BEAUTY IN WINTER AND SPRING

Eucalyptus Torquata - The beautiful coral gum buds vary from green to orange as seen in this specimen

Apple Pink Lady - This apple has an excellent load of blossoms and there should be a good crop this summer

Quince Blossoms - One of my favourite drought hardy fruit trees produces light pink blossoms

Acacia Notabilis - This very drought hardy wattle produces an abundance of flowers and edible seed

European Plum - This Coe's golden drop, a European plum, was grafted last year and has produced a spectacular display this year

Acacia Retinodes - This extremely hardy wattle also known as Wirilda has grown to 2 metres in one year and will become a valuable windbreak tree reaching 8 metres

Alyogyne Huegelii - The native lilac hibiscus appears delicate, however, it is a very tough shrub able to survive exrended drought conditions

Since purchase in August 2008 many plantings have been established. Most of these are drought hardy native trees and shrubs.Some of the fruit trees have also flowered and are producing their first crops.

Surviving Very Dry Conditions

The native plants featured on this page have been successful at surviving very dry conditions. Of the many coral gums, some have produced beautiful orange-pink buds. The majority have a more bland green-pink colouration. Outstanding coral gum flowers and foliage has become popular with florists..

Fragrant Blossoms In Large Quantities

Deep yellow and very fragrant blossoms are produced in large quantities by the Notable wattle . Bees arrive in great numbers and the plants are later covered in large seed pods containing edible seeds. This plant can tolerate very dry conditions and has had no problems this last summer.

Continuous Growth Of Wirilda Wattle

I have been amazed at the growth rate of the Wirilda wattle. In one year this specimen has flowered almost continuously and the sapling now has reached 2 metres in height. These desert wattles are important windbreak plants for the farm.

Native Hibiscus Plants

A row of native hibiscus plants will be pruned to produce a colourful hedge. The hibiscus like flowers appear delicate and last a short time , but many buds are produced during the summer. This plant is extremely tough, but needs to be pruned regularly to avoid the bush becoming straggly.

The remaining plants on this page have been grown in the fruit and vegetable garden. These plants have been regularly watered with tank water and have responded well in their second year since planting. The images have all been taken on the farm to show the colourful flowers now seen on the farm as well as the name of the plants.

Grafting European Plum

The European plum-Coe’s Golden Drop shown is a small branch that was grafted onto an Angelina plum-another European plum. The grafted plum shoot has gone ballistic producing an amazing quantity of flowers. At least one hundred fruits have now formed on a 40 cm shoot. Not all will survive and at least 80% will need to be removed in order to have enough nutrients to develop a good fruit size.

Apple And Quince Blossoms

The apple and Quince blossoms are abundant and both trees will need to be thinned of excess fruit a few weeks after the petals fall. These fruit trees will also be pruned in late summer in order to keep their height down to about 2 metres. Taller trees will suffer at the mercy of strong hot winds over summer.