Latest news with #nativeplants
ABC News
4 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Farmers harvesting for oil and fencing say new rules ruining livelihoods
New South Wales farmers who have harvested native plants on their land for eucalyptus oil and brush fencing for decades say new restrictions are ruining livelihoods. Eucalyptus oil has been distilled from blue mallee around West Wyalong in the Central West region of New South Wales since the early 1900s, and for the last 50 years, mallee-broombush has been harvested to provide a popular alternative to timber or metal fencing. But that has come to a halt for many property owners due to laws protecting environmentally significant native vegetation. Over decades, Gaye Wheatley and her late husband Ned expanded the areas of mallee-broombush on their property to provide an alternate source of income to cropping, sheep, and cattle. "We could see how we could make it productive, encourage the bush and have the income," she said. "[Harvest involved] weaving through the bush in a mosaic way, leaving certain trees and taking dead wood to regenerate, making sure that we got the strangle vine down so that bush could replenish itself." More than 40 per cent of Ms Wheatley's property is now classified as sensitive regulated land, which means clearing is not permitted and a limited range of activities are allowed. "It's virtually stopped our industry, and my three sons were involved with it … and it has greatly affected my income too," she said. The Lynch family has been harvesting broombush in the West Wyalong district since the 1970s, manufacturing brush fencing panels that are sold across the country. Len Lynch said his family had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment, but now most of their traditional harvest areas were off limits. "The economy in the town is affected, the landowners get a royalty, and all the truck drivers — it's a big loss to the township." A group representing about 45 affected landholders and businesses called Landholders Right to Farm will meet with NSW members of parliament in Sydney on Wednesday. They claim data used in 2010 to list woodland and shrubland dominated by mallee and mallee-broombush as a critically endangered ecological community under-represented the amount of habitat remaining. The group also argues that new draft native vegetation mapping is flawed and does not recognise the continued use of the bushland for eucalyptus oil and brush fencing. Significant areas of blue mallee plantations have been established in the West Wyalong district but on some farms, stands of bush have also been harvested. Landholders Right to Farm spokesperson Annabelle Davis said to produce eucalyptus oil, the blue mallee was cut down near the base and allowed to regrow. "The trees are hedged to about 20 centimetres above the ground," she said, "The leaves and the branches are taken up to the distillery where it's boiled, steamed, distilled and the oil is extracted." Ms Davis said the restrictions on land use were "ruining livelihoods". Landholders Right to Farm said several members had been fined or accused of illegal land clearing. Ms Davis's family company disputes an accusation of illegal clearing, and Ms Wheatley has a remediation order over part of her property. The meeting at NSW Parliament was organised by Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke, who said current mapping had left many people too afraid to continue a sustainable practise due to the threat of legal penalties. In a statement, a Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water spokesperson said the department continued to work through mapping and compliance issues. The spokesperson said landowners could seek approval from the independent Native Vegetation Panel to clear broombush in the critically endangered ecological community. The statement said NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe had met with landholders and continued to investigate alternative solutions. Landholders Right to Farm said its members had only recently become aware they could apply for approval to harvest broombush.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
California gardeners plant native species in parks to prevent wildfire spread
Volunteers plant native species in parks throughout California in an effort to restore biodiversity and slow the spread of wildfire Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian Test Plot, a project launched in 2019 by the landscape architecture firm Terremoto, has built eight plots in Elysian Park a recent Friday morning, volunteers were pulling out invasive grass and black mustard to make room for wildflowers and other drought-resistant, native species Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian This garden is a response to a challenge vexing parks departments across the American west: how to adapt to a changing climate with limited resources? Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian 'It's an experiment in design through maintenance,' said Jenny Jones (pictured), director of Test Plot. 'We bring our skills as designers to the park, but do it in a more immediate, low-budget, low-tech way that is very community friendly' Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian In southern California, native flora tends to tolerate drought, making it more resistant to wildfire Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian By contrast, many invasive species tend to dry up, becoming kindling during wildfires, which have become more frequent and severe in recent years as the planet heats up Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian Terremoto's Burn Scar Test Plot, also in Elysian Park, was covered in black mustard and eucalyptus, two non-native and flammable species that burned during 2023 fires Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian The gardens are attracting pollinators and birds such as red tailed hawks and red-breasted hummingbirds Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian Some 500 volunteers have volunteered in Elysian Park over the last few years. 'It's not, just a one-time tree-planting on Earth Day,' said Jones. 'It's a years-long relationship with the land.'Here, volunteer Rebecca Crane and her dog June at the Elysian Test Plot Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian 'In Los Angeles, we see a lot of people fleeing the film and TV industry, which is struggling right now, and finding purpose in care and stewardship,' Jones said. 'It gives you a place to put your energy.'Pictured: a lacy phaecelia plant in front of elegant clarkias at the Elysian Test Plot Photograph: Philip Cheung/The Guardian
CBC
7 days ago
- General
- CBC
Native plant project aims to bring new life to northeast Calgary green space
Social Sharing A collaborative project between EcoLogic Horticulture and the City of Calgary will bring native shrubs, grasses, flowers and more to Rotary Park this spring. Visitors to the northeast Calgary park will soon find the iconic Centre Street Bridge lion sculpture surrounded by everything from prairie smoke flowers and wolf willow shrubs to grasses like blue grama and wildrye as part of an assortment of around 1,200 native plants. The goal is to help establish "a native plant community that's based on reference sites within the foothills," said Nathan Gill, owner of EcoLogic Horticulture, during a gardening event on Saturday. 'It's really to provide an example to Calgarians of what native grassland looks like," he said. The geographic ecoregion being recreated is called the rough fescue grassland, said Gill. According to the Alberta Wilderness Association, the province has the largest area of rough fescue grassland in North America, with the ecoregion dominating the prairies and foothills. "It's something that we have less and less of all the time because most of the land around the city's cultivated, and most parks have been vegetated with non-native species," he said. To prevent the new plants from being outcompeted, the project required all non-native plant species to be removed to make way for the reintroduction of native plants. Plants promote healthy ecosystem Along with beautifying the area, one of the goals of the project is to support local wildlife by providing more homes for birds, bees and other native animal species. Many insects depend on plants like the ones being planted in Rotary Park for food and to reproduce, said gardener Elaine Rude, attending the event as a representative of the YardSmart program run by the Calgary Horticultural Society and the city. "If you start at the bottom and build on it, you will attract lots and lots of native wildlife as it matures, but initially it's going to be mostly the insects," she said. Those insects will make way for birds, while the large plants will attract herbivores like muskrats and deer as part of a healthy food chain. "These are plants that they use to survive on. They're at the bottom of the food chain and then the others will feed on them, so it completes the circle. Everybody wins, every creature," said Rude. City parks and open spaces spokesperson Rachelle Nuytten hopes to see these native plants go beyond Rotary Park and into people's yards and gardens. "We want to demonstrate for Calgarians that are using the park that these are native plants that they can add to their own yards," she said. Gardening with species that have evolved alongside native animals goes a long way toward helping pollinators like bees and butterflies thrive. "Our native pollinators, they need native plants. They can't get pollen from just any plants," said Nuytten. "So adding those to your yard will mean that you will see some of our native insects and birds very happily visiting your yard." Beyond promoting a healthier ecosystem across the city, native plants require less maintenance and are hardier than introduced species. "Native plants have very deep health systems," said Gill. "In our area, because we have prolonged periods of drought, they've adapted over thousands of years to find a way to survive in our difficult climate." Those survival skills also allow native plants to survive Alberta's harsh winters, unlike those in places like Calgary's Central Memorial Park, where imported plants need to be brought indoors when temperatures plummet. "In the winter time, they all have different survival mechanisms to work through the winter, but their life is in their roots," said Gill. "And then when spring emerges, they come back, and green up, and grow for another year, and the cycle continues year after year."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Coldwater's Parkhurst Park just got a native plant makeover
The Branch County Conservation District has planted a new native garden in Parkhurst Park, 329 Grand St., Coldwater. According to a community announcement, the garden features more than 20 varieties of native plants, totaling more than 275 plants. Signage and educational materials will be available in English, Spanish and Arabic to inform visitors about the benefits of native plantings. This project received a $1,250 grant from the Michigan Wildlife Association and local contributions. For more information on Michigan native plants, call 517-278-2725 or email branchcd@ This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team. This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: New native plant garden added to Parkhurst Park, Coldwater
ABC News
24-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Urge to Verge
Among a sea of suburban streets in northern Brisbane, Jerry meets a passionate gardener who sees potential for growth in our roadside verges. Gayle Dallaston had removed all the grass from the rest of her property and was fed up with mowing her nature strip, so she decided to convert the grass to garden instead. She asked the council for a street tree and was given a Queensland Brush Box, which she underplanted with midyim berries, westringia, and some native groundcovers – dichondra, mazus and violets. The mazus is usually found in swampy areas but despite the dryness, it does well in heavy shade and Gayle's clay soil. Gaps in the plantings were filled with paper daisies ( Xerochrysum bracteatum cv.). Gayle considered the safely aspect of every plant and the overall design: Strappy dianellas were positioned away from the footpath to avoid their long leaves becoming a tripping hazard. Nothing spikey has been planted. Strappy dianellas were positioned away from the footpath to avoid their long leaves becoming a tripping hazard. Nothing spikey has been planted. Pedestrian access was also considered as part of her planting design – she left a mulched path that lines up with a walkway on the opposite side of the road, and this allows passengers to easily get out of cars and cross the verge, too. Pedestrian access was also considered as part of her planting design – she left a mulched path that lines up with a walkway on the opposite side of the road, and this allows passengers to easily get out of cars and cross the verge, too. Gayle also watched the postman's usual route and left a pathway for him to reach the letter box. Gayle also watched the postman's usual route and left a pathway for him to reach the letter box. All of Gayle's plant choices are low enough to allow good sight lines for car drivers, pedestrian and cyclists to easily see each other. Low-growing forms of bottlebrush ( Callistemon 'Little John') were useful here. Larger plants, such as crinum lilies, sit against the fence without blocking anyone's vision. Gayle said it took her about eight months to plant out the verge, and she was struck by all the conversation it prompted with neighbours and passers-by. She also noticed how the local wildlife reacted to the extended garden, with blue-tongue lizards exploring the area, native bees visiting, and various birds, including a noisy friarbird nesting in her street tree. Jerry also notices the huge difference between Gayle's street trees and the one planted in her neighbour's verge at the same time: Gayle's tree, surrounded by low shrubs, looks far healthier and more lush than the neighbouring one surrounded by grass and exposed to mowing and whipper snippers. Gayle has found that while some neighbours like the verge garden idea, they baulk at the idea of doing their own gardens, believing it requires more effort. She's also aware that verge gardens can be the source of serious disputes; she feels this is often due to people feeling that you're taking over public space for yourself. So now she runs a project to help other gardeners plan any changes to their verge; checking with their local council, understanding what the restrictions are, which plants to choose, how to make it affordable, and the maintenance needed. QUEENSLAND BRUSH BOX Lophostemon confertus MIDYIM BERRY Austromyrtus dulcis COASTAL ROSEMARY Westringia fruticosa cv. SWAMP MAZUS Mazus pumilio FLAX-LILY Dianella brevipedunculata PAPER DAISY Xerochrysum bracteatum cv. BOTTLEBRUSH Callistemon 'Little John' GIANT CRINUM Crinum asiaticum var. pedunculatum BOOBIALLA Myoporum boninense subsp . australe
