Olearia passerinoides (Daisy Bush)

Olearia passerinoides is a mallee daisy and is quite a large bush with bright  green leaves, different to many mallee daisies which often have grey green leaves. Although this is a shrub, to me it behaves as a perennial shrub, in that new growth appears along the older wood.

The bush has a tendency to become scruffy, with the leaves higher up the stems and the flowers also high. If it was cut back to the lower growths, it would have dense foliage and be a more compact plant, and I suspect the flowering would also be quite spectacular.

As usual, I promise myself that I will do this, and yet another season goes buy. Mine have just finished flowering, so out with the secateurs tomorrow, while I think of it.

Olearia passerinoides is drought, lime and frost tolerant. It has clusters of small white daisies and grows to 2-3m tall by about 1.5-2m wide if left to its own devices. Pruning will keep it to a more compact size.

Templetonia Retusa

There are large, red pea shaped flowers very attractive to birds and butterflies, during winter and spring. This is a hardy plant suitable for front line coast and inland situations. It is moderately frost tolerant and requires good drainage. This can be achieved by creating a planting mound at least 5-10cm higher than the surrounding soil, if drainage is a problem. Templetonia retusa is found in South Australia and Western Australia. More information can be found here and here.

Eucalyptus phenax (White Mallee)

I was working in the Nursery this morning and could hear what I thought was the neighbour’s air conditioner. It was there in the background but I could not track the other noise that was there. When I looked up above my head I saw it. There were hundreds of bees in the canopy of the tree because it was smothered in flowers.

I love our local mallee trees. Against all odds they put on beautiful new new leaf growth and flower prolifically when everything else has ‘quietened down’ for the hot summers we have here. We seem to have three different species and they flower consecutively. If I was into bee keeping, it would be worth while having hives here for about three months. These are moderately fast growing plants suitable for limestone soils.

Eucalyptus gracilis (White Mallee)

Xanthorrhoea semiplana Flower Spike

Husband took this photo. It shows the masses of little flowers that make up this marvellous spike. The insects and native bees were working over the flowers when he took me to see it.

I downloaded his photos to my computer as they were really good shots.

I found my small plant of this Grass Tree today. I raised a few from seed and this one must be 5 years old. It is about 30cm tall and is a tuft about the thickness of two adult fingers. Considering that it normally occurs in deep slightly acid sand, in an area of 500-600mm rainfall I guess it is not a bad size. We saw one about 10 years old in a garden and it had a flower spike.

Santalum acuminatum (Wild Peach, Quandong)

What a find today! Husband found this on his morning walk today. I knew that they grew up the hill but I thought it was too early for ripe fruit. It is a wonder they are still there with the number of people who drive past.

At a Christmas break up a couple of years ago, one of the Australian Plant Society members made a fabulous Wild Peach Pie, which we had with cream. What a treat.

These seem to be shrubby plants here and I think are suckering plants. They are parasitic and grasses are used as the host in the home garden situation. I did hear that in orchard situations with the extra water and fertiliser, hosts are not needed. I need to research this as I want to have a smalll grove of these. See more information here.

Thomasia petalocalyx (Paper Flower)

Thomasia petalocalyx (Paper Flower) is one of the pretty local natives that grows well in the garden. This photo was taken in mallee scrub south of here. The plant grows to about a metre tall and is wider. The nodding flowers are a pretty mauve and have a papery quality about them. The bush seems to have flowers on it most of the year.

Once again this is a hardy, drought tolerant plant. The leaves are a little hairy which possibly means that it needs to be in an open position in areas where high humidity occurs. This plant also occurs in Western Australia and Victoria.