The Aldinga Arts EcoVillage sits within the Willunga Basin, which has largely lost its original vegetation through clearing for housing, agriculture and horticulture.
The landscaping of the EcoVillage is designed to re-establish the local plant ecology, both amongst housing and within the horticultural space of the Village Farm, to demonstrate that a landscape can serve to nourish both people and native wildlife. We are doing this by simply including both native and edible plants into our private gardens and common land areas.
The following plants listed are all local or indigenous to the Aldinga area. In returning these plants to the Village site we are helping to invite the insects, birds and other animals that feed and live specifically with these plants to live here too. The information contained in this guide is very specific to the experience of living in the Aldinga Arts EcoVillage over the past few years, and will evolve as our knowledge of local plants grows.
Plant descriptions
Where can I buy these plants?
When is the best time to plant?
Autumn and early winter is the best time to plant in our climate as this is when the soil is still warm yet the rains have hopefully begun. If plants can develop their root systems before the heat of summer than they stand a much better chance of survival and will be more robust and drought hardy.
Planting for success
A well planted seedling is much more likely to succeed so it is worth getting this stage right.
Plant into a bowl
Creating a depression or bowl in the soil around the plant greatly increases the amount of water the young plant will receive from both hand watering and the rain. Make the size of the bowl roughly the shape and size of a deep dinner plate. You will thank yourself a thousand times over as this will also make watering a whole lot easier, with a greater volume able to be poured onto the plant without running off. Bowls are even more critical when planting on a slope, and may sometimes need to be recreated with a hand trowel if they deteriorate over time due to slippage of soil or mulch.
Seaweed solution
If you want to go the extra mile, soak your seedlings in a seaweed solution diluted to the colour of weak tea prior to planting. This helps to stimulate root growth and reduce the effects of transplant shock, which enables the plants to be more resilient to heat and drought.
How often should I water my plants?
For our local Willunga Basin plants, watering should only be required in the first summer. There is no magic formula for how often to water because rain and wind conditions have a large impact on soil moisture. However, watering deeply every 3 weeks over the first spring and then increasing to fortnightly when the weather becomes consistently hot is a reasonable rule of thumb.
Deep watering infrequently
Shallow, frequent watering is a waste of your time and energy and can do more harm than good. Plants that are watered shallowly become soft with poorly developed roots which are unlikely to make it through future drier spells. Give each seedling a deep water of at least 5 litres or ½ bucket of water per plant. This allows the water to percolate deep into the soil where it escapes evaporation yet remains available to the root system. Deep watering also encourages the development of deep roots resulting in a healthier plant which is able to survive droughts in the future. This can’t be emphasised enough.
To guard or not to guard?
Tree guards are valuable for
- Protecting small plants from the wind. The wind greatly increases the amount that a plant transpires and hence how much water it needs.
- Protecting the plants from rabbits and kids playing.
- Identifying the small plant when weeding and slashing nearby.
Why bother weeding?
Every weed grows at the expense of soil moisture and nutrients that would otherwise be available to your seedlings. In a region with 400 mm rainfall, weed control over an area of 1.5 diameter will make up to 700 litres of water available to your developing seedlings. Without weed control ¾ of this will be used by the weeds.
Sources:
Trees for Life “How to Plant Native Seedlings: Land preparation, planting and aftercare: and outline for survival”
The Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board "Watering Revegetation Guidelines"