Move over, Jamie

I went to a talk on eco-friendly backyards the other night; guest speaker Jamie Durie was up on the soapbox I've been on for a while, so we'll share the space! Jamie is an Aussie telly presenter who worked on Backyard Blitz downunder and is now seen in the US on Victory Garden and The Outdoor Room. Attendees pretty well filled the room at the Long Reef Golf Course, which has a view out over the beach; all the floor-to-ceiling windows were open to let in the gentle evening breeze and the sound of the waves. He mentioned that only a few years ago there would have been four or five people there; two of them would have been Seja and me! Jamie showed slides of some cutting-edge rooftop and vertical gardens, then went on to focus on local issues. I loved his message! Get rid of water-guzzling, fertilizer-gulping lawns; plant natives or site-appropriate exotics; harvest rainwater with a tank; reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals in the garden; grow your own food and compost kitchen scraps, all for starters. As he says, have a think about what you're doing in your garden space, whether it is an apartment balcony or a suburban yard. He pounded home the history of bad horticultural choices made in the early years of Australia's foundation, when English flora were planted at the expense of native vegetation. We pay the price for this folly today as Australia faces a terrible problem with salinization of former bushland; the native vegetation kept the balance and introduced species cannot. If you have to constantly feed it, pamper it and amend the soil around it, perhaps it's the wrong plant for the site in your garden.

The National Botanic Garden in Canberra is very focused on the issues of appropriate vegetation and preservation of native flora, so I was interested in how the Royal Botanic Garden at Mt Annan would present the message. It is on the way to being a showcase of Australian flora, presently displaying around 4,000 of the 25,000 known plant species of the continent. Planners are re-designing many of the spaces to encourage home gardeners to use available plant materials in their own gardens.

 

This acacia, for example, is easy to grow, available in nurseries, and can replace introduced species in the home garden. The blooms are delicate and a magnet for native birds and small marsupials.

There's no need to rely on English imports to give that coveted "English cottage garden" look. Native Australians can do the job perfectly! The gnome is waiting patiently for the area around his bench to be filled in.

Eucalypts inhabit almost every flora niche in Australia. Their dainty blossoms and interesting nuts are food  for a myriad of birds and animals. One is the citronella gum, and walking under it on a warm day is to be enveloped in a delicate lemon frangrance. Oh, and the mozzies won't get you under there either.

There are squillions (a very scientific measure) of bottlebrush varieties in Australia as well. Tough as can be, and there's bound to be one that suits any garden. It will attract Australia's flying flower, the lorrikeet, in huge numbers when it blooms. The birds absolutely savage the blossoms to get at the honey at the base of each flower, squawking their joy in the feast. You may not be able to see the birds at first, but you can certainly hear them.

Who wouldn't want one of these lovely shrubs in a garden? It's bound to nearly take care of itself, sip (not guzzle) water, and delight the gardener with blooms about 8" across.

I adore whimsy in a garden, and Mt Annan did not disappoint. This is actually a dead blue gum, but not its true color. Gardeners painted it blue so it would be visible from afar. The lesson is that in the bush environment, dead snags are wildlife havens, where birds & mammals can nest in safety and are necessary for a balanced landscape. Good fun!

The garden covers a huge area, 410 hectares (1013 acres) and is an amazing space for native species. Visitors can drive their cars through the gardens, like at Wildlife Safari, only here the displays stand still. There are also tracks through the bushland for the more hardy visitors. Most impressive!

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