Monitor The
Your Community Newspaper ~ Roxby Downs
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IN THIS
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Volume 7, Wednesday September 29, 2010
More female
Medals
scout leaders wanted here
for our finest Page 3
Pages 16
Bloomin’ beautiful!
Pretty young Demi Gow-Smith got a closer look at the carpet of wildflowers that have brought the outback to life this Spring.
A carpet of colour in the outback By Millie Thomas It’s hay fever season. I know this, because for the first time in 20 years I have been hit with a horrible dose of the sniffles and sneezes, hay fever style. What do I have to thank for this? Step outside for a moment and take a look around. What was once the stereotypical desert view of sand dunes and tumbleweed has now become wildflower central. Business owner of Outback Landscaping, George Giakoumis said that this abundance of flowers is due to recent heavy rains, and that we should enjoy them, not destroy them. “There are a number of wildflowers around as there are a number of weeds. And sometimes, the weeds look pretty beautiful!” said Mr Giakoumis.
“The beautiful looking weed that you see at the moment, the lovely maroon – purple flower head, its quite a big luscious looking bush with sort of red flower heads that’s a ‘Ruby Dock’ that’s a weed! It’s a wild hop and if you know how to do it you can make beer out of it! “The buffel grasses are going crazy because of the high rainfall, the turnip weed is just going nuts-that’s the one that has the big rosette and the ‘roly-poly’ seed that is in everybody’s front yards at the moment. So the weeds are going crazy, but then again, a weed is only a weed if you don’t want it there.” Mr Giakoumis pointed out that some plants are legally registered weeds and must be removed, while other plants are nationally protected and cannot be touched. “There are certainly registered weeds in this area, and there’s
Later edition NEXT WEEK Due the October holiday weekend, The Monitor will be published a day later and delivered to households on Thursday, October 7, instead of the usual Wednesday delivery.
nationally registered weeds that you have to, by law get rid of, like cape weed that gets into the barley and wheat,” he said. “We have out there, some Sturt Desert Peas – you are not allowed to touch any of the native flora or fauna that are somewhat protected. “People are stomping all over these wildflowers to get to another wildflower. They are for example, stomping all over the red Desert Pea to get to the white Desert Pea, (to pick and replant it as their own) which is sort of not kosher because a Sturt Desert Pea will only grow where it wants to. “They are difficult to germinate and propagate commercially, they have an absolute mind of their own and tend to grow in marginal soil, as do most wildflowers, leave the place alone and you’ll get wildflowers, so long as you get the right rainfall,” he said. Continued on page 2
Remember to put your clocks ahead 1 hour this Sunday, October 3, 2010 for DAYLIGHT SAVING!