Aussie Native discussion - what is your favourite species/cultivar and why?

[Luke308]

So I have finally been bitten by the native bug.

I tried growing natives with varying success a few years ago and made the error of trying to style in traditional Japanese styles I also assumed they didn't require much water

Anyway - I want to ask what is your favourite native species/cultivar to work with and why?

I am wanting to get a few more natives and want to know what is the most popular species to work with?

I love Melaleuca cuticularis & rhaphiophylla However I haven't been able to find anything available in SA (Please message me if you're selling any)

[Ryceman3]

Favourite species, in a nut shell:
M. ericifolia… hands down the best to develop in a quick timeframe of the melaleuca I have tried. Plenty of others are a very, VERY close second, but if I’m going to pick a favourite melaleuca, that’s it… today. Maybe a different answer tomorrow though.
Allocasuarina littoralis, Black Sheoak in my neck of the woods. Outstanding to grow from nothing into something in a short period of time. Beats torulosa/cunninghamiana etc in my opinion.
L. lanigerum / continentale. If you want a Leptospermum, these are my top two.

There are a million others, those are just off the top of my head.

[melbrackstone]

I live in the sub tropics, so in a lot of ways won't have the same options as you. The Western Australian trees might grow better in Adelaide.

In saying that, there are SO many Native trees around, that you'll probably never be able to have them all. I love the Melaleucas, Baeckeas and Casaurinas, but there are quite a few newbies that Steve Cullum has found that are exciting.

If you can spare the $15, I'd join the Victorian Native Bonsai Club and check out their videos. You can join their meetings by Zoom, and they've included some vids from the latest Native convention. In one of them Steve talks about some trees he's found that "should" grow in most states, being dryland rainforest types.

Sourcing seeds from your local natives is one way to extend the joy. Look for small leaves, interesting bark and don't worry if they're large trees or shrubs, they might all be the next best thing.

https://www.vicnativebonsai.com.au/

[Rory]

These recommendations are the most beautiful COMBINED with hardiness in my opinion of the commonly acquired genus available. I could give you a list of recommendations much longer than a lot of experienced growers on natives do, but this list is to have the most beutiful COMBINED with hardiness.

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CASUARINA:

Allocasuarina torulosa
If you love the fissured back, then definitely go with Allocasuarina torulosa. Allocasuarina littoralis kind of sucks in my opinion, because the foliage doesn't droop or weep like torulosa does. Also, the bark is much more rugged and rough with torulosa.
Allocasuarina torulosa is also much hardier with low levels of sun, because littoralis will decline in health sooner than torulosa will.
Allocasuarina torulosa has a much higher propensity to shoot back everywhere even from the base, unlike littoralis which can take a lot more encouraging to do this.

Casuarina glauca 'cousin it'
Casuarina glauca 'cousin it' variant is the best for shohin as well. The foliage is very very minute, and the internodes are tiny. Its fantastic material.
Casuarina glauca the normal version is ordinary, and I don't recommend it... as its needles are long and internodes can be far apart.

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EUCALYPTUS:

Eucalyptus nicholii
Nicholii is a delight. Short thin leaves can make it look enormous as a small 'giant' euc. Its usually fairly hardy, except with myrtle rust, which makes it frustrating to stop any die-back. You will need to keep a lot of foliage on it and in full sun if you have myrtle rust.
But its one of the best Eucs for bonsai.

Eucalyptus punctata
Punctata is out of this world beautiful. Leaves reduce well, but the bark.... the bark is a standout. The mottled pink/gray/brownish orange mash up of colours is the best Euc bark I've ever seen on a Euc. its very, very hardy for bonsai.
It has no issues at all with Myrtle rust.
Most of the Eucs/angophoras with leaves that are thick, will have much better tolerance for myrtle rust.
If the leaves are thin like melliodora or papuana, then myrtle rust attacks it a lot quicker, and weakens them significantly during winter, which can be dangerous.

Eucalyptus citriodora (Corymbia citriodora)
This is another stunner. This is very, very hardy. Beuatiful white/gray/ghost like white trunk, with a delightful light green colour to the leaves and a faint green sheen to the new trunk colour.
The scent of the foliage is amazing. The most aromatic leaves of a Euc I've ever known.

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MELALEUCA:

Melaleuca linarifolia 'claret tops' or 'pupuerea compacta' (dwarf varieties)
Melaleuca linarifolia (dwarf varieties) are one of the best Melaleucas to recreate a realistic small scale melaleuca. It maintains that beautiful paper bark, but the gentle tiny leaves look like perfect miniatures of a giant Mel.
I have grown so many Mels in my lifetime, and never found one as good as this. Its very hardy, and as long as its given decent sun, has no dramas from Myrtle Rust.
Its the tiny leaves that still look like mel leaves that make it so beauitufl. Whereas a lot of the other Mels like the one mentioned above such as ericifolia doesn't have that look of a large Melaleuca .... a lot of Mels like ericifolia ; although they are beautiful trees, don't have that typical look like you've shrunk a giant Melaleuca quinquenervia. its hard to explain this without seeing this to compare the leaf.

Melaleuca incana 'seamist'
Melaleuca incana 'seamist' is breathtaking. It has weeping foliage and a soft beautiful feel to its foliage. It is very hardy, but don't allow it to dry out. It has no drama with myrtle rust, and is one of the best mels I have ever grown.

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LEPTOSPERMUM

Leptospermum brachyandrum.
The colours on the bark on these is the best on any Lepto I've ever seen. The leaves reduce easily, and it is the hardiest of any Lepto I have ever grown as well. Tolerates a very heavy mix, and has no issues with drought either.
I cannot recommend this more. The BEST Leptospermum to grow as bonsai. There is no other Leptospermum that comes close to this.
It grows fast, and once its a few years old, the colours on the trunk will blow you away. PUP used to have one with gorgeous coloured bark.
Mine is still a few years away from being as striking as his was.

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CALLISTEMON

Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow'
This thing is gold for Bonsai. Incredibly hardy, and very short leaves, with short internodes, but the leaves don't mash too close together like some of the smaller shrub varieties that make it too stocky looking.
Very resistant to drought. Tolerates wet conditions as well. Excellent material to work with mainly because of the small leaves.

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BACKEA:

Baeckea virgata 'clarence river'
Very, very hardy tree. Easy to look after and shoots back everwhere after a hard cut back. Excellent for beginners. Gorgeous flower display and soft picturesque leaves.

Baeckea imbricata
Incredibly hardy, and one of the most rewarding bonsai I've grown. It naturally twists and gnarls as it grows and has gorgous sinued bark as it ages. The flowers are tiny and adorable, tucked in between the leaf pads.

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BREYNIA:

Breynia cernua ‘ironstone range’
...the other species in this genus have leaves too large to enjoy.
This is incredibly hardy, and very pretty. Its leaves don't get too big, but its a fantastic replacement for a Japanese Maple. But without the root problems of JMs, and will grow a lot faster.

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BANKSIA:

Banksia marginata is the absolute king of Banksia bonsai in my opinion...tiny leaves and once you master its health, you will love this. Don't let the roots stay wet, and make sure it has full sun. Its fairly simple.
Don't remove a lot of foliage, as it thrives on having a lot of foliage for good health. Dont cut it back in winter, and when its growing strong, then you can cut-back.

[GavinG]

Most important is to grow things that flourish in your area, and that give you what you want.

Eucs: some blue-grey small-leafed Eucs that are robust around here are E. crenulata, E. bridgesiana and E.cineria. Coarse bark, fine detail, go crazy. Last two should be OK in SA. I find E. nichollii too top-dominant, and the rest mostly too coarse. E. punctata does have lovely bark peel, deep green leaves with rich red stems and branchlets. Pick any local tough small-leafed Euc, there's 850 to choose from...

Kunzea ericoides "Snowman" - tough, very fine detail, interesting angles just by itself. Clip and grow mainly, keep it open and complicated, not fat thick featureless pads. That's just my prejudice. Also Kunzea ambigua. Whatever Leptos grow well in your area. L. brachyandrum, L. obovatum here, L. lanigerum. L. arachnoides is a new one for me - very interesting reddish bark and interesting angles.

Grevillea australis - (may not grow well in SA?) - fine leaves, robust, tiny white spider flowers. Just keep it off the ground when you are growing it on - I killed lots and lots until I got that message.

Acacia aneura, Mulga. Pick the type that gets rough bark early. Don't pot them too tightly when they get to a bonsai pot. Should be way more of them.

Call. Brogo Overflow and seiberi. A bit clunky and coarse, maybe grow them a bit larger, and make the trunk do interesting things.

Something that never gets a mention is Citrus australasica (or Microcitrus sp.?) - native lime. Grow them from cuttings or layer just minimally below the graft. Prickly and nasty, rich green leaves, tiny purplish flowers, smallish fruit - what's not to like?

Casuarina littoralis and torulosa grow for me, but I don't like the loose floppy way they grow in the wild, and I don't want pine-style - and the old rule is, if you don't know what you want, you won't get it... Give me another fifty years or so...

Gavin

[Rory]

Most important is to grow things that flourish in your area, and that give you what you want.

Very important advice!

Eucs: some blue-grey small-leafed Eucs that are robust around here are E. crenulata, E. bridgesiana and E.cineria. Coarse bark, fine detail, go crazy. Last two should be OK in SA. I find E. nichollii too top-dominant, and the rest mostly too coarse. E. punctata does have lovely bark peel, deep green leaves with rich red stems and branchlets. Pick any local tough small-leafed Euc, there's 850 to choose from...

I now prefer and have only kept the Eucs, that look like iconic Eucs to me. I like the ones that have the drooping leaves where they naturally fall. As much as I love the look of the unusual varieties, I find growing a Euc because its a Euc no longer interests me as I get older. I just prefer ones that look like a miniature version of the big iconic ones, but with beautiful bark. I am forever grateful to you for giving me that E. punctata specimen, which will easily become one of the best bonsai I own.

Pick any local tough small-leafed Euc, there's 850 to choose from...

I gave up on Grevillea and Acacia. The recovery from rootwork was always too scarey for me, and I steered towards genus that are more hardy. But there were certainly ones that were hardy from rootwork, but those ones I found a little bland.

Oh, and I will add one more here:

Daintree Pine!
Daintree Pines are beautiful, as they are in the Casuarinacae family, and pretty much looks like one, but with thin needles and short internodes.
I'm yet to see what the bark looks like on an aged specimen, but so far they are incredibly hardy and tolerant of a heavy mix and drought. They have cones all the time and a very elegant feel to it. Similar to Callitris, but Callitris has such a nice gnarly growth to it. But I found Daintree Pine much easier to work with than Callitris, and Daintree Pine shoots back everywhere and is incredibly tough.