Just across the way from one patch that is thriving, is a patch that is under a completely different regime of care. I would guess this is because it is managed by the railways and not the showgrounds. It gets a lot of poisoning. A few things, including kangaroo apples (the shrubs in the distance) have made it. They die back when poisoned but they haven’t died so far, having been planted in, perhaps, 2021.
I have planted this area out twice, once with a bunch of friends and once by myself. It looks to me as though the poison comes from the railway corridor side (hence the survivors being over close to the kerb). The extent of the poisoning is such that my current strategy is to plant a few more hardy plants up close against the ones that are surviving. One of those is a grevillea winpara gem (I think) that has planted itself in an entirely unsuitable spot, close to the bike path. I’m leaving it there since it is alive and nowhere near its potential final size–and may just be a small relative of the 2 metre sized shrub/tree I have in mind, looking at those leaves.
Here is the same patch after some planting, mulching and cutting back of branches overhanging the path. The grevillea is in the foreground, its foliage a sad yellow, but growing anyway.
Here is the sophisticated mulch collecting system. I also chop up the material that I prune off, and add it to the mulch layer. This area looks so alkaline and has so little soil, every addition is worth having to help it build some soil. I’m hoping that the poisoner will start to see that this area is no longer weedy and actually populated with native plants, one day. I am still pondering whether a sign would help or hurt. Sometimes plant guards and stakes create trouble for little plants, and this area is a strong case, where I have had trees pulled out along with their stakes on several occasions, and a sign attached with cable ties removed. So hard to know!
And here, I’ve added some ruby saltbush into another patch further along in an attempt to create an understorey.
Local & Bespoke 
So admire your persistence and determination! Sending live and thrive wishes to all those plantings.
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Thank you!
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I hope that Nature takes over soon and everything begins to thrive. Maybe plant a flowering annual or two, people seem to be softer if flowers are included. I once got lilly pilly seedlings through at school by planting them among petunias.
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Oh, interesting idea! I had some of my saltbush pulled out one time because there were violas flowering beside them, and a neighbour decided the violas were weeds. It’s so hard to know what will work sometimes!
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It is hard. All we can do is try.
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