Stage 2 of our Borthwick Park plantings was approved by Council in March and Council has made a start by poisoning the kikuyu grass in our new site (see the photos in the attached pdf file). A mulching working bee is planned for 5th June (see below).
Stage 2, planned for around mid-year, depending on rains, will see the planting of many native shrubs and some mid storey trees that used to be native to Kensington at the time of European settlement. Like Stage 1, planted in July last year, we will see plantings of Dodonaea (sticky hop bush), Bursaria (Christmas bush) and our State emblem Acacia pycnantha (Golden Wattle) with beautiful kangaroo and wallaby grasses and other understorey plants below. Creek-line plantings of rushes will help bind the bank and control erosion.
Have you seen any small birds yet? So far the lorikeets and miners remain dominant but with our Stage 1 plantings approaching 2 metres high and understorey plants establishing themselves we hope to see the smaller honeyeaters arriving before long.
Council has erected a project sign in the park to tell visitors what we're doing.
Melanie Spurling of the NRM Board has looked into some erosion control measures for us where the bank meets the creek-line. Melanie has proposed a “Living Bags Project” that will trial the use of sand bags planted with local riparian plant species as a cost effective longer term solution to repair the erosion. As a part of the coming working bee we will tackle installation of the sandbags.
The working bee will be from 9:00am – noon on Sunday 5th June and will be followed by Sundays in the Park. KRA will be providing homemade soups and bread and mulled wine. Notice of the working bee will be in our newsletter that will be put before the end of May. To assist with planning for the working bee and for catering purposes we would appreciate it if you could confirm your attendance on the 5th June.
Thanks as always to our many volunteers. Together we have contributed over 350 hours to the project so far! Your contributions, no matter how big or small are keeping our native plantings growing.
To view the Stage 2 Action Plan click here.
To view the Stage 2 Planting Plan click here.