Two have gone onto a raised mound, and the third at ground level but with a dose of gypsum in case there is clay below the root ball. Mounds need only be 120 mm above ground level to achieve the drainage required.

This is the hardiest of the kangaroo paws and is used in breeding the new hybrids that are in many nurseries these days. I must say that I like the species plants even though I admire the new colours.

The strappy leaves on this plant can grow up to a metre tall and the clump to a metre across. However the flower spikes can grow to two metres . The seed I was given came from plants that had these very tall spikes and many flowers on the stalk.

It grows best in moist, light to medium soils, in partial to full sun, but will tolerate dappled shade. It can be damaged by frost.

Black ink disease is a problem in misty areas or locations where there is not enough air movement. Slugs and snails will cause a lot of damage.

I walked past a small plant that I have had for years but had not had the heart to dig out. It has always been in the wrong spot so was mown, slashed and whipper snipped many times. It has 4 stems now. I realized a few weeks ago that it was a Kurrajong after I had read the article that prompted the post on Kurrajong.

The amazing thing about this plant is that it has always been a good dark green, and does not get water artificially and has survived many heavy frosts over the years. I have decided, belatedly, that it deserves some TLC so that I can get some more height in the plant. It will be a shrub shape rather than a tree now. I doubt that cutting 3 of the 4 branches out will help as it seems to induce more branching from the base of the plant. Anyway, to fill up the tray I cut one of the branches that was growing across the plant. I was able to take 6 nice pieces of tip growth as cuttings to see what will happen. I will put in some seed later also.

This plant is no longer in the wrong spot!

• Acacia iteaphylla (Flinders Range Wattle)
• Acacia aneura (Mulga)
• Hakea laurina (Pincushion Hakea)
• Hakea multilineata
• Melaleuca lanceolata
• Melaleuca uncinata
• Callitris priessii sub species canescens (Native Pine)
• Grevillea pinaster in its tall forms. The Honeyeaters love this as well as the Hakeas.
• Melaleuca nesophylla
• Melaleuca huegelii (Chenille Honey Myrtle)
• Melaleuca armillaris
• Grevillea olivacea

I am visualising what I remember growing around the town and in other towns with similar conditions. These lists will go on forever as I remember species.

It is a hardy plant which grows well in a variety of soils especially on alkaline soils. It also does well in exposed coastal positions and inland. It withstands dry periods and very high temperatures. Muntries responds well to pruning. A friend here takes a spade to the edges to confine the plant to the designated area.

The fruit was always a favourite with Aboriginal folk. Early settlers used the berries in pies. They also make a nice jelly along the lines of apple jelly. Recipes for apple jelly can be found in older cook books like the CWA Cookbook.

I remember a tale of woe from a friend who had been given a two litre container full of Muntries. She planned to make something nice from them after work. By the time she got home, the children had been home and found them. She was a very cross lady when I was told the story.

I thought I had lost some of the native lillies, too. I knew that they died back in summer but I also thought that the watering may have rotted them. I tossed out a pot, only to reclaim it very quickly when I saw a small tuber with the beginning of a shoot. I rescued a whole box full, thankfully. A lot of Australian natives die down during the heat of summer to reappear when the weather cools down.

All the Xerochrysm (paper daisies) needed trimming and tidying and there were some beautiful colours amongst them. These were known previously as Helichrysm and then Bracteantha until it was discovered that the name Xerochrysm had the prior claim.

Other daisies like the Brachyscomes are flowering madly at the moment, particularly a fine leaved pink Brachyscome multifida and Brachyscome multifida ‘Amethyst’. Brachyscomes look like miniature marguerite daisies, although they a small perennials, rather than shrubs. I think I have said before that I love daisies.

This morning I collected cutting material from a friend’s garden. She has been on my back about it because two Correas had taken over. The Grevillea thelemanniana (Spider flower) was clambering through the nearest Correa. It is supposed to be a ground cover plant. The Adenanthos sericeus (Woolly Bush) was taking over the path to the chook shed.

I particularly like the Adenanthos. I see people at the Plant Sale doing what I do, that is stroking the foliage because of its woolly feel. It has insignificant flowers, the foliage is the feature of this bush. It grows to about 3-4m here and 2-3m wide if you let it. Tip pruning gives the bush a great shape. It is not the easiest plant to strike as the foliage doesn’t like to be too wet. It has a habit of rotting at the level of the mix. They don’t seem to mind a dry location like this one is growing in and I have also seen them in the middle of the lawn at a local school. What the landscapers would call an architechtural plant.

Have zillions of cuttings to deal with now when I have finished my cuppa. Having a cup of tea and container of plant rooting hormone on the same table can be hazardous to one’s health.

There was some nice material on two varieties of Alyogyne huegelii (native hibiscus), a pretty white flowered form and a ruffled purple form known as ‘West Coast Gem’. Somewhere in the nursery is a pink form also, and my neighbour has a lovely mauve form which flowers prolifically. It also overhangs our fence, which is very convenient for me.

Another native hibiscus is Alyogyne hakeifolia. The flowers do not open fully out, and have a prominent stamen inside, and often a contrasting colour. There are a number of colour forms. ‘Mellissa Ann’ is a bright purply pink, there are also cream, yellow and various mauve/blue colours.

The thing that they all have in common is their hardiness, apart from having pretty flowers. They tolerate lime, drought and neglect. They need to be pruned to keep them bushy. Cuttings are sometimes touchy as they don’t like to be too wet. Once potted on though, they grow like rockets!

A nice surprise to day as I continued to sort plants. I found Correa ‘Clearview Giant’ (has very large flowers, Correa ‘Pinkanninnie’ which has delicate pink bells, and my really nice white Correa pulchella minor. Apparently the minor part of the name refers to the orange flowered forms. I still have not worked these forms out.

I decided to take cuttings off some of these plants that I was finding, “just in case”! One thing led to another and now I have piles of cutting material to deal with. (I also have a bag of cumquats to turn into marmalade!) However that’s what happens when I have secateurs in my hands.

I found the only plant of Templetonia retusa, a prostrate form with apricot flowers. This plant is usually called Cocky’s Tongue because of the unususal shape of the flower reminiscent of a cockatoo’s tongue. It is a pea flower, similar to Sturt’s Desert Pea. I had been disappointed that I must have lost the plant, so it was a thrill to discover it in a box of overgrown plants waiting to be planted.

Another plant that I found was a seedling Correa which now looks like it might be a prostrate form of Correa alba. It will be interesting to see the flower to confirm this. The plant appears to have potential so we will see. I rescued another Correa seedling from a another pot which contained a  good plant, and repotted it. That will have to be treated as a cutting as I broke a bit of the root, removing it. I have no idea what that might be at this stage of growth. Another surprise coming.

I have not been impressed with the flowering of two Westringea seedlings, although the foliage is attractive. They will go out into this heathland too, I think.

I find nicking the seed to be more successful than the boiling water treatment. It is more labour intensive having to handle each individual seed but the results warrant it, I feel.

I still remember the first time I saw these growing in their natural habitat. We were heading for Arkaroola in northern SA and pulled off the road to have morning tea. It wasn’t until we were out of the car that we realised that we were in the middle of a huge patch of these plants and the first flowers for the season were just coming out. Fabulous photos (in those days, slides!) gave us great enjoyment later, too.

When you see the environment that they grow in it gives an appreciation of how far the roots must travel in order to survive the summer. The plants are sometimes perennial but probably best treated as annuals. They give a glorious display of their brash pea shaped flowers. Ants will carry the seed around the garden and they will pop up in the spots that you don’t want them but haven’t the heart to pull them out. The self sown ones always do better.

A lot of research has been done on breeding colours for export markets and on the growing of these plants. At one time it was always declared that you did not water these plants in the garden. After all look at where they grow in the wild in barren, parched locations. However, logically, they grow and flower when there is moisture available. So in the home garden they need water if you want growth and flowers. Apparently they do particularly well in self watering pots and also appreciate fertiliser. I haven’t tried this yet. I just want them in the ground, self sowing merrily away! To see some lovely photos of Sturt Desert Peas have a look at this web page.