WYSIWYG 9th January
Nina O'Flynn
idea of how they may have been proliferating. Dare I mention NSW
again? Yes I do. Along the railway lines, beside footpaths, beside
country roads are masses of caliopsis, a small yellow flowering plant,
better than the dandelion. The story here is that 2 retired teachers
travelled by train the length and breadth of NSW in the 30s probably
carrying caliopsis seeds and disseminating them through the carriage
windows which opened in those days. Now we are actually blessed by the
display.
Nina
Enkidu
>
> The story here is that 2 retired teachers travelled by train the
> length and breadth of NSW in the 30s probably carrying caliopsis
> seeds and disseminating them through the carriage windows which
> opened in those days. Now we are actually blessed by the display.
>
Cliff
arachne
the States, especially California where it is perpetual spring. The
Califonria Poppy is our state flower and it is planted all alongside
freeways around the stae, giving such a wonderful bright display of
golds and yellows that it is reminiscent of impressionist paintings.
Also, on the freeway in to Monterey Bay (from the north), there are
plantings of the most incredible purple and heather colored
groundcover - god know how it grows since it is essentially sand
dunes. Incredibly beautiful and it really works to make long drives
far more pleasurable.
NZ could do well to take note.
mj
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Geoff McCaughan
> This tarting up of freeways with wildflowers is something I love about
> the States, especially California where it is perpetual spring. The
> Califonria Poppy is our state flower and it is planted all alongside
> freeways around the stae, giving such a wonderful bright display of
> golds and yellows that it is reminiscent of impressionist paintings.
> Also, on the freeway in to Monterey Bay (from the north), there are
> plantings of the most incredible purple and heather colored
> groundcover - god know how it grows since it is essentially sand
> dunes. Incredibly beautiful and it really works to make long drives
> far more pleasurable.
> NZ could do well to take note.
You should visit the MacKenzie country sometime [spring preferably].
Graeme Butler
of seeds from Europe out of the windows of trains. It would bring a little
civilized flavour to another wise desolate land. Now we have gorse,
ragwort, thistles, buttercup and a host of other weed pests.
John Cawston
I had a busman's holiday in the SI high country in November last year.
Apart from the raw natural and man made beauty of the area, I was much taken
with the great colours of the lupins which were every where on disturbed
grounds.
I was told Electricorp pays millions to Doc to remove them from the
waterways, but from what I saw, they'll never do it. Whatever, DOC makes
some good moola from a corporate, the lupins stay and add great colour and
the rest of the high country remains as a magic place :)
JC
Lyndon Watson
John Cawston <rewa...@ihug.co.nz> writes:
> I had a busman's holiday in the SI high country in November last year.
>
> Apart from the raw natural and man made beauty of the area, I was much taken
> with the great colours of the lupins which were every where on disturbed
> grounds.
>
> I was told Electricorp pays millions to Doc to remove them from the
> waterways, but from what I saw, they'll never do it. Whatever, DOC makes
> some good moola from a corporate, the lupins stay and add great colour and
> the rest of the high country remains as a magic place :)
There's a policy of exterminating them because they invade the habitats
of rare native species (e.g. the pied stilt) in the riverbeds. The
roadsides were all sprayed in late 96, and they've really only come back
again in the last year. They do seem to be hard to eradicate entirely.
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Lyndon Watson deslash L.Watson/@/csc/./canterbury/./ac/./nz
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postmaster@localhost,abuse@localhost,ro...@mailloop.com
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John Cawston
> In article <36AD7704...@ihug.co.nz>,
> John Cawston <rewa...@ihug.co.nz> writes:
> > I had a busman's holiday in the SI high country in November last year.
> >
> > Apart from the raw natural and man made beauty of the area, I was much taken
> > with the great colours of the lupins which were every where on disturbed
> > grounds.
> >
> > I was told Electricorp pays millions to Doc to remove them from the
> > waterways, but from what I saw, they'll never do it. Whatever, DOC makes
> > some good moola from a corporate, the lupins stay and add great colour and
> > the rest of the high country remains as a magic place :)
>
> There's a policy of exterminating them because they invade the habitats
> of rare native species (e.g. the pied stilt) in the riverbeds. The
> roadsides were all sprayed in late 96, and they've really only come back
> again in the last year. They do seem to be hard to eradicate entirely.
I mentioned this today to someone and got the information that there are two
varieties of lupin, native and exotic and that last century our native lupin was
hybridized with English (?) lupin to produce the hardiness and vibrancy we see in
the high country today. The name "Russell lupin" was mentioned.
Anybody know anything about this?
JC
Tony Williams
> I mentioned this today to someone and got the information
> that there are two varieties of lupin, native and exotic
> and that last century our native lupin was hybridized with
> English (?) lupin to produce the hardiness and vibrancy we
> see in the high country today. The name "Russell lupin" was
> mentioned. Anybody know anything about this?
The Lupin that is widely used as a border plant in the
uk is the Russell Lupin.... as a hybrid though it will
seldom breed true from seed. Propagation is normally
by taking cuttings. The Russell is 2-4ft tall, spikes
packed round with brightly coloured flowers.
Keble-Martin mentions a Lupin that grows wild in river
shingle, in Scotland and the Orkneys.... 1-2ft tall,
herbaceous, blue flowers in mid summer. He names it
Lupinus Nootkatensis and it is a native of North
West America.
--
Tony Williams.
Noeline McCaughan
: Some FWITs tarted up the railway lines in NZ and Aus by throwing all sorts
: of seeds from Europe out of the windows of trains. It would bring a little
: civilized flavour to another wise desolate land. Now we have gorse,
: ragwort, thistles, buttercup and a host of other weed pests.
Gorse was deliberately imported in the 1800's for use as a hedging plant on
farms. The other weeds were purely accidental, brought in with grass seeds and
lacking natural insect predators and diseases in a new country consequently
over-ran the indigenous plants.
Noeline.