Save the Trees

One part of owning a house that I have loved, is how many things we can grow in the garden. Gardening has been documented on the blog here before, though I feel somewhat erratically compared with sewing. As I began to get everything I needed together for this post, I noticed a significant lack of photos and records of gardens to be found. Time to try and rectify that I suppose!

As I mentioned in my post about building a shed, we were about to embark on another round of renovations for our house. (See and read about renovations here.) This time, to build a granny flat (or nana flat), under our house for Steve's mum. While we were at it, we figured we'd also relocate the drive way and get a covered carport, build a small veranda on the front of the house with a roof, relocate the stairs and landscape the entire front yard. Why not right? In for a penny, in for a pound. 

Since we were doing a whole lot of stuff to the front, it also included the relocation of most of our front yard gardens. Some of this was pretty straight forward (like the jasmine vine I had growing over the fence at the front corner), while others were tears and heart break. Not sure this will be the most interesting post for many people, but given that I want to remember these things for the future, and this blog is the means by which I do that, so tough luck. 

The first heart break was when we realised the entire water tank side of the house was about to change, and all the hard work we had put in only just over 12 months ago was about to be ripped out. The plants in the garden were fairly easily taken out and put into pots, but the glorious passion fruit vine was too tricky to save. 

I took photos and labelled things for Steve to dig out for me, but I also did some of the work too. Some plants (mostly succulents) were donated to the school gardens, most of the others were saved. 

This was the sight after we were done. Pretty sad compared to what it was, but I'm hopeful that what we transplanted will survive. And, we dug up the timber that was the garden bed edging there and used it in the back yard to re-edge the entire back garden bed. We also dug up the soil and used it to top up the back garden beds too. Anything we could salvage we did. Our neighbours even took a few wheelbarrow loads of the river stones from the pathway for their garden. 

The three camellia trees at the front of our house, which had probably been there for 60 years, were unable to be saved, like the jasmine vine by the front fence. I'll get another jasmine when we are all done, because that one was given to us as a house warming present by a good friend of mine, and I'd like to replace it. 

When we bought our house, there were two palm trees in the front yard. One of which, was growing right under the powerlines, so we cut it down, I think just last year. The other one we left, but needed to go for the renovation, so that one went too. Bit of a shame, since it shaded the front bedrooms now that it was so tall, but there was nothing for it. 

The last thing in the front garden was the four trees we had planted in the last three years. These were over by the fence on the left as you look at the house from the street. 

I love these trees. We actually bought two of them (a Blueberry Ash and a Luscious) in 2017 before we renovated. Since we started renovating though, we left them in pots and forgot to water them. When our renovation was nearly over, I took what looked like to be dead trees and planted them by the fence. Our builders then though I was crazy, but I was confident that I could bring the trees back. 

They did come back, and went from being about a metre tall, to four meters tall. We added the Australian Frangipani (third tree from the left), and a second Luscious just last year. All four trees were happy with their lives and grew tall and strong, aided by all the beautiful compost that Steve gave them too. The plan was that they would grow up and shade the front rooms of the house from the western sun. 

The second Luscious nearly didn't make it, but Steve and I worked to bring it back from the edge and it was doing fine when we realised that the new carport and landscaping of the front yard would mean the removal of all four trees. Devastating to say the least. 

In what may be a vain effort, Steve put in a number of hours digging up our beloved trees and replanting them. Three of the four when into our temporary pots made of garbage bins with drainage holes. We just aren't sure where they might go after the reno is done, and didn't want to have to move them twice since we weren't sure they would even survive the first round. 

The Blueberry Ash we planted out on the nature strip, and we hoped it would grow where other trees had failed. Even though I want to remain hopeful, I have to be honest and say it does not look good for the poor Blueberry Ash. The nature strip has about twenty centimetres of good soil and is then clay all the way down. Research has told me to work gypsum into the soil, which we will absoloutly do before we plant anything else there. I'm still hopeful though - I bought the Blueberry Ash back from the edge once before, maybe we can do it again! 

The three remaining trees in their temporary pots are living in the back yard supported by the tree house, and getting regular water to stay alive. 

The back garden is looking better than ever, with new edging, filled with good soil and mulch. And my saved collection of plants are doing well in their little corner behind the lime tree near the compost bins. Hopefully I'll get to plant them in a front garden bed again, when we find out what it all looks like after the mud is gone. 

The other thing I've done recently with plants is move my bonsai to a real pot! 

I've had a lesson in how to cut and style a bonsai, and I'm looking forward to this little guy growing into his new shape.