EnviroMatters-Aut-Win-2021_WEB

BEFORE

AFTER

Finding joy in the small things When I bought my home in 2017, it was in direct response to family tragedy. At the time I had no experience with gardening and no great inclination to do much with a yard that was predominantly grass.

By Habitat Gardens member Tamerah Long

medium trees and planted a number of flowering bushes, some of which I inherited. I’ve taken down a twisted Norfolk Island pine and replaced it with a Brachychiton (Bella Donna I think) which seem to do well in Ipswich. I’ve also created several enormous beds that now need to be filled. Thankfully, I stumbled across the Habitat Gardens Program before I got too far. Based on lessons learnt at the first workshop, I now intend to add ponds for frogs, homes for insects and foliage for little birds. The future is looking beautiful.

I saw a very timely episode on Gardening Australia about Australian native cottage gardens. The haphazard beauty of it appealed immensely. I started small, with a 1.5m garden bed. I experimented with soil (clay) improvement. I got used to the frustration of losing plants I thought were doing well. What started out as a simple distraction turned into a process I found comfort in. The plan now is to bring the small joys of local wildlife straight to my door. Today, much of the grass is gone. I’ve added about 15 small to

As grief settled in I turned to the garden for physical distraction and a plan slowly developed. Initially I wanted a cottage garden full of flowers. I planted what I thought was pretty. They struggled or died. Then I planted what I thought was tough. Some survived, many died. Frustrated, I left it for a while and spent time elsewhere, in other gardens or parks. My world focused in on the small joys. The buzz of bees, the flutter of butterflies. The quick darting movement of lizards and twitter of tiny birds. These things were rare in my yard.

BE INVOLVED Whether you have a small suburban backyard or large rural property, you can help improve the environment through

Land for Wildlife and Habitat Gardens partnerships are open for applications now. New partnership types – Biodiversity and Corridor Conservation Agreements, and Voluntary Conservation Covenants – open for applications in July 2021. Find out more at Ipswich.qld.gov.au or call (07) 3810 6666.

the Enviroplan – funded Landholder Conservation Partnership Program.

Voluntary

Landholder Conservation Partnerships Program

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