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Horticultural Therapy Association of Victoria Inc Newsletter - 2014 - Issue 2

Winter in the Yarra Valley

I recently travelled to India to visit various school gardens and a disability centre. I have summarised some of the highlights of my trip. There are also other innovative gardens in India that I saw, including a butterfly garden and a hanging garden which has been built over a water storage reservoir. The Butterfly garden was quite inspirational, so I have included some tips and information on plants to use in your garden to attract butterflies. The HTAV Conference is to be held on Friday, 14th November, 2014, with a therapeutic garden tour on Thursday 13th November, 2014. Mark the date in your diary and keep watching our website for further details. Best wishes and happy gardening. Paul de la Motte

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Banksia species

Plants for Sensory and Therapeutic Gardens By Paul de la Motte Common Name: Banksia

Botanical Name: Banksia sp. Varieties: Banksia integrifolia Banksia ‘Giant Candles’ Banksia ericifolia

Banksia spinulosa Banksia marginata

Family: Proteaceae Banksias represent a large range of shrubs and small trees which are native to Australia and grow in all states and territories. Some are small prostrate varieties, such as Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’ which are ideal for rockeries and small gardens, and others are quite large, eg Banksia integrifolia which can grow to 25 metres. Banksias prefer full sun to part shade. They have unique “bottlebrush” shaped flowers that are usually yellow to orange, but can be white and red. They are related to the true Callistemons, the true ‘bottlebrushes’. The Banksia coccinea is a particularly attractive variety from Western Australia. They can be used as cut and dried flowers and their seeds are often used for craft activities. Banksias are particularly popular in children’s gardens due to their curious flowers. They are also valuable as a bird attracting plant, particularly for native honeyeaters. The birds are enticed by the nectar as well as the seeds. Bankias are difficult to propagate from seed, as they generally require smoke treatment to help with germination. They are a drought tolerant plant and are suited to a wide range of gardens, fitting in with native or exotic species in formal and informal settings.

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Creating a Butterfly Garden Apart from the aesthetic delight of seeing a beautiful butterfly feeding on nectar, butterflies are also important pollinators of flowering plants. Because of their floral design many flowering plants can only be pollinated by butterflies and so are dependent on them for survival. Butterflies and their caterpillars are also an important part of the natural food chain and attract birds to the garden. Apart from the introduced Cabbage White Moth which should be discouraged, butterfly caterpillars do minimal damage to plants compared to the more destructive moth caterpillars and other insects. To attract butterflies to the garden it is important to avoid the use of pesticides and to choose the right plants. Two types of plants are required to attract and keep butterflies in the garden. Flowering plants to provide nectar for the adult butterflies Include a range of different sized plants to cater for butterflies that fly at different heights. Choose plants that will flower at different times of the year and produce large masses of flowers that are brightly coloured. Butterflies are initially attracted by colours such as yellow, purple, orange and red. Shallow throated, open flowers are best for butterflies so that they can reach the nectar, eg daisies. Nectar plants should be planted in a sunny protected site that is relatively undisturbed, with a shallow dish of water and a flat rock for sunning themselves nearby. Some shade is also important. Nectar plants include:

Host plants for caterpillars Most butterflies deposit their eggs only on specific host plant species. Including these plants in the garden will encourage the female butterflies to lay eggs and remain for the longer term. Although these plants will be subjected to some chewing damage, the damage is usually not noticeable or at most, is insignificant. Remember, chemicals must not be used. Although some caterpillars will feed on introduced plants, the majority require native plant hosts.

Host plants include:

Asclepias fruticosa Swan Plant Acacia spp Wattle Trees

Bursari spinosa Sweet Bursaria Citrus spp Lemon Trees

Ghania spp Sword Grasses Helichrysum spp Paper Daisies

Lomandra spp Mat Rushes Muellerina spp Mistletoes

Poa spp Tussock grasses Tasmannia lanceolata Mountain Pepper

Themeda triandra Kangaroo Grass Urtica spp Stinging Nettles

Butterfly gardening can be as simple as providing a small undisturbed area set aside with a few selected plants to attract butterflies for feeding and egg laying. Both native and exotic plants can be used but remember that most caterpillars require native host plants. Having butterflies in your garden is a wonderful way to connect with nature.

Ageratum houstonianum Ageratum Brachyscome multifida Cut-leaf Daisy

Bracteantha bracteata Everlasting Daisy Buddleia davidii Butterfly Bush

Bursaria spinosa Sweet Bursaria Hebe speciosa Veronica

Heliotrope arborescens Cherry Pie Oleria spp Daisy Bush

Pimelea spp Rice Flowers Thryptomene saxicola. Thryptomene

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Therapeutic Gardening Programs in INDIA Don Bosco School, Matunga, Mumbai, Maharashtra Community Roof Garden We recently travelled to India and whilst there visited a number of school gardens and other significant ornamental gardens. In Mumbai (Bombay) we visited the Don Bosco School in Matunga. The Don Bosco School is a private boys school, established by the Salesian fathers in 1930 and moved to its present site in 1941. It currently has approximately 7,000 students comprising primary and secondary levels with day students and boarding students. The school was named after Don Bosco (St. John Bosco), who was an Italian priest who developed the theory of “Preventative System of Education”. Bosco's capability to attract numerous boys and adult helpers was connected to his system. He believed education to be a "matter of the heart" and said that the boys must not only be loved, but know that they are loved. He also believed that the true boy could only be seen through physical activity such as sport and gardening. At the Don Bosco School in Matunga, a rooftop garden was developed by students and staff to be a community resource for the local poor, who could use the produce to improve their dietary intake. The garden is a small and simple series of no-dig raised garden beds built with loose bricks, and is planted with locally used herbs and garden vegetables.

Don Bosco School “Community Garden” Larger trees and shrubs have been planted in plastic tubs and they make their own compost. The loose brick walls allow for flexibility of the beds as well as providing good drainage. The school also had a spiritual garden, a quiet and reflective area for students and staff.

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Spiritual /Sensory Garden at the Don Bosco School BM English School, Hennur, Bangalore, Karnataka The B.M. English School is named after Mohandas Gandhi, locally known as Bapu Mahatma, meaning Father and Great Soul. The BM English School at Hennur is an annex of the BM School in Bangalore. Located north of Bangalore in south central India, in a semi-rural area, the Hennur annex is a co-educational private school established and administered by a local family. Dr. Rajesh and his family made us very welcome and showed us around their facility that was built in 1958 by his father. We were greeted by students, parents and staff displaying their produce and were treated to lunch. We saw their small herb and vegetable garden at the school, learning some of the local names for commonly grown herbs. Sweet Basil is known as “Tulsi”.

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School Garden at Hennur – with students and Dr. Rajesh After lunch we were taken to the school’s “farm” where they grew more extensive market garden crops. They were growing beans, beetroot, bananas and tomatoes to name a few. This area was about a kilometer from the school and had a resident caretaker to ensure security of the crops.

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School Garden / Food Forest with students and caretakers Horticultural Therapy is not widely understood in India even though many institutions use it on a day to day basis. Hanging Garden in Mumbai Although not specifically a therapeutic garden, the hanging garden in Mumbai was a beautiful garden with fantastic views over the bay to old Mumbai. Built on the roof of a large water reservior, these gardens were carefully designed so as not to put too much weight on the structure underneath. Garden beds are arranged with a dazzling array of colourful plants, including bougainvillea, roses, salvias and many other vibrant perennials and annuals. AS well as being a popular tourist destination, this garden is also a place for locals to relax . There were many people wandering around the wide earthen paths and sitting under pergolas in what was an oasis in the middle of Mumbai.

There were also a number of topiaried animal shapes and a childrens garden with a large boot from the nursery rhyme the “old woman who lived in a shoe”.

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Hanging garden in Mumbai “Old woman who lived in a shoe” play area

Institute of Science Museum, Trivandrum, Kerala State Butterfly Garden Within the Institute of Science Museum in Trivandrum is a small Butterfly garden that boasts a wide range of butterfly attracting plants. A number of species of Lantana are used, and many types of palms. There are also Salvias, creeping plants and a pineapple plant, all layed out on an otherwise unusable steeply sloped bank.

The Butterfly Garden Pineapple plant Also located at the Museum was a small area set aside with pots of medicinal plants used in ayurvedic medicine.

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Therapeutic Gardening Short Course in 2014

Sat 19th, July, 2014 9.00am - 4.30pm

Holmesglen Institute, 595 Waverley Rd, Glen Waverley

Registration: (03) 9564 1546

Website: http://www.holmesglen.edu.au/programs/short_courses/house_and_garden/horticulture

Medicinal Garden at Trivandrum’s Institute of Science Palm Tree

2014 State Conference

‘Gardening as Therapy’

Date: Friday, 14th

November, 2014

Venue: Basscare, Canterbury Centre, 2 Rochester Road, Canterbury 3126

Therapeutic Garden Tour Date: Thursday, 13

th November, 2014

Venues to be visited will include a community garden,

hospital, aged care facility and school garden

*Please check our website for more details*

Horticultural Therapy Association of Victoria PO Box 369, Balwyn North, Vic 3104

Tel: 03 9836 1128 Email: contactus@htav.org.au

Web: www.htav.org.au

HTAV is supported by financial assistance from the Australian Government and Victorian Government