Week 1 June 2001: This week the last parrot nesting box was mounted on one of our Stringybark eucalypts. Now we wait until spring to see if any tenants take up residence.
A pair of robins was seen hunting insects on the lawn. A male Wallaroo also visited the mown area near the house. We often see male and female Wallaroos feeding some distance from the house. They rarely feed close to the house.
A small flock of Yellow-tailed black Cockatoos spent some time attacking branches on a grove of Stringybarks south of the house. They were after borers. We knew they were there because we could hear their raucous calls and the crash of branches as they fall out of the trees after the Cockatoos extract the borers.
Marking out a new garden bed, which will take up a large part of the mown area. This garden will accommodate about 3000 plants. Another frog pond is planned for this area.
Potting on the remainder of the struck cuttings we bought from a local nursery. Croweas, Grevilleas and Banksias will eventually find a home in our new garden.
We have accumulated a number of Banksia cones over the last 12 months. They are all eastern species such as Banksia spinulosa, Banksia serrata and Banksia ericifolia. In nature they rely on bushfires to trigger the release of seeds. Rather than start a conflagration we treat the cones with a heat gun (normally used to remove paint). The cones are heated until the follicles start to open. The follicles are the receptacles holding seeds. After the heat is removed the seeds are released after a week or so.
We had more publicity about the Gardener of the Year Competition this week. A news item and photographs appeared in the Armidale Express. There was even an editorial about native plants.
Received a phone call from the local council. They need a list of native shrubs suitable for street planting under power lines. Pruning unsuitable trees is becoming an expensive exercise. Some suggestions will be Hakeas and Banksias.