Australian Plants Society (Victoria)

Promoting the Appreciation and Preservation of Australian Plants


APS Grampians

MeetingsContacts & MembershipNewslettersFlower Show
Pomonal Hall
Pomonal Hall

In June & July, meets on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm; all other months meets at 7.30pm on the third Tuesday of the month (except January), either at Pomonal Hall, Pomonal Google map link, or at the Stawell Neighbourhood House, 42 Sloane St, Stawell VIC 3380 Google map link

Upcoming events for the Grampians

Membership page – to join or renew

APS Grampians membership overview

President: Fiona Lucas
Vice-President: Neil Marriott
Secretary: Margot Galletly

0428 526 056

APS Grampians Group c/o Pomonal LPO Pomonal 3381

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Edition Contents
Apr 24Grow for Pomonal; Next Meeting Royce Raleigh on Hakeas; Historical Notes JW Audas; March Meeting Elia Pirtle
Mar 24Tuesday 13th February; Margo Seitsma farewell; Autumn Banksias at Panrock Ridge; APS Victoria News
Feb 24
Dec 23Announcements – our AGM & new APSV secretary; November Meeting – Ade Foster on frogs; Jallukar Grasslands Project; From your Committee; From the Flower Table; President’s Report Grampians Group 2023; APS Grampians Group Calendar 2024
Nov 23Announcements- AGM & Xmas berak-up; October Meeting at Frank’s, Little Desert Trip; Grampians Group Calendar
Oct 23Last Meeting – Noushka Reiter; COMM & Flower Show Recap; Spring Flowers at Home – Wattles; Spring Flowers in the Outback
Sep 23Group Notes; Last Meeting; Flower Show Update; Spring Flowers Abroad; Spring Flowers at Home; Group Calendar
Aug 23Last Meeting – Birdswing Tour to WA; Winter-Flowering Grevilleas; Flower Table; Group Calendar
Jul 23Last Meeting – Desert Discovery; Members’ Gardens – Margot; Plant Profile Banksia menziesii Firewood Banksia; the Murtoa Stick Shed; Behind the Scenes; Group Calendar; Winter-Flowering
Jun 23Phil Williams – Ten Years of Newsletters; May Presentation: Ian Evans on Landscaping a Native Garden; 2023 Pomonal Native Flower show; Halls Gap Botanic Garden Update; Visits to Native Gardens Around Hobart
May 23April Meeting – Chris Clarke on Grasslands; Grevillea synapheae Catkin Grevillea; The APS Grampians Calendar on your Smart Device
Apr 23March meeting report: Kevin Collins on Banksias; Banksias Flowering In the Garden Now; Eucalyptus olivina Olive Leaf Mallee; APS Propagation Workshop
Mar 23Kevin and Kathy Collins, Banksia Farm, Mt Barker, WA; WANTED –Gardener to Help the Marriotts; Banksia elderiana
Feb 23APSGG Christmas Party; Kevin’s Service Œ & Summer Flowering; Walking the Grampians Peaks Trail; Autumn Flowering Grevilleas; Darryl and Lisa in Northern Thailand
Dec 22Nov meeting report: Grampians Walks; The Grampians: Where Rare is Common; Summer Flowering Hakeas; Remembering Pauline
Nov 22President’s & Treasurer’s Reports 2022; Winter-flowering Hakeas; WAMA Open Garden and Art Festival; Margo Sietsma’s Recent Visits to England and Singapore
Oct 22Notice of AGM; flower show reports; ; Moving Into Town 2
Sep 22Aug meeting: Bill Aitchison on Wattles; VicFlora Update; Spring Has Sprung; Inspiring Recycling!
Aug 22Grampiams Endemics; Life Memberships; Grevillea monticola; Native Bonsai Plants; Pilliga Pictures
Jul 22A Grasslands Field Day; 17th Sep – Community Walking Day; Glenda’s Arnhem Land Pictures; A Winter Walk; Moving Into Town 1
Jun 22Invitation to WAMA Grassland Day; Cup Moth Infestation at Armstrong; May Meeting Report; Member profile: Wayne Farey; Arnhem Land Flora; Grevillea dimorpha var angustifolia Yellow Form; Banksia gardnerii var hiemalis
May 22Brachychitons and Bottle Trees at Panrock Ridge; Greenhoods – a secret surprise in Glenda’s garden; Vale Tom Banfield; April meeting: Plants in Wild (High) Places; Halls Gap Botanic Garden Report; Why Would Anyone Grow Banksias?; What we have seen flowering in April in the Victoria Range; Banksia brownii – a banksia success story
Apr 22Hakea laurina; History page – GG in 1994 & 2014; Rhododendron lochiae; Editor’s request
Mar 22Nursery facilities for private plantings; Eucalyptus tetraptera and E. macrocarpa; Feb meeting report: the Raleighs on their Wartook Garden; Member profile: Lisa Ashdowne; Propagation Session
Feb 22Persoonia pinifolia; Plant Review: Grevillea “Lady O”; Dec Meeting and 40th Anniversary Party
Nov 212021 President’s report; Spring-flowering Hakeas; Spring Outings; A Cure For the Covid Blues
Sep 21Member Profile – Graham & Adrienne Pearce; Ask the Expert – colour of Rhodanthe centres ; Hakeas Flowering In Winter in the Marriott Garden – Part 2; Spring in the Ironbarks; Introducing Julie and Phil Deckert; Thryptomene calycina; Pomonal Roadside Reserves initiative; Please Help Our Communal Gardens; Halls Gap Botanic Garden update
Aug 21Pye Correa May meeting; Member profile – Phil Williams; Hakeas Flowering In Winter in the Marriott Garden – Part 1; Ask the Expert – Eucalyptus preissiana Bell-fruited Mallee; What’s Growing in Our Gardens – Hardenbergia violacea in the Molyneux’s;
Jun 21Apr meeting & Attila; Mosaic burning trials at Panrock Ridge; Apr Kangaroo Paw workshop; Correas in a May garden; the rare Scaevola macrophylla rediscovered; thoughts on Eucalypts; New names: Stenanthera and Styphelia; introducing new member Darren McClelland
Mar 21My Introduction to Eucalypts; How to Identify a Eucalypt (or not); Remembering Stan Kelly; Eucalypts For Home Gardens
Feb 2 1Leptospermum aka Tea-trees; Leptospermum turbinatum Shiny Tea-tree; Books: “A Life on our Planet” David Attenborough, “Seeing Trees – A Poetic Arboretum”; Halls Gap Botanic Garden News; A visit to Canberra Botanic Garden in December; Bogong Walk December 2020; What’s In Flower this Summer
Oct 20Show Memories; ‘Who Flung Dung’ Trial on Native Plants; AGM & 2021 Committee
Aug 202020 AGM Timeline; Banksias Flowering at Great Western Mid July; Hakeas: Stars of Winter; Peacock Spiders; Correa Quiz; Winter colour in Kevin M.’s garden; Catherine Pye dealing with weeds; Grampians endemics on Phil W’s block; Controlling Cape Tulip & South African Weed Orchid; The Nook Book
Jun 20Banksia ‘Clayton’s’ Talk; A Walk Around The Kings’ Garden; Making a Floating Island; Halls Gap Botanic Garden Report; Banksia Puzzles; iNaturalist; Melaleuca ‘Pomonal Purple’
May 20What I didn’t know about Eucalypts and what I like about them – Andrea; Powerful Owls; Choc Chip Cookies; Seed Bank Update; Native Grass Lawn; Star’s Lawn – Anthea; Two Stories About My Chinese Elm and Native Bee Box Issues – Margaret; Hakea Word Search; Notes from Lockdown, Ararat – Joan
Apr 20Banks and Solander Exhibition; David & Linda’s garden at Tower Hill; Date Loaf recipe; Hints for Growing Kangaroo Paws; Nestboxes and Wildlife
Mar 20Feb report: Lawrie Smith. “Design with Nature”; Propagation Successes; Champion Survivors – what plants do exceptionally well in your garden?; Halls Gap Botanic Garden report; Wolf Spiders
Feb 20250 years since Banks & Solander visited our shores, with a focus on Solander; Summer-flowering Eucalypts; Plants in Wild Places 2 – Autumn in High Hokkaido; Bushfire recovery
Nov 19Next mtg: Russel Wait on Eremophilas; Nov Propagation Day; Pomonal Native Flower Show write-up; Melton Botanic Garden Oct Visit; Aug NSW Road Trip
Sep 19Aug meeting review: Clive on wildlife cameras & Margo on the history of the Halls Gap flower show; Jallukar Landcare Group Native Grasslands Project wins state Landcare award; Kevin & Sandy in outback Qld; the Red Gum Walk; the South African Weed Orchid
Aug 19Plants in wild places 1; Pitfalls for Sensor Camera Use – or How NOT to Take Wildlife Photos; Bee Stamps
Jul 19Library future; Kevin’s articles; APS Vic COMM report: Neutrog, Banks & Solander exhibition etc.; report on visit to Geelong Botanic Gardens & Colac gardens; last meeting: Neil Macumber on wetland birds; Grampians Flora Botanic Garden furniture
Jun 19Last meeting: Dr.Greg Kerr on Stumpytail lizards; Borrowing wildlife cameras; Grevillea humifusa; Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’; Acacia aphylla; Notice of A.G.M.; Native garden near Lullingham, England
May 19Preview next meeting: Dr.Greg Kerr on Stumpytail lizards; Last meeting: Phil Vaughan in WA; Easter Eggs and Native Plants; Greetings from Illowa – the Handscombes in the Deep South; The New Wildlife Cameras: First experiences
Apr 19Last meeting: Neil Marriott on Native Gardens for Wildlife and farewell to Linda & David; May meeting preview: Dr.Greg Kerr on Stumpytails; Kevin and Sandy’s New Garden
Mar 19Gardening for Wildlife – Neil Marriott; the future of our library; Growing Blandfordia grandiflora, NSW Christmas Bells; Summer Survivors (or Not)
Feb 19Review of Dec Xmas gathering at Five Ducks; Clean Up Australia Day
Dec 18Review of Nov talk by Bill Weatherly on the Forgotten Woodlands; call for native gardens for wildlife photos; Award For Phil Vaughan; Pictures from Terry and Pauline’s trip to WA; Invitation to Celebrate Tom Banfield’s 90th Birthday; Summer-hardy plants
Oct-Nov 18Preview of Nov talk by Bill Weatherly on the Forgotten Woodlands; Vice President & Ordinary Member positions filled, President vacant; review of Oct talk: Native Bees and Other Pollinators, by Denis Crawford; review of our Native Flower Show
Sep 18Call for vice-president & ordinary member; Dryandra or Banksia? A botanical feud; The Vision of Major Thomas Mitchell in 1836; Seed Bank Project Picture Gallery; Rainforests Part Two; Apple & Spice Cake recipe; Myrtle Rust
Aug 18Sep Little Desert Weekend reminder; Jul meeting: Introduction to Grafting – Phil Vaughan; Botanists and Naturalists on the relief expeditions for the search of Burke and Wills; Mistletoe; APS Vic Online: district groups; What’s currently in flower: Thryptomene denticulata, Banksia ornata, Grevillea lanigera, Hakea laurina, Grevillea pteridifolia, Banksia menziesii
Jul 18June meeting: Perth to Kalbarri and back – David & Linda Handscombe; Rainforests in Australia; Botanists on the Burke and Wills Expedition 1860-1861; the Black Wallaby in the Grampians; APS Grampians online
May 18A call for new committee members; Linda Handscombe – “The Pomonal Community Hall Gardens”; review of Geoff Lay’s Apr talk on Fungi; Phil Willams and the effects of rain
Apr 18Review of Cathy Powers’ talk on Citizen Science; Neil & Wendy’s hanging baskets; membership update from Wendy; Andrea on The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan
Mar 18Review of get together at Beverley and Kevin Grace’s home; notice of upcoming working bees; advance notice of Little Desert National Park weekend away in Sep; Garden Design Episode 2 by Andrea Shelley; Judy Baghurst’s “In Praise of Cushion Bush”; Anthea Nicholls on “A Grass By Any Other Name”
Feb 18Review of December gathering at Murray and Marie Hosking’s; Native Garden Design Episode 1 by Andrea Shelley; Phil Williams’ suggestion for Letters to the Editor section & update on status of plants being grown for FJC Rogers Seminar
Dec 17Review of Dennis Crawford’s talk “Insects Found in the Grampians”; Reports of our Trip to South Australia
Nov 17Review of Graeme Woods’ talk “Beautiful Banksias, an Australian Icon”; Jane’s Garden by Phil Williams

The Pomonal Native Flower Show

Always popular

The renowned Pomonal Native Flower Show has been an annual event since 1983 (except for its cancellation in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19). It is held at the Pomonal Hall in the picturesque town of Pomonal, nestled against the beautiful Grampians Ranges, on the Ararat Rd, just 10 minutes from Halls Gap. Google map link

Its aim is to showcase hundreds of named native flower species, all picked from local gardens, and to help promote the growing of native plants.

The group wants Australians to be proud of their own unique and beautiful flora, bursting with bold, vibrant and subtle colours and heady bush scents; unique flora that provides habitat and food for our own special wildlife.

Visitors can buy native plants, gardening, botany & nature books, as well as refreshments.

Lots of things to do outside the hall
Inside the marquee

Since 2019, a marquee has been used for guest speakers to talk on various subjects related to the flower show. The Pomonal market is generally held over the same weekend, allowing visitors to browse and purchase from market stalls selling all manner of things.

Visitors can take the opportunity to visit the grand, picturesque and botanically-significant Grampians National Park on the same weekend.

Please email Jocelyn, or the Grampians Group, or call 0414 933 603 for show enquiries and visit easterngrampians.com.au or ring the Halls Gap and Grampians Visitor Information Centre on 1800 065 599 for general enquiries.
You can also follow us on Facebook at APS Grampians Group.

This event is supported by the Ararat Rural City Council.