permaculture

[Robyn Williamson <rz.williamson@optusnet.com.au>]

Hi Andrew
Would you like to try some wattles in your clay loam?  I would have to 
check out quarantine requirements first, but we are about to collect 
seed for the first time of Acacia baileyana which has done really well 
for us in a heavy clay loam, has reached a dense 10ft or more in 2 
years, we put it in for chop & drop type mulch.  These wattles have a 
use-by-date of about 8 years, this is not the one that became a "weed" 
in South Africa but I would keep a close eye on it nonetheless as it is 
very vigorous around Sydney.  I don't think you could ever overdo the 
nitrogen thing adding N  in this natural way and allowing it to break 
down by itself.

A. baileyana aka Cootamundra Wattle has a beautiful silvery blue 
bipinnate leaf and clusters of yellow, staminate, sweet-smelling fls in 
winter.  We have never watered it and our rainfall is about 1000 mm per 
annum (don't know what that is in inches).

For anyone in Sydney on Sunday 31 August 2003  our one-acre 
demonstration permaculture garden will be open from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm 
with seed collecting, worm farming and other eco activities for kids 
and a graphic display of our progress to date.  We are situated in the 
grounds of Fagan Park, Arcadia Road, Galston behind historic Netherby 
Cottage and the agricultural museum, enabling you to walk from the past 
into the future.

Sorry to have missed you all at the Gardening Australia expo but we 
were confident that the cause was well represented there and we are 
very busy covering this area of Sydney.  For anyone in the area we have 
another expo coming up on Sunday 14 September in the grounds of 
Collingwood House, Hume Highway at Liverpool City Council's Bloomin 
2003 Garden & Environment Expo.  Free entry, all welcome.

Robyn Williamson
PDC, Urban Horticulturist
Hon Sec, Fagan Park Community Eco Garden Committee
Local Seed Network Coordinator, North Western Sydney Community Seed 
Savers
ph/fx:  (612) 9629 3560
www.seedsavers.net/lsn/32.html
rz.williamson@optusnet.com.au