Pennisetums ……. Friends and Foes

Pennisetums are warm season grasses that are native to many parts of the world, including Australia. Pennisetum range in form from grasses suitable for lawns ie kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) to medium/large tussocks that have been used in gardening. The Australian species is Pennisetum alopecuroides, and it is a tussock form. Bluedale grow and supply 4 cultivars of P. alopecuroides as well as the common form. We also sell one species from Africa. Let’s call these species Friends.

Now for the Foe. Pennisetum setaceum is from Africa and south western Asia. It is highly invasive and will germinate readily in gardens, bushland, even cracks in the footpath. Not the sort of plant you want to have around! P. setaceum has been declared a Class 5 weed in NSW (restricted weed which must not be sold, bought or knowingly distributed throughout the entire state) and Class 3 weed in Qld (environmental weed). It is yet to be classified in other states.

Native Pennisetums used in landscaping and supplied by Bluedale

The cultivars and common form of P. alopecuroides supplied by Bluedale are regularly used in the landscape industry and include:
• ‘Nafray’ Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘PA300’ http://www.bluedaleplantsonline.com.au/shop/Ornamental-Grasses/Nafray/26/
• ‘Purple Lea’ Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘PAV400’ (see first picture) http://www.bluedaleplantsonline.com.au/shop/Ornamental-Grasses/Purple-Lea/69/
• ‘Pennstripe’ Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘PAV300’
• ‘Cream Lea’ Pennisetum alopecuroides http://www.bluedaleplantsonline.com.au/shop/Ornamental-Grasses/Cream-Lea/64/
• Pennisetum alopecuroides(common form)

‘Purple Lea’ in flower.

P. alopecuroides is known as Swamp Foxtail Grass. Its distribution ranges from tropical Queensland to the south of New South Wales mainly along the coast. P. alopecuroides naturally occurs in moist conditions and boggy areas. Importantly, Harden (1993) classifies P. alopecuroides as a native Australian species, however to confuse the issue, many sources indicate it may not be indigenous to Australia, having been transported here prior to European settlement.

Pennisetum varieties flower in late summer and autumn. Unfortunately, it follows that in areas with warm moist winters, such as tropical Qld and northern NSW, some cultivars, namely ‘Nafray’ and ‘Purple Lea’, can self-seed. Bluedale believe in responsible gardening and would not recommend growing either of these cultivars in such areas. To complicate things further, modern gardeners and landscapers will need to consider global warming and the resulting warmer winters some of us are already experiencing when using any plant that produces seed in abundance. The same can be said of gardens with warm winter micro-climates, coastal gardens and irrigated gardens.

When grown in other areas, an uncharacteristically warm and moist winter can see some self-seeding. In this case, we recommend thick, quality mulch and vigilance. Beware of coarse mulch such as pine bark as this leaves gaps and exposed soil suitable for seed germination. Seed heads can be removed before seed is set and unwanted seedlings spray very effectively with glyphosate.

In Bluedale’s experience, ‘Pennstripe’ is yet to produce viable seed. It is also the first variegated Australian native grass available. ‘Cream Lea’ has also proven to be non-invasive. There are no reports from Bluedale customers of ‘Cream Lea’ self-seeding.

Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’

Pennisetum ‘Rubrum’ is a commonly grown ornamental cultivar grown from the species Pennisetum advena native to Africa, the Middle East and East Asia. Both tall and dwarf forms are available. It is completely sterile and does not have a rhizome. ‘Rubrum’ will therefore not become a weed.

Pennisetum setaceum in flower.

Our Foe Pennisetum setaceum

The common name for P. setaceum is Fountain Grass (see second picture). In an ideal world P. setaceum would not be available for sale in Australia. Over the past few years Bluedale has however, seen projects where this weed has been supplied to unsuspecting landscapers as the native form. The take home message here is be sure you/your contractors source plants from a reliable supplier. If in doubt, ask. Beware of plants produced by ‘backyard growers’ and sold at places like local markets.

P. setaceum flowers most of the year and produces an abundance of viable seed, which is mainly dispersed by wind but can also be spread by vehicles, humans, livestock, water and possibly birds. Where the native form has 10 – 30% seed viability, P. setaceum has close on 100%. Notably seed has been reported to remain viable for at least 7 years. It was likely brought into Australia as an ornamental grass and has been living it up here ever since.

According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries, P. setaceum is difficult to eliminate. Control may need to be repeated several times a year. The long-lived seeds mean continued monitoring after treatment is essential. Control should initially be directed to outlying populations followed by treatment of the core area. Small infestations of fountain grass can be removed by uprooting and removing/destroying seed heads. Extensive infestations of fountain grass are probably best controlled with herbicides, combined with mechanical techniques.

Pennisetum setaceum diagram from Harden, 1993.

The invasive behaviour of P. setaceum is likely to be the first step in its identification. Other features include:
• upright tufted grass with very narrow leaves and flowering stems growing up to 1 m or more tall
• long spike-like seed -heads (6-30 cm long) are reddish, pinkish or purplish in colour
• flowers are always present
• P. setaceum has a hairy peduncle (flower stalk) compared with the hairless peduncle of P. alopecuroides (see drawings)
• seed-heads contain large numbers of densely packed stalk less flower spikelet clusters
• each flower spikelet cluster is surrounded by numerous feathery bristles (12-26 mm long) and one significantly larger bristle (16-40 mm long)
• its mature seed-heads turn straw-coloured or whitish and the seeds are shed with the feathery bristles still surrounding them.
If in doubt about identification, contact your local council or post a specimen to your nearest botanic gardens (most botanic gardens have a plant identification service that charges a small fee).

Pennisetum alopecuroides seed diagram from Harden, 1993

REFERENCES
Harden, G. J. (Ed) 1993 ‘Flora of New South Wales Volume 4’ Copywrite Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust. Published by New South Wales University Press, Kensington, NSW Australia.
NSW Primary Industries Biosucurity (part of Department of Primary Industries) Weed Alert Brochure http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pests-weeds/weeds/profiles/fountain-grass

Guidelines for Successful Wetland Planting Part 2 – Rehabilitation of Naturally Occuring Wetlands

TYPES OF WETLANDS
Planting sedges and water plants in constructed wetlands has already been presented (Part 1). Rehabilitation of degraded natural wetlands will be discussed here in Part 2-Rehabilitation of Natural Wetlands. Planting wetlands in STP’s and domestic greywater systems are to be discussed in Part 3. Rain gardens and detention basins will be described in the final article of the series, Part 4.

WHY RECONSTRUCT WETLANDS?
This is a big question for a small article. Generally, naturally occurring wetlands are reconstructed via revegetation because they have an identified value and are in some way degraded. Their natural vegetation has been diminished or even completely removed.
It can be easily argued that ALL wetlands have value. A wetland has values relating to one or more of the following(1):
• Uses – education, tourism, water extraction/storage
• Functions – water quality, wildlife refuge/corridor, hydrological, ecological
• Importance – national estate, nature reserve
• Significance – hosts threatened species

Causes of wetland degradation include: changed water regime including both hydrology and water quality; overgrazing; invasion of exotic pests such as European Carp and Alligator Weed and urban population growth. Wetland degradation can take the form of bare areas, weed invasion, eroded banks and limited/absence of natural wetland species. The worst case scenario may see the wetland bank morphology change and become too steep – reducing the area suitable for plant establishment to a narrow zone.

WHO RECONSTRUCTS WETLANDS?
Wetland management is a major issue(2). Reconstruction of large wetlands is generally undertaken by management authorities such as Local Councils and Government Departments for public lands and a variety of specialist consultants and wetland managers for private lands. Wetlands occurring in NSW public lands will likely have a Wetland Plan of Management (PoM) which will be an invaluable resource for any wetland works. Work on smaller wetlands may be undertaken by volunteer groups, farmers and other landowners. Generally for large scale works, much of the assessment and planning may have already been done well before the planting phase.

AIMS OF WETLAND RESTORATION
Aim(s) of a wetland revegetation project follow from its value and degradation characteristics. The most common objectives in a wetland revegetation project include:
• Introduce desirable plants to your wetland(3). This includes naturally occurring species as opposed to weeds.
• Develop a plant community that will sustain itself naturally(3 & 4). This is required if there is little sign of natural revegetation and is often related to catchment changes and weed invasion.
• Erosion control. Erosion can be caused from loss of the wetland ‘fringing’ vegetation, increased flow or a combination of both. Annual weeds and grasses, which often replace the original vegetation, have shallow root systems, which cannot prevent soil erosion(5). The tangled root mass of local native rushes, sedges, trees and shrubs are excellent for bank stabilisation.
• Creation of fauna habitat. It is important to know the specific habitat requirements of the fauna before planning the project.
• Increase flora biodiversity. It should be noted that riparian zone vegetation can be low in diversity in its pristine state5. Remember also that Australian wetlands are often dry, and if you survey the wetland only when it is dry or wet, you may get an incomplete idea about the plants it contains(3).

HABITAT ZONES
The habitat zones of natural wetlands are described in a very similar, but not the same manner to the zones of constructed wetlands (discussed in Part 1 of this series). Terminology differs largely because dry and wet cycles are a natural characteristic of Australian wetlands – more so than their constructed cousins. Natural wetland habitat zones are listed below and shown in dragram(5).
• Submergent Zone. This zone has surface water for a good proportion of the year. It includes submergent plants that grow beneath the water surface, although their leaves may float on the surface and flowering spikes may extend above the water5. This zone can be difficult to revegetate due to water depth, and is often left to revegetate naturally. Species suitable for planting in the submergent zone include Eleocharis spacelata.
• Emergent Zone. Water depth in this zone can be up to 1m in wet months of the year while only being represented by damp soil in the dry months. Dense swards of foliage should be planted in this zone, such as Baumea articulata (Jointed Twig Rush), Lepironia articulata, and Schoenoplectus validus (River Club Rush).
• Damp Zone. This area is permanently damp near the surface for most of the year. Many species including sedges and rushes can live in this zone. Examples of species to plant here include Baumea rubiginosa (Soft Twig Rush), Bolboschoenus spp, Cyperus exaltatus, Eleocharis acuta (Small Spike Rush), Philydrum langinosum (Wolly Frog Mouth), Schoenoplectus mucronatus and Phragmites australis (Common Reed).
• Ephemeral Zone/Littoral Zone. This zone surrounds the wetland edge and is the driest of all zones. It undergoes regular water level fluctuations and can be the zone of highest weed invasion. Dense plantings (6 per square metre) of sedges such as Carex appressa (Tall Sedge), Juncus usitatus (Common Rush), Juncus krausii (Sea Rush), Ficinea nodosa (Knobby Club-rush) and Gahnia species are required here.

WETLAND RESILIENCE AND THE NEED TO RE-VEGETATE
Understanding the concept of RESILIENCE is essential when deciding on the need for wetland restoration. If your wetland has limited native wetland species present, and these do not cover large wetland areas, your wetland ecosystem likely has low resilience ie limited capacity to revegetate unassisted. In this situation revegetation can be undertaken via direct seeding, transplanting or planting seedlings. The decision to plant seedlings is usually based on cost, timeframe of project, desired outcomes and availability. Many sedges and wetland species are readily available from suppliers such as Bluedale.

STEPS IN REVEGETATING DEGRADED NATURALLY OCCURRING WETLANDS
Getting the ball rolling when revegetating degraded naturally occurring wetlands can be time consuming. In natural wetlands the vegetation takes decades or even centuries to develop(3). It follows that planning to reconstruct such a system using sound planning will also take some time.

(1) Identify and Address Degradation Issues. This can be no mean feat and in many cases may have already been done for you. As already mentioned, some wetlands will have a Wetland Plan of Management (PoM) that will assist in this first step. PoMs will be available from the management authority. In many cases the degradation issues may be as simple as overgrazing or weed invasion solved by fencing or weed removal.

(2) Choose Plant Species. This also involves a level of investigation. PoMs, if available, will list the species that occur/have occurred in the past and may make planting recommendations. In the absence of a PoM, planting lists can be compiled by identifying indigenous species present at the site (including their abundance and distribution), investigating historical records, and/ or undertaking a flora survey on an area of nearby intact vegetation(5).

(3) Prepare a Planting Plan. Where to plant the chosen species will be a function of the habitat zones described above and how the species grow together naturally. Many sedges and water plants grow in large swards of the same species.

(4) Order Plants in Advance. The key to successful planting is to plan and order stock far enough in advance to ensure appropriate stock is ready at the start of the growth season(6). In some projects local provenance plant stock is specified or desired. Such plants are produced from seed growing in the local area with the aim of preserving genetic differences between species growing in different regions. Provenance plants are not readily available at specialist nurseries, including Bluedale. They can be supplied but will require a lead time of 12 – 18 months. For non-provenance plants, a 16 week period from ordering to supply is practical.

(5) Create a Planting Timetable. For provenance stock it is relevant to note that seed is generally best collected in February/March and September/October for Spring germination. August to November and February to May are the best months to encourage establishment in Southern Australia3. Planting can be difficult in wetlands full of water. The ideal water height for planting is no deeper that 2/3 of the foliage height of plants in the deepest planting zone.

(6) Mark the Planting Zones. It is vital to know final water depths so that each habitat zone will have the correct plant species. If your wetland is already full of water, this will be a relatively simple task and zones can be marked using stakes. If empty or partially so, consult the wetland design engineer or similar for advice. A detailed drawing depicting water levels may be available. For larger wetlands a survey may be required. It is notable that after planting, species frequently ‘move’ to other more suitable niches within the wetland and do not continue growing where they were first planted.

(7) Monitor Bird Activity. While undertaking preliminary site inspections, marking out and weed removal it is a good idea to monitor bird activity. Water birds are attracted to the fresh new growth of nursery stock. They can pull plants up, roots and all and cause significant losses. If there are many birds present a staged planting approach may help avoid losses, and exclusion netting should be considered. Planting larger pot sizes of 140mm will also negate damage by bird predation. Advanced ordering will be required if 140mm pots are to be used as this is not a size regularly grown by Bluedale.

(8) Treat Water Turbidity (cloudiness) OPTIONAL. You can clear muddy water using commercial clearing agents such as alum or lime – if plants establish in chemically cleared water they can help to maintain water clarity(3).

(9) Planting. With preliminary work now completed, planting can begin. Set out the plants according to their planting zones. When planting, anchor the root ball of the plant by planting it firmly into the substrate of the basin.

(10) Watering. This may be necessary for any plants not inundated by the water height at planting.

(11) Monitoring and maintenance. Monitor planting areas over coming weeks for signs of bird predation, irrigation needs and plant dislodgement. Protect plants and replace as necessary. A maintenance program will be required involving weed control and plant replacement. The Littoral Zone usually requires the most attention as weed control techniques such as mulching are not applicable.

References
(1) Swapan, Paul (2013) Chapter 5.1 The need for a Wetland Plan of Management (PoM) in Paul, S. (Ed). (2013) Workbook for managing urban wetlands in Australia. 1st edn. (Sydney Olympic Park Authority), eBook available through http://www.sopa.nsw.gov.au/education/WETeBook/, ISBN 978-0-987 4020-0-4.
(2) Sainty, Geoff (2013) Chapter 2.3 Wetland plants and wetland management in Australia. in Paul, S. (Ed). (2013) Workbook for managing urban wetlands in Australia. 1st edn. (Sydney Olympic Park Authority), eBook available through http://www.sopa.nsw.gov.au/education/WETeBook/, ISBN 978-0-987 4020-0-4.
(3) Brock, Margaret A. and Casanova, Michelle T. (2000). Are there plants in your wetland? Revegetating wetlands. LWRRDC, UNE, DLWC and EA.
(4) Nias, Deborah (2014) NSW Murray Wetlands Working Group Inc. Albury NSW. Chapter 5 Managing Wetlands. in Native Vegetation Guide for the Riverina. Charles Sturt University
(5) Water and Rivers Commission (2001). Using rushes and sedges in revegetation of wetland areas in the south west of WA. Prepared by Linda Taman. Report No. RR 8.
(6) Wong, T.H.F., Breen, P.F., Somes, N.L.G. and Lloyd S.D. (1999) Managing Urban Stormwater Using Constructed Wetlands Industry Report. Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology. Second Edition. September 1999

Guidelines for Successful Wetland Planting Part 1 – Constructed Wetlands

TYPES OF WETLANDS

There are 4 general categories of wetland that involve planting with sedges and water plants. These include:

• Constructed wetlands which are designed to replicate natural systems
• Degraded naturally occurring wetlands
• Wetlands associated with Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and domestic greywater systems
• Rain gardens and detention basins

Planting sedges and water plants in constructed wetlands will be discussed in this article (Part 1). Rehabilitation of degraded natural wetlands will be presented in Part 2-Rehabilitation of Natural Wetlands. Planting wetlands in STP’s and domestic greywater systems are discussed in Part 3-Greywater Disposal Systems. Rain gardens and detention basins will be described in the final article of the series Part 4 – Rain Gardens.

THE ENGINEERING OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS – A CRASH COURSE

Constructed wetlands are generally designed by specialist engineers. Purposes of constructed wetlands may include one or a combination of the following: flood protection and flow control; water quality improvement; landscape/recreational amenity; and provision of wildlife habitat.

It is vital that the design purpose of a constructed wetland be considered during preparation of a planting plan. For example creating habitat for a specific bird species will likely require different plant species than a wetland installed for flood protection.

There are many engineering components that make up a constructed wetland. As with the wetland design purpose, a cursory knowledge of such components will assist in planting design. Wetland components together with appropriate species are listed below:

• Open Water Inlet Zone. This is the water entry point and is generally deep, retaining comparatively large volumes of water. Here water ponding promotes physical settlement of sediment suspended – the first phase of treatment. Ideally the open water inlet zone will include a high-flow bypass system to protect the downstream macrophyte zones from damaging floodwaters. Due to its depth, vegetation only grows on the edges of the inlet zone. Species grown here must be able to withstand sedimentation, damage by floodwaters and long periods of inundation. Tall rhizomatus water plants such as Schoenoplectus validus (River Club Rush) and Eleocharis spacelata (Tall Spike Rush) are well suited to this situation. Phragmites australis (Common Reed) also suits the open water inlet zone as it recovers rapidly from major flood events via both seeding and rhizomes.
• Macrophyte Zone. This can include any number of ‘cells’ oriented perpendicular to water flow, each with differing depths. A variety of terminology is used to describe these cells such as shallow marsh, marsh and deep marsh. These have been described well by Wong et al (1999). Each plays a different stormwater treatment role in the wetland system.
• Shallow Marsh (0-500mm). This area has only shallow inundation that regularly dries out. The ongoing wetting and drying cycle significantly influences the organic content and nutrient cycling in sediments. The plants themselves provide sites for algal epiphytes and biofilms to enhance pollutant uptake. Plants that naturally occur in ephemeral swamps/creek do well in the shallow marsh zone. Examples include Baumea rubiginosa (Soft Twig Rush), Eleocharis acuta (Common Spike Rush), Bulboscheonus fluviatilis (Marsh Clubrush), Cyperus exaltatus (Giant Sedge), Philydrum lanuginosum (Frogsmouth), and Schoenoplectus mucronatus.
• Marsh (500mm-1m). This area occasionally dries out. Its role is to maximise plant surface area and associated adhesion of particles to plant stems. Dense swards of foliage are suitable for this area, such as Baumea articulata (Jointed Twig Rush), Lepironia articulata and Schoenoplectus validus (River Club Rush).
• Deep Marsh (permanent inundation). As for the open water inlet zone, the deep marsh zone is permanently inundated and promotes sedimentation of particles. Unlike the water inlet zone however, it is usually less affected by flood damage. This zone is frequently integrated into open space due to its aesthetic appeal. The deep marsh zone supports similar plants to the open water inlet zone. Vigorous growers such as Phragmites australis (Common Reed) and Typha orientalis (Cumbungi) are best avoided in this zone as they can dominate if left unchecked.
• Littoral Zone (frequently dry). This zone surrounds the wetland edge and is the driest of all zones. It undergoes regular water level fluctuations and can be the zone of highest weed invasion. Dense plantings (6 per square metre) of sedges such as Carex appressa (Tall Sedge), Juncus usitatus (Common Rush), Juncus krausii (Sea Rush), Ficinea nodosa (Knobby Club-rush) and Gahnia species are required here.
• Habitat Island(s). An optional feature, the habitat island has areas that remain dry. They often support tall grasses, shrubs and trees.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR WETLAND PLANTING SUCCESS

When preparing a wetland planting plan, design should mimic natural plant occurrences. Native plants are preferable and with sufficient lead time, plants of local provenance plants can be supplied. It is notable that most sedges and water plants grow in large swards of the same species. In many cases, this is likely the result of expansion from a rhizome, competition and suitability to the water level. It follows that it is preferable to plant sedges and wetlands plants in clumps of same species for a good result. It is also notable that after planting, species frequently ‘move’ to other more suitable niches with the constructed wetland and do not continue growing where they were first planted. Wherever they end up, the water plants will continue to perform their designed function.

Bluedale recommends 8 steps to planting constructed wetlands:

(1) ORDER YOUR PLANTS IN ADVANCE Give yourself at least 16 weeks lead time, more if you require local provenance. The longer the lead time, the more mature and taller your plants will be. This will make a huge difference in planting success.
(2) Mark the planting zones. It is vital to know final water depths so that each wetland zone will have the correct plant species. If the constructed wetland is already full of water, this will be a relatively simple task and zones can be marked prior to water removal using stakes. Generally, constructed wetlands have structures such as riser outlets that provide for manual control of water level and duration of inundation. If already empty or partially so, consult the wetland design engineer or similar for advice. A detailed drawing depicting water levels may be available. For larger wetlands a survey may be required.
(3) Remove weeds. This should be done prior to planting using herbicide and/or and hand removal techniques.
(4) Monitor bird activity. While undertaking preliminary site inspections, marking out and weed removal it is a good idea to monitor bird activity. Water birds are attracted to the fresh new growth of nursery stock. They can pull plants up, roots and all and cause significant losses. If there are many birds present a staged planting approach may help avoid losses, and exclusion netting should be considered. Planting larger pot sizes of 140mm will also negate damage by bird predation. Advanced ordering will be required if 140mm pots are to be used as this is not a size regularly grown by Bluedale.
(5) Planting. With preliminary work now completed, planting can begin. Set out the plants according to their planting zones. Littoral Zone plants should be planted between the high and low level water marks. When planting, anchor the root ball of the plant by planting it firmly into the substrate of the basin.
(6) Set Water Level. If the wetland has a manual water level control device, set the water level no deeper that 2/3 of the foliage height of plants in the deepest zone. The correct level on inundation is vital. As the plants increase in height, the water level can be progressively raised until full.
(7) Watering. This will be necessary for any plants not inundated during the initial water height setting (as described above). If water has not been returned to the basin, irrigation of all the plants will be necessary until the basin refills.
(8) Monitoring and maintenance. Monitor planting areas over coming weeks for signs of bird predation, irrigation needs and plant dislodgement. Protect plants and replace as necessary. A maintenance program will be required involving weed control and plant replacement. The Littoral Zone usually requires the most attention as weed control techniques such as mulching are not applicable. If manual control of the water level is possible, weeds can be controlled by inundation.

Reference
Wong, T.H.F., Breen, P.F., Somes, N.L.G. and Lloyd S.D. (1999) ‘Managing Urban Stormwater Using Constructed Wetlands’ Industry Report. Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology. Second Edition. September 1999

Strappy Leaf Plants on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #26

Just like we’ve gone throughout the whole series of videos, when ever we get to a new grouping of plants I talk a little bit about the category in general terms first.

This week (and in the coming weeks we’re going to be talking about strappy leaf plants. A strappy leaf plant is a native plant that’s a grass-like plant but is not actually a true grass. I’ve talked about what is categorised as a true grass in past episodes.

Click on the photo above to watch this on video…

Strappy leaf plants are plants like Lomandra and Dianella, anything that has a flower and as the term suggests a strap-like foliage. So they’re great plants, very popular for people who are wanting to do mass planting in their garden and filling large areas in the garden with lots of foliage.

There’s such a range of plants with in the strappy leaf range so we have plants that are 200mm to 300mm high, that’s 20cm to 30cm high all the way through to plants that can get to 1.5 metres.

So with in that whole range naturally your going to have a whole range of different uses. A lot of the smaller plants are great for garden borders or along the edges of path ways or near a garden that may be underneath a window of the house, you know, you want to have a garden there but you don’t want something that’s going to  either block the view or put too much shade into the house.

So you’ve got small plants which are great little border plants and can be used in rockeries, can be used as little ground covers etc…

Then you’ve got the bigger ones which are good filler plants or backdrop plants and then even bigger ones, say 1.5 metres high which are great for screening or you might have a back fence that you don’t want to see or might have a fence and you’ve got neighbours next door and you want to get a bit of privacy so you can use these taller plants to great effect as a hedge or as a backdrop and then you have some really nice ornamental plants in front of it.

So strappy leaf plants are very versatile like that from edges all the way through t screening and pretty much everything else in between. Anywhere where you may need to put a group of plants together and get a really nice foliage effect.

Next week we’re going to be talking about a plant called Slender Matt Rush or it’s botanical name Lomandra Hystrix, a very popular plant.

Click here for more info on Strappy Leaf Plants

Native Wisteria Hardenbergia violacea on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #24

This week I want to look at the white version of the Happy Wanderer that we discussed at last week. Now, the white version, we actually have a different name for it, it still is a Hardenbergia violate but we actually call it Native Wisteria. We do that so people will know the difference between the purple flowering one and the white flowering one.

Click on the photo above to watch this on video…

The Native Wisteria is a great plant for native gardens and for gardens in general where you may be looking for something that has a white flower. The foliage is more distinctly green than it’s purple flowering cousin and is a very nice feature of the plant.

Like the purple flowering form it works really well in native gardens and rockeries, something that can trail over rocks and over retaining walls it also can be trained to grow on a fence if you wanted to cover a fence, have a screening plant.

If you had a pergola or you had a trellis that you wanted to train it on it’ll work really well. Now it isn’t a natural born climber, so you do have to train it and encourage the foliage to go in the direction that you want it to go.

Being a tough plant Native Wisteria will work across a wide range of climates. You can use it frosty areas as well as in the coastal areas. You don’t have to be too worried about it being damaged by frost, it’s got quite a thick, tough leaf. So from Brisbane, Sydney, New South Wales, North Coast NSW, through to Victoria it’ll work fantastic for you.

As for maintenance, apart from training and encouraging the foliage to go in the direction that you want, really it’s just a matter of giving it a trim here and there when it gets a little bit untidy. Generally speaking it is a fairly self-maintaining plant and you won’t have to do much with it at all.

Native Wisteria is available in the Forestry Tube 10 Packs so you can buy 10 of them at once. They work really well, you can train it on your fence and you’ll have great success with this plant

For more information or to buy Native Wisteria click here… 

 

 

Yareena Myoporum on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #23

This week we’re going to be continuing on with the groundcover plants that we’ve been discussing over the previous weeks and this week we’re looking at a ground cover plant called Yareena™. Its botanical name is Myoporum parvifolium.

Click on the photo above to watch this on video…

Yareena™ Myoporum is a ground hugging green foliage ground cover plant that has very dense foliage and will cover your ground to about 10cm  to 15cm high. It’s a really good fast growing plant for someone who’s looking at wanting to fill up a gap in the garden very quickly.

As with all groundcover plants, it’s ideally suited to trailing over retaining walls, covering over rocks and in between rocks and other structures you have in your garden. It isn’t a plant that will get out of control at all so it’s very easy to keep contained. It’s not something that once you plant it it’s going to appear 12 feet away and create a big problem in the garden.

It’s just a matter of trimming it out of the way of obstacles and moving the foliage around rocks if you want it to go over a rock. You can encourage it and direct it.n So it’s a great plant, a lot of people like it because it is very quick growing.

Another feature of it is that it gets flowers, now, the flowers are very small fine white flowers that appear in Spring and Summer. It does have a showy lot of flowers in amongst all the foliage so the green and white are a great contrast.

Yareena™ Myoporum works in a wide variety of climates. It can grow in land in light frost areas – I wouldn’t like to see it used in a heavy frost area, it may get some burning of the foliage, a little bit of die-back here and there but light frost areas from the coast in Queensland all the way through New South Wales to Victoria. It’s quite versatile in that regard. It works in a wide range of soil types and does well from free draining sandy soils through to clay loam soils.

To Maintain Yareena™ Myoporum you occasionally give it a trim and give it a fertilise coming in to spring to encourage new growth and this will also help with the onset of flowers. Apart from that just plant it step back and watch it grow and enjoy it.

We have Yareena™ Myoporum available in140mm Pots as well as the Forestry-Tube 10 Packs. So depending on what you’re looking for, just 1 or 2 plants, go the pot option. You get a good size plant and you get a bit of immediate impact.

If you’ve got a large area of ground to cover, the Forestry-Tube 10 Pack is always good value for money.

For more information or to buy Yareena™ Myoporum click here… 

 

Snake Vine Hibbertia scandens on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #21

Snake Vine Hibbertia scandens on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #21

This week we’re going to be continuing on with the groundcovers section of the website that we’ve been talking about which we started last week. We spoke about Aussie Rambler last week and this week I want to talk about another plant that is called Hibbertia scandens or the common name is Snake Vine.

 Click on the photo above to watch this on video

Now Hibbertia is a native sprawling plant which forms small in the garden. It will cover large areas. It’s good for rockeries, good for people who want to have something that trails over a retaining wall, rocks or other features in the garden.

It’s very easy to contain, it doesn’t get out of hand. What’s more it has beautiful yellow flowers which are a really good contrast with other flowering plants.

You can also use Snake Vine Hibbertia as a filler plant and mass planted it will give you a really good groundcover. It will cover the ground completely which is really good at keeping weeds at bay.

The nature of the plant – being a sprawling plant – it may just need a little bit of trimming here and there if it starts getting out of shape a little bit but apart from that it’s very easy to use and requires very little maintenance.

Snake Vine Hibbertia is generally more suited to coastal climates and is a little bit frost sensitive so if you’re in a frost prone area – particularly  if you get heavy frost, light frost isn’t too much of a problem but heavy frost could be damaging to the foliage – it may defoliate a little bit under heavy frost. Generally speaking the coastal conditions from Brisbane, Sydney NSW, in to Victoria it’ll do really well.

Because Snake Vine Hibbertia is a sprawler it does send out runners and tendrils in affect that cover the ground. Occasionally it may want to get in to other areas of the garden. Not that it actually throws suckers or sets down roots or anything like that but it just may sorta move in to areas where you might want to keep it away from so you just give it a hair cut.

If it is trailing over retaining wall and starts getting too long then you just give it a trim. It’s very easy to maintain. It’s not something that is going to get out of control so I don’t want to scare people off by saying that it might because it won’t but it really is a very easily maintained plant.

On the website we have Snake Vine available in the 140mm pot as well as the Viro-Tube 10 Packs.

For more information or to buy Snake Vine click here… 

 

Groundcover Plants on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #19

Groundcover Plants on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #19

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been discussing designer grasses and we’ve pretty much covered most of those so from here on in over the next couple of weeks we’re going top be looking at ground cover plants. Now the range of ground cover plants that we have on the Bluedale Plants Online website are all native varieties and they come in a range of different formats, flower colours, we have yellows and whites and purples and a range of different climate types that they’d be suited to as well.

So the whole idea of the ground cover range that we’ve put together is to choose plants that are reasonably quick growing reasonably low maintenance, they can actually cover the ground in your garden to cover large areas and add a splash of colour through out the season.

Ground covers are great if you you have say, a retaining wall and you wanted to get something trailing over it to soften the edges of it or if you have a rockery garden and you have rocks set with in the garden and the ground covers can either sprawl around the rocks or sprawl over the rocks and I’ve seen them used in sloping gardens on bato where as the plants grow they almost look like a water fall of water coming down the bato and they really add interest, a different textured foliage to the garden. Something just a little bit different than an upright plant or a tussocky type plant like some of the grasses are.

So the ground covers have that ability to really soften hard edges, add interest, give a little bit of different dynamics. You can create really interesting effects, for instance if you have a raised garden or a mounded garden you can have the plants coming out of the top and around the mound so it looks like a bit of a hump in the ground with this plant sprawling down it.

Some of the other situations you can use the ground cover plants are in coastal aspects and one of the plants we’ll look in to next week when we’re looking at them is one called Aussie Rambler which is a fantastic plant for the coast but I’ll talk a little bit more about that next week.

For more information on our Ground Cover Plants click here 

Cream Lea® Pennisetum alopecuroides on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #18

Cream Lea® Pennisetum alopecuroides on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #18

This week we’re going to look at a very ornamental grass called Cream Lea®. Cream Lea® is a Pennisetum variety grass, now this is the native Pennisetum whose botanical name is Pennisetum alopecuroides which is a bit of a mouth full so let’s just call it Cream Lea®.

Click on the photo above to watch this on video

As the name Cream suggests the Pennisetum Cream Lea® has cream coloured flowers to white flowers which is quite unique amongst Australian native plants and particularly with the native grasses. It is a very ornamental plant it has lush green foliage and in late Summer early Autumn these sprays of cream flowers which are really stunning.

Well Cream Lea® Pennisetum is a great plant for areas such as mulch garden beds or areas that maybe have a little bit of an issue with water. It doesn’t mind having wet feet and it’ll actually grow quite lush for you. It doesn’t mean that you only have to put it in those situations, it can be in an irrigated garden but I always recommend that you plant it in a garden where you can give it some Summer watering.

Now the plant it self is a warm season grass so you’ll get lush green growth through the foliage over Summer and then in late Autumn in to Winter you’ll see a change of  foliage colour. Now that’s a nice characteristic about the Cream Lea® is that you do get that foliage change.

Out of all the Pennisetum varieties that we grow the Cream Lea® is one that holds it’s colour better over the winter where some of the other varieties really get a straw colour through them the Cream Lea® will still maintain some green foliage through out the plant profile. So it doesn’t completely go dormant like some of the other ones. Apart from that the plant is lush green growing over Summer for those flowers that are held way above the foliage and actually make a stunning feature.

It works in a range of climates and even though it’s a warm season grass, naturally it’s going to be better suited to the coast where you don’t get super cold winters. If you do get really cold winters you’re going to see a lot more dormant periods through out the plant.

I would suggest maybe using it between Brisbane, Sydney and in to Melbourne and through the Southern Tablelands and inland climates. You might just want to consider it unless you’ve got a micro climate that’s a little bit more protected from frost.

Like all warm season grasses you can dead head the flowers at the end of flowering which is generally late Autumn and then you just leave the old foliage on over winter so that if you do get frost on it or if you do get some dormant foliage on the plant then coming in to Spring you can give it a hair cut by taking a third to half the foliage away.

That will just allow the plant to refresh it self with knew growth. So it is easy it’s really a once a year trimming of the foliage. If you’re concerned about the appearance of dead heads in late Autumn you just dead head the plant. But generally that’s the only maintenance that you need apart from over a hot Summer maybe giving it some irrigation and then feeding it with a slow release fertiliser such as Dynamic Lifter or a native Osmocote® in Spring.

On our website we only supply Cream Lea® as a 140mm pot. The nature of the way we propagate the plant, it sort of limits how we can actually produce it but because people are using it as a feature plant or in a couple of groups that format seems to be working well people. They’re buying a larger plant to get instant impact in their garden.

For more information or to buy Cream Lea® Pennisetum alopecuroides click here… 

Eskdale Poa labillardieri ‘Eskdale’ on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #16

Eskdale Poa labillardieri ‘Eskdale‘ on The Bluedale Plants Online Show, Episode #16

This week we’re going to be looking at a cool season grass. In the past weeks I’ve been talking about warm season grasses and how they can actually be used and now I’m going to have a look at a cool season grass called Poa Eskadale.

Click on the photo above to watch this on Video

Now Poa Eskdale is a grass that gets to about 70cm tall, it has green to slightly blue-ish green foliage. Being a cool season grass you’re going to get beautiful colour in the foliage in Autumn, Winter and Spring.

You will see a dormant phase through the heat of Summer where you’ll get a bit if straw coloration in the plant. Interestingly though, over the Summer when the plant itself is dormant it’s actually flowering so the fact that you’ve got flowers over the Summer months when the foliage isn’t as lush as the cooler parts of the year you’ve still got an interesting display of foliage and flowers combined which bring interest to the garden.

Poa Eskdale can be used in a variety of ways. It’s very good mass planted and that’s where we see many leading landscape architects plant it on mass. Because it does flower and the flowers get to about 1 meter or a bit over 1.2  meters tall it picks up any slight breeze. So you get this movement in the garden and it really brings a lot of dramatics to the landscape.

So it can be used mass planted, you can plant it as specimen plantings as well or along the edge of a border where it actually forms an edge to a garden. I’ve seen it used in that application. Generally mass planting seems to be the preferred way for most designers and a lot of home gardeners follow the trends that these leading designers are actually promoting and so that’s a good way to use it. Filling up areas in a garden, planting underneath trees, on the edge of pathways and driveways, it works really well in those applications.

Poa Eskdale is going to do really well in your in land cooler climates. It handles frost really well. It won’t discolour the foliage under frost. It will even grow right up in to the snow fields where it can be covered in snow for part of the year and that’s where you often see it naturally occurring.

In coastal gardens it’s still going to do really well for you although as you move in to a hotter climate you’re going to see a little bit more dormant phase in the plant with a bit more straw colouration. So if you think about Queensland, you might see straw colouration from about November through to February. Move that in to Sydney and Melbourne, you’re not going to see that for the same length of time. You’re going to see more lush growth because you’ve got a cooler more temperate climate.

Poa Eskdale  is opposite to a lot of the warm season grasses that we’ve talked about where you cut them coming out of winter. With Poa Eskdale you actually cut it at the end of Summer early Autumn. Reduce the plant down by about half or 2 thirds of the foliage. It allows the plant to reshoot away as it actively grows in the cooler months and you get a lush growth emerging at that particular time. Also a good time to fertilise, give it a good drink to help get the fertiliser in and also help promote the lush growth.

Poa Eskdale e we have as both a 140mm pot and a Viro-Tube 10 Pack. So as I mentioned a lot of people are using it in mass plantings so the Viro-Tube 10 Pack is an ideal way to buy Poa Eskdale if that’s what you want to do. If you’re looking for more specimen planting or you just want to have a few less than the 10 then buying individual 140 mm pots is the ideal way to go.

For more information or to buy Poa Eskdale  click here…

 

Bluedale Plants Online is an online nursery that offers No Fuss, Functional Plants delivered in Top Condition straight to your door.

Bluedale is a dedicated grower of Australian Native Plants. Our range includes Native Grasses, Strappy Leafed Plants,Sedges and Wetland Plants and Native Trees & Shrubs that you can buy online.