Week 3 August 2006: Rain = 3 mm this week
This week we made-up more potting mix for our 20 centimetre vegetable pots. We will be growing dwarf beans and cucumbers in these pots.
We also spent time potting on seedlings and struck cuttings. At the moment we have seeds of 75 species of Australian natives in pots including Acacias, Banksias, Casuarinas, Eucalypts and Hakeas plus a few vegetables.
One day this week we nearly stumbled across our first Red-bellied Black Snake (see image). This individual was rather sluggish and was lying across a rock soaking up the sun. Black Snakes are very common at Yallaroo. They are not aggressive reptiles and we consider them to be in integral part of our environment.
To the south of Yallaroo the Acacia neriifolia are coming into flower. They stand out like yellow beacons on the hills. We have regenerating specimens on Yallaroo and they will burst into bloom within a week or so.
The first tree in what we laughingly call our orchard flowered this week. This nectarine is about ten years old and bears tasty fruit.
This week we laid sawdust on some new paths in our New Pond Garden. Our paths come in two widths. There are the major paths that are about one metre apart and the minor ones about half this width.
The Yellow-faced Honeyeaters returned to the garden this week. They have been away for a couple of months. They have returned to nest. This is very satisfying. We feel privileged that these, and other birds, select our garden to raise their families.
Planting continued this week with 12 plants finding a home in our gardens.
New on the site this week: Acacia prominens, Mirima National Park, Purnululu National Park, Yellow-faced Honeyeater.

Garden Diary