Love Banksia, but not many love a cold and damp climate which then alternates with hot and dry. This hasn’t stopped me experimenting.
The local banksia, Banksia marginata, were once prevalent in this area, but since the goldrush removed most of the topsoil and the miners needed wood for various purposes, most of the local Banksias went missing. The couple that I’ve planted seem to be coping OK, once they get their roots established.
Banksia marginata. Image taken April 2023 Planted 2017
So I planted another one nearby.
Banksia marginata. Image taken May 2023, Planted 2019
Yes, the sticks and the wire. The wire is to prevent rabbits and especially hares from nibbling at the leaves and ring-barking the trunks, and the sticks are in the way of letting the night marauding kangaroos avoid jumping into them. It seems that the kangies are not so partial to plants apart from grasses anyway, so surrounding them with wire is slightly irrelevant – although they do like nice succulent new shoots. But during the night the kangaroos sometimes inadvertantly (I assume) jump onto a plant surrounded by wire and posts, and at other times, they grab and break off branches. A few sticks at least alerts them to the presence of the wire at night.
And another one. This one (below) in the “Upper South Paddock” near to the boundary fence. It sulked there for a couple of years, and was nibbled by rabbits, but after new wire was installed and perhaps the good rains, it seems to have taken off.
B. marginata. Image taken July 2023. Planted 202oBanksia ericafolia
Above and below, photos of the one of the Banksia ericafolias. In the image below the new flowers can be seen.
Banksia ericafolia. Image taken June 2023.
Since these B.ericafolia seem to cope with the cold and damp and the hot dry summers quite well (although I admit to having installed a watering system in this patch (the so-called “North Triangle”) which I turn on at least once a month in summer), I have planted three more in this patch. At the same time, they do not grow all that quickly, but do flower after the first two years, which is pretty good.
Banksia integrifolia. Planted 2020?. Image taken June 2023
This B. integrifolia (above and below) was a present from Shelley – must have been 2019. I planted it out in 2020 I think (I need to check my diary). Last year it lived in a constant stream for 3 months after all that rain. Two other established plants nearby (A. longifolia and Grevillea barkleyana) did not survive, but this coast banksia managed. For some time, I worried that I would lose it as well, due to the many of the leaves turning brown and limp.
Banksia integrifolia. Image taken June 2023.
But, new growth seems OK – I’m afraid the photo below does not really capture the robust new growth.
B. integrifolia. Image taken July 2023
The image below if of another B. integrifolia I planted, probably in 2021, where the prunus gave up the ghost. This location is on the slope under the septic tank, so it should have too much rich nutrient for a Banksia, but so far it seems to have survived OK.
Banksia integrifolia. Planted 2021. Image taken May 2023.
Below is an image of the poor B. serrata. Poor, because it is the target of nibbling. I suspect itinerant wallabies in the night, since the wire around it is too high for rabbits or hares. On the other hand, I have never seen any wallabies around the property, so maybe the kangaroos like it. I water it every summer so far, whch it seems to like, but I do not think it is so robust, since it does not grow so quickly… or maybe it gets discouraged by its new growth being constantly nibbled off. This one is planted on the slope in the middle of the “South Paddock”.
B.serrata. Planted 2021. Image taken July 2023
The next image is of one of my favourite Banksias, praemorsa. I’ve tried to grow it several tmes, but it likes absolute drainage, and a lot of water. Hence I tried growing one in a pot, and it did very well until I went away for a few weeks over summer and left the watering to someone else. No. He would only come once a week, and in summer, these potplants need watering at least once every 2nd day, if not more frequently, so I lost that plant.
The one in the image below is planted on the “new back patch”. It’s notably very dry and gravelly there, with a swale running along its length to take run off from the back paddock under the hill. Still, last spring when it rained so much, the soil there was squelchy and I lost a couple of plants in that patch. I thought the B. praemorsa would not survive either, but it seems to be OK. So far, it doesn’t look like flowering, though.
B. praemorsa. Planted 2021. Image taken July 2023.
One often hears people say that a weed is only a plant that is growing in the wrong place, but I’ve always thought this is far too simplistic. In any of my gardens past and present I usually prefer to grow native plants, but not exclusively. In any case, I am only really especially interested in growing native plants.
Yeah, but, plants that are native to Australia are not necessarily indigenous to the area, and in this respect I am certainly not very strict. Indeed, having heard lectures by plant epidemiologists on the way that native species are going to have a hard time in their traditional habitats as global climate change creates warmer and drier conditions further and further south on the continent, it may be that plants that have heretofor been indigenous to an area will not be able to cope with (i.e. “adapt quickly enough to”) changing conditions. Hence I feel that experimenting with growing plants that have evolved in different areas of Australia might be a positive endeavour, and that I should keep track of which species thrive and which do not.
Upon showing a local land conservation member the various species I had planted in the plot, many of them Acacias, she pronounced most of them to be weeds. I thought about this, as I knew that her criterion for identifying a weed was therefore that the plant was not indigenous to the area. I could imagine that these non-indigenous native plants were *potentially* weedy, but my own criteria for designation of a weed had to also include their difficult to control spreading.
However, rather than use the non-indigenous identity as the most salient criterion for designating a weed – lest we categorise the whole of the european descendants of the first invaders of this country ‘weeds’ – I have a number of other elements of a plant’s behaviour and attitude as salutory in declaring their weed status.
Firstly, it is hard to eradicate. I mean, if there are plants in the garden or paddock that one does not want, then if they can be easily eliminated then they can hardly be classed as a weed.
Secondly, and related to their non-ease of elimination status, is their ability to spread. Some plants have evolved to use seeds, some, bulbils, some can regrow from stray stems or rhizomes. Some horror plants use all of these methods. Prolific seed bearers use wind or animal dispersal, and some of these seeds can remain viable in the soil, lurking there, for many years. As they say, one year’s seeding equals 7 years weeding.
Thirdly, their behaviour is in the way of pushing out, strangling, overshadowing, and making life difficult in general for the native or other plants in their vicinity. They out-compete any other plants, and take over.
Fourth comes the matter of aesthetics. Each gardener or tenderer of land will have their own sense of what looks good and what annoys the eye, but the dislike of the form and nature of a plant is one criterion for people to designate a plant as a weed – given that the other criteria are also to some extent met. This particular criterion is my prefered way of translating the saying that began this commentary: a weed is a plant in the wrong place.
And lastly is the criterion regarding the immigrant status of the plant – the archetypal plant in the wrong place, so to speak. But, to my mind, if there is one individual growing out of its indigenous locale, and it does not reproduce, then it can hardly be called a weed.
Unfortunately, upon reviewing all of these criteria, I am unable to get past my earlier observation that the european inhabitants of this country tick every box on my weed identification list.
Several of the eucalypts planted three or more years ago are now in bud. A couple of them have kept the buds for several months over the summer, while some of the others seem to be budding up for the first time.
Last Spring was extremely wet, and we lost a few Acacias – and a couple of Eucalypts that were never happy with the cold and wet of Winter anyway. Last summer, however, was dry and there were several of the usual hot days, so I assume that the roots of many of the plants had been either drowned or encouraged by the constant damp, and then stressed by the dry. It could be that these eucalypts were inspired by conditions to try to reproduce. The whole idea of the plantings was to experiment and take note of what happens, so this post is a record of some of the changes.
E. incrassata. Image taken April 2023. Planted March 2018
This E. incrassata is one I tried for the second time I tried to grow dryland eucalypt incrassata. The first attempt was on the usually favoured (by natives) front ex-weed-plum slope, but that one didn’t last more than one winter there. This one is planted in the upper south paddock, in front of (i.e. to the north of) a couple of large Acacia: one provincialis (planted by me) and one mearnsii (already there). This individual plant seems more robust than the previous incrassata since it has survived last spring’s constant damp. At the same time, it is still no higher than hip height at 5 years old. The photo does not show the buds too well, as they are small and hidden by leaves in this image, but their discovery by me was a source of great interest..
Next up, the second planted E. preissiana, this one located in the mid-south paddock.
E. preissiana. Image taken April 2023. Planted April 2020.
This second E. preissiana planted on the property seems to be coping with conditions – despite it being in semi shade some of the day, as well as being in what I assume is shallow soil over granite boulders. Many of the leaves died back after last spring’s constant water runoff flowing past its roots, but it is now regrowing, and putting out buds. It is still only about knee height, however.
The first preissiana was planted the year before in the front windmill patch in full sun and on a slope, but every summer the leaves die back due to it not being able to cope with the heat, and despite being watered. That plant has a substantial lignotuber, and so it starts resprouting as soon as the weather cools down and water is applied. However, that first E. preissiana has not even been able to produce flower buds yet.
The next image shows the buds on the oldest E. scoparia on the property, in the same part of the mid-south paddock as the previously shown E. preissiana.
E. scoparia. Image taken April 2023. Planted October 2017.
This first E. scoparia planted by me, was located in a position which seemed to be similar to species scoparia’s original locale on the granite belt of the Northern Tablelands of NSW – since this patch in the middle of the ‘south paddock’ is on a slope punctuated by large surface granite boulders.
The tree grew very fast and always looked like the classic scoparia with the long thin vertically hanging leaves and white trunk. Unfortunately, last spring’s weather which caused the constant waterlogging of the soil, combined with the tree’s top-heavy growth, provided conditions for it to lean under the usual wind stress that this property experiences. So far, it seems to be OK with its new aspect, but one of its previous attractions (for me) was its straight vertical posture. While the flowers are not the reason for growing this eucalypt, I’m sure the insects will be happy when they come out.
E. websteriana. Image taken April 2023. Planted March 2018.
This is the first E. websteriana planted on this property and, like the previous E. scoparia, it was planted in the mid south paddock, but slightly lower down the slope, in a small swale between two broad surface granite boulders. This one has produced buds and flowers every year since it was planted, and so a second one was planted further down the slope of the south paddock in similar conditions behind a surface granite boulder. That one has similarly produced buds and flowers every year, although both plants are no higher than waist height.
Slightly further down the slope of the south paddock, is what I think is probably the driest patch on the property. This is where I planted the Eucalyptus mcquoidii to see whether it would fare well in Victoria.
E. mcquoidii. Image taken April 2023. Planted October 2018.
It was just recently that I even noticed these flower buds on the E. mcquoidii, and at first wondered whether they were actually spent flowers rather than buds. They are located under the canopy of the leaves, and so are difficut to see. At about 4 and a half years old, the tree is now about waist height, and looks fairly healthy, with a rounded canopy and shiny green with orange-tinged leaves. as mentioned above, it’s planted in the lower south paddock in a location that always seems dry with small crystal gravelly soil – so that when watered it becomes soggy and liquid. It has close neighbours of local box and camaldulensis.
At the bottom of the south paddock, a 5 year old Eucalyptus cernua, one of the first planted after we moved here in late 2016. This species had been successful in a suburban garden in Adelaide, so I wanted to use its reliabilty here as well – also hoping that this time the flowers might turn out to be red. No luck. Last year was its first flowering and the flowers were yellowish white. At the same time, it has indeed been reliable, growing without much attention and with no issues at all.
E. cernua. Image taken April 2023. Planted October 2017.
Next image is of Eucalyptus brockwayi (Dundas Mahogany), with the buds that have been on the tree for the last 6 months at least. Although I’ve read that this is a fast growing species, so far it has remained at about chest height for the last couple of years. However, after its first summer, it is never given supplementary water, and seems robust.
E. brockwayi. Image taken April 2023. Planted April 2019.
The following image shows some of the buds on the E. occidentalis. At 4 years old, this is the first time buds have been noticed on the tree which has always been happy in this location which is seasonally boggy. During its first summer, it needed to be given some supplementary watering, but since then it has needed to cope with the hot and dry conditions of summer without assistance.
E. occidentalis. Image taken April 2023. Planted April 2019.
The following image shows some of the buds on the Eucalyptus synandra growing in the ‘ex-weed-plum slope’. The plant does not look very robust and is regularly attacked by some sort of insect, but it after last year’s first flowering, it seems to have produced a couple of buds again. On the other hand, its close neighbour and relation, the E. rosacea, is much more robust in appearance, but has so far never flowered.
E. synandra. Image taken April 2023. Planted December 2018.
Next is a poor image of the buds on the E. calycogona. This plant is still just over knee height, despite being 4 years old. Its location on the ‘ex-weed-plum slope’ is also protected by large Acacias, and it needed supplementary watering the first two summers of its life there. It first flowered last year, and now has new buds. In the image can been seen the original plastic frost protector sleeve, since it was believed that the young calycogona was frost sensitive.
E. calycogona. Image taken April 2023. Planted April 2019.
Next image a close-up of the buds on the 5 year old E. stricklandii, most of which have been there since last winter. This tree is planted on what is called the ‘driveway triangle’, on the north side of the property. Some of the buds semi-opened during the summer, and the flowers appear to be yellowish white in colour.
E. stricklandii. Image taken April 2023. Planted April 2018.
In the following image, the buds of the second-planted E. pyriformis can be seen. The first pyriformis planted, in the so-called ‘driveway triangle’ on the other side of the driveway from this plant’s location, has flowered every year – but this individual only produced one flower last year. This year, there seems to be a few more. Images of the actual flowers of this plant can be seen in a previous post.
E. pyriformis. Image taken April 2023. Planted November 2017.
The next image shows the buds on the Eucalyptus woodwardii planted on the boundary of the ex-weed-plum slope. This is the second E. woodwardii I’ve planted, and mainly because they do not seem to care whether they are watered too often or given much attention to grow and to survive.
E. woodwardii. Image taken April 2023. Planted ? 2022
Lots of buds on the Eucalyptus “winterlight” at the moment. Some of them are captured in the following image of the tree planted in the ‘north triangle’. This is the first year that it has flowered, but unfortunately, I didn’t record the date it was planted. It was an early planting, however, so it is at leat 4 or 5 years old. It is also the only eucalypt planted in the north triangle, which is located under the dam, and which remained boggy for several months at the end of last year, – and which also caused a number of plants (some grevillea and some acacia) to die.
E. ‘winterlight’ (E. viridus ssp). Image taken April 2023. Planted November 2017?.
Finally for this post, a recently noticed first budding of the Eucalyptus “Moon Lagoon”. Planted in mid 2017, it has been there for over 5 years, never reached higher than waist height, and often ‘attacked’ by passing kangaroos. Apart from that it has always looked healthy, regularly putting out new growth and not caring about frosty winters, and dry hot summers.
Eucalyptus”Moon Lagoon” (E. latens ssp). Image taken April 2023. Planted June 2017.
This E. burdettiana was purchased from Dean Nicolle in March 2020, and planted here in May of that year. After checking where E. burdettiana was likely to grow in Western Australia, and what conditions it favoured, I thought this site on the side of a slope comprised of granite boulders might be to its liking. When this tree was planted it had been raining, and water regularly trickled down the boulder above the the small depression in which it had been planted. As the photos below show, it was inclined to grow very quickly, and because this site was also open to strong southerly winds, the sapling was staked on three sides with ropes so that it could move around but would not be blown over.
E. burdettiana. Planted May 2020. Image taken July 2022
However, in early 2023, having become rapidly top-heavy, it was discovered to have almost completely blown over ‘uphill’ rather than downhill – which would have been more expected. The roots on the downhill side were thus exposed and some of the longer thicker roots on either side of the drip line looked as if they had been severed.
After this, the tree was righted and re-staked, and extra soil and two large logs were used at the base of the downhill side of the tree to help the roots become more secure. The following 4 images were taken after the restaking and from 4 different angles. They are reproduced below for recording how it looked then and in case it later succumbs to local wind and rain conditions.
E, burdettiana. Planted May 2020. Image taken March 2023.E. burdettiana. Planted May 2020. Image taken March 2023.E. burdettiana. Planted May 2020. Image taken March 2023.E. burdettiana. Planted May 2020. Image taken March 2023.
According to Nicolle (2016: 174) E. burdettiana is rare both in cultivation and in the wild, so I was even more keen to keep it alive. The Euclid site provides for further information on, and description of this species .
Update July 2023: E. burdettiana seems to have survived the winter so far, and is living in a trickle again. Some of the new leaves look as if they are unhappy with the cold, but they are not dying. Latest image below
E. burdettiana with wet rock. Image taken July 2023.
After the unprecedented rains of the Spring last year, several of the natives turned up their toes, especially the Acacias in damper patches. Some of the Eucalypts that were never so robust, also decided that they’d had enough battling the cold and damp of Mt Alexander winters (c.f. previous posts re: E. megacornuta, E. pimpiniana, E. pachyphylla).
The front ex-weed plum patch on the other hand seems to be the most favoured place for successful growing – probably due to its being on a slope, having sun all day (aligned north-south), and having deeper soil. One of the only 3 surviving of seven A. paradoxas is still doing well in this patch. What follows is a record of some of the successful Eucalypts that have survived at least 3 years in this area of the garden.
E. cyanophylla. Planted April 2019. Image taken 16th January 2023
First image (above ) is of E. cyanophylla, the second one tried on the property – the first one was planted in the upper south paddock which is normally very hot and dry, but that one did not succeed past one year. This one is halfway down the front slope, and has always seemed very happy there. After the first summer, it has not been watered. When this image was taken it was 3 years old, and chest height.
Next is the Kalgan Plains Mallee, and although planted at the same time as the E. talyuberlup which is illustrated later in the post, this one is slower growing and is still around waist height. It is quite robust so far, and seems to like extra water. The new growth of the stems and leaves are orange and quite pretty. In the image below, the plants seen behind it are a large Acacia provincialis to the left, and an Acacia genistifolia to the right. I’ve tried growing A. genistifolia in other places in the garden, but this is the only one that has done well.
E. pachyloma (Kalgan Pains Mallee) Planted October 2018. Image taken January 2023. E. yarraensis. Image taken January 2023. Planted October 2020.
This E. yarraensis is not, strictly-speaking, planted in the front ex-weed plum slope, but at the bottom of the slope, in a seasonally damp patch in a depression next to the old windmill. It was planted as a tubestock (bought from the local ASQ nursery) in October 2020, and grew very fast. One summer watering the first year, and that was it. In the background can be seen one of the three E. citriodora, which were already mature trees when we arrived in 2016, and which I think may be hybrids, since the leaves are not as long and do not have as pungent a smell as other citriodora I’ve encountered in the past.
E. talyuberlup. Image taken January 2023. Planted October 2018
This E. talyuberlup is one of the fastest growing Eucalypts on the property (apart from the E. scoparia just up the slope), and not watered after the first summer. Very pretty with its new red stems and almost shiny green leaves. Unlike some of the other Western Australian eucalypts, this one was not worried about the winter cold. In this image, taken in January, there is a small Grevillea olivacea in front of it, as well as a hose used for watering smaller plantings due to heat of summer. To the left of the tree, and down the slope, one of the Acacia boormanii is visible.
The next image is of the E. rosacea, which has always done well, with only one watering in its first summer. It was planted next to the E. synandra which is said to be similar apart from observable differences in the flowers, but so far the rosacea has put its energy into growing, and has not flowered, while the synandra has flowered twice. However, the synandra has been subject to attack by bugs, and it’s always looked a little peaky [at time of posting, recent image of the synandra not available].
E. rosacea. Image taken January 2023. Planted December 2018
The following image is of the E. conferraminata, bought along with others from Dean Nicolle in 2020. It was hurriedley planted because it was not doing well in its pot, drying out very quickly, so I wondered whether it would survive, since the slope does not get regular watering. However, it seems to have grown into its spot and looks healthy 3 years later.
E. conferraminata. Image taken January 2023. Planted March 2020
The next two images are of the same tree, E. vesiculosa, taken at two different angles. Like the E. conferriminata above, this one was brought over from SA after visiting Dean Nicolle’s arboretum Open Day.
E. vesiculosa. Image taken January 2023. Planted March 2020E. vesiculosa. Image taken January 2023. Planted March 2020
Next is an image of the 2nd planted E. pyriformis. Last year (2022) was the first time it produced one (1) flower. This is in contrast the the first planted E. pyriformis on the other side of the driveway, which has flowered prolifically every year since it was planted in November 2016.
E. pyriformis #2. Image taken January 2023. Planted November 2018
Following are three images of the earlier planted E. pyriformis, growing on the opposite side of the driveway, in a slightly drier patch. The first image shows most of the tree with buds and open flowers, the 2 images after that shows a close up of the flowers and buds (the first, behind wire, as protection from hares and/or kangaroos). Note that the images were taken in November and December, so this indicates what time of year flowering can be expected.
E. pyriformis. Planted November 2016. Image taken December 2021E. pyriformis. Planted November 2016. Image taken November 2019E. pyriformis. Planted November 2016. Image taken December 2021.
The next three – E. saligna, E. wimmerensis, and E. stricklandii – are not planted in the front ex weed-plum slope, but in the so-called ‘driveway triangle’, opposite that patch, on the other (north) side of the driveway. Sydney Blue Gums (E. saligna) are said to need extra water in summer, so it was planted next to a stand pipe (c.f. the next image to follow). However, after the first summer, it wasn’t given any extra water than any of the others, and it seems to have thrived anyway – apart from an early attack by hares, and then annual farming by the local ants of some red sap-sucking beetles .
E. saligna (Sydney Blue Gum). Planted 2018. Image taken January 2023.
The next image is of the E. wimmerensis “Tucker Time”, which we bought as it promised to provide nectar for birds due to prolific flowering – hence its name. But, so far, no flowering, although it has grown well in that spot.
E. wimmerensis (Tucker Time). Planted 2019. Image taken January 2023.
The next image is of E. stricklandii. This was given to me as a small potplant by Shelley Frawley, and planted in 2018. It’s always done fairly well in this dry and windy spot, with little supplementary watering. It promised to flower last spring, but it seems that all the rain has made it decide to hold off a while longer. The buds can be seen in the image below.
E. stricklandii. Planted April 2018. Image taken January 2023.
The next image is of E. laeliae. I wasn’t sure if this would survive as it comes from a more tropical and wetter in summer climate. For this reason, I planted it in the swale on the north side of the property, which remains wet in winter after it rains. The reason I wanted to try this one is due to the promise of a white trunk. Other eucalypts I particularly like for their pale smooth trunks have also been planted here – E. saligna, E scoparia, E. victrix. The laeliae is just beginning to have a trunk that can be seen – although not yet very visible in the image below.
E. laeliae. Planted September 2019. Image taken January 2023.
The following image is one of two E. tetraptera planted on the front ex-weedplum slope. Since this image was taken, the plant has grown very leggy – possibly due to last Spring’s rain, and because of this, recent images cannot capture the whole plant. It’s about to be cut back severely, but according to advice, this will cause it to quickly resprout more thickly from a lignotuber. For the past year, however, it has pretty much flowered constantly. Unfortunately this image does not show the flowers – which are small in comparison to the size of the tree. Maybe later, before it is pruned.
E. tetraptera. Planted October 2017. Image taken February 2022
Finally for this post, an image of the second attempt at growing E. macrocarpa, at about 3 years old. The image shows the residual plastic frost protector, as it definitely does not like the cold – every winter the leaf tips turn brown, but seem to recover once the warm weather returns. As this was taken in February, the leaves look quite healthy in this image.
E. macrocarpa ssp elachantha. Planted April 2019. Image taken February 2022.
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
The eucalypts I’ve planted were chosen for being able to withstand heat and drought conditions. My aim was to give them extra water for the first two summers, and after that, they would be on their own. I knew that some of them did not care for frosts, but while this place does get a couple of frosts every winter, they are not severe. The real problem for certain hot and dry loving eucalypts is not the frosts, per se, but the sustained cold combined with wet.
The first image is of the second E. forrestiana I planted – after the first one did extremely well without any extra water at all. However, I recently noted that that particular (first-planted) E. forrestiana has been suffering from the same blight that the others in this post are showing on their leaves – see the following image below this one. Some of the leaves have brown spots and shrivelled areas – something that looks like over-watering to me on other plants, and this browning of leaves notably occurs in winter and after substantial rain.
E. forrestiana. Planted October 2018. Image taken September 2022
Here is a close up image of the first planted E. forrestiana. This was planted at the bottom of the “Windmill Patch” in late 2016. My records say October, but although we may have been owners at that time, we did not move in until November of that year… In any case, this was one of the first trees I planted here, and this one was never given any extra water, but thrived nonethless – until now (Spring 2022). The leaves are browning and dying off in a way that suggests overwatering.
E. forrestiana. Planted October 2016. Image taken September 2022
The next image is of E. cyanophylla. This is the second cyanophylla I planted, after the first one died of what I thought might be lack of water in a particularly dry year. This plant never looked back and had been growing very happily and steadily until this Spring and all its rain. The black/purply spots can be easily seen on its leaves.
E. cyanophylla. Planted April 2019. Image taken September 2022
Next image is E. brandiana. It doesn’t really mind the cold, but some of its leaves are still showing signs of stress. Since the browning has occurred on the older leaves and not the newer ones, it does not worry me so much.
E. brandiana. Planted May 2020. Image taken September 2022
The next image is of the poor E. pachyphylla (“Red-budded Mallee”), which flowered during its first year in the ground, while it was still a baby. But subsequent winters have stunted it badly, despite being planted in the open on sloping ground.
E. pachyphylla. Planted October 2018. Image taken September 2022
[Update, November 2022, the poor little thing has died. this Spring has been so wet, that other natives have also died due to the sodden ground and the months of rain leaving much of the property a literal bog]
Next, the 2nd E. pimpiniana I’ve tried to grow, after seeing mature trees and loving their form. But each one has not been so happy with its conditions here. For some reason they seem to like more water than they’re getting – although this one is now showing signs of disliking the damp and cold of this year (2022).
E. pimpiniana. Planted October 2018. Image taken September 2022
Next, putting in an image of the E. macrocarpa elachantha, since every Winter the leaves at the end of the stems start going brown and a bit crispy. It looks like insect attack in some ways, but I think too co-incidental that this only happens in Winter and most bug attacks seem to occur in warmer weather. In any case, this plant seems to be weathering the weather OK, but doesn’t grow too quickly.
E. macrocarpa subs elachantha. Planted April 2019. Image taken September 2022
This E. megacornuta started off quite well, but then a couple of damp cool winters and it began to get browned off. It would recover slightly during summer, but this Spring, despite it living on a slope, it has deteriorated further. Last Autumn, I weeded around the base, and spread some native fertiliser, but it doesn’t seem to have helped.
E. megacornuta. Planted October 2018. Image taken September 2022
The next image is of E. youngiana. I thought it would be happy enough in the full sun slope of the “ex-weed-plum patch”, but it seems to dislike the winter here. I planted this due to one specimen doing very well in Shelley’s back garden in Seymour, where there’s clay soil and it gets more rain. However, I think the site there is a little more protected. I’m hoping this one will recover – once it stops raining!
E. youngiana. Planted March 2020. Image taken September 2022
Next is an image of the 2nd E. erythrocorus I planted – this one in fullish sun in the lower south paddock and protected somewhat by some Casuarinas. But every year it gets a bit peaky, and even in Summer, it seems to languish. It’s about 4 years old and still a midget with juvenile leaves.
E. eryrhrocorys 2. Planted April 2018. Image taken September 2022
The sadddest one of all is this E. campaspe ‘silver gimlet’. I think I planted it in the wrong place, since there’s a large tree directly north of it, and so some of the day it is in shade. But what makes me sad is that the poor thing struggled *bravely* to survive year after year here in the “Driveway Triangle”, but now I fear it has finally given up.
E. campaspe. Planted April 2019. Image taken September 2022
…and, apart from the Eucalypts that don’t like our Winters, there are other natives that, up till this Spring, have been happily burgeoning, but who have now died due to waterlogging I need to assume. When the soil eventually drains, I may need to plant some more….
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
