Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind · 12 Comments

Garden Artistry

I have been asked by one of my readers to post some progress photos on my verge garden that I started during Covid. Since my verge garden is pretty plain, even plainer than in the first year or two that I planted it out, I will extend this show-and-tell to another small patch of my front yard that I have been giving a makeover.

The verge garden has had some setbacks with several plants finding the conditions too harsh/cold/hot/wet/dry, etc. The central feature of my verge garden is the brittle gum (E. mannifera). Brittle gums are difficult trees to grow anything under, especially plants that come from Western Australia, which is on the other side of Australia from where I live. So, duh, I shouldn’t have been surprised by the outcome. So, I’ve found some plants that like to grow under brittle gums and they are going well. Let’s take a look.

I’ve planted a couple of tiny shrubs on the right hand side because the lack of symmetry offends me.

Not much happening here but, fingers crossed, my vanilla lily might flower this year.

Your view of the bulbine lilies will be interrupted by a shrub in future years.

I’m being hyper-critical. If I was to come across a patch like this under a brittle gum in the bush, I would be delighted. So I’m delighted. Still, six years is a long time to see results.

Keeping with the natural bush theme and planting of locally indigenous plants, I decided to hack out the kikuyu in the front yard. I’ve been working on this for three years now and I’ve only rehabilitated a few square metres. It is one thing to work to improve a patch of woodland that already has an understorey of native plants. Nature is a great artist and she guides the way. However, it is more challenging to create a grassy woodland understorey from scratch, especially without a plan. Voilà the current state of gardening play –

I started with a couple of existing tussocks of kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra) and a few wallaby grasses that I began to work around, clearing the kikuyu and other weeds. The plan is to gradually push back the exotic grass.

Two years ago I planted out the area below. It is very grassy now. I love it.

Then I started on the following area last winter and the current spring.

I’m thinking of moving to my twilight home. You know, the one with less yard. No one appreciates this type of garden so when we sell the house, no doubt someone will scrap the native garden and replace it with viburnum hedges and whatever else is the current fad. In the meantime, I need something to do so I will keep improving biodiversity in my own yard. Every little bit helps, especially these days.

Do you have a project to keep you sane and leave the world a little better off? If not, perhaps start something, or plant something, small and watch it grow. I highly recommend it.

Take care, everyone.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Pink and Grey

Our neighbour wanted to replace the old timber fence so now we have a grey metal fence which meets the old timber fence of our other adjoining back neighbour. I’m not a fan of the impersonal metal fence but it does make a good backdrop for photography.

Last year the Indigofera that I planted was killed off in the frost, but it shot again from the base. This year winter was much milder so it did well and is now flowering beautifully. It looks stunning against the grey, even if I do say so myself.

When I went to the Threatened Species Awareness talk last week, I learnt that the endangered Keys Match Stick grasshopper only moves between 200 and 300 metres in its lifetime, so its habitat can be easily fragmented by urban development and metal fences which are obstacles to its movement. At least the other half of my back fence is timber. I have seen a little grasshopper that looks similar at my local park less than 200 metres away. So I hope.

My backyard is looking very sparse and hot without the critically endangered Tumut grevillea that succumbed this year. It only grows in a small area of southeastern Australia but can be bought from native nurseries for home gardens. I have two baby Tumut grevilleas which are its progeny. Only one leaf each. So tiny and an exceedingly hot summer ahead. Still, I can hope.

Life is busy. The dogs are still alive. So is my True Love. Ditto my children who are no longer children. I count myself lucky.

If you are in Canberra this Sunday, the 27th, and wondering what you can do on this cold and blustery day (a change of weather is predicted), why not join the Conservation Council walk to showcase Canberra’s western edge? Canberra’s undeveloped western edge is the next frontier for urban development. The Western Edge is iconic landscape and home to many threatened species. Someone said to me that developing it would be like putting houses all over the undeveloped areas of the Lakes District. Dumb. Anyway, I happen to know that there are vacancies available for the walk. Yep, I’m leading it with a little help from my friends. How the heck did that happen? We don’t have a defibrillator so if I keel over, at least I will die happy.

Take care, everyone. Have hope.

Kind Regards.

Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

How Do Your Roses Grow?

Middish May 2026 – Canberra (Australia).

Autumn fades but the roses are still blooming. I find that odd. Perhaps it is to be expected considering we haven’t yet had a frost.

It has been quite dry so my rose bushes are unaffected by black spot. I’m curious. Is black spot also an issue in damper climes of the Northern Hemisphere? T

Thankfully some rain has arrived to top up my water tank, and no doubt, winter will arrive soon. Floriade, the forthcoming annual tulip festival, will be a desultory affair without winter’s intervention.

I’m curious. Do rabbits eat tulips?

I’m in a desultory mood myself, hence a lack of doggerel on my part.

Stay curious, everyone. It beats doggerel any day.

Kind Regards.

Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Possum Tales – A Series

5 December 2025 – Canberra

Junior Miss has been hanging out with us most days. My True Love takes her photo every day. She doesn’t mind. She was a quite a bit smaller when she first started sleeping over. Occasionally she is evicted by big mum and baby possume but we haven’t seen them for a while.

Junior Miss today.

This spot is quite close to the tin roof. It is 35c degrees today so she got quite warm.

So she found another spot closer to the ground.

Whatever works!

Here is a photo from a few days ago. She likes the oil drip tray so my True Love cleaned it up for her.

All is well. We are all tucked up inside in air-conditioned comfort, except for Junior Miss. It will be another hot day for her tomorrow. Hopefully she will cope.

Take care, everyone.

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

Dropping My Camera and Off My Perch, Etc

My time flies when one becomes the latest keyboard warrior. More letters have flown off, winging on a slow breeze rather than darting quickly to strike their target. At the pace I’m keeping, the road will be built and trees chopped down before I strike my final cursive blow. Weeding also bounds along at a more rapid pace given the procrastination factor. Work on the home garden continues when the park care weeding does not provide sufficient distraction from the sardonic writing.

At one of my group weeding sessions, I had to flee due to a medical tech malfunction and in our haste to leave, my camera fell out of my tool bucket and smashed. My True Love made it up to me by buying me a new camera. Given I haven’t been quite in my right mind, I decided on a camera that I thought my True Love would like – you know, in the event that I drop off my perch, it wouldn’t be a waste of money.

Anyway, anyway, I’ve taken up backyard photography again while I work out how to operate this new camera. Also, my True Love tells me I am not allowed to put the new one in the tool bucket.

I’m using weedy native colonisers to enrich the soil in the backyard and as protection for some of the more difficult to establish local natives. I’ve discovered that it is far easier to establish new plants in soil that already has a good ground cover rather than in bare dirt. I suppose all you gardeners already knew that.

Phone photo.


The wrens like all the weedy colonisers, eg native cudweed and crumbweed.

New camera. It can take photos through lots of grass. Not brilliant but you get the idea of what these little birds like.


Anyway, anyway, anyway, gotta fly.

She’s off.


Take care, everyone, and see you again when next procrastination strikes.

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.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

24 Stories – III

It has taken me three years to grow this small clump of Button Wrinklewort on my street verge. Button Wrinklewort (Rutidosis leptorynchoides) is critically endangered. At least 10 plants are needed to establish a self-sustaining population. I only have five in this patch. Who knows what the new year might bring?

If you are going to attempt growing some endangered plants, please make sure that you source seed or tubestock from a reputable supplier. We bought tubestock from a local nursery who often grows rare plants for the local government.

Happy New Year, everyone. Hope is a Button Wrinklewort.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

24 Stories – I

I.

In the last week I have spent 15 hours digging out grass. When I am not digging, I sleep. Thankfully the results are not dull even if I am.

Take care, everyone, and be generous with your kindness.

Kind Regards.

Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Canberra Whatnot

Yuma, everyone. After months of no rain, the temperature and humidity is rising here in Canberra, Australia’s national capital. In West Belconnen, the rain often splits around us, a promise broken. For example, Canberra airport had over 30mm of rain today, while we had only 0.3mm. So when it rained in our patch recently, I draped my camera in bubble wrap and took to the street. I thought I would share a few photos of one of our Landcare sites.

The rain is magical, turning ugly duckling trees to swans.

The drain rapidly turns green.

We cut off the seedheads of the African Love Grass by hand. No electric tools allowed. And sneak in some carex and poa to hopefully out compete the ALG one day.

The casuarinas like wet feet.

Not sure about this magpie chick.

The new plantings are enjoying the rain. Newly arrived rabbits are enjoying the plants. We need a chicken wire fence around the bare patches to allow the winter-dormant redleg grass to re-emerge. But the wheels of bureaucratic approvals move slowly, if at all.

As for me, I’m feeling a bit flat. 600 trees nearby will be cut down for an “upgraded” road to a new sustainable housing development. I think people are oblivious to the irony. Or just oblivious. Or they don’t care or feel they can’t do anything about it. It certainly makes me kind of depressed. Same old, same old, eh?

Hug a tree, readers. Save a tree. You’ll feel much better.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

RDP – Perspire