grow slime on the one I have. " the surface. It was suggested that collar Extension of the range of Correa reflexa rot was the killer but the Correas that died ssp scabridula by Neil Marriott here, when pulled out, had no roots left at all. My losses were small, possibly 15%. During a recent survey for the Glenelg/Hopkins CMA I discovered a lovely It was fortuitous that all the Correas that population of Correa reflexa ssp were grown from cuttings and collections scabridula growing on a deep sandy hillside on the last Correa Crawl were still in pots near the Glenelg River just north of Casterton waiting to flower so I could sort and in the lower SW of Victoria. This region is far correctly label them prior to planting. wetter (average c 750-800mm) than Some that grew too large for pots had populations well north of here in the Little Desert (c 450mm) and Big Deserts (c 300- been planted as long as I still held back 350mm). There were many hundreds of some in pots. I had also grafted some of flowering and suckering plants all in flower, the better forms of reflexa collected from ranging from deep red, typical orange- the previous Correa Crawl to Lakes red through to pale orange-red. Nearly all had Entrance, luckily as one of the better the typical flared bell of this subspecies with forms later died also.