Private gardens can play a role in saving endangered plants, and an upcoming talk by the Kyneton Horticultural Society will explain how.
Hosted by Ironstone Park Nursery Heathcote owner Peter Broughton the talk will educate attendees about endangered Australian native plants, why these species are endangered, and how to grow them in your backyard.
Mr Broughton has an extensive history of finding and propagating rare Australian native plants – especially those close to extinction.
“One of the questions … I ask [people] is how many plants they think are endangered in just Victoria. And you get your typical 20, 30, 50 maybe – but the last count was about two and half thousand just in Victoria,” Mr Broughton said.
He said that in conversations with others, he sensed they were hesitant to purchase endangered plants due to the assumption that they are difficult to grow.
“The reality of it is that it’s probably got a better chance of surviving in their garden than it has in the wild. The more of these rarer plants we can propagate, the more of them you can put out into people’s gardens,” he said.
“The Woolemi pine – one classic example … they propagated a lot of them, people put them in pots and put them in their gardens, so it did, to a point, ensure its survival.“
Mr Broughton hopes to expand his native garden soon and host public open days for visitors to learn about endangered plants.
“To see plants from all over Australia that are on their last legs. Some of these plants are beautiful things in flower … it sort of jogs the heart strings a bit.”
The talk will be hosted at the Kyneton Football and Netball Club rooms on Monday, October 21 from 7pm.
Details: events.humanitix.com/kyneton-horticultural-society-annual-membership
Oscar Parry
