Eastern Hills and Murray Plains Catchment Group's Jo Clarke tells Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club members how to create a DIY herbarium
February's was the first meeting for the year of the Murray Bridge Garden and Floral Art Club.
A good number of members were in attendance to hear Jo Clarke, general manager of the Eastern Hills and Murray Plains Catchment Group, address the meeting on making your own herbarium: a folder in which a collection of dried plants are kept.
In introducing herself to the meeting, Mrs Clarke said she oversaw all aspects of running the not-for-profit environmental organisation.
“My key responsibilities include daily management of the Murray Bridge Community Nursery, executive support for the committee and overseeing our volunteer program, involving up to 50 volunteers," she said.
“I am also contracted to provide fee-for-service delivery to clients in vegetation services and technical expertise, mainly in the areas of grasslands and threatened flora.
“At the nursery, located on Greenlands Drive, we have for sale to the public a large range of local native grasses and plants ready for planting in gardens and farms.
“We also have our own established native garden so people can see the plants in a garden setting and therefore get ideas on what and how they can grow native plans in their own garden.
“Tuesday and Thursday are usually pretty good to call in say hi and have a look at what goes on and the plants on offer for sale."
She then proceeded to centre her address on how to create your own herbarium, "a great way to broaden your knowledge of native grasses and plants".
"Essential items that you will need when you go out collecting are paper bags, a pen, something to cut the specimen or to dig it out if you want to collect roots and all … paper bags are a must as plastic zip-top bags will cause your specimens to sweat," she said.
"With each specimen collected, you will need to write on the paper bag notes outlining where you collected it and on what day it was collected.
“A great way to help identify the plant for future reference is to smell the plant, noting a description of the plants sent."
Once back home, the collector could then begin to preserve the specimen by pressing it for identification and for posterity.
“Pressing flowers and plants is an ancient practice and one that many of us did for fun at some stage during our childhood," she said.
To press the specimen you may chose to buy a flower press kit or you may decide to go the old fashioned way and press the specimen in a large weighty book.
The first thing you will need to do is to either get a piece of newspaper or blank newsprint to fold over your specimen.
Place the specimen under a heavy weight for a day to draw excess moisture from the plant.
The next step is to place the specimen between two sheets of waxed paper, place it in a weighted down book and leave for two weeks.
You specimen is then ready for place in a folder with plastic sleeves which will be your herbarium.
“You can use your herbarium to build up a collection of plants, say from your own property or a parkland,” she said.
February results
- Floral arrangement: E Nance
- Fruit: D Woidt, S Patrick, B Rule
- Large garden cut: D Woidt, B Rule, P Christian
- Small garden cut: R and C Butcher, D Woidt, D Woidt
- Rose bloom: B Rule, P Christian, D Griffiths
- Miniature rose, single bloom: B Rule, B Rule
- Vegetables: P Christian, D Woidt, B Rule
- Home-made produce: D Woidt, R and C Butcher
- Pots/containers/hanging baskets: P Christian
- Craft: B and D Hoffman
- Eggs: P Crowley, B and D Hoffman
- Clustered flowered roses: P Christian, P Christian, R and C Butcher
- Overall champion: R and C Butcher