Nukku Nook

The Gardens Around Nukku Nook

 

OUR NATURAL HERITAGE

 

“We do not inherit this land from our parents; we borrow it from our children”. (Mahatma Gandhi) What a wonderful way to think about our approach to the environment in which we live! We are custodians of our land with its interrelated community of plants, animals and micro-organisms (our Natural Heritage), protecting its unique character for the generations to come.

 

That is why the trend to “tidy up” properties (removing the understorey vegetation and litter layer which are so important for healthy ecosystems) and the derogatory manner in which many of our local plants are referred to as “just scrub plants” is of concern. It is with these things in mind that our group is considering ways of fostering awareness and appreciation of the ‘Natural Heritage’ of our area. Therefore, the decision was made to showcase some of our local plants in the gardens around Nukku Nook (the home of the Blackbutt and District Tourism and Heritage Association). The word ‘local’ is stressed because of the common conception that a native garden is one containing plants such as Grevilleas and Kangaroo Paw, which are often planted a long way from the area in which they grow naturally. As Patricia Gardner states in her book, ‘Toowoomba Plants’, they are really no more ‘native’ than African plants would be if grown in England or Turkish plants in Spain.

 

Because of the close proximity to the building, the plants chosen for the Nukku Nook Garden are mostly smaller, understorey plants, grouped according to whether they are usually found in dry rainforests (and rainforest margins) or in Eucalypt forests. A range of small creek bank plants is also incorporated along the edge of an existing drain. Planting has been commenced, but difficulty in sourcing some of the plants has meant that we have had to proceed more slowly than originally planned. Once the garden is complete and the plants have been named, it is hoped that it will be educational as well as aesthetically pleasing.