Gardening Australia – May 2019

80 MAY 2019 GARDENING AUSTRALIA

Q

I have this beautiful plant

and would love to have it

identified. Thank you.

RosBrady,Adelaide,SA

MARIANNECANNONSAYS

Thatlovelypendantflowerbelongs

toabromeliadcalledqueen’stears

orfriendshipplant(Billbergianutans).

Itisoneoftheeasiestbromeliadsto

grow,althoughitisnotoftenseenin

people’sgardens.Narrow,grey-green

leavescontrastwithdramaticpink,

greenandbluecurled-backpetals.

Themainfloweringtimeisspring,

butthisspecieswillalsospot-flower

atothertimesoftheyear.

Bromeliadsoriginatemainlyfrom

Brazil,butthisoneisalsofound

naturallyinParaguayandnorthern

Argentina,whereitisepiphytic,

clingingtorocksandtrees.Most

bromeliadsareadaptableandwill

growinpotsofopen,free-draining

medium,suchasorchidmix.Some

alsodowellintheground.This

particularspeciesistolerantoffrost

andishappyindry,shadedgardens.

MAILBOX

HAPPY CHAPPY

It’s wonderful to see native

birds in the urban environment.

This kookaburra is my regular

backyard visitor.

Toni Beauchamp, Abbotsford, NSW

WE RECENTLY MOVED TO THIS HOUSE, AND THIS

LOVELY TREE IS GROWING UNDERNEATH A GUM

TREE IN THE BACK GARDEN. SINCE WATERING

AND GIVING IT SOME

TENDER, LOVING CARE,

IT HAS DOUBLED IN

SIZE AND IS FLOWERING

WITH SMALL WHITE,

FLUFFY BLOOMS. CAN

YOU PLEASE TELL ME

WHAT IT IS? 

Lynne Coggins, Marcus Beach, Qld

MARIANNE CANNON SAYS

This beautiful tree is a hard alder

(Pullea stutzeri). It is a rarity and,

in its natural habitat, can be found

only in the wet, tropical rainforests

of north-eastern Queensland.

The tree grows to about 10m tall,

but in the home garden it can be

maintained as a large shrub with

pruning. In addition to its white

flowers, it produces small fruit and

features lovely pink new growth.

We have recently moved house and discovered an old protea, about

3m x 3m, in the garden. It is very leggy and needs to be pruned,

but I’m not sure how hard to go. Will it reshoot from old wood? 

Marjorie Poole, Creswick, Vic

PHIL DUDMAN SAYS
Proteas will tolerate hard pruning to
some extent, but only cut back to
wood that has leaves on it. Heavier
pruning into older, leafless wood
may result in dieback of the branch.
Once the bush has re-established,
prune off the spent
flower stems each year
soon after flowering
has finished. Remove
any dead or diseased
material to keep the
plant in good shape.