Weekend Get-together, Goulburn, 18-19 November 2023
A highly successful weekend get-together was hosted by the Southern Tablelands Group at Goulburn from Saturday 17 to Sunday 18 November. The Southern Tablelands Group, albeit a small group, did a fabulous job in organising an excellent program for the 75 members who attended. Congratulations and thanks to all those members of the Southern Tablelands Group who made us so welcomed and ensured that our weekend was an enjoyable and memorable experience.
Harry Loots receives Order of the Shovel
Winner, North Sydney Council’s Most Beautiful Native Garden Habitat Award, 2023
In Memory of three Life Members
We are always sad to hear of the passing of one of our members, especially when it is a Life Member we know who has done much to support the Society and/or to further the cause of knowledge about, growing or conserving our Australian flora.
This year we have lost three Life Members.
Olive Pink: Artist, activist and gardener
Perhaps you have visited the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens in Alice Springs. It is certainly one of the best places to see Central Australian flora and as a bonus there is an excellent café. So who was Olive Pink?
Name changes to Leptospermum spp.
Some of you may have heard recently, that some of our beloved Leptospermum spp. have been moved to a new genus. Yes, that’s right, the constant changing nature of our botanical names continues.
Local native street trees – an idea whose time has come
There are many benefits of greening and planting more urban trees including biodiversity, but also The Heart Foundation estimates that for every dollar spent on street tree planting and management, $3.81 in benefits accrue.
APS NSW Annual Get-together, 18-19 November 2023, Goulburn
Hi to you lovely people who are thinking about coming to the APS annual get-together in the Southern Tablelands (Goulburn).
Illawarra group hosting the September Gathering
The Illawarra group members made a great team effort to organize, stage and then enjoy this event with the community and other APS groups.
To give some variety, we organised 3 walks in the morning, attendees could nominate (one) walk, respond, and select a walk via email.
National Biodiversity Month
September is National Biodiversity Month, which hopefully means biodiversity is in the spotlight a little more than it should be every other month. This year, an expedition involving the Botanic Gardens of Sydney surveyed the Australian Alps, primarily to discover new species. A further aim was to collect plant material for propagation to maintain biodiversity and reinforce ecosystem resilience in the face of inevitable environmental change.
APS (NSW) Plant Profile Project
Way back, in early 2017, when we transitioned to the new APS NSW website, we decided to make the plant profiles, mostly authored by Jeff Howes and the late Warren Sheather, accessible to the public.
Study group updates April – June 2023
Keep up to date with what our study groups are doing, with updates from Acacia, Grevillea groups and more.
Conservation Award to Jane Lemann
Congratulation to Jane Lemann of the Southern Highlands Group APS who has received the 2023 APS NSW Conservation Award.
Life Membership Award Jenny Simons
Congratulations to Jenny Simons from Southern Highlands Group who was awarded Life Membership at the APS NSW AGM, held on 20th Of May 2023.
Life Membership Award Tim Hayes
Congratulations to Tim Hayes from Southern Tablelands Group who was awarded Life Membership at the APS NSW AGM, held on the 20th of May 2023.
2024 ANPSA Biennial Conference, 30 Sept to 4 Oct
Gardens For Life – Second update from APS VIC This is the second newsletter from our colleagues in Victoria, sharing about the Biennial Confrence, coming up in September 2024
The voice is long overdue
Indigenous cultures, who have sustainably interacted with the world’s water, soils and biodiversity for millennia, possess knowledge and skills we must quickly recognise, learn and internalise. It is high time we listened to the voice of country.
Plants Native to the Greater Sydney Region.
While working at the University of Wollongong, I had been taught, you do not need to be an expert in a particular field to manage a group. You need to be good at managing people, trust, foster and let the experts do what they do best. So, as our community grew, I found experts in various related fields and asked them to come on board.
APS NSW supports Australian Native Plants Society (Australia)
After APS NSW hosted the national conference in Kiama in September 2022, we now form the secretariat for the Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) until the next conference hosted by APS Victoria in September 2024.
Study group updates December 2022 – March 2023
Keep up to date with what our study groups are doing, with updates from Pea Flowers, Acacia, Grevillea, Wallum, Ferns and Hakea groups.
APS Vic ramping up its planning for the next ANPSA Biennial Conference
A very big welcome to our first newsletter for the Australian Native Plants Society (Australia) Conference, 30 September to 4 October 2024. This conference is being run by the Australian Plants Society Victoria (APS Vic) and this is the first of a bimonthly newsletter to keep you updated. The committee is working extremely hard to make this an experience of a lifetime for you. Please feel free to share this newsletter with your friends, group or whoever you think may be interested. Formal bookings for the Conference and Tours are expected to open in early 2024.
Weeds come in all sizes – trees can be weeds too
The word “weed” usually brings to mind smallish plants like trad, onion weed, agapanthus and possibly cotoneaster, but trees can also be weeds!
NSW Region Get Together – Southern Highlands, November 2022
This was the first Region Get Together since the COVID Lockdowns and everyone seemed very happy to be seeing each other again.
District Group 2022 Highlights part 2
Our local groups undertake a range of activities during the year – here are highlights, part 2.
District Group 2022 Highlights part 1
Our local groups undertake a range of activities during the year – here are highlights.
The Tasmanian bushland garden
Over 20 years ago a group of Australian Plants Society members purchased an old dolerite quarry and its surrounding 20 ha bushland to build a Tasmanian bushland garden with funding coming from donations and grants.
Conservation horticulture: Saving rare and threatened plants
Botanic gardens are sanctuaries to visit to admire the beauty of plants in landscaped settings and are also centres of research into many aspects of plants.
How to write a conservation submission, letter or email
With so many ongoing issues of environmental concern, there are many opportunities to write a submission or letter expressing your views. Issues affecting our native vegetation include residential development, infrastructure proposals such as roads and dams, legislation on land clearing and development, and government policies and responses to climate change, bushfires and flooding.
Keeping people safe
It’s vital we do everything we can to keep people safe in APS. Here are the common sense policies and procedures for us all to follow.
Seeds of hope for Banksia restoration projects
A plant seed typically contains an embryo, that develops into a new plant, and some food to support germination until the seedling can produce its own food. However, seeds may also contain microbes, like fungi and bacteria, that have no harmful effects but may actually be beneficial for plant growth!
For the photographers amongst us…
Bruce Usher graciously offered to photograph part of the Australian flora conference in September and then had this article published in the magazine Camera, about photographing Costa.
Flora tour of Blue Mountains
This was a tour of wonderful contrasts – majestic mountains and expansive valleys; towering Eucalypts and exquisitely tiny orchids; ancient aboriginal culture and the pathways of European explorers; windswept sandstone rock formations and hanging swamps and damp fern lined tracks with waterfall views.
Stony Range Spring Festival – 30th October 2022
Stony Range Regional Botanic Garden of Australian Bushland, situated in Dee Why, recently held its Spring Festival after a lapse of two years due to Covid, when it was able to celebrate 61 years since its official opening in 1961.
Southern Highlands get together – rain and shine!
About 70 people enjoyed a wonderful weekend in the Southern Highlands, hosted by the local group. We had the opportunity to visit members’ gardens, listen to a great talk by Dan Clarke, and visit a range of bush areas.
Regenerating Mount Gibraltar, Southern Highlands
Jane Lemann, a volunteer bush regenerator shared the journey of regeneration of Mount Gibraltar in the Wingecarribee area of the Southern Highlands. This is the story of 30 years of regeneration.
Surprising Sydney Flora Tour – September 2022
Sydney has the distinction and the fortune of being a major metropolis which is virtually surrounded by major national parks which enable residents and visitors to enjoy the natural environment without long distances to travel. This is Part 1 of the tour story.
Australian flora conference chatrooms on YouTube
At the recent Australian flora conference, we had a morning of chatrooms. Chat rooms are designed to give people a broad cross section of information and insights, in an informal and inclusive setting