Dampiera rosmarinifolia

I found another good photo of this suckering plant which spreads by underground shoots form the root stock. It is a good hardy plant to have in a perennial border. It is easily kept confined.

It is drought tolerant and frost hardy and grows in lime soils.

Acacia iteaphylla (Flinders Range Wattle)

This is one of my favourite wattles. I’ve had a hedge of them for over 20 years, and here they are the first to flower, beginning in Autumn. I noticed another hedge of them in the town in good bloom. This uaually means that there hasn’t been much rain here because the blooms spoil in the rain.

Well grown plants reach 3-5m tall by 3-6m wide. They have pale yellow sprays of flowers and can be pruned. It is very adaptable and is drought resistant and lime tolerant. Some forms have pretty new growth, and can be pendulous or upright in growth habit. Use as an ornamental or low windbreak as well as a hedge.

Eremophila glabra 'Roseworthy'

This is another of those tough glabra forms. This one originates from the Roseworthy district which is north of Adelaide in South Australia, on the road to the Barossa Valley. Many forms of native plants are named for the town or district where they grow and this is particularly so of Eremophilas.

This form of Eremophila glabra is quite flat like a lawn. In fact a well grown plant has the fresh green appearance of lawn and I am sure could be grown as a lawn substitute. It would only be visually like that as it could not be walked on like a lawn. However to have a flat green area is visually cooling even if it is not a true lawn. The plant would be worth growing for that alone. However another benefit is that Honeyeaters love the flowers which vary from yellow to red on the plant when in flower. This is a frost hardy plant also.

Chloris truncata (late summer)

After I decided to not water a patch until it became unacceptable as a lawn to test the time between waterings, we had 3.5 mm of rain. This was three and a half weeks between waterings and was almost at the stage of considering it to be in need of a watering. As a general rule I would say that 3 weekly intervals would keep a reasonable greenness about the grass. It is looking a bit tatty at the moment as it hasn’t been trimmed since late spring. We have also had many days above 35C and at least ten days above 40C.

I certainly think it is worth persevering with this grass in low rainfall areas, especially in areas where it occurs naturally.

See here for other posts on this topic.

Olearia passerinoides

This plant is native to the district and is drought and lime tolerant. They are shrubs to about 3 metres tall and 2 metres wide. Not much study has been done on Olearias and their cultivation. The dryland plants need to be pruned to prevent the flowers appearing on the whispy ends of foliage. New growth appears low down in the bush and pruning can be done at these points to force out more dense foliage and create a tidier bush.

Daisy bushes attract butterflies and the birds that chase them. The birds in our yard use the bushes as staging posts to come down to the bird baths.

Eremophila veneta (was metallica)

Eremophila veneta is a hardy ground covering plant with silver and green flowers. It grows to about 15-30cm tall by 1-1.5m wide. It thrives in a dry, hot position with good drainage.

I am sure that the Shingle Back Lizards find the water in the bird bath which is on the ground in the same way. I have watched them walk quite a distance in a very purposeful manner, heading in a direct line for the dish.

More information can be found here.

Eremophila glabra prostrate, red form

The antics of the New Holland Honeyeater are amusing. There is a daisy bush growing beside this plant and it has light twiggy growth low down in the bush. The New Holland Honeyeaters hang by their claws like a trapeze artist to reach their beaks and long tongues into the flowers. Then they decide that it is just as easy to get at the nectar by hopping all over the plant as the other species do.

This particular plant has made roots along some stems and in doing so collects more moisture. The Eremophila glabra forms are all very hardy but like all plants appreciates water during mid summer. We had 33mm (about an inch and a quarter) rainfall last weekend and everything has perked up even though this rain was sopped up by the ground very quickly.

More information about Honeyeaters can be found at Trevor’s Birding.

Eucalyptus platypus (Moort)

This tree is fast growing and particularly suited to heavy soils. It tolerates some water logging and is hardy to drought and most frosts. It is highly resistant to smog. The trees respond well to pruning and coppicing. They have many uses including shelter belts and wind erosion control. The foliage grows low down on the plant giving the impression of a large shrubby tree. This aspect makes it a great plant for wind breaks. It is also a good plant for bee keepers.

Eucalyptus platypus (Moort)

It is named Eucalyptus platypus because the flower stem and buds resemble the foot and claws of this Australian Native animal.

Eucalyptus stricklandii (Yellow-flowered Blackbutt)

This also could be called ‘the perfect tree’. It is adaptable to many different soils including alkaline. It is ideal for arid and semi arid areas and warm temperate areas. Apparently it does not do so well in cold climates. It is useful for wind breaks and erosion control. The tree grows from 6-12 metres tall by 5-8 metres wide. Here it is the lower height. It is drought and frost hardy and resistant to smog. Flowering time is Spring through to Autumn.
This tree has been grown in Israel without irrigation and is also grown in California.

A good photo of a Puple-Crowned Lorikeet can can be seen on the site of The Australasian Bird Data Base.