Gardening with Margaret Matthews
A different perspective –
Gardening in the wake of twentysix-twelve
by Margaret Matthews
It is now many weeks since the word Tsunami was heard or read by many of us for the first time. Since then, not a day has passed without a reference to the terrible natural disaster, which has resulted in the deaths of 300,000 and the disruption of the lives of many more.
In those first dark days, the graphic images on our television screens and in the daily newspapers became so overwhelming that many of us sought solace in our gardens in an effort to blot out the memory of the terrible images that kept invading our minds. In the wake of the horror of the Tsunami, the normal, repetitive tasks that are part of a gardener’s routine, far from occupying our minds, engendered a sense of guilt – almost a feeling of shame that our daily lives should continue in their usual placid routine. What did it matter if that was black spot on the roses? If the buds on the gardenias failed to opened? If the cabbage moths invaded the veggie patch?
Most of us salved our conscience by donating to one of the organisations gathering funds to provide relief for the millions of victims who will need help for many years to come. It is so easy to write a cheque or add another few noughts to our credit cards but realistically, it was all we could do.
The poet T.S Elliot observed that "humankind cannot bear very much reality" and this is true of the Tsunami disaster as of any other such event.
It was not long before tennis and cricket dominated our television screens and the usual school holiday activities prevailed. Then on 3 February, we had our own ‘Natural Disaster’; minor indeed compared with the Tsunami, but enough to make our minds focus once more upon the elements.
In the days following the period of heavy, persistent rainfall and swirling winds the extent of the damage became apparent. Many low-lying areas were flooded and motorists who were mobile had to contend with other vehicles that were stranded on the roadside.
There was fortunately no loss of human life, but some animals including cows and young calves and lambs were lost. Market gardens lost their summer crops and plant nurseries suffered widespread damage.
There was disruption to electricity supplies, many homes suffering a loss of power for 48 hours or more. Many houses were damaged and, while a number were unroofed by the high winds, an even greater number were damaged by falling trees. I even heard of one two-storey house hit by a gigantic poplar, which had to be removed by a helicopter after being cut into sections. The resulting cost was in excess of $20,000.
Of all the destruction the worst by far was the loss of and damage to mature trees. Many of the exotic trees in our Melbourne parks – oaks, elms, beech and birch were planted well over one hundred years ago. To see these grand old giants torn out by their roots and lost to us forever is sad indeed when it involves even one or two, but on this occasion there were many more than this; an even greater number were lost in private gardens.
There is not only the loss of the trees but the danger of them damaging homes and worst still, inflicting injury or even death to the occupants. Apart from the trees that are lost, hundreds of other lost branches and limbs which blocked roads and footpaths and clogged our rivers and creeks. It is indeed time that we thought seriously of the trees that are a real and present danger, and we should resolve in the future to be more responsible in choosing trees for our gardens.
The cost of this clean up will be millions of dollars and take many weeks and months. Many buildings were underinsured or had no cover at all.
Almost every garden sustained some damage and it was necessary for us all to spend time removing damaged branches, pruning back or even removing plants which were beyond recall, and checking on fences and garden furniture. Many climbing plants needed to be trained back on to their supports, if indeed these were still standing. The veggie patch was probably a sodden mess, with homegrown tomatoes and lettuce off the menu indefinitely.
But the positive aspect of this was that we have all returned to our gardens. The most important lesson we can learn from our recent encounter with the elements is that we must be even more diligent in the plants we choose to grow in our gardens. A tiny sapling can within a few years become a large tree, which tomorrow can become a threat not only to our properties but the lives of our family and neighbours.
Next month we will consider this problem, and suggest some suitable small specimen trees, both native and exotic, to provide beauty and structure to our gardens.
We must be aware that nature can turn against us, just as the cruel seas overwhelmed our northern neighbours on Boxing Day 2004.
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