Correas at Katandra Gardens
Read about Bob's
enthusiasm for Correas
I became associated with the Society for Growing Australian Plants
in 1989. On returning home from a talk on correas I spoke to Dot about
my intention to collect a few of those plants, plants I had never
heard of before. To my surprise Dot showed me 4 correas out in the
garden - I guess there has to be a starting point for all developments.
My first intention was to collect one of each of the 11 species of
the genus. This intention became complicated by the wide range of
forms and variations within the various species and I had no idea
of what I was embarking on, but I started anyway. Initially I assumed
that correas all grew to about one metre and planted accordingly.
Currently we have a Correa lawrenciana measuring 10m x 3m, a C. calycina
has reached 9m x 2m and a C reflexa attained the dimensions of 3m
x 2m, so one can visualize the learning curve experienced. The more
I looked the more I found. Numerous nurseries were checked out and
many a dollar and I parted company, but then I learned to propagate
and the whole world changed.
The SGAP Vic, now known as the Australian Plant Society Vic, held
quarterly meetings based at various regions throughout the state of
Victoria. These were wonderful as I was able to meet up with the native
plant enthusiasts and explore the wonderful native gardens about the
state. So many of these garden enthusiats were so generous to me,
the most raw of beginners. Each garden and person were different but
support was all embracing and I was delighted to become caught up
within this network.
Early on I became a member of the SGAP Correa Study Group where I
became even more closely associated with the keenest of the correa
people. Through the Study Group a number of field trips dubbed Correa
Crawls were organized, these helping to provide a much deper insight
into the natural world of the correas. With the wonderful support
of many others and a lot of trials, errors and experience on my own
behalf, our collection and my own development as a proper gardener
have grown together and have continued to do so unto the present.
Knowledge and understanding of the correa genus both in the wild and
in the garden resembles a jigsaw puzzle, leading to an overall picture
as many of the parts come together. Here there could be as many as
60 correas in the one bed, but with their diversity of size, foliage
and form a garden visitor may not be aware of these numbers unless
the plants were in flower.
There are 11 species in the correa genus with several sub species
and many variations or forms located predominantly in the SE corner
of the country. Over my 16 years of involvement I have collected all
the species and a significant number of forms. While some individual
plants have lived up to 25 years, many have had a short life here
in cultivation, requiring us to keep more than one specimen of each
desired plant plus maintaining a regular propagation program. The
collection is housed within the garden, not in containers. Labelling
of hundreds of garden plants with perhaps 100 annual additional replacement
or new plants to the collection is a huge task made much more difficult
by fading and disappearing labels. Recently we have been able to secure
stainless steel stakes that have been used in conjunction with a good
quality labelling machine and hopefully this may prove to be a satisfactory
solution to this problem area.
Correas are quite adaptable, performing best in less extreme conditions,
but will none the less perform reasonably elsewhere. Most of our plants
are in full sun and relish the fertile soils, generous space and good
drainage within mulched beds. Our reliable rainfall of approx. 950mm,
frosts to perhaps -2c and northerly aspect are certainly helpful factors.
By allowing adequate space and sun, the plants generally assume full
rounded shapes without pruning, indeed apart from cutting taking we
do little pruning. This minimal pruning may lead to premature legginess,
but there is a great saving of time, the plants look natural, and
the outcome is to perhaps replace the plant a little earlier. We do
not use fertilizers nor insecticides and do not water established
plants.
Over the time I have come across some beautiful correa plants. The
most striking are the more spectacular red flowering C reflexa forms
with the finer foliage. Growing mainly between .5m - 1m, these mainly
autumn and winter flowering plants are bird attracting and are highly
suitable for most gardens. Likewise, a number of
C pulchella forms are great in many situations, including that of
a container plant.
C alba is extremely useful in more harsh and coastal situations, while
I find the
C lawrenciana to be suitable as a shelter or hedging plant, bearing
in mind also the very upright form that I have dubbed Slim Jim, which
would perform very well along a fence or a drive.
Each garden is unique and therefore the planting regime will vary
accordingly. Here we find that the warm weather planting is more successful.
Our moist soils aided by widespread mulching permit successful planting
through the summer months with minimal watering and losses and high
growth rates - probably we are fairly unique in this approach.
At the outset I received generous support from many when I was unable
to recipricate, now the boot is on the other foot. Others following
the gardener's trail of life may now visit here and hopefully gain
inspiration as I once did when I first started out on that path.
Correa pulchella |
Correa bauerlenii
|
|
Correa glabra
|
Correa reflexa |
Correa alba |
Correa lawrenciana
|
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Hosts: Dot & Bob O'Neill.
49 Hunter Road, Wandin, Victoria, Australia.
Ph: +61 3 5964 4523
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