The Gardeners Thread

[princessparrot]

could be a native hibiscus

I did abit of a search and you are 100% correct Alyogyne huegelii

 

[CrystalMoon]

I did abit of a search and you are 100% correct Alyogyne huegelii

Yes, it is one of our native hibiscus (I work in a plant nursery, although I am head of the aquarium department)

 

[montysrainbow]

Love my succulents! and flowers too.

Teapot succulent is one of my faves. And im a sucker for the petunias i actually found a black one last october it was just gorgeous.

We recently added a creek bed to our back garden its lovely when it rains! And a nice spot for broms and ferns.

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[princessparrot]

Does anyone know where I could get any of these:
bumble bee orchid (Ophrys apifera)
naked man orchid(Orchis italica)
dove orchid(Peristeria elata)
flying duck orchid(Caleana major)
cradle/tulip orchid (Anguloa Uniflora)
pitcher plant

dont mind whether it's seeds, bulbs or plants, just wondering if you can get them here

 

[caliherp]

tell me if you need the scientific name

Sorry I can't help you locate those plants. If you are searching for any plants it's best to use their Latin names. Common names are next to useless. For example, when you hear hens and chicks(succulents) it can either mean Echeverias or Sempervivum. Each genus is comprised of hundreds of individual species. This leads to confusion. I love Latin names because each and every plant has one name and one name only. There is no denying it and there is no confusion.

If anyone is interested, I will post pictures of some of my plants. I have gotten quite a few sense my absence from the forms.

 

[princessparrot]

Sorry I can't help you locate those plants. If you are searching for any plants it's best to use their Latin names. Common names are next to useless. For example, when you hear hens and chicks(succulents) it can either mean Echeverias or Sempervivum. Each genus is comprised of hundreds of individual species. This leads to confusion. I love Latin names because each and every plant has one name and one name only. There is no denying it and there is no confusion.

If anyone is interested, I will post pictures of some of my plants. I have gotten quite a few sense my absence from the forms.

I added the names

 

[montysrainbow]

Sorry I can't help you locate those plants. If you are searching for any plants it's best to use their Latin names. Common names are next to useless. For example, when you hear hens and chicks(succulents) it can either mean Echeverias or Sempervivum. Each genus is comprised of hundreds of individual species. This leads to confusion. I love Latin names because each and every plant has one name and one name only. There is no denying it and there is no confusion.

If anyone is interested, I will post pictures of some of my plants. I have gotten quite a few sense my absence from the forms.

Would love 2 see some!

 

[borntobnude]

Dove orchid Tully FNQ they used to grow in the trees in the park with the BIG GUMBOOT , don't know if they survived Yasi and Larry though . My father in law has one I borrowed from there about 30 yrs ago
Its in his hot house doing just fine

 

[princessparrot]

What are some good small plants that I could put in my blue tongues enclosure that would be safe for him to both hide amongst and eat?

 

[Bluetongue1]

Grasses and/or strappy leafed plants with anarching habit are excellent. I used them for many years with great success inmy own reptile pit (when I was a lot younger). They look good; provide shelter under theirleaves; allow the animals to hide from one another, but do not significantly blockingyour viewing. Tough, drought resistantforms are recommended, as less watering is required the surface soil can beallowed to dry out thoroughly between waterings (especially important if notusing mulch); and the leaves are resistant to damage and being eaten. This style of plant is currently very popularin landscape planting, so there are lots to choose from. The range of native Lomandra (Mat Rush) varietiesis awesome these days and there are many suitable native grasses species andselected forms readily available. Thenon-sterile Dianella varieties produce edible berries in summer.

If you want, you can also use plants thatwill provide food. Things like strawberries, blueberries, dandelions (flowers andfoliage), hibiscus species (foliage, flowers and fruit), commercial ediblefigs, endive and things like zucchini and button squash.

A few years ago I attempted to researchwhich native plants lizards ate in nature. The only specific info I found was fallen fruit of the lilly pilly Acmena smithii and two large fig species. Mention was made of geckos licking nectarfrom grevillea flowers but no species were identified. Unfortunately I did not have access to twobooks and a couple of research papers that appeared to promise moredetails. Personally I have witnessed awild Shingleback (Bobtail) eating the flowers of the native pigface Carpobrotus virescens.

In the end, I looked at ?bush tucker? plantsthat could be eaten without needing to be specially prepared in some way. I figured these would probably be equallyedible for lizards. For ground dwellinglizards in particular, this means low plants with edible foliage, flowers orfruit, or taller growing plants that drop these. I did not end up posting the list as I theyhad not been trialled and I had no hard data on how successful they are. Here are some from the list, which arereadily grown and should be useful for bluetongues. Irrespective, they arestill good landscaping plants...
Miniature Lilly Pillys ?Allyn Magic? and?Tiny Tev? (0.5m), ?Hedgemaster? (1 ? 1.5m) and ?Minipilly? (1.5 ? 2m);Muntries (Kunzea pomifera), Midyim berry(Austromyrtusdulcis);Native Pigface (Carpobratus spp), Rock Fig (Ficusplatypoda) if pruned to keep it low; Native Violets (Viola spp); low-growing Hibbertia and Adenanthos species;and high nectar producing prostrate Grevilleas.

A couple ofbroader resources (unearthed during my researching) which may be useful:
1. Bush foods ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushfood#Eastern_Australia
2. Foods toxic toreptiles - http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1913&aid=1612

Good luck with it whatever you decide toplant.

Blue

 

[princessparrot]

Grasses and/or strappy leafed plants with anarching habit are excellent. I used them for many years with great success inmy own reptile pit (when I was a lot younger). They look good; provide shelter under theirleaves; allow the animals to hide from one another, but do not significantly blockingyour viewing. Tough, drought resistantforms are recommended, as less watering is required the surface soil can beallowed to dry out thoroughly between waterings (especially important if notusing mulch); and the leaves are resistant to damage and being eaten. This style of plant is currently very popularin landscape planting, so there are lots to choose from. The range of native Lomandra (Mat Rush) varietiesis awesome these days and there are many suitable native grasses species andselected forms readily available. Thenon-sterile Dianella varieties produce edible berries in summer.

If you want, you can also use plants thatwill provide food. Things like strawberries, blueberries, dandelions (flowers andfoliage), hibiscus species (foliage, flowers and fruit), commercial ediblefigs, endive and things like zucchini and button squash.

A few years ago I attempted to researchwhich native plants lizards ate in nature. The only specific info I found was fallen fruit of the lilly pilly Acmena smithii and two large fig species. Mention was made of geckos licking nectarfrom grevillea flowers but no species were identified. Unfortunately I did not have access to twobooks and a couple of research papers that appeared to promise moredetails. Personally I have witnessed awild Shingleback (Bobtail) eating the flowers of the native pigface Carpobrotus virescens.

In the end, I looked at ?bush tucker? plantsthat could be eaten without needing to be specially prepared in some way. I figured these would probably be equallyedible for lizards. For ground dwellinglizards in particular, this means low plants with edible foliage, flowers orfruit, or taller growing plants that drop these. I did not end up posting the list as I theyhad not been trialled and I had no hard data on how successful they are. Here are some from the list, which arereadily grown and should be useful for bluetongues. Irrespective, they arestill good landscaping plants...
Miniature Lilly Pillys ?Allyn Magic? and?Tiny Tev? (0.5m), ?Hedgemaster? (1 ? 1.5m) and ?Minipilly? (1.5 ? 2m);Muntries (Kunzea pomifera), Midyim berry(Austromyrtusdulcis);Native Pigface (Carpobratus spp), Rock Fig (Ficusplatypoda) if pruned to keep it low; Native Violets (Viola spp); low-growing Hibbertia and Adenanthos species;and high nectar producing prostrate Grevilleas.

A couple ofbroader resources (unearthed during my researching) which may be useful:
1. Bush foods ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushfood#Eastern_Australia
2. Foods toxic toreptiles - http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1913&aid=1612

Good luck with it whatever you decide toplant.

Blue

I was kind of thinking of planting things like strawberries, herbs(rocket,basil), spider plants and maybe some of those baby vegetable seedlings you can get in bulk punnets like kale,spinach and maybe some lettuce even though I know it has little nutritional value and I'll avoid iceberg. If you can name some other herbs, greens and maybe even small flowering plants that they like that would be helpful. Pretty much just setting him up his own all-you-can-eat veggie garden. Also are chillies safe cos I've heard iguanas like them and I know my galah does but I'm not sure about him

 

[Bluetongue1]

I do not know for certain about the effectsof chillies on bluetongues. Mammals areable to detect capsaicin, which makes chillies ?hot?, but not birds. If iguanas cannot taste it, then it isprobably the same for other reptiles. Oneway to find out is to try feeding your lizards a small amount of chilli on itsown, using the same variety that you are considering growing, and see if they like it or not. In fact, I?d suggest doing the same with allof the potential food plants so that you only grow what you know the lizardswill eat.

The time and effort you would put intogrowing lettuce, whatever variety, would be better invested on more nutritious species. If you decide to grow a bunch of SpiderPlants, or better still, Agapanthus, you could put collected snails amongstthem. With a little luck they will multiplyand provide an on-going food source. Ifuncertain about whether or not they have ingested poison baits or potentially poisonousplant material, just keep them separate for two or three days. This will allow time for their gut contentsto be voided or for baited individuals to be eliminated. Other small invertebrates such as earwigs,spiders, slaters, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers etc can also be added tothe enclosure to provide additional morsels to munch on. If have some areas of thick leaf litter, organicmulch, or similar shelter which retains a bit of moisture, some of thesecritters may also establish on-going populations.

Suitable edible foliageplants are...
Kale, endive, collard greens, mustardgreens, Chinese greens (such as Gal Lan aka Chinese broccoli, choy sum and bokchoy), turnip greens, green beans & peas (using bush varieties or climbersgrown on some form of low support), broccoli and broccolini.

Suitable plants with edible fruits are...
Cherry or grape tomato plants ? can bestaked or left unsupported;
Normal sized tomatoes can also be used ? blueysused to clean up the fallen over-ripe fruits in the veggie patch we had at homewhen I was a kid;
Smaller berry species e.g. strawberries,blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries;
Edible figs - small varieties controlled bypruning and maintaining in a pot.

Plants with otheredible parts include...
Dandelion, rose, hibiscus and carnation flowers,flower buds and foliage;
Zucchini and button (scallop/baby) squash flowersand fruit;
Melon species flowers e.g. pumpkin, squash,watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew melon;
Edible flowers of low growingfree-flowering native species include Snake Vine (Hibbertia scandens), Native Violets (Viola banksii, V. hederacea), Native Lilac (Hardenbergia violacea),prostrate grevilleas such as Grevillealavendulace, vines such as the various forms of Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana and Bower Vine (Pandorea jasminoides), also commonly known as ?Bower of Beauty?;
Flowers, fruits and possibly foliage of IntroducedPigface (Carpobratus edulis) and NativePigface (C. glaucescens & C. rossii).

Definitely avoid eggplant and rhubarb.

Sorry about the length but hopefully someof it may help with what you are after.

Blue

 

[princessparrot]

I do not know for certain about the effectsof chillies on bluetongues. Mammals areable to detect capsaicin, which makes chillies ?hot?, but not birds. If iguanas cannot taste it, then it isprobably the same for other reptiles. Oneway to find out is to try feeding your lizards a small amount of chilli on itsown, using the same variety that you are considering growing, and see if they like it or not. In fact, I?d suggest doing the same with allof the potential food plants so that you only grow what you know the lizardswill eat.

The time and effort you would put intogrowing lettuce, whatever variety, would be better invested on more nutritious species. If you decide to grow a bunch of SpiderPlants, or better still, Agapanthus, you could put collected snails amongstthem. With a little luck they will multiplyand provide an on-going food source. Ifuncertain about whether or not they have ingested poison baits or potentially poisonousplant material, just keep them separate for two or three days. This will allow time for their gut contentsto be voided or for baited individuals to be eliminated. Other small invertebrates such as earwigs,spiders, slaters, beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers etc can also be added tothe enclosure to provide additional morsels to munch on. If have some areas of thick leaf litter, organicmulch, or similar shelter which retains a bit of moisture, some of thesecritters may also establish on-going populations.

Suitable edible foliageplants are...
Kale, endive, collard greens, mustardgreens, Chinese greens (such as Gal Lan aka Chinese broccoli, choy sum and bokchoy), turnip greens, green beans & peas (using bush varieties or climbersgrown on some form of low support), broccoli and broccolini.

Suitable plants with edible fruits are...
Cherry or grape tomato plants ? can bestaked or left unsupported;
Normal sized tomatoes can also be used ? blueysused to clean up the fallen over-ripe fruits in the veggie patch we had at homewhen I was a kid;
Smaller berry species e.g. strawberries,blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries;
Edible figs - small varieties controlled bypruning and maintaining in a pot.

Plants with otheredible parts include...
Dandelion, rose, hibiscus and carnation flowers,flower buds and foliage;
Zucchini and button (scallop/baby) squash flowersand fruit;
Melon species flowers e.g. pumpkin, squash,watermelon, rockmelon and honeydew melon;
Edible flowers of low growingfree-flowering native species include Snake Vine (Hibbertia scandens), Native Violets (Viola banksii, V. hederacea), Native Lilac (Hardenbergia violacea),prostrate grevilleas such as Grevillealavendulace, vines such as the various forms of Wonga Wonga Vine (Pandorea pandorana and Bower Vine (Pandorea jasminoides), also commonly known as ?Bower of Beauty?;
Flowers, fruits and possibly foliage of IntroducedPigface (Carpobratus edulis) and NativePigface (C. glaucescens & C. rossii).

Definitely avoid eggplant and rhubarb.

Sorry about the length but hopefully someof it may help with what you are after.

Blue

Ok, awesome. Thanks
dont worry about the length, it was just what I was looking for

 

[kingofnobbys]

Just a collection of dwarf citrus plants , several different types of finger limes, some exotic (tropical fruit plants) and bush tucker plants, and a range of berry plants and herbs all in big self watering pots.

New to gardening , and only started collecting my plants about 12 months ago, mostly via Ebay, so not yet had a harvest from any of my fruit or berry plants.

No plants in ground or in garden beds , but thinking of establishing a few raised garden beds to grow more herbs and some vegs in.

 

[Bluetongue1]

For some reason, when I cut and paste a post I have written using Word, it deletes spaces, seemingly at random. Does anyone know why or, more importantly, how I can avoid it altering pasted posts?

Blue

 

[kingofnobbys]

Trying growing my own fruit and berries in big self watering pots.

All in 400mm diameter Decore plastic pots. Mostly because my soil in my back yard is like concrete when it's dry and I am too lazy and don't want to put a lot of effort into building garden beds and building up soil in them , easier to buy the per prepared soil/ potting mix in big bags and put this in the pots.

Not having much luck with my sapote plants (black, cherry, white, yellow) not sure why they keep on dying. In a spot that gets full sun in AM and part sun until mid afternoon and been watering weekly and more often in hot weather.

- - - Updated - - -

For some reason, when I cut and paste a post I have written using Word, it deletes spaces, seemingly at random. Does anyone know why or, more importantly, how I can avoid it altering pasted posts?

Blue

I suspect if you can find out the column width on here and adjust the word page format to suit you might solve the problem, else it's a matter of having to edit the post once copied (OK for small posts).

- - - Updated - - -

 

[Bluetongue1]

...I suspect if you can find out the column width on here and adjust the word page format to suit you might solve the problem, else it's a matter of having to edit the post once copied (OK for small posts).

Thanks for the advice. This did not cure it but I think I may have found part of the reason and thereby a workable solution. I use two laptops ? my own fairly recently purchased second-hand one and my son?s ?pain in the rear? old one, which does nt have Microsoft Office on it, so no Word program, only Word Pad. When I write my posts in Word Pad is when I seem to have the problem. Don?t know why but at least I can avoid it by using my laptop and Word to construct posts.

Cheers,
Blue

 

[caliherp]

I haven't posted on this thread in over a year. So I figured I would show it some love. Here are a couple pictures of my plants.

 

[vampstorso]

Awesome photos Cali

 

[kingofnobbys]

Who is growing what ?