After a dry Summer any Autumn rain we receive is going to be very welcome.

If you are like us and a few plants in your garden have expired from the heat and need replacing then our annual plant sale is coming up and will provide you with the opportunity to find suitable replacements.

Our new year has kicked off with a couple of extremely well attended meetings. Keep reading to see more.

Surrey Hills Garden Phoenix

Our February 17th meeting of about 30 members were fortunate to hear and see speaker, David Lightfoot talk about the rebuild of their Surrey Hills house and garden. His well illustrated presentation showed how the house and garden were redesigned and built complete with a creek that flows into a fish and frog pond by landscaper Phillip Johnson.

Most fascinating was the inclusion of rooftop garden above the garage which provides colour for large parts of the year.

Thanks to David for sharing his photos.

February Plant Table

Even though there’s been a lack of rain there were lots of brilliant samples on our February plant table. Here are a few that caught my eye.

You had to be careful when handling the Blue Devil, Eryngium ovinum though.

Plant of the Month – February

Leader Robyn Tyson was delighted with the show her Corymbia ficifolia produced in February. It’s a small hybrid on her nature strip which attracted lots of birds and bees. This stunner is our February plant of the month.

Facebook

You can now find us, Australian Plants Society – Mornington Peninsula, on Facebook.

Click here to see.

March Garden Wander

The very first day of March was a garden wander at Elaine Watson and Robyn Tyson’s gardens. Nine people enjoyed a pleasant Sunday afternoon visiting these two mixed gardens. Thanks for opening up your gardens Elaine and Robyn.

Here’s a couple of snaps of Elaine’s garden.

Check out our February and March Plant of the Month items to see what was on view in Robyn’s garden.

Foods, Fibres and Medical Uses of Australian Plants

On March 17th we had a packed meeting room again at Bentons Square Community Centre to listen to Rebecca Moon give an interesting and enthusiastic presentation about the ways in which indigenous people have made use of native plants over millenia. She began by telling us about the three trees sacred to local indigenous people, the black wattle, (Acacia mearnsii), Eucalyptus viminalis and the Cherry ballart, (Exocarpos cupressiformis) and their uses. Other plants she highlighted for their use as foods included the yam daisy, (Microseris lanceolata), Pigface, (Carpobrotus rossii), native parsnip (Trachymene composita) and native thyme, (Pristathera incisa). From a medical point of view she mentioned creating an ointment by mixing emu fat with leaves of eremophilas and using under ripe kangaroo apples as a contraceptive. All in all a fascinating presentation.

March Plant Table

Rebecca and some of our members placed samples to support her talk on our plant table.

The plant table was also packed with other samples from members’ gardens.

This massive spike from a Banksia media at the Seaford Banksia arboretum was certainly a show stopper.

Sadly Ross Shepherd reported that some of the showier Banksias are being cut and the flowers stolen from the arboretum which is a big shame as the idea of the arboretum is for anyone passing by to see and enjoy them when in bloom.

March Plant of the Month

Acacia implexa is our plant of the month for March. Robyn Tyson sent me the following information about her Acacia implexa.

I first came across this indigenous wattle when planted as forests at the Berwick lakes stormwater system. I have also encountered it in the bush down the Peninsula on the Two Bays trail mixed in with Acacia melanoxylon.

It’s not a tall tree but straight and narrow with interesting bark.

Long sickle leaves, with prominent veins, that hang down. The flowers are very pale yellow, in close bunches of racemes forming a cloud.  It must be one of the first to flower in March.

Plant Sale

As you will have noticed at the start of this newsletter our annual plant sale is nearly upon us. From the flyer at the top of the newsletter you will see that the venue is now the Peninsula Community Theatre in Wilsons Road in Mornington so whatever the weather it will go ahead. Come and find a new plant or two or more for your garden, listen to one of the free talks, join in at the kids’ table or even buy a book. Best of all it’s free to enter.

Swainsona Formosa (Sturt’s Desert Pea)

Member, Ruben Buttigieg has sent me a feature article he has proudly prepared. All we can be is envious of his success. Check out the stunning photo at the end of the article. Thanks Ruben.

After 11 years as editor of our newsletter I am looking for someone else to take on the role after the next AGM. In the meantime when I am around I am happy to train someone in what’s involved during the preparation of the next two newsletters. Feel free to talk to me, (Mark Allison) at our next meeting or send an email to- morningtonpeninsula@apsvic.org.au, marking it Attention : Newsletter editor

Reminders

1 Remember, if you want direct notification of every newsletter just click the black FOLLOW button in the right hand side bar of our web page and fill in your email details.

2 If you have something special flowering in your garden send a photo and a brief description to our email – morningtonpeninsula@apsvic.org.au, marking it Attention : Newsletter so it can be included as Plant of the Month.

3 Our next meeting is at a special time on Saturday 18th April from 2-4pm. Our presenter will be Leon Costermans speaking about ‘The Influence of Soils on Vegetation’.

4 The upcoming ANPSA Conference is in Alice Springs this year from 24-28 August. The theme is Arid Flora. Google ANPSA 2026 Amazing Arid Australia for more information and/or to register.

That’s it for this time. Happy Autumn planting!