Celebrating: Illawarra Festival of Wood

It's been a hot dry spring so far, and not great conditions for many gardens. Trying to take appealing photographs is all but impossible at the moment, so apologies for the dearth of colour.

For something different, you will be able to pick up an interesting carving, learn how to make your own garden tools, and buy native plants at the Illawarra Festival of Wood, coming up this Friday 6 and Saturday 7 October.

Mallee Designs' Kath Gadd will be on hand with a range of local native plants and other goodies such as her amazing copper bird baths. And there will be lots of other stalls, workshops on making everything from bowls to chopsticks to milking stools, and a range of displays. Plus live music! I'll be there on the Friday afternoon and happy to talk all things local native plants. A partial list of plants is available from the Mallee Designs website (but there will be more!)

In other news, the deadline for commenting on Wollongong City Council's draft Urban Greening Strategy has been extended to COB this Friday 6 October, so if you haven't yet written in to support more street trees, more trees on private land and better protection for our urban vegetation, there's still a chance to comment. Every voice will help!

OK, one photo. This Brown Kurrajong (Commersonia fraseri) was flowering spectacularly despite the dry down at Stuart Park a week or so ago.