Plant List of Australian native plants that have grown in Joan and Marilynne’s gardens – successes and some that Sneed special care t or position.
This information is from the talk Joan gave to our March Garden Club meeting. She suggested that, Marilynne include her experiences as well in the information below.
Joan changed her front garden from roses and lawn to n natives which take up the whole front area, with winding paths. Joan’s block is flat, so she has worked with some mounds for drainage.
Marilynne has a native garden in the front of her block with some eucalypts on one boundary and started from nothing – a bare block with no protection at all from frost and from winds – from east, south and west. Her block is on a hill, with clay soil so the hill gives drainage but the clay needs to be taken into account, so plantings are sometimes raised, rocks put in the base of the planting hole.. Plantings before there was a tree canopy and some protections were variable and quite a lot didn’t survive, but are now. Tree canopy and protection with hedges has made a big difference.
DRAINAGE
Discussion covered the importance of drainage, how the current wet weather has caused ‘wet feet’ and the loss of some natives and the severity of frosts which mean that some species that grow in Canberra can be difficult to grow here. Anigizanthos ‘Kangaroo paws’, for example, would be annuals in this climate unless t hey are in pots and can be moved into a greenhouse for winter.
TUVE STOCK
it is recommended that tube stock be used as this is cost effective, sot that you can afford to try something, and it isn’t a disaster if it fails. And, more importantly, the plants establish quickly and then grow faster than if more mature plants are used..=
The nursery, Cool Country Natives in Pialligo, gives good advice on what will grow and survive in the Bungendore region.
RROST TOLERATN & FROST HARDY
When buying native plants. Check the label for frost tolerance. Frost tolerant means that it will survive a frost to minus 3 and frost hardy are plants that can survive winter with no damage to their leaves.
Bungendore frosts go below minus 3 and in severe winters, there can be minus 6 or 7 for days, even a week or more, at a time. Some frost tolerant plants will grow and survive if in a protected position, others may need protection for the first few winters and will then grow happily. And some frost tolerant plants won’t survive here. Frost hardy plants are best to start with and for most of your planting. Seek advice from the nursery you are getting your plants from about those labelled ‘frost tolerant’.
Conditions vary in the region. If you are in a higher area, frosts may be less often and less severe. You need to observe what happens in winters in your area and also where there are more protected areas in your garden space.
CANOPY
The importance of a canopy was also mentioned. Acacias ate good for this. They are fast growing so that you can plant slower growing varieties under them. And they ‘condition’ the soil, by fixing nitrogen in the soil. Some of the faster growing species are relatable short-lived, so growing slower growing, longer-living species that will replace them makes sense