Flora
Winner of Australia’s Favourite Tree Announced
Take me to the river… “The contest is over, the dust has settled and one magnificent tree stands above the rest. It twists and turns as it gathers water from deep underground, reaches for the sky and sends generous branches in improbable directions. For... read morePlant of the Month: The Tale of White Beard
Common in heathlands and sandstone areas the Bearded Heaths (Leucopogon spp) look fairly unremarkable till coming into flower and fruit. The Bearded Heath gets it’s botanical Genus Leucopogon from the Greek “Leuco-” meaning white and “pogon” meaning beard, for once... read moreWhat’s the difference between native, indigenous and endemic plants? And why is it important?
These terms confuse a lot of people, so let’s just take a minute to clear things up. ‘Native’ is a general term for plants that occur naturally in a country but not necessarily across the whole of that country. ‘Indigenous’ – Indigenous species are categorised as a... read morePlant of the Month: Big Bad Banksia Men
Big Bad Banksia Men Australian author May Gibbs cast the “Big Bad Banksia Men” as the villains of many of her stories, looking at the cones of the Old Man Banksia (Banksia serrata) it is quite easy to imagine them as heads of some creature (though I think casting them... read morePlant of the Month: Staying Muddy
Last month we were in the mud looking at mangroves, this month we’ll go slightly closer shoreward and take a look at what grows in the hypersaline environment of the Salt Marshes. Salt Marshes occur around the high tide zone, often in shallow depressions which fill on... read morePlant of the Month: Please don’t pull this one out
Another couple of plants which commonly get mistaken for weeds (and pulled out) is Flannel Leaf (Astrotricha floccosa). With a home range between Newcastle and Sydney it’s found in Dry Sclerophyll Forest on sandstone, unfortunately the leaves can have a strong... read morePlant of the Month – Of Serpents and Spinifex
Botanically the Hunter Region compares well with other regions of the world for diversity. Given our geographic location with the New England Fold Belt to the North and East and the largely sedimentary Sydney Basin to the South and West (with the Hunter-Mooki Thrust... read moreWatch Your Step
When most people think of rare plants they think of large and exotic and hidden in the middle of nowhere. Oftentimes the rare ones can be found right under our feet, or in this case from London, just over our heads. “A rare species of orchid believed to have... read morePlants of the Month: That’s gotta be a weed?
Plant(s) of the Month: That’s gotta be a weed, doesn’t it? Well….. You know how it goes, you go wandering through the bush and see a plant which just doesn’t fit in, which just by the general look of it you just know it’s gotta be a weed. So you reach down and…. NO!... read morePlant of the Month: Ribbon Gum
Twenty third of March is National Eucalypt Day so with that in mind it’s time for another gum PotM. This month’s PotM is the Ribbon Gum (Eucalyptus viminalis), there’s a couple of them growing near the bridge at Bunnan on the Scone-Merriwa Road, I’ve looked at these... read moreWeed of the Month: Khaki Weed (Alternanthera pungens)
I hate Khaki Weed, I really do, so much so that at one stage I had it almost eliminated from the footpaths of the small village I live in and despite my slackness over the past couple of years numbers are still low and just the other week had to spray the footpath... read morePlant of the Month: What’s in a name? Hard Quandong
(Elaeocarpus obovatus) Also known as Blueberry Ash, Whitewood, Grey Carabeen, Freckled Oliveberry and Grey Carrobeen, despite the plethora of names it is not related to the other Quandongs (Santalum spp.), Ashes (Mountain Ash, Red Ash, Claret Ash, Himalayan Ash) or... read moreWeed of the Month: Coolatai grass Hyparrhenia hirta
Regional Priority Weed Objective – ASSET PROTECTION An invasive drought, fire and herbicide tolerant tussock forming perennial grass. It is found in all Australian states and territories. The main infestations on the East coast were south-eastern Queensland,... read morePlant of the Month: Choccie Lily
Mmmm Chocolate (Lilies!) One of the most anticipated Spring arrivals in woodland and forest areas in this area is the blooming of the Chocolate Lilies (Dichopogon fimbriatus) not only for the attractive purple flowers but also for the chocolate scent they have. While... read morePlantNET Search – Find your local plants
I’m giving away trade secrets here but apart from identifying plants one of our common requests is for species lists of what grows in an area, or what is suitable to plant in an area. Some areas we know quite well and will be able to give a reasonable list just off... read morePlant of the month: Antarctic Beech, Nothofagus moorei
Every now and then I get the opportunity to wander through the cool, dark, damp Antarctic Beech forests of the high country up in the Barrington Tops. The Antarctic Beech rainforests are a Gondawanan relic showing little similarity to the surrounding Snow Gum and... read moreGrasses quiz
Can you identify these common weedy grasses that were presented at Tilligerry Landcare workshop recently? Once you’ve had your guess, scroll down for the answers! v v v v v v v v v v v Answers: Red Natal from Africa Whiskey Grass from the USA Erharta from... read morePlant of the Month: Johnson’s Grevillea (Grevillea johnsonii).
Apart from my Landcare work I get a few other projects in from time to time, at the end of last week I was out in the Goulburn River National Park trying to track down a lost population of Fairy Bells (Homoranthus darwinioides)*, we didn’t manage to find that... read moreTools, Tricks and Tips: Nursery Cheats
Ok, I have a confession, despite enjoying working in nurseries I really hate pricking out and potting up seedlings. Yeah, I know, it is the main point of working in a nursery, but it is just so tedious and time consuming so if I can find any way of doing it quicker I... read morePlant of the Month: Magenta Lilly Pilly
(Syzygium paniculatum). Katuba (Kattang), Daguba (Cadigal). March is a great time for fans of bushfood, Kurrajongs, Sandpaper Fig and the Magenta Lilly Pilly all ripening. This year was a good season for the Lilly Pilly here in the Upper Hunter and while I didn’t get... read moreGood plant: Bad plant
I had a question the other day about how to tell the difference between an African Olive (Olea europea ssp cuspidata) and Mock Olive (Notelaea microcarpa), having spent quite a bit of time killing the former and trying not to kill the latter I work with the following... read morePlant of the Month: Greenhood Orchid (Pterostylis nutans)
During winter and spring, these low green orchids, endemic to Eastern Australia, emerge from the ground in great numbers in moist, protected forest environments. The flowers “nod” or lean forwards strongly and occur singly on a stem arising from a rosette... read moreTubestock Planting Demo
In this video, we discuss the tips and tricks for planting tubestock and seeing them survive and... read moreWhen To Apply Herbicides
Time the application of herbicides to achieve maximum effectiveness. The right time to apply systemic poisons is when water and sugars are being rapidly moved (translocated) around the plant (usually spring and summer). Herbicides are likely to be less effective on... read morePlant of the Month: Forest Red Gum
Plant of the Month: Forest Red Gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) Munumba (Worimi) Buringoa (D’harawal) A magnificent tall tree to 50 metres, the Forest Red Gum is found along the east coast of Australia from Gippsland in Victoria to Papua New Guinea. In the Hunter... read moreBlue grass vs Red Grass ID
Plant Recognition Notes: Blue Grass-Red Grass Blue Grasses (Dichanthium sericium, Dichanthium setosum): Clumping Grass to 1m, common in the Mid and Upper Hunter, often bluish, “hairy “skirt” on the nodes, spikelets come out from a central position (digitate).... read morePlants of the Box Gum Grassy Woodlands
This vegetation community is listed as an Ecologically Endangered Community because of the flora and fauna this community supports, including the species of White Box, Yellow Box, and Blakely’s Gum.
read moreBirds of the Box Gum Grassy Woodlands
Box Gum Grassy Woodlands are a feature of Eastern Australian landscapes. Look at and listen to birds from this environment.
read moreEmerging Weed: Groundsel Bush
Groundsel bush is reputed to be poisonous to livestock although it seldom causes a problem because they rarely eat enough. However, livestock will lose condition rapidly if forced to graze it.
read moreReflection: Weeds Conference
Weeds continue to be a big problem for NSW- What are the strategies, research and new products being developed? Are we effectively putting the ‘We’ in weeds across tenure?
read moreA Plant Nerd Answers: How to ID a Gum Tree
One of the first things we look at when identifying a Eucalypt (or close relative Angophora or Corymbia) is the bark, is it smooth? Rough, Stringy, Hard? Soft?
read moreTubestock Planting Guide
This planting guide is drawn from internet sources and personal experience in Landcare.
read moreGumnuts of the Upper Hunter
Bark types and gumnuts (or “fruit”) are a handy way of determining which group a Eucalypt belongs to.
read moreEucalypt Bark Types
Just as their fruits (gumnuts) can help us figure out which Eucalypt is which so can their bark, these are some commonly seen in the Upper Hunter.
read moreGoodness, Gracious Great Balls of… umm… Seed.
Seed balls are a fairly simple way of getting seed into an area to germinate after a good rain event.
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