Lavender and Rosemary

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Every gardener in each state of Australia adopts a common plant for their home gardens, something that thrives with little attention or effort.

Brisbane's Signature Tree 2 'Poinciana'
Brisbane's Signature Tree 1 'Jacaranda'
In my old state of Queensland, Poinciana, Jacaranda trees (see above) and Bougainvillea dot the suburbs.

That's okay for Queensland and the east coast of Australia  but what about the other states? What about one I moved to recently?

Much of Western Australia is on a similar latitude (at least Brisbane / Perth are) and I expected to see similar vegetation when I moved across. This was not the case. 


In Western Australia (Perth to Mandurah) there's a different plant duo that dominates yards, car parks, commercial precincts and such.


It's Rosemary and Lavender!
I suspect it comes down to soil. The west doesn't have any!

Much of the west coast (metro areas) is covered in sand. There's no nutritional substance to it at all. Water drains away instantly. It's windy for much of the year. Plants have to deal with these conditions or wither and die. 

I've always associated Lavender with my Grandmother. Perfumes, soaps and the like are scented with this pungent herb. It's not used as much today but during nanny's time it was everywhere.

Lavender was put into underwear drawers to keep the smalls fresh. A sprig of it was often put into the pockets of clothes as an alternative to perfume.

The connection I have with Rosemary goes like most others from my European Heritage: The Sunday Roast Dinner. 

There's a shopping centre car park not far from my new home that hedge a Rosemary hedge right around it. There's enough rosemary in that hedge to flavour everyone's roasts in Australia for the next hundred years!

It's crazy! And that's just one supermarket's car park!

If you add-in ALL the hedges from all the shopping centres, the businesses, the homes and the clusters of bushes in almost every apartment's garden, unit, flat, house and caravan's garden, there's enough to service the entire planet's population with flavourful roasts for a millenia.

There's enough lavender around Perth to fill the underwear drawer of every grandmother and great grandmother who has been and ever will be until the end of time.

Here's to good ol' lavender and rosemary!

-Michael

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