April 2020 Hopefully you are by now aware that your APS Maroondah Commi�ee has decided it is prudent to Kunzea Newsle�er cancel our Friday night member mee�ngs for the �me being. We are sorry if we have bombarded you with We will keep on providing you with a monthly emails on this subject but think it important to keep you newsle�er. There won’t be any writeups of up to date with our decisions. speakers, specimen tables or garden visits, but we We had wanted to con�nue to offer garden visits think it even more important to all keep in touch (but without the a�ernoon tea which would be usual at at the moment. the end of the visit), but the �ghter restric�ons which So rather than just reproduce ar�cles on plants, came into force in late March have made this we would like to fill the newsle�ers with stories impossible. Unfortunately, the two exhibi�ons rela�ng from you, especially good news from your toAustralian Plants Revealed – at Ringwood Federa�on gardens. Let’s make this a means of ‘talking’ to Estate and Karwarra Australian Na�ve Botanic Garden – each other while we are ‘socially distancing’. What have been closed. The Karwarra Garden has also been have you been doing in your garden while you closed. cannot go out? What is growing well – or badly? Do you have a picture of a plant (include the Autumn Plant and Book Sales name), or perhaps a selfie of yourself working in The GOOD news - Chris Fletcher has let us know that your garden? Maybe you have a ques�on about she has plenty of stock and is happy to sell from her something. You might be able to write a short home in Yarra Glen. She asks that people ring her before ar�cle about something that interests you. coming, on 0419 331 325. Please send items to Sue at [email protected]. If you can’t use email, you Also, Sue and Bill are s�ll selling books from home. can write it out and post it to Sue at 13 Conos Ct, So, if you want a book, please ring on 9872 3583. Donvale, 3111. Photos should be high resolu�on The BAD news - unfortunately, the public autumn and sent separately from text so that they come plant sales (including the APS Yarra Yarra and Geelong up well in the newsle�er. sales) have been cancelled due to coronavirus restric�ons. Some Special Members of APS Maroondah Dallas Boulton I would like to acknowledge some lovely people who Pam Yarra welcomed guests, Nicky Zanen introduced helped with the exhibi�on held at Karwarra. Lawrie Smith to the speakers and Janet Hodgkiss has Jenny and David Williams were absolutely invaluable wri�en an excellent ar�cle. Brenda and Tony Moore did in se�ng-up the display and then a�ending every Friday some of the jigsaw. Marilyn Bull was set to open her a�ernoon to welcome and chat to visitors. They are splendid garden on Sunday 29th too. both ar�s�c and knew just the right places to hang the Thank you to those who a�ended the opening. It was pain�ngs. a very happy event. Peter Smith and Diane Hedin used their crea�ve There were some special people who helped with talents to design a children’s corner consis�ng of a quiz the exhibi�on at Ringwood Federa�on Estate too. where the floral emblem, bird and animal of each State Rodger and Gwen Ellio� who were invaluable to Alex of Australia had to be iden�fied. Smart, Sue Guymer who handled all the bookings, Peter Noel and Melva Griffiths spent a day picking bucket and Alison Rogers who did gallery duty and Rob Dunlop loads of banksias and then visited Karwarra twice. The for also volunteering. Debbie Jerkovic even arranged a banksias looked fabulous in the entrance. raffle. Lots of people were in awe of the talent of Carlene Both events were very worthwhile (even though Gosbell as they looked at her quilt highligh�ng waratahs they were both cut short) so thanks to everybody who and other Australian plants. visited and showed to the wider community that You can always rely on Bev Fox to bake and once Australian Plant enthusiasts are lovely people. again she supplied some goodies for the a�ernoon tea I know others would have liked to help but due to for the opening. Barbara Rooks arrived early and set-up circumstances unable to. If I have missed any helpers – the a�ernoon tea. Barbara is a “Friend of Karwarra”, and sorry. I believe in these occasions so watch out for that group did such a superb job in hos�ng the visitors. future special events! Perhaps YOU could help then. Exhibi�on at Ringwood Federa�on Estate Sue Guymer Bill and I were lucky enough to see theAustralian The Herbarium Specimens were interspersed with Plants Revealed exhibi�on at Ringwood Federa�on fine art prints reproduced from the collec�on of the Estate before it was closed early due to Coronavirus Na�onal History Museum. For instance, Epacris restric�ons. longiflora is a finished watercolour by John Frederick The exhibi�on was sub�tled “65,000 years of Miller from an original outline drawing by Sydney tradi�onal plant use and 250 years of science”, which Parkinson made in 1768-1771. really puts the enormity of it into perspec�ve. It was Now that the exhibi�on has closed, APS Victoria will extremely well displayed. Each of the Herbarium donate all the framed images to the Royal Botanic Specimens was accompanied by a plate with a photo of Gardens Victoria. This will enable the Gardens to display the plant, botanical details and plant name and uses for the images without risking precious herbarium First Na�ons people. specimens. There were also displays of informa�on and weavings by Aunty Irene Norman, proud Wailwan/ Wiradjuri woman and Elder from Mullum Mullum Indigenous Gathering place. These demonstrate the diverse use of na�ve plants by Australia’s First Na�ons people in everyday life and culture. It was amazing to see the condi�on of the Specimens from so long ago. I was par�cularly surprised to see the colour retained in some of them. For instance, a specimen of Helichrysum scorpioides (now called Coronidium scorpioides) s�ll have yellow petals in its delicate li�le flowerheads. Coronidium scorpioides Sue Guymer Epacris longiflora Sue Guymer It was also very interes�ng to see the “journey” which the names of some plants have undertaken over the years. There are a number of reasons for the changes. In some cases, the material collected was Cul�var Project seriously misiden�fied and In 2003 APS Maroondah made a dona�on of $5,000 hence originally named towards a project which involved Michele Adler, Roger within the wrong genus or Spencer, Burnley Hor�cultural College students and perhaps even family. In industry mentors. The purpose was for the students to recent �mes, many name describe Ornamental Plant Cul�vars in Australia changes have arisen (cul�vated varie�es). through the addi�onal The results were published in “Australian informa�on coming out of Hor�culture”. The purpose of the dona�on was to DNA analysis, rather than enable a cul�var website to be published so that people relying only on physical could access the work that had been done over a characteris�cs. The number of years. specimen of Banksia The website was ex�nguished when the TAFE dentata shows that is was program shut. But … Michele has sent us some good collected asIsostylis news. Her assistant at the �me, Jane McMahon, has dentata, and was called now found a way to put the results onto PANDORA. Sirmullera dentata, before Banksia dentata PANDORA, Australia’s Web Archive, was set up by the becoming a banksia. Sue Guymer State Library Victoria in 1996 to enable the archiving To think of the journey these fragile pieces of plant and provision of long-term access to online Australian material have endured – collec�on in the wild, being publica�ons. Since then they have been iden�fying taken back to the ship from the collec�on point, and online publica�ons and archiving those that we consider then a very long sea voyage back to Europe. have na�onal significance. The Library has commi�ed to Fortunately, they were then preserved very well for retain the publica�on in the Archive and to provide them to s�ll be intact 250 years later! public access to it in perpetuity. Attracting Wildlife to our Gardens Trevor Blake On being involved with Cranbourne gardens from when it opened in 2005, I no�ced some fascina�ng changes which reinforced some of the things we naturally do in our na�ve plan�ngs to try to encourage wildlife. The emphasis generally is on bird a�rac�on, but the insect life is absolutely cri�cal to healthy environments. As Cranbourne was pre�y raw in the early stages, I was on the lookout for visita�ons from any wildlife, apart from the rabbits that were not playing fairly. The Southern Brown Bandicoot was also showing its presence, some�mes annoyingly, but now they are treasured visitors and dwellers. On following the ephemeral creek Rockpool Waterway. Trevor Blake down to the natural dam system, which to so�en the untouched area. Within a very short �me was to be part of ducks and grebes began se�ng up home.