Drooping cassinia

I have found a few drooping cassinia on our block.  It took me a while to identify it.  As I was looking for information of this plant I came across a strange newspaper article calling it a weed!  How can something that belongs, and has longer than farms and Europeans have been here, a weed?  I can understand the fear of fire risk, it would pose a bit of a problem but so would a lot of introduced plants.

From what I have read, and that is not a lot as yet, the drooping cassinia, is the beginning of the replenishing of soil that has been sucked of all nutrients by colonising spent farmland and roadsides.  What is more exciting is that as it grows, the plant falls apart, landing onto the ground, sinking back into the soil.  This area then becomes the nursery for new species.

I will be leaving mine where it is as I understand it to be telling me that the soil on our land needs replenishing.  I would like to cut it back at certain times of the year so that it will not scare the neighbours with its fire prone bushiness and use the cuttings as a mulch for the ground.  I may experiment with fabric dyeing as it is aromatic, and I suspect that it will work, at least on silk.

Cassinia arcuata, drooping cassinia

Berry Saltbush

What I thought could be a Nodding Saltbush (Einadia nutans) is most likely Berry Saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata).  The oxalis was being smothered by the saltbush and looks a bit scrawny.  I think that, because it was so small I think that it had been trampled on so I have decided to protect it with mesh and a few overlapping pieces of wood.

There is a sea of oxalis here.  I intend pulling off the tops until I weaken it enough for the plants to gain strength.  The saltbush is the first to undergo this treatment.

Foundations

While intending to apply for planning permits, our first building projects are those where no council permission is required.
a) sheds no larger than 10square metre floor footprint and no higher than 3 metres to the eave line.
b) shacks on wheels.

FIRST SHED (kitchen)

Working through the list - 26/6/2016

Today at Moora we had a determined set of chores.

The list:

1. Start the truck and move it to rotate the tyres.
2. Chop wood which serves two purposes - make the block safe in fire season; fire wood for to keep us warm in Melbourne.
3. Add hay from our daughter's pet rabbits and food scraps to the compost.
4. Plant rhubarb and spring onions in the orchid.
5. Check on the Nodding Saltbush which I freed from oxalis over two weeks ago.

Nick likes to start the truck, Little Red, every visit so that if needs be we know that it still functions.  The wheels need turning as, if left in the one spot, they will end up with a flat spot.

Clearing the block in preparation for summer is necessary as the wood that is lying on the ground can potentially fuel a wayward fire.  It is hard making the decision to clear as each piece of wood on the ground is a potential home for a creature.  Nick cut pieces of wood today only to find that he had disturbed an ant colony.  We left at the block and hope that we haven't thrown them into crisis.

Planting the rhubarb and spring onions is a tester really.  I have both in my Melbourne garden.  I know that rhubarb leaves are poisonous and I am hoping that rabbits and possums won't eat them.  I also believe that they won't eat the spring onions.  I mixed the soil with home prepared compost.  Then I watered them and added the accumulated rabbit hay, left over food and their litter full of droppings.

 As for the Nodding Saltbush, I thought that it was a Nodding Saltbush (India nutans).  However, I think that it is a Berry Saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata).  I am clearing away more oxalis.  It seems to choke everything. 

We arrived at 12.30, then completed and left by 4.30pm.  It was then a usual stop over at the Irish Pub in Kilmore for wine and Irish beer on the way home.