It was a love of gardening that prompted Stacey Waylen and Marc Brooke to establish Tulla Natives at their Wakool property.
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The first of their natives went in to the ground about five years ago. It did not take long for the couple to realise they could be on to a winner, and within two years they established a nursery too. On the property is a wholesale nursery where you can get farm trees and saltbush, and gardening and landscaping is covered through the retail nursery.
A third side of the business is the cut flowers and foliage plantation, from which Tulla Natives supplies bulk foliage and a small amount of flowers to event stylists and organisers, to companies and organisations for corporate events and functions, other local businesses and individuals for celebrations.
“Stacey and I have always had a love for gardening, and buying our own plants was becoming expensive,”Mr Brooke said.
“We have made a lot of good connections, and we have a lot of local support,”Ms Waylen added.
“There is a growing demand for natives, and we found we have picked up some new clients who, because of COVID-19, can’t get product from their usual suppliers,”she continued.
Popular varieties grown by Tulla Natives include eucalyptus, banksia, acacia, callistemon (bottlebrush), hakea grasses and kangaroo paw, and casuarina and pine. But a specialty at the Wakool property is the AnamekaTM fodder shrub.
“We have the rights to grow Anameka for the eastern states of Australia under Chatfields Nursery National Grower Licence,”Mr Brooke said.
“It has been developed by the CSIRO and partners, and has the capacity to supply a living hay stack therefore giving producers a huge advantage by adding more feed options during changing seasons.
“It is an elite form of old man saltbush offering high energy, high protein and high establishment.
“It offers great protection for sheep in lamb. It does not get up as large as old man saltbush, which makes it more manageable,”Ms Waylen added.
The couple planted 3500 AnamekaTM plants this year, and intend to have 120,000 to 150,000 plants this season. Each plant is grown from a cutting from an established plant at Pental Island, outside Swan Hill.
“We start that cutting process in spring and into summer, and we would sell them bare root from the end of autumn and into winter,”Mr Brooke said.
“The better the soil the more plants you can grow, but the average is about 900 to 1100 stems per hectare.
“There is a special way of splitting the cuttings, which then go into the hot house to strike,”Ms Waylen added.
“From there they go to an outside shade house, and then into the open air so they harden,”she continued.
“It is a highly sought after variety, and only now getting a bit of uptake in our area.’’
Other saltbush varieties are also grown at Tulla Natives, and this year the number of trees and other saltbush numbered 200,000. Ms Waylen said capacity at the farm is 500,000 trees and shrubs.
“We tend to grow any variety that is endemic to this region,”she said.
“Eucalyptus and acacias are popular, and there are smaller varieties for wind break and shelter stands. But we can also sow to order.
“We also do revegetation varieties and recently facilitated an order for a local landcare group.
“Our cut flowers and foliage is on 30 acres (12 hectares), and there are still some areas being established. Different types of banksias, for example, can take five to seven years to become fully established.’’
Mr Brooke said the demand for wind break and shelter trees has increased this season, with farmers taking full advantage of the recent rains.
“Wind break and shelter stands help with protection and erosion control,”he said.
“And in irrigation communities like ours, it can also help keep the water table low and help control salinity.’’
The Tulla Natives team so far consists of just Ms Waylen and Mr Brooke, and two children who offer a bit of “free labour’’, but Ms Waylen said an expansion and employment opportunities are in the near future.
“We have expanded so dramatically recently we expect to put on some casual workers for this coming season,”she said.
“And we want to be able to expand further to offer more stable part-time employment and support our community more.’’
For more information about Tulla Natives, go to www.tullanatives.com.au.
Senior journalist