I saw the first buds on the deciduous trees in my street are pushing their way 
along bare branches and it’s once again a pleasure to be out in the garden.
Which is good as my council is once again giving away native plants.
As long as I’ve been at council they have given away plants through the libraries. It’s great for the libraries as they get a bunch of people in who wouldn’t normally go to a library. It’s great for the public as the libraries are pretty handy to get to and being all natives to the area the plants have a good chance of doing well. It’s great for council as they can show their greenness, their environmental concern, and give away heaps of information on looking after the environment in your own little garden.
The giveaway plants are a motley group from low lying ground covers to trees destined to reach 30 metres or more. As most people live on a quarter acre or smaller (mostly the later these days) it makes me wonder who council thinks wants a 30 metre tall, branch-shedding, storm-tumbling eucalypt in their backyard. Instead, the most popular plant in the giveaway is the tiny native violet shown above. No more than 10 centimetres tall, they fill all the dank and dark corners of the yard that even the grass doesn’t venture. You can bet that there will only be six or seven pots of these little gems in the whole giveaway and it’s always first in; first served.
Anyway, that’s what I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for this plant giveaway. Sometimes it pays to be a council worker.
Blug... 