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The Oz Garden Gallery

Swainsonia

10 years ago

This is my second attempt at growing Sturt's Desert Pea, a native of South Australia: my first attempt simply died. The other day wandering through that big green store I spied it among the plants in their gardening section and couldn't resist another try. It's flowered, probably only get one season out of it but there you go.

B.

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Comments (7)

inga007
10 years ago
Love your photo. Isn't also called Sturt's Desert Pea?
So your doing something right to getting it in flower.
funnelweb
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes, it is Inga, I mentioned the common name, 'Sturt's desert Pea', in my blurb above. Fascinating plant, oddly enough the label says it doesn't like to dry out, you know, 'keep moist', which is in contrast to it's common name. This particular specimen is a hybrid, so, in this unnaturally dry, yet humid, summer-cum-autumn climate, I'm interested to see how it performs.
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Mine grow more in the ground as well but it can be a pain having to lift them in the fall. I'd keep them all in the yard if I was just a zone warmer. Maybe in another 10 years I will be! lol The weather's been changing so much. It's much warmer now then it was 20 years ago. Surprisingly I do have a couple brugs that grow straight with no side shoots. The Tropical Sunrise and my Versicolor Peach both get to about 6' before y-ing and don't put out any side growth but they do send out suckers. There's so many native Australian plants that I just love. I'm trying to grow a few this year. One that I haven't been able to get the seeds to germinate is Swainsonia formosa (SturtÂs Desert Pea) and another that seems to be growing well is Hardenbergia violacea (False Sarsparilla). There were so many varieties that I wanted to try but so many don't do well in high humidity which I definitely have in the summer. Karyn
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Comments (7)
I have seen these growing in my sisters garden in Gosford north of Sydney less than 10 klms from the coast. She had them growing in a large upturned concrete pipe filled with rubble and sand. They grew to flowering and also set seed, so it would seem that they can cope with a coastal climate. The Canary Islands would be significantly less humid, being adjacent to the Sahara Desert so I dont think that the climate was a factor. My guess, though never having grown them, is a problem with the mix you used. They like infertility so avoid any mix that might contain nutrients, especially phosphorus, and water sparingly, and like Nathanhurst said avoid wetting the leaves. As for the CIDP, I wasnt aware that they had weedy potential, but maybe not surprised. They do have a lot of fruit which I assume is transported by birds and bats, and considering that they are planted in every farm house garden they should have little difficulty in spreading around. I have seen them growing in Cornwall in SW England, but I cant imagine them becoming weedy in those latitudes...
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tropicbreezent
10 years ago
I've always liked these but I'd never even consider trying to grow one. They grow naturally in South Australia and also in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. I've found them (in habitat) growing within about 100 kms inland from Port Hedland. In that climate they get a lot of rain throughout summer and a very dry winter. Plants in South Australia would be the opposite, dry summer and wetter winter. Always made me wonder whether plants that originate in different climates have different requirements, or whether any of them will cope anywhere within the range of the species.

One of them from near Port Hedland.
funnelweb
Original Author
10 years ago
Lovely photo of a more mature plant than mine, Tropi. Aussie natives are more specialised and fussy about their growing requirements than most exotics, even though sometimes they seem to contradict that. I was surprised when I managed a banksia coccinea to live and flower for over four years in this eastern, ocean facing (sub-tropical) climate, so I've learned to do the best I can with simulating the conditions and just give it a go. I bought my Sturts Desert Pea at Bunnings, a hybrid, I think the label said, so, for about 9 bucks, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
inga007
10 years ago
Both, are lovely photos. I like the leaves too.
shaxhome (Frog Rock, Australia 9b)
10 years ago
Funnelweb.. beautiful plants. Maybe you didn't kill your other one. Do you know that even in their native habitat, S.formosa is usually an annual? Re-germinates from the seeds every year. You should save some from your plant if it develop them. And the seeds need to be scarified before growing on. Since yours is a hybrid, next year's plants will probably revert to type. Surprises are good!

Good drainage in a sandy soil is essential, as they're prone to Fusarium root rot. Fussy as all heck to grow, but very rewarding if you succeed.

Best of luck!
funnelweb
Original Author
10 years ago
Yes, thanks shaxhome, I've got it in quite free draining sandyish soil and now, though the flowers have finished, it's looking quite good. Being late in in the season I'm hoping I might get another burst out of it, although, like many Aussie natives, it is fussy.

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