Growing Gardens

with Julia Hancock

Petal power

How many of us (unless we are botanists) take the time to really scrutinise a flower? The individual components that make up flowers all have different functions but it's the petals that attract the attention of the human eye.

The term petal describes an individual unit within a group known as a corolla. Sometimes a process called petalody occurs in which a flower develops more petals, usually by transforming stamens (the male reproductive organs of plants) into petals. In extreme cases of petalody the carpels (which enclose the female reproductive organs) also mutate into petals.

Why plants transform their sexual organs into petals would be the topic for another article too long to publish in The Echo. But as gardeners we all reap the benefits of this extraordinary behaviour as flowers become bigger, brighter and more attractive to all.

Flowers which are pollinated by insects have large petals, which are often yellow or white, and usually scented. Roses fall into this category, their wonderfully velvety petals furl into exciting labyrinths for foraging insects to mine for nectar. The huge, creamy-white flowers of Magnolia grandiflora are on full beam at the moment but sadly most specimens are too tall for us to observe which insects are grazing on their goodies.

Closer to the ground daylilies are jostling each other for pole position in the petal stakes, each morning opening up to reveal a wonderland of intricate frills and vein patterns - roadmaps which guide the insect visitor deeper and deeper into the centre of the flower.

Hibiscus have a similar arrangement and colour palette to daylilies but offer the human observer the opportunity to catch the action at eye level without having to crouch down.

Morning tea is the perfect time to observe the impact of petals, as most plants have opened up fully by this time of the day. Why not take a cuppa outside and indulge in some petal peering.

Lismore Garden Club News

Eighteen happy Garden Club members were at the Christmas breakfast, at the Goonellabah home of Ron and Nita Burns last Wednesday.

The club's January social outing is a morning tea and garden ramble at the home of Mary and Emily Betteridge in South Lismore. Date and time to be advised.

A beautiful climber in flower at present is the Chinese trumpet creeper (Campsis grandiflora). It is a deciduous vine with a stout woody stem, which allows it to be pruned as a standard. The leaves are large and glossy green with contrasting rusty orange trumpet shaped flowers.

Being deciduous, the Chinese trumpet creeper is ideal to plant on a westerly aspect as a summer shade plant that will let the warm winter sunshine through. It should be in stock at most local nurseries or can be easily propagated from a semi mature stem in summer.

Happy gardening
Ron Burns