Australian Native Plants in our gardens

[Paul T]

Ashley,

That is really interesting.  I certainly had never heard that seed grown Proteaceae were not P-intolerant.  I don't know if there are others that have the same intolerance, it is just that the Proteaceae are the ones that are most known for it.  Apparently a lot of the other families native to Australia quite like P, flowering much better with a balanced fertiliser than without it.  Often here natives are all put in the "must avoid P" basket, which is most definitely inaccurate.  I'll see what I can find out for you regarding other Aussie natives that are P-intolerant, but I won't have a chance to do that until I am back at work in the new year and can access the library at work.  MANY more reference books there than in my own little library. 

Actually, I'm just going to add a little bit to this posting a few minutes later...... I am using the term P-intolerant when it really isn't an accurate term.  The plants do need a certain amount of Phosphorus, it is just that some plants are sensitive enough to it that levels of it in a general fertiliser can be detrimental (or toxic in some cases).  I realised that I have been talking with Gerd and Ashley like they are totally intolerant to ANY Phosphorus, so I just wanted to add this qualification for anyone who is reading this and had thought that that is what I meant.  It all comes down to the level of tolerance, and with the Proteaceae family I would just tend to err on the side of caution, particularly with Banksias and some of the Grevilleas, but I would also guess that careful experimentation with plants in your own conditions would be worthwhile if you were thinking of growing them.  If it works for you in your area, then grow them that way.  Phosphorus is locked into the soil via various mechanisms, so your soil may quickly neutralise available P and lock it away from sensitive plants anyway.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify what I had been saying.  I am by no means an expert either, just another grower of these plants.

[ashley]

That is really interesting.  I certainly had never heard that seed grown Proteaceae were not P-intolerant. 
... I'll see what I can find out for you regarding other Aussie natives that are P-intolerant, but I won't have a chance to do that until I am back at work in the new year and can access the library at work.  MANY more reference books there than in my own little library. 

Excellent Paul; much appreciated.

To be clear, seed-grown Proteaceae may tolerate P somewhat better than mature plants established on nutrient-poor soils but I find that they are still sensitive and rather tricky to manage. 

[rob krejzl]

Paul,

What about the rest of the Epacrids?  Or is it just for the Richeas?

I was told that it was because they are Epacrids. Personally I grew R. dracophyllum for a number of years in open ground without seeing any ill-effects, but I'm on sand.

[Paul T]

Rob,

Thanks, I'll see what I can find out re the Epacrids.  I have had an E. longifolia growing in my garden for a number of years now (the only Epacris that survives for any length of time for me so far, be it pots or the ground) near a Camellia and some Lilium henryi, both of which get fertiliser.  It has grown and flowered just fine, so it at least will take some P, although the others may have taken the available P from the fertiliser.  I also try to fertilise those plants on the other side of them to the Epacris, just to be safe. 

[mark smyth]

Homebase, a UK home DIY store, has stock of living Christmas trees. They are Grevilleas!

[maggiepie]

Some grevilleas can cause quite severe allergic reactions.
Have to say I have been enjoying the pics in this thread.
I would love to be able to have a couple of banksias in my backyard, they have so much character.

[Paul T]

A very cute little "Emu Bush" I bought recently.... Eremophila glabra.  The whole thing is only under 2 inches tall.  Will be great to see how wide it gets, as it should produce a great groundcover by the look of it.

[maggiepie]

Lovely little plant Paul, have never seen anything like it before.

[mark smyth]

I think Paul has put some yabbies in there for a laugh

[maggiepie]

You might be right Mark, I have to admit my first thought was they looked more like prawns than emus.

[Paul T]

You're right you know.  They do look like Prawns or yabbies.  I had never noticed that before.

[Maggi Young]

You're right you know.  They do look like Prawns or yabbies.  I had never noticed that before.

That was my first thought and when I showed Ian that's what he said, too..... the thought has been with me all day... had to have crayfish tail salad for supper as a result     Yummy!

[Paul T]

Howdy All,

While I am catching up on the Aussie natives for the ANBG topic, I'm going to probably post a couple in here from the last few months as well......

This is a lovely little orchid that bloomed for me in January (then a second pot bloomed for me in Feb/March from a different source, hopefully they'll stay that way so I can enjoy them for longer each year  ).

Please click on the pic for a larger version.




Spiranthes australis, formerly Spiranthes sinensis.  Each flower is only a few mm wide, with the whole plant maybe 30cm in the pot at my place.  The spirals are just amazing.

I'll also be posting a couple of pics taken at the ANBG in that topic ( http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3339.0 ) as well, as they grow wild there.

Enjoy.

[arillady]

Oh wow Paul how fascinating - what is their habitat?

[Paul T]

Pat,

They just grow out in the open, not sure exactly where in the wild but can be from full sun to some shade in the ANBG.  The areas they are in are watered year around, so obviously don't mind water when dormant.  Apparently in orchid collections they can become a bit of a weed as they seed freely and come up in pots all over the place.  Mine at home are in the shadehouse, so they weren't pollinated by anything.  Interestingly though mine in the shadehouse are now sending up new leaves when I thought they should be going dormant.  Very strange.  Looks like they may be multiplying well in the pot though, as there are plenty more than the 2 rosettes there were when they shot in spring..... looks like there might be a half dozen or more shooting now, but who knows what will happen to those as they're I think coming up out of season.  The ones at the ANBG, as pictured in that topic, are going dormant with no signs of new shoots at their bases.