Systems Gardens @ 37 degrees south

[cassowaryhill]

So I heard about these gardens here on PT from a fellow nutter. My aim was to see openly planted Licuala ramsayii, of which I did but massive surprise was a few other tropical palms and plants that drew my eyes. Hope everyone likes 

[cassowaryhill]

Ficus dammaropsis

Edited December 23, 2016 by cassowaryhill

[cassowaryhill]

Beautiful Rainforest section under the giant Ficus. Temperature was 36 and when you walked in it had dropped easily by 10 more degrees centigrade. 

Success!! They've planted about 7 Licuala ramsayii. All growing nice and strong

Livistona australis 

Laccospadix everywhere

Kentia and Archie - Piccabeen

Not sure which one this one was perhaps just australis? @KrisKupsch

OMG @Tropicgardener really!! ^^^^^ 

King Fern,... Looking a little worse for wear

Davidsonia pruriens and jerseyana growing quite well. 

Macadamia on the right

 

 

Edited December 23, 2016 by cassowaryhill

[cassowaryhill]

Now for the Palm Walk.....  Two things ABSOLUTELY hit me! Couldn't believe my eyes... These two growing at 37 Degrees Latitude..... 

Ravenala madagascariensis and Pandanus furcatus - See below..... @Tropicgardener

 

This guy surprised me and maybe just didn't get enough water as it was planted pretty open. He should have survived quite well. 

Some random encephalartus and dioon species 

 

[cassowaryhill]

Some surprising tropicals... That I never knew could grow here...

Some South African natives I grew up with Especially the Kei Apple which is from part of the world 

 

[Palms4Steve]

Awesome. Looks very lush 

[tim_brissy_13]

Looks great and it's actually at 37.8' south so closers to 38'!  L. ramsayi has been known to grow alright here, but I'm not surprised about the Caryota mitis. Other fishtail can do quite well but mitis seems to hate our long cool period.  Probably off topic, but did you see the Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis)? I have been back since 2012 and it was already a good size back then.

[cassowaryhill]

@tim_brissy_13 Yeah this is true!  Yeah they could have chosen a better Caryota. UMM the wollemi I saw. Wasn't very big and looked kinda iffy/Meh looking.. I think they prefer warmer temps 

[tim_brissy_13]

7 minutes ago, cassowaryhill said:

@tim_brissy_13 Yeah this is true!  Yeah they could have chosen a better Caryota. UMM the wollemi I saw. Wasn't very big and looked kinda iffy/Meh looking.. I think they prefer warmer temps 

Interesting I'm not so sure - there's a few nice ones around now.The ones at the botanic gardens (Melbourne and Geelong) are getting huge and mine grows well in Bonbeach.  

[Tyrone]

Great to see such a great garden at around 38S latitude. Gotta love that established ficus canopy. That's what it's all about, getting the canopy formed and then you are set provided you choose sensible species for the understory.

[coops 3214]

Where abouts is this??

[Tropicgardener]

Need to update their tags.......... Not too surprised that Pandanus furcatus grows down there, it is one of the more cold tolerant in the genus but to be growing a Ravenala that is a good effort.

[Dave-Vero]

Kind of surprising to see Catalpa, a temperate deciduous tree, though one whose range extends into central Florida.  Beautiful flowers.

[tim_brissy_13]

On Sat Dec 24 2016 20:06:00 GMT+1100, coops 3214 said:

Where abouts is this??

It's at the University of Melbourne behind the botany building.

[coops 3214]

Thanks tim

[sbpalms]

That F. dammaropsis looks great! Didn't know they could grow so far south.

[SirOxylon]

Great to see some pics of System Garden. There are some nice palms in other parts of the uni as well. I planted 2 Ceroxylon ventricosum and a C. amazonicum on Professors Walk near old arts that are all getting some size to them now. Also several palms behind the scenes as well. Would be good to have a PRA there some time and maybe link it in with a RBG and behind the scenes trip there as well. RBG has planted several of Miccles palms that were sitting in the nursery. Parajubaea, Caryoto, Brahea, Trachycarpus and more.

Unfortunately the west part of System Garden is going to be destroyed for an expanded Land and Food Sciences building. This means that the Monkey Hand red flowering thing pictured here or Chiranthodendron (I germinated that only about 3 yers ago) is going to have to get relocated (not looking forward to that). The gradual disappearance of gardens at Melbourne Uni to make way for buildings has been happening for years. 

Ficus dammeropsis grows well here provided it is provided with an endless supply of water. Very thirsty plant best planted near a water body. They don't worry about the cold here much. They just go quiet for a while and grow quickly during summer.

[tim_brissy_13]

Is anyone in a temperate climate growing F dammaropsis as a canopy plant? Those leaves look like they would provide some great shade. Does it have a large/overpowering root zone or can other plants do well underneath?

[tim_brissy_13]

3 hours ago, SirOxylon said:

Great to see some pics of System Garden. There are some nice palms in other parts of the uni as well. I planted 2 Ceroxylon ventricosum and a C. amazonicum on Professors Walk near old arts that are all getting some size to them now. Also several palms behind the scenes as well. Would be good to have a PRA there some time and maybe link it in with a RBG and behind the scenes trip there as well. RBG has planted several of Miccles palms that were sitting in the nursery. Parajubaea, Caryoto, Brahea, Trachycarpus and more.

Unfortunately the west part of System Garden is going to be destroyed for an expanded Land and Food Sciences building. This means that the Monkey Hand red flowering thing pictured here or Chiranthodendron (I germinated that only about 3 yers ago) is going to have to get relocated (not looking forward to that). The gradual disappearance of gardens at Melbourne Uni to make way for buildings has been happening for years. 

Ficus dammeropsis grows well here provided it is provided with an endless supply of water. Very thirsty plant best planted near a water body. They don't worry about the cold here much. They just go quiet for a while and grow quickly during summer.

I'd be keen for a visit. As an alumni of Melbourne Uni it would be great to see everything since I've left - looks like it has changed a lot.

[cassowaryhill]

3 hours ago, SirOxylon said:

Great to see some pics of System Garden. There are some nice palms in other parts of the uni as well. I planted 2 Ceroxylon ventricosum and a C. amazonicum on Professors Walk near old arts that are all getting some size to them now. Also several palms behind the scenes as well. Would be good to have a PRA there some time and maybe link it in with a RBG and behind the scenes trip there as well. RBG has planted several of Miccles palms that were sitting in the nursery. Parajubaea, Caryoto, Brahea, Trachycarpus and more.

Unfortunately the west part of System Garden is going to be destroyed for an expanded Land and Food Sciences building. This means that the Monkey Hand red flowering thing pictured here or Chiranthodendron (I germinated that only about 3 yers ago) is going to have to get relocated (not looking forward to that). The gradual disappearance of gardens at Melbourne Uni to make way for buildings has been happening for years. 

Ficus dammeropsis grows well here provided it is provided with an endless supply of water. Very thirsty plant best planted near a water body. They don't worry about the cold here much. They just go quiet for a while and grow quickly during summer.

We should all meet up one day and go visit again???????????

[SirOxylon]

I have a Ficus dammeropsis in Frankston that I am hoping will form a canopy tree some day. They are not an enormous fig like the Moreton Bay Figs so I suspect that plants will be able to be grown underneath. However, they do like heaps of water so that garden bed would need to be supplied with heaps of water to sustain all those plants.

I am keen to join up with people at Uni and also Royal Botanic Gardens sometime. If it is a weekday I could potentially get the people in charge of palms and system garden to come out for a chat and behind the scenes stuff as well. 

[Daisy Lee]

I had a beautful Wolemmi that grew to 6' in my sunroom.  When we were away the heating system failed and killed it.  I have been looking for a few years for a small tree, cutting, seeds or branch!  Any ideas where I can find one???

Thanks!!!

[Alicante]

Lovely gardens. I love that jungle impression this garden has!