Sadly, the rain that has come almost every day this previous month, has left the soil completely sodden and with several paddocks still keeping standing water. While the weeds seem to enjoy the wet, several of the trees and other natives have succumbed to their wet feet.
Those that have died include:
Grevillea barklyana:
Grevillea barklyana. Planted 2020. Image taken November 2022
Acacia howittii. Planted 2020. Image taken November 2022: next to 2 other A. howittii. Lower Sth PaddockAcacia howittii. Planted 2021. Image taken November 2022. Upper Sth Paddock
Acacia paradoxa x 3: [only one is shown]
Acacia paradoxa. Planted 2020. Image taken November 2022. New Back Patch
Grevillea “firecracker”: two plants, the one on the right is on the way out. And, both hard to see among all the weeds, especially Cape Weed…
Grevillea Firecracker. Planted 2018. Image taken November 2022
Some other natives are showing signs of stress and may not survive – since now, in November, we are getting further rain, with the soil still completely waterlogged – if not keeping water on the surface.
Acacia mearnsii (!!). All of the other eight A. mearnsii seem to be surviving well, no issues with watering or frost, but the constant wet seems to have done for this one:
Acacia mearnsii. Planted 2020. Image taken November 2022
Banksia serrata: Despite having a stream flowing past it for the last month, I thought this one was doing well, but several of the branches seem to have died.
Banksia serrata. Planted 2020. Image taken November 2022
As Spring keeps coming, so do the flowers on all the Acacias. Some of them come out bit by bit, others are in full flush for a short time. Several of the Acacias I’ve planted have not yet begun to flower this year, others have flowered for the first time.
The first two images are of the two Acacia acinaceas (“Gold Dust Wattle”), both planted in the ‘Windmill Patch’, but each one doesn’t look the same as the other one, especially in form/habit. No 1 was planted first and grew very slowly, while No 2 grew fast and flowered fast. No 1 below flowers in stages, while No2 flushes all at once and is so heavy with blossom, that the stems seem to collapse.
Acacia acinacea 1. Planted October 2018. Image taken September 2022Acacia acinacea 2. Planted April 2019. Image taken September 2022
The next image is of the 2nd Acacia aspera (“Rough Wattle) planted, this one in the open at the top of the ‘Front ex-Weed Patch’. It seems quite happy there, and has never been given extra water. There’s another smaller unidentified wattle in front of it, with a plastic protective sheath still around it – and the shadow of the ipad i used to take the shot can be seen lurking next to that. The first A. aspera planted lives under a large gum in the ‘Lower Cotoneaster Patch’, and has similarly never been given extra water.
Acacia aspera. Planted April 2019 . Image taken September 2022
Next is Acacia denticulosa, or “Sandpaper Wattle” – yes, the leaves are very rough and feel like sandpaper, but what I like about this plant is the orange colour and texture of the new leaves and the lovely long acid-yellow coloured spikes. This particular plant grew very well for a couple of years, and then, after I pruned it, some of the stems died back. It’s naturally very leggy in habit and so difficult to photograph in a way that really shows how glorious it is. The first one I planted did not survive – that patch – The ‘driveway triangle’ – was hot and dry that summer, so it was probably not getting enough water for that first year. The second one, whose images appear below, was planted at the top of the ‘ex-weed patch’ (October 2017), and it seeems as if that area has better soil and water. The first image was taken in September 2022, and the next two were taken in September 2019.
Acacia denticulosa. Planted October 2017. Image taken September 2022
In these next two photos, taken in September 2019, the first image shows the flowers more clearly, and the second shows a close up of the new leaf growth:
Acacia denticulosa. Planted October 2017. Image taken September 2019Acacia denticulosa. Planted October 2017. Image taken September 2019
The next image shows one of the two Acacia imbricata planted, this one in April 2019 from tubestock brought over from SA’s State Flora. This one is planted in the ‘mid south paddock’, between two boulders on the slope there. The south paddock is alternately dry and hard in Summer, and wet and squelchy in Winter and Spring, and indeed, in Spring 2022, the mossy boulders which can be seen in the next image have water flowing over them.
Acacia imbricata. Planted April 2019. Image taken September 2022
One of my favourite wattles, and not for the flowers, is Acacia howittii. I like them because they grow quite well in wet and dry and hot and cold, and respond well to pruning, so they make a good hedge or screening plant. Of course, if it’s pruned, you won’t get any flowers, but that’s OK, as the flowers, while nicely perfumed, are pretty small. In the next image, one of the three planted in the ‘lower south paddock’ where it is the driest place on the whole property, has started flowering for the first time. Another one planted with this one (March 2019) did not survive, and the other two are smaller and not as robust.
Acacia howittii. Planted March 2019. Image taken September 2022
As I post this (late September), the Acacias in these images which were taken earlier in September, have come into full flower. I’ll put up another post later with more of the same. I’ve already taken the photos, but yet to upload them. When I do, I’ll put a link to it here… for my files..
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
Below are some of the Acacias that flower in late Winter /early Spring. The following include some that have just started to bud – further photos later when they get more completely covered.
First image is of Acacia convenyi, or “Blue Bush”. This was planted from a small pot, McDonalds Nursery in Bendigo. It needed some extra water the first summer, but since then it has powered on.
Acacia convenyi. Planted October 2018. Image taken September 2022
Next is a small wattle whose name I do not know, since the tag was lost on the way home from Ironstone Park Nursery in Heathcote. The leaves are very long and thin, and this patch (the “New Back Patch”) is very hot and dry in summer. However, because of this, there is an irrigation system there, but plants there only get a couple of waterings a month over summer. [thanks to the lucid wattle app web version I believe I have identified the errant acacia as Acacia applanata]
Unknown Acacia ssp. From Ironstone Park Nursery. Planted October 2020?. Image taken September 2022
Next is Acacia cardiophylla, or Wyalong Wattle. It needed extra water the first summer, as it didn’t look happy at all that year. However, since then it only gets minimal extra summer water – its first year was a drought year after all. It’s a very pretty small tree with its feathery fern-like leaves and bright flowers in early Spring. I’ve used it as a cut flower after I needed to prune it.
A. cardiophylla. Planted June 2018. Image taken August 2022
The next image is of Acacia aspera, or Rough Wattle, and does indeed feel rough if you feel its leaves. Most of the year it looks somewhat unimpressive, although when in flower it looks lovely with its arching habit and all the branches covered in flower. Also, it’s a local plant and well adapted to the climate and soil – at least, I’ve not needed to water either of the plants I have. The one shown below is just starting to flower, and it is very happy growing under a large Eucalypt, with filtered afternoon sun. The other A. aspera is growing in the open, and was planted a little later. I hope to upload a couple more images of these two when in full flower
A. aspera. Planted August 2018. Image taken August 2022
We know that Acacia baileyana (Cootamundra Wattle) is a weed in these parts, but the prostrate form is not yet decided. So far, no babies have been noted, and the three plants I’ve planted have flowered every year after their first Spring, and have not required any extra watering. However, when they were planted we did not have the rabbit problem we have now, and these all look to me now like so much rabbit habitat.
Acacia baileyana prostrate. Planted 2018. Image taken August 2022
Finally in this post, here’s a close-up image of Acacia leprosa “Scarlet Blaze” in flower. Again, it needed some extra water in its first summer, and due to its weeping habit and very heavy branches, and being planted on the side of a windy hill, it has suffered some big breakages along the way. So far, it seems to have survived nonetheless.
Acacia leprosa “Scarlet Blaze”. Planted 2018. Image taken August 2022
Starting with the four A. boormanii (Snowy River Wattle) planted in various places around the plot
Acacia boormanii. Mid South paddock. Image taken August 2022. Planted August 2018
This one was originally planted with a good space (so I thought) between it and the A. mearnsii next to to it, but it has since needed to grow at an angle to get out of under …
Acacia boormanii. Lower South paddock. Image taken August 2022. Planted November 2018Acacia boormanii. Upper South paddock. Image taken August 2022. Planted September 2017Acacia boormanii. Front ex-weed patch. Image taken August 2022. Planted November 2018
More wattles in flower to come in the following post…
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 southA bit greener in July 2022Stump 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..
