Newsletter #39 | March 2025
- Kaarin Wilkinson
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years.
Bug Friendly Gardens
Good Bugs
Good bugs (or beneficial Insects) help to control leaf chewing insects by making a meal out of them. While the good guys are moving about the garden eating mites, aphids and scale, they're also doing the important job of pollinating our plants. Help native fauna find a safe haven in your garden. These plants are essential for beneficial insects to feed on; and many have attractive flowers or fragrant leaves for us to enjoy.
A few of our rare butterflies only feed on a small number of local native plants, and with increased development and construction, these plants are disappearing in the wild. It is the same for native bees, and animals like koala which are all suffering from loss of habitat. If you have space plant some of the following natives:
acacia
banksia
bottlebrush (Callistemon)
brush box (Lophostemon)
eucalyptus
flowering gum (Corymbia, Eucalyptus)
grevillea
hardenbergia
tea tree (Leptospermum)
melaleuca
myoporum
native violet (Viola hederacea)
pandorea
Good Bug seeds include annual and perennial flowers:
alyssum
bergamot
carrot
coriander
cosmos
daisies
dill
fennel
lavender
lemon balm
lobelia
mint
parsley
pea
statice
veronica
zinnia
Beneficial insects or 'good bugs' are generally small with correspondingly small mouthparts, so they are only able to feed on particular flowers with suitable attributes. By providing a plentiful food supply the 'good bugs' live longer and reproduce more. Plant in areas that can go a little wild, such as garden edges or along fence lines.
Help the good bugs along by building a bug house for them to shelter and overwinter in. When you have lots of good bugs in the garden there is less room for bad bugs. A bug hotel should be assembled with a mix of materials as different bugs enjoy different types of sleeping places. You can use air bricks, roof tiles, bamboo canes, twigs, pinecones, gum nuts, native grass, straw and drilled raw timber. Make sure you site your house somewhere shaded and sheltered where they can nest safely. Lady bugs for examples like to overwinter in large groups in between dry plant material like twigs packed together. This gives them space to squeeze in together and wait for warmer days and aphids.
Australian Native Bees
Over 99% of Australia's 1,700 native bee species are not social.
These species do not produce honey but they are great pollinators and fascinating to watch. Some of these bees will use a Bug Hotel. Others will build their nests in the ground.
Five Tips for a Bee-Friendly Garden
Select plants that flower right through the year. Many of the solitary species, such as Blue Banded Bees and Resin Bees only fly in the warm months. Stingless Bees, Reed Bees and Carpenter Bees, fly on warm days all year round.
Select flowers with a variety of colours and shapes.
Different kinds of native bees like different kinds of flowers.
Some prefer blue or purple flowers. However, mauve, pink, yellow and white flowers are also popular.
Plant a group of each flower species. Plant a bed or row of a particular flower as this will attract native bees more easily than scattered plants.
Select plants that provide nesting materials for the bees too. Some bees need to collect materials to build their nests. Leafcutter Bees cut small circular or oval-shaped pieces of soft leaf to construct nest cells for their young.
Avoid insecticides in your Bee-Friendly Garden.
Neutrog Factory Visit
The visit to the Neutrog Factory at Kanmantoo (near Murray Bridge) on Friday 14th March was well attended with 23 SWCG gardeners and friends. Everyone now has an expanded knowledge of how Neutrog’s wonderful fertilisers are made and their use.
Remember garden members can access discounted products from Neutrog. Ordering needs to be done before April 12th for the May 3rd delivery at Wallis Theatre Noarlunga.
Working Bee
Our first working bee for 2025 will be Saturday April 5th 11am- 2pm. The focus will be on preparing the native garden beds between the new pathways ready for planting in May. Also clearing the market garden and as always there will be plenty of weeding.
School holiday events for children
Thursday 17th April 10am-12pm we have two events planned. In the fenced area we will have a variety of activities for children of all ages, particularly under 12 year olds. At the same time, we will have a mineral make-up session for those 12 years and over. Jennie will support the older age group to make make-up from natural ingredients under the gazebo near the wetlands.
Bunnings BBQs
A great result from a great team of volunteers at our March barbeque Saturday March 22nd!
Our next Bunnings barbeque is:
Easter Saturday 19th April
If you are able to assist for a 2 hour shift please let Jan via WhatsApp, phone, email or Facebook.
Our April barbeque will be the third Saturday so for 2025 this means Easter Saturday 19th April. We have May off and then a special in June on Monday June 9th King’s birthday holiday.
Regular events
Orchard Group
Fortnightly Thursdays 9am-11am
If you would like to learn more about our orchard and get hints and tips on growing your own fruit, join the Thursday orchard group with Jennie on alternate Thursdays:
Gardening Social Group
Fortnightly Fridays 9am-11am
Every Friday fortnight gardeners and volunteers meet at the garden to do a few of the regular maintenance tasks, tend their own beds and share gardening stories together over morning tea. Coming dates are:
Friday, March 28th (Lauren Jew, our local Councillor, will be visiting)
Driving and Parking cars at the Garden
Please do not drive vehicles on to the garden lease area unless you have express permission from one of the committee to deliver materials or equipment. Please also do not park in the Ambulance/CFS car parks and in Grange and Somerton Courts.
This project was seeded by
Our Committee
Our committee is Rory Fitzsimons (Chair), Kaarin Wilkinson, Jan Brown, Melissa Styles, Jennie Simon and Roger Whiteman. If you have any questions or ideas please contact us via Facebook , on our website, on the Seaford Wetlands Gardeners WhatsApp chat or on the garden email seafordcg@gmail.com.
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