ANPSA Correa Study Group ISSN 1039-6926 ABN 56 654 053 676 Leader: Dot & Bob O’Neill 7 Hillsmeade Drive, Narre Warren South, Vic, 3805 [email protected] Ph. 0425 887 068 Admin & Editor: Russell Dahms 13 Everest Avenue, Athelstone, S.A. 5076 [email protected] Ph. 08 8336 5275 Membership fees: normal $10.00 Newsletter No. 51 Jan 2015 electronic $6.00 EDITOR’S COMMENTS Contents page Hello everyone, this is now my fifth newsletter and I am still continuing to discover the vagaries New Leader’s Message 2 of Australian Plants and their reactions both A New Year Begins – Bob O’Neill positive and negative to weather events. Melton Botanic Garden – David Pye 4 Unfortunately we have just experienced another Correas at Donvale, Victoria 5 hot spell with temperatures in excess of 41 degrees! Correas at Colac, Victoria 6 Once again I lost a few more Correas and Joan & Nick Pitaro’s Garden 7 Boronias and with the potential trend for the White Flowering Correa pulchella forms 8 number of days above 40 degrees to increase I am considering scaling back the number of plants Correa pulchella – Corinne Hampel 9 I have in the Rutaceae family. the year and can be sent to either my email or postal On several occasions now we have gone through address above. short term seasonal fluctuations where the daytime maximum temperature has varied from Included at the end of the newsletter is a membership around 20 degrees to above forty degrees within renewal form for the July 2014 to June 2015 a period of a couple of weeks! For those members that have not renewed and wish to Some of my plants seem to interpret this as a renew their membership, payment may be made seasonal change and it triggers another flowering either by posting a cheque made at to the ‘ANPSA cycle – for example my Correa decumbens has Correa Study Group’ to my home address or by doing now flowered for the fourth time in 2014! an EFT into the study group’s cheque account – the I would like to take this opportunity to welcome details of which are below. If paying via EFT please Dot and Bob O’Neill as the new study group email me a copy of the payment confirmation. leaders – taking over from Cherree. Bank: Westpac Contributions from members in the way of photos or articles are welcome at any time of BSB: 035-002 A/C No.: 310328 Kind regards Russell Dahms ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 New Leader’s Message The Correa collection has now settled at Bob O’Neill about 100 different forms present across the Narre Warren South - Victoria species. Correa pulchellas represent about half of these forms, followed by Correa reflexas. I have recently accepted the role as Leader of the Correa S.G., following in the big footsteps As in the past, we are very happy to share of the recently retiring Leader, Cherree our plants with others. Densley. Get togethers are one of the best ways of My personal introduction into the field of staying together. I would like to see a Correa Correas was greatly influenced by the Crawl arranged for perhaps mid 2015, generous and knowledgeable nature of possibly focused somewhere in the Gippsland Cherree. area. If that could be set up, then the propagators in our midst could begin propagating in readiness for a plant exchange over that weekend. In the past too many special plants have passed out of existence with their sole growers. A New Year Begins Correa ‘Little Cate’ Bob O’Neill Four years ago, Dot and I downsized from our Last year went well. We are situated in a 8 acre native garden “Katandra Gardens” at favoured rainfall area and finished up with Wandin, Vic. At that property we had 651mm for the year, with January at 26mm developed a sizable collection of correas. On the driest month. It had been a good downsizing to one acre at Narre Warren gardening year, with the lawns being given a South, Vic, we took with us 1000 potted weekly shave throughout, remaining green plants, including most of our Correa forms. for the end of year activities. Unfortunately, in the first winter at the new Soon into the New Year came a hot, dry spell. property, we lost half of the plants due to a The mounded beds had developed a semi high water table, especially including many of water repellent surface, so the soil on the our Correa reflexas. higher side of each plant had to be hand watered and loosened with a small spade, Consequently, volumes of soil were trucked leaving a shallow indentation to allow for in and barrowed out to generally raise most easier watering. This has worked very well. of the garden beds across the property; life then went on, with the challenge and urge to replace lost treasures remaining ever present. 2 Normally we plan to water prior to the onset of extreme heat, with plants that have been The greatest challenge is to squeeze in at placed into the garden less than 6 weeks least two copies of each plant variation perhaps receiving multiple watering during within each plant collection, suitable space sustained periods of heat. and location being crucial. Propagation Hothouse ‘Miner on Coopers Creek’ Garden Section We have just experienced that extreme weather, but as I write, beautiful rain has set A plastic hot house and bottom heat facilities in to quench the garden thirst, rest the are crucial for us to propagate plants for our buckets and hoses and recharge the tanks. needs and to also help out friends in the process with the excess. We have been at our 4600m2 Narre Warren South property for 4 years and the A detailed set of records indicate in which reconstructed garden is now virtually full. bed each collection plant is located. When During that time, a number of plant say a Correa plant is lost, cuttings are then collections have been progressively planted taken from the other like plant and the out, including Verticordias, Lechenaultias, records adjusted accordingly. Slip ups do epacris and Correas. happen and some treasured plant forms have been lost over the time, but generally the system has worked well. Correa ‘Bob’s Gift’ The actual garden area under mulch would Correa ‘Dot’s Dream’ be approx. 2000 square metres, spread across forty five numbered beds, many of which have been raised to accommodate a Over the past week we have performed a high water table. considerable amount of propagation, 3 updating our records at the same time, to On the assumption that we are able to cover our losses as outlined above. arrange for such a weekend, we would anticipate having a number of struck cuttings With the Lechenaultias being so to take away with us. A number of our temperamental in our conditions, two stock treasured forms were originally sourced from plants in large pots are being maintained of friends, such as Neil’s Best. each form. The plant did not have a particular name, I have invented one to suit my purposes, such as Big Al, Peg or Max. Our garden is dotted with such references. I trust that this rambling outline provides some indication as to where things lie in our garden. Dot and I wish you a great year forthcoming and may your gardening be happy Correa Carpenters Rock throughout. Bob. It is interesting to note that some Correa cuttings may strike well within six weeks, Correas in the Melton Botanic Garden - while other forms may take 6-9 months to by David Pye develop roots. The Melton Botanic Garden is being built in Melton by community groups, with the In early Jan. 2015, I rang Cherree Densley to project managed by the Friends of the seek advice on having a Correa Crawl organized for over the long weekend 6-8 June this year. I had in mind to focus on eastern Victoria, and although some tentative phone calls have been made, nothing has been confirmed at this stage. Correa ‘Autumn Blaze’ Melton Botanic Garden (FMBG). The CVGT employment agency supplies a Correa ‘Precious Pete’ workforce, using the garden for work experience training of jobseekers. 4 The 24 hectare site is about 1 Km long and its Some Correas are already being sold by the backbone is a watercourse, Ryan’s Creek nursery. which is notable for numbers of old River red Gums. For more information see the Friend’s website (fmbg.org.au). C. pulchella – Coffin Bay pink Correa ‘Di’s Favourite’ A West Australian – South Australian garden is currently being constructed, with about 0.2 hectare (05 acres), set aside for South The annual rainfall is 450-500mm, with only Australian plants. This area is divided into 300mm in 2014. The garden is being two sections, inland SA and west coast South developed as a showcase for dryland species Australia. (less than 450mm of rainfall), with extensive plantings of Mallee Eucalypts, Eremophilas, and indigenous species already providing an Planting will commence in Autumn this year, attractive display. but will continue for several years. Correa.pulcella - Remarkable Rocks Correa ‘Wyn’s Wonder ‘ While there are few Correas in the garden as We are optimistic that C. pulchella and C. yet, there are plans to subsequently include glabra will grow well, although we are less suitable species, Correa pulchella in optimistic about other species. At this time, particular. Some Correas are on trial in the we do not know how well Correas will grow Eucalyptus arboretum, and more are being in the garden.