Chemical use is a controversial topic. The method used to apply chemicals can greatly reduce the risks to humans and the environment. A safer way to apply chemicals is with a herbicide dabber rather than a spray bottle. A dabber is used to cut and paint shrubs and trees or scrap and paint vines. In this post Michelle explains how it is done and where it can be purchased.
The weed of the month October is the Micky mouse plant, an attractive shrub/small tree that is common in Noosa gardens. The serrated leaves have a bronze tinge when young but it is the flowers that are the most impressive. The yellow petals don’t last long but the sepals turn bright red and are very eye catching. This South African plant is spread by birds and has found its way into our bushland. It grows well in different ecosystems and so is found from the coast to the hinterland. Once Ochna is established it out-competes the native vegetation and forms dense thickets. It is also hard to kill and so is of great concern to our bushland and should be removed.
The Noosa Parks Association has a Botany group that meets at the Environment centre on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 2pm. There is a discussion about local plants and talks presented by members and guests. The level of knowledge in the group is extremely high and they are happy to share their passion. They also have walks on the last Sunday of the month. Contact Joan Heavey ph. 0412350749 for more information.
The weed of the month October is the Micky mouse plant, an attractive shrub/small tree that is common in Noosa gardens. This South African plant is spread by birds and has found its way into our bushland. It grows well in different ecosystems and so is found from the coast to the hinterland. Once Ochna is established it out-competes the native vegetation and forms dense thickets. It is also hard to kill and so is of great concern to our bushland and should be removed.
Sunshine Butterflies provided a stunning backdrop for our October workshop. CEO Leanne and husband Damien Walsh welcomed us as we road-tested their brand new Information Building with paving finished the day before for our convenience. Guest Presenter Joel Fostin told us about his work with the Pandanus Beetle and its parasitising wasp, touching briefly on insects generally before we were treated to a tour of the Sunshine Butterflies gardens. Click through to see more photos.
As we adapt local native plants to our small urban gardens, we sometimes have to get out the secateurs. Stephanie shows the difference between a native Frangipanni that has been pruned compared to one in her garden that sneaked up between the palms to get to the light (never to be seen again unless you stand on the roof). This beauty was spotted in Boreen Point where it has been pruned as a hedge.
The Urban Wildlife Gardens Facebook page holds a wealth of information that can be viewed even if you're not a Facebook user. Over the past month it has featured a fabulous roof garden, learning about lerps, photos from local Noosa photographers capturing the beautiful bird life and Stephanie adds details of "What's flowering now" to help us all grow familiar with the fauna and flora of our biosphere home. Check it our for inspiration! https://www.facebook.com/UWGNoosa
Stephanie Haslam has been experimenting with groundcovers in hanging baskets. After just a few weeks the plants have filled them, done their thing and are trying to escape. For those with small gardens, town houses and even balcony gardens, it is important to find out the secrets of pot culture. The bees don't seem to care that they are in pots and are regular visitors.
Urban Wildlife Gardens member Wave O’Connor sent in this letter with images of the work they are doing in their garden following the visit by Michelle. Work so far included removing most of the mock orange, leaving some of it to act as a screen from the street and a bit of shade from the western sun, painting the very old lattice red in lieu of expensive laser cut , rusty metal screens (budget being important!) and planting a whole range of native species. Click through to see some of the images of Wave's hard work to make their garden wildlife friendly.
During September NICA released the second edition of “Weeds of the Sunshine Coast”. The 2013 edition became a bible for bush regenerators and anyone interested in plant ID. The book covers herbs, trees, shrubs, vines and climbers along with aquatics, sedges and grasses. Identification features, biosecurity classification, country of origin and control methods are included for all 272 pressed specimens. The feature that makes this book so valuable for ID purposes is that every plant has a full size scanned image along with a photograph of the flower, fruit or habit.
