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.
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
Native garden design: the Past INFORMS the Present and the Future
Australian native plants are known to have many values of advantage to humans. I’ve delved through history to identify how native plants have been appreciated in the past, and if they may have informed the garden design of the present, and then ‘best guessed’ what might be expected of them in the future. Come along it is an intriguing story . . . .
Australian flora conference – presentations available on YouTube
In September 2022, APS NSW hosted the Australian flora conference for ANPSA, focused on the past, present and future of Australian plants. There were many outstanding speakers during the conference and a good number of these presentations were recorded and are now available on our YouTube channel.
Native bees and native flora go hand in hand..
While many of us realise conserving native plants helps conserve native fauna, the reverse is also true, particularly when it comes to native bees.
Glorious banksias, perfectly sized for your garden
Love a beautiful banksia, but no room for the iconic Banksia integrifolia, or Coast Banksia, which can grow to 15 metres? Well, never fear. New cultivars of dwarf banksias…
Growing WA natives in coastal NSW – 8 tips for success
A reader recently asked for advice on growing Western Australian eucalypts in Sydney. Jeff Howes put on his thinking cap and came up with the following eight tip
Study group updates May – July 2022
Summaries from study group newsletters including correas, ferns, hakea, eucalyptus, grevillea and wallum and coastal heathland May – July 2022.
Creating a sustainable native garden
Creating a sustainable native garden enhances the environment, reduces costs and waste and improves well being.
Looking from the inside – garden design
I am fortunate to have a lot of large windows drawing my attention to what is going on outside, from the sky to the garden that surrounds the house
Aberdeen garden packed with goodies
The Hunter Valley group visited the lovely garden of Margaret Mitchell in Aberdeen.
Grevilleas for pots and small gardens – talk by Peter Olde
On Sat 21st May, 2022 at the APS NSW quarterly gathering, Peter Olde gave a talk titled: Grevilleas for pots and small gardens.
Get propagating! Tips and insights from Harbour Georges River members
During the Harbour Georges River March 2022 meeting, there was some discussion of mini greenhouses and other ways to look after cuttings and seedlings
Study Group Updates: Feb – May 2022
Study group updates from the following groups: Australian Plants for Containers, Ferns, Garden Design, Grevillea, Hakea, Isopogon and Petrophile and Wallum and Coastal Heathland.
Native plants for suburban gardens
I recently gave a talk to the Eastwood Garden Club on native plants for small or suburban gardens.
Gardening tip: Planting under gum trees
To maximize your success establishing new plants to grow under gum trees, plant them as close to the trunk as possible. The reasons you do this are: there are very few tree feeder roots to rob your plant of nutrients and moisture.
Gardening tip: Shady gardens
Using a variety of ‘semi’ rainforest plants as screen plants as they are hardy, have attractive colourful new leaves. Their flowers are also attractive as is their fruit. They can be pruned hard if needed.
What plant, where? A talk by Professor Michelle Leishman
At the Parramatta and Hills February meeting, the speaker was Prof. Michelle Leishman from the School of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University.
Dividing Pterostylis, an easy native orchid to grow
The easiest terrestrial orchids to grow and propagate are those in the genus Pterostylis. These orchids produce abundant underground tubers (white and about the size of a pea) and after a couple of years in a pot they need division…
Garden advice – mistletoe, grevillea allergies, hedges and daisy seeds
Garden advice from our experts on mistletoe, grevillea allergies, hedges and daisy seeds.
Growing native ferns in a shaded garden
Our garden is located on the south side of a steep hill overlooking the Woronora River at Bonnet Bay, just south of Sydney. When we bought the land, it was a beautiful, relatively undisturbed bush block, with wonderful stands of macrozamia cycads and gum trees.
Garden advice Q&As – more from our experts
Our group of experts responds to recent queries about gardening with natives.
Spring garden at Westleigh
Enjoy photos from Brian Roach’s garden at Westleigh
Garden advice Q&As – answers from our experts
Our group of experts responds to recent queries about gardening with natives.
Queries about trees – answers from experts
Glenda Browne summarises recent queries about trees: natural or human modified shapes, trees in trees and the long stem planting method for natives.
Australian native plants for pots, courtyards and small gardens
Over the past 20 years, I’ve been richly rewarded speaking with over 100 gardening groups and clubs about our wonderful and unique Australian flora.
Water in the garden
Water in the garden has a long history, as long as gardens themselves. Any history of gardens and gardening will show that the Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Chinese…
Gordon Rowland – promoter of native plants in garden design
Gordon Rowland was a very active advocate for Australian plants in garden design for many years, writing numerous articles and giving many talks promoting indigenous plants.
A walk around Corymbia
John Elton shares some of the plants flowering in his garden in autumn. I always think that autumn is the best time in the garden. One of the great things about having a native garden is that we have colour 12 months of the year.
Spectacular flowers at the Easter Show 2021
Enjoy another spectacular display by APS groups in the Australian plants competition at the Royal Easter Show 2021.
Propagation of native plants
There are a range of different ways to propagate native plants. Here’s a run down on each system.
Plants for clay soils or clay loams
The following plants generally tolerate (or in some cases prefer) clay soils that are poorly drained but not boggy in winter, and that tend to dry out in summer. Of course, other factors can play a part in a plant’s success, so this list is a guideline only.
Growing plants in clay soils
Much of western and north western Sydney is based on clay soils. Quite often these soils are wet in winter and much dryer in summer. While clay has the advantages of holding water well especially at deeper levels and can be rich in nutrients, there are some problems
How to grow Acacia (wattles) and other native plants which require treatment of the seed before sowing
Seed of acacias which occurs in pods, has a tough outer shell that does not allow water to enter the seed easily. Other plants with a similar type of seed include the many pea flowers such as Chorizema, Clianthus, Daviesia, Hardenbergia, Hovea, Indigofera, Kennedia, Oxylobium, Pultenaea and Sphaerolobium to name just some of them
Creating a cottage garden style with Australian native plants
The idea of a cosy cottage garden, with herbaceous borders of annuals and perennials against a backdrop of shrubs and (maybe) a small tree or two, is becoming popular again. This is especially so with the reduction in size of modern gardens.
Reliable native daisies for the Sydney region
Some people think that native plants are straggly and boring. You only need to look at the beautiful variety of Australia daisies to see that this is just not so . They grow quickly and flower over a long period of time and there is a place for them in every garden.