My ever evolving verge garden has faced a number of challenges in the last 18 months. The weather has been temperamental – overly wet or overly dry. Consequently some plants have rotted and some have fried. I also have one of those eucalypts that are known for being allelopathic to plants growing underneath them. I have recently replaced some of the moisture-happy plants with more dry tolerant plants. Hence, it rained. Rather a lot. Unsurprisingly the plants that are doing best are the unobtrusive ones that are local to our area that can still be found hiding in some of our urban green spaces. What do you think? Is my verge looking more Australian bush-like?
In order of appearance below – The Glycine clandestina (Twining Glycine) has been a star performer in this rather harsh environment. It delicately weaves its way between sticks and leaves. It is so delicate and unobtrusive that the Brittle gum barely even notices that it is there. Another scrambler is Einadia nutans (Climbing Saltbush). It loves the sunny spot I found for it. I love how it is climbing its way through the Themeda triandra (Kangaroo grass). I bought three Bossiaea (possibly the prostrata variety) but only one has survived. It was too hot when I planted them or maybe they are difficult to get started? I hope it survives because I love the muted orange and olive tones among the meatier brown of the fallen leaf litter.
I fell in love with the Dichelachne crinita (Long-haired plume grass) growing down at our nearby park, so I planted some on the verge. It likes water so I sprinkle it from time to time but it seems reasonably adapted to both wet and dry conditions. I have also incorporated plantings of Wahlenbergia stricta (Tall Bluebell). My verge plantings will provide seed for our neighbourhood park restoration project.
And finally, one last photo. We had a family of Superb Fairy Wrens visit us for the last year. This year they made it to our front yard. We have also seen them venture to the edge of the park. We hope that one day they will be just as comfortable in the small thicket of shrubs our landcare group is establishing for them there. Plant some dense shrub cover and native grasses, invite the insects in, and the little birds will come.
Work on the verge, or the nature strip as some like to call it, began about a year ago. It began as a folly because our family normally call this area the dead zone. Growing a native garden under a gum tree can be difficult but hopefully not impossible with the right plant choices. We live in a frost hollow so that adds further challenges. It is winter now so not much is happening. Still, I am like an expectant mum, bursting with excitement and ready to bring home the baby. But as you know, these things cannot be rushed.
The design concept evolved over the course of the year from growing whatever would grow in the dead zone under our brittle gum, to instead targetting plants that were native to our local area (Canberra, Australia); there being quite a lot of overlap in these groups. Unfortunately my enthusiasm was not matched by my knowledge and so occasionally I planted some non-local native species in my haste to get plants in the ground before dry weather was upon us again. The definition of our local region is also very broad covering both sub-alpine temperate forests through to natural temperate grasslands on the plains.
The garden is finally starting to take shape, albeit mostly in my head. To narrow down my plant choices, I began to incorporate a number of species found growing in my nearby local park or plants that perhaps ought to be growing in the park if it had been left in its original natural state. I suspect I have over-planted but I anticipate some losses. By popular demand (a couple of people), below is a list of the plants I’ve jammed into this small space. This list and accompanying photos will be updated from time to time.
Grasses
Cymbopogon refractus (Barbed-wire grass) – despite its name, very soft and beautiful but highly flammable when mature. I may need to reconsider although that choice may have been made for me as it appears to have died over winter 2022.
Enneapogon nigricans (Nine-Awn grass, Bottlewashers) – a small, buxom grass.
Poa sieberiana (Small blue Tussock Grass) – beautiful.
Poa spp (Snow Grass) – I think I have Poa helmsii. Maybe too big? Doing fantastically well.
Rytidosperma spp. (Wallaby Grass)
Themeda triandra (Kangaroo Grass) – growing in nearby park and elsewhere in my garden.
Cymbopogon refractusThemeda triandra*Poa helmsii?
Climbers/Groundcovers
Billardiera scandens (Hairy Apple Berry) – local bush tucker.
Glycine clandestina (Twining Glycine) – growing in nearby park.
Convolvulus angustissimus – another species that occurs naturally at the park (where there are fewer snails!)
Hardenbergia violacea (Native Sarsparilla) – limited success previously but wrens seem to like it so I am trying again. Barely survived winter 2022.
Ziera prostrata – non-local threatened species. Unlikely to survive.
Glycine clandestina
Shrubs
Eremophila ‘Piccaninny Dawn’ – non-local but an eremophila that survives in Canberra! I’ll take it.
Eryngium ovinum (Blue Devil) – spiky but beautiful, dies back in autumn. Seen previously in nearby park but no longer present. Also elsewhere in my garden.
Rutidosis leptorrhynchoides (Button Wrinklewort) – endangered, heartbreaker, ie. difficult to grow. I’ve not had much growing it elsewhere in my garden.
Stylidium graminifolium (Grass Trigger Plant) – because I like them.
Thysanotus tuberosus (Common Fringe Lily)
Vittadinia muelleri (Narrow leaf New Holland Daisy) – growing in nearby park.
I recently decided that I would create a new native garden under my gum tree on the nature strip by the road, so I got to it by planting a multitude of tiny tubestock plants. Unfortunately the seedlings weren’t very easy to see and the kids passing by had a tendency to walk on them. My friends and I joked that I should install some stakes to deter the less observant. Before you all report to me to Child Services, I would like to reassure you that within moments of that thought, I began thinking of what I could put in the garden to make it more fun for the kiddies.
My son was going to throw out a couple of weird looking figurines that his grandmother had given him. Shhh, don’t tell grandma. So I rescued them and stuck them in the garden. Here’s one. I call it Gargoyle felis catus sp. I plopped it in next to a Poa sp. (an alpine grass).
I also found this neglected mosaic butterfly mosaic (not one of mine), complete with spider egg sac. Further information on spider egg sacs can be found here.
I then found an old dragonfly mosaic (one of mine) lying around so I put it on the other side of the tree until I can organise a stand for it.
It is coming together slowly. Hopefully it will look better when the grasses get a little bigger.
I am quite enjoying this preoccupation. I hope you are keeping busy too.
Reflections of An Untidy Mind 