Hi Landcarers

It was a pleasure to host our Landcare Seed Collection workshop last week in Parkes.

A big thank you to attendees. It was pleasing to have such a fantastic response to the workshop.

We were fortunate after the amazing season we have had, that there was plenty of seed to be found on our field trips.

Our speaker, Mikla Lewis OAM shared her knowledge of seed collection, which covered the benefits of growing your own seed, where seed can be collected and the ethics around sustainability and genetics.

Since our previous workshop several years ago, the biggest change that I see is the rigidity in record keeping in terms of carbon copying. I guess that technology and improved ease of storage and recording has led to this.

Obviously, tools and equipment stay pretty much the same, but the increased ability for plant identification with apps and photo recording makes a bit difference with the identification of unknown plants.

A large consideration for collection is timing and storage. We can go to a lot of trouble collecting seed, but if it isn’t ready for collection or it is not stored appropriately, the whole experience can be in vain.

The mornings presentation provided a baseline of information on plant identification and considerations before venturing out into the wilds of the Australian bush. This set up participants for an afternoon of practical experience.

Our first stop was at the newly opened Garradyang (Currajong) Garden, where we had the opportunity to observe some of the new plantings that have been undertaken by Council and students from local schools.

The mature section of the garden was also full of seed and seed pods, providing perfect samples for inspection.

It was surprising how many of the workshop participants had not been to Bushman’s Hill and how pleased they were to be exploring this space.

After lunch we moved out to an area of bushland on the edge of town that is used by many people for different purposes, but is a unique remnant of Fuzzy Box Woodland. These areas are quite often undervalued, but provide amazing biodiversity right on the fringe of town.

We are looking forward to some of our locally collected seed being propagated at the Forbes Riverside Community Garden (some is already on its way).

This workshop was made possible with funding through Landcare Australia and ARTC.

For further information please go to www.centralwestlachlanlandcare.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at @cwllandcare.