Monthly Archives: September 2014

Upcoming events

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Up coming events—visitors & new members welcome

Saturday Oct 11

10-1.30:     Propagation by Division

  • Learn to recognise local sedges & rushes.
  • Lomandra, Lepidosperma & Gahnia species
  • Help us pot up plants for next year

Meet at coast end Sorata St

5.00-6.30     Bring a flower/branch for identification

Cape Jervis Community Club, Ransford St (to be confirmed)

Sunday Oct 11

9.00-12.00:    Walk & Weed (weeding optional)

  • Leisurely walk at Lands End to see spring wildflowers

Meet at Lands End Rd

For further information  contact Carolyn Schultz 0423 213 481

Plant of the Month – September 2014

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CUSHION BUSH

(Calocephalus brownii)

                              

(Photos: E. Cousins, Cape Jervis)

Low maintenance, wind and salt tolerant, highly dry weather tolerant, copes with sandy, loam or clay soils, loves sunshine, dislikes humidity … sounds like just the thing for a coastal garden at Cape Jervis! Add to these features its interesting textural form, and its silvery colour which reflects light at night. What more could you want, for, say, a border along a path, or a contrast to greener plants in your garden?

It’s a bushy, compact perennial shrub to about 75cm high. The stems are really just branches, since the leaves are pretty much invisible, they are so small. The summer flowers are round, and creamy in colour. The ‘brownii’ in the name is after a British botanist, not the colour of the plant. In fact, until recently, the plant was called Leucophyta brownii, from the Greek ‘leucos’ (white, grey) and ‘phyto’ (plant).

Weed of the Month – September 2014

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AFRICAN DAISY

(Arctotis stoechadifolia)

       

(Photos: partially opened flower, mat formed by plant; E. Cousins, Cape Jervis)

The silvery foliage and daisy-like flower would make this an attractive ornamental in a garden … if it would just stay there! Another garden escapee, this weed is found on the coastal reserve at Cape Jervis, but it certainly isn’t restricted to there. It is a major problem in other S.A. reserves, such as the Hallett Cove and Scott Creek Conservation Parks. You’ll recognize it by its woolly stems, heavily lobed leaves, and daisy-like flowers which vary in colour from white through pink and purple. In sand dunes, it can grow into dense mats (see photo). These mats cause local plants to be lost through shading, smothering and competition for resources. Apparently, this weed can also cause the structure of sand dunes to alter, e.g. by becoming steeper in slope.