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Prostanthera 'Poorinda Ballerina'



Archive entry 13.06.10

One of the hardiest of the new Prostanthera hybrids, it has survived well in a cold greenhouse. I used to grow a lot of species and they all seem to have faded so it is a pleasure to find a tough one (though I am not sure it would survive outside).
The Australian Native Plants Society web-page says:

"There have been a number of “Poorinda” cultivars released into cultivation. Mainly grevilleas, they originated on the property of the late Leo Hodge, north-eastern Victoria. Prostanthera 'Poorinda Ballerina' is a small shrub to about 1.5 metres high. The leaves are about 10mm long and “trowel”-shaped. The flowers are white with a yellow throat and flowering is usually prolific with the flowers almost obscuring the foliage.
'Poorinda Ballerina' is quick growing and, like most mist bushes, should be pruned back annually by about one third to help promote a bushy shape. It is hardier than many other mint bushes and prefers a moist, well drained position with some shelter from direct summer sun."

The Australian Plants Society NSW adds:

‘Poorinda Ballerina’ – named for Leo Hodge’s (1904-1994) property, Poorinda, in Victoria where the cultivar arose. Hodge was a famous Australian plant breeder, experimenting with a lot of hybridisation."

The Australian National Herbarium has a biographical note online about Leomin Hodge:

"Leo Hodge was an East Gippsland naturalist and native plant hybridist based at W Tree, near the Snowy River, north of Buchan. His property was named 'Poorinda' and all his plant cultivars bore the prefix Poorinda'. Generally credited as being the first person to accomplish a thorough exploration of the Snowy River gorges, it was on one of these expeditions in 1950 that he found extensive areas of Boronia ledifolia, which was not previously recorded for Victoria, and the previously unknown Westringia cremnophila . His home garden boasted 160 native plants of which almost 100 were local species.
A self-taught hybridist without any formal qualifications, his first four 'Poorinda' Grevillea cultivars were produced in 1952: his floruit being during the period 1952 to 1968. In all he produced more than fifty Grevillea cultivars, the most famous of these being Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle'. He also experimented with and produced cultivars from a number of other genera, including Crowea, Eriostemon, Westringia, and Prostanthera."



5th June 2009



10th May 2009 10th June 2010 20th June 2010



References:

  • Australian Native Plants Society (Australia), https://anpsa.org.au/plant_profiles/prostanthera-poorinda-ballerina/ (accessed 2023.12.24).
  • Australian Plants Society NSW, https://resources.austplants.com.au/plant/prostanthera-poorinda-ballerina/ (accessed 2023.12.24).
  • Australian National Herbarium, https://www.anbg.gov.au/biography/hodge-leomin.html (accessed 2023.12.24).