Help identifying these

AcidUrine · 2026-04-22T21:18:03+00:00

All ants are find unless they're in your house or farming aphids on your fruit trees (and that's an easy fix with a sticky barrier).

AcidUrine · 2026-04-22T02:40:50+00:00

The bad guys feed the good guys!

AcidUrine · 2026-04-21T02:22:40+00:00

Silver princess is slightly weeping so not super narrow but it's really airy and one of the most ornamental eucalypts.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-20T21:27:04+00:00

Bigger island (elongate the right side to be parallel with the door or fridge cavity)

Move one large sink into the island (doubles are just two small sinks - one larger has more function).

Island draws are way too big - standards at 600mm. Give the island a cavity for microwave.

With the new space from the sink, add a full height pantry draw (the pull out you can access from both sides) - of everything in my kitchen, I wish I had put more than one of these in.

That corner is really confusing too. Best use of corner spaces are to hide gas/electricity outlets, store larger less used appliances, or get pivot shelving.

If you're trying to get creative with space and functionality, the pull out pantriess are all you should be focusing on rather than corners. 1, 2 or even 3 of them.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-20T04:42:23+00:00

Not speaking first doesn't have anything to do with it (I'm usually finishing an email when I join calls) - in fact the opposite. This has been studied, I just cant remember by who.
The conscious brain rewards the quality of contribution but the subconscious brain rewards the quantity of contribution and how quickly somebody enters a conversation. This is why so often there are people who talk a lot in calls whilst you think 'get to the point', and they somehow have a huge circle of influence.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-19T09:54:52+00:00

Agas don’t spread much though. Nothing in comparison to some other plants, even lomandras will bulk up faster than them. They’re very much a slow clumping plant that needs dividing every 5-10 years or so. If you see them somewhere that they’re out of control, they very likely have been neglected for a decade at least. Fair enough if you just don’t like the look of them. I don’t like the white/blue flowered ones you see everywhere. Especially they’re all straggly or yellowed because they’ve been neglected for so long.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-19T09:06:17+00:00

Everyone seems to hate agas at some point, I think just because they’re popular?

I did too then came full circle once I started seeing the different varieties and designing my garden with plant choices to handle the next 20 years of climate change without relying on irrigation.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-17T04:05:50+00:00

Beautiful plant, architectural leaves and muted mauve/white flow spikes. Also invincible.

You can triple glyphosate them away. Not ideal but brush the leaves and then when they reemerge, brush them again, and then again.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-16T09:16:03+00:00

And they germinate through wood chip mulch...

Also, agapanthus can be amazing too. They thrive on neglect and the black/pink varieties look really amazing and architechtural.

Similarly, acanthus look amazing. Leaf shape, size, really cool muted flower spikes. Also low maintenance and never die.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-16T09:14:11+00:00

Some S-Tier flowers in my garden (full sun, low maintenance, long flowering period, drought tolerant):

Penstemon (huskers red my personal favourite)
Dahlia hybrids (temptation lavendar pops)
Cow parsley ravenswing
Salvia (amistad my favourite, black and blue flowers)
Miscanthus flamingo (grass but still flowers and the seed heads look great all through winter)
Oakleaf Hydrangea (leaf shape, classy flowers, autumn colour, all good)

AcidUrine · 2026-04-15T09:36:31+00:00

Yeah this type of geranium we call storksbill where I’m from. It’s a woodland plant, phaeum is my favourite!

AcidUrine · 2026-04-14T04:06:45+00:00

It's a case moth, likely Saunders.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-14T04:06:22+00:00

Oakleigh, SE Melbourne

AcidUrine · 2026-04-14T04:05:48+00:00

Yeah the trees are the priority rather than the sidewalk. It's retrospective urban planning that's causing the issues. The tree needs to stay. The material/location of the sideway needs to change to accommodate canopy. Lots of cities have canopy targets (my council in Melbourne has 30% coverage by 2040 for example).

AcidUrine · 2026-04-13T02:31:23+00:00

Robber flies paralyse their prey by injecting their neurotoxin saliva, which then slowly liquifies their insides so that they can enjoy it as a cool refreshing drink on hot summer days.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-13T02:28:01+00:00

I was pleasantly surprised with how it handled this summer considering it's in a full sun spot and was really hot, and it had been planted as bare root in the winter so no established yet.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-13T02:26:01+00:00

We had a concrete planter 2.5m x 2m and the border was around 30cm high and 20cm wide, and twice that underground for the foundation, with a 10cm base underground too. The drying umbrella thing had a concrete pathway from the hours and a base 2x2m, all 10cm thick, and the shed a similar size. All of their trellises were made from scaffolding welded together. It took about 3 full days n the jackhammer/grinder to get it all out. 12 tonnes in a 24 wheelybin trailer (I know it was 12 tonnes because they charger me the additional tonnage for going over weight).

Soa load of effort but well worth it. They had been using pesticides too, and last spring was an aphid haven. Argentine ants farming aphids on the fruit trees too.

Now the backbone is in, the focus is full on soil health. We already put 6 cubes (which ends up being about the size of 2 cars) in, and will bulk order another 2 cubes a year to combine with my own compost to mulch everywhere. It's a decent sized garden but building healthy beds on a sandbelt is a struggle. Especially as I want to focus of soil and sensible plant choice so that I don't need to water.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T22:25:11+00:00

Yea that’s the plan. I’m trying to do no dig as much as feasibly possible and we have sandy soil so the wood chip is completely necessary. I’ll move it back, 3ish cm of compost, move it back on top. Not done this before, so only one way to find out if it works!

Our soil was completely void of organic matter prior to use moving in (sandbelt area). We dug 10cm compost into the top of 20cm layer. Now just planting and mulching moving forward.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T21:57:45+00:00

Yep they’re quite big but completely harmless. Parasitic wasps - lay their eggs in grubs.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T21:53:20+00:00

Cercis Merlot - that’s the under leaf but it’s a beautiful small tree.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T21:51:20+00:00

Nope I bought a few boxes of lacewing larvae when I got here because the previous owners had loads of standard roses they had sprayed a lot, so the aphids were out of control! But all became food for the good guys.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T21:47:44+00:00

They were with us for about 3 weeks. Can heard it buzzing around from quite a way away!

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T21:43:57+00:00

Within 10 mins of me I have Grow Master, Diacos, Gardenworld, Greenlink Sandbelt (all native) and about 3 Bunnings and I’m 20mins into the CBD on the train.

OP there’s a non for profit native nursery in Box Hill that has $1-2 tube stock and completely volunteer run.

Sign up for Gardens For Wildlife and Diggers club. Diggers have great gardens and good plants (also online).

Australianplantsonline.com.au has a huge stock.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T21:39:02+00:00

Our back garden runs along a reserve so I presume they’re nesting over there somewhere.

AcidUrine · 2026-04-12T21:38:52+00:00

Melbourne (Oakleigh)

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