It’s such a joy to wake to crispmorningsandcoolbreezes. It feelslike autumn and we can’t wait togetbackintoourgardens.

Low rainfall and record hightemperaturesaroundAustraliahaveresulted in an increased interest inAustralian native plants. Not onlyare they easy to grow and usuallydrought hardy, they encouragenative birds and animals into ourgardens. At Zanthorreea, we arecommitted to promoting nativeplants.

In March this year, all the teamhaveundertakentrainingwithSGA(Sustainable Gardening Australia).Thisisjustoneoftherequirementsfor Zanthorrea becoming a SGAcertifiednursery(seepage3).

InAutumnthenurseryischockfullofexcitingplants,newreleasesandoldfavourites.

Welookforwardtowelcomingyoutothenurseryverysoon.

Bestwishes,

–JackieAlecandtheteam

PS:FindoutmoreaboutSGAat:

www.sgaonline.org.au

ZanthorreaNursery1

Easter,6thto9thApril

Yes,weareopenallweekend.

We celebrate the end of summerwith a free starter plant per familyall weekend, and of course Eastereggsforthechildren.

ABCGardeningAustraliaExpo

April12thto15thApril

Enjoy inspiring displays and talksfromtheGardeningAustraliateam.Don’tmiss thenewGardenWeek,onthisyearatPerryLakes.

Mother’sDay,13thMay

Bring Mum and Grandma to thenurseryandwewilltreatthemtoafreecuppaandbiscuitintheatrium.StumpedforaMother’sdaypresent?A gift voucher for mum is such awelcomegift.

CongratulationsZanthorrea

State winner, Australian GardenIndustryAwards.

...again....

Welldonetothefabulousteam!

Judges comments: “This is anursery that shows the wonders,adaptability and ornamentalvalue of Australian native plants.The promotion and sales of thesenative plants is underpinned bya beautifully landscaped nursery,exceptional care, maintenanceandmanagement, and attention todetailbycommittedandpassionatestaff.” –Paul Cooling, Cooling’sNursery,UK

Sustainablegardening

withPaul,Zanthorreagardener.

SaturdayMarch31st10am

Learn how to create beautifulgardens thatwon’t turnKalamundainto a beach side suburb, or turnMaidaValeintoamarina.

RSVP94546260

NaturalPestControl

Saturday28thApril10am

When the garden is in balancethere is littleneed for intervention.Learn how to deal with pests anddiseasenaturally.

RSVP94546260

WildlifeGardening

Saturday26thMay10am

Doyouhaveanimalattraction?

Wildlife adds much to a garden.The sights and sounds of birds,insects and frogs are a wonderfuladditiontothevisualaspectofyourgarden.

RSVP94546260

Congratulations

ToLaurelandReneonthebirthofCharlieon6thDecember.Laurelistaking a well deserved break fromZanthorrea.

And welcome to horticulturistGeorgia who joined us earlier thisyear.

Welcome What’s On

Bush TelegraphNo 73 Autumn 2007

Garden Talks

Autumn-ThinkRooPaws

Now is the ideal time to playwith any Anigozanthos that needsattention - pruning, feeding,dividingandplanting.

Pruning: If you are using a lowwater regime, your paws can lookvery tired in autumn, but they areready to grow! If youwant to youcannowpruneoffall thediseasedor dead foliage, old flower spikesreadyforwintergrowth.

Feeding: Most clumps that aregettingabitold(perhapsthreeplusyears)willbenefitfrom2teaspoonsofslowreleasefertiliserorahandfulof blood and bone at the start oftheirgrowingcycle.

Dividing:Onlydo thisnow if youcan guarantee care and attentiontothedividedsuckersthroughuntilwinter,orelsewaituntilMay.Ifyoucan give them care, divisions nowwillgivebiggerstrongerclumpsbyspring.

Planting: The ideal time to getlotsofblooms thisyear.Plantwithslowreleasefertiliserandsomesoilimprover and water in well, thentwice a week until the rain takesover.

Varieties:MostareavailableatthistimeofyearincludingourbeautifulemblemAnigozanthosmanglesii.

Really toughare the tall ‘BigRed’1.5m, ‘Yellow Gem’ 1.5m, and‘OrangeCross’1.5m

Themiddlesizedred‘BushSunset’1m tall and ‘Bush Gold’ 90cm

yellowand the small ‘BushOchre’40cmorangeand‘BushPearl’30cmwithduskypinkflowers.

If you do work on your paws inany of these ways - give them agoodsoak,andkeepsomemoisturein thegrounduntil therainscome,you will get the extra growth thatautumncanbring.–Alec

TimetoPlant

Autumn is time to plant pansiesand violas, daffodil and tulipbulbs, potatoes and peas, butmore importantly to native plantenthusiasts, it’s time to soweverlastingseeds.

Inearly spring thepinkandwhiteeverlastingsonthevergesandinourgardenslooksensational,butalasinallbutthemostwateredgardensbyspringitistoolatetoplant.

RhodanthechlorocephalaRosea

It’s easy to plant everlasting seed.Eitherwait for thefirstgoodwintershowerofrain,orsetasprinklertosoaktheground.

Remove weeds that pop up bycultivating, spraying or handpulling. Rake the ground lightly tocreatefurrows.

Mix seedwith some soil improverin a wheel barrow or bucket toensure seed is not planted toothickly.

Spread seed mixture over thefurrowsandgentlywaterin.

If snails live in your area, use anenvironmentallysafesnailbait.

2 ZanthorreaNursery

WollemiPinesandPhytophthera

We have had enquiries abouthow susceptible the popularwollemi pine is to jarrah dieback.Unfortunately, along with half thenative plants of the south west,Wolleminobilisappearssusceptibleto root rots and if you have thejarrahdieback fungus inyourarea,it is probably best to keep yourwollemiinapot. (A40cmpotwillbe okay for approx 10 years usinggoodpottingmix.)

For control of dieback in yourgarden you can contact DiebackTreatment services, phone 1300785311oremail:

info@diebacktreatments.com

What’sFloweringNow?

Autumnfloweringbeautiesinclude:

•Correaglabra•Correa‘DuskyBells’•Grevillea‘Ellendale’•Grevillea‘GiltDragon’•Gervillea‘FrostyPink’•Banksiaprionotes•Beaufortiasparsa•Eucalyptusleucoxylon‘Rosea’•Eucalyptuserythrocorys

Eucalyptuserythrocorys

Autumn gardening - Time to plant

Bush Telegraph No 73 Autumn 2007

ReducingPestsandDiseaseNaturally

Creatingahealthy, thrivinggardenis about working with nature.Appropriate plant selection forclimate and soil types increasesyour chances of success. If plantsare growing strongly then they areless likely tosuccumbtopestsanddisease.

Diversity of plant life also mucksitupforthebugs-it’sabittrickierfor them to find their target plantand they can’t breed up to plagueproportions. Making use of birdattracting and beneficial insectattracting plants ensures a readyhostofnaturalpestcontrollers.

If things do get out of balanceand you need to introducechemical controls - try some ofthe ‘environmentally friendly’low impact products - such as thenew ‘eco’ range which includestreatments for mites, insects,powderymilddew,blackspotandanewfruitflybaitconcentratethatisprovingveryeffective.

Other safe controls are wettablesulphur as a fungicide / miticide,Yates ‘Success’ for caterpillars andMultiguard snail pellets. Neem oilandSeasolarehelpful forboostingplantgrowthandstrengtheningcellwalls,makingplantslesssusceptibletopestsanddisease.

Vigorous plants are better ableto resist disease than weak ones,so select sturdy, healthy lookingplants.

AtZanthorreawehavestrictqualitycontrol practices and only put thebestofourstockupforsale.

Often it is better to prune offdamaged foliage, removing thedisease / insectswith it rather thantry and treat thewhole plant oncethe damage is done. The plantscan thengetonwithgrowingnewhealthyleaves.

Many pests are seasonal andmaydisfigure plants slightly, but don’tharmtheiroverallhealth.

So don’t panic . If you are notsure what is damaging your plant,you can bring a piece in a bagto the nursery for diagnosis andwe can recommend the best, lowinterventionsolutions.

–SueTorlach,‘Wildaboutgardens’gardendesign

SustainableGardeningAustralia

Sustainable Gardening Australiawas established in Victoria by asmallpassionategroupofgardenerswith the aim to educate andencouragegardenerstomakesmallchanges to the way they garden.AnoffshoottotheSGAprogrammefor gardenerswas a plan to certifygardencentresthroughstafftrainingandauditssothattheycouldinturninspireandleadbyexample.

There are a number of aspects toSGAcertification:

Water:Preservingandusingwiselythispreciousresource.

Weeds: Ensuring garden plants donotbecomeenvironmentalweeds.

Wildlife: Planting indigenous andothernativeplants toprovide foodandshelterforwildlife.

Resource use: Demonstratingrecyclingandwiseuseofresourcesintheworkplace.

Fertilisers: Using fertilisers wiselytoavoiddamagetowaterways.

Chemicals: Recommendingplant care products that are safealternatives to more conventionalchemicals.

WildlifeGardens

One of the cornerstones forjoining Sustainable GardeningAustralia is that we must promotewildlife gardens, which fits ourphilosophy perfectly! Not only dowe advocate the gardens, but wedonate to keeping wildlife aliveand well by sponsoring KanyanaWildlife Centre. Right nowwe arecontributing $1 from the sale ofeachGrevillea ‘Ellendale’.There isabirdlabelineachpotwhichgoesinto theKanyanadonation boxastheyaresold.

Grevillea Ellendale, a form of thelocalG. thelemanniana, grows 1mtallby2mwideinfiveyearsandhassoftgreenfoliageandredpendulousflower bunches from now to latewinter.Lotsofbirdtuckerhere!PickupacoupleandbenefityourselvesandKanyana.–Alec

For awealth of information aboutattracting wildlife to your garden,visitwww.floraforfauna.com.au

3ZanthorreaNursery

Sustainable gardening

Bush Telegraph No 73 Autumn 2007

155WatsoniaRoad,MaidaValeWesternAustralia,6057

Phone:(08)94546260Fax:(08)94544540

http://www.zanthorrea.com.au

4 ZanthorreaNursery

Bush Telegraph No 73 Autumn 2007

Gifts for you and your gardenFoodforThought

Inthegiftshoparedelicioustreatsmadehere inAustralia.Theymakefabulousgiftsforfriendsandspecialtreatstotakehome.

Look out for gourmet foods fromStefano de Pieri, Food Symphony,Peter Watson, Masons Barnyardand award winning bush tuckerrange from Australian OutbackTreats.

Food Symphony“Bushfire smokedchilli sauce witheucalyptus”$11.95

A versatile sauceperfect for barbequemeats and charredvegetables. Mix itwith sour cream ormashed avocado tomake a tasty dip, oraddtoavinagrettetogiveauniqueflavour.

Screamingseedsecopacks$7.95

Add a little Australian themedzingtoyourcooking!ChoosefromRainforest Blend, Desert Cajun,Outback Blend, and the newMoonlightDreaming.

(AlecrecommendsDesertCajun)

Environmentallyfriendlyproducts

Our SGA trained team can help you make good choices.

KathyusesSandRemedytoimprovehersandysoil:

Sandplain gardeners are wellawareofthechallengeofcreatingagorgeouswaterwisegardeninpoorwater repellant soils.There is nowhelpathand!

To improve the soil structure andreduce water repellance in sandysoils,mixSandRemedyinto the top10cmsof soil,water inwelland re-cultivate.SandRemedyisamixtureofnaturallyoccuringclayandminerals,and works by binding with sandparticles to create “crumb structure”toholdwaterairandnutrients.Asitreduces run-off, ithelps tokeepourrivershealthy.–Kathy

AndrearecommendsNeemoil

Neem is a natural insecticideextracted from the seeds of theneem treewhich is closely relatedtotheCapeLilac.

It discourages a wide range ofhungry beasties, from aphids tomealy bugs, by interrupting theirgrowthcycle,aswellasmakingourpreciousplantsunpalatable.

Withminimumharm tobeneficialinsects, this biodegradablealternative to chemical nasties isa good choice for the consciousgardener. – Andrea

HOTOFFTHEPRESS

Josh Byrne’s new book “TheGreen Gardener” is a greatresource for anyone interestedin environmentally sustainablegardening. Josh takes the readerthroughsuchtopicsas:naturalpestcontrol; the benefits of growingnatives; growing organic veges;conservingwater;andmyfavouritesection...keeping chooks! So gogreen with some help from thishighlyreadablebook.–DanS

RRP$29.95

EasterTreats

Looking for a low calorie Easterpresent?

GondwanaQuickCard Kit makesthree beautifulhandmade cardswith envelopes.$6.95

Otherwonderful lowcalorie treatsincludePocketpuppets,Funny feetlambs, Yiyanga Kakadu plum andMacadamia nut hand cream andwonderfullyfragrantcandles.