Re-Wilding A Sydney Backyard

 When I first came to the Australia from the UK, I had a fondness for the environment but knew virtually nothing about Australian nature.  Years later, when I moved from inner city living into a suburban house with a backyard, something special happened. Fascinating visitors such as Blue Tongue Lizards, Leaf Tailed Geckos and Possums provided magical wildlife encounters and my conservation passion, long suppressed, became reignited. As a result, when fragile bushland was threatened by a development nearby, I joined an action group. And, when the local council began planting native plants along a degraded creekline, I started to sit up and take notice.

Discovering a baby 'southern leaf tailed gecko.

When the ‘windows of awareness’ gradually began to open up, I realised that I needed to acquire some knowledge of native plants and environmental weeds. I really wanted to plant some genuine natives...and not the hybrid ones with showy flowers that you find in Bunnings.

 Later I discovered that, in Sydney, each suburb has its own original suite of endemic native plants which are vital in supporting local biodiversity For example there are nearly 1,000 wattles (Acacias) native to this continent but only 7 were endemic to my area.

One of my 'local' wattles:- Acacia Linifolia

 It subsequently dawned on me that almost every garden in my street had no indigenous plants at all. What was worse, many of the plant species visible, such as Agapanthus, Cotoneaster and Privet. were invasive weeds which spread into bushland reserves and actually caused harm. The irony was, none of the local plant shops even sold species which belonged in the area. To find them you had to travel to obscure specialist outlets or wait for the occasional Council native plant ‘giveaway’. Something had gone horribly awry in this city of Sydney. I realised that the original rich biodiversity had largely been scraped off the face of the earth, just like the indigenous people who once occupied this unique place. Meanwhile the current population seemed overwhelmingly unaware and unconcerned.

 Amazingly the Sydney area has more native plant species than the whole of the UK, they have a subtle, fragile beauty and have evolved both to live on the nutrient poor “Hawkesbury Sandstone” soils and adapt to climatic extremes.  But try telling that to the gardening commentators in the media.  Unfortunately, growing local natives is not good business as it doesn’t profit multi-national fertiliser, pesticide or horticulture interests.

Local bushland:-genuine 'Hawkesbury Sandstone country.

 I realised that my new philosophy was to do the polar opposite of what the so called “Garden Gurus” were advocating.  My plan was to remove all “foreign specimens” that were not of habitat value for local wildlife.  I would plant species that were endemic to my area (trees, shrubs, groundcovers, grasses); identify any remnant natives and carefully retain them; remove weeds by hand and commit to never using commercial fertilizers, pesticides or fungicides. I might occasionally use a weed killer made up of 99% white vinegar and 1% detergent.

A fish pond was transformed into frog habitat featuring a self seeded. 'birds nest' fern.

 Interestingly, my neighbours remember when my standard “quarter acre” backyard contained only a solitary lemon tree (which was given a stay of execution) and little else. But past decades have seen various plantings and re-growth.  The house was built on remnant bushland in the 1920’s and since then suburbia has filled in most of the remaining undisturbed natural areas in the neighbourhood. I often think that what is now happening to the Amazon rainforest in terms of land clearing, happened in this very place, not so long ago.

 At this stage I should recommend an excellent book “Field Guide to the Native Plants of Sydney” By Les Robinson, which helped guide my progress. This amazing work contains invaluable information on our native flora including traditional Aboriginal uses for “bush tucker” and medicine.

 My garden contained a large lawn area of Buffalo grass, several Radiata Pines, a smattering of eclectic garden species and a few natives.  On the edge of the lawn there was actually some naturally occurring native grass Microlaena Stipoedes, some native Geranium (Geranium Homeanum) and some native Violets (Viola Hederacea) plus some naturally occurring Commelina Cyanea (which was eaten by early European pioneers to prevent Scurvy).

The native commelina..yes you can eat it !

A few years beforehand I had followed the current trend and planted a vegetable garden but I decided that even this had to go and it was ultimately replaced by natural vegetation. Luckily there is a fantastic organic food market nearby for delicious supplies and also a wonderful community garden if I get the urge to plant more veggies.

 It’s been a gradually transition but over a few years a large area of lawn has been dug out and the native grass has gradually taken over. A smaller area of Buffalo Grass was replaced with a groundcover called Dichondra Repens.

A native ground-cover has replaced my lawn. 

 I no longer have use for a lawn mower! Endemic species of Grevillea, Hakea, Correa, Banksia, Persoonia, Angophora, Eucalptus, Bracken and Blady Grass etc are growing well and providing food and habitat for wildlife.  Additional accommodation has been provided in the form of various nesting boxes. 

A Hakea in flower

 Insects such as Blue Banded Bees, Mud Dauber wasps and Golden Orb spiders are proliferating.  A fish pond has been transformed into a frog habitat which has also spawned an abundance of Spectacular Dragon Flies.

A Golden Dragonfly.

 A ban on toxic substances means that butterflies and cicadas can fly around more safely. Caterpillars are allowed to chomp away to their heart’s content. This type of garden requires virtually no watering; falling leaves don’t have to be swept away (as they provide natural mulch) and the local possums kindly provide their own brand of proprietary fertilisers.

 I have also converted the “nature strip” of foreign grasses and weeds in the front of the house into a mini habitat area with Lomandras, Dianellas and trees. (again, this is now a mow free zone).

Now it really is a 'Nature Strip'

 American Gardener and Writer, Benjamin Vogt struck a chord with me when he wrote this: - “We need to stop gardening solely for ourselves and see the incredible, beautiful, soul-magnifying existence that happens when we open up our gardens to the rest of the local environment by using native plants. We believe in giving to the needy and poor of our own species, and to other causes near our hearts, why not the birds, insect pollinators and amphibians in the gardens we supposedly cherish so much?”

 As the years go by, the native garden becomes more and more established and only occasional hand weeding is needed.  Additional species are occasionally added from a recently established community native plant nursery where volunteers propagate tubestock with seed collected from nearby bushland reserves. I sometimes try this myself with mixed results!

The “re-wilded” suburban backyard has provided greater biodiversity, a better connection to nature and more enjoyment whilst it has removed the time, cost, and energy of mowing, fertilizing and “manicuring”.   It’s the ultimate “win win” gardening experience!

The re-wilded native garden.

Check out the story by Robin Powell in the Sydney Morning Herald Spectrum pages  siren-song-of-backyard-wilderness-in-Manly-Vale-   and have a look at her blog post on this garden"Wilding the backyard"

STOP PRESS

Bandicoots, anecdotally were very very common in my suburb of Manly Vale.  About 50 years ago they totally disapperared after residents persecuted them for digging up their manicured lawns in search of grubs, they were also heavily predated on by introduced foxes. Amazingly, all these years later they have reappeared (from God knows where) and are beginning to reestablish themselves. Below is one photographed in my "rewilded" Sydney backyard where they now forage and (I think) live.

Why have Aussies turned "chicken"?

  I reckon our society is really learning to embrace and own the word “pathetic” with energetic gusto. It's time to "man up" Australia.  I mean, how pitiful is it that people now buy specialised household insecticide for use outside their homes?  Isn’t that where all the useful bees, butterflies and beetles should be living unmolested?  Are we really so terrified of cockroaches and mosquitoes that we’re prepared to consider everything else (including possibly ourselves) as collateral damage?  And what have ants ever done to earn a reputation as public enemy number one? They’ve been efficiently helping human beings tidy up their biscuit crumbs for thousands of years, yet the amount of supermarket shelving devoted to seeking out and destroying this perceived threat to national security 

is staggering.

 Don’t even start me on spiders.  So they have a different number of legs to us...is that just cause to turn tough, boofy, blokes into nervous, timorous, trembling fools at the mere sight of one?  The fact that arachnids are loyal allies in our chemical war against mosquitoes doesn’t seem to have won them any friends at all.  The truth is, that even the demonised mosquito has a role to fill in the finely balanced workings of this planet...they provide vital food to all the cute little frogs, birds and bats that David Attenborough recruits for star billing in his TV charm offensives .

 Regretfully David, few people seem to be getting the real gist of your message. We have become, not just estranged from the natural world, but unnaturally afraid of it. So, for example, instead of thinking of possums as miraculous wildlife survivors in our urbanised environment, they are demonised for the inexcusable crime of treading too heavily on our rooftops with their furry little feet! It’s this disconnection that has eroded the sense of stewardship that Australians once had for our richly diverse land. So now, big open-cut mining projects can destroy whole forests with barely a whimper, consideration for koala populations runs a poor second to development applications and the kangaroo, our national symbol, is turned into cat food, with little complaint.

 On a broader scale..iconic places such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Kimberley replete with endangered Aussie animals are being sacrificed to the resource industry before our very eyes.  So next time you go to squash an insect...maybe you should ask yourself...”is this all going to end in tears?”

Why have Aussies turned "chicken" ?

Come on guys..stand up for nature! At least try and help save the Great Barrier Reef!  Sign the petition.

PS: no animal was harmed in the production of this blog. I advocate kindness towards chickens.

This War Memorial Park Is Under Siege.

  Manly Warringah War Memorial Park is a living monument of national heritage listed bushland –a tribute to Australians who have served in times of war..

The fragile mantle of rare biodiversity surrounds a body of water known as Manly Dam (originally acting as the water supply for the settlement of Manly). What makes it even more significant is that this beautiful and sacred place, rich also in Aboriginal heritage, is only 5 km's from central Sydney's concrete heart.

At the beginning of this century there was a momentous, but losing, struggle to save some of the bushland catchment from being bulldozed for a housing development. Check out a short video history here:

  Sadly...fifteen years later the sanctity of this special area is again being threatened on four fronts .

1/  Primary School expansion threatens threatened species.

 The Department of Education has lodged a Development Application with Warringah Council (now Northern Beaches Council) (View Documents Here - to build a new school in bushland behind the current Manly Vale school in Sunshine St. There are currently 400 plus students at the school..this would be expanded to over 1,000. The on-line documents show that the school's "footprint" would grow five fold and that 4.37 hectares would be "removed" primarily for Fire Asset Protection Zones. This bushland is a mixture of "Coastal Sandstone Heath Mallee, Sandstone Gully Forest and Sydney Sandstone Woodland  and is rated "very high" conservation value on Warringah Council maps). To comply with fire regulations the bushland would need to be cleared across the boundary into the Manly Warringah War Memorial Park and also into Condover Reserve, these are both natural places which are much valued by the community. The online documents show amazingly that the Eastern Pygmy Possum has been located on site (this unusual creature doesn't even appear as existing in the current Manly Warringah War Memorial Park Plan of Management!)  The Dept of Education's environmental consultant (Kleinfelder) has listed 327 trees which are planned for 'removal' as part of the development. These include Blackbutts, Silvertop ash, Bloodwoods, Grey Gums, Sydney Peppermint, Stringybark..all the beautiful endemic species that make the McComb Hill escarpment so special. Of course innumerable smaller shrubs will also be cleared and, in the process, the unique biodiversity of the hilltop- which is re-emerging after ecological burns, will be trampled and lost. (Many native trees have already been removed around the current school building for fire safety purposes) Check out the Final Species Impact Statement from Klienfelder and the response from Warringah Council's Natural Environment Unit. Keinfelder's report notes that the majority of potential habitat for the Eastern Pygmy Possum in the study area is considered to be of "high relative condition". It also notes that "No recovery plan has been prepared for this species. However, OEH is developing a targeted strategy for this species under the Saving Our Species program. This species has been assigned to the ‘landscape species management stream’ under the program as threats to this species are generally at the landscape scale (e.g. habitat loss and degradation)." The report admits that "potential deaths of resident individuals could occur during vegetation clearing".

 Adult Eastern Pygmy Possum 
(photo Gavin Smith)

In addition to this, at least four other endangered fauna species ( the Powerful Owl, the Eastern Bentwing Bat and the Grey Headed Flying Fox). Other iconic species animals such as Swamp Wallabies, Lace Monitors and Bandicoots also call this ridge-top location home. In fact surveys conducted (after a prescribed burn) have located 44 fauna species and 131 native plant species on site. Flora and Fauna Consultants, Total Earth Care conclude that  the proposal is "likely to have a 'significant impact' on the following threatened species:  Prostanthera marifolia  Tetratheca glandulosa  Pimelea curviflora var. curviflora  Red-crowned Toadlet  Southern Brown Bandicoot. The Consulting Company 'Kleinfelder' in its Preliminary Species Impact Statement remarks that the proposal would "contribute to ongoing incremental loss and degradation of habitat for (the listed endangered species) in the Warringah LGA".  Importantly, Keinfelder's survey somehow failed to detect the presence of the Red Crowned Toadlet which is listed as "vulnerable" and has been recently recorded by others (more than once) in the "asset protection zone" and logged on the NSW Office of Environment website

Check this link for rare and endangered animals in Warringah going going....

(Australia has undergone an extraordinary rate of mammal fauna decline in the last 200 years, with over 10% of our endemic terrestrial species lost forever and a further 21% of fauna currently threatened. This is a stark comparison

to the world’s modern day extinction rate of 1.5%. 28 Australian mammal species that have gone extinct since 1788

The development plans also include substantial excavations for stormwater ponds, pipes and roads in a fragile catchment area that drains ultimately into Manly Creek via Mermaid Pool the site of an important ongoing restoration project Mermaid Pool Restoration Blog   

Kleinfelder’s own SIS report details numerous other adverse effects that the proposed development will have on this ecologically sensitive site:-Sediment, pollutant and nutrient run-off; Soil erosion, Habitat fragmentation/isolation; Altered hydrology regimes;Weed invasion;  Introduction and spread of pathogens (e.g. Dieback Fungus (Phytophthora) and Myrtle Rust (Uredo rangelii);  Noise;  Dust; Light pollution; and Increased human activity adjacent to sensitive vegetation/habitat. Their report also  says that "it is assumed that all native vegetation within the proposed development site would be removed, including all vegetation strata".

What makes this matter worse is that the community managed to save much of this same land in 1995 when a plan by Landcom to build a medium density housing project here was rejected and the land was ultimately incorporated into
Manly Warringah War Memorial Park.  This is in an area currently earmarked for  the fire buffer zone clearing. Development across the site has the potential to  also disturb  Aboriginal cultural heritage items.

The irony is that this school was once designated as a NSW “Centre of Excellence in Environmental Education”. Even their own designated "conservation" area is scheduled for destruction ! Despite this the school's website proclaims that "the school has maintained an ongoing commitment to environmental education which is integrated into daily life" Surely there is a better way to improve this facility without sacrificing an area of such high natural values!  Why can't the school use their current building footprint and build up instead of out? 
Google Map

[NB Apparently alternatives were explored through a feasibility study: Manly Vale Public School Upgrade - Gateway Business Case (2014). But this document is considered classified information and is not available for public view].

This is the environmental Education Bill as introduced by Dr Terry Metherall (NSW Liberal Government) in 1992 Hansard

Below is a link to a short film clip and some images of the fragile bushland that borders the school grounds and Manly Warringah War Memorial Park.

"A Precious Place to Learn"..video.

And below is another short video by David Sawyer which highlights the habitat values of the area.

"Wisdom Begins in Wonder"..video

On 29th March 2016.Warringah Council voted unanimously NOT to willingly agree to a request from the Department of Education to acquire crown land in Manly Warringah War Memorial Park and Condover Reserve to enable a massive fire break to be established. Mayor Michael Regan said this in the Manly Daily on2.4.16 " Manly Vale Public School desperately needs an upgrade and the precious bushland of Manly Dam War Memorial Park (sic) needs to be protected. I was proud of Councillors this week who unanimously voted to oppose the sale of 16,000 sqm of Manly Dam wildlife corridor to the Department of Education for its school redevelopment plans. But why did we have to fight in the first place? Why can't the Department of Education find a design for the school that preserves the environment? Surely an investment in good design now, would reap enormous benefits for all in the long term-including teachers and students. Councillors and I call on the Department to rethink its plans. 

Sadly moves to compulsorily acquire (and clear) land in Manly Dam Reserve and Condover Reserve are now proceeding.

(Sept 2016) After intense community and Council pressure the Department of Education is now modifying the plans and a new D.A. will be submitted soon. There are fears that the redesign will be of a minor and superficial nature.  If the new school was built on the original footprint as was originally conceived, then the environmental destruction would be kept to a minimum. 

(Nov 2016) I turns out that the modified plans will save only 0.35 hectares of bushland and will intensify the impact on the School's Outdoor Learning area.  In fact new buildings will sit on top of the Eastern Pygmy Possum habitat !  Lobbying against this damaging proposal continues as we await a date for the Joint Regional Planning Panel review.

(Dec 2016) On 19.12.16 at the Northern Beaches Council Chambers in Dee Why, the Sydney North Planning Panel ruled 3 to 2 in favour of the Department of Education's destructive expansion plan for Manly Vale School. There were 28 speakers against the proposal (inc Council Administrator, Dick Persson) and 3 speakers for. The wheels are now in motion for ongoing land clearing, tree felling and habitat destruction in this area of rich natural heritage.

SHOCKING NEWS

(DEC 19th 2016)

The Sydney North Planning Panel (ina public meeting at Northern Beaches Council Chambers Dee Why)..voted 3-2 to approve the contentious Manly Vale School Development.

SAD UPDATE

(Jan 2018)

On 7th Sept 2017 (Threatened Species Day and World Outdoor Classroom Day)..developers moved in to clear the site.  Rare biodiversity was bulldozed away, a frog filled pond was torn assunder, ancient grass trees (some over 200 years old) were removed.  It is assumed that the small colony of Eastern Pygmy Possums are now locally extinct. Swamp Wallabies, displaced from their sanctuary have been found dead on local roads. One was located highly stressed in the centre of Manly. Much of the fragile McComb Hillside has been carted away in semi trailors. Later on this year, a huge swathe of the new Manly Vale Public School's woodland surrounds will be cut down for a massive fire break. 

Dillwynia Retorta

Epacris Longiflora

Xanthorrhoea (Grass Trees)

Hardenbergia

Lambertia Formosa (Mountain Devil)

Lobelia Dentata

Woollsia Pungens

Rocky Overhang

Sundew (Drosera Binata) Carniverous Plant

Xanthorrhoeas (Grass Trees)

Views Looking West Across to Manly Dam
(Manly Warringah War Memorial Park)


2/ Sydney Water land belongs in park

 A parcel of Sydney Water bushland at Kirkwood St, Seaforth was deemed surplus to requirements and consequently advertised for sale and subsequent development. This former Crown land had inexplicably been zoned R2 (low density housing) by Warringah Council (despite being surrounded by the park on three sides. After a flurry of protests, the land has currently been withdrawn from auction. The community is asking the NSW Premier and the Minister for Land and Water to transfer this land for incorporation in the War Memorial Park. Below is the property as advertised by Blackleys Estate Agents:- 

http://www.blackleys.com.au/properties/residential/Residential+Land-NSW-Seaforth-201174387

A newspaper article,31.5.16, reports that the sale of this land has been put on hold "indefinitely" .Manly Daily   The community will continue to work towards ensuring that the land is encompassed within the War Memorial Park. 

3/  Will Council compromise the catchment?

  Warringah Council has (very questionably) withdrawn the entire Warringah Aquatic Centre precinct from the War Memorial Park Management Plan and has an elaborate 'Master Plan" to develop and commercialise the area.  At this stage there seems to be no consideration of the fact that this land is at the top of the sensitive Manly Dam catchment and that expansive areas of rare vegetation would need to be cleared to comply with modern fire safety regulations. It is also believed that this is still technically Crown land, and therefore, outside the jurisdiction of council to sub lease it. Council has now concurred that a much needed environmental impact study needs to be instigated before further action is taken  (surely the high conservation value of the area has already been well documented)  More details here:-

 http://yoursaywarringah.com.au/wacsitestrategy

The new Northern Beaches Council is currently assessing tender submissions.

This area is now being earmarked for Frenchs Forest school..which would mean more extensive land clearing for fire safety.

4/ Massive New Roadways are Destroying Wildlife Corridors.

Check out the plans for immense new freeways past the new French's Forest Hospital (which in itself has replaced a site of incredibly high ecological significance. 

Stage 2 Environmental Impact Statement.

Another 6.1 hectares of bushland is earmarked to be flattened here, important wildlife corridors are being replaced by increased roadkill and the fragile Manly Dam Catchment will be exposed to increased siltation and stormwater pollution.

View the Biodiversity Assessment Report.

Must the community have to continually strive to protect Manly Warringah War Memorial park from assault or can government step in and provide the long term conservation it deserves?

Manly Warringah War Memorial Park is the largest single area of bushland managed by a local council in Sydney’s northern beaches. It is a valuable natural area for the protection of native flora and fauna. Linkages to other reserves (both Council managed and National Parks) through bushland corridors, provides an important genetic exchange and contributes to a more sustainable biodiversity for the wider region. Its role in the region is unique and its attributes are highly valued by the community and visitors to the Park.

(From MWWMP Plan of Management)

Check out this Guardian article on habitat loss and extinction

Beautiful Sydney has such an ugly secret.

  In scenic Sydney we’re lucky to have quite a few patches of “urban bushland”  dotted  around the traps that have been mercifully spared from the bulldozers.

Unblemished  Sydney bushland

 The sad truth though, is that most of these remnants are being smothered by introduced invasive weeds, used as convenient dumpsites and are fast losing their (once) amazing biodiversity.

This ancient Banksia has been smothered to death by introduced weeds

 Just look along the fence lines of properties backing onto bushland and you’ll discover, almost universally, the same story, a total disconnection from and lack of respect for the natural vegetation. Sydney homeowners invariably seem to grow plant species that “escape” from their gardens into the bush (such as Agapanthus) and “out compete” the fragile natives. They also turn a blind eye to (and neglect to tackle) destructive weeds such as Morning Glory, Lantana, Ginger Lily and Privet that thrive on the fertilizers washed out of their flower beds.

Ginger Lily, Fishbone Fern and Morning Glory will totally replace fragile native plants.

 To compound this problem they tend to think that it’s their god given right to hurl garden clippings, unwanted bricks and scrap metal into the bush, providing species of unwanted weeds from around the globe, a perfect springboard to assault our fragile native flora.

Almost everyone grows this same boring weed species called Agapanthus

 The upshot is that Sydney bushland, far from being the richly diverse “larder” that sustained indigenous peoples for millennia, or the wondrous spectacle that would have greeted Captain Cook and his crew, is fast disappearing before our very eyes.

A typical Sydney fenceline..the yellow (Senna) and blue (Morning Glory) are strangling the bushland.

  Worryingly, virtually no one living next to bushland appears to have any knowledge of what’s happening,  very few are inclined to retain or grow endemic native plants on their land, are bothered to remove weed species or express concern at the disturbing rate of land degradation (apart from isolated “Bushcare” groups).

 Indeed, almost the only interaction between residents and bushland is the increasingly popular practice of poisoning surviving Eucalyptus trees to enhance views. Some people also have a habit of moving into bushland suburbs for the natural beauty values only to then complain about the fire risks and lobby for greater “hazard reduction” zones.

 There is an incredible amount of ignorance in the community about native flora and fauna, so most residents would fail to distinguish between native plants and the introduced species that are fast replacing them. If the trend continues, our natural areas will just become one big weedy desert. As a consequence the birds, animals and insects that relay on native plants for their food source, will vanish too.

When native plants disappear, so does most biodiversity

 So what’s the solution?  Residents whose houses back onto bushland, should be encouraged to learn more about their “duty of care”, prompted to remove invasive plants species from their gardens and fined for doing the “wrong thing”. Councils and government should be much more proactive in regards to community education (as should our schools). According to the Australian Conservation Foundation,  people today recognise less than 10 plant species but more than a thousand corporate logos.

Australia these days is populated by people from around the world. Not surprisingly, most have little understanding or awareness of this nation’s natural heritage and many have an unnatural fear of this continent’s nature. I believe new citizens should have to learn not just about the nation’s history but about its natural history.

 It doesn’t help that TV “gardening”  shows totally ignore the plants that grow naturally in this country and concentrate on promoting only exotic hybrids and cultivars. Who is going to protest the loss of something that the community doesn’t even realise is going? The reality is that it would take a massive capital expenditure to substantially and professionally restore areas of degraded bushland plus a political will that just doesn’t exist ( most current rehabilitation programs are small scale and cosmetic).

Gardening "experts" will never tell you about native Boronias!

 The trouble is, once you possess the knowledge that urban bushland is in deep crisis, a walk in your local reserve will never be quite the joyful experience that it once was.

 In a society that puts such a high premium on beauty and good looks...where did it all go so horribly wrong?

Fancy a walk amongst the weeds??

 Check out this other blog post if you are interested in  "Re-wilding" your backyard

A few community members have seen the light and are caring for
remnant bushland.

Weed better talk about this issue...

 Believe me, for most of my life I thought weed was either something you smoked or kicked sand in the face of. If you’d told me years ago that I would develop a malevolent dislike for the plural of weed, I would have thought you were off your trolley, barmy, nuts, crazy, absolutely stark raving, stonking mad. But then I suppose I went “troppo”, ended up living in the suburbs of Sydney, and discovered the awful harm these pernicious things actually did.  To be fair, I was raised in the English Midlands where weeds were harmlessly insignificant and there was so little genuine nature left, that they were almost as good as it got.  I’ve since learned that around 80% of Britain’s flora is not endemic. 

 

 Fast forward to life in the burgeoning metropolis of Sydney, which is still blessed to have pockets of native vegetation interspersed with suburbia. Here you’ll find incredible plant biodiversity and species that have survived from the time of the Gondwana super-continent, learning to adapt and evolve to dry, hot, arid conditions and nutrient poor soils and fire. You’ll also find lots and lots of weeds. These are not weedy weeds though...they’re aggressive super-sized marauders on a testosterone fueled rampage.  And yes, like just about everything else that’s bad in this wonderful continent...the ignorant, thoughtless, careless colonialists and their progeny are to blame.

 It all started with the first British settlers wanting to plant reminders of “home” at every given opportunity and it continues to this day with the horticultural industry still bringing in new profit-making varieties from overseas. Every single one is a potential weed.

Weed management  actually costs the Australian economy around $4 billion annually,  weeds represent, the second greatest threat to biodiversity after land clearing and almost half of Australia's 220 declared noxious weeds were introduced deliberately, one third of these as garden ornamentals.  

  People still prefer to plant “exotics” rather than their own native species and chances are these will invade the bushland and outgrow, overwhelm and displace the flora that was there originally, especially when boosted by the steroid effect of high nutrients provided by garden fertilizers and urban run-off.  If you love nature, it is pretty hard to witness the demise of high diversity bushland as it gets swamped, smothered and eventually killed off by a suite of foreign invaders. These are some of the most prominent rogue species on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. If they exist in your garden, please get rid!

Asparagus Fern.  This menace is from South Africa and like many other weeds..its seeds are spread by birds that eat the red berries.  You can offer see this as a feature plant in suburban gardens, especially in hanging baskets.

Lantana. This native of Central and South America was brought to Australia in around 1840 as a garden ornamental. It has now invaded around 4 million hectares and graziers spend over 17 million dollars per annum trying to control it.  (NB in heavily denuded areas it is often the last refuge for small birds so caution is advised before hurried removal). Lantana has been cultivated for well over 300 years and has hundreds of hybrids. It has been nominated as among the top hundred world’s worst invaders. It is thought that the original un-hybridised version no longer exists in nature.

Cotoneaster. This is another weed from China which is highly invasive.  It is a common garden plant which escapes into the bush and also acts as a food source for feral bird species.

Senna/Cassia  This is another nasty piece of work from South America which was imported here as a garden plant..It is very invasive and thrives in all conditions.

 

Morning Glory This is another ostensibly “pretty” garden plant but once it gets into the bush it can be a nightmare to remove. A native of China, it was used for medicinal purposes due to the laxative properties of its seeds.

Ochna is a native of South Africa with bright yellow flowers. It is also known as the Mickey Mouse Bush due to the plant’s red sepals and black seed which has a passing resemblance to the Disney character. Another rampant invader of our bushland.

Privet. As a child in Birmingham UK, we had massive privet hedges in our garden which were sculpted and lovingly preened. Little did I know that in later years I would be frantically cutting these plants down. In Australia, their black fruits are greedily consumed by birds which collaborate in spreading this pest deep into fragile bushland where it grows rampantly. There are small-leaf and broad-leaf varieties native to Eastern Asia and European privet which is native to Southern Europe and Northern Africa.

Pittosporum Undulatum (Sweet Pittosporum). This is a weird one as it is actually a native plant that has gone feral and is now out-competing other species and shading them out. It has done especially well in soils that have been modified by humans and takes advantage of high nutrient levels.

For help identifying weeds of the Sydney region click here  weed I.D.