www.ozbreed.com.au www.bestplants.com.au

QLD Tour of Ozbreed plants

By Nathan Layt

Below are some areas where Ozbreed plants and turf have been used in Queensland and Northern NSW. These examples should help you understand which plants work in a certain situation, what the best plant is for your job and some important tips on maintenance.

NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

At the Itara building in Townsville it is easy to notice the difference between the Couch and Empire Zoysia in a dry shady spot. Empire needs less maintenance and it looks better. Along Bundock Street Empire is looking amazing on the median strip.

Little Jess is handling Townsville’s wet and dry conditions, but after 5 years Little Jess will benefit from a trim. Little Jess is obviously out-performing Cassa Blue on the roadside at Bundock street. Cassa Blue is not ideal for mass planting in Queensland.

King Alfred and Lucia at Bundaberg are doing well. The Lucia are less than a year old planted from viro-tubes.

At Airlie Beach Sapphire is holding up to the recent dry conditions. Little Jess is performing well year after year at Mackay.

From plan to planting the plants Pennstripe, Little Jess and King Alfred have been used in this creative roundabout design at Kalkie. Pennstripe is a unique variegated plant to use throughout humid Queensland landscapes. It is a standout plant that creates great contrast.

SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND

Nafray gives a great soft touch to the landscape at the State Tennis Centre in Brisbane. The Katie Belles there is flowering for the first time and the perfume is very noticeable. Katie Belles is easily the best performing plant in the poor soils at the State Tennis Centre. Also at the State Tennis centre is Tropicbelle, which in normal irrigation will remain shorter but when irrigated excessively it will be a similar height to Katie Belles. Little Jess is performing really well considering the poor soils on this site. Even though Little Jess isn’t looking as good as it should, it is still out performing the Silver Streak. Little Jess looks a lot better when used in quality soils although it does survive in a harsh dry corner of the State Tennis Centre.

At Tugun Tropicbelle has been planted along a glass fence and the consistent height is very noticeable. This plant will also stay below the 1m mark. Also at Tugun Little Rev has been planted which is NOT RECOMMENDED. It may look ok now but it will start to die off like the Little Rev in the photo on the right. This plant is not suitable for mass planting in South East Queensland.

Little Jess is outperforming Silver Streak again at Hope Island, Paradise Point and is used in many spots, some for five years and Little Jess is still performing. Breeze at Paradise Point has been here around three years and is still looking good. Breeze can work well in QLD in good free draining soils. It doesn’t like extremely dry sites.

Empire is looking good considering the conditions at Coolangatta Beach. It is outperforming the Couch easily and the great wear tolerance is seen from the entrance to the beach.

Katie Belles is working well at Brookwater. Tanika is not working so well in the background as Tanika does not like heavy soils in South East Queensland.

At Cooroy Little Jess has been planted before building works have been done. Once the tradies clean up it will look like the plants have failed themselves when they haven’t. It’s not always the plants fault!

Northern NSW

At Taree Tanika is working well even in Northern NSW in more humid areas. A couple of tips would be to give them plenty of room (3-4 per m²), use a chunky mulch and most of all avoid planting in depressions. King Alfred is also working well at Taree, Bunnings. Larger spacing of Tanika proves a success at a Taree round a bout. This Tanika has been here for 6 years and is still performing well.

A long term planting of Tanika is working well at Port Macquarie. Also at Port Macquarie a roadside planting of Tanika and Little Jess is living off natural rainfall. Savanna Blue planted in gravel mulch proves a winning combination at Port Macquarie.

Empire has been working well throughout NSW. This is just one of the many sites, a moderately shady spot on the main street of Sawtell. Empire truly saves in maintenance and this is why the RTA has recommended it for many roadsides.

BEST OZBREED PLANTS FOR MASS PLANTINGS. RIGHT PLANT RIGHT PLACE.

Plants working well around QLD projects include Katie Belles, Tropicbelle, Little Jess, King Alfred (may require trimming) and Shara. Nafray, Purple lea and Yalba (only for monoculture plantings).

Katrinus, Katrinus Deluxe and Wingarra all work very well in QLD providing they are used in free draining soils. Avoid depressed areas next to pathways or roadside plantings where water runoff could potentially lead to periodic wet feet. These plants, however, are some of the most drought tolerant varieties.

NEW AND SPECIALTY OZBREED PLANTS FOR MASS PLANTING

Mundi and Naringa (Westringia), Meema (Hardenbergia), Just Right (more evergreen tougher Liriope alternative to Evergreen Giant), Lucia (a spreading Dianella), Pennstripe (a more reliable variegated plant) and Empire turf which has proven itself from Cairns to Sydney as a hard wearing low maintenance option.

BEST OZBREED PLANTS FOR GARDENS THAT GET SOME MAINTENANCE

Includes all of the plants listed above, but avoid Yalba for mixed plantings as it will dominate (Yalba is best for median strips where one dominant plant is needed).

Cassa Blue will work only in well drained garden beds it will work best in the less humid regions west of the coast. Tasred works well in shady areas, best to avoid full sun. Isabella and Amethyst liriopes are good lawn alternatives. Aranda will not suffer in humidity like most little Dianellas.

Advanced Trees include Sublime, a popular tough Acmena tree with lime new growth. Luscious, a native alternative to Magnolia. Pinnacle, a native that has a similar look to a pencil pine. Sweeper, a great dense screening tree. Look out for more advanced trees in the near future one of them is a great looking Corymbia citriodora with gold foliage, stock will be available by the end of 2010.

Hardy Environmental Exotics that are chosen for toughness and environmental impact in mind. They are better alternatives as our varieties have been chosen to be non-invasive. Queen Mum Agapanthus (blue and white flowers in one plant). Landscapers love this as whites and blues always get mixed up only to be noticed a year later, they are humidity and drought tough. Tiny Tom, a blue tomentosa type Gazania with self incompatible seed, and a tidy growth habit for less roadside maintenance.