Melbourne Heat/Drought Damage 2009

[Miccles]

Just went outside to water down everything in the front yard...noticed the sky to the north and nth-east was very hazy and grey. I don't know if its a dust storm or a fire...

It's that sort of day.

-Michael.

[Miccles]

It's a fire.

From the Melbourne Herald-Sun

"Helicopters have begun water-bombing the fire in scrub 5km north of Tonimbuk, near Pakenham.

Bunyip State Park has been closed to all vehicles except emergency services as more than 100 firefighters battle the blaze.

Today's horror fire weather has the potential to kill and Victorians should be on alert for arsonists, Premier John Brumby has warned.

Searing temperatures and strong wind are expected to present some of the worst bushfire conditions in state history, like those seen in 1983 when 75 people died in the Ash Wednesday fires."

Unfortunately we have idiots who run around and deliberately light fires at times like this. No mercy if they're caught.

[Adam from Oz]

Yup, it's smoke. I'm completely covered by it.

Still 46C here and the wind has picked up. Very shreddy.

Cold front due by 6pm.

[Tyrone]

Well Adam said it, Melbourne itself reached 46.4C the airport 46.8C but at 4.30pm EDT the wind has started to turn at Geelong airport to a westerly and the temp is dropping there. Also there is a lot of cloud coming from the west so that will be nice, but will keep the night warm.

Fire is inevitable in that sort of weather. I hope it gets under control quickly which is a big ask. With the wind change it could blow up into the Dandenongs. Am I right guys. Pakenham is at the foot of the Dandenongs right? I'm testing my memory of Melbourne's geography. I have family in Gembrook. If fire gets up into the Dandenongs it could be Ash Wednesday all over again. Lets hope not. I hope you get some rain with the wind change too.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Adam from Oz]

The smoke is being picked up by the radar as rain!

[chris.oz]

Well my garden was based on a canopy: that is until the massive leaf drop over the last week.

The canopy is basically gone in the case of the large deciduous trees, so today the rest of the shade loving/ shade accustomed plants have been at the mercy of the sun and the wind and thew low humidity.

So for me I think the last 10 days represent "Gardenageddon"

[Miccles]

My H.Belmoreana looks the same as anyone else's in Melbourne or Adelaide.

[Miccles]

This morning I brought as much of the potted stuff in as I could. The laundry and bathroom will have to do.

Into the laundry: Geonoma's, A.Purpurea, My sun damaged B.Madagascariensis, and some small Clivia and Chammy's.

[Miccles]

And into the bathtub !!

Licuala Fordiana, sunburnt Chamaedorea Elatior and Cryosophila Stauracantha

[Miccles]

Any shade has to help.

This is my very badly burnt Pritchardia Hillebrandii

Hope it helps.

[Miccles]

And some shade over what was once a lovely Nikau. It's 95% burnt, so I don't hold much hope for it. On the left you can see a Majestic that copped a fair whack from the sun too....

[Adam from Oz]

^^I have a bathroom just like that!

Will have to wait a few days to see the extent of the extra damage here.

46.4 is the hottest temperature ever reached in any Australian capital city beating Perth which recorded 46.2 in 1991 and Adelaide's record of 46.1.

A record I could live without.

[Jeff in St Pete]

Well, why do you guys take things out of order?

To my mind, it makes sense to have the day, the month and the year in sequence. It builds.

You're used to your way and that's OK. Just realise others do it differently.

Best.

Adam

Hi Adam, they do it the same way here, day/month/year. It does make more sense to do it that way, but I had a hell of a time getting used to it!

Sorry to hear about your heatwave and drought. It's horrible to see what it is doing to the palms there. I hope conditions improve soon!

[Tyrone]

^^I have a bathroom just like that!

Will have to wait a few days to see the extent of the extra damage here.

46.4 is the hottest temperature ever reached in any Australian capital city beating Perth which recorded 46.2 in 1991 and Adelaide's record of 46.1.

A record I could live without.

Yep Perth has never been that hot, although it's been close. That sort of heat you can keep. It's interesting that the summer of 1992 was especially wet. Our wettest day ever of 125mm of rain was in Feb 92. It was very green and tropical that summer. So hopefully that rule follows and you'll get plenty of rain after this.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

Miccles, your majestic is looking mighty well for a palm that sits in flooded rivers. I think it'll be fine. Not sure about the belmoreana though. Keep watering it with seasol until it either grows or you know it's dead and it falls over. You've done the right thing bringing things inside.

All the best

Tyrone

[ariscott]

And some shade over what was once a lovely Nikau. It's 95% burnt, so I don't hold much hope for it. On the left you can see a Majestic that copped a fair whack from the sun too....

Sorry to hear about the casualties, Michael. I hope some of them will pull through. It is not too late to join us in the Top End...

Regards, Ari

[Miccles]

Cool change has hit ! Wind has swung around to be from the Sth-west. Temp has dropped to 28C, and humidity has picked up to a more bearable 34%....

I think that running around the garden like an idiot today has saved some plants....

-Michael.

[Tyrone]

Well my garden was based on a canopy: that is until the massive leaf drop over the last week.

The canopy is basically gone in the case of the large deciduous trees, so today the rest of the shade loving/ shade accustomed plants have been at the mercy of the sun and the wind and thew low humidity.

So for me I think the last 10 days represent "Gardenageddon"

Chris, that's real sad. I hope you can rebuild it.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Miccles]

And some shade over what was once a lovely Nikau. It's 95% burnt, so I don't hold much hope for it. On the left you can see a Majestic that copped a fair whack from the sun too....

Sorry to hear about the casualties, Michael. I hope some of them will pull through. It is not too late to join us in the Top End...

Regards, Ari

Haha.. thanks Ari. Just like Chris and Adam here in Melbourne, I am very disheartened, but I'm going to try and establish the best canopy I can using a range of clumping bamboos and other foliage. Hopefully that will insulate my palms from both the cold and the heat. If that fails then Darwin here I come.

[Adam from Oz]

This place is crazy:

NO RAIN with the change. Where's the really peeved off emoticon?

State is on fire.

[tim_brissy_13]

Luckily today it is raining and only 18C so there is some relief for the firefighters. 47C one day, 18C the next, that's Melbourne for you.

[chris.oz]

Well my garden was based on a canopy: that is until the massive leaf drop over the last week.

The canopy is basically gone in the case of the large deciduous trees, so today the rest of the shade loving/ shade accustomed plants have been at the mercy of the sun and the wind and thew low humidity.

So for me I think the last 10 days represent "Gardenageddon"

Chris, that's real sad. I hope you can rebuild it.

Best regards

Tyrone

Thanks Tyrone, I hope so also, but remembering the 65+ people who died and the many more who lost everything in the fires yesterday, a burned garden is a minor thing really.

From where I was yesterday, in airconditioned comfort, it is hard to believe the fires were so bad. 2 years ago I spent 4 hours hosing my roof during a nearby bushfire and watching the burning embers starting spot fires in gumtrees near our home, but I never had any fear that it could be lethal, and I guess thats the danger.

CHRIS

[Tyrone]

Yeah you're right Chris. Those bushfires have spiralled into a huge national tragedy. In the end what's a garden compared to your life. They're saying these fires are far worse than Ash Wednesday.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Adam from Oz]

I feel guilty complaining about burnt palms when there have been so many lives lost and property destroyed.

My sister in law's family spent the entire night trying to save their home in Yarra Glen. They were lucky.

[Miccles]

It's just awful. It puts our recent complaints about heat (or cold) damage into perspective really.

[Tyrone]

Here's a link.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7877294.stm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02...?section=justin

[Adam from Oz]

I picked up this morning's paper and the death toll was 14. Is now 84. Am scared to pick it up tomorrow.

[Gileno Machado]

I feel sorry for all this situation in Southern Australia. The TV news here this morning show part of the damage extension.

45+ °C temperatures with drought...wow...Hopefully the rain will come soon for you guys...

[Davidl]

My prayers goes out for you all and the news of the people that lost homes and most of all the deaths are heart wrenching. I pray it will end soon.

[Adam from Oz]

^^ Thank for your kind words.

Death toll now stands at 96.

If anyone wants to help, the relief fund is:

http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp

Apologies for the off-topicness.

[joe_OC]

Unfortunately, it's things like this that puts life into perspective. I hope that all of you in Southern Australia fare well and make it through this.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Yes seing the devastation loss of life and 750 houses definatly puts our garden problems back in perspective . These fires are worse than ash wednesday !

[Jonathan]

^^ Thank for your kind words.

Death toll now stands at 96.

If anyone wants to help, the relief fund is:

http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp

Apologies for the off-topicness.

I don't think you need to apologise Adam.....it's an unimaginable tragedy.

Best wishes to all in Victoria, and hopefully the worst is over.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Gan Eden]

G'day from Kalgoorlie, WA.

Feeling terrible what you guys have gone thru over there. Not just the fires and deaths which is obviously the most important tragedy thats happened but also the deaths and damage to gardens and plants.

I do hope they recover and Victoria gets good rains this year.

Anyway as a person considering moving from balmy (well too balmy and hot) Kal to cool and temperate Warrnambool perhaps in the not to distant future, I will make up a new topic of what plants I can grow here well that would do ok in your part of the world in generic terms (knowing that microclimates make a big difference of course).

[Tyrone]

Great to hear from you Gan Eden and you're in WA, but not for long by the sounds of it. I'd love to know what you grow etc out there.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Gan Eden]

Great to hear from you Gan Eden and you're in WA, but not for long by the sounds of it. I'd love to know what you grow etc out there.

Best regards

Tyrone

Hi Tyrone,

Well, as we get slightly hotter summers than you guys down there, I have had a fair amount of plants which were purchased in Perth suffer somewhat, even in microclimates and in sheltered areas.

The plants that are now clearly happy here include palms, many succulents, but not all, virtually all cacti, and many hardy exotics.

I have too big a list of everything I grow here. Our winters are mild, with days avaeraging around 17C dropping at times as low as 0C.

I can grow almost all plants seen in and around Perth, but some certain temperate cool loving plants like Pseudopanax, Ensete ventricosum, Fascicularia, tree ferns and coloured Cordyline's do need plenty of afternoon shade and a good application of coarse mulch.

My place is on a quarter acre with quite a few med to small trees like Brachychiton, Almonds and Sheoaks to give some shelter. The entire suburb is quite leafy which helps as well. The most open part of the back yard contains the succulent and cacti bed which is then surrounded by xerophytes, larged leaved tropicals like Canna musaefolia, Cussonia and Philodendron.

what about yourself, what do you grow and which part of Perth are you?

[Tyrone]

I'm in Belmont. Though our summers are cooler than yours, we have the humidity from the ocean, but never enough IMO. Our winters are quite a bit milder than inland too, also due to the ocean, forming more of a maritime climate. Perth winters average around the 18-19C mark, and with quite a bit of rain, normally, but sometimes you wouldn't know it, because the garden dries out more in winter than in summer when it's getting watered. I've had things die from drying out in winter of all times!!

My garden's a rainforest garden with bamboo, gingers, bananas, cycads and of course palms. I'm growing bottles, spindles, and Hyophorbe indica, Arenga pinnata, Arenga engleri, Ptychosperma elegans, macarthurii, microcarpum, caryotoides, Satakentia, Howea, Hedyscepe, Rhopalostylis, Cocos nucifera, Areca catechu, Areca vestiara, Foxtails, Black Palms, Dypsis ambositrae,Dypsis baronii, Dypsis crinita, Dypsis decipiens, Dypsis fibrosa, Dypsis utilis, Dypsis rivularis, Dypsis pembana, Dypsis cabadae, Dypsis lanceolata, Rednecks, Golden Canes, Dypsis madagascariensis, all of the Beccariophoenix, all of the Archontophoenix, Laccospadix, Linospadix, Chambeyronia, Chamaedoreas, Ravenea rivularis, Raphia vinifera, Caryota, Carpoxylon, Veitchias, Foxy Ladies, Carpentarias, Pinanga coronata, a struggling Hydriastele wendlandianna, Parajubaea torralyi, various Pritchardia's, Roystonea regia, Roystonea oleracea, Roystonea borinquena, Calamus moti, and that's all I can think of for now. A lot will grow here with a bit of canopy.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Gan Eden]

I'm in Belmont. Though our summers are cooler than yours, we have the humidity from the ocean, but never enough IMO. Our winters are quite a bit milder than inland too, also due to the ocean, forming more of a maritime climate. Perth winters average around the 18-19C mark, and with quite a bit of rain, normally, but sometimes you wouldn't know it, because the garden dries out more in winter than in summer when it's getting watered. I've had things die from drying out in winter of all times!!

My garden's a rainforest garden with bamboo, gingers, bananas, cycads and of course palms. I'm growing bottles, spindles, and Hyophorbe indica, Arenga pinnata, Arenga engleri, Ptychosperma elegans, macarthurii, microcarpum, caryotoides, Satakentia, Howea, Hedyscepe, Rhopalostylis, Cocos nucifera, Areca catechu, Areca vestiara, Foxtails, Black Palms, Dypsis ambositrae,Dypsis baronii, Dypsis crinita, Dypsis decipiens, Dypsis fibrosa, Dypsis utilis, Dypsis rivularis, Dypsis pembana, Dypsis cabadae, Dypsis lanceolata, Rednecks, Golden Canes, Dypsis madagascariensis, all of the Beccariophoenix, all of the Archontophoenix, Laccospadix, Linospadix, Chambeyronia, Chamaedoreas, Ravenea rivularis, Raphia vinifera, Caryota, Carpoxylon, Veitchias, Foxy Ladies, Carpentarias, Pinanga coronata, a struggling Hydriastele wendlandianna, Parajubaea torralyi, various Pritchardia's, Roystonea regia, Roystonea oleracea, Roystonea borinquena, Calamus moti, and that's all I can think of for now. A lot will grow here with a bit of canopy.

Best regards

Tyrone

Wow some plants there! I lived in Joondanna for two years but you are growing some very interesting plants in Belmont there, would love to see your garden if poss next time I'm down in Perth.

Where do you source the rare palms? I've used Palms Galore, Premier Palms and the one on Wanneroo/Gnangara Rds.

I have a Nikau that loves it here, and has surprised me as they are New Zealand natives.

[Tyrone]

Wow, a Nikau in Kalgoorlie. I would have thought it'd be too hot for Nikaus there. They're tough little things then. Is it in full shade. I think all Rhopies look best in full shade here in Perth.

I've been collecting for years, and have been to all the nurseries and know pretty much what everyone stocks etc. I've imported barerooted seedlings from North QLD for many years, and also imported seeds from overseas for the really rare stuff.

If ever you're over this way, come and pop in for a visit. Just PM me before hand.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Gan Eden]

Wow, a Nikau in Kalgoorlie. I would have thought it'd be too hot for Nikaus there. They're tough little things then. Is it in full shade. I think all Rhopies look best in full shade here in Perth.

I've been collecting for years, and have been to all the nurseries and know pretty much what everyone stocks etc. I've imported barerooted seedlings from North QLD for many years, and also imported seeds from overseas for the really rare stuff.

If ever you're over this way, come and pop in for a visit. Just PM me before hand.

Best regards

Tyrone

Hi Tyrone

I'll get a snapshot of the Nikau when I can, but its about 1.5m tall with similar length fronds now. Its planted under a Brachychiton poplarfolius(?) and close to a 2m Cycas thouarsii, Papyrus, tropical Cordylines, Aloe striatula and Cordyline Green Goddess.

Yes will PM when I'm down next. Do you know anywhere there are some good Bismarckia and Pritchardia?