How does your greenwall grow? Progress of the vertical garden at Ozone Lane, Warrnambool
Since its installation in May this year, the vertical garden in Ozone Lane, Warrnambool, has been growing strongly. Several plants such as the Pigfaces (Carpobrotus rossii and Disphyma crassifolium) and Austral Trefoil (Lotus australis) are beginning to cascade down the wall, and many species have already or are currently flowering – a sure sign of health and vigour! A staff member at the adjacent café recently commented that she enjoys seeing the Knobby Club-rush (Ficinia nodosa) occasionally brush past the shop windows from the inside of Ozone Bazaar now that it is beginning to hang down the wall. In the image below you can see the impressive growth of the garden between June and November (click to view larger version).
From seedlings to cascading and flowering plants! The garden’s growth in June (L. Hetherington), September (R. Thompson), and November (R. Thompson)
A new plant, Holly Grevillea (Grevillea aquifolium), was recently added to the garden. This rare prostrate form (Endangered in Victoria, Rare in South Australia) has a very limited range in Victoria, only growing around nearby Portland. Although it has an unusual leaf-form, it produces a normal grevillea brush-style flower, pink-red in colour, in spring. Grevilleas provide food for nectar-loving birds and the prickly leaves give a variety of wildlife safe places to hide from predators.
Holly Grevillea (R. Thompson)
We’ll reassess the garden again in a few months to see if any new plants need to be added, but we are hopeful that the high survival rate will continue through summer thanks to the automated watering system.
Ozone Lane showing vertical garden (R. Thompson)
