I enjoyed yet another lovely walk through the park this afternoon, lots more buds bursting forth/flowering and birds with nesting material in their beaks. Hope that is a sign of an early spring or at least warmer weather to come. Hello and welcome to our new members, not sure I can publish names so I will play safe. A very big welcome to our new member from MIDDLE RIDGE (outside of Highfields area-Woohoo) they will know who they are. A very eventful POST follows with lots of information.
The NURSERY has a heap of new plants for sale, both different and colourful, some in bud and some flowering. BE QUICK they will be very popular. A range of new plants in 140mm pots is available now with a heap of tube stock arriving before Thursday 2nd July. Our full range of local/indigenous rainforest trees and shrubs is always available.
Some of you may be aware of the upcoming PEACEHAVEN 10th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, THE POSTER BELOW OUTLINES SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES AND THE TIME LINE. More to follow.
Assuming that most FRIENDS and READERS of the BLOG are interested in Native Plants I thought I might post some information about other related activities. The Native Plants Queensland (NPQ) Plant Show is being held on the 15/16 Aug 9am-3pm at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens (BBG) , it is a real eye opener. For me it is akin to a 'kid in a lolly shop' scenario. Grab a few friends, jump in the car and drive down there, after you have been to the Peacehaven Bash first of course. The Native Plant Gardens section at the BBG Mt Coot-tha is a great destination by itself.
This beautiful yellow flower is from Hibbertia Scandens which is a fast growing vine that can be quite rampant but prunes readily. It is covered in flowers from end of Winter through to Summer, it can also SPOT flower throughout the year. It does well in shade or full sun and can take light frosts. Check out the one behind the Nursery on the fence line. The Callistemon below is Viminalis, check out the Scaley breasted Rosella in the left hand top branches. It will grow virtually anywhere, including Black Soil, has a weeping habit and is great for the birds. Prune off the spent flowers while they still have a little colour/before the seed pods form, for an even better flowering next time. The next photo shows just how well the Rainforest edged creek line is coming along, it looks very lush. I've decided to write some articles on all aspects of Native Gardening in SERIAL format starting next BLOG. Hopefully that will keep you hooked and the BLOG size and production time, manageable. Thought I had forgotten didn't you, nothing else has developed on the FRIENDS/LOVERS relationship yet, BUT! things are afoot. Watch this space.
Despite the chilly weather my latest incursion around the Park revealed some exciting New Blooms. This solitary small shrub off to the left of the Western decomposed granite track is Hovea Acutifolia. It is an open to straggly shrub up to 1.5M tall, it flowers profusely through winter/spring and likes shade or morning sun with occasional watering. The flowers are not inhibited by shade and in fact have a more intense purple colour. A White version is available. Great for adding a bit of colour in a shady area. To the right is a very interesting/colourful small tree Melacope Rubra syn Evodiaella Muelleri. It is a small tree approx. 3m with open foliage, a corky bark and has flowers that form on the trunk and branches directly. It flowers through Winter and Spring, the Lorikeets love it and it is a food source for the Ulysses butterfly. A protected site from frost and wind is preferable otherwise it will drop some leaves and the remaining leaves will tend to yellow until it warms up again. This fantastic garden tree can be seen just off the cement path down towards the BBQ area. A little bit further on the first flowers can be seen on Grevillea Robusta (Silky Oak). Below is another great plant/small shrub for a shady/protected area, Syzgium Wilsonii. It is a rainforest understory plant that likes protection from frost/wind to protect the flushes of new growth. It has a weeping habit and large leaves that change colour from bright red thru pink to finally green. It has a magnificent red powder puff flower and does best with a bit of additional water. This plant is located to the left of the cement path about half way down. While you are in the area keep an eye open as the first Banksia flower/cone is out as well.
As you may be aware the Nursery is now stocking a wider range of Native plants. To cater for the extra plants an under utilised area has now been opened up so ensure you check out the whole Nursery when visiting. A few pictures below show the facilities and great volunteers that produce the majority of our plants so please support the Nursery ( best range and prices in town) and thus help develop our beautiful Park. 
NOW is actually a good time to plant out suitable Native Plants especially the Dry Land Natives from Western Australia eg Grevilleas etc. Western Aust (Southern areas) receives most of it's rain during winter ( they get very little summer rain) and as a result the plants GROWING SEASON is actually winter. An added advantage of planting now is very little follow on watering is needed, the roots will start to develop and the plant is ready to explode in Spring. A quick note on watering NEWLY planted Native Plants, there is an axiom 'water once a day for a week-once a week for a month then once a month for a year "after that the plant is on it's own. The aim is to keep the root ball moist, remember it was watered every day in the Nursery before it was planted. All this is subject to prevailing conditions, less in Winter, more in Summer, the 'stick the finger in the dirt' trick to check moisture levels and of course leaf droop usually means 'water me please'. As promised here is the FIRST semi-technical article-BUYING/SELECTING GOOD POTTED PLANTS an enthusiasts view. Firstly, plants you buy from your local Nursery are probably not LOCAL. Now you have to consider whether they are suitable for your areas climatic conditions, they just got off a truck, they won't be acclimatised or sun hardened, were probably FERTIGATED (irrigated/watered with fertiliser in the water), won't take kindly to not being watered/fertilised regularly, are probably not ready to be planted out immediately because of insufficient root growth in the pot (I like to gently squeeze the pot from the outside and feel some firmness or at least see some SMALL roots out the bottom), if you see the potting mix break up on the surface the roots definitely haven't developed enough throughout the potting mix. The pots/plants could be root bound-very hard when you squeeze the pot (in which case GENTLY tap the pot off to check the roots). Wriggle the stem of the plant and observe around the stem a cm or two out for separation of the potting mix where the plant may have been potted on from a tube (you will see the outline of a square shape) or planted as a 'plug' and the roots haven't spread out/taken in the larger pot, it will fall apart if you try and plant it. These are just a few things to look out for when buying a pot plant, WERE YOU WONDERING WHY YOUR'S DIED. Having said all that, if you come across a plant like any of those above and you really want that particular plant, (let's face it some native plant's are hard to find) then just leave it in the pot for a few weeks to grow on before it is planted out. This serves 2 purposes-the roots develop or the plant will die as it is a weak plant. I NEVER PLANT OUT A POT PLANT IMMEDIATELY it can save you a lot of time and effort and makes getting a refund easier. If it won't survive in a pot it probably won't survive in the ground. Be careful not to over water 'tubes' their potting mix is usually different and will stay wet longer. Hope that was informative, next BLOG will discuss preparation of the garden bed before planting that newly purchased pot plant.
