Swainsona formosa (Sturt's Desert Pea) Photo M Tranent

Swainsona formosa (Sturt's Desert Pea) Photo M Tranent

Swaisona formosa (Sturt's Desert Pea) Photo M Tranent

I was sent some lovely photos of Sturt’s Desert Pea by a reader of this blog. As you can see, the plant is dense and lush, as you would want to have it in the garden, not in a state of survival.

Sturt Peas need to be watered. They respond with excellent growth and numerous flowers. Water well pots are very good.

The only exception to this might be if you had a self sown plant. These are remarkably hardy as self sown plants seem to send the roots very deep.

They also respond to being fed. Use a fertiliser designed for native plants.

In the photos the plant is growing in a raised bed. It has been shown that so long as the planting mound is at least 10cm(4 inches) above the surrounding soil, that will give the required good drainage.

Calocephalus lacteus (Milky Beauty-heads)

Calocephalus lacteus is a small spreading plant with small, globular, whitish flower heads in late spring and summer. The photo was taken in early January in Canberra Botanic Gardens.

The plant suckers, growing 10-30 cm tall by 1-1.5 metres wide. It is hardy in most situations, prefers moist soil but withstands periods of dryness. It grows in full sun to part shade in sand loam or clay that is well drained. It would need some water during the summer in low rainfall areas.

Acacia baileyana prostrate form (Cootamundra Wattle)

The prostrate form of Acacia baileyana is a lovely form of the taller tree. Even without flowers, the dense, grey green foliage is attractive in a garden setting. It cascades over slopes and follows the contour of the ground and it is excellent for covering large areas as a ground cover as it grows 30-60 cm tall and 3-4 metres wide. It has bright yellow flowers from winter to spring. It is a very hardy plant in most situations, withstanding dry periods and growing in full sun to part shade in sand, clay or loam.

A photo of the larger form in flower can be seen here.

Chrysocephalum semipapposum (Clustered Everlasting)

This is one of my favourite plants and it is a member of the daisy family. Members of  The Daisy Study Group had several forms of Chrysocephalum semipapposum growing. Chrysocephalum used to be Helichrysm.

It is a variable species with grey to green leaves which vary in width from quite fine to a coarser leaved form. It has clusters of small yellow flowers, which, if picked quite early in the flowering stage, will keep as an everlasting. If picked to late the flower will continue to open and the seeds will fluff out.

The plants grow from 50-80cm tall and make clumps up to a metre wide. Flowering is from Spring through to autumn so they are good value in the garden, especially in a cottage garden setting. The plants shoot from the bottom, so when the first signs of shooting appear, it is time to chop the clumps back to the new growth.

This plant is hardy in most situations and grows in full sun to filtered or part sun. It withstands periods of dryness but does best with extra moisture. The plant is suitable for heavy clay, loams and sand.

Kennedia prostrata

This species grows in acid to alkaline conditions, is moderately frost tolerant, and can be trimmed if necessary. It flowers from winter through to early summer, depending on the area. More information can be found here and here.

Kennedia prostrata

Eremophila subteretifolia

When I first began growing Eremophilas (Emu Bushes) I tried those that were considered to be hardy and available through plant sales put on by the Australian Plants Society. 20 years ago there were not many species in the nursery trade.

Eremophila subteretifolia is ground cover plant covering about 3 metres and with the occasional branch rising to about 25 cm. It is mostly quite prostrate and has a cascading effect on embankments. It is not a vigorous plant so is easily contained to an area. This is another of those ground covering plants which could be used as a substitute lawn where it would not be walked over.

This species is very drought tolerant and frost hardy.

The plant has orange tubular flowers which are enjoyed by Honeyeaters, particularly Red Wattle Birds and New Holland Honeyeaters.

Hardenbergia violacea mauve

When a plant is as dense as this one is, some hedge clippers would probably do the pruning very well.

Although the flowering time is limited to about 2 months at the most, the creeper on the fence stays green and dense for the rest of the year.

There are white and pink forms of this plant. The pink is particularly pretty but does not seem to be as robust as the others.

Hardenbergia violacea (purple)

Hardenbergia violacea (white)

Kunzea pomifera (Muntries) Plants

The dark green patches are the Kunzea plants.

Kunzea pomifera (Muntries) out in the Mallee

The photo shows some of the Kunzea pomifera (Muntries), that grow in this area. There were acres of the plants. The green patches on the ground are patches of Muntries. Very few weeds grow in the patches, just the occasional grasses. There were still berries on the plants and they were sweet to eat. I was surprised that the birds had not got to them all.