Pittwater Life April 2023 Issue

Exotic hanging
Pink Medinilla
Why the pink Medinilla is called the ‘Malaysian Orchid’ I am not
sure. The pendulous pink bunches of flower look more like
grapes than orchids. The medinillas are tropical shrubs and we are
so lucky that the micro-climate of the beaches enables us to grow
them here.
Medinillas are
a plant collector’s
dream: There are
several varieties
– some with pink
flowers and some with
bright orange. The
more upright orange
Medinilla is more
tropical and harder to
grow.
If you grow it in a
pot you can take it
inside through the
coldest months of
Winter, but the pink
Medinilla ‘myriantha’
will stay outside all year round. It, too, is best grown in a pot so
that the clusters of cascading pink flowers that are followed by
purple berries can be appreciated hanging down. Before it gets
too big it makes a great hanging basket plant but as it grows it will
develop into a small shrub (1.5m x 1m). There is a smaller variety
called Pixie that will stay under 1m.
Medinillas come from the humid rainforests of India, Africa,
South east Asia, India and the Philippines; they need open potting
mix, ideally 50% orchid mix and 50% top-quality potting mix.
They like the morning sun but shaded protection as the day heats
up. Keep the soil moist but not wet and dryer through the colder
months.
Hardy, prostrate banksias
There are
so many
properties on the
peninsula that are
steep and difficult
to landscape.
Terraces and
retaining walls
are one answer
to soil erosion
in the torrential
downpours of rain,
but there is another
way: Plant the
banks and gullies
with groundcover
plants that will bind the soil.
Amongst our own native
plants there are some that
are perfect for this. There
are weeping wattles, trailing
grevilleas, ground cover
creepers but the hardiest of
all must be the groundcover
banksias.
Banksias are amongst the
toughest and hardiest plants.
The Local Voice Since 1991
The coastal
varieties grow
in the harshest
conditions of
salt winds and
dry sandy soil.
There are several
varieties – Birthday
Candles, Stumpy
Gold, Pygmy
Possum, Cherry
Candles and more
– but the best of
them is Roller
Coaster (pictured),
the low-growing
form of the Coast banksia,
banksia integrifolia that lines
our shores. It will cover an area
of 3-4m, the birds and bees
love the flowers and the small
native wildlife enjoy the shelter
of it tough leathery leaves.
Remember it is an acid-loving
native plant that does not like
phosphorous. Feed it with a
native plant food only.
Controlling Fungal problems
Luckily chemicals are
being carefully controlled.
It is hard to believe that
in the ’70s insects were
controlled with arsenic and
DDT! Fortunately, these are
now no longer available.
Likewise with fungicides.
One day rain and the
next day high humidity
and soaring heatwave
temperatures make the
growing conditions for any
fungus perfect. Frangipani
are losing their leaves with
rust, lawns are suffering
from Dollar Spot and yellow
patch, and azaleas are
losing their autumn spot
flowers with petal blight.
With many of the older
fungicides no longer on
the market Fungus can be
hard to control. Mancozeb
Plus (with sulphur) is the
most useful fungicide in the
garden.
Sprayed fortnightly onto
Azaleas now and every two
weeks until the buds show
colour will prevent petal
blight. Don’t wait until the
buds show colour to spray,
as it will be too late.
If your frangipani is
infected with rust, pick up
all the fallen leaves, put
them into a paper bag and
place them into your red
bin (not into the compost
as the spore will live until
next Spring ready to
reinfect the garden), before
spraying both the foliage,
the branches, and the soil
beneath with Mancozeb.
Later in Winter spray with
lime sulphur.
Yellow patches of grass,
brown patches or Dollar
Spot are all common lawn
fungal problems that are
prevalent now with the hot
wet and humid weather. If
the problem is not bad, try
spraying with neem oil or
a weak solution of baking
soda and water; however
if it is bad, spray with
Mancozeb Plus.
APRIL 2023 71
Garden Life