Wildflower season, WA

Head west for a dazzling nature show.

Wildflowers in Coalseam Conservation Park. Picture: WA Tourism

The spectacle of wildflower season in Western Australia should be on every traveller’s list. While we trek overseas for cherry blossom viewing in Japan or tulip envy in Holland, our own native flora is more unique, colourful and extraordinary than any other.

WA has the largest collection of wildflowers on Earth, with more than 12,000 species. Nearly two-thirds are found nowhere else in the world. They range from daisy species that form carpets of pink, white and yellow spreading as far as the eye can see, to our iconic kangaroo paws, flamboyant banksias, and orchids so tiny they’re best discovered on your hands and knees. Good rains in autumn and winter promote spectacular spring flowerings; many species also flower abundantly after bushfires. This year’s show is looking good, say the locals.

Wreath flowers, WA. Picture: Helen Young

The floral display starts as early as June in the north, on the outback plains of the Pilbara, Goldfields and Coral Coast. Moving south as the weather warms, by September the blooms are peaking around the Perth region, and finish in October and November in the forests and coastal heaths of the south-west. Each region publishes online weekly updates on how the wildflowers are tracking, listing the best locations. Many have wildflower festivals during their peak weeks – Chittering, Nannup, Mullewa, Three Springs, Ravensthorpe, Dalwallinu and Esperance among them.

One of the highlights in September is a treasure hunt to see wreath flowers (Lechenaultia macrantha) around Mullewa and Pindar, accessible from Geraldton. This beauty thrives in the worst places, favouring gravelly roadsides and disturbed ground. In spring it grows from a persistent rootstock to form pretty wreaths of frilled flowers in shades of pink to red. Enthusiasts swoon over spotting just one or two and will mark sightings with coloured tape on a roadside tree. I was lucky enough one year to see a stretch of road where there must have been hundreds. Extraordinary.

Cowslip orchid. Picture: WA Tourism

The transformation of the dry outback country to carpets of colour is a breathtaking sight. The term everlasting daisy is a catch-all for different genera such as Waitzia, Rhodanthe, Schoenia and Lawrencella.

Those in the city don’t miss out, as Kings Park & Botanic Garden has a wildflower festival in September. The 400ha green heart of Perth puts on superb displays of (helpfully labelled) wildflowers, plus a range of free events, walks and talks.

The south-west is a biodiversity hotspot – one of 36 in the world – where almost 80 per cent of the plant species are unique to the area. In the wildflower season more than 8000 species are in bloom, including 300 species of delicate terrestrial orchids with endearing names like flying duck, rattle beaks, donkey and enamel orchids.

Through the 100-plus national parks of Western Australia and along the highways, you’ll see how the flora changes in each region. Look out for bright bottlebrush-like Beaufortia, Melaleuca and Calothamnus species, colourful feather flowers (Verticordia), distinctive smoke bush (Conospermum), Geraldton wax flower (Chamelaucium) and of course kangaroo paws and the smaller cat’s paws. It’s a smorgasbord.

See the Wildflower Guide for statewide scenic drives and walking trails at westernaustralia.com

Q&A

I want to grow quandongs to make my own delicious jam but can’t find where to buy trees. Brigid Burford, Wellington Point, Qld

Quandong or native peach (Santalum acuminatum) is native to our central deserts and southern regions, which indicates it might not thrive in your humid climate. It is also hemiparasitic, attaching to roots of several hosts such as Acacia and Casuarina trees, and other shrubs and grasses. This makes it difficult to propagate and grow. Some bush tucker suppliers sell the seeds.

To fill my new vertical garden I need to lighten the potting mix. Do I use vermiculite or perlite? Are they toxic for food plants? Eva Eden, by email

Perlite is volcanic glass super-heated to expand like popcorn. It’s hard and white, with a large, highly porous surface area that traps water but allows free drainage. Vermiculite is super-heated mica that exfoliates into fine layers. It’s brown, spongy and highly absorbent, with better moisture and nutrient holding than perlite but less aeration. Both are lightweight, sterile, inert, pH neutral and safe. They make the soil lighter, improving aeration and drainage, but don’t break down like organic matter. As with potting mixes, avoid inhaling any dust.

How do I propagate from my two mature murrayas to grow more plants for a hedge? Geoff Whittaker, south-east Qld

Murraya can be weedy in the north, so don’t use seeds. Use cuttings from sterile plants that don’t produce seeds. Take semi-hardwood cuttings (after soft green tips have matured to darker stems) in summer or autumn. Dip ends in rooting gel or honey and place into propagating mix. Keep moist and warm.

Organic Gardener magazine, 18 monthy subscription, worth $96

Send your questions to: [e-mail] or Helen Young, PO Box 3098, Willoughby North, NSW 2068. Website: helenyoung.com.au. The best question for August wins an 18-month subscription worth $96 to Organic Gardener magazine, celebrating its 20-year anniversary.