Richard James Turner receives Order of Australia Medal
MEDAL (OAM) OF THE ORDER OF AUSTRALIA IN THE GENERAL DIVISION, Mr Richard James Turner, Lapstone NSW 2773. For service to conservation and the environment.
Help Wanted to Gather Plant Trait Data
We are seeking volunteers to help train an AI system that searches the Australian Plants Journal for useful plant traits, contributing valuable data to the national AusTraits database. This project offers a hands-on opportunity to support native plant research and conservation by reviewing AI findings and improving its accuracy.
ANPSA Conference “Gardens for Life” 2024
Having only attended parts of ANPSA conferences in the past, I decided that this year I would go for the full immersive experience. Part of the attraction was that it was being held in my hometown of Melbourne, and one of the post-conference tours was to The Grampians—an area I had visited several times before.
Vale Bernie Farrell
The Australian Plant Community was deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Bernie Farrell on 13 December 2024. Bernie was a highly respected and influential Australian plant grower, loved and appreciated by many on the Central Coast.
APS NSW Quarterly Gathering and AGM, 11 May 2024 – Report
Thanks to the Parramatta Hills Group of APS NSW for once again organizing and hosting an excellent Quarterly Gathering and AGM at the Gumnut Hall, Cherrybrook, on Saturday 11 May. Despite the rain, the day was an enormous success.
Life Membership Award Jeff Howes
Congratulations to Jeff Howes from the North Shore Australian Plants Society group who was awarded Life Membership at APS NSW AGM 2024. APS North Shore are delighted to have Jeff as a continuing member of our group and we very much value his contribution.
Life Membership Award Patrick Laher
Congratulations to Patrick Laher from the Armidale Australian Plants Society group who was awarded Life Membership at APS NSW AGM 2024. APS Armidale are delighted to have Patrick as a continuing member of our group and we very much value His contribution.
Gardening Australia comes to the Wetlands
In March, FROGS Landcare volunteers played host to Costa Georgiadis as he visited the Goulburn Wetlands. Many of you will know that Costa has long been interested in the Wetlands—he planted trees with local school children in 2016 and live-streamed an impromptu visit in 2022. This time he came to film the Wetlands and its gardens for a segment on Gardening Australia.
District Group 2023 Highlights part 2
With 19 local groups around NSW, there is always a lot of regional activity – bushwalks, meetings, talks, garden visits, plant sales, bush care and propagation. Here are some highlights from 2023.
District Group 2023 Highlights Part 1
With 19 local groups around NSW, there is always a lot of regional activity – bushwalks, meetings, talks, garden visits, plant sales, bush care and propagation. Here are some highlights from 2022.
Celebrating a significant milestone of 1000 plant profiles (native species and cultivars)
APS NSW Plant Database Surpasses 1000 Plant Profiles: A Remarkable Milestone in Native Flora Documentation.
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.