Community Tree Planting — 9 am, 5 October 2013

Members of the Friends at one of our earlier planting days.

Come along and plant a tree!

Members of the public will have the opportunity to actively contribute to the revival and improvement of Peacehaven in October. 

On Saturday, 5 October, Toowoomba Landcare Group, together with the Friends of Peacehaven Botanic Park and Toowoomba Regional Council will host a community tree planting day in Peacehaven Botanic Park.

In an area of existing, large eucalyptus trees, about 200 native shrubs and ground story plants will be established. This will result in a pocket of bush representing the layered vegetation of a native dry sclerophyll forest that once dominated our local landscape.

Everybody is welcome from 9am to help with planting. All tools and gloves will be supplied and volunteers can enjoy a free sausage sizzle after the activity.

Our community nursery will be open and it will also be an opportunity to take a walk through the park to see recent developments.

(For those who’ve always wondered sclerophyll is derived from the Greek sklēros hard  and phullon a leaf. Sclerophyllous plants are prominent throughout Australia, the Mediterranean Basin, Californian woodlands, Chilean Matorral, and the Cape Province of South Africa.)

From the sublime to the ridiculous

The powder-puff  pink flower
of the Thyme Honey-myrtle, 
Melaleuca thymifolia

Isn't this a delight? It is Melaleuca thymefolia, Thyme Honey-myrtle though I prefer an alternative name, Feather Honey-myrtle. 
It is flowering down by the lake at the moment, and we also have it in the nursery. It is native to Southern Queensland, is drought tolerant, and can survive light to medium frosts. Very popular as a garden plant it grows to about 1 metre high and wide.

If you want to know more about growing it in your garden go to www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/gnp4/melaleuca-thymifolia.html

Melaleuca thymifolia
at Peacehaven Botanic Park

Now to the ridiculous, although another striking local native, in the Giant Spear Lily Doryanthes palmeri. I'm only calling it ridiculous in the comparison of size. This beauty has a flower that is about 12 mm wide, but that is not all. The flower scape or stalk can be up to 5 metres in length with many flowers as can be seen in the photo below.

A single flower

The flower head

The foliage is long and strappy and can grow to about 3 metres high and wide. It is a wonderful feature plant for a large garden, and it is tough being frost tolerant (although emerging flower stalks may be affected) and drought tolerant. 

Looking towards the rotunda
 from the dry creek bed
 with Doryanthes palmeri
and excelsa in the foreground.

There are several of these lilies dotted around Peacehaven with its close relative Doryanthes excelsa. They flower in spring but you can see a huge seed head on one near the low bridge (photo above). The flowers are full of nectar and are very attractive to birds. If you do decide to plant one be prepared to wait as they take 5 - 7 years to flower. 

Want to know more? Go to http://toowoombaplants2008.blogspot.com/2008/05/spear-lilies-in-seed.html

Both these plants are available in the Peacehaven Botanic Park nursery right now!