Paspalum dilatatum

 Paspalum dilatatum (Poaceae)

One of my treasured books is Pasture Legumes and Grasses which was published by The Bank of New South Wales in Sydney in June of 1961. It gives the botanical history of this South American native grass which was introduced into Australia in the 1890's by German Australian botanist Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller (1825-1896). This "tough as" pasture grass 'provided a foundation for the dairying industries' of both New South Wales and Queensland and of course eventually made its way into the suburban backyards of coastal cities and towns. By mid-twentieth century mischievous boys had learnt that if you tied the flower stalks together you could easily trip up a few of your opponents in a backyard game of footy or cricket.
Present day applications for its use could include as a 'scratch proof' ground cover for chicken pen/'ranch' and it is probably goat grazing proof as well.
The only down side to that suggestion is that the developing flower heads and seed can be affected by ergot fungus which, by reputation, can lead those who have ingested it to imagine they have entered the world of an Heironymus Bosch painting.

Meanwhile, my lawn, which consists of at least 45% Paspalum, needs mowing.

black sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum var. purpureum

 Gomphrena 'Fireworks' flowering in front of black sugarcane

Saccharum officinarum var. purpureum (Poaceae)

The distinctive black stems and purple foliage of this ornamental and edible sugarcane make it an attractive addition to the summer garden particularly if planted alongside the large variegated Miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan' or some burgundy leaved orange flowering Canna 'Wyoming'. By the end of summer the stems may have reached 2 metres or more as it loves the heat and constant moisture, something we are getting plenty of if this afternoon's downpour is anything to go by. Large canes can be cut during the summer and used to propagate more plants by cutting the stem into short sections which include a node and laying them horizontally with a bare covering of soil. Having a few back-up plants is handy if you live in a frosty climate as they can be kept under shelter for planting out as the weather warms up.
 Growing an ornamental sugarcane plant provides a link to a part of the agricultural history of Australia while gaining an insight into some of the characters who were pioneers in the industry. While the sugar museum in Mourilyan, Queensland has recorded the oral history of the 20th century pioneers, some of whom were interned as 'enemy aliens' during both Wars, the 19th century records make for interesting reading while second guessing the motives and actions of those involved. Certainly this is the case with the 31 year old John Buhot who, with his wife Jessie, sailed into Brisbane on board the Montmorency in April 1862. He was born and raised in Barbados at the tail end of their sugar industry which was tainted with the dark side of slavery and he probably knew more than anyone in the Colony about establishing and nurturing the fledgling sugar industry here. Two months after his arrival his expertise in making granular sugar was put to the test with the help of engineer and architect Andrew Petrie (1798-1872) Twenty four canes were selected from the patch growing at the Brisbane city 'Botanic Reserve', yielding 7 gallons of juice and 5 pounds of sugar. The crushing of the canes and clarifying of the juice was carried out on the footpath of the Brookes and Foster Ironmongers establishment at 143 Queen Street. No doubt a crowd gathered to watch this process and with much fanfare the clarified liquor was taken back to the gardens for the final process of turning it into granular crystals. For his efforts he was promised a grant of 500 acres of land by a select Parliamentary Committee consisting of Messers. S.W. Griffith, Moreton, Buzzacott and Macrossan. This promise came to nothing though he was no doubt living comfortably by 1874 in his 56 acre Dunellan Estate in what is now the Brisbane suburb of Greenslopes. On his death at age fifty in 1881 his wife reminded the government of their promise but this was dismissed. His falling out with sugar industry associates such as Louis Hope from Ormiston indicates he may have been quite quick tempered or a just a victim of a 'tall poppy' syndrome frustrated by his efforts to get people to take notice of someone born with sugar 'flowing through his veins' from a young age. A hundred years after his initial 'manufacture' experiments, a plaque was unveiled to honour his achievements at the Brisbane City Botanic Garden, with his descendants in attendance. He is also remembered by a row of fig (Ficus) trees he planted in Quay Street Rockhampton and by Buhot street in Geebung.

John Buhot (1831-1881)

Family portrait at Dunellan Estate 1870's

Suagarcane at Brisbane City Botanic Garden

Plants for Aromatherapy

 Aromatherapy, Massage Oils and simple home remedies in Maria M Kettenring book published by www.joy-verlag.de

(Aroma-Gesundheitsparktikerin ,Dufttrainerin und Autorin zahlreicher Bucher)

I am not good at self-promotion but it was a real thrill to have my photo of Palmarosa grass (Cymbopogon martinii var motia) included in this book and be given credit as an 'Australien'.

Now if only there was a bit of demand for Palmarosa plants locally as I failed to shift more than a few units of it over last summer.

A couple of  Aussie plants which are making an impact in Europe, included in the book are, 'Teebaum', Melaleuca alternatifolia , or what we know as tea-tree oil, and Cajeput from Melaleuca  leucadendron var. cajeputii.

Florez Pop-Up

 Aloha! 

This Sunday March 2nd Florez Nursery will be selling plants at a 'Pop-Up' shop in Sydney.

Where : Home of garden designer Peter Nixon whose garden will be on view as part of Open Gardens Australia.

Address: 52 Lander Street cnr. Shepherd Street Darlington (near Sydney Uni)

Open 10am to 4pm rain or shine 

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Here are some of the plants you may expect to find:

 Hibiscus and Brugmansia

 Medinilla species

 Pentas 'Candy Stripe'

 Allamanda 'Siam Snow'

 Miscanthus 'Cosmopolitan'

 Gardenia 'Forever More' from Vietnam

 Succulents

 Orange Browallia

 Ervatamia coronaria

 Quisqualis 'Red Riot'

 Daintree Pine

 Organic sage

Sun hardy Bromeliads

Carex elata 'Bowles' Golden'

Carex elata 'Aurea' syn 'Bowles' Golden'

In the chapter on 'Aquatics', in his book My Garden in Summer (1914), Edward Augustus "Gus" Bowles (1865-1954) leads us on a 'boy's own adventure' along rivers and reed beds across the Norfolk Broads where he happened upon this plant one hundred years ago. 'I noticed two or three shoots of a sedge with a fine gold band on their leaves, so dropped on my knees and severed them from the main tuft with my pocket knife, brought then home, and planted them where they have formed this fine specimen.' His 'home' was Myddleton House in Enfield where he established a remarkable plantsman's garden which is now restored and open to the public.

At this time of year, Bowles' Golden Sedge awakes from winter dormancy and puts on a fresh display of bright yellow leaves, eventually reaching a height of about 40cm and spreading to form a clump of 90cm. It is ideal as a pond edge plant or in a spot which is constantly moist and though it will tolerate full sun I find the foliage burns easily if not given some protection.

It could be planted around the base of Fuchsia 'Canary Bird' which has contrasting red stems to its equally bright yellow leaves.

 

 Front cover photograph shows Rosa moyesii 'Geranium'. This book was published in 1914 by T. C. and E.C. Jack, London and reprinted by Timber Press. Portland. Oregon in 1998.

It is available online as a free digital download.

Gus Bowles: Gentleman Gardener

1865-1954

Photograph: 1910, Florence Darrington

The Cat Grass Kit

 'Feline Groovy' Sammy

 Over the weekend I planted out the very neat Mr Fothergill's Cat Grass Kit.
 It's 'neat' in the cool, well designed sense of the word, a perfect package for apartment dwellers or for those who keep their cats indoors like we all should. Interesting to see a 'Made in Canada' label on this product which made me think of all those snow bound cats in a Canadian winter dreaming of green grass.

So this kit consists of a packet of cat grass seeds, and a mini greenhouse with an expandable Jiffy pot of instant growing medium of the just add water variety. The pictures below explain how it works. The packet of seeds is generous so that consecutive sowings can be made over many months.

 You add 300ml of warm water to the Jiffy pot and wait a few minutes for it to absorb all the water. Then you poke a couple of holes in the base of the container and spread out the soil with a little knife. Now the instructions say to poke the holes in first but you may end up with a big puddle on your kitchen bench if you do.

 Seed planted

 Completed, this little greenhouse generates enough moisture so you don't really need to water the seed again but just keep an eye on it. This is not the end of the story and I will update the post as the seed grows and develops. This kit retails for $5.95 and would make a terrific present for cat lovers. It is available from the Mr Fothergill's website as per this link:

Seeds, Vegetable Seeds, Flower Seeds and Herb Seeds
 Update: This is the germinated seed after a couple of weeks. This can be given to your cat as is or potted into larger pots so it has a chance to grow bigger. Impress your friends by giving them the botanical name for it: Dactylis glomerata

Anemone hupehensis 'Bowles' Purple'

 Anemone hupehensis Bowles' Purple

This is a smaller grower than the variety 'Japonica', the Japanese Anemone which is usually white or pale pink with flower stems reaching a metre or more, though there is much confusion as to the correct cultivar names and hybrids of these Anemones in Australia.

I was given a small clump of this last year by a gardening mate who called it Bowles' Pink, though no reference is made to either a pink or purple form in the RHS Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. E.A. Bowles is remembered as a breeder of Anemones so I have no doubt this plant goes back a long way. By coincidence the background plant in this photo is the grass or sedge Carex Bowles' Golden.

 The flower color on this Anemone starts out as a vibrant cerise purple before fading to bright pink and white on the edge of the petals. 

From a nursery point of view it is easier get to flower in a 14cm pot which is a bonus from a sales point of view compared with the 'in demand' tall white species with its larger leaves and flower stem making it more difficult to manage. 

This plant is a hardy semi shade to shade lover and is tolerant of frost and dry.

Phalaris arundinaceae var 'Picta'

Phalaris arundinaceae var.'Picta', Gardener's Garters

Common names of plants are always intriguing especially when they make reference to a long forgotten custom. Sleeve garters were worn in certain professions to stop shirt cuffs getting dirty and gardeners would certainly have needed them when dealing with this grass which inhabits marshy swamp ground or even shallow water. It is quite possible even that the thin leaf stems of this grass were used as a makeshift garter, tied around the sleeve if you were just about to plunge hands into mud to dig out a plant. This grass is notable for the fresh mint green and white striped leaves which take on a pink tinge as they emerge from the soil. It is sometimes given the name of canary reed grass for the delicate appearance of the inflorescence which brings its height up to about a metre. I grow it in a pot and it does not really need absolute wet conditions to grow well; as mine has dried out without the plant showing any undue stress. A word of warning however, it is a bit of a bolter when grown in favourable conditions and may spread near and far, in much the same way as mint does when given a free reign.

Sleeve garters are now more likely to be worn if you are heading out for an evening poker game with the boys or a night of high rolling at the casino

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'

Feather Reed Grass

This is a northern hemisphere grass which has become very popular over the last ten years. The selling point is that word 'architectural', referring to the stiff pink-bronze inflorescences which stand up to 1.8m high above the clump of foliage which stays around the 60cm mark. So far mine has failed to produce more than a few of these flower heads and I am beginning to wonder whether that it is just too warm on the coast for this grass to perform at its best. The grassy clump itself is pleasant enough and certainly low maintenance with none of the browning or dead material which is often associated with growing Miscanthus grass. I am growing it around the base of a Jacaranda tree and behind some lavenders.This is a sterile hybrid and propagation is by division of the clump in spring.

Growing sugarcane

A couple of weeks ago a mate gave me a 3 metre stem of sugar cane which I cut into short lengths each with an "eye" or node. I placed them in an old Styrofoam box and roughly covered them with potting soil. Then we had lots of rain and green shoots appeared really quickly. What is interesting to observe about this growth is that each leaf exudes a tiny droplet of water near its tip. 
I do like to have that spoonful of sugar in my coffee each morning at about 10.30. The painting below gives us a wry look at that habit.

The Heart goes from Sugar to Coffee 1919
Watercolor by Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948)
Museum of Modern Art, New York

Palmarosa Grass, Cymbopogon martinii

Palmarosa Grass
  Cymbopogon martinii

This is another ornamental grass which comes into its own over summer. Related to Lemon grass it grows to about the same height of about a metre though it forms a more narrow and graceful clump and the flower heads are more interesting as they resemble barbed-wire encircling thin stems standing erect above the lovely foliage. Propagation is usually from seed, which is how I grew it, but clumps could perhaps be divided during the warmer months. This is something I have yet to try.
Over winter growth slows and the whole plant develops a bronze or rusty red tinge. Though sub-tropical in origin, it has good cold tolerance and could be grown as far south as Melbourne. As for most ornamental grasses, maintenance is to cut it back in spring to allow for new growth to appear as the weather warms up. Palmarosa grass releases a warm rose geranium scent when the leaves are crushed and oil extracted from the plant is used in the perfume industry.

Miscanthus x giganteus

Behind the Banana trees and bamboo, in that section of the garden known as the jungle. I have a planting of Miscanthus x giganteus. In the late afternoon it is the perfect place to relax to listen to the music of rustling leaves and birdsong.

The silvery pink flowers shine in the sun and you know that summer is peaking.

Miscanthus x giganteus

This grass is native to Japan and is a sterile hybrid between the species M sinensis and M. sacchariflorus. It dies down in winter and is often slow to return but makes rapid growth once the days become long and warm. It is more widely known in both Europe and the U. S. as a commercial energy crop for the production of electricity and biofuel. It is one of the so called C4 (carbon fixation) plants of note as it has greater photosynthetic and water efficiency, and lower fertilizer requirements than most other plants. I am not aware of it being grown commercially in Australia but that may have something to do with the risk tall grass crops have as a fire hazard given our recent bushfire history.
Miscanthus x giganteus is a terrific ornamental grass for tropical style or informal gardens. It can be grown by dividing plants in spring as shown in this video. This may require Herculean effort however so just don't ask me to supply you with a plant.
2017 update: I have one plant in a 300mm pot in stock.

Wild bird seed

Red-browed Finch
Photo:S G Lane Collection
Australian Museum

Flocks of red-browed finches have been hard at work lately making the most of the summer weedy grasses which have been producing lots of ripe seed. I often complain about weeds in the garden because they look untidy and then remember that they provide food for a diverse range of animals, birds and insects.

A patch of barnyard grass (Echinochloa sp), summer grass (Digitaria sp) and Millet (Setaria italica)