Australian Plants Society SA

4 weeks ago

Hi everyone, well, it is coming to that time of year when several activities need to be progressed.
Firstly and very importantly, seed sowing is a must, and one of the priorities is getting Acacia rhetinocarpa into pots.
I did speak to Josh Camens, our Northern Projects Officer, about this, and he has seed, which, when he is ready, can be sown, so we will be looking for volunteers to sow these trays and possibly take them home to babysit for the Pine Point project.
Remember also that Boxing Day, as a rule, is Acacia rhetinocarpa seed collection time, when we brave the heat and flies to collect seed for the following year, depending on whether the plants produce seed, which in some years they don't.

What has prompted me to think about seed collection is that Peter Clark, our Eastern Projects Officer, reminded me that this year we need to collect lots of native grass seed from the Hope Valley Reservoir grounds.
We have probably planted many of the large trees and shrubs in our project area, so grasses will be needed to fill in any gaps.
Again, we shall need volunteers to collect seed and to also sow the seed, so when Peter feels the time is right, we will give him a hand to get seed for grasses and to also babysit these also.

Gerard Wallace, the Southern Projects Officer, will also be collecting seed, ready to do some trays of plants for his project area, which is looking spectacular now, so I do encourage all you energetic people to assist Gerard in continually improving his project at Lands End.
I see many of the smaller species becoming much more important down there now that many of the bigger species are building in numbers now.

Finally, and this will also happen this Summer, all my trees at Sandalwoods will have seed ready to collect.
Even though these are not project species, it will be a perfect opportunity to carry out seed collection, which many of you have never had an opportunity to fully enjoy, so when the time gets nearer, I will look for volunteers to come up there and spend time filling buckets with ample seed from the many trees that are flowering as we speak.
I shall keep you informed.

Jeff Reid. ... See MoreSee Less

Australian Plants Society SA

2 months ago

Message from the COOTS group.

Just a reminder that group 18 will begin on Saturday, the 31st of October, and run to 5th December, and so far only a small number of participants have indicated that they wish to do it, so if you want to have your name included, you'd better send me an email as soon as possible.

I had to cancel the date in August as there were too few numbers apply for the course.

I would like to see a full house, to finish the year off nicely.
The workshop for the Orchid Society filled quickly, and I suspect many of those doing that course may wish to do the six-week propagation workshop as well, so do think about it.
Held at 21A Richards Terrace in Goodwood, starting at 12 noon and running through to around 3.00 pm. It is a six-week course on consecutive Saturdays, which includes a field day.

It is good to remind everyone that this course is free, and even though it is intended to draw new faces into the APS, it also opens up a whole new world for participants, allowing them to grow and better understand our beautiful Australian native plants.

So please take advantage of this opportunity and sign up for it.

Regards, Jeff Reid. ... See MoreSee Less

Australian Plants Society SA

3 months ago

A second reminder from the COOTS Group.

I have only a couple of applications for this special workshop on orchids, which also falls short of the minimum of 10 or 12 participants.

Please take note
The 10th of October 2026 is going to be a very special workshop, which once again costs you nothing, and will be held at the same venue where we hold our popular propagation workshops.
That is at 21A Richards Terrace in Goodwood.
The session starts at 12.00 noon and will last for around three hours.
This workshop is very different to our propagation workshops, which have been focused on the various ways of growing Australian native plants. This workshop is on the specialised subject of growing Australian native terrestrial Orchids, and really only those who are genuinely interested should register their interest, as it can get very involved.
The ultimate aim is to get those who are serious about this subject to work with the native orchid society (NOSSA) growing terrestrial orchids.
Contact me, Jeff Reid, at the email [email protected] to register your interest.
This workshop will depend on the amount of interest that is shown in the subject. ... See MoreSee Less

Australian Plants Society SA

3 months ago

A second reminder from the COOTS Group.

I have only a couple of applications for our next two propagation workshops, which falls short of the minimum of 10 or 12 participants.
The next session begins on the 15th of August. Can you consider if this is something that you may like to do?

A big reminder to everyone: there are two propagation workshops left in 2026, and now is the time to book the one that suits you.
The next workshop will be from 15th August to 19th September.
The last for this year will be from 31st October to 5th December.

Now remember that these workshops cost you nothing, and they are held over six weeks at 21A Richards Terrace in Goodwood, starting at 12.00 noon and going through to around 3-3.30 pm.
We have had 17 actual workshops now, and over 130 participants have attended, which has been very successful.

The course is over six consecutive weeks, and is done by Samantha Rayson and me, plus several very knowledgeable presenters, finishing off with an actual field day where you put into practice what you have learned.
Check your calendars, and if one of those sets of dates suits you, please consider booking your spot and learn how to propagate Australian native plants.
I would love to see at least 10 to 12 per group, so please email me at [email protected] if you need more information or to book your spot.

Jeff Reid ... See MoreSee Less