HELLO garden lovers. The temperature is rising, the buds are poised to burst, the garden is yawning and stretching after a long winter slumber ... yes you guessed it - spring is in the air! September 1 not only officially marks the first day of spring, but for over a century it has also marked the day we celebrate that distinctly Australian icon, the Wattle, our national floral emblem. No other flower dominates the Australian bush at this time of year like the luminous yellow of the wattle. It’s rich, golden, fragrant blossoms have long been admired both here and abroad. On a recent trip home from Sydney via Orange, where I was engaged in Garden Clubs of Australia business, I travelled through the Bylong Valley Way. The scenery here is quite magnificent with productive plains, splendid forests and rugged mountains but at this time of year the natural beauty is highlighted even further - awash with wattle in bloom.
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Wattles make a wonderful addition to the garden, ranging in habit from groundcovers to shade trees, especially if given room to grow. They are not a particularly long-lived shrub or tree, on average living about 7-12 years. Their rapid growth makes them ideal for screening and hedges, and they have proven to be beneficial in combating erosion. They do have a reputation for weed potential, with some species becoming quite invasive at the expense of local indigenous plants. This is also the case overseas, in counties where the climate is ideal for wattles rampant growth. On my recent trip to Portugal, I saw first hand the damage our Eucalypts and wattle were doing to the natural ecology.
In 1988, our Bicentennial year, the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was proclaimed our national floral emblem and only a few years earlier, green and gold were proclaimed as Australia's national colours. The wattle has adorned our Commonwealth Coat of Arms since 1912, with the first Wattle Day celebrated a few years earlier. Wattle Day was celebrated with great fervor, engendering national pride throughout WW1, the 1920’s and 30’s, but started to loose popularity following WW2. It is only in recent years that the symbol and the day have started to gain recognition and acceptance once again.
Many of our national traditions have slipped away and ultimately been forgotten, being deemed old fashioned, out of date; politically incorrect … the list goes on. But I believe that Wattle Day deserves to carry on and regain its place in the national calendar. What better way to celebrate Spring than plant a wattle, wear a sprig in your lapel or dress up the sideboard with a big bright bunch of Aussie gold.
How will you celebrate Wattle Day this year?
In spring, the most delicate feathery yellow of plumes and plumes and plumes and trees and bushes of wattle, as if angels had flown right down out of the softest gold regions of heaven to settle here, in the Australian bush.
- D. H. Lawrence, Kangaroo
Happy gardening,
George