October 2015 - East Hills Group

EAST HILLS GROUP NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2015
NEXT EHG MEETING:
7.30 pm, Wednesday 7 October 2015
Karl Schurr: Recent travels in Italy
Karl is an East Hills Group member who has previously enthralled us with accounts of his travels to
Antarctica and other fascinating places.
LUGARNO-PEAKHURST UNITING CHURCH
909 Forest Road Lugarno (opposite the Chivers Hill Lugarno shops)
Visitors are welcome.
If you can, please bring something to share for supper, and plant specimens for the plant table.
WELCOME to another edition of the East Hills Group Newsletter. This issue includes photos
from our morning at Sylvan Grove and the East Hills Girls High Technology High School fete.
As usual, we have notes and photos from the plant table, monthly business items and dates
for your diary. Enjoy all the flowers as our gardens get into the swing of Spring!
Jan Douglas, Editor
In this newsletter:



A note from the President
Notes from our September meeting
Photos from Sylvan Grove & EHGTHS



Notes from the September plant table
Coming events – dates to note
EHG contact details.
www.easthills.austplants.com.au
East Hills Group Newsletter October 2015
Page 1
FROM THE PRESIDENT
We had an interesting change from our usual presenters but the meeting was not very well
attended. This was disappointing. Just nine members were present to hear and see Susan
Lewis's demonstration of her method of drying flowers using a microwave oven and a
manufactured press into which the flowers are placed. The advantage of this method is the
speed of pressing. Times range from about 40 seconds to one minute, as against several
weeks using the traditional method. Susan set out a comprehensive display of her work
from bookmarks and cards to various items of costume jewellery and other knick-knacks: all
very useful as gifts.
The plant table was loaded with a range of lovely flowers brought on by the beautiful spring
weather we are experiencing at present.
Our Sylvan Grove visit was a great success. Forty-nine attended, with representatives from
APS groups from Menai, Sutherland and Macarthur, as well as Hurstville Bushcare, Oatley
Bushcare, our East Hills members, and a few visitors from outside these groups. I was very
sorry to not be able to come but having had a medical procedure the previous day I was
advised not to attend. What a perfect day it was to experience such a lovely bush area. Jim
Mackay and his team are to be congratulated on maintaining this area so beautifully and
providing such a tranquil place to enjoy. Many thanks to all those who participated and
provided the morning tea.
The team at our stall at the East Hills Girls Technical High School fete were disappointed
with the results. They didn't match the wholehearted efforts of our people; however we did
make a profit of $187.00, which was better than last year, but not as good as 2013. The site
given us wasn't as good as last year’s. Graham Fry has come up with some worthwhile
comments to help make a better result for the future. They will be discussed later. Thank
you to Karlo Taliana, Graham Fry, Dorothy and Kyrill Taylor, Hugh Stacy, Carol Drew, Jan
Douglas and Noel Summerell (who cared for the plants we propagated ) and anyone else
who helped out. Our group really does appreciate the work you all do.
Graham Walters
President.
East Hills Girls Technology High School fete, 12 September 2015
East Hills Group Newsletter October 2015
Page 2
EHG September meeting – Susan Lewis on flower pressing
Based on notes by David Crawford.
Susan Lewis is a local resident who became involved with Australian plants after attending one
of the native plant spectaculars held in the Binishell at Peakhurst High School. This led to a
native garden, and then to pressing flowers from the garden, and now to gardening for
pressing: if it presses it stays - if not it goes.
Initially Susan was pressing in the pages of the phonebook, later the Microfleur Microwave
Flower Press (regular and large sizes). This gadget was invented by a lady in Queensland but is
manufactured in USA because she couldn’t sell the business in Australia.
Using a phonebook or conventional flower press typically takes six weeks. In the microwave it
takes about 1 minute. The Microfleur is made of heavy duty plastic with steam holes, a layer of
felt, sheet of cotton type material then the reverse to complete the ‘sandwich’, and clips to hold
the frames in tension. Typically Susan uses an 800 Watt microwave for 40 seconds. Too long is a
disaster, so better to go short, have a look and then go a little more if required.
Some plants change colour e.g. Chorizema flowers go brown, Buckinghamia goes from cream to
tan. Red usually changes to a plum colour; yellow is generally good. If the specimen contains
too much moisture it doesn’t press well. Generally natives tend to retain their colour. Susan
showed some recently pressed flowers and did a pressing using the smaller Microfleur.
Some tips: Susan uses Aquadhere to stick pressed flowers to cards. Flowers can be laminated
(e.g. for bookmarks) if the flower is not too thick. For candles, Susan uses PVA glue to stick on
the flowers, and recommends chunky cube candles, with flat faces, and keeping the flower well
away from melting wax.
THE PLANT TABLE
The plant table at our September meeting included the species listed below, and Hugh Stacy has
chosen three to discuss. Thanks also to everyone who brought specimens for display and
discussion, and to David Crawford who recorded plant names on the night.
Acacia cognata
Acacia decurrens (Early Green Wattle)
Acacia fimbriata (Fringed Wattle)
Acacia saligna
Calothamnus quadrifidus (Common Net Bush
or One-Sided Bottlebrush)
Calytrix sp.
Chorizema cordatum
Coronidium elatum (White Everlasting Daisy,
syn. Helichrysum elatum)
Eremophila maculata (Spotted Emu Bush)
Eremophila microtheca (Heath-like
Eremophila)
East Hills Group Newsletter October 2015
Gastrolobium celsianum (syn. Brachysema
lanceolatum)
Grevillea ‘Bronze Rambler’
Grevillea ‘Knockout’
Grevillea ‘Winpara Gem’
Grevillea preissii
Grevillea sericea
Grevillea venusta
Hakea eriantha
Hakea macraeana
Hardenbergia violacea
Hibbertia dentata
Hypocalymma angustifolium
Page 3
Indigofera australis - both purple and whiteflowered forms
Kennedia rubicunda
Leptospermum ‘Cardwell’
Lomandra longifolia
Lomandra confertifolia subsp. rubiginosa
Ozothamnus diosmifolius
Pandorea pandorana
Philotheca myoporoides (syn. Eriostemon
myoporoides) - wild and cultivated plants
Pultenaea daphnoides (Large Leaf Bush Pea)
Pultenaea flexilis
Zieria smithii (Sandfly Zieria)
Hugh wonders: All the above in a single garden would be interesting to see. Can one overplant with Spring flowers?
Grevillea venusta:
One of the specimens gathered off the Queensland coast
near Cape Townsend by Robert Brown in 1802, this
species was not brought into cultivation until the 1970s. It
can grow to a dense spreading shrub from 3-5 m high and
wide in sufficient sunlight, though needing some shelter,
but is sparser in shadier sites. Happy in acidic composted
sandy soil. Ascending bright green leaves may be simple,
to 19 cm x 3 cm, or divided to 14 cm wide with 2-5 lobes.
Flowers form cylindrically on erect rachises, in groups to 9
cm long. They display unusual colours: initially the
perianths are green with yellow limbs which change to
orange on opening, releasing styles deep purple to black
with maroon pollen presenters.
Photos:
Upper – Showing simple leaves. Angus Fraser, Wikicommons
Lower – Showing lobed leaves. Cas Liber
Pultenaea daphnoides:
An erect shrub usually to 1.5 m in heath, sometimes to 3
m in open forest. Leaves to 3 cm, bright green, broadest
at the tip and tapered (cuneate or wedge-shaped), with
a gentle point (mucro) bent downwards, making the leaf
apex resemble a dimpled chin. This pea occurs on coast
and tablelands in SA, Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and
Queensland. It carries yellow and dark red terminal
flower heads to 3 cm across, the standard being 1012 mm high.
Photo: Melburnian, Wikicommons
East Hills Group Newsletter October 2015
Page 4
Pultenaea flexilis:
A robust erect open shrub to 4 m high with alternate
narrow oblong leaves to 20 x 5 mm. Yellow pea
flowers having a standard 8-10 mm high are
crowded in upper leaf axils in Spring, so making a
fine display on all branches and branchlets. It grows
on the coast and ranges south and north of Sydney,
extending to the western slopes and also into
Queensland.
Photo: Peter Woodard, Wikicommons
Note: Plant shown may not be P. flexilis
uncertain.
EAST HILLS GROUP PROPAGATION DAYS
Saturday 17 October and Saturday 21 November
1 pm at the Menai Wildflower Group’s propagation centre
Illawong Rural Fire Brigade Headquarters, Old Illawarra Road, Illawong
THE BUSINESS
East Hills Group general meeting 2 September 2015
Notes taken by David Crawford.
There were nine members present and five apologies.
Inward correspondence:
 From Karlo Taliana: 2016 work commitments will affect his attendance at meetings. He will
be relinquishing Secretary position but is willing to stand for Vice President
 Helen and Lorraine Wright have resigned from APS due to other commitments. The notice
was provided so the group can find substitutes for the welcoming table.
 Boongala gardens: email about their open weekends in September.
 Macro and close-up photography workshop (limit six students per class) at Sylvan Grove
Gardens on Saturday 12 September and 17 October 2015 run by SGSC Community College.
[For details of the October session, see
http://www.sgscc.edu.au/course/?ID=002106&returnUrl=%2fsearch%2f%3fsubcategory%3d882]
Other items:
 Georges River Riverkeeper Tony Wales will be guest speaker in March 2016
 February 2016 will be a business meeting
 East Hills Girls Technology High School fete: Kyrill Taylor will be collecting plants from Phil
Keane on 8 September and Graham Walters will contact Lloyd Hedges about plants from
Menai Group.
East Hills Group Newsletter October 2015
Page 5
East Hills Group Newsletter October 2015
Page 6
COMING EVENTS – CHECK YOUR DIARY!
You can find more district group events at http://www.austplants-nsw.org.au/calendar6.html .
Wed 7 October
7.30 pm
East Hills Group meeting – EHG member Karl Schurr will talk
about his recent travels in Italy.
Wed 14 October
7 pm
Menai Wildflower Group meeting Speaker: Ralph Cartwright
on Larapinta. Illawong Rural Fire Brigade Headquarters.
Sat 17 October,
1 pm
East Hills Group – Propagation Day 1 at Illawong Rural Fire
Brigade Headquarters (meeting place of the Menai
Wildflower Group)
Wed 21 October
8 pm
Sutherland Group meeting - Speaker: Margaret Bradhurst on
Orchids. Also a speedy AGM. Gymea Community Hall, 39
Gymea Bay Rd, Gymea.
Wed 4 November,
7.30 pm
East Hills Group meeting – EHG member Graham Fry will
talk about the Eden Project in Cornwall, England
Wed 11 Nov
7 pm
Menai Wildflower Group meeting (AGM) - Speaker: Pam
Forbes on Flora and Archaeology of Q. Station. Illawong Rural
Fire Brigade Headquarters.
Sat 21 November
1 pm
East Hills Group – Propagation Day 2 at Illawong Rural Fire
Brigade Headquarters (meeting place of the Menai
Wildflower Group)
15 - 20 November
ANPSA 2015 Biennial Conference, Canberra. See
http://conference2015.anpsa.org.au for details.
Member contributions – short or long – make the newsletter more interesting. Could you
write a few paragraphs about your garden or a favourite plant or a plant problem?
East Hills Group contacts
President
Secretary
Newsletter Editor
Website Editor
Graham Walters
Karlo Taliana
Jan Douglas
Karlo Taliana
9534 3039
9786 8299
9533 2187
9786 8299
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.easthills.austplants.com.au
East Hills Group Newsletter October 2015
Page 7