Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind · 19 Comments

A Canberra Gardening Story – Restoring Native Habitat – A Gamochaeta-Led Recovery

2025 was the year I tended my neglected backyard veggie garden and went wild.

In 2024, my TL and I (mostly my TL because I hate gardening) abandoned the veggie garden due to the rodent plague and possum party. Now with three years of Aussie landcare under my belt, I was horrified that my veggie patch had been overtaken by every exotic weed known to box gum grassy woodlands and natural temperate grasslands. So much fleabane (the weed you never walk past) and Gamochaeta (the latter an exotic cudweed)! I’m not sure whether the soil is so good because of the Gamochaeta, or the Gamochaeta so happy because of the soil. I also had some Euchiton (local cudweed), oxalis and other weedy natives, plus one small kangaroo grass (Themeda) tussock, a remnant of a bigger patch that I had exterminated due to the seeds not agreeing with the dogs at one point! Dogs now shut out due to noise issues associated with their favourite prey – rodents.

Our backyard soil is what’s known as “seasonally damp”. In summer 2025, I took to the weed whacker with gusto. I planted a couple of native forbs but they didn’t thrive due to the summer sun sapping the life out of the soil. I also threw in some Euchiton seedheads from plants growing up through my pavers. Anyway, by Spring 2025 I had lots of Gamochaeta and Euchiton. Ta da!

That dead looking shrub in the background of the above photo is a Tumut grevillea. The birds and insects loved it. A week ago I saw its tiny offspring in the Euchiton patch! I hope it survives the heatwave.

Anyway, have you ever seen so much Euchiton in your entire life?

Themeda, Dianella, and a glimpse (back right of photo) of the Indigofera. Also, Euchiton ….

I am keeping some pink salvia because the Blue-banded bees love it. They are experts at buzz pollination. Varroa mite has recently spread to Canberra so the honeybee population is likely to collapse and their numbers not expected to rebound for several years. Blue-banded bees will also pollinate your tomatoes so please keep the pesticides and herbicides to an absolute minimum to support our native bees.

The next step will be to cull some of the Euchiton to make way for some other local forbs and to give our cheeky (and apparently declining) wrens, a space to forage. The native crumb weed (Dysphania pumilio) has now begun its surge. Gosh, the wrens love it. It will also keep some shade over the bare soil when I pull out some Euchiton. Canberra landcarers, please get in contact if you need a colonising species.

Take care, everyone, and happy landcaring.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Urban Landcare – A Little Charmer

Just wanted to say a big thank you to our small band of dedicated volunteers who have been pitching in over the last 18 months to help a small green space be its true self. You make a difference.

If only there were less red tape and more green ribbons, but that is an interesting understory for another time. Time for a photo.

I’m so glad I work for love now. Box gum grassy woodlands with a healthy understory are critically endangered but not yet extinct in our suburbs.

Take care, everyone. Grow strong.

Kind Regards.

Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

The High Life

The honeyeater migration is underway. As I have gone native, that is, planting species indigenous to my local area, I have been contemplating ripping out all my exotic plants. It doesn’t help that my new neighbour is trying to hedge me in with European plants. This is ‘Straya, I feel like saying.

Anyway, the visiting Yellow-faced honeyeaters have reminded me that it is okay to retain a few of my less weedy exotic shrubs.

I knew it! Everyone loves camellias.

Still, the woodland birds really love the garden changes. They are coming in droves now.

Take care, everyone. Grow it and they will come.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

24 Stories – IV – Save Our Trees

It is hard work being a campaigner/activist/decent human being.

During 2024, I spent far too much time rehabilitating our local green space. A big shout out to everyone who joined our Landcare team on this journey. Thank you. In my spare time, I also started a campaign to save some nearby trees. See here. I seriously doubt my ability to keep up the pace. Now I have to write some letters to the powers-that-be. Despite whatever conclusions you may come to while reading this blog, I can assure you that writing is not my forté. Eating chocolate while never getting past the first paragraph is more my thing.

I’m pretty annoyed at how my suburb has been treated. While other suburbs get rehabilitated green spaces and wetlands, we get another big shopping centre, a concrete footpath, yet another sporting oval, and a main road replacing our habitat trees. More trees will be planted apparently to offset the destruction. However, the remnant trees that are to be removed are irreplaceable. The little birds may also have something to say about the removal of many of the other eucalypts that fringe our suburb. Meanwhile, our Landcare team is waiting for a local eucalyptus sapling we requested, to be planted at our Landcare site. We have been waiting for nearly two years. Apparently, there is a shortage. Well, duh. It is no wonder the government’s vote declined at the last election. Wouldn’t it be good if I could send them a message another way, rather than wasting my precious time on writing letters that more than likely will be ignored? Something like this music clip below perhaps.

Hmm, I think I may have just written my letter.

Thanks for your help, everyone.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.