Spring Abundance

Tamarillo

 Mid or late Spring, in this Coffs Coast, NSW, subtropical climate zone, and we there is an abundance of flowers and fruit.

Heritage Rose

Louisiana Iris

Salvia

Salvia

Nasturtium

Begonia

New shoots of Stevia

Red Russian Kale

Lipstick Bromeliad

Lychee Flowers

Black Mulberry

Persimmon Flowers

White Peach

White Mulberry

Grumichama

Gulf Gold Japanese Plum

Black Sapote

New leaves on Amla

Natal Plum

Brazil (Surinam) Cherry

Illawarra Flame Tree flower buds

New leaves on Grape

Macadamia Nut

Pecan Nut Flowers

Kiwi Fruit Flowers

Flowers and immature Jaboticaba fruit

Passionfruit

Kumquats

New Banana leaves with Dorrigo Tree Waratah

Retention Pond

Cranberry Hibiscus flower

Cordyline flower

Pear flower

Louisiana Iris

Arum Lilies

Wendy's Wish Salvia

Louisiana Iris

Miniature Zygocactus

Orange Browallia

Blueberry and variegated Hibiscus

Some of our food forest trees

Why catalogue these trees in this fashion?

If you are searching for suitable fruit and nut trees for a similar climate then this lengthy list may just spark your interest. This food forest is situated on the border of warm temperate and subtropical climate zones. It is only ten kilometres from the NSW coastline and in a river valley,

Of course we have some failures but it has been surprising what subtropical trees will grow on our north facing slope. Indeed our Apple and Apricot trees struggle the most because our winters have insufficient chill factor. I hope the large pics assist with identification.  

Persimmon Fuju (Diospyros variety)  (right) and Apple trees in the lowest, therefore coldest in winter, south west corner.


Fuju is a dwarf variety of Persimmon that does not need bletting. We also grow Tropical Apple (Anna), Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples. We grow Crab Apple (Malus Golden Hornet) as a universal pollinator. It is extremely slow growing.

Permaculture Zones applied to the Fernmount Food Forest

Aloe Vera in Zone 1

On a large property it might be easier to designate clearly the various zone related to permaculture principles. On the one acre (0.4 hectare) land of The Fernmount Food Forest zones tend to blur. Our Zone 4 area is tiny and we don't have a Zone 5 with original native bush. 

However, we are surrounded by patches of native forest and situated near the Tarkeeth Forest, part native timber plantation and part almost original forest so we regularly see bandicoots, goannas, pythons, Black, Brown and Tree snakes, lizards and plenty of native birds.