Blog 1: Banksia Harvest.

On a visit to our family farm at Deans Marsh,(two hours west of Melbourne), I harvested some banksias planted in October 2010.

Several varieties planted were cultivated by a local resident and are well suited to the site.----

Some of the flowers collected.
Species include Banksia baxteri, Banksia media and Banksia speciosa 

The site is set on a steep hillside in an exposed paddock facing west. Plantings are on a dam bank and  surrounding fenced off area. The dam was fenced off some time ago then weed treated to reduce competition. The new seedlings were protected from rabbit predation using milk cartons and bamboo stakes.

 Other species were also planted to create variety, they were probably ‘left-overs’ from previous plantings. These include Mentha australis River mint, Tasmannia lanceolata Mountain pepper and Thryptomene saxicola Thryptomene. River mint makes a very nice tea ‘infusion’ and Mountain pepper has a natural spiciness for flavouring foods such as pasta sauces or cheeses. I tried some at a cooking demonstration last year.

Our family has been involved in Agroforestry for many years with annual tree planting days where we invite family & friends to come along & participate. Have heard grumblings about ‘slave labour’ which I trust were tongue-in-cheek!!

The physical & aesthetic changes which have occurred over the past 18 years have been astonishing.

Many paddocks once bare and hungry looking are now dotted with plantations teeming with birds & wildlife. They also provide shelter belts for livestock and create wildlife corridors with neighbouring farmers and remnant bushland. Being involved in this project and seeing the changes in the landscape has been a fantastic and enriching experience.

Planting out the exposed dam area will hopefully address some of these problems in that area too. The banksias may also prove viable as cut flowers, a possible future venture!

The fenced off dam with views to plantations in the background.