Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Princess of Wales'
This cultivar grows into a compact, dense shrub 0.6m tall by
0.6m wide. The leaves are mostly glabrous though the midrib is covered with
a fine mantle of silky hairs. Some scattered silky hairs occur also along
the leaf margins. The younger stems are covered in a dense coat of similar
silky hairs which diminish as the stems become older. The leaves average
between 5 and 9cm in length. The flower heads average 5 to 1.5cm long while
the rays of the inner bracts average 1 to 1.5cm long. Both are a rich gold
in colour. The stigmas are orange colour when they emerge. The flowers are
on long stems that emerge well above the foliage. The flowering season in
Canberra is from October to April but occasional flowers may be found all
year round. The flowering period should not be markedly different in other
parts of Australia.
Diagnosis:
This cultivar may be distinguished from the presumed parent
forms by the following features. The cultivar has the perennial habit of
Xerochrysum 'Dargan Hill Monarch' but lacks the greyish appearance provided
by the fine silky hairs. This perennial habit differs from the annual habit
of the other presumed parent form. The main distinguishing characteristic
is in the cultivar's flowering habit. As flowers die the stem withers and
the whole flower stem and dead flowerheads disappear into the lower foliage
of the plant. At the same time new growth emerges from lower on the plant
and extends above the foliage again. These new stems then bear new
inflorescences. The cultivar is also very free flowering.
Other notes:
The free flowering habit together with the growth habit of
"hiding" the spent flower heads make this a very desirable plant for
cultivation. The cultivar is named in honour of her Royal Highness the
Princess of Wales on the occasion of her visit to the Australian National
Botanic Gardens on 7 November 1985. The cultivar is frost hardy and
moderately drought hardy. The cultivar must be propagated by vegetative
means to preserve the cultivar form.
Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Pink Sunrise'
A dense perennial with a width of 60 cm and height of 30 cm.
The pink buds open to cream with an orange centre.
Diagnosis:
Xerochrysum 'Pink Sunrise' is similar to Xerochrysum 'Diamond
Head' but flower colour differs. Xerochrysum 'Diamond Head' is 0.2 m x 0.5
m with 3 cm flower heads held well above narrow green foliage; flowers
yellow with an orange centre.
Brachyscome 'Ramboreef'
The vibrant purple pink flower colour is a striking feature of this new brachyscome. Has a compact suckering growth habit and divided foliage. Good accent plant for garden, and great for containers for patios, courtyards and poolside.
Callistemon 'Reeve's Pink'
The cultivar forms a dense shrub to a height of about 3m with an equal or slightly wider spread. The leaves are entire and about 45mm long by about 8mm wide. The new tip growth is pink and densely covered in silky hairs. The flowers are produced in dense "bottlebrush" clusters which
are themselves often grouped into bunches. Individual "bottlebrushes: are pink and about 70mm long and about 40mm wide. The stamens are the colourful part of the flower.
Diagnosis:
This cultivar is different from its possible parent in its slightly more spreading habit and pink flower colour. The usual colour of Callistemon citrinus is red or lemon.
Grevillea rosmarinifolia 'Rosy Posy'
This cultivar is a form of the dark green, fine leaved variety
of G. rosmarinifolia. It grows to ca. 1.5m tall by 1.5m wide. The leaves
are linear 30-45 mm long by 1mm wide and have a mucronate point. Leaves are
glabrous above and below with very occasional silky hairs on the mid-vein
of the leaf on the underside. The branchlets are covered with scattered
silky hairs. The flowers are ca. 20mm long. The perianth is a rosy pink
with a yellow tip. The style is a deep pink to red. The racemes are 40 to
50mm long and densely packed with flowers. Flowers can be found throughout
the year with the main flowering season being late winter to early spring.
Diagnosis:
G. rosmarinifolia varies greatly over its range. Grevillea
'Rosy Posy' is distinguished by its exceptionally large racemes of flowers.
Prostanthera lasianthos 'Mint-Ice'
The cultivar has the same general morphology as for the
species. It has grown to 2m x 1.5m since it was first selected in 1984. The
differences are that P. lasianthos 'Mint-Ice' has leaves with formal white
variegation around the borders of the leaves. The leaf blades are
irregularly variegated from pale green to white. The percentage of
variegation on each leaf also differs, with some being almost totally white
to just the leaf margin variegation. The plant is more compact than usual
and the leaves slightly smaller. No reversion of the variegation has been
noted in five years. The racemes of white flowers are more compact than
usual.
Diagnosis:
This plant is easily distinguished by the leaf variegation, with
the smaller than average leaves and more compact racemes being the
secondary considerations.
Chamelaucium uncinatum 'Bundara Mystic Pearl'
The habit of this cultivar is similar to normal Chamelaucium
uncinatum. The flowers are a pink mauve on opening fading to a very pale
pink.
Diagnosis:
A very robust shrub with a large number of the flowers borne on
the branch terminals. This cultivar was bred with the cut flower market in
mind and the first crop attained a 4.5kg cutting. This crop rate was
achieved at Bundara Nursery. The cultivar may be distinguished from other
similar colour forms of C. uncinatum by the heavier crop of flowers.
Correa alba var. alba 'Blush'
Erect medium sized shrub to c. 2m x 2m with a dense habit.
Branchlets finely tomentose with rust-coloured stellate hairs becoming
green and glabrous with occasional clusters of stellate hairs. Simple
leaves broad elliptic or sub-circular, 20 mm x 20 mm. Leaf tips slightly
emarginate, leaf bases oblique, venation reticulate, margins slightly
recurved. Upper surfaces of mature leaves dark green and coriaceous with
occasional minute hairs. Upper surfaces of young leaves minutely tomentose.
Corolla 10 mm x 10 mm with petals split to calyx, largely white around
margins with pale pink spreading along petal from throat. Peak flowering is
from April to June in most districts with spasmodic flowering throughout
the year.
Diagnosis:
The normal flower colour for C. alba var. alba is white. Various
forms with pink petals occur naturally in both Victoria and Tasmania. This
is one of the naturally occurring forms from Victoria. The descriptive name
'Blush' has been used to differentiate this plant from other C. alba var.
alba forms which have white petals. The size and habit of the plant
conforms to other C. alba var. alba forms.
Acacia cardiophylla 'Gold Lace'
Acacia ' Gold Lace' is a perennial shrub with a trailing
prostrate growth habit. Its flowering is observed to differ from the
standard A. cardiophylla form. Flowering occurs from August to mid
September, when the plants produce many mildly perfumed golden yellow
globular heads about 1cm in diameter in dense ancillary racemes 3-5cm,
long. The foliage of 'Kuranga Gold Lace' is typical A. cardiophylla and not
observed to differ from the standard form. The stems' prostrate growth
habit is the main characteristic distinguishing 'Kuranga Gold Lace' from
other A. cardiophylla. The stems of 'Kuranga Gold Lace' also differ from
those of the standard A. cardiophylla in becoming tortuous with age.
Diagnosis:
This variety is distinct from all other known varieties in
having the following combination of characters:
a prostrate trailing growth
habit (attaining little more then 20cm height) with stems becoming slightly
tortuous in age.
GROWTH HABIT
prostrate & trailing
erect & arching
All characteristics described and comparisions are from comparative growing
trials conducted at Wandin North, Victoria in 1989. Trials consisted of 25
plants 'Kuranga Gold Lace' grown from cuttings (potted January, 1989) with
25 plants grown from A. cardiophylla seed (sown August 1988 - potted
January 1989), all in 15cm pots outdoors. Potting mixture was 'Debco'
soilless mix. Measurements of 20 randomly selected plants were taken in
April, 94 days after potting. Four year old tub grown plants of the variety
were also measured.
Hardenbergia violacea 'Walpurple'
Late flowering selection from a spontaneous mutation from Hardenbergia violacea 'Happy Wanderer' with lighter coloured flowers borne in erect spikes above the foliage.