My (many) floral wonderings

[Nrg800]

Okay! I have started a spreadsheet of plants found in my Local area that would be well suited to an aviary (using the indescribably amazing Atlas of Living Australia, a site that I only just found and will tell you everything there is to know about Anything Australian!! It compiles every record of a species into one database, including all the museums and stuff, and surveys, and it's amazing! Like so much!) so as I gothrough them I'll use this topic to check if anyone keeps my faviroutes, and if anyone has tips! When I finish the presentation on google docs I'll put the link here for you all, aswell.

But my first question is about the HEATH WATTLE!
http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid: ... xon:296398" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


You know that little one that grows at the bottom of trees, well! I love it, and I think it would add abit of yellow to the aviary, also, it's a really cute plant! Has anyone grown this before, and if so, was it as cool as I expect it to be?

The next question is more general, I'm sure that many of these plants won't be common in horticulture, but be very common in the wild. If I find one just in the bush (not in a reserve or anything) can I just dig it out with dirt, pit it in a pot, and slowly transplant it into the aviary? Or am I being blissfully unaware of the difficulties of keeping plants?

Thanks for all the help I always get on this site!!
~Nathan

[matcho]

I would think that is how all of the mutations of the grevilleas, wattles etc started out. Someone digging them out and having a go to raise and propogate them. No too different how the finch/domestic parrots/budgies started. I reckon just try and replicate the soil and conditions you find it in, not too dry, not too wet, sandy soil etc and etc and lots of TLC. I think the wattle is fairly hardy though but doesnt like to much moisture. Just be a bit careful though, I came home from a trip up through the desert and made the mistake of hosing down the mud/dirt from the undercarriage of the 4WD on the front lawn. Worst mistake ever. Lawn was never the same. The green thumbed neighbours were not impressed with the new species invading their lovingly tended gardens .

[GregH]

One of the greatest challenges you can face in gardening is tranplanting woody Australian plants. Mostly it's impossible because their root systems are easily and fatally damaged and even with a permit to collect plants it is usually illegal on crown land and reserves to dug them you have to take above ground samples. Many plants can be propagated by seed or cutting if you have the time will give you better results, greater success and stronger plants. Even when you buy expensive advanced shrubs from the nursery they are likely to be root bound and so if you compare the growth of a tiny tube-stock specimen to an advanced clonal sibling you see that the smaller plant mostly out perfoms the bigger plant within 12-18 months.

Recreating a landscape in an aviary or garden is rewarding if that is your passion so have fun.

[MadHatter]

Another alternative would be to propagate from seed. From memory, most wattle-seed will usually only require scarification and/or smokewater treatment to produce good germination rates.

[Nrg800]

Well, I have another question! In this huge wind and terrible weather we had in Sydney a large Conifer Tree fell over on our street, so I greedily (though, I'm not sure who else would be interested in it) grabbed a branch. I just want to know whether it's toxic or not. I haven't been able to narrow it down to a species yet, but it's the common one you find in Sydney, you know the one that grows to 10-15m very tall and not thick, but not as narrow as a pencil pine...

The plant has wood branches, in which individual leaves stem off, rather than leaves on leaves on leaves, ect. The leaves are very long and thin. Each leaf has smaller leaves spanning from it, but only to two levels (The leaves have leaves stemming off them, and those leaves have leaves stemming off them). But it's done very systematically. Every level has an alternating stem of leaves, and the first two upwards facing stems do not have a counterpart. This pattern is repeated on the next level.

I hope that has enough information to ID it, and from there, tell me if it's safe to put it in the Aviary...

Thanks!
~Nathan

[Tintola]

A pic would be good. I don't know of any conifers that are poisonous. Is it green or more of a golden colour? The taste of the resin would put most things off eating it. If you are thinking of using it for brushwood it should be ok.

[Nrg800]

Thanks for that! The only picture I have was taken with my phone, but I will upload it anyway!

I was planning to use it as cover and perches for the finches, while I wait for the planted plants to grow, so not a fencing, more a perch.

The leaves are very green ;)

[GregH]

Well there are toxic conifers and the the best known group are the yews (Taxodiaceae). The seeds of these plants are very poisonous but are in fact dispersed by birds that eat them as the false "fruit" that surrounds the seeds is quickly digested and seed passed by frugivorous birds without harm, however if they were to be ingested by any other animal or a bird with a gizzard the result would be fatal. The resins found in many conifer "leaves" and wood is often an irritant and can be toxic. That said, finches aren't great chewers unlike parrots and so aren't likely to suffer from contact or ingestion with these resins so putting them in an aviary shouldn't be a problem.

The photo you included appearss to be one of the Cupressus spp (Cyprus). Black cockatoos are often seen removing and eating seeds from the cones for Cupressus and Pinus species.

[MadHatter]

Yep, I agree with Greg, looks like a Cyprus, and should not prove harmful.