Members of the YAN and Goulburn-FROGS nursery managers group were provided with an overview of the YAN Climate Ready project at the Yass Landcare Community nursery on 24 September.  This project is close to providing each of the four YAN nursery managers with seed for either a Eucalyptus, Acacia, understory shrub or perennial herb from the local region plus additional "admixture" seed which has been sourced from Greening Australia from hotter drier bio-regions which we expect our region to reflect in 2030 to 2070, due to a changing climate.

After some discussion each YAN nursery manager agreed to sow and manage 600 pots of local and 600 pots of 'admixture' for the same plant.  This equates to two tables in each of the YAN Landcare nurseries. Each nursery will manage the seedlings until they are ready to be distributed to regional Landcare members to plant at pre-agreed trial sites, after good rains in Autumn-Winter 2020. 

On behalf of the YAN Climate Ready team which includes Gill Hall and Sue McIntyre from Murrumbateman Landcare, Elizabeth Goodfellow from Bowning-Bookham Landcare and Kath McGuirk who is representing Yass Landcare Nursery and YAN - each nursery in the Yass Area Network is progressing the sowing and management of a specific plant which is detailed below:

The Yass Landcare Community nursery will be sowing Eucalyptus melliodora - Yellow Box;

The Bango Bowing-Bookham Landcare nursery will be sowing Aacia deanei subspecies paucijuga - Green Wattle;

The Wattle Valley Bowning-Bookham Landcare nursery will be sowing Dodonaea viscoa augustissima - Slender Hop Bush;

and the Murrumbateman Landcare nursery will be sowing and managing Chrysocephalum semi-papposum - Clustered Everlasting Daisy.

Each of the YAN Landcare nurseries will need more volunteers to assist them sow and grow these plants on behalf of the YAN Climate Ready project so I hope that when future sowing dates are advertised for any of the four YAN Landcare nurseries that you consider assisting - especially with the sometimes labour intensive task of filling trays of clean pots with native potting mix and accurately labeling each tray. Refer to Eventbrite events within the YAN newsletter for date and location details. 

The YAN Climate Ready team will be providing more background on this project at the 2019 YAN AGM which is scheduled for Saturday 16 November.

This small group of YAN - Goulburn FROGS nursery managers also visited the Yarralumla Nursery on 1 October to confirm how the professionals store and label their native seed supplies. This group also plan to have a native seed collecting day at the Goulburn FROGS site sometime in December which will be advertised in the YAN newsletter.

Clustered Everlasting Daisies (Chrysocephalum semi-papposum)

On the second Saturday in September Yass Landcare nursery volunteers had a very busy morning sowing native seed into trays. They then processed nearly 80 cuttings of Kangaroo Apple and Correa Glauca, two great plants both for the garden or paddock and finally re-potted up some small Hop bush seedlings that just needed to be released from a lot of moss.  

If you are interested in undertaking a range of activities to sow and grow native plants, on the second Saturday or last Tuesday of each month please join this group of Landcare volunteers from 9.30am at the Yass Landcare nursery site, behind the Yass Mens Shed, 1428 Yass Valley Way, Yass or contact Jeremy Wilson at  [email protected]

Landcare volunteers from plant nurseries within the Yass Area Network and Goulburn met for the first time at the SE LLS conference room in late July 2019 to share experiences in plant nursery management and the growing of native seed. 

Representatives from Murrumbateman, Yass Community, Bowning-Bookham and FROGS (Friends residents of Goulburn Swamplands) were in attendance.  At the end of the meeting native seed collected from Kath McGuirks’ property at Kangiara were provided to share.  A visit to the Yass Landcare Community nursery was also included.  This group visited the FROGS site and spoke with John Weatherstone at 139 Mary Street a week later.  If you are keen to learn more about this volunteer Landcare nursery group please contact Kath McGuirk YAN Chair at [email protected].

Members of the newly created YAN and Goulburn Landcare nursery group visited the FROGS Friends and Residents of Goulburn Swamplands site at 139 Mary Street Goulburn in late July 2019.  This site has only been operational for less than ten years but the dedication of its small volunteer base is evident through the mass plantings of native plants, shrubs and Eucalyptus trees.  The FROGS team won a NSW Landcare award two years ago and they truly deserved that award.  FROGS which is an incorporated Landcare group are continually looking for new volunteers to assist them at their weekly FROGS Wednesday morning from 9am working bee.  If you would like further information please contact Ray Shiel at [email protected]