Week 4 May 2001: An exciting time this week at Yallaroo. The ABC crew arrived on Sunday afternoon to film and interview for the ABC Gardener of the Year competition. We are winners of the NSW section. We are one of six finalists. The winner will be announced in September. Filming also took place on Monday morning. It was all very laid back and almost relaxing. We were filmed and interviewed in the lounge room (too cold outside). Also filmed sewing seeds, potting on and planting. Various views of the garden and individual plants were filmed and birdcalls were recorded. There was also a report in the local newspaper. All exciting stuff and good publicity for native plants.
On a more mundane level: 26 mm rain this week. The large flock of Red-browed Finches was still busy in the garden. Noisy Scrub-wrens were flitting through the undergrowth and a flock of Yellow-rumped Thornbills feasted on small insects on our mown areas.
We put up two more parrot-nesting boxes. Hopefully these will attract some tenants later in the year.
Weeded the vegetable garden this week. Top-dressed the beds with old stable manure ready for planting cabbages, cauliflowers, broad beans etc. There is something deeply satisfying about picking your own fresh organic produce.
Two naturally occurring eucalypts are flowering at Yallaroo. Eucalyptus laevopinea, New England Stringybark and Eucalyptus albens, the White Box are attracting large numbers of honeyeaters.