A friend came over with a gift! She lives beside the Aldinga Scrub conservation park and she grows endemic species at her place–and lots came up in her driveway where she felt obliged to dig them out. She has potted them on for me to plant. So this is Olearia axillaris–Coast daisy-bush. A silver-leafed, tall and bushy shrub well adapted to drought. We will see how it goes in the suburbs…
And we won’t be waiting long, because I’ve been out planting. We finally had rain in the driest winter I remember (and the driest since records began in some parts of the state).
Olearia, boobialla and a few saltbush went out onto this spot where I reckon I have planted 30 plants at least… and council decided to put a recycled plastic bench. Those are creeping boobialla in the foreground, just in case you missed them. While I was planting, a neighbour who spends a lot of time on the street came over to keep me company. His opening line was ‘so you’re out praying again!’ Not far from the mark, I think: this might be the closest I come to prayer.
Olearia up near the railway barrier wall. While I planted these I suggested to him that he could help the plants I have put in near his house to live by watering them as the weather warms up. He said he would give it a try. He clearly does like the fact I’m planting nearby.
Then over to a new spot. One of my friends suggested this place, where three beds have been created but nothing has gone into them. To my surprise and delight there is actual soil beneath a generous layer of mulch. I had my first sighting of a worm in all my guerilla plantings… There are worms in some of my pots that go out into a challenging world, but I haven’t found one already in situ until now.
Two olearia over near the fence and another boobialla in the foreground. Railway tracks in the background.
I found two patches of these… eggs? Intriguing. And came home with a bumper amount of rubbish. Happily rigid plastics are recyclable here, so at least some of this will be recycled and the broken glass, dead shoe, straws and suchlike will at least be off the street.
Local & Bespoke 