Clayton Bay Community Nursery and Garden
Clayton Bay Community Nursery and Garden offers a showcase of local provenance plants, providing inspiration for sustainable home gardens. Whimsical artifacts made from recycled materials add charm to the garden. The plants reflect the vegetation that existed in the region at settlement, demonstrating the beauty of indigenous plants and their sustainability in a region with low rainfall.
Volunteers have collected seeds and cuttings from a 5km radius, which are then propagated for use in the garden and the local area, with 20,000 plants grown for planting during autumn/winter 2011. These activities provide life long learning opportunities for locals and visitors. Similarly the adjacent vegetable garden promotes the development of skills in organic, water wise food production.
A focal point in the garden is a grand old gum tree that provides habitat for a variety of fauna including micro bats, birds and native bees. The garden is attracting frogs, lizards and happy volunteers.
The Community Nursery, which is a funded project, is one of 14 local groups growing plants for re-vegetation projects. There are 9 nurseries and 5 community groups, including some schools. This part is managed by the Milang and District Community Association. The nursery volunteers propagated and grew 20 000 plants in 2010/11 for planting out over autumn/winter of 2011. Jo McPhee the MDCA coordinator is pleased to report that "the Community Revegetation Project managed by Goolwa to Wellington Local Planning Association (GWLAP) in total has planted 220 000 plants stretching from Meningie to Hindmarsh Island during the 2011 planting season". The nursery has a coordinator funded for 2 days per week, with much of the work undertaken by volunteers.
The Community Native garden showcases the plants propagated and planted around the foreshore, allowing residents to be aware of what is included in the re-vegetation project. These species are also available for sale.
The Community Food garden is an organic garden with varying sized raised garden beds. All are accessible by wheelchair. The 'cost' of a plot is providing volunteer service in the nursery.
