Lowering pH of Soils Information
1 Comment »13th October, 2006; Category: Soils and Potting Mixes
I had the opportunity to hear Kevin Handreck speak about soils at the Australian Plants Society Flower Show and Plant Sale. Kevin is a well respected soils scientist and author of a number of small books for the CSIRO. He also wrote the book ‘Gardening Down Under’-Better soils and Potting Mixes for better gardens. I highly reccomend this book to all gardeners.
Instead of speaking in general terms about soils, he asked the audience what they would like him to discuss. Well! My first question was about dealing with highly alkaline soils. Bless the man, he spent quite a while discussing strategies.
As Kevin said, the obvious solution is to use those plants that don’t mind those conditions. However, for the rest of us who want to try other plants, he offered some possible solutions to try. One I think is a distinct possibility. Under the drip line of the plant make 3 or 4 holes (depending on the size of the plant) and fill with a mixture of cocopeat or potting mix or peatmoss and ferrous sulphate (10 litre cocopeat to 1 cup ferrous sulphate) and cover with a layer of soil.
As an extension of this, I wonder if it would also work to remove the soil from the planting hole, place the plant, add the peat mix to the soil and back fill with it. It is worth experimenting.
Banksias In A Stump
Flower Arrangement with Banksias
Banksias are such dramatic flowers. There are two different species in this arrangement, plus the seed cone of another species. A typical piece of Australiana is the old gnarled piece of mallee stump.
When we used to get to the city for shopping, when living in the north of the state it was always a treat to see the flower stalls in Rundle mall, the main shopping precinct in the CBD. There were always buckets of Banksia flowers. I would buy a few of each to take home and place in water to enjoy the real colours. When the water evaporated the flowers would dry and keep for months. I often used the leaves with their different serrations as shapes for stencilling.
I enjoy the skill and creativity of the people who did these floral arrangements in Sogersu School of Ikebana.
Flower Arranging With Banksias
Banksias and Woolly Bush
This is another of the flower arrangements in a form of Ikebana. The featured flowers are Banksia spinulosa and Woolly Bush (Adenanthos sericeus). Also featured are gnarled pieces of one of the She-Oak family (Allocasuarina). The old seed cones have been retained and some yellow lichen has been left on the stems, also.
Woolly Bush is a wonderful plant. It has a green and grey appearance as the camera flash has picked up in the photo. It is one of those plants that one has to touch because of the soft woolly feel of the foliage. This plant grows well here with good drainage and in the alkaline soil, too. It has small, red jug-shaped flowers that are also attractive but the foliage is the feature.
I really like the way these flower arrangements show off Australian native Plants.
Using Waratah In Floral Arrangements
No Comments »9th October, 2006; Category: Using Australian Natives
Arrangement with Waratah
I was very annoyed with myself when I took the first photo of a Waratah arrangement similar to this. When I downloaded the photo to the computer there was a red fire extingusher at the side of the arrangement. I did not see it when I took the photo. The colour was identical to the Waratah.
Waratah is the common name for Telopea speciosissima which is the Floral Emblem of New South Wales. This plant can grow to three metres tall. The flower head can be nearly the size of a dinner plate. I have a friend who enjoys folk art. She had never seen a Waratah flower ‘in the flesh’ so when she painted one it was too small in proportion to the other blooms she painted. She realised the mistake when shown a real flower.
They need very good drainage to be successful as a garden plant. Cutting the flowers encourages more shoots and therefore more flowers for the following season.
Flower Arrangements With Australian Native Plants
Arrangement with Banksias
At the Plant Sale and Flower Show today I took some photos of flower arrangements done in a form of Ikebana style. The very bold and brash Banksias and Waratahs featured in them all. The members of this particular flower arranging group have made floral arrangements for the last few Flower Shows. They certainly showcase these exciting flowers.
The photo above features Banksia spinulosa and Thryptomene. The Pavilion where this display was housed had all sorts of distracting features on the walls and around the cut flowers. It was quite tricky getting a photo which did not have too much in the background.