Planting as we go

Too many properties are landscaped as an afterthought, with plants going in long after all the other work is done (or not at all). This is not how we’re tackling Lewisham Farm.

Planting the slope above the barn with natives

We’re intentionally planting as we go, entirely with Australian natives. This includes a wide mix of callistemons (‘bottle brushes’), grevillias, banksias and leptospermums (‘tea trees’).

There are good reasons for these plantings:

• Most flower heavily, attracting native birds and feeding the bees.
• They will flower throughout the year, providing Priscilla with cut flowers.
• They will screen things like the shed and water tanks, blending them into the landscape when viewed from the house or road.
• They help to define ‘garden rooms’, breaking up the acres into smaller spaces with their own character.
• When planted densely, they will keep down the weeds, at least to some degree.
• They will be beautiful, making the farm a lovely place to spend time.

By planting them early, they get a head start in the disturbed soil, before the grass and weeds have had a chance to reestablish themselves. It also means that we’ll get the benefits sooner!

Plants that will screen the water tanks from the house

By largely using tube stock plants, the cost of plants for a given area is only $50-100, which is nothing in the scheme of things.

And there’s much more planting to come…