The Sequoias

As winter starts to wane, none too slowly and regretfully for me, I feel the warmth of a rousing sun giant and listen to the hum of bees working Cootamundra wattle blossom for pollen essential for broodrearing. Today is the third last day of July, bright, warm and sunny, only August left of winter, yet it feels like spring already. Pine mushies yielded by good Earth have been plentiful; I've had some wonderful breakfasts; but they are scarce now. Birds reproductive instincts have kicked into gear; they are busier, noisier, hungrier, feistier.

I'm grateful that reasonable rain fell during June and July, and pray for the same for August. I've done most of my planting, intended to be finished by end of June, then revised to end of July. I'm sure, like me, millions are longing for good rain to finish the winter and carry into spring. The ground is moist, the longer it stays so, the deeper it goes, down to the roots of trees which link the subterrain to the sun as if by magic; leaves, solar receptors, suck moiture up through the tree and, after some evaporation, charge it with carbohydrates. Then it goes down again and allows the roots to grow and exploit new ground.

If you take the Hillside track in Gembrook Park, then turn left at the first junction on the Fern Gully track, about 5 minutes from the carpark and toilets you come across two fine tree specimens, north American sequoias, Sequoia sempervirens. These trees, also known as Californian redwoods, thrust skyward alongside mountain ash of about the same age I would guess.

There's dispute among local historians as to when these redwoods were planted. The notice board says that for some time it was thought they were planted in 1934 to mark the centenary celebrations of Victoria, but that local resident Bill Parker remembers seeing them there in the 1920's. Julian Dyer disputes this, saying the orinal theory of 1934 is correct. His mother, who moved to Bairnsdale some years ago and who died last year, had a photo of the trees with Harry Knight, who'd just planted them, to mark the centenary in 1934. Harry Knight owned the general store and was a shire councillor.

I know of two more sequoias at the bottom of Mary St. Emerald planted by my friend Doug Twaites in the early 1950's as seedlings. These also have reached very large size in a short time. I was watching TV recently, 'Getaway', I think, they were featuring Glenharrow Gardens at Belgrave, when a massive redwood, 28 feet around the base, was shown, and said to have been planted in the 1880's. There are three young redwoods in gardens on my walk up to the town and another couple in La Souef Rd. I hope they survive to 100 year plus maturity; they'll be a sight for those lucky enough to be around.

The Sequoia, the tallest tree species in the world, is my tree of the week.