We have finally had some warm, sunny weather, and the soggy ground has started to dry up at last. The birds are singing and nesting, the insects are buzzing…..and the weeds are growing!!

We have had a very vocal pair of Striated Pardalotes near the shed the last few days- their call is amazing, and carries all the way up to the house!

Apart from weeding, pruning the roses now the risk of frost has passed, and generally tidying up after the cold and wet, we also had a new project! When we moved into McCarthy Park 2, we vowed to reduce the amount of lawn, and therefore the need to water it. We replanting the ‘oval’, a lawned circle in the driveway, with native plants, and while we have had to do some replanting in areas, it is looking fabulous!

So the latest area to plant is along 60 metres of the neighbour’s fence line. This will give us (and them) greater privacy, and in the process reduces another whole section of lawn! We need to keep a considerable amount as part of our bushfire protection zone, but look forward to this new section of 125 native plants taking off.

The plants we chose are deliberately bushy, screen type plants that should eventually completely hide the fence line. As they grow, we will gradually work on killing off the lawn around them, but decided to leave it for now……. hopefully that works!