Funeral flower, calla lily or death lily. Zantedeschia aethiopica. Weed plant or ornamental plant?

Old school ornamental garden plant Zantedeschia aethiopica

Zentedeschia aethiopica is a really classic plant that is found in many gardens in Melbourne Australia. It is one I associate with the 60s because it seems to be in lots of gardens that look like they were planted out in that era. Often when I look in the established gardens of old orange brick houses or Californian bungalows they seem to have a clump of these somewhere. Often they are amongst all the other old style plants that are no longer used in todays planting, things such as the red berried Catoniasta or mirror bush (Coprosma repens). I clearly remember clumps of funeral flowers growing in my Grandparents house so maybe that's also why I think of it as an old school plant. It is native to regions in southern Africa, has a height of potentially 1m and a clump may potentially spread to approximately also 1m. It is well known for its large white flowers consisting of a white spathe surrounding a yellow spadix.

Is the yellow spadix of Zantedeschia aethiopica poisonous? 

The short answer is yes. However according to information I've read on the Kew gardens website the whole plant is poisonous not just the spadix. Eating this plant can cause irritation, swelling of the mouth and acute diarrhoea. Not my idea of a good time.   

Common names for Zantedeschia aethiopica

The other gardeners I speak to today almost exclusively give this plant the rather plain moniker of arum lily. It has many common names, the most popular of which seem to be funeral flower, trumpet lily, calla lily and death lily. Funnily enough my own mother had funeral flowers at her wedding (I'm not sure if she knew of the flowers name).

A plant so hardy that it considered a weed in some parts of Australia

Yes it is considered a weed as it thrives along creek lines and wet areas in Western and South Australia. I was once told that it is comparable to Agapanthus orientalis in terms of it being an almost 'unkillable' plant in Victoria. It is a clump forming perennial which has underground rhizomes that it uses as an energy store to re shoot in the cooler months after dying down during the warm season. Propagation is incredibly easy as it is just a matter of dividing the rhizomes with a spade and replanting them.

Close up of the classic white spathe and yellow spadix.

A clump of Zantedeschia with a couple of flowers on display.

Garden visit to Coolart wetlands and homestead Mornington Peninsula Australia

 Coolart wetlands & homestead in the summer

Early this year I was lucky enough to take holidays at a small beach side town called Somers on the Mornington Peninsula. I've visited Somers several times in the past and on the drive into town always saw a sign labelled 'Coolart wetlands'. I used to think it was purely a nature reserve of sorts so I was pleasantly surprised to find an attractive and large garden there when I visited this year.

Coolart homestead and wetlands started out as a pastoral lease for the Meyrick brothers in 1839 (I wonder if that is the reason that a nearby town is called Merricks?). In 1895 it was purchased by Frederick  Grimwade for use as both farmland and a country retreat. In 1937 it was purchased by Tom Luxton and it was he who persuaded the state government to declare the estate a wildlife sanctuary. It was also at this time the garden was developed and many of the plantings still survive to this day. The state government took over management of the estate in 1996.

The gardens surrounding the impressively large manor contain several well established exotic trees. There are also several herbaceous borders, a rose garden and lots of hedging. The wetlands area is home to lots of wetland birds and there is also a woodland area that is home to the local Koalas. The interior of the house when I visited was very rundown. I could only get into a few rooms as all of the upstairs section was closed due to plaster falling from the ceiling and walls. There is also a herb garden and orchard on the estate. Entry is free and If you are in the area I would definitely recommend a visit. 

The large manor house in all its glory.

Orchard near the entrance

Fast growing wisteria crawling all over an archway.

View of the front lawn

One of the herbaceous beds. 

Good old dahlias in flower. 

A nice little pond area with bridge. An original small building in the background.

 The herb garden looked a bit dry. Then again it was summer so it was to be expected.

A European beech tree.

A golden ash tree. One of many exotics planted by the Luxtons.

Close up of lovely gingko biloba leaves.

The gingko in its entirety. Quite a large specimen.

Some sort of cedar tree.

Canna indica

Muehlenbeckia hedging. So popular in Melbourne.

Classic box hedging.

It was a really hot day when I was there. Shady areas like this were a godsend.

Visit to the open garden Cruden Farm. Dame Elisabeth Murdoch's place.

CRUDEN FARM VISIT

Late last year I took the 2 hour drive from Macedon to Cranbourne to see Cruden Farm. Cruden Farm is the property of the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch (mother of Rupert Murdoch). The property comprises of 135 acres of land which is massive considering its location. The original garden was the 1930 creation of the famous Edna Walling who was responsible for many garden designs back in those times. The garden now, however, is almost solely from the vision of Elisabeth Murdoch. Its main features are a walled garden, native garden, lake area, a piccking garden and a long driveway lined with Corymbia citriodora (lemon scented gum) trees. When I was there the garden was packed with visitors as I believe is was the first opening since Elisabeth Murdoch passed away.

The picture below is of the first garden bed I saw upon entering the garden. The conspiracy theorists out there will probably love the fact there is an owl on top of that frame.

Alstroemerias I believe.

I view of the house which considering Elisabeth Murdochs wealth appeared almost low key.

Entrance to the walled garden. You think they would have packed up that hose before the opening. 

One of several statues inside the walled garden. It looks like a Bruno Torf creation but I don't know for sure.

Some fine topiary at the entrance of the picking garden

Inside the picking garden. This picture gives you an idea as to how many people were there that day.

A poppy in all its glory.

These 2 lemon trees situated to the side of the picking garden had more fruit on them than any other lemon tree I have seen.

English box hedged to create lines in the picking garden. It isn't often you see it pruned with that tapering shape.

A frame of sweet peas.

It is a little hard to make out from the picture below but it is actually a climbing rose trained on a frame to make it look like a small tree.

Lakes and willow trees.

Hydrangeas in pristine condition considering this was in the middle of a heat wave.

More of the lake areas.

The driveway lined with lemon scented gums. 

Dancing Brolga statue at the entrance to the walled garden.

 

 

 

Rudbeckias are great perennial plants for late summer colour.

Rudbeckia

Early this year I had to do an assignment on plant selection for a proposed garden design. As part of that work I need to visit a nursery and photograph the plant tags for the specimens I chose for the design. The local nursery I visited shut down some months ago now but I have a plant growing and thriving in my home garden that was kindly given to me as a gift by the nursery owner.

The plant is a Rudbeckia and as it was propagated by the nurseryman himself it didn't come with a plant tag so I'm not exactly sure of the species. I'm 90% sure mine is Rudbeckia fulgida because it fits the description of having a slight serration in the leaf margin and also leaf hairs. Rudbeckias are amazing looking plants which come into bloom late summer after all my regular annual flowers are tailing off to seed. My one has large yellow daisy like flowers but they also come in other colours. The great thing about the one I have is that with very little care it has quickly grown into a massive plant (and I have read that they are so vigorous that they can become invasive in rich soils). When I first planted it the Rudbeckia was very small indeed. It came in a tube and had a single flower stem with one flower. Within  one season it is now roughly a metre tall with bunches of flowers. See the link below for a picture of this now massive plant when I first put in into the soil.

http://aggregata.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/clearing-slate-for-my-macedon-garden.html

Dividing Rudbeckias

As they are clumping perennial plants Rudbeckias can be propagated by division. I haven't done this myself but I have read that it is as easy as digging up the plant and splitting it with a sharp spade in spring then replanting the clumps in a desired location. I've propagated other clumping plants by division before and I have to say that it has to be one of the most successful propagation methods. Apparently you should divide Rudbeckias every three years.

The massive flower heads on my Rudbeckia.

Heronswood gardens in Dromana in the heat of the Australian summer

Here are some pictures from a recent visit to the Heronswood gardens in Dromana Australia. The gardens are owned by Clive Blazey who is the owner of the diggers club business which is most well known for selling heirloom seeds.The summer here in Australia has been a really punishing one with several days over 40 degrees Celsius. These pictures are from the start of the really hot weather so things still look quite green, especially in these gardens where they have lots of irrigation in place. Shortly after my visit there was a fire at the gardens that spread from a nearby bushfire. It burnt down the cafe and damaged a small part of the house. Luckily the gardens survived relatively unscathed.

View from near the front entrance.

 

View up the driveway of what I assume is Clive's car which looked to be a really old Citroen. 

Single dahlia flower.

A veldt lily growing under a Moreton bay fig tree. They could make a nice substitute for other shade loving plants such as clivias or oak leaf hydrangeas.

A classic canna lily in full bloom (probably Canna indica)

A view of the Heronswood produce garden. There were lots of interesting heirloom varieties growing in these terraced beds. Dripper irrigation througout.

One of my favorites growing at the top of the vegetable garden. I'm pretty sure this variety is called 'prado red'.

View from the top of the garden showing the now destroyed cafe. It had a lovely thatched roof. I remember thinking that it could be vulnerable to ember attack when I was there. 

If you mention the word 'tradescantia' amongst Australian gardeners many would run for the hills. Unlike the dreaded weed this tradescantia is an ornamental plant.

 

One of many beds which surround the main house.

Some fine hedging and topiary near the main house.

Another of the beds surrounding the house. Note the large Canary island palm in the background. They were really popular back in the early days of Australian  settlement.

Not sure what this nice white flowered plant is called but it sure looked attractive.

A view down the lawned area. One thing about this garden was that it was a really steep slope. It would make mowing very interesting.

The acanthus that lined this path made for a prickly journey.

More topiary near the main house.

This section is supposed to be a setup that diggers promotes where you grow a years worth of vegetables in 5 garden beds.

 This is a view from the top of the herb garden.

 Lotus flower in the sun.

Allium drumstick.