Botany Nerds Ahoy

haha - blackers will be pleased, his attempts to return wotd focus to wotd, never to be thwarted by shrubs again. I cheated and looked it up seeds, but I think the initials of this bamboo made me sleepy?

Hi seeds. I think we live in the same area.

that looks like White Bamboo (sometimes called Blue Bamboo) Bambusa chungii. I too planted some here, for a quick landslip/erosion control and western sun shelter. Very effective, just needs continuous management/thinning or else it will become a tangled mess

yeah seeds, a bit difficult to tell. They are clearly a bit similar. Maybe the chungii gets a bit taller? Mine is pushing 10 m maybe more. I have that and B. gracillis (slender weavers bamboo) - it has smaller sized culms, but still gets very tall here, pushing 10 m also.

I did have some oldhamii too - but it was getting massive, very quickly, so I culled it all. I'd thought I'd use it to eat the shoots, but just too big and cumbersome for the spots that I planted it in. And then it was quite a job to get it out and stop it reshooting - it even kept coming up a bit after stumpgrinding, but eventually sorted it out.

I've sometimes lamented if I'd had my time again, I'd plant a mixed native rainforest patch on the areas where I went with the quick-fix bamboo. And the native rainforest is definitely my thing. Oh well... But i do hope to make better use of the bamboo thinnings (of which there is a constant source), am thinking some sort of basic biochar making system, and then get that material back into the soil.

you got any native rainforest on your block? or areas trying to naturally regenerate?

Check this site https://www.redcloudbamboo.com.au/

Clumping bamboo are super cool, my fav would be Bambusa ventricosa (Buddha belly)

But fuck they are so messy drop so much leaves, ive already removed one that was too close to my pond.

And in tropical areas most get so big.

snakey too.

A plant i really like similar to bamboo that is good for residential gardens or in a big pot from Sydney north is black sugar cane, not to hard to control and doesnt get too big and you can even use it.

"bamboos"? wicked...

Good work seeds, this conversation has clearly got legs.
And thanks or the call-out Basesix, however I raise you your Bamboos for mine.

Btw bamboo is a bastard of a plant when it escapes. Keep it in pots or burn it.

haha, blackers, I fold.
awesome ; )

basesix wrote:

haha, blackers, I fold.
awesome ; )

Short lived but very fun band.

how about gourds?

Getting back on track, saw lots these of while in Bali etc, looking for an id.

I'm not squawking.

Blackers, that would be the Bolivian national flower.

seeds wrote:

Also known as lobster claw I think, tubeshooter.

Haven't heard that one but it works for me. Very distinctive flowers.

Cheers lads.
Heleconia rostrata. Hanging lobster claw or Parrots beak.

One of my fav flowers Heliconia rostrata (Parrots break) probably the most common Heliconia but there is literally hundreds of different types of Heliconias I think all are native to South America, pretty much all of them only grow from Sydney north some only from QLD border north, odd one only up far north, some grow huge some small, some better flowerers than others

But generally easy to grow just need a little sun and warmth and love very rich fertile soil (bit dont need deep soils)and lots of water and fertilizer in warmer period's, flowers only appear on the last seasons stems, so can take a few years to flower, but once they do they will flower every year in the right climate and can grow really quick. (can also just buy as a rhizome cheaper)

There is really only two species that grows down in Vic that are native to very high altitudes , i have one in my garden Heliconia subulata has a nice flower but nothing like H. rostrata and ive only got it to flower a few times as i just dont have the heat needed and gets ratty during winter.

Other than H. rostrata my picks to grow are H. Stricta and H. Bihai various cultivars like below very easy to grow and flower

H. stricta CV

H. bihai Claw 2

And a small common one often sold in bunnings etc that grows good in more shaded areas H. angusta (Red Xmas)

Now there can be no doubt I love NZ but there is one thing the Kiwis have given us I hate with a passion and that is all those rotten pittosporums flogged off here at Bunnings as “ideal screening/hedging plants”. I’ve spent a decade trimming my neighbours’ plants as I have just spent all morning up a ladder doing so again today filling my trailer, again!

seeds wrote:

Seems a keen interest for some, so why not.

Seeds. Well done you, Botany Nerds Ahoy named by a poster with an appropriate moniker, may this topic never cease to exist, after all ,plants have an influence on our lives daily.AW

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

Me! Terrible things.

You have them there too IB?
(I understand, sometimes needs must, my Nana loved them, they had no money and lived on shale in a housing commission house.. she also liked a gladioli [my only dislike of Barry Humphries humour is that he punched down at times.. boomers mocking their hard-suffering parents for wanting a bit of 'nice' in their lives] ..but these feral pompom-adorned rats-nests lining McDriveways? Nup.)

IndoDreaming, Seeds, Blackers, Guy Smiley etc.

Great pics and discussion.

Joining the grasses theme for the moment.

I grow two types of clumping bamboo purely for the Sunday Market clientele.
I started with one small clump of each and have on hold at any one time 40 of each for sale. Money for jam.

Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’ and Himalayacalamus porcatus Nepalese Blue

Both non-invasive and do well in southern Australia.
At market they walk out the door, occasionally when I’m unloading and setting up our periodic stand, people are taking them from my hands as i unload my vehicle.
I get $100 for a 2m high plant in a 300mm pot ,which is lower than the normal wholesale price. These species retail from $200 to $380 a plant in that pot size. Very easy way to save for an Indo boat or land trip. Plants grow whilst you are at work, easy money really.
It’s worth growing them in this pot size, yearly I will knock each one out of its pot, divide in half, place one half in the pot with the excised side facing into the centre, top up with potting mix so as to make rapid unimpeded growth and you’ve simply doubled your stock numbers. A bit of fun.AW

basesix wrote:

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

Basesix. Thank you ‘Mr Cotter’. I don’t really dislike any plants because an exotic/weed here in OZ , is a plant native to someone else’s country, but i get your drift.
Agapanthus sp. have become alarmingly invasive in areas like Anglesea and the Mornington Peninsula, put simply, where the plants originated along the Nile, it has very similar geological conditions to the aforementioned coastal areas of Victoria. The plants love the soils derived from calcified limestone, limestone and sandstone substrates, plants don’t discriminate they just have a need for the basics, look at the forests of Eucalyptus sp in California for example that were derived from seeds brought home by the early gold diggers who visited the Victorian Goldfields.

Ive got keyboard diarrhoea today because im frustrated i cant upload heaps of plant photos.AW

Haha, yep. One man's weed is another's native. I love that descriptions of old-eucalypts feature in Steinbeck's early-1900s-set Californian stories.

basesix wrote:

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

I think pretty much everyone does, except maybe some old grannies.

It's actually amazing that shops and nurseries are allowed to sell very invasive plant species often classed as noxious weeds.

Although that said lots of plants can be fine in some parts of Australia while become invasive in other areas of Australia even natives can become weeds in some areas when grown outside of their native range where they can risk outcompeting or displacing plants indigenous to that area.

Even our humble native Bangalow and Alexendria palms ( Archontophoenix sp) have become basically weeds in some areas of the world like Hawaii and areas of Brazil, sometimes thousands growing like a forrest.

AlfredWallace wrote:

basesix wrote:

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

Basesix. Thank you ‘Mr Cotter’. I don’t really dislike any plants because an exotic/weed here in OZ , is a plant native to someone else’s country, but i get your drift.
Agapanthus sp. have become alarmingly invasive in areas like Anglesea and the Mornington Peninsula, put simply, where the plants originated along the Nile, it has very similar geological conditions to the aforementioned coastal areas of Victoria. The plants love the soils derived from calcified limestone, limestone and sandstone substrates, plants don’t discriminate they just have a need for the basics, look at the forests of Eucalyptus sp in California for example that were derived from seeds brought home by the early gold diggers who visited the Victorian Goldfields.

Ive got keyboard diarrhoea today because im frustrated i cant upload heaps of plant photos.AW

Hmm i always thought they were native to south africa

Edit: Yeah googled it they are.

Maybe they were brought to the nile area and become naturalized there

"Although known as the Lily of the Nile, the Agapanthus plant is not native to the river basin of Northeastern Africa, but in fact is a native of southern Africa. The name Agapanthus comes from Greek and means 'love flower'."
https://www.csbe.org/agapanthus-orientalis-lily-of-the-nile#:~:text=Alth...'love%20flower'.

indo-dreaming wrote:

AlfredWallace wrote:

basesix wrote:

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

Basesix. Thank you ‘Mr Cotter’. I don’t really dislike any plants because an exotic/weed here in OZ , is a plant native to someone else’s country, but i get your drift.
Agapanthus sp. have become alarmingly invasive in areas like Anglesea and the Mornington Peninsula, put simply, where the plants originated along the Nile, it has very similar geological conditions to the aforementioned coastal areas of Victoria. The plants love the soils derived from calcified limestone, limestone and sandstone substrates, plants don’t discriminate they just have a need for the basics, look at the forests of Eucalyptus sp in California for example that were derived from seeds brought home by the early gold diggers who visited the Victorian Goldfields.

Ive got keyboard diarrhoea today because im frustrated i cant upload heaps of plant photos.AW

Hmm i always thought they were native to south africa

Edit: Yeah googled it they are.

Maybe they were brought to the nile area and become naturalized there

"Although known as the Lily of the Nile, the Agapanthus plant is not native to the river basin of Northeastern Africa, but in fact is a native of southern Africa. The name Agapanthus comes from Greek and means 'love flower'."
https://www.csbe.org/agapanthus-orientalis-lily-of-the-nile#:~:text=Alth...'love%20flower'.

Indo thanks. Naturalised definitely id say, but thanks for the correction.AW.

AlfredWallace wrote:

I grow two types of clumping bamboo purely for the Sunday Market clientele.
I started with one small clump of each and have on hold at any one time 40 of each for sale. Money for jam.

Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’ and Himalayacalamus porcatus Nepalese Blue

Both non-invasive and do well in southern Australia.
At market they walk out the door, occasionally when I’m unloading and setting up our periodic stand, people are taking them from my hands as i unload my vehicle.
I get $100 for a 2m high plant in a 300mm pot ,which is lower than the normal wholesale price. These species retail from $200 to $380 a plant in that pot size. Very easy way to save for an Indo boat or land trip. Plants grow whilst you are at work, easy money really.
It’s worth growing them in this pot size, yearly I will knock each one out of its pot, divide in half, place one half in the pot with the excised side facing into the centre, top up with potting mix so as to make rapid unimpeded growth and you’ve simply doubled your stock numbers. A bit of fun.AW

I ran a nursery for a big landscaping mob for a while on the Sunny Coast and did heaps of propagation and of course dividing and potting up etc

Always thought of doing the market thing too but i just dont have the space.

Did enjoy my time doing the nursery thing, pretty cruisey and my nursery hands were also generally attractive younger girls too (my boss employed them not me)

AW, can confirm those wholesale prices for the Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’. I got 4 about 3 years ago and they haven’t looked back. You’ve inspired me to have a go at propagating them.

basesix wrote:

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

The Portsea rose!

GuySmiley wrote:

AW, can confirm those wholesale prices for the Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’. I got 4 about 3 years ago and they haven’t looked back. You’ve inspired me to have a go at propagating them.

GuySmiley. Hi. You know its easy, just requires a little input and the ‘surf cash cow’ is off and running.

You’ve posted a link to Red Cloud Bamboo, i know Peter well, I’ve given him plenty of money over the years, great range of species, not cheap but good stock. Many of my starting ‘divisions’ at home are provenance to his nursery, id always sneak a couple of rhizomes or two from purchased pots to keep my surf money spinner going. AW

Portsea rose, nice name GF. Here's a new one starting to show up a bit. Another Saffa import

AW have you tried using imagebb to upload images yet?

goofyfoot wrote:

basesix wrote:

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

The Portsea rose!

Hi Goofyfoot. So true. Better alternatives using Australian species. Geez I wish there was an italics button on here, hate writing scientific names in normal font.

Alas, some alternatives are our native iris.

Patersonia occidentalis , Orthrosanthus multiflorus , Libertia sp. , Diplarrhena moraea, Dietes robinsoniana from Lord Howe Island, (phylogenetic connections to Africas Dietes sp., ).
I’ve used all those plant’s except the species from LHIsland.
We don’t need to use Agapanthus at all. AW.

goofyfoot wrote:

AW have you tried using imagebb to upload images yet?

Gf. Been trying, can’t get it up (heard that before), have to ask my son when I next see him, tech guru. AW

Ive got keyboard diarrhoea today because im frustrated i cant upload heaps of plant photos.AW
Alfred it is pretty easy, here's some steps.
Using the device you have your photos stored, go to imgbb.com and create a free account.
Click on the blue start uploading button

Choose"files"

Select your photo and click the green upload button. Make sure auto delete is set to "don't auto delete"

Choose the link type, html image means the image is not linked back to your album, it is a stand alone image here. Click copy and then paste it in here.

Try this AW

Beat me to it blackers

indo-dreaming wrote:

AlfredWallace wrote:

I grow two types of clumping bamboo purely for the Sunday Market clientele.
I started with one small clump of each and have on hold at any one time 40 of each for sale. Money for jam.

Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’ and Himalayacalamus porcatus Nepalese Blue

Both non-invasive and do well in southern Australia.
At market they walk out the door, occasionally when I’m unloading and setting up our periodic stand, people are taking them from my hands as i unload my vehicle.
I get $100 for a 2m high plant in a 300mm pot ,which is lower than the normal wholesale price. These species retail from $200 to $380 a plant in that pot size. Very easy way to save for an Indo boat or land trip. Plants grow whilst you are at work, easy money really.
It’s worth growing them in this pot size, yearly I will knock each one out of its pot, divide in half, place one half in the pot with the excised side facing into the centre, top up with potting mix so as to make rapid unimpeded growth and you’ve simply doubled your stock numbers. A bit of fun.AW

I ran a nursery for a big landscaping mob for a while on the Sunny Coast and did heaps of propagation and of course dividing and potting up etc

Always thought of doing the market thing too but i just dont have the space.

Did enjoy my time doing the nursery thing, pretty cruisey and my nursery hands were also generally attractive younger girls too (my boss employed them not me)

Indo, before landscaping I worked in nursery’s, how good is it working with plants. Through the 90’s I had an indigenous wholesale tubestock nursery, seed collecting ( with a permit) , growing local native flora to south of the divide. Great going back to large scale revegetation jobs to see the fruits of your work come to fruition and an increase or balancing of biodiversity, birds and mammals slowly proliferating.AW.

Snap Goofy. Nice work. He has no excuses now.

goofyfoot wrote:

Try this AW

Blackers . Thanks heaps.AW

AlfredWallace wrote:

goofyfoot wrote:

basesix wrote:

welcome back AW. Now, who here hates agapanthus?

The Portsea rose!

Hi Goofyfoot. So true. Better alternatives using Australian species. Geez I wish there was an italics button on here, hate writing scientific names in normal font.

Alas, some alternatives are our native iris.

Patersonia occidentalis , Orthrosanthus multiflorus , Libertia sp. , Diplarrhena moraea, Dietes robinsoniana from Lord Howe Island, (phylogenetic connections to Africas Dietes sp., ).
I’ve used all those plant’s except the species from LHIsland.
We don’t need to use Agapanthus at all. AW.

There you go i learnt something today, I didn't know there was a Dietes sp native to Australia even if lord Howe Island.

I knew the others like D. bicolor and D. gradiflora where from South Africa, even if they look like they are natives.

IMHO very useful plants tough as nails and dont get as ratty looking as some natives like Lomandra or Dianella sp

Ive never been to Lord Howe Island but its always a place thats fascinated me not just for its landscape but its amazing how unique the flora and flora is for such a small island, it even has four native palm species not found anywhere else naturally, all grow great in Vic too. (but slow)

Few good waves and amazing fishing too.

AlfredWallace wrote:

indo-dreaming wrote:

AlfredWallace wrote:

I grow two types of clumping bamboo purely for the Sunday Market clientele.
I started with one small clump of each and have on hold at any one time 40 of each for sale. Money for jam.

Bambusa textilis ‘Gracilis’ and Himalayacalamus porcatus Nepalese Blue

Both non-invasive and do well in southern Australia.
At market they walk out the door, occasionally when I’m unloading and setting up our periodic stand, people are taking them from my hands as i unload my vehicle.
I get $100 for a 2m high plant in a 300mm pot ,which is lower than the normal wholesale price. These species retail from $200 to $380 a plant in that pot size. Very easy way to save for an Indo boat or land trip. Plants grow whilst you are at work, easy money really.
It’s worth growing them in this pot size, yearly I will knock each one out of its pot, divide in half, place one half in the pot with the excised side facing into the centre, top up with potting mix so as to make rapid unimpeded growth and you’ve simply doubled your stock numbers. A bit of fun.AW

I ran a nursery for a big landscaping mob for a while on the Sunny Coast and did heaps of propagation and of course dividing and potting up etc

Always thought of doing the market thing too but i just dont have the space.

Did enjoy my time doing the nursery thing, pretty cruisey and my nursery hands were also generally attractive younger girls too (my boss employed them not me)

Indo, before landscaping I worked in nursery’s, how good is it working with plants. Through the 90’s I had an indigenous wholesale tubestock nursery, seed collecting ( with a permit) , growing local native flora to south of the divide. Great going back to large scale revegetation jobs to see the fruits of your work come to fruition and an increase or balancing of biodiversity, birds and mammals slowly proliferating.AW.

Okay that makes sense that your native plant knowledge is so good, ive found a lots of landscapers have pretty basic knowledge of plants. (unless also very keen gardeners)

I did a little bit of native seed collecting with Mike Cleeland down here when he ran landcare, (plus a lot of tree planting) interesting and very eccentric guy knows his plants well and also a geologist and paleontologists, he even discovered his own Dinosaur species here Koolasuchus like a giant Axolotl