Curator, Smithsonian Institute, Exhibition
The importance of gardening enthusiasts in contributing to plant conservation cannot be underestimated.
You and your garden space could contribute to the survival of a particular plant species or cultivar.
Plant information is of value far beyond the horticultural community... we need to retain and record as many cultivated varieties of plants as possible.
Where to begin?
Plant collections are generally based around related plant groupings. The associations in these groupings are as diverse and as fascinating as the plants themselves and inevitably reflect the enthusiasm and interests of their owners.
Plants evaluated internationally, nationally or local to your area as deserving of a conservation status might interest you - or fashionable genera in which many new cultivars are being produced. Perhaps bush foods, herbs, fruits or vegetables or flower cultivars with the potential to be horticultural heirlooms. You might live in a special Australian climate zone (see list of Australian genera with cultivars below) or have an interest in specific Australian architectural periods, e.g.:
- Old Colonial 1788 - c. 1840
- Victorian c. 1840 - c. 1890
- Federation c. 1890 - c. 1915
- Inter-War c. 1915 - c. 1940
- Post-War c. 1940 - 1960
- Late Twentieth Century 1960 - 2000
- Twenty-First Century 2001 –
GPCAA's publication "Plants Listed in Nursery Catalogues in Victoria 1855-1889" might help with your planning (you can download an order form for this publication here).
That's not tickling your fancy? Perhaps these suggestions will excite you:
- Norfolk Island endemic species
- Indigenous Region species
- Resurrection plants
- Australian Breeders (e.g. Alister Clark Roses)
- Australian Cultivars (specific genus) See below.
- Australian Rainforest species
- Fossil plants
- Gondwana species
- Heritage cultivars of climbing crops or garden plants
- IUCN Listed
- Japanese Garden species
- Medicinal (e.g. Chinese or Australian Aborigine)
- Southern Hemisphere wild collected
NB: Consider your climate zone, location and soil types before committing to a grouping.
Still not sure? You can find more suggestions in our "Ideas for a Plant Collection" booklet. Contact us for your copy. "Ideas for a Plant Collection" has a long list of both Australian and introduced plants suitable for developing as a collection.
Oh my! Not happening? Then, having read this far, we recommend the final, and (some might say) most important alternative... the conservation of our Australian cultivars. The following table provides a list of genera with registered Australian cultivars.
Registered Australian Cultivars (at 2010)
|
Acacia
|
Helichrysum
|
|
Actinodium
|
Hypocalymma
|
| Agonis |
Kennedia
|
|
Anigozanthos
|
Kunzea
|
|
Astartea
|
Lechenaultia
|
|
Babingtonia
|
Leptospermum
|
|
Banksia
|
Lomandra
|
|
Bauera
|
Lophostemon
|
|
Blechnum
|
Macropidia
|
|
Boronia
|
Melaleuca
|
|
Brachychiton
|
Melia
|
|
Brachyscome
|
Olearia
|
|
Callistemon
|
Ozothamnus
|
|
Callitris
|
Pandorea
|
|
Ceratopetalum
|
Philotheca
|
|
Chamelaecium
|
Pimelea
|
|
Chrysocephalum
|
Plectranthus
|
|
Citrus
|
Prostranthera
|
|
Correa
|
Pultenaea
|
|
Corymbia
|
Scaevola
|
|
Crowea
|
Spyridium
|
|
Dianella
|
Telopea
|
|
Diplarrena |
Tetratheca
|
|
Epacris
Eremophila
|
Thryptomene Verticordia
|
|
Eucalyptus
|
Westringia
|
|
Eucryphia
|
Xerochrysum
|
|
Grevillea
|
|
|
Hardenbergia
|
|
Comments