Black Mulberry

                                                  Morus nigra

When I moved to my new house, I didn’t know what the names of the plants were that we had.  When summer came around, I discovered that a smallish tree at the front of our house had berries on it that looked like they could be edible, but I wasn’t sure if they were.  I soon learnt from our neighbour that they were edible and that the tree was in fact a mulberry tree.  The leaves on this tree were really bright green in summer, but now they are turning yellow and losing their leaves because it’s now autumn. 

Back in summer the tree had lots and lots of mulberries on it, which I collected.  I used the berries to put on top of things such as icecream, pavlova and cheese cake, and in desserts like apple crumble.  It tasted absolutely delicious.  I think that mulberries can also be used in jams as well.  I’ve also learnt that mulberry trees take about five or more years for them to actually start fruiting, which obviously means that this small tree is about five or more years old.

Overall, I believe that mulberry trees are great plants to have in a backyard (so as long as there is plenty of room for it when it gets really big).  It not only produces tasty food, but when it gets older it will provide great shade in the garden on hot summer days.   

References

j-Web Design & Development 2010, The Mulberry, informative webpage, j-Web Design & Development, viewed 27 May 2012,

<http://www.j-web.com.au/jpage/mulberry-tree-mulberries.aspx>.

The University of Melbourne 2012, Morus nigra, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, viewed 27 May 2012,

<http://www.bpg.unimelb.edu.au>.

Bonsai’s

For the past few years that we have gone to the Melbourne Flower and Garden Show, my family and I always come back with a bonsai, because we find them such an incredible little plant.  At the moment we have got four.  We did have others, but through trial and error of learning how to look after them, some made it through and others did not.  However, the bonsai’s that we do have are: two Ulmus parvifolia or The Chinese Elm, one Ficus microcarpa retusa or Grafted Banyan Fig and one Juniperus squamata prostata ‘Pingii’ or Juniper.

Ficus microcarpa retusa or Grafted Banyan Fig 

Ulmus parvifolia or The Chinese Elm

Juniperus squamata prostata ‘Pingii’ or Juniper

Ulmus parvifolia or The Chinese Elm

The Chinese Elm is a deciduous bonsai that has yellow, orange and brown leaves in Autumn, which can be really pretty.  My favourite bonsai is the Grafted Banyan Fig because, I like the shape of the trunk and its little rounded, dark green leaves.  At one point a few of the leaves went yellow and weren’t looking too good, so I just carefully pinched them off.  After a while the plant was looking good again and went back to normal.  You can also cut off branches of the bonsai with little pruner-like things to shape the bonsai how you want it, but I haven’t done this to any of the bonsai’s.  

I think bonsai’s are a great idea for an inside plant because, they’re not a high maintenance plant, they’re not messy and it brings a little bit of the outside, inside.     

Plants in my Suburb and in my Garden.

Having just moved to the suburb Croydon I’ve discovered that a lot of the houses and gardens in my neighbourhood share a similar thing….they all have the same plants growing in their gardens.  These plants that I’m talking about are plants such as Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis also known as Lily of the Nile, Anemone ×hybrida or Japanese Anemone, Hedychium greenii or Green’s Ginger Lily, Plumbago auriculata also known as Plumbago, Ulmus glabra or Wych Elm, Betula pendula also known as Silver Birch and many different kinds of roses. 

Hedychium greenii
Green’s Ginger Lily

Anemone ×hybrida Japanese Anemone

Plumbago auriculata
Plumbago

To me, many of these plants, such as the roses and the Japanese Anemone, look like they would belong in an English garden with little cottages.  Some of the other plants such as Green’s Ginger Lily, look as though they would suit quite nicely in a tropical garden, more in Queensland than in Victoria.  

A tropical looking plant near a eucalyptus tree.

It saddens me a little to see people using plants from Japan, South Africa and the Himalayas, when I feel we should be using more of the Australian native plants in our gardens.  

This is what I think we should see more of in  residential gardens.

What has happened to the good old Australian backyard where children play under the eucalypts and run through the Australian grasses?  This is an image that almost seems a memory of the past, if it weren’t for the landscape designers who are trying to bring it back to life again.

Overall, I believe that we should be celebrating our Australian native plants more in our gardens, rather than using plants that look like they don’t belong, because they don’t blend in with the surrounding environment.  

References:

The University of Melbourne 2012, Agapanthus praecox subsp. orientalis, The university of Melbourne, viewed 22 April 2012,

<http://www.bpg.unimelb.edu.au>.

The University of Melbourne 2012, Anemone ×hybrida, The university of Melbourne, viewed 22 April 2012,

<http://www.bpg.unimelb.edu.au>.

The University of Melbourne 2012, Hedychium greenii, The university of Melbourne, viewed 22 April 2012,

<http://www.bpg.unimelb.edu.au>. 

The University of Melbourne 2012, Plumbago auriculata, The university of Melbourne, viewed 22 April 2012,

<http://www.bpg.unimelb.edu.au>.

The University of Melbourne 2012, Ulmus glabra, The university of Melbourne, viewed 22 April 2012,

<http://www.bpg.unimelb.edu.au>.

Huds 1996-2010, Ulmus glabra-Huds., informative paper, Plants For A Future, viewed 23 April 2012,

<http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Ulmus+glabra>.

Roth 1996-2010, Betula pendula-Roth., informative paper, Plants For A Future, viewed 23 April 2012,

<http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Betula+pendula>.

Lemon-Scented Gum

                                      Eucalyptus citriodora

Lemon-Scented Gum's straight, white trunk.

One of my favourite trees of all time is the Lemon-Scented Gum.  It is an Australian native plant from Queensland and is growing nicely in my front yard.  The thing I love most about this indigenous tree is the scent of the leaves, which is what it is noted for.  The Lemon-Scented Gum, in my garden, has a nice, straight trunk, which is mainly of a white colour.  Its has dimple-like-features indented into it, but apart from that the trunk is quite smooth with no loose bark.

Dimple-like features in the bark.

Another photo of the dimple-like features.

This magnificent tree is used for many different things, such as in large, public garden lawns and parks, which gives the garden architectural design features and it allows you to concentrate on the trees’ structural beauty.  The leaves are used for their scent in products such as oils and soaps, and the wood is used in timber production.  Lemon-scented Gums are also great trees for stopping the wind from getting through and it creates a great source of food for koalas.     

Architectural features of the tree.

The branches in the canopy of the tree create form, structure and design.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic tree to grow in a backyard or in a public garden and it would be a great plant to use in garden designing.  It should be used more widely in the Australian landscape, because I believe that the scent and the tree’s overall form and structure, gives Australians one of the many things that we can enjoy and be proud of.

Simple design featuring Lemon-Scented Gums.

These photos show how straight the trunks are.

References:

Burke’s Backyard 2004, Fact Sheets Lemon-Scented Gum, fact sheet, CTC Productions, viewed 19 April 2012, 

<http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Trees-and-Palms/Lemon-scented-Gum/2783>.

Cundall, P 2010, Peter Cundall: waterwise, article, The Weekly Times, viewed 25 April 2012,

<http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2010/02/03/153661_gardening.html>.

Plant this 2012, Hypolepis muelleri Harsh Ground Fern, Swamp Bracken Dennstaedtiaceae, informative webpage, Plant this, viewed 25 April 2012,

<http://plantthis.com.au/plant-information.asp?gardener=26864>.

Rees, A 2003, Growing Australian Native Plants in Containers, informative webpage, Australian Plants online, viewed 25 April 2012,

<http://anpsa.org.au/APOL32/dec03-1.html>.

The Range, Croydon

PART 2 – The problem of the design and layout of the estate.

The Range at Croydon consists of wetland-looking areas with reeds and grasses, where people can go for a little walk and sit and enjoy the garden design.  This type of design seems to be used a lot in estates at the moment. But, I think it is not the best type of design to create.  For example, where is the safety for children with water gardens such as these?  There are no fences around the area so children or pets could easily fall into the water.  The water also attracts insects and bugs such as mosquitoes that can breed easily by the water.  Also, weeds are able to pop up amongst the reeds and grasses, but due to the layout of the design, it is not an easy task to get rid of the weeds.  It would be very fiddly pulling it out by hand and if spraying, you could easily kill plants around it.  

Weeds in amongst reeds and grasses.

Another thing I noticed was the sign that said, “Reserve subject to flooding” and there were sand bags around the paths which slope down to houses.  Therefore, if there was a flood the water may be able to flow down to peoples’ houses and gardens.  This is not a good situation for these people that may not have had that problem before the design for The Range garden was made. 

Sand bags along path preventing water from flowing down into peoples' houses.

A more ideal design for The Range would be to create an area that would benefit both children and adults, perhaps an area or “parkland” (Australand 2009), which they advertise as having, but which they don’t.  An idea would be to have a children’s playground and a nice area amongst Australian native plants for the adults to sit and chat amongst themselves, whilst watching the kids.  Australand (2009) advertises “cycle trails” which is also not present in the layout of the area.  This would be an ideal thing to have except there isn’t much space for paths, let alone enough space for the cars to park on the streets, due to there not being enough room on their own blocks!

Overall, I believe that a better design and layout of suburbs needs to be considered if we are going to be planning for a bigger population and a brighter future.

Layout of Stage 1 - Premiere Release in The Range at Croydon.

Drewett Circuit Release in The Range at Croydon.

References:

Australand, 2009, The Range at Croydon, advertisement for land and houses, Australand 

Holdings Limited, viewed 14 April 2012, <http://www.therangeatcroydon.com.au>.

Map:

Australand, 2009, Stage 1 – Premiere Release, Australand, Victoria, Australia.

Australand, 2009, Drewett Circuit Release, Australand, Victoria, Australia.

The Range, Croydon

Welcome to my blog ‘Landscape’ where I will be looking at various topics to do with plants, gardens, landscapes in my community, suburb or neighbourhood and including my own garden.  I hope you enjoy reading my blogs!

Sunday, 15th of April 2012

THE RANGE, CROYDON.

PART 1 – The Problems of the residents’s gardens and houses.

I have only just recently moved to the suburb of Croydon and was devastated when I learnt that an old golf course, nearby, was being transformed into a very typical, tightly packed estate.  I went for a walk there to have a look at what they were doing and I was disappointed to see what was happening.  The houses were being built right on top of each other, with either little or no room between the houses and there was hardly any space for children to play in the so-called gardens that they had.  This is quite the contrary to what they advertise on their website and on the billboards outside the estate.  Australand (2009) states that it is, “a beautifully landscaped community featuring gently rolling, wide open spaces, stunning natural wetlands and cycle trails that weave between majestic old trees.”  Most of this statement is either not true or falsely advertised.   

Houses on top of each other with hardly any garden.

House with little garden space.

Within The Range they have cut off small areas that they are “conserving” (Australand 2009).  They have got signs up in front of these areas informing people about the protection that they are making of the Australian trees and other native plants.  To me, the protected piece of land that they’ve created, in The Range, looks quite messy and un-kept, and the so-called protected trees look half dead.  My idea would be to plant new native trees and plants in the conserved area, so it will last longer for further generations.

Conserved area with native plants.

I noticed that a lot of the resident’s had rock gardens in The Range.  This consisted of rocks and boulders with plants in-between and they have tried to put a bit of design to their gardens with what space they have got.  I think a great idea for an area such as this would be to make the area look as green as possible, by growing creepers for privacy along the brick walls and planting hedges or trees up the front.

Another conserved area with native plants.

Residents' small garden design.

Layout of the Botanica in The Range at Croydon.

The Botanica release in The Range at Croydon and the sizes of the blocks.

Overall, I believe that it is important for future generations to have their own personal space, both in and out of the house, so that they are able to live a healthy lifestyle. 


References:

Australand, 2009, The Range at Croydon, advertisement for land and houses, Australand Holdings Limited, viewed 14 April 2012, <http://www.therangeatcroydon.com.au>.

Maps:

Australand, 2009, Botanica the Range at Croydon, Australand, Victoria, Australia.

Australand, 2009, Botanica release, Australand, Victoria, Australia.