YOGA IN DAILY LIFE - A VISION FOR OUR GARDENS

With the help of our wonderful volunteers, we have developed our gardens outside Yoga in Daily Life. Before Christmas the watering system was installed and locally provenced plants planted in the side gardens. Once the hot weather is over we will start work on the front garden. Here are the reasons why we are why we are transforming the gardens outside Yoga in Daily Life, 102 Booth St, Annandale.....

With global warming becoming ever more a reality and drought the norm - even in Annandale - regular attendees to the Ashram will have noticed how very dry the soil in our gardens has become, despite watering, and that there are bare patches where greenery once was.

Over the last year or so, a few of us have been thinking about a vision for the Ashram garden. In essence, it is to turn it into a little gem of biodiversity - a small area of environmental cohesion and harmony that links biologically to native vegetation in surrounding areas and suburbs - eg White's Creek, Balmain High School grounds, Callan Park, and ultimately to areas along the Parramatta and Lane Cove River Catchments.

Within this vision, the aim is to replace most of the non-native plants and weeds, and re-plant with native plants (mostly) endemic to the greater area surrounding Leichhardt Municipal Council. It is hoped this will encourage not only larger native birds (eg wattle birds, butcher birds, lorikeets, and yes, noisy miners) but the smaller ones which have in recent years become harder to find - eg fairy wrens, honey eaters and silver eyes. It is also hoped this environment will encourage insects and smaller reptiles such as blue tongue lizards thus restoring some balance.

At present we're focusing on the main, west-facing garden - in Alfred Street and now it's underway, we'll work on the front (Booth Street) garden.

The plan is to:

· remove the remaining weeds and "introduced" (ie non-native) plants

· insert an irrigation (drip) system just beneath the surface of the ground to help keep the soil moist when needed and as cost-efficiently as possible

· move the compost bin nearer to the other bins (and possibly exchange the current one for a different style)

· mulch the garden to retain moisture and keep weeds down

· plant suitable native plants (flowering shrubs and ground covers for the birds and reptiles) over several weeks.

So, please consider contributing some money to help our garden become even more beautiful, in keeping with Leichhardt Council's Urban Forest policy.