Plantings kick off around Mt Gambier for ‘Natives are Good in Gardens Too’ project

You may remember from a previous newsletter that NGT was awarded a grant to promote the use of indigenous plant species in public gardens around Mount Gambier. Over the last month we have kicked off plantings around town starting at Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation and Tenison Woods College.

The works crew at Burrandies assisted in planting over 100 local native plants along the driveway and open grass area at the entrance to the Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation office and depot in September. All plants sensitive to browsing by rabbits/hares were guarded to be safe and a load or two of mulch was placed around the plants to help conserve moisture and to finish off the landscaping task.

Over four days students from Tenison Woods Collage joined Jess in planting along a section of their White Avenue fence line. This garden is visible from the footpath and road, enabling passersby to stop and enjoy the wonderful local native plants. The students, ranging from Year 1 to Year 11, learnt that using local plants at school and in their home gardens will help support the local fauna, including a variety of insects and small mammal species. Signs will soon be installed, so that each species can be easily identified. The plantings and signage aims to spread the word about the benefits of local native plants to students, their families and the wider community.

Watch this space for more plantings coming soon!

Thanks to Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation and Tenison Woods Collage for their support, and well done to all the planters!

The grant has been generously awarded through the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and ANZ’s Seeds of Renewal small grant program.