Ask RiotACT: Stinky hedge

It’s at the Heritage Nursery Yarralumla the first Saturday of the month from September to May, except January. The next one is on 6 February.

miz said :

Maya, that makes sense. Where is/was the market?

I have bought plants from various places, but it was likely on market day at the Yarralumla Nursery, when native plant enthusiasts set up stalls. Held in spring and autumn I believe. There’s others that are occasionally held at the Botanical Gardens too.

Maya, that makes sense. Where is/was the market?

rubaiyat said :

The problem is the lack of viable alternatives. Even Photinia Rubens is a remarkable step down on grwoth and durability.

I tried natives for over a decade, perpetually nursing them until I lost the lot in the last drought, which is certainly going to repeat itself with a vengeance.

Like many good things, growing a hedge takes considerable investment of time and money, so you are aiming for long term certain results..

It isn’t very difficult to plant a hedge and succeed with native plants. The Australian bush is littered with tea trees which survive remarkably well. Tried walking through a forest of them? It isn’t easy. They flower without making an awful stench, are drought and frost hardy and are easy to maintain. We used them very effectively for a screen, plus also have bottlebrush growing as a hedge as well. Both are great alternatives that are both native and attract some beautiful bird and insect life.
Photinia should be declared a noxious weed and eradicated from Australia with the same gusto as Patterson’s Curse. I suffered sneezing and headaches for many years with hay fever thanks to it’s stinky flowers.

Maya123 said :

miz said :

I’m so jealous crackerpants, I’ve had trouble getting port wine magnolia to thrive/survive in my garden. Other plants that people claim grow in Canberra (e.g. Hardenbergia) don’t survive winters in my garden either!
I have spent the last 15 years planting good deciduous shade trees to establish a microclimate but it’s still very exposed to severe frost and hot NW winds, being half way up a hill.

I found the Hardenbergia that nurseries sold me couldn’t take the frost and didn’t survive the winter. However, I bought a plant from a market run by local native plant enthusiasts and it did survive. My conclusion is that the commercial plant nurseries are getting their stock from warmer habitats. We need stock that originates from colder areas. I won’t be buying any more Hardenbergia from commercial nurseries. Their stock can’t handle Canberra winters.

Pinch the hardenbergia growing wild all along the side of Hindmarsh Drive.

Couldn’t grow it my garden either. Probably doesn’t like the fertile soil.