Growing Conditions

The region is noted for low rainfall (around 500mm average but often much lower), low humidity, and frost. It is best regarded as a dry country climate and plants selected accordingly. It has a dry summer, moist winter climate and is therefore well suited to growing plants from Western Australia and South Australia, as well as western Victoria.

In the Melton area, soils are generally loams. Melton is open plain, exposed to drying winds, so that soils dry out quickly. At Bacchus Marsh, soils are alluvial on the river flats, but most housing developments are on the surrounding hills with a variety of soil types. Bacchus Marsh is partly sheltered by the surrounding hills, so that soil moisture is better retained than in Melton.

The use of superphosphate on former orchards and market gardens at Bacchus Marsh has produced high residual phosphorus levels on some properties, leading to poor results with phosphorus sensitive plants such as Banksia and Grevilleas. Some hillside areas in Bacchus Marsh have underlying limestone which also adversely affects Banksias and Grevilleas.

Recommended plants