Member since Sunday, 14 Sep 08
G’day.
Our house block is 15m x 36m (50ft x 120ft)in suburbia.The gardens started off in the 70’s when I grew plants that that everyone else grew,what I call ‘normal plants’.Petunias,pansies,poppies,portulaca,primulars,roses, marigolds,anemone and ranunculas,all the pretty ones.We also planted 1 lemon and 2 orange trees,3 gum trees and some shrubs including japeneese maple,bottlebrush.NZ pittosporum and a few conifers (the last conifer came out in Sept 08).
We still have the citrus trees,some of the gums have been blown over and replaced with other native trees,all the conifers have gone,those shrubs have been replaced with mainly natives and I still grow some of the ‘pretty ones’ but they don’t dominate like they did once.
In 1980 a book came out called ‘Birdscaping Your Garden’by George Adams.This book changed the way I looked at gardens and really directed my thinking towards a more natual landscape in my little patch on the planet.
1984 was the year of the tree and this gave me the incentive and courage to start the big changes (well for me it was).Part of the lawn went as the garden beds were made bigger,more shrubby plants went in,woodchip mulch covered the ground and this was the beginning of my new wildlife garden.
Organic Gardener
Years gardening: 36
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Zone 10 These are the Gypsies of the garden.They can move around as the season suits them or they find a place they like and maybe stay there for ever.They live in pots,baskets,old shoe...
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4 plants
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0 journals
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1 faves
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Zone 10 My first lawn was Kikuyu (of african origin)which needed cutting 3 times every 2 weeks in summer (with good rain).Then a few years ago I became aware of local gound covers that ...
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6 plants
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0 journals
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Zone 10 This garden has 2 parts.The 1st(native)started in 1984,the 2nd (a small corner to get rid of some lawn)many years later.A thought occurrred to me that this area could represent ...
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7 plants
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1 journals
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0 faves
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Zone 10 This garden contains the 1st plants planted after the house was built at the end of 1971.They were 3 citrus trees....1 Lemon and 2 Oranges.They had concrete mower rings around t...
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1 plants
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0 journals
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Zone 10 This garden starts on the western (hot) side of the front yard then curves around below the re-cycled sandstone wall of the Streetfont Native Garden to run down beside the West ...
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2 plants
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Zone 10 This area ajoins the footpath across the front of our block and is what is seen when walking or driving past our house. The garden faces north (gets all the sun) but is shaded o...
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15 plants
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11 journals
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0 faves
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Zone 10 A small narrow garden that is between the Crescent Native Garden and the wets side of the front driveway.Gets morning and some afternoon summer sun with mainly shade under trees...
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2 plants
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0 journals
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Zone 10 The big tree was a Eucalyptus nicholii which became a monster.It lifted the concrete,cracked the brick fence between us and our neighbour and filled their pool with leaves,it ov...
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1 plants
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I have the following seeds and plants currently available for swap. Check out my Wish List
for plants that I am currently looking for.
Where am I?
northmead, Australia 10
You can also find me at...
I love to grow
Australian Natives,Cottage plants,wild plants you can eat.
Hobbies
Bird watching,bushcare (weeding in the natual landscape) ,photography
Friends (12)