Wattleseed haiku

It's quiet and hot.

The office is alive, though,

with sounds of freedom

Triumphant crackles

As seed pods twist and tighten

Splitting at their seams

The dry husks make way

Exposing a glint of life

A seed of new hope

January is for... out with the old, in with the new!

Now is a great time to celebrate the achievements of the last year, finish off old jobs, start some new jobs and make some new plans!

Back in September's post, I mentioned that the old ugly carport was being removed ( http://hunterharvest.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/september-is-for-celebrating-in-style.html ). We managed this month to finally finish up the new 'carport garden', with the last poles coming out, and the last plants going in. Before planting, we built up the centre beds with good quality soil from the landscape yard to help with drainage and to improve the compacted soil that was the floor of the carport.

The removal of the carport left quite a big opening at the back fence, which is now a large space facing into our neighbours' yard. Thankfully, we know a thing or two about living screens, and planted some fast-growing large shrubs that will give us some privacy (eventually) and provide a nice green background. This area is also designed to be bird attracting, and so the plants were carefully chosen for their habitat and food value. Think nectar-rich flowers, dense or prickly foliage, tasty seeds or flowers to attract insects. To maximise this, there is a lot of variety and little repetition, except for the clumps of groundcovers. To avoid looking too 'hodge-podge' there is a colour scheme of purples and whites, with a couple of pinks, blues and yellows here and there and some interesting foliage for year-round interest. The mix is all native plants, and consists mostly of Grevilleas, Melaleucas, Banksias, Acacias and Callistemon, with plenty of little surprises thrown in. We are hoping to build a pergola and BBQ area on the concrete slab, so I've planted some edible natives like midyim berries, ruby saltbush, muntries and mint bush along that edge for easy access.

Prostanthera cryptandroides (mintbush)

In the back corner we have marked a spot for a garden seat (there's a special one at a local nursery that we're putting money in a jar for) and the middle section of the beds are all low-growing shrubs and groundcovers, 1-1.5 m high so that we can sit in the chair and look over the garden towards the house and pool.

There is also a stepping stone path to the seat made from sandstone offcuts and some home-made mosaic pavers. I love mosaic and have mostly made pots in the past, but the pavers are great fun and not so time-consuming!

A nice thick layer of forest mulch will keep the weeds down and the soil moist, so eventually I won't need to water it much, if at all.

They are already looking better every day and the butterflies have started to visit the little native daisies, I'm so excited to see it all grow and watch the birds playing around instead of the neighbours and their dogs... they will probably appreciate it too!

I have a few favourites among the plants that I'd like to introduce:

Homoranthus decumbens

 

This gorgeous blue-green shrub grows horizontally and forms little cream flowers along the branches like icing on a cake. The colour is fantastic, and insects love the flowers when they come out in spring.

 

Acacia cultriformis

 

 This quirky wattle forms a dense shrub with these interesting wing-shaped phyllodes. The prickly foliage will help to shelter wrens and finches that may want to nest there when the garden is more established.

 

Melaleuca nesophila

A large shrub with fluffy flowers that start out bright purple and fade to almost white, so that there are a number of different shades at one time. I wrote an article about these as part of my internship, you can see it here:
http://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2012/melaleuca-nesophila.html
Obviously I still have a soft spot for them!


This week Matt also managed to pull up the mashy-pea-green carpet in the lounge room, the surprise layer of lino underneath, and the funky layer of 1955 newspaper underneath that. Some of the ads and stories are so funny, I might have to make a collage to hang on the wall for a bit of vintage style and a nod to the house's history.

Eventually we will sand and polish the boards, but for now I'm just happy for the old carpet to be gone. There is only one small patch remaining, we are slowly making progress!

If anyone is interested in a comprehensive list of what's in the garden, knock yourself out:
Acacia amblygona
Acacia cultriformis
Actinotus helianthi
Austromyrtis dulcis
Banksia integrifolia
Banksia spinulosa 'Honeypots'
Brachycome multifida Blue, White and Break 'o' day
Bursaria spinosa
Callistemon 'Wilderness White'
Calothamnus granitica
Enchylaena tomemtosa
Eucalyptus caesia
Eucalypus macrocarpa
Grevillea 'Fruit Box'
Grevillea rosmarinifolia 'Lutea'
Grevillea 'Pink Surprise'
Guichenotia macrantha
Hakea sericea
Hardenbergia violacea
Homoranthus decumbens
Kennedia nigricans
Kunzea pomifera
Leptospermum 'Lipstick'
Leptospermum sp.
Melaleuca decussata
Melaleuca nesophila
Melaleuca thymifolia
Myoporum parvifolium
Poa labillardieri
Prostanthera cryptandroides
Thryptomene saxicola
Verticordia plumosa
Wahlenbergia gloriosa
Westringia 'Smokie'

 

 

 

Photo of the week- collecting treasures

I mentioned in May that I'm awed by seeds and their ability to transform from a small, hard and seemingly lifeless object into a growing, living plant. I also mentioned in August that I'd been collecting flowers from Acacias along the roadside on the way to work, and identifying them. It's a good thing I did, because now it's wattle seed season! My eye keeps catching them as I go whizzing by, and I can't resist collecting them to turn them into hundreds of baby plants! Of course I leave plenty behind to germinate naturally, and I am getting used to the strange looks from the other commuters.This week's collection includes Acacia amblygona, Acacia spectabilis, Hakea salicifolia and Senna artemesioides ssp filifolia. There is also a bag of Acacia decora pods to empty, so I better get to it!

August is for... seeing the light at the end of the tunnel

 

Where I live, winter says goodbye in such a spectacular way- the roadsides and bushland are lit up by gorgeous golden wattle flowers. The show starts in July and by the end of winter the glow is a heartwarming promise of spring.



I love native plants, and have been learning more about them over the last 6 years of my environmental horticulture degree. My inner botanist has come out this year, and I've decided I'd like to know which species are lighting up my world. That's right, they're not all the same! I remember the days of thinking a wattle is a wattle, and recently realising there are hundreds of Acacias right under my nose has sparked my curiosity.

The differences between species are usually found in the number, location and shape of features such as flowers, glands and phyllodes (almost leaves but not quite!).The trick with identifying Acacia species is that they can be difficult to tell apart when they're not flowering, so it has to be done while all their fluffy flower heads are on show. But I work full time, and study in my 'free' time, so I know I'm not going to get around to naming them within the next month or so. 

I think it was my older sister who showed me how to press flowers in phone books when I was young, and I found it fascinating to preserve flowers to keep. My botany teacher thought it was a bit unorthodox, but he didn't complain about the pressed specimens I handed in for assignments (real botanists use presses that you can pack with layers and tighten with straps, but I'm still very much an amateur!).

Luckily my new job has a focus on local native plants and a bookcase full of great information (it's plant nerd paradise!) so I have been cutting off pieces along the roadside and taking them in for some help, before bringing them home to find a place in my phone book. Some have been easy, some will have to wait until I have time to have a closer look, but so far I have collected flowers from about 22 species. And there are still more that haven't come into flower yet! And yes, I do get some strange looks from other motorists when stopping suddenly on the highway and jumping out into the bushes, secateurs in hand. I tell myself Joseph Banks would understand.


Now the tricky question is- which ones do I have room for in my little garden?

 My choice would have to be the lovely Acacia decora, a pretty little weepy shrub growing to about 1.5 metres. Or Acacia amblygona... the scrambling wattle, with its prickly little leaves for wrens and finches to hide in. Or maybe both. We will have to see how much room we have... that carport will have to go, sooner or later...

And now for a bit of self-indulgence, a selection of photos from around my garden this month. I've been trying out my new macro lens and it's a joy to work with, especially with all the lovely spring buds just beginning to burst. Enjoy!

                            Native everlasting (probably Helichrysum bracteata, I don't remember!)

Broad bean 'Aquadulce' 

 

Lemonade flowers

Purple sage

Snow peas

Tuscan kale or cavolo nero

                                                       Leptospermum 'Cardwell'

Kangaroo paw Anigozanthos 'Bush diamond'