0tterbot wrote:
"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...

snip

I'd have loved to
put in some Buckinghamia and Hymenosporum for the blossoms, but I don't
think either would last five minutes through the winter. Ah well. And
then, of course, some raised beds for the veggie garden of my dreams.

you could also make raised beds along a suitable edge for dwarfed,
espaliered fruit-trees too, because then the beds would not have to be big.
regardless of the blithe j. french, "mounds" are troublesome because they
eventually are not big enough & then you can't water the tree properly when
you need to (which is bound to happen eventually) - it just runs off & away.
this i know because we have some fruit trees on "mounds". pah.

I've seen fruit trees doing well with tractor-tyre collars. I've always
thought that would be a very easy way to raise a bed for a single tree,
but sadly I have no tractor tyres!

you could also raise a few areas up (in an aesthetic manner) for smaller
plants which don't like bogs, too. and of course grow celery & mint to your
heart's content elsewhere :-)

Our block becomes like sponge in the wet winter weather. I've found I
can't grow anything much except native violets and even they will drown
if kept wet for long enough. The lane behind our house was tar-sealed
and the camber has caused water to rush down the slight tilt onto our
block and just drown it. Most of our neighbours have put in concrete and
pavers and had professional drainage done. Can't afford that, buggerit!

I *so* love your idea with the willows and that was my first thought.
However, fancy putting willows cheek-by-jowl with town water and sewage!
Brrrrrrr!!! Doesn't bear thinking about! I figured casuarinas would be
the nearest native alternative and I do love them too.

(he thinks lizards & snakes are the same
thing, unfortunately). at the end of the day, the few blue-tongues which are
foolish enough to hang around our yard have to protect themselves. my
reasoning is that they have a great deal of room away from the yard (47
hectares). clearly that is where most of them live out long & alarm-free
lives. i just go out & try to rescue whatever it is that he's bailed up when
he does his "snake bark" (does not happen much any more). the blue-tongues
just don't come around so much any more. they seem to be fast learners ime,
so perhaps you could train them into pipes with fruit or meat - you just
don't want to be encouraging a difficult situation though where you're just
luring them to their deaths. ;-)

Yeah, I take your point. Our dog thinks exactly the same thing. We had a
Red Belly living under the house for nearly two years (didn't see a
single mouse in all that time), but sadly, the dog got him in the end.
(Actually she got him in the middle and for the life of me I can't see
how she didn't get bitten!)

The other battle is with the #)%*%^^&#^ veldt grass that's taken over the
place. It looks fabulous left to its own devices, but it's nearly two foot
tall now! The frogs and blueys are loving it, but it gives me a pain in
the face: when you mow, the cables just rise up like spikes and refuse to
be squashed!

Ah, the problems of the flustered gardener! :-D

it never ends!!
i'm a fan of letting things work for themselves though - fighting it
constantly is just never going to work. when you decide how to work with
what you have & what you want within those limitations, it will go really
well, i am sure. for e.g. i spent some time frustrated beyond belief with
all the rocks we have. then i decided the rocks are a resource, not a
"problem". the soil is still full of rocks, but it no longer bothers me. :-)

otoh, it breaks my heart we can't have a peppercorn tree, because it gets
too cold here. i love peppercorn trees insanely. but there you have it!
kylie


Yes, I thought the same thing about the recalcitrant grass. I'm going to
try to reduce the lawn area by putting 'things' in at the edges and
hoping some casuarinas will deter it a bit as well. Beyond that, it can
just grow! ;-D

--
Trish {|:-} Newcastle, NSW, Australia