Stump Circle Archives - Warrawing Natives

Acacias in flower early Spring 3: Acacia pycnantha

There are three Acacia pycnanthas on the property. All were planted as tubestock, donated by Bonnie Humphries from the local landcare group. One of the plants did not survive, but the three that did survive were planted at slightly different times, and at opposite ends of the property: one in the Stump Circle at the northern end, and two in the Upper South Paddock. The first images on the page are of the pycnantha in the Stump Circle, but according to my records, this one was planted later than the others, in April 2018. This location is more open than the place where the other two are planted, and there is no close competition from other trees and bushes as with the two in the Upper South Paddock.

A. pycnantha. Stump Circle. Planted April 2018. Image taken August 2022 looking south.

A. pycnantha. Stump Circle. Planted April 2018. Image taken August 2022 looking west.

The next image is of the pycnantha doing well in the Upper South paddock. The aspect is north facing, so lack of light is not an issue here, but there are several well established Grey Boxes behind it.

A. pycnantha. Upper South Paddock. Planted September 2017. Image taken August 2022

The final image in this post is of the pycnantha planted slightly further down in the South Paddock, one which has always struggled – several breakages and bitings from passing kangies or hares? and the close proximity to the Sloe Plums which are extremely weedy. This is the first year that it has flowered, and its form is rather leggy and very different from the other two.

A. pycnantha. Upper South Paddock. Planted September 2017. Image taken September 2022

The Stump Circle

Just some photos of the changes in the Stump Circle, where it’s dominated now by an Acacia pycnantha. Other natives growing there now inlcude an Eremophila, an E. lansdowneana, an Olearia, and a Philoteca.

The first photo was taken in February 2019, which doesn’t seem so long ago now, but it surprises me to see what it used to look like in comparison to what is looks like now (at time of posting, August 2022), and considering that I treated that patch as a type of afterthought.

Stump Circle, image taken February 2019, facing west

The next photo was taken a few months later, with the young A. pycnantha, Eremophila, and E. lansdowneana taking root. The house, and washing on the line can also be seen in the background. Obviously, winter rains had not started when this was taken. The larger tree looming behind the house on the left of the photo is a grand E. melliodora.

Stump Circle, image taken May 2019, facing south

Stump Circle on a rainy day in August 2022

In this photo, taken on a rainy day in early August 2022, the windmill is visible as a marker. The large tree to the right and behind the driveway is a self-seeded Acacia mearnsii. They grow fast. The spots of yellow on the ground show where I’ve tried to sporadically get rid of soursob, one of the banes of my life – apart from rabbits.

And here’s a closer up look at that A. pycnantha in flower in August 2022. Thanks Bonnie Humphreys of Connecting Country for the little tubestock..

Eucalyptus lansdowneana

Ever since we were taken to the Australian Arid Lands Botanical Gardens in Port Augusta, South Australia, and saw a young Eucalyptus lansdowneana in flower, I became a big fan of its fine leaves, its fine branches, its smooth fine trunk, and its very pretty reddish pink flowers. So, obviously I wanted to try to grown my own. And as soon as I could, I planted one in the Driveway Triangle, in a spot where I thought it might be able to withstand the dry, and the heat, and where it was on a slight rise, thus providing the excellent drainage it might require. This one was planted sometime in 2017, not so long after we moved here in November 2016.

Here it is on the driveway, behind the E. stowardii

first E. lansdowneana, planted Driveway Triangle 2017. Image taken April 2018

The next photos show this first planted E lansdowneana while it was in flower, in December 2021. The flowers came out in stages, with buds still on the tree.

E. lansdoneana planted 2017 close up of stems. image taken December 2021

E. lansdowneana, planted 2017 flowers. Image taken December 2021

The second E. lansdowneana was planted in April 2018, in what I call “The Stump Circle“, which is also part of the “North Triangle”. It did quite well there and flowered happily after only 2 years in the ground. This photo shows it in bud, the year after it first flowered.