GROW WHAT WHERE – A BRILLIANT GARDEN REFERENCE
If you’d like to discover the Magic of Australian Native Plants then GROW WHAT WHERE will make your Plant Selection Simple and Easy so you Can’t Go Wrong .
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When I first came across the gardening book “Grow What Where” it was at a very opportune time. We’d just bought a new house that had a garden that was in dire need of renovation and being new to gardening I was in desperate need of a good reference book so I could get my plant selection correct right from the start.
Therefore my first port of call was the local public library and in particular I was looking for books to do with Australian Native Plants. I’d already formed an interest is Australian Natives and after I discovered “Grow What Where” I think it just cemented my love for them. It was packed full of descriptions of hundreds if not thousands of Australian Natives that included where best to plant them and which plants were best suited to your climate.
In fact as I renovated our new garden I took many trips to the library to borrow the book as I’d tried many different sources to try and purchase it but unfortunately it was out of print. Over the years though I always kept an eye out for it in second hand book shops but never had any success in locating it. This really amazed me as I often wondered why a book that was this good had managed to go out of print?
Anyway it’s funny how things sometimes happen, as I’d long given up searching for it but one day while casually browsing through a local book store I came across it again but the amazing thing was, it wasn’t quite the same book I remembered. The title was still “Grow What Where” but it was a newer version (3rd edition) which had been revised, added to and it even now had a CD-ROM included.
I couldn’t believe it, I’d been searching for this book for nearly 10 years and then when I wasn’t expecting it, there it was. Therefore, guess what I did, I purchased a copy and I never looked back. But why is “Grow What Where” just so good? Well basically the best way to answer that is to just tell you what’s in it and how you can use it but before I do can I just say this.
Some gardeners have a very narrow idea on the range of Australian Native Plants and quite often forget that Australia is a country with wide and varied climates. Climates that range from Alpine areas that are covered in snow for part of the year, to hot searing deserts where plants have to withstand temperatures as high as 50 C (122 F) to Tropical Rainforests that receive over 3,000 mm (120 inches) of rainfall each year.
Therefore all these areas and all parts in between all have Australian Native Flora that has adapted to these areas and the great part is that much of this flora can be grown in your very own garden. So basically it doesn’t matter where in the world you live there is a range of very unique and diverse Australian Native Plants that are especially suited to your climate and garden conditions.
So what’s in “Grow What Where” and how do you use it?
Firstly there is a list of over 3,000 Australian Native Plants which includes species, hybrids and cultivars. It includes over 500 genus’ of plants, some endemic only to Australia and some that are more commonly know in other parts of the world as well.
It includes all the commonly known plants such as Banksia, Grevillea, Eucalytus, Acacia, Callistemon and Melaleuca and it also covers Australian plants not often associated as being Native to Australia such as Clematis, Hibiscus, Lotus, Pelargonium, Pittosporum, Rhododendron, Senna and so on.
So how does the book work?
Firstly there are 100 plant classifications;
1 Ground Covers
2 Rockery Plants
3 Cottage Plants
4 Tufties
5 Fence Screening
6 Hedges
7 Windbreaks
8 Fire Retarding
9 Quick Growing
10 Beginners’ Plants
11 Humus-rich Soils
12 Heavy and Clay Soils
13 Sandy Soils
14 Soil Binding
15 Sand Binding‑
16 Layering Plants
17 Suckering Plants
18 Wet Winter, Dry Summer
19 Bogs and Ponds
20 Water Absorbing
21 Temporary Inundation
22 Sunny Moist Conditions
23 Shady Moist Conditions
24 Shady Dry Conditions
25 Dry Conditions
26 Very Dry Conditions
27 Front-line Coastal
28 Second-line Coastal
29 Moderately Lime Tolerant
30 Very Lime Tolerant
31 Frost Tolerant
32 Usually Frost Tolerant
33 Frost Tender
34 Spring Flowering
35 Summer Flowering
36 Autumn Flowering
37 Winter Flowering
38 Long flowering
39 Cut Flowers
40 Floral Art
41 White Flowers
42 Blue Flowers
43 Yellow Flowers
44 Green Flowers
45 Mauve Flowers
46 Pink Flowers
47 Purple Flowers
48 Orange Flowers
49 Red Flowers
50 Other Showy Flowers
51 Perfumed Flowers
52 Aromatic Foliage
53 Silver Foliage
54 Variegated Foliage
55 Darkly Contrasting Foliage
56 Deciduous Trees
57 Container Plants
58 Bonsai Plants
59 Miniature Plants
60 Indoor Plants
61 Hanging Basket Plants
62 Cascading Plants
63 Weeping Trees and Shrubs
64 Climbers
65 Bird Attracting, Honeyeaters
66 Bird Attracting, Insect Eaters
67 Bird Attracting, Seed Eaters
68 Butterfly Attracting
69 Pricklier
70 Berries
71 Specimen Trees and Shrubs
72 Often Grafted
73 Shade Trees
74 Interesting and Attractive Foliage
75 Interesting Buds or Fruit
76 Interesting Trunks
77 Annuals
78 Perennials
79 Grasses
80 Lilies and Related Genera
81 Succulents
82 Palms
83 Conifers
84 Carnivorous Plants
85 Hardy Ferns
86 Firewood Trees
87 Coppice Trees
88 Farm Shelter Trees
89 Gully Erosion Control
90 Salt soil Tolerant
91 Fodder Plants
92 Street Trees
93 Smog Tolerant
94 Rampant Growers
95 Poisonous or Irritating Plants
96 Drain Clogging
97 Branch Dropping
98 Snow Tolerant
99 Montane Plants
100 Rainforest Plants
Each of the above classifications have their own chapter that has an explanation as to the meaning plus a comprehensive list of plants that are best suited for the particular classification.
So you can see if you have a particular requirement for a plant such as Alkaline soil or if you’d like a plant that flowers in the summer then this will make your selection really easy.
Also each plant in these lists is further classified as to it’s expected size such as;
s – small shrub up to 1m tall
m – medium shrub 1-2m tall
l – large shrub over 2m tall
st – small tree up to 6m tall
mt – medium tree 6-12m tall
lt – large tree over 12m tall
lc – light climber
mc – medium climber
vc – vigorous climber
Then at the end of the book there is a list of all of the 3000 + plants listed with a list of numbers that represent the classifications that are applicable to each individual plant.
Therefore if you’re interested in growing say, a Banksia Ericafolia and want to find out if it’s suited to your area you can look it up and discover the following;
Banksia Ericafolia FP l 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 48, 51, 57, 58, 65, 66, 67, 71, 75, 90, 99
F = Full Sun for most of the day. P = Partial Sun, some overhead cover and morning sun.
l = large shrub over 2m tall
and then the numbers represent;
5 Fence Screening, 6 Hedges, 7 Windbreaks, 9 Quick Growing, 10 Beginners’ Plants, 12 Heavy and Clay Soils, 13 Sandy Soils, 21 Temporary Inundation, 23 Shady Moist Conditions, 25 Dry Conditions, 27 Front-line Coastal, 29 Moderately Lime Tolerant, 32 Usually Frost Tolerant, 36 Autumn Flowering, 37 Winter Flowering, 38 Long flowering, 39 Cut Flowers, 40 Floral Art, 48 Orange Flowers, 57 Container Plants, 58 Bonsai Plants, 65 Bird Attracting, Honeyeaters, 66 Bird Attracting, Insect Eaters, 67 Bird Attracting, Seed Eaters, 71 Specimen Trees and Shrubs, 75 Interesting Buds or Fruit, 90 Salt soil Tolerant, 99 Montane Plants
Therefore you can see how you can use “Grow What Where” in two ways. Either as a means to find the right plant for a particular position or to decide whether a particular plant is suited to a particular position.
So you can see just how easy it is to use this fantastic book but just in case it’s not easy enough the authors of “Grow What Where” have added a CD-ROM so you can just use your computer to make your selection even quicker. Plus the CD-ROM has an additional 60 lists that cover climate and extra plants size details.
Then you can easily formulate a list of plants you’re looking for on your computer, print them off and then head of to your local nursery to see what you can find them.
So you can see this book is really easy to use and it might just introduce you to a whole new range of versatile, easy to grow plants you’ve never considered using before. I think it’s a fantastic book as it’s certainly saved me a few times from planting the wrong plant in the wrong position.
If you’d like to find out more about GROW WHAT WHERE then please follow the link.
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Clay Soil
Gardening in Clay Soil is often regarded as somewhat of a handicap by most gardeners, especially those gardeners that have preference for growing plants that do require a well drained soil. Most of the popular West Australian natives and South African Proteas that naturally grow in sand and well draining gravels and loams have a preference for soils with good drainage.
These plants are always very popular to grow as many have large, exotic, showy flowers. Therefore if you are a gardener with a liking for these plants it begs to ask the question…..can you still grow these types of plants in a clay soil?
Well being a gardener who has gardened in clay soil for over 10 years I can honestly say, yes, and basically it just comes down to following a few rules.
Firstly though can I just say this. Recently I was listening to a gardening program on the radio where a gardener asked the question about planting into a clay soil. The answer given by the gardening commentator was to dig down into the clay and try and break it up and maybe add some gypsum. Now this is not the first time I’ve heard this type of response to this question and in some respects this answer does bother me. Why? Well consider this.
The biggest problem with clay is the fact it doesn’t allow water to pass through it very easily. Therefore once you start digging into it you really do need to be prepared to keep digging all the way through the layer of clay until you find a layer of soil that is free draining so the excess water has a means to drain away. Now does this sound like a viable exercise for every plant you plant into clay soil? Not really, the hole you dig may have to be quite deep to make it effective.
Therefore once you start digging into clay all you’re really doing is providing an area for water to accumulate after rain. This is not an ideal situation. Now you must understand this, many areas of South Eastern Australia have been in drought up until recently so using the above mentioned method of planting hasn’t really been a problem as there hasn’t been the rainfall to make it a problem. Therefore many plants has survived for years planted into a hole dug into a clay soil.
At the end of 2009 SE Aust started getting lots of rain again and then all of a sudden plants that had survived the drought for years started to die and mainly it was caused by bad planting in unsuitable areas where excess water all of a sudden became a problem.
Therefore the number one rule when gardening with a clay soil or a clay subsoil is make sure excess water has a means to drain away. This also applies not only for water on the surface but below the surface as well. After all, if you dig a hole into a clay soil and then replace it with a freer draining soil, plus the root ball of a plant, do you really believe the excess water will drain away? No it won’t, the hole will just act like a bucket.
One solution to avoid this is to plant plants with smaller root balls such as those grown in tubes. In most cases these plants will quite often outgrow a larger plant anyway.
So what is the best solution for gardening in clay soil?
Well to start off with the obvious solution is to use plants that are tolerant of clay soils. Callistemons, Melaleucas and some Banksias, Grevilleas and Eremophilas all have some species and hybrids that are suitable.
But what if you want to plant plants that require a well draining soil into a clay soil?
Well the easy solution is to garden on sloping terrain. The excess water will easily drain away and not become a problem. Just make sure you don’t dig a large hole in the clay to your plant your plant.
But what if you haven’t got a sloping garden, what if it’s flat?
Well this is where planning your garden and good landscaping can come into play. Use raised garden beds and you can go about this in two different ways. Firstly you can import lots of suitable garden soil that is free draining or you can do what I did. I excavated an area of my garden and mounded the excess clay into raised garden beds. I then used compost and gypsum and hired a small cultivator and then mixed all the compost and gypsum into the clay mounds which were to form my garden beds. What I ended up with was a friable, well draining soil that I could plant all manner of plants that require a well drained soil.
Now if you decide to take this option just make sure the areas you excavate aren’t too deep. You can turn then into pathways and provide underground drainage to direct the water away from the garden beds.
Sound like too much work? Well remember this……….you only have to do it once.
The most important thing to remember though is you must provide a means for excess water to drain away. Correct landscaping is essential, whether it be natural or man made. At the end of the day though, there are many ways to go about gardening in a clay soil and not every plant will grow in clay but if you employ some of these basic principles you will great increase the number of plant you can successfully grow, in a clay soil.
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Banksia Oblongifolia
Banksia Oblongifolia, native to Queensland and New South Wales, is another Banksia that isn’t often seen in cultivation and home gardens. I first came across it about 10 years ago and planted it in my mother’s garden where it grew into a narrow spindly shrub about 1.5 m tall that probably only ever had about 6 flowers on it in all its life.
A few months ago I was at was at my parent’s house and noticed they’d dug it out. My mother told me it had never really been much of a plant and only had a few branches on it. So I suppose I could understand her reasoning but I was a bit disappointed as Banksia Oblongifolia was one of the few Banksia that had a lignotuber. You see I really like plants with lignotubers as they are so easy to regenerate when they get old and spindly. All you have to do is prune them back to the lignotuber and then let them grow back again and in many cases they do look better the second time around. Therefore as I said, I was disappointed that this Banksia had been dug out.
Lucky for me though, my mother quickly advised me that she’d transplanted it into a small plastic pot and here it is……….
March 11
Doesn’t really look much does it? You can see from the photo it had about 10 original branches which were all vertical and now obviously cut off. It had one remaining juvenile branch but the lignotuber and remaining branches were all covered in buds.
Being dug up after nearly 10 years in the ground and placed in a pot hadn’t really affected it at all much. Plus, from memory, it was dug up in January or February, during summer, while it was growing. So this was a tough little Banksia indeed.
Banksia Oblongifolia Lignotuber. You may be able to see the new buds forming.
Therefore for the last few months it’s been growing quite happily in this pot.
By April 26 it had quite a nice canopy.
By May 15 it had thickened up even more.
So now I’m just waiting for it flower. Winter is it’s normal season but I don’t think there will be any flowers this winter so I’ll just have to wait till next year. So as you can see, you don’t have to dig out old Australian natives and throw them away. You can either prune them back according to how they grow or you can simply transplant them, as with this Banksia.
At the end of the day I think Banksia Oblongifolia looks ok just growing in a pot. I could either prune it back to expose the lignotuber more (like a bonsai) to make it a feature or I could just let it grow and wait for it to flower.
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- Banksia Seminuda Flowers
- Transplanting Plants
- Banksia Ericifolia
- Banksia Seminuda
- How NOT to Transplant your Plants
