July August 2015 Newsletter

Dear Customers,

The end of June, stocktake completed and the prospect of a new year!  What could be better?  Despite those good offices, trading conditions are generally soft where we are, so we wish all our customers and associates the very best for the year ahead.

Despite the generally soft trading conditions, we believe that AustraHort is well positioned in to the foreseeable future, for despite our excellent balance of propagating nurseries, one of our leading mining companies has announced its intention to enter into long term supply contracts, conditions that we have been advocating for many years.

Collecting seed annually in a sense, hand to mouth, has become impossible for despite the vagaries of the weather (increasing unpredictable), the insistence of local governments ‘hot’ burning road side verges and other bush based public lands at the wrong time of the year results in alarming insect predations of bud crops resulting in widespread crop failures to say nothing of the trees themselves. By contrast, ‘cool’ burning at the correct time of the year creates circumstance where the natural ecology is in balance allowing for bud crops to mature and result in collectable crops without the destruction of parent tree stocks.

In an attempt to lessen the effects of bureaucratic intransigence in relation to fire timing, long term supply contracts permit circumstances where collectors can take maximum advantage of seed crops as they occur, knowing that the seed can be deployed over a minimum three year period thus giving an essential level of certainty to all concerned.

Best wishes,

Mike

July August 2015 Specials

Acer palmatum atropurpureum - Japanese Redleaf Maple

    $14/25g & $395/kg

A beautiful small deciduous tree to 10m which produces dark purple leaves in Spring which turn reddish in the Summer, then turn scarlet in Autumn.  Grows in a vase shape with multiple trunks, this is a gorgeous specimen tree which is sure to attract attention!

Agapanthus praecox ssp orientalis ‘Getty White’                                          

      $39.50/1000sds

A late Spring/Summer white Agapanthus growing 45cm – 60cm tall and 90cm wide.  Thrives on neglect and very easy to grow.  A great white specimen that grows true to form from seed.

Astrebla lappacea - Curly Mitchell Grass

$9/25g & $35/kg

A long lived warm season perennial grass, opened tussocked to 60cm.  Palatable to livestock even when dry.  Curly Mitchel Grass provides one of the most stable and economically important pastures in the semi-arid regions of Eastern Australia.  Of the four species of Mitchell Grass, this is the most widespread.

Chamaecytisus palmensis - Tagasaste/Tree Lucerne

$8/25g & $129.50/kg

A shrub or small tree growing to 5m with long drooping leafy branches although there can be some variation in habit.  White flowers appear in profusion in Spring though sometimes start in Winter, these then develop into flattened pods to 5cm long and ripen in Summer.  This plant is useful as a windbreak or for fodder and being an evergreen, it can provide feed at any time of year.  Chamaecytisus grows well in a wide range of environmental conditions and is very adaptable.

Paspalidium jubiflorum - Warrego Summer Grass

$79.50/kg

A warm season perennial that is favoured by livestock which produces leafy tussock to 130cm high.  Flowering usually occurs over a long period from Summer to Autumn.

Themeda triandra syn T. australis - Kangaroo Grass

$7/25g & $79.50/kg

A tufted perennial to 1.5m high and 0.5m across which commonly grows in grassland and open woodland communities.  Leaves are green to grey drying to an orange brown in Summer.  Flowering December – February in variable growing conditions.

Fresh Harvest July August 2015

Please note that specials are valid for months of July and August 2015.

Prices quoted exclude GST and are ex warehouse.

Prices quoted per kg apply to purchases of 250g or more.