Happy New Year 2014
Just a little video that captures the whole year in 30 seconds.
Happy New Year!
Showing posts with label native flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label native flowers. Show all posts
Waratah!
Spring means Waratahs, the irrepressible native flower that's bold and impossible to ignore! Waratahs are native to Australia and are part of the proteaceae family of plants. The name Waratah is an aboriginal word meaning 'red flowering tree'. The botanical name is Telopea which means 'seen from afar'. There are a small number of Telopea species, only 5, with the biggest and most showy being Telopea Speciosissima from New South Wales. It is that states floral emblem. At Swallows Nest Farm we grow a number of types of waratahs including the Tasmanian Waratah, Telopea Truncata. First to flower are the Shady Lady - they are a rich cool red. "Shady Lady" is a hybrid form of Waratah, a cross between the T. Speciosissima and T. Oreades.
Waratah buds form at the end of long stems which grow mainly over the spring and early summer months. The buds swell over winter and in early spring, start to become a brighter red.
Usually sometime in September, the buds start to unfold to reveal the many small flowers inside that will become the centre of the waratah.
The unfolding process can take some time, and I think the flowers are really beautiful during this stage.
Once the outer bracts have unfolded, the central mass of individual flowers begin to bend and spread out, giving the waratah its well known shape.
It's best to pick as the first few styles emerge from the individual flowers. You can see in the picture above that the styles have begun to emerge on the back of this flower - facing north. At the front edge you can just see the styles beginning to poke their way through. The petal will fold as they emerge.
In the picture, almost all the styles have emerged. You can see the difference in the overall texture of the flower with the curled petals and the upright styles.
Such a gorgeous flower! I love the colour, the white styles, and the rounded shape of this flower. I hope to do some propagating, to see if I can reproduce more of them.
A close-up of the freshly emerged styles of this flower reveal the way waratahs present their pollen. On the inside tip of the white styles you can see the rich red pollen. It can be messy if the flower is handled a lot. The bees love it!
I have really enjoyed using waratahs in some weddings recently. Such a gorgeous colour!
And creating cheery arrangements is fun. Spring means there's so much to choose from to team up with that stunning rich red.
Waratahs are deservedly one of the most prized Australian native cut flowers. I love growing them!
Foraging Fun - Forest Candles
I have developed a love of foraging! Often, I'll be driving along the road and a plant will catch my eye but I'm usually on my way somewhere with a car full of kids, and can't stop. So reecently I went for a drive with the intention of wandering and discovering, and was rewarded by finding this gorgeous flower. It really caught my eye, being so bright among the other native shrubs growing beside the road.
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| Forest Candles - Stackhousia Monogyna |
Closer inspection revealed a plant that grows from a central mass with many stems, all tipped with clusters of flowers. I cut a generous bunch to bring home!
My trusty "Flowers and Plants of Tasmania" tells me this beauty is Stackhousia Monogyna or Forest Candles, a perenial herb. It grows in heaths and open forests from sea level to alpine regions. These were found in heath beside a country road near the coast here on the Tasman Peninsula. They grow up to 60cm and have a pretty perfume as night falls.
Further research reveals that Forest Candles, whilst widespread across all states of Australia except the Northern Territory, is not well known and rarely cultivated. It flowers in spring and summer when, as its name suggests, it stands out brightly amongst the other vegetation.
Further research reveals that Forest Candles, whilst widespread across all states of Australia except the Northern Territory, is not well known and rarely cultivated. It flowers in spring and summer when, as its name suggests, it stands out brightly amongst the other vegetation.
I am really quite blown away by the beauty of these "Forest Candles". And it has certainly encouraged my foraging tendencies. Prepare for future foraging finds!!
Life on the Farm
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| Banksia Coccinea bud |
Spring is a productive time on a flower farm. There are signs of life everywhere. I thought I'd share some of the things that have been going on here at Swallows Nest over the last week or so. I'm pretty excited about this little bud - its the first of my Banksia Coccinea's to flower. They were planted around 3 years ago and I've been eagerly awaiting the first flower. I check the buds almost every day. Cant wait!
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| Banksia Ericifolia |
Some Banksia Ericifolia that I planted as a windbreak are all flowering too. I am surprised by the intensity of colour in these blooms. Such handsome flowers!
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| Bansia Ericifolia |
I love the purple centre contrasting with the yellow and orange.
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| Before! |
We've been reclaiming territory here. Blackberry weeds have been slowly invading some large Richea Dracophylla. I've been panicking about loosing them so this week we attacked the blackberry and set them free. After only a day we had them back under control, pruned and mulched, and wow! I can tell they're happy!
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| After! |
The after shot!
Richea Dracophylla are a plant endemic to Tasmania. Their flowers are just coming on now and are really special. I cant wait to see how well they perform next year, now that we've given them some love.
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| Richea Dracophylla |
Lots of flower spikes almost ready to pick.
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| Richea Dracophylla |
Such a special flower!
Pruning always uncovers little treasures. We found 4 abandoned nests in one day - adding to my already large collection. This little one is lined with fur!
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| Leucospermum Scarlet Ribbons |
One of the jobs I really enjoy at this time of the year is checking the buds on the Pincushions or Leucospermums. These are a summer crop for us in Tasmania, generally starting in November and with different varieties the flowering continues through to February. This little bud is going to be a Scarlet Ribbons Pincushion. The buds need to be checked because sometimes the plant makes 2 or more flower heads at the end of the stem.
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| Pincushion Buds |
We pick the extra buds off, making sure that one single bloom has enough room to open properly. The little buds can be "popped" off with your fingers. I just find it a relaxing thing to do, and it gets you out among your plants, keeping tabs on how they're going.
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| Waratah! |
Of course the big event of the last couple of weeks is the beginning of the waratah season. We are looking forward to having these beautiful flowers for sale over the next few of months as we have different varieties with different flowering times.
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| Waratah and Richea flowers in a "Get Well" bouquet |
Waratahs and Richea flowers will feature in arrangements to say "Get Well", "Farewell" and "Thank You". They'll also feature in wedding bouquets and in flowers for a funeral over the next week or so. It's all part of life as it rolls on into spring and summer for 2014.
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| Spring Native Bouquet - Swallows Nest Farm |
Winter Colour
There is such an explosion of colour on the farm at this time of year. As the weather gets colder, the colours seem to get brighter. "Natives" are such great winter flowers with a surprising variety of colours and textures.
Leucadendrons change colour as they come into "flower" which is often over winter and spring. While some are a rich deep maroon or red throughout the rest of the year, in winter they change colours. Safari Sunset lives up to its name and changes to a vivid pink with creamy yellow inside. And Red Gem, one of my favourites, changes from maroon to a buttery yellow with peachy tones. I just love it!
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| Red Gem in July |
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| Front - Safari Sunset, Middle Right - Red Gem, Back Left - Inca Gold |
Other Leucadednrons that are green for most of the year, start to "glow" yellow. Inca gold has a rich yellow colour highlighted with red tips. I'm still looking forward to the Leucadendon Gandogerii and Goldstrike - fabulous spring yellows.
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| Inca Gold |
There's so much gorgeous texture about too.
I love playing with colours and textures at this time of the year.
It's heartening, on cold wintery days to be playing with such cheery colours too.
And there has been some cold weather lately - snow and hail and bitter winds.
When you're out in the fields picking in the wind and the rain, with tingling cheeks and numb fingers, what keeps you going are the gorgeous colours that are filling the basket.
Winter is so pretty!
Hello Winter
Winter is here. There is always just a little sadness heading into winter. I find myself almost grieving at the turning of the season. Autumn has its beauty and in Tasmania, I think its possibly the best season. (So difficult to pick!) But prior to the solstice, the onset of winter can make me feel a little sad, with no apparent reason.
And then, like waking from a dream, I remember its charms! There are misty, foggy days that make you feel like you're the only person on the planet.
The rain is so refreshing, so life-giving. The plants drink it up and seem so full of life.
The Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos that live around the Tasman Peninsula are more often about, singing their raucous songs.
Winter has its own beauty. And I remember that I love it! I love the short days and warm fires, the crisp morning air, the moss, the rain, the mist, and I LOVE the colour!! Although this is my sixth winter at Swallows Nest, I still am surprised by the intensity of the winter colour that our plants produce. Yellow that seems to trap the sunlight and glow, startling pink and red, lime green, and pale buttery yellow, peach, and white.
And then there are those euphoric blue-sky days that have such clarity as you look up that you feel as if there is nothing but sunlight between you and the rest of the universe.
Winter is also a busy time with planting, clearing, pruning and picking. So forgive the recent lack of blog posts! In the next few days I will catch you up on the flowers that are making winter so colourful here at the moment.
What's your favourite thing about winter? ....
