This Month's Plants: Correas, Blue Hibiscus, Winter Grevilleas, and Two Beaut Banksias

 PLANT OF THE WEEK

Correa glabra and other correas.

Scientific name: Correa species- Correa Glabra, Correa reflexa, Correa alba, Correa nummularifolia
Common name: Native Fuchsia
Family: Rutaceae

Distribution: Mainly eastern Australia  from southeast South Australia, through Victoria to eastern New South Wales and continues into south-east Queensland; it includes eastern Tasmania and Kangaroo Island off South Australia.

Australia has many small shrubs that are equivalent to if not better than some northern hemisphere plants and this one is no exception.
Plant breeders love this plant so much that there are now many hybridised forms with bigger flowers or flowers on a plant that can take full sun.

• 

  Correa Canberra bells

  Did you know that there is a correa study group?
• Or that Correas makes great small bird habitat and also are a food source for insects and small birds.
• Correas are also great for those dry shady spots, so think about planting one soon.

Correas are generally easy to grow. 

• Correa alba and C. glabra varieties are the hardiest withstanding heavy frost and severe droughts. Correa glabra varieties have fragrant leaves.
• Correa lawrenceana is the largest of the correas. These need to be grown in the shade and do best in an understorey habitat.; attractive to birds for both nectar and nest sites and are ideally planted in a thicket.
• Correa pulchella varieties produce the most beautiful coloured bells ranging from pale pink to deep orange to carmine. They need to be grown in part shade and watered regularly.
• Correa reflexa varieties range in colour from green to deep red: these also need to be grown in a partly shaded position and watered regularly.

Correa reflexa nummularifolia

You need to know which species of correa you have so that you know their particular requirements.

• Some of the more modern hybrids can take sun but others need morning sun and/or dappled all day shade.

To grow correa at its best, a light sandy soil with good drainage and a position protected from wind, with broken or morning sunlight, is desirable. 

Groups of three to five offer added protection and enhance visual appeal.



I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, qualified horticulturist and avid native plant expert.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Scientific name: Alyogyne heugeli

Common Name:Blue Hibiscus or Lilac Hibiscus

Family: Malvaceae

Flowering: late spring to summer

Position: Full sun to part shade.

Fertiliser; low phosphorus (P) or native fertiliser only.

As in all Hibiscus, the flowers open in the morning and last one day.  

A. huegilii is a prolific flowerer-lots of flowers from late spring until the end of summer.

I’ve seen it grown at the back of the border, amongst exotics like May Bush, Loropetalum, and in front of Princess Lillies, and I must say, I regret having pulled mine out because the flowers are really lovely.

This plant blends so well with any other plant on the planet.

• The original A. heugelii needs to be pruned to promote lower growth and this one grows to about 2 ½ metres tall. 
• Although, you can keep it down to 1 ½ metres because it sends out fast-growing shoots from old wood.

There are new select forms that are more compact and lower growing.

Alyogyne heugelii Karana-a medium shrub 1.5m by 1.5m wide

Alyogyne heugelii Misty-a medium shrub 1.5m by 1.5m wide; also frost tolerant.

Have a listen to the podcast.

I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, qualified horticulturist and avid native plant expert.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Winter flowering Grevilleas

Scientific Name: Grevilliea

Common Name: Grevillea

Family: Proteaceae

There’s a lot to choose from but before you run out to the nursery to buy up all the winter flowering ones for your garden. Let’s look at what conditions Grevilleas need to thrive.

Red soil is too heavy for many grevilleas. So if you live in Moree, you may not be able to grow many grevilleas  because of the heavy soil.

Grevilleas like air in the soil, so a light sandy soil is preferable,but you could easily just plant them on a bit of mound mixed with good compost and some light potting mix in it so they  can get established first..

Once they are older they don't seem to mind the heavier soil, but  drainage is a must.

G. superb. 1.5 x 1.5m. Red to yellow flowers, Yellow tips on the stamens. Tolerates frost to -3⁰ C Bird attracting.

G. coconut ice 2 x 1.5m. Reddish pink flowers through out the year. Dense semi-spreading habit. Not like coconut ice confection atl all. Tolerates frost to -4⁰ C

Grevillea Coconut Ice : photo M Cannon

G Honey Gem, an old favourite although rather big. 4 x3m Large leaves which are deeply lobed, dark green above silver reverse. The flowers cylindrical and bright orange which drip with sweet nectar. Bird attracting. Tolerates frost to -3⁰ C

Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' grows to 1.5m x2m. with cream flowers which change to pink as they age. Flowers all year.

Have a listen to the podcast.

I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, qualified horticulturist and avid native plant expert.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

Banksia ericifolia and Banksia spinulosa: what's the difference?

Scientific Name: Banksia spinulosa

Common Name: Hairpin Banksia

Family: Proteaceae

Plant height: Mostly a multi-stemmed lignotuberous shrub. Varies greatly in height 1 -3 m

Position: Full sun, frost hardy including Canberra winter frosts.

Leaves:long and narrow, 3-8 cm long by 2-7 mm wide, and variably toothed. Leaf margins often recurved which is an adaptation to dry environments.

Flowering:The flower spikes range from 10-20 cm in length. A spike may contain hundreds or thousands of individual flowers, each of which consists of a tubular perianth made up of four united tepals, and one long wiry style.

Position: Prefers to grow in the open where it makes a nice rounded shrubs.

Shade makes it spindly.

Banksias are an import source of nectar during autumn and winter when flowers are scarce.

Scientific Name: Banksia ericifolia

Common Name: Heath Banksia

Family: Proteaceae

Plant height: Mostly a multi-stemmed shrub. Varies greatly in height 3 -6 m

Position: Full sun, frost hardy including Canberra winter frosts.

Leaves: The linear dark green leaves are small and narrow, 9–20 mm long and up to 1 mm wide, generally with two small teeth at the tips. 

The leaves are crowded and alternately arranged on the branches..

Flowers: cylindrical flower spikes are quite large at 4-6 cm wide and up to 30 cm long

Differences: Banksia ericifolia has much narrower leaves and is fire-sensitive in that it does not have a lignotuber for vegetative regeneration after bushfires. The species relies on seed for regeneration - seeds are retained in the cones for many years and are released by the heat of a fire.

Pruning:

People are afraid to prune Banksias because they think of them as being a bit tricky.
If you’re not sure what type of Banksia you have, then only light pruning.
If you know your Banksia has a woody rootstock (lignotuber) then it can be heavily pruned.

•  Only low phosphorus fertilisers should be used if at all. I’d recommend Blood n Bone.

Here's an interesting tidbit: Historically B. ericifolia is supposed to be the first specimen collected by Sir Joseph Banks at Botany Bay in 1770. 

For some reason, Banks did not describe this new discovery however and it was left to Carl Linnaeus who later named the genus Banksia in honour of Banks in 1782.

Have a listen to the podcast.

I'm talking with Adrian O’Malley, qualified horticulturist and avid native plant expert.

Honeycombs and Banksias

REAL WORLD GARDENER Wed. 5pm 2RRR 88.5fm Sydney, streaming live at www.2rrr.org.au and Across Australia on the Community Radio Network. www.realworldgardener.com
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The complete CRN edition of RWG is available on http://www.cpod.org.au/ , just click on 2RRR to find this week’s edition. The new theme is sung by Harry Hughes from his album Songs of the Garden. You can hear samples of the album from the website www.songsofthegarden.com

Living Planet

with Manager, Urban Ecology, Katie Oxenham

• Ever thought of keeping a beehive?
• Maybe some listeners do just that.
• Did you know that commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) are not native to Australia. They were introduced from Europe in about 1822.
• I bet you didn’t know that Australia has over 1,500 species of “true Blue” Aussie native bees, some of which don’t sting.

Let’s find out if keeping native bees is for you….

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You can buy a box of native stingless bees to put into your backyard. Native bees are great for gardeners or nature lovers. They’ll help pollinate your plants-well of course but best of all they’re stingless.Stingless bees are only for the warmer parts of Australia that includes all across the top end and down to the coastal areas of NSW around Bega.If you’re in other states listening to this you’ll have to give your stingless hive artificial support in the form of heat.Find out more at http://www.aussiebee.com.au/
If you keep bees, any bees, not just native bees, drop us a line, send in a photo,. to realworldgardener@gmail.com or by post to 2RRR P.O. Box 644 Gladesville NSW 1675,  or post them on Real World Gardeners facebook page, and I’ll post a CD or some seeds, in return.

Vegetable Heroes

MUSTARD Greens or Mustard Lettuce

• The mustard plant comes from the Brassica family and is called Brassica juncea. They’re in the same family as those Mustard plants that are grown mainly for their seeds to be used in the condiment Mustard.
• Mustard greens originated in the Himalayan region of India and have been grown and eaten for more than 5,000 years.
• Mustard greens feature in many different cuisines, ranging from Chinese to Southern American.
• In Russia this is the main variety grown for production of mustard oil, which after refining is considered one of the best vegetable oils around and is widely used in canning, baking and margarine production; and the majority of table mustard there is also made from this species of mustard plant.
• They’re not called Mustard greens for nothing, because you can use them in place of that Mustard out of a jar because they have that peppery, and zesty flavour that’s really like the real deal mustard.
• All members of the Brassica juncea species have colourful large leaves that vary in colour from red through to lime green.
• Did you know that Mustard greens are called Sarson ka saag in Hindi. They’re also called Indian mustard, Chinese mustard or just leaf Mustard.
• One of the mustard plant facts is that it loves cold.
• I have some popping up around my garden at the moment, not too many to make them a nuisance but enough for me to not have to save the seeds.
• They grow to about 50 – 70 cm high, around knee height and don’t really mind what soil they grow in.
• I think the variety I have is Red Giant. Red Giant has deep purplish-red, large, Savoy leaves with white mid-ribs. The thick leaves have a spicy, pungent flavour and are excellent for adding to sandwiches with ham or other meats.
• Mustard plants are easy, fast growing cool weather crop with leaves that are great raw, in sandwiches,  in salads, or as a cooked greens.

When to Sow

• In tropical and sub-tropical, temperate and cool temperate areas you can grow them all year round, perhaps not in full sun in the hotter areas. In arid areas you can grow them between April and August.
• Mustard greens are grown like lettuce. It’s more heat tolerant than lettuce, but long hot summer days will force the plant to bolt (go to seed).
• Mine self sow and start coming up at the end of April.
• You can also grow them as a green manure crop. Just dig them in when they get quite big but before they flower.
• If grown as a green manure, the mustard plants are cut down at the base when big enough, and left on the surface, acting as a mulch until you want to plant something else. That’s when you dig in the leaves.
• Mustard green provide a lot of green matter that improves soil texture and soil water retention, or as scientists call it, water holding capacity.
• Where to get the seed? If you’re wonder where to get the seed varieties like Red Giant, or Ruby Streak and Golden streaks that have finely serrated leaves, you can easily get them from online suppliers, www.greenharvest.com.au www. Edenseeds.com,au
• Another way is to buy seedlings. I bought my seedlings a couple of years ago from a market stall at an organic market in the inner west.
• Sow mustard seeds 5-10mm deep, and 25cm apart. They prefer full sun. and cool weather, so leave the middle of the summer for the heat loving vegetables.
• Mustard plants grow well in most good garden soils.
• If you plant some seeds a week apart, you’ll get Mustard greens all winter.
• Like all greens, Mustard plants should be grown quickly.
• Use plenty of water, and lots of fertilizer so they’ll grow fast to give you tender, green leaves.
• For winter crops soluble fertilisers are the way to go because organic ferts won’t break down much in cold weather
• In some districts, winter can be a dry affair, so don’t forget to water your greens.
• Mustard greens are eaten raw, or cooked.
• Picking the leaves when they’re still quite small is the tastiest way to enjoy your Mustard greens. Leaves get tough and have a strong flavour as they get bigger, especially during hot, dry weather.
• You can pick off one or two leaves at a time, or the entire plant.
• Leaf mustards add zest to a salad mix;
• If you actually want the seeds themselves, Mustard seeds should be picked when the plants begin to yellow. You want to leave them on the plants as long as possible, but before the pods burst open and spill their seeds. That’s why I’ve got hundreds of the little seedlings all over my veggie bed.
• Keep the plants well weeded, so weeds do not compete for water and nutrients. It makes picking the leaves easier, too.
• The leaves should be ready by 6-7 weeks

• By the way, beneficial insects like lacewings and Predatory wasp,  like the flowers of mustard plants.
• Mildews can affect the plant especially when they get older.
• Keep your plants growing fast and healthy plants, so they’ll be less susceptible to disease.
• Allow proper spacing to increase air circulation. Avoid watering towards evening.
• Why Are They Good For You?
• Mustard leaves are good for your health because they have a great ability to lower cholesterol. Even better than collard greens and kale.
• They’re low in calories and carbs, yet high in vitamins.
• At a minimum, include cruciferous vegetables as part of your diet 2-3 times per week, and make the serving size at least 1-1/2 cups

Design Elements

Reviewing Perennials
Do you know the difference between an annual and a perennial plant?
Annuals grow, flower and set seed in less than a year.
Perennials, are those plants that are way smaller than most shrubs, but they flower and set seed over a number of years.
Let’s find out about some of these now?

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Perennials add that extra layer to your garden without which, just having trees and shrubs would be just two dimensional.

They come in so many colours, shapes and sizes, you’re really spoilt for choice. Your nursery in your local area will have the ones the grow best in your area, and probably can get in ones that you’re really after. I don’t mean those large conglomerate chains that all sell the same thing either.

You can perennial plants through mail order catalogs, and online as well as from your local nursery.

www.gardenexpress.com.au  

Plant of the Week:

Banksia ericifolia subspecies Macrantha;Family: Proteaceae

• Do the two Banksias, Heath Banksia or Banskia ericifolia and Banksia spinulosa (pictured below)always have you beat?
• For whatever reason do you get the leaf shapes mixed up between the two so when it comes to identifying them when out on a bushwalk, you’re talking a guess?
• Compare the two photos. The one with golden coloured flowers is Banksia spinulosa or Hairpin Banksia. The leaves are wider and have turned under margins.
• Banksia ericiolia or Heath Banksia, has needle like leaves, pictured with the reddish brown flowers with the red pollen presenters.

 

Banksia ericifolia subspecies Macrantha, is a compact shrub up to 5 m high, but the leaves are more crowded, the individual flowers are larger and the flower colour is often darker.

This subspecies of the Heath Banksia occurs in coastal heaths of the north and mid-north coast of New South Wales where the water table is seasonally high.

Heath Bankisas make a good windbreak or screen plant and can withstand a considerable amount of salt spray. The dense foliage and nectar-rich flowers make it an excellent choice for attracting both insectivorous and honey-eating birds. It prefers well-drained soil and would make a useful and decorative addition to a large garden.

Both varieties of Banksia ericifolia are medium to large shrubs with narrow , linear leaves to about 15 mm long. The flower spikes are 80 - 110 mm wide, up to 500 - 600 mm long and usually orange in colour, although there is a form with maroon flowers in cultivation and another with whitish flowers with red styles. B.ericifolia is one of a group of banksias with "hooked" styles projecting from the axis of the flower spike. The flowers occur in autumn and winter and are followed by woody seed-bearing cones.

B.ericifolia is fire-sensitive in that it does not have a lignotuber for vegetative regeneration after bushfires. The species relies on seed for regeneration - seeds are retained in the cones for many years and are released by the heat of a fire.
Banksias prefer acid soils, that aren't too heavy and are well drained. They will grow in full sun or semi shade and are one of the best plants for attracting honey-eating birds.
Fertilisers with a phosphorus component of more than 1,2 from the NPK ratio, should be avoided.

Propagation from seed or cuttings is relatively easy.

TIP:Remember Heath Banksia has needle like leaves that remind me of the herb Rosemary in a way, and Banksia spinulosa or Hairpin Banksia has slight wider leaves that are rolled under on the margins. You’ll have to take a closer look but you don’t need a hand lens.
Let me know how you go with identifying the two plants. If you need any help, send in a photo and I’ll identify it for you.