February 2024 - Andrea Whitely Garden Consultant

According to our Indigenous Noongyar culture, this season is called Bunnuru and it is the hottest time of the year. http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/nyoongar/bunuru.shtml

The tiny birds love perching on these metal spirals while they dry off after a dive in the birdbath

During February and March here in Perth it is hot and dry with little to no chance of rain. We did have a short heavy shower last Friday night but that was a bit of a teaser, just like the thunderstorm a couple of weeks ago. In February 2024 so far we have had 0.22mm of rain in Perth, which is about the same as we had last year in 2023.

There are some things that you can do during this time to help your garden thrive and not look dry and crispy, which let’s face it is enough to make even the most positive person feel a little down and sad.

Every year the same conversations are had all over Perth, the week that the kids return to school…”Oh my God, it is so hot!!!” Well, it is and we just have to get used to it, wear fewer clothes, drink more water get a bigger fan, and embrace this lovely warm weather.

Indigenous people used to move towards the coast at this time of the year so that they could be well placed to enjoy what we now call the Fremantle Doctor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremantle_Doctor

The cool sea breeze blows from the Indian Ocean over the city in the afternoon. The afternoons are a great time to get out with the hose and water your garden by hand. I find it very meditative. It is a time when I feel very connected to my garden.

A lesser-known masterpiece sits high on the hill overlooking picturesque Daylesford. A short day trip from Melbourne, Daylesford is home to Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and the work of German-born, Baron Sir Ferdinand Von Mueller who was the Government Botanist in the 1860s. He established the 10.4-hectare garden at Wombat Hill. I guess he was experimenting after establishing the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens and responding to the call that all towns should have botanical gardens as the colony grew and the population started to move from the cities to the country. If only there was such a commitment to tree planting these days.

To create the garden at Wombat Hill, the native species were removed, pathways formed, and trees from Europe were introduced to the area, changing the landscape forever.

The rich volcanic soil was an ideal playground for tree planting and experimenting back then, when the Baron was introducing plant species from Europe to Australia.

https://www.lostmagazine.com.au/content/australians-baron-of-botany

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens Image: Courtesy Discover Daylesford

The gardens today are a vibrant and thriving legacy…how does that old Greek proverb go…“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.” Well nowhere is this more evident than witnessing the work of the baron some 165 years down the track. The tree collection is outstanding.

There is a stunning nursery that offers healthy rare and unusual plants for sale. The money raised from the sale of these plants that are nurtured and sold by volunteers assists in funding the running of the gardens.

Month: February 2024

How to Help Your Garden (And You) Survive Bunnuru

Big Trees, Begonias, Wombats, and The Baron’s Legacy.