Gardens – Page 9 – Paluma – our village in the mist

Solar Powered Skinks

The Eastern Water Skink (Eulamprus quoyii) is a relatively large skink, growing up to 30cm in length. These skinks are common at Paluma and are often observed in gardens and on walking tracks, mostly basking in the sun. I have skinks living in and around my garden, in the garage and on the roof of the house. Mostly I see them when I am gardening and especially when I am disturbing the mulch or leaf litter. They wait nearby, closely watching the ground for any movement of insects for them to eat. Their diet consists of small invertebrates including worms, snails, insects and spiders and smaller lizards. They have also been recorded eating ripe fruits and berries.

As their name suggests, Eastern Water Skinks love the water. They are adept swimmers and can remain submerged for some time. They tend to live close to streams, creeks and waterways, as well bushland and vegetated urban areas.

As reptiles, Eastern Water Skinks need to generate body heat by basking in the sun – they are solar-powered skinks! They also regulate their temperature by cooling off in water. I have often seen them seeking out the sprinkler on hot summer days to sit under the cooling sprays of water.

These skinks have beautiful colouration which also makes them masters of camouflage in the garden and amongst the rocks and foliage of bushland. Their upper body is dark to golden brown in colour with a coppery-olive sheen. Along their sides they are dark-brown to black in colour with whitish spots and a yellow to white stripe that runs along each side of the body from the eyes to the tail. The underside (belly) is usually pale white or grey in colour.

During the month of April, these skinks will start preparing for winter by basking in the sun for many hours and by feeding as much as possible. In winter they will brumate – this means they conserve their energy by resting much of the time and they will only leave their shelter to search for food when necessary. They do not fully hibernate, but they reduce their activity substantially compared with the warmer months of the year.

Eastern Water Skinks mate during spring and the female gives birth to live young, usually between two and nine young in each litter. The tiny baby skinks are independent from birth.

To encourage these beautiful skinks into your garden, plant some low-growing native shrubs and ground covers. Place mulch, leaf litter, rocks, logs, sticks, branches and other places for them to shelter around the garden. A water feature such as a small pond or birdbath will also encourage their visitation – with the added benefit of bringing in the birds and frogs too!

Text & Photos by Michele Bird (For Roy who inspired my interest in these skinks and who was originally going to write this article).

What’s The Buzz?

NATIVE BEES AT PALUMA

I am not a beekeeper as such, but I do like to think I am ‘keeping’ plants for the bees. Now that I am a keen gardener (Paluma does that to you!) I read lots of books and magazines on how to improve my gardening skills. ‘Keep the good bugs’ has been the consensus of many authors. In his book, The Bee Friendly Garden, Doug Purdie says “Bees are our most important pollinators and they are in decline the world over…….conventional gardens that favour lawns and pesticides over flowers and edible plants are scaring the good bugs away”.

With that in mind, I often wander around my garden to see who is visiting. I sometimes take my camera to see if I can catch the action.

The Teddy Bear Bee is one of my favourite native bees. This bee can grow up to 15 mm long and makes its nest at the end of a burrow up to 10 cm long in creek beds or garden rubble. This one was enjoying itself on my Melastoma affine (blue-tongue shrub) and the flowering salvias in my back garden.

Another regular garden visitor is the Great Carpenter Bee. At first I thought this was a bumble bee, but apparently Australia has no native bumble bees. This is the largest Australian bee growing from 15 to 24 mm. They cut nest burrows in soft timber such as the dead limbs of mango trees. I wonder where my visitors are living…..?

Coming in for a landing….the Great Carpenter Bee ready to pollinate.

The Great Carpenter Bee pollinating the flowers of Melastoma affine.

Off to the next bloom…check out that wing action!

I have also seen the Blue-Banded Bee in my garden, about the size of a honey bee, and evidenced the possible presence of one of the 150 described species of Leafcutter Bees.

I am not an expert on bees – just an interested spectator, but if you have any questions I might know the answer, or know where to look.

Happy gardening and remember ‘Plant for the Pollinators.’

Text & Photos by Jennie Robinson

Paluma Garden Competition – The Results Are In !!

Paluma Garden Competition 2018

On a sunny Friday 19th October, the judging of the 2018 Bunnings Paluma Garden Competition took place. Lynn Hyland accompanied the judges around the acreage blocks, whilst Jamie Oliver escorted the judges around the village gardens. Natalie Pace and her mother Denise, both past judges for the Townsville Garden Competition were our 2018 judges. Natalie held an Open Garden in September at her Rollingstone property and attracted 350 visitors. There really are many keen gardeners in Townsville. She is encouraging us to consider having an Open Garden event in Paluma next year. Well Paluma gardeners what do you think about this?

The Garden Competition winners were announced at our PDCA Social on Saturday 3rd November. They are:-

1. Best Business Garden Winner is Gumburu

2. Best Acreage Garden Winner is Don Battersby

3. Best Residential Village Garden Winner is Nick and Glenda Van Rynswoud. The Alison Evans Memorial Trophy was also awarded to Nick and Glenda Van Rynswoud.

4. Highly Commended Residential Village Garden Winner is Peter and Dorothy Klump

5. An Individual Plant, Garden Bed, Herb Garden or Vegetable Patch, Outdoor Space, etc Winner is Michele Bird

Paluma is blessed with a cooler climate than the coast and hence we are able to successfully grow many plants that aren’t seen in Townsville gardens. During the judging, some of the plants that were in full bloom were the spirea, hippeastrums, New Guinea impatiens, daylilies and orchids to name just a few. Do check out ‘What’s Flowering In Paluma’ on the website to keep abreast of the latest showpieces in Paluma gardens.

Article by Lynn Hyland with Photos by Michele Bird & Colwyn Campbell

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Tibouchina ‘Chameleon’

Paluma’s ‘Purple Haze’ – Tibouchina ‘Chameleon’

This website features numerous photographs of the many varieties of flowering Tibouchina’s which thrive in the cool mountain climate at Paluma. Most gardens have at least one of these beautiful plants which burst into bloom a couple of times a year, usually in the warmer months.

The ‘Chameleon’ variety is at its flowering best at present and there is a spectacular specimen catching everyone’s eye at No. 16 Mount Spec Road. The large shrub is a blaze of colour with hundreds of flowers and many buds still to open, ensuring a long flowering period of two weeks or more. Many locals and visitors have stopped to admire and photograph this flowering gem over the past week. You just can’t miss it, as it can be seen from a considerable distance along Mount Spec Road.

Tibouchina ‘Chameleon’ is so-named because the flowers change colour as they mature. The flowers open as pure white and then ‘ripen’ to varying shades of purple, mauve and pink. The effect is that the plant will have a mix of flower shades at the one time- an amazing ‘Purple Haze’.

Other flowering Tibouchina’s are located at No. 40 and No. 52 Mount Spec Road. Take a walk through the misty village of Paluma and check out the ‘Purple Haze’. When Jimi Hendrix penned his famous song, he was surely inspired by a Tibouchina Chameleon!

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

What’s Flowering In Paluma, Late October – Tree Waratah and Snow In Summer

Flowering Trees – Tree Waratah and Snow In Summer

Paluma gardens never cease to surprise and delight with the variety of spectacular blooms to be found here. In the garden of No. 15 Mount Spec Road, the brilliant red flowers of a Tree Waratah flame in the crown of this tall, slender tree. Higher than the house roof, the flowers can be easily missed unless you are scanning the tree-tops for birds.

Native to the North Queensland rainforest, the Tree Waratah and its natural habitat on the Atherton Tableland, have largely disappeared there due to clearing for grazing and agriculture. The tree is known for its beautiful pink timber.

Formerly known as Oreocallis wickhamii, it has undergone a name change and is now classified as genus Alloxylon in reference to its unique timber. There are two species within the Queensland tropical rainforest – Alloxylon flamelleum, (which I suspect is the species flowering in the Paluma garden), and Alloxylon wickhamii. The common names for these trees are Queensland Waratah, Pink Silky Oak and Red Silky Oak for A. flamelleum and Tree Waratah, Satin Silky Oak and Pink Silky Oak for A. wickhamii. All very confusing to a non-botanist: so much easier to identify it as ‘Tree Waratah’.

Take a short walk from Mount Spec Road along Lennox Crescent to the Townsville City Council Water Depot. Look up the driveway to see, rising behind the buildings and tower, a magnificent Melaleuca tree, its crown completely covered in dense white bloom. It gives the impression of being heavily snow-laden. This tree is Melaleuca linariifolia and not surprisingly, one of its common names is ‘Snow in Summer’.

This small evergreen tree grows to a height of 6m to 10m. It is from the myrtle family and is endemic to New South Wales and Queensland. This particular specimen was planted in the early 1990’s (in 1993 or 1994) by long-time Paluma resident Kelly Davis. The trunk of this tree has thick sheets of papery bark. The flowers are a major attractant for bees, butterflies and birds.Unfortunately, the spectacular display of the ‘Snow in Summer’ will not last long; already some of the blooms are browning in the tropical heat.

Text by Colwyn Campbell & Photos by Michele Bird

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Dendrobium Orchid

Dendrobium Species (King Orchid or Oak Orchid)

There is a spectacular orchid blooming at Paluma at present and it can be seen clinging to trees in many village gardens and high up in the canopy in rainforest trees surrounding the village. Most locals refer to it by a common name, the King Orchid. This beautiful orchid has thick green leathery leaves and showy flowers which are produced in long racemes on long stems. Each stem can have over 100 small flowers which range in colour from white to creamy yellow. The flowers have a sweet fragrance and usually appear from September to October.

As amateur botanists we have tried in vain to identify this orchid to species level. We suggest that it might be a variety of Dendrobium speciosum which grows over a vast area of Australia from Gippsland in Victoria to Cooktown in North Queensland. Dendrobium speciosum is described as a very variable orchid, forming a species complex. It can be found across a range of habitats in eastern Australia including rainforest and open forest, from sea level to mountain tops.

On the other hand, this orchid might well be Dendrobium jonesii. This species has a remarkably similar flower to D. speciosum and although it can grow at sea level, it tends to occur most commonly in upland rainforest in the moist mountain ranges. It is described as being locally abundant in tropical Queensland from Mount Elliot near Townsville to Cape York Peninsula.

If anyone can enlighten us as to the species of this beautiful Paluma orchid we would welcome your feedback.

Whatever the species, it is a special orchid and very worthy of our admiration wherever it grows – in local gardens or high in the rainforest canopy. The flowers tend to be short-lived only lasting a week or so. Make sure you check out this orchid before flowering ends, otherwise you will have to wait until next year!

Text & Photos by Michele Bird & Colwyn Campbell.

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Hippeastrum (Amaryllis)

Hippeastrum (Amaryllis family)

A previous post by Colwyn Campbell (27 September) highlighted the commencement of the annual blooming of hippeastrum lilies in many gardens throughout the village. Two weeks on and the hippeastrums are at their very best, bursting into flower in almost every garden. Whether you have one bulb or mass plantings, these beautiful bulbs never disappoint the home gardener.

Hippeastrums belong to the Amaryllis family. They belong to a genus of some 90 species and over 600 hybrids. They are perennial bulbs. The bulbs are usually large and fleshy, producing tall, broad leaves. The large trumpet-shaped flowers come in a vast array of colours, evident in the gardens at Paluma. Hippeastrums are easy to grow. They love warm weather, sunshine or good filtered light.

Just some of the amazing flowers from local gardens are shown in the photos below. Here are our Happy Hippeastrums!

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Late September

Hippeastrums are at present bursting into bloom, their large brilliant red flowers, three or four on one stem, are impossible to overlook. In the garden at 70 Mount Spec Road, these large red lilies, planted in a dedicated bed along the front of the house, are already in full bloom giving a fire-like blaze of colour. The hippeastrums in this garden and several others on the southern side of the road, always begin their flowering earlier than in most other gardens. It is possibly because the sunlight touches these gardens earlier in the day than on the northern side of the road, which remains in shade for a good part of the morning.

We will be blessed with the sight of these colourful plants for some weeks and we can look forward to another mass of red in a dedicated bed along the front of 77 Mount Spec Road. Here there are more than 40 plants at present with swelling buds about to burst open.

A Mount Spec Leptospermum is flowering profusely in the rural garden of Les and Lynn Hyland. The tree is slender-limbed with small closely placed leaves. The flowers are small and delicate: only 1.5 to 2 cm across and have white, almost circular petals around a green calyx. At present the tree is swarming with bees. I can find no information about this tree. It is thought to be native to a fairly restricted habitat at high altitude. The best guess I can make is that it may be Leptospermum wooroonoonan (mountain tea tree)? Can anyone enlighten me here?

The loud buzzing of bees alerts one to the many bottlebrush trees and shrubs (Callistemon sp.) currently flowering in gardens at Paluma. One large tree with a dense covering of pink flowers has seen daily activity from daylight to dusk with scores of honey-eaters of several species feeding in the blossoms. Rainbow lorikeets snip off the blooms and leave a carpet of pink bottle-brushes beneath the tree. Bees incessantly work the flowers and many butterflies hover around. This tree appears to be a hybrid/cultivar.

As the flowers of the pink bottlebrush die off, other Callistemons are opening up, with cream or, more spectacularly, red brushes. Little scarlet honey-eaters dart among the branches, difficult to discern from the scarlet of the flowers. Lorikeets and other parrots feast here too, leaving carpets of nipped-off bottlebrushes. It seems wasteful, but is a form of natural pruning.

The beautiful Ivory Curl flower, Buckinghamia celsissima, is again coming into bloom. A splendid specimen grows at the corner of Lennox Crescent and Mount Spec Road.

Text & Photos by Colwyn Campbell

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Paperbark or Tea Tree

Paperbark/Tea Tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia)

There is currently a rather spectacular Paperbark or Tea Tree in full bloom at Paluma on the roadside along Mt Spec Road. The tree is located in front of the residence at 50 Mt Spec Road, opposite the Paluma Environmental Education Centre. It’s hard to miss this tree, because if you don’t immediately see and smell the sweet, honey-laden flowers, you can literally hear the air buzzing with thousands of bees – both native and European bees.

This tree is likely to be a Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as the broad-leaved paperbark. This specimen is a sturdy, multi-trunked tree with masses of creamy-yellowish bottlebrush-like flowers. This species of paperbark is native to Eastern Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia. It often grows in damp areas, on the margins of swamps, on floodplains and near watercourses. This specimen is thriving on the mountain top at Paluma!

Not only is this tree a magnet for bees at the moment, it also provides a source of nectar for many honeyeaters. In less than 15 minutes of bird watching at this tree, I observed numerous birds visiting for a feed – Macleay’s Honeyeater, Dusky Honeyeater, White-throated Honeyeater, Eastern Spinebill and Lewin’s Honeyeater.

Make sure you stop on your next walk through the village to check out this superb tree. It’s a ‘hive’ of activity!

Text & Photos by Michele Bird

What’s Flowering In Paluma – Clivia or Kaffir Lily

Clivia or Kaffir Lily (Clivia miniata)

This is an addendum to a previous post on Clivia’s which featured the orange flowering variety (previous post dated 30 July 2018).

Since the beginning of spring, clivia plants at Paluma have been blooming and one garden in particular has some superb flowering plants.

Bill and Linda Venn’s impressive garden at the ‘Paluma Rainforest Cottage’ at no. 31 Mt Spec Road features some spectacular clivia’s. In addition to the orange form, there is a beautiful yellow variety with a multitude of blooms. Also keep an eye out for the variety of hippeastrums and other spring flowering plants in this special garden.