Week 2 December 2000: We have two dams on Yallaroo, a small one to the west (pictured on the introductory page) and a large dam to the east. Rainbow Trout and Golden Perch have been introduced into the big dam and we are patiently waiting until they mature. This dam is also home to yabbies or fresh water crayfish. They were not introduced but arrived under their own steam. At various times we harvest some of these delicious crustaceans, taking only enough for one meal. We use a trap baited with bones and other edible odds and ends. Tried to catch some this week for Christmas. Unfortunately we caught very few yabbies and those we caught were very fragile because they had just moulted. No yabbies for Christmas but we will try again in the New Year.
We are growing a few native rainforest plants in containers on our sheltered patio. We have a Blueberry Ash (Elaeocarpus reticulatus) that has burst into bloom. The fringed flowers are usually but we have a pink-flowered form. The flowers are followed by bright blue berries, which are another attractive feature. There is a host of native rainforest trees and shrubs that could be cultivated as indoor plants. With their foliage, flowers and fruits many species will run rings around exotic indoor plants.
Early in the year we planted a number of Western Australian banksias. These were plants raised from seed. Unfortunately most succumbed to frost and the lack of water during autumn and winter. One plant of Banksia baueri survived and is now growing vigorously. Banksias have fibrous root systems and need more water than other natives when they are young. We are now triple mulching all our banksias. Firstly they are surrounded by a ring of fist-sized rocks (we have these in abundance), and then mulched with old sable manure, which is covered with a four-centimetre layer of chipped green waste. We leave a depression around the plant for watering. We have excellent results, using this method, with banksias from eastern Australia. We have planted three Banksia spinulosa in one hole. Hopefully these plants will develop into a multi-stemmed Banksia clump. We will plant more western banksias next year using this mulching system and planting amongst other shrubs to provide frost protection.