Author: rubida.lady

by

Frog bogs: Build it and they will come!

Our fabulous frog bog four years after construction.

Frog bogs: Build it and they will come!

Frog bogs

Have you heard our resident frogs? Just months after the bog was completed in January 2018, frogs moved in and have lived there ever since. Our first resident was an Eastern Banjo Frog.

Over the summer of 2024/25 we have heard 5 different frog species! Our nursery is now home to:

  • Eastern Common Froglet. These froglets are small (2-3cm) with skin of various shades of brown, and a low-pitched croak that is common around Melbourne throughout the year

How to create your own bog

To attract frogs to your garden, you can easily build your own frog pond.

  1. Choose a location protected from hot sun and large amounts of falling leaves.
  2. Dig your hole and place in a liner or manufactured shell.
  3. Place sand or gravel in the bottom of the pond to help beneficial bacteria and secure your plants.
  4. Add rocks around the side of the pond to enable frogs to access your pond.
  5. Add plants to the pond. This can be done by placing weighted pots into the pond, or planting them in the pond’s gravel or soil. If planting them in the pond without pots, you’ll need to weigh them down with rocks or logs so they stay anchored.
  6. Plant plenty of plants around the pond, as well as placing mulch, logs, and rocks for a cool, shaded area for frogs to hide.
  7. Fill your pond with water and wait for frogs to arrive!

Maintaining your frog bog

Maintain your pond by removing fallen leaves and other debris, topping up water, and ensuring plants only take up one-quarter of the pond area.

Indigenous is best

Indigenous plants are best as they are preferred by local frogs. Use plants such as rushes, grasses and sedges. Other suitable plants include groundcovers or herbaceous plants, such as Desmodium gunnii (Slender Tick Trefoil), Craspedia variabilis (Common Billy Buttons), Dichondra repens (Kidney Weed), Eryngium vesiculosum (Prickfoot), and many others.

Come in and see us for advice about the best plants for your new friends!

by

World Environment Day

World Environment Day – 5th June 2018 – Beat Plastic Pollution

Tuesday, 5th June is World Environment Day and the focus this year is on reducing plastic waste – so as a little part to support this move, we are asking everyone who has bought tube stock from our nursery, to return the tubes to us so that we can recycle them and reduce the amount of plastic we are creating. Check out the video below to inspire you!!!

by

Melbourne Water Stream Frontage

Melbourne Water Stream Frontage program

If you own land that fronts onto a river or creek, you may be eligible for funding to help you manage the land. The Melbourne Water Stream frontage management program supports work that protects or enhances riverbanks, such as weed control, fencing and planting native vegetation. Candlebark Nursery has worked alongside Melbourne Water and assisted with providing plants for their program over many years. It is wonderful to see how good land management and a focus on revegetation can improve the environment.

The video below is interesting to watch and may be of use to members or friends of Candlebark.

by

Common Heath – Epacris impressa

Common Heath is flowering – (Epacris impressa)

The Victorian floral emblem, the Common Heath grows in heathland, shrubland or open forest as well as being a great plant for a garden. It is generally a small shrub around half to one metre tall, with small stiff leaves. At Candlebark we have both pink and white flowering forms that flower from late autumn to early spring. It is bird attacking and honeyeaters, particularly the eastern spinebill, feed upon the nectar of the flowers.

Our beautiful pots of Common Heath (Epacris impressa) are in full flower.

by

“Jararium” – a new idea for indoor plants

“Jararium” – a new idea for indoor plants

Following the segment on Gardening Australia in March (see our Facebook post) about creating “jarariums”, one of our wonderful volunteers has created one using Running Marsh Flower and Milfoil – and it looks great. Of course, we have these and a number of other wetland plants that would be perfect for creating your own ‘jararium’ at home.

 

“Jararium”

by

Our Wonderful Frog Bog

Candlebark frog finally croaks!

Our frog pond has been a number of months in the making – maybe up to a year, however, the results from the efforts of our volunteers are here for you to hear. Our frog seems to be very happy and we hope that he / she finds a friend soon!

Just newly created.

Growing nicely

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If the image below is a black rectangle, if you click on it, it should bring up the video. Enjoy ‘slow TV’ Candlebark style.

by

Collecting Seed at Candlebark

Party Bags used for Collecting Seed!

At Candlebark Nursery, gauze party bags have a whole different function to normal. Rather than being used to contain lollies, we tie them onto flowering stock plants, wait for a couple of months and then collect the valuable seed which we can then use to propagate new plants. Maybe this is some thing you could do in your garden if you have a plant you are wanting to propagate. We have also used old stockings or tights for the same task but find the party bags are most effective.

Collecting seed

SEED CLEANING EVENING A BIG SUCCESS

First Seed Cleaning evening a big success.

The first of our seed cleaning nights on Monday 23rd January was a big success with 12 volunteers attending on a very warm evening. There was lots of cleaning, chatting and eating over the 3 hours that people were at Candlebark Nursery. A big thank you for all the help given to us. Our next evening is Tuesday February 21st. If you can join us to help with processing our collection of seed from 6pm through to about 8.30 – 9.00pm, please send us an email or leave a message on our phone. Email address info@candlebark.org.au or Phone: 0499 021 315

IMG_0025IMG_0024

IMG_0027