NEWSLETTER August 2014 Volume 1, Issue 3 August news...! Mitchell Diary Hello again! Dates.. NEUTROG (who are speaking First up this month I would like • at our September meeting) AUGUST 18th 7:30pm to extend a special and very MEETING have offered APS Mitchell appreciative thank you to Mr. Guest Speaker: members a special deal on Andrew Slee of the Australian Elyse Kelly on Mitchell the book From The Ground Shire Council National Herbarium CSIRO Up -Victorian Edition by Jane Environment Strategy National Research Collections 2014-2024 Derwentia perfoliata Edmanson. Orders need to Australia. Not only did Andrew (Syn . Parahebe perfoliata) be placed and paid for ahead • SEPTEMBER 15th give permission to use images Digger’s Speedwell. of the September meeting 7:30pm MEETING from EUCLID in the newsletter Photo: J Petts (see page 2 for details). Guest Speaker: but during our correspondence Vince Davey from also mentioned the names of some smaller Our next issue is due out the 2nd Monday NEUTROG Eucalypts in his garden. These included: of September (the 8th) . Please keep those • SEPTEMBER 28th Eucalyptus froggattii, E. curtisii, E. pumila & E. photo’s, articles and items of interest Royal Botanic Gardens parvula. I’m happily planning to do a little more rolling in - the dead line for contributions is Cranbourne Excursion the 1st Monday of September (Sept 1st) Via Bus if numbers research and include additional information on permit or alternatively, and can be sent to me at : these Eucalypts in a future issue :-). Car-pooling [email protected] or On to committee news… Thank you to those • Mailed to PO Box 381, Pyalong Vic 3521 OCTOBER 18th APS people who have sent in jars for our fledgling Mitchell PLANT EXPO collection to use at our Plant Expo’s and Until next month, cheers, stay warm & Kilmore Memorial Hall 14 Sydney St, Kilmore displays—Keep those 1-2 litre jars coming in. happy gardening, 9 am - 3 pm Jeanine Petts • OCTOBER 20th 7:30pm Inside this issue: Cranbourne Gardens Excursion Update... MEETING Guest Speaker: Frances Saunders on NEUTROG Book Pg 2 http://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/visit-cranbourne Garden Design using Offer. Australian Native ” You don’t need to be a Membership News Pg 2 We have received around 25 Plants expressions of interest so far member of APS Mitchell to come along, so invite your • NOVEMBER 17th August & General Pg 2 and the September 28th Meeting Information friends, families, neighbours, Talk & Garden Visit etc. and join us for a great excursion will be going ahead. Barbara Mau July Meeting Report Pg 3 However, as the number day out” needed to viably hire a bus is RSVP to Lorraine ASAP Barker Garden News Pg 8 at least 50 it’s looking like August Garden Guide Pg 10 travel will be via car pooling. Joseph Maiden Pg 10 If you are willing & able to be a driver on the day please let Lorraine know. Expressions of Mitchell Plant Expo Pg 12 interest are still open & remember friends, families, Reminders, APS Vic Pg 13 neighbours etc. are always welcome to come along for a Diary Dates etc... great day out. Committee & Contact Pg 13 Email: [email protected] Information Mobile: 0427 323511 Page 2 APS MITCHELL NEWSLETTER August NEUTROG Garden Club Talk Special Offer In addition to FREE comprehensive To ensure enough samples of garden guide books are brought to NEUTROG’S latest specifically developed the talk orders need products for all for all Victorian to be placed and paid attendees at their gardeners. It is a for by August 27th. talk on September collaborative effort Please make payment 15th, our group utilizing the to APS Mitchell: members have the recommendations of opportunity to many Victorian plant Either via Bank purchase the book experts, combined Transfer to BSB 083-644 “From The Ground with Jane’s vast plant Account No. 17-010- Up” Victorian Edition knowledge and 5884 NAB (Please by Jane Edmanson. experience and is include your surname and post code as The book retails at packed full of magnificent reference/transaction $49.95 and is offered details) Or: Cheque to members at the photographs, includes everything made payable to: discounted price of APS MITCHELL INC. $35.00. from best plants for a garden to the pests Posted to: APS Mitchell Treasurer http://www.neutrog.com.au/ From The Ground Up and diseases causing , P O Box 541, is a complete and your plants grief. Kilmore Vic 3764 MEETINGS ARE HELD ON THE 3rd MONDAY OF THE MONTH August Meeting - Monday the 21st 7:30pm (February to November) Elyse Kelly—Mitchell Shire Council’s Environment Programs Coordinator will be In the John Taylor room at coming along to give a presentation on the Mitchell Environment Strategy 2014— Kilmore Library 2024 adopted by council last week. Elyse has been hard at work on this project for 12 Sydney Street, Kilmore many, many months following it through from draft, public exhibition, submissions and the final result. Entry $2.00 Gold Coin The lovely Elyse is a long time member of the Mitchell Door Prizes Shire Environmental team who will be a familiar face to Plant Sales some. She is sure to provide us with interesting updates Fertilizer Sales and insights into the Mitchell Shire Council’s ongoing vision for the natural environment of “Environmental (APS Mitchell Slow Release Stock Route view to Mt Piper fertiliser $5.00 per 500g) resilience - responding to changing environmental Photo: J Petts conditions and protecting our natural environment to Use of the APS Mitchell free Library ( See Barbara) ensure long term sustainability”. http://www.mitchellshire.vic.gov.au/downloads/Council/your_council/Council_Documents/Council_Strategies_and_Plans/Mitchell_Environment_Strategy_Final_280714.pdf Supper & Chat VISITORS VERY WELCOME Members & Visitors are encouraged to bring along Membership News ... exhibits for our Flower A final reminder that membership fees for 2014-2015 became due on July 1st. Specimen Table To continue receiving Growing Australian fees need to be paid during September at the latest. We have recently updated our membership/renewal Please label plants form and a copy is included with this newsletter. For membership enquiries please contact Bill Barker on 5783 3838. APS MITCHELL NEWSLETTER August Page 3 July Meeting Report (Eucalypts For Small Gardens) By Jeanine Petts Introduced by Bill Barker as the newly elected President of Keilor Plains APS, our guest speaker of the evening, Jason Caruso, describes himself as a professional Marine Educator with a love of all things aquatic (including sharks) and when it comes to his other passion of Eucalypts as only “an enthusiast” with a long interest in growing and propagating Eucalypts. His topic for the evening “Eucalypts For Small Gardens – The unusual, unique and unknown.” The talk started out by introducing Murray Bail’s novel “Eucalyptus ” in which Eucalypts feature significantly. The tale is about Holland, a widower, who settles in western New South Wales with his young daughter Ellen and plants every known Eucalypt on their property. When Ellen grows into a young woman of 19, Holland decrees that only the man who can name all of the 100’s of species will win her hand. Part of a quote from the book: “In the world of trees, only the mere Acacia has more species than the Eucalypts,”. (There is more to the quote but I was unable to copy it all down. Ed.) Our attention was also drawn to the similarities between sharks and Eucalypts, as they can both sometimes be thought of as big, dangerous and unattractive. The question was posed, “what’s a small garden?” We were then shown a photo of Jason’s own small court yard, photos of other small gardens, plots, bonsai Eucalypts and also live bonsai specimens Jason had brought along for the night. As well as using smaller growing species Eucalypts can be grown as Bonsai, it is difficult but can be done. Some of the examples were Eucalyptus camaldulensis , Eucalyptus regnans and Eucalyptus Nicholii. Another way to manage some of the smaller Eucalypts (mallees) is to prune or hedge them. Pruning is also used to maintain the attractive juvenile foliage in some species. Many interesting smaller growing Eucalypts are not available commercially and propagating your own may be necessary. Propagating Eucalypts is easy – sprinkle seed on potting mix (Jason mentioned vermiculite) sit in a shallow dish of water to allow the moisture to soak upwards and place somewhere such as a window sill and you should have germination in a couple of weeks. One place seed can be ordered from is “Nindethana Seed Company” http://www.nindethana.net.au/ or you can collect fruits yourself but make sure they are unopened and mature (not green). Put the fruits in a paper bag and leave to dry out and open. When the bag of dried open fruits is shaken the seed will fall out readily. Types of smaller Eucalypts Mallet – the mallet is a growth habit of type only found in WA. They grow quickly, seed quickly and die. Bark and trunks are Sliver, red, coppery and they grow from the base and do not grow from or form a lignotuber and will die if cut down– so are not suitable for pruning and will not coppice. A mallee however, possesses a lignotuber and can be pruned and cut back so are very useful in small gardens. An interesting example of how long a mallee can last is the endangered Eucalyptus decipiens x virginea ( formally known as Eucalyptus phylacis). This species was discovered in 1990-1992 growing solely over an area no more than a quarter hectare. It was later discovered the whole population of stems were of the same single genetic source.