Spring has sprung, and it is probably the most colourful time of year up here on the Maleny plateau.
You’ve got the ornamental, exotic flowering species coming into bloom, and some of our native flowering trees are looking spectacular!
In particular, this year, I have been struck by the beauty of the silky oaks, Grevillea robusta, with their layered display of golden blossom.
That’s right, they are a Grevillea, just like the smaller ornamental Grevilleas that people use in their gardens. I often find it strange that people call them native, when in fact, a lot of them are native to Western Australia, not Southeast Queensland.
My preference is for people to use endemic species when they are planting on their property, because this has the best chance of supporting the animals and plants in the local ecosystem. I’m not a purist about this, and I can appreciate the beauty of many of the exotic species. The problem I see is that sometimes they can become weedy and invasive.
The interesting thing is, there are so many beautiful endemic species that have never been used in amenity horticulture, and if people were to treat these endemic species in the same way they might treat a camellia for example - pruning it, fertilising it, mulching it etc, they can look amazing.
A challenge for the curious gardener…
