Boronia pinnata
| Boronia pinnata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Native to: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Boronia pinnata (common name: pinnate boronia)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in a greenhouse at 15°c[1][2]. Do not allow the compost to dry out. Germination usually takes place within 4 - 9 weeks at 24°c[2]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe shoot tips or side shoots, 5 - 10cm preferably with a heel, July/August in a frame[1].
Cultivation: Requires a rich well-drained lime-free sandy soil in a sunny sheltered position[3]. One form of this species is resistant to salt spray[4].
A very ornamental plant[5], it is hardy to at least -7°c in Australian gardens[4] but this cannot be translated directly to British gardens because of our cooler summers and longer, colder and wetter winters. One report says that the plants might succeed on a wall in the milder areas of this country[6], another says that they require greenhouse protection[5] and yet another says that they can be grown outdoors in tubs during the summer but need to be bought indoors in the winter[3].
Plants can flower in their first year from seed if they are pot grown and the young shoot tips are pinched out constantly[1].
Range: Australia - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria.
Habitat: Mountain ranges[7]. Heathland and dry sclerophyll forests[8].
Usage: An essential oil is obtained from the flowers and the leaves[7][3]. Used in perfumery[3].
Soil: Can grow in light soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wrigley, John and Murray Fagg. Australian Native Plants. Collins, 1988.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Taylor, Jane. The Milder Garden. Dent, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ewart, Alfred. Recording Census of the Victorian Flora. 1923.
- ↑ Carolin, R. Flora of the Sydney Region. Reed, 1993.