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ANPSA

Correa Study Group ISSN 1039-6926 ABN 56 654 053 676

Leader: Cherree Densley 9 Koroit-Port Fairy Road, Killarney, Vic, 3283 cherree@hotkey.net.au Ph 03 5568 7226

Admin & Editor: Russell Dahms 13 Everest Avenue, Athelstone, S.A. 5076 rdahms@internode.on.net Ph. 08 8336 5275

Membership fees: normal $10.00 electronic $6.00

Newsletter No. 49 Jan 2014

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

Hello everyone, this is now my third newsletter and I continue to discover the vagaries of Australian Plants – especially when subjected to unusual weather conditions.

This year I have experienced four unusual events: Some Lechenaultias have flowered for the third time this year!! Correa alba var pannosa which always flowers did not flower at all – lots of fresh growth and healthy looking – but no flowers! Calytrix teragona ‘Waterfall Bay’ did flower – this form only flowers occasionally. As I write this article Correa decumbens is flowering at the end of December – having just experienced a 43 degree Celsius day!!

In my recent research and reading I have learnt that Correas are ideally situated to partial shade up to full shade positions and one has to be very careful which Correa species are exposed to full afternoon sun.

One of the local rare Correas species – C. calycina continues to flourish in my front garden despite the clay soils and 43 degree heat experienced recently.

Continuing with my tradition – in this newsletter two species are featured C. decumbens and Correa ‘Western Pink Star’ with quite in depth descriptions.

Contributions from members in the way of photos or articles are welcome at any time of the year and can be sent to either my email or postal address above.

Russell Dahms

Contents page

Leader’s Message 2

Correa Crawl 2014 4

Correa decumbens 5

Correa ‘Western Pink Star’ 6

Phil Hempel Diamond Valley & Kinglake Area

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Correas in December – Bob O’Neill 8

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Leader’s Message Cherree Densley, Killarney, Victoria Hello everyone, It has been a quite a long time since I have been in contact with members of the Study Group and I am sorry I was not more involved during the past year. It has been a sensational growing season here in Killarney - good rains which has meant strong healthy plants now covered in buds. I hope all members have paid their membership but we will be sending this Summer edition to all and reminding those who are un-financial. Please check with Russell if your membership is current. Russell (who does the administration and Newsletter for the Study Group) has managed two Newsletters for 2012 and this one is the second for 2013. He is also the treasurer. Ian and I managed a drive to Armidale NSW to spend some time with the APS NSW members at a get together based in Armidale in October. Maria Hitchcock (who was leader of the Correa Study Group for 18 years), organized the weekend with visits to her garden, John and Barbara Nevin’s garden and the award winning Sheafer garden. We stayed with Maria and Don and it was just great to catch up with them and we just loved their garden with its huge range of native shrubs (including of course lots and lots of healthy Correas). Armidale has been very dry (and cold) and Maria has mulched the garden well to cope with both those extreme weather elements. Maria now runs the Flannel Flower and Telopea (Waratah) Study Group and she has a lovely collection all these genera doing well. Her nursery set-up and production are a credit to her and the beautifully landscaped large garden

created much interest to the good turnout of members of APS NSW who visited. It took us four days of constant driving to enjoy the weekend (there and back) but it was worth it after all Maria and Don have been down here several times and I always promised her I would get to her place one day. Have all members got a copy of her “Correas - Australian Plants for Waterwise Gardens” Book? As mentioned in the first paragraph, I have never seen such wonderful healthy growth on my Correas as has happened this past year plants – even at the start of summer they are laden with buds. The suckering C. reflexa var reflexa from Mt Richmond has already started to flower. The other Correa which suckers well as it covers a huge area is one which is named as an C. alba (but with a long dull white corolla). This plant did get a huge pruning last week as I couldn’t get along the pathway where it has been growing

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for 25 years. It is well over my head and covers an enormous area. Many of the lower branches were well and truly growing in the surrounding soil and need to be cut off and hauled out as well. C ‘Catie Bec’ is a hybrid of alba x C ‘Federation Belle’ x C pulchella I hope other members are discovering the Bywong hybrids they are all good and Maria’s report in the last Newsletter, no doubt whetted our appetite for more as they come on the market. These hybrids are particularly floriferous with hundreds of flowers. I have found that the best one here in coastal conditions is C ‘Catie Bec’. It has many upwards pointing stems and lots of side stems all topped with bundles of buds and flowers in a very pretty pink. It has a long flowering season and visitors to the garden always remark on its beauty.

!! New plants on the market !! I discovered a Correa pulchella ‘Remarkable Rocks’ in Bunnings recently - it is a release from Phil Dowling at Native Wholesalers (we visited him last Correa Crawl at Mt. Gambier). It has the tiniest neatest leaves- no flowers yet (although Barb Pye is growing it and reported it has bright orange flowers). On our Correa Crawl to Kangaroo Island years ago I remember there were lots of lovely C. pulchella species at the base of the Remarkable Rocks (and they are remarkable aren’t they?) but I don’t recall seeing any with such tiny neat leaves. On a trip to see orchids in a controlled burn between Casterton and Penola in November (probably millions!! of orchids and other native flowers –not to mention the many thousands of flowering Xanthorrhoea on that day).

C. ‘Catie Bec’

C. pulchella ‘Remarkable Rocks’

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I also found Correas south at Wilkin Heath. Members used to grow this very lovely Correa (found originally by the Salkins many years ago now) but I don’t think anyone has it now. I intend to revisit the area next May and try to find the form we once grew - from memory it had a particularly long pedicel - ( the small stalk bearing a single flower ). Of course they were not flowering in November but the plants had attractive foliage on a small bush sized plant. But at least I know whereabouts to start searching for them next flowering season. So much of this area is now under Pinus radiata with only small pockets of natural bushland left. This Correa is not in Maria’s book. Members should take some notes on any Correas not covered by the book as I’m sure that, despite the book being most comprehensive, there must be some Correas that members know of which are not included. The Correa I am searching for was known as C. reflexa ‘Wilkin Heath’. (Does anyone by chance have it?) The last flowering season saw quite a few visits and Correa hunting from the Oldakers (they were APS Vic members many years ago)- they are very keen Correa growers and collectors. They grow heaps of Correas from seeds as well. This is proving quite an interesting and rewarding challenge and perhaps a patient wait to see if there are any different and worthy ones to continue with. Check them out on the following web site: http://www.justcorreas.com/?page_id=813 Russell did a study on two S.A. species in the last Newsletter. I grow both of them. Does anyone want cuttings of C calycina var halmaturorum and C. eburnea - both are large healthy shrubs - C calycina var

halmaturorum (which incidentally was offered by Neil Marriott many years ago as C. affinity calycina) has started to flower (late December and I have two large healthy shrubs of the other. Please send me stamps to the value of $6 (or thereabouts). I will not send cuttings in the mail if hot weather is forcasted.

Correa Crawl for 2014 Let me know if there are any offers of running a Correa Crawl in the Queens Birthday weekend in 2014 - maybe one in the centre of Victoria - Bendigo etc? If someone could offer some knowledge on some good gardens with keen Correa growers them we could get some local members to do a bit of a search in the local reserves or bushland? The other possibility is to visit the Grampians again - always popular of course and lots and lots of lovely Correas, good gardens and nurseries. There is also plenty of good accommodation (July is off peak of course) and lots of good places to eat. Anyone offering to run either of them? We have the notes on the last crawl there quite a few years ago now. Happy holidays everyone, Cherree P.S. Do call in if you are passing – we are halfway between Warrnambool and Port Fairy almost on the Highway.

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Correa decumbens Name refers to the flowers which recline at base and have upright tips. Correa decumbens was first collected in South Australia in 1848 by Ferdinand Mueller. The species is endemic to South Australia and occurs in the Mt. Lofty Ranges, Onkaparinga River and also on Kangaroo Island. It typically grows as a spreading open or dense shrub in fairly open areas. It can grow to 1 metre in height and 3 metres in width with leaves that are narrow and oblong and are 5-10mm wide and 30-50mm long. The narrow red tubular flowers have green tips. The distinguishing feature of Correa decumbens is that the flowers are carried erect – for a reason that has not yet been fully determined.

Anthers are yellow brown and appear to be mainly pollinated by birds. C. decumbens is frost and drought hardy and unfortunately can be short lived in cultivation – although this is not my experience. The species will cope with quite a degree of shading and is best suited to aspects that avoid the hot afternoon sun.

Baron Ferdinand von Mueller

C. decumbens

C. decumbens

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Regular pruning helps maintain the bushiness of the plant. The species can be propagated from either tip or stem cuttings which strike fairly readily. There are currently around nine recognised hybrid forms of C. decumbens. Most of the hybrids are named according to the location where they were first collected. An interesting fact is that the hybrids do not exhibit the erect nature of the flower. The C. decumbens hybrids to date are: ‘Ainsley’ ‘Cockatoo Valley’ ‘Harvey’s Return’ ‘Karwarra’ ‘Lightkeeper’s Cemetrry’ ‘Mama Maria’ ‘Mt. Lofty’ ‘Rolls Royce’ ‘Springs Road’

Bob O’Neill Correa Decumbens There are two forms of Correa decumbens, upright and prostrate, both in fullish flowering mode. These plants seem reasonably tolerant of average drainage conditions and handle full sun and semi shade well. The largest plant would be in excess of 1 metre in width.

Correa ‘Western Pink Star’ A form of C. alba var. pannosa A prostate ground cover growing to a height of 0.2m and a width of 1m. Flowers from Summer to Autumn.

The original specimen was collected by Patrick Laher on a cliff top at Childers Cove east of Warrnambool, Victoria. It is a low growing mounding shrub with a dense cover of small grey-green, hairy, round leaves.

Pat Laher in John Nevins garden, Armadale NSW with C. Western Pink Star Photo: Cherree Densley

C. Western Pink Star

photo courtesy of

www.justcorreas.com

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The stems are covered with tan coloured hairs giving them a slightly rusty appearance. This variety starts flowing before C. alba and also flowers for a longer period. The star shaped flowers are split to the calyx and are most attractive white with a pink tinge spreading out from the throat. C. Western Pink Star is best suited to a well drained site in full sun to semi shade and will withstand long periods of dryness. This variety is easily propagated by cuttings which will usually flower in the first year. C. ‘Western Pink Star’ makes an ideal plant for rockeries or garden tubs.

Phil Hempel Diamond Valley & Kinglake Area

The yellow Correa reflexa above is found in most reserves in the Diamond Valley to Kinglake area and sometimes after fires they come up in their hundreds putting on a great display. In normal seasons they are found scattered around. They make an excellent garden specimen in this area as they are better suited to local conditions than other C reflexas. I have never seen a local red Correa (pictured on page 8) in the area until I visited a reserve near Panton Hill, a small town east of Hurstbridge. Parks Victoria, who manages the park, has put individual guards on each plant as well as fencing off the immediate area to keep out rabbits and wallabies. Parks Victoria states that this Correa is a local plant that is now very rare so protection is required.

C. Western Pink Star

C. reflexa – yellow form

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What is interesting is that it grows on only two small mullock heaps and on the same mullock heaps are a few of Grevillea alpines that are fairly disjunct from other populations. My comment that they have been planted there was not well received. To me it looks like a hybrid, there are some similar plants in roadsides in built-up areas in Eltham and Warrandyte, all slightly different. Does anyone have an idea what it may be?

Correas in December Bob O’Neill We moved to our new property three years ago. In that period the garden has been reconstructed, utilizing the wide spread use of raised beds across a flattish site that has a high water table. Using past experience as a guide, plus an experimental approach to planting in conditions new to us, the garden is now semi established with Correas being widely grown. The experience has been that C. lawrencianas as a group of plants have

been the most adaptable to our conditions. A number of sub species and forms have handled poorer drainage conditions well, with the tallest plant now close to 2 metres in height! In mid December the C. lawrencianas group of plants were generally well into flowering, both reddish and greenish forms represented. The use of these plants has primarily been as a screening plant in various parts of the garden. We have encountered some problems with our range of reflexas, initially losing many to wet feet conditions. To have any success, these plants required a higher position on the mounds. In mid December only two forms had the lightest level of flowering. Our current plants are faring well. The other widely planted species was C. pulchella. These plants have proven to be more resistant to wetter conditions than C. reflexas. Because of the generally more compact shape, smaller dimensions and variability of these plants, this species has been attractive to us to aim to develop a sizable sub collection of them. If anyone had any more unique forms of C pulchellas, we would be delighted to hear from them. The largest C pulchellas at this stage would be well over one metre in width. Currently there would be about 18 different forms, some quite different, some much more similar. Currently two plants have the lightest level of flowering. It would seem that if a wide selection of Correa plants was to be grown, some flowering would occur at all times of the year. To conserve our range, the aim is to grow at least two plants of each form. Earlier we did ponder the question that as the

Red Correa from Hurstbridge area

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garden developed, would a wider selection of bird species be attracted? A simple record is kept of bird observations, and this record would indicate that the species range is virtually unaffected by the gardens growth, though there would be more wattle birds present now than earlier. In summary, we are satisfied with the manner in which the Correas have gradually emerged as successful plants that contribute to the general year round flowering pattern of our new garden.

Wishing you Seasons

Greetings and Happy Growing

for 2014

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