Another Progress Report

I have given up numbering the progress reports as I can't remember what number (or symbol) I am up to!  So this is just another brick in the wall.

I'll begin with three images from a stroll around the top of the block on 15 April.  The first is the epicormic growth on (I think) a Eucalyptus meliodora (Yellow Box) with scorched trees in the background.

We were intrigued that a termite nest had been burnt out below ground level.  A well known naturalist has commented that there is plenty of organic matter in a termite nest.

Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia is appearing.  This has an "official" vernacular name of Rock Fern but I prefer Resurrection Fern, reflecting its regrowth after fires.

On the subject of Resurrection - appropriate for Easter weekend - the sun got into the act on the 16th!

Our main business for the day was collecting some plants to kick start the fixing up the garden.  This was arranged through a garden aid group set up by the Coordinator of the local Landcare Group.  The plants have all  been donated by various people and businesses, so thank you to them and to Megan for arranging it.  Here are the big trees ...

.. and here the smaller ones.

After a very slow drive back, so as not to damage the 3m high trees, they were offloaded into the garden bed outside our sunroom.  These are all exotics: maples of bvarious species,; a couple of Japanese Elms and a Crepe Myrtle.

Before planting these the chainsaw got a bit of work removing some of the (formerly) existing shrubs that had given up the ghost.  If they are going to sprout again it will be from stumps.

Tomorrows job #1 will be carting this lot up the block to an erosion gully -  Í've got fed up with driving over to the Bungendore tip.

This is a Japanese Maple, but the object of the photo is to show the size of the hole that has been dug.

This is a former maple.  It will be heading for the erosion gully in the near future.

Here is my collection of tools.  As was the case with our block in South Bruce the crowbar is essential for any manual excavation!

In case you wonder why, here are the rocks - mainly some form of shale - removed from one of the holes.  The biggest rock, in the foreground, was about 25cm long.

Coming back to resurrection, these Acanthus are going great guns.  It seemed to take about 5 years for them to get to flowering size but they have obliged each year since and are looking very good for next spring.