G.J. Gardner Homes has been supporting our community tree planting projects since 2013, and in that time, we have planted over 75,000 trees across Victoria and Tasmania due to their generous support. That impressive number comes because G.J. Gardner plants 15 native trees for every home it builds in Tasmania and Victoria.

Steve and Rebecca Moore from G.J. Gardner Homes Melbourne East are generous supporters of local community groups, and their tree planting projects. This year Steve, Rebecca and their team purchased 285 native plants trees for the Knox City region which is on the land of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation.

G.J. Gardner prides itself on being a practical, hands-on family affair, and in past years staff have happily gone out with their local community to plant their trees themselves. To keep the local connection, all trees are planted near the offices managing the builds, between 200-900 trees for every district. Local Landcare groups determine the best tree species for the site. The seedlings themselves are often grown by local independent nurseries who have collected seed from the region by hand (with the proper licensing, of course). The sites that have been planted have included nature reserves, parklands, roadsides, school grounds, riverbanks & rural properties.

G.J. Gardner’s core business is building homes. Safe, secure places for families to grow and thrive for many years to come. We love that alongside this G.J. Gardner is planting forests, which is very much the same thing; safe, secure places for fauna and flora to grow and thrive for many years to come.

Urban build-up in metropolitan areas like Melbourne, often leads to forgetting the importance of nearby green spaces and creek beds. As we whizz by industrial and retail spaces on public transport, our bikes and in vehicles the urban terrain blends into one. But take a closer look, there’s a lot of pockets there for habitat and keeping our air clean.

“Thank you to Fifteen Trees and G.J. Gardner Homes Melbourne East for the funds to provide trees to the Friends of Blind Creek Billabong (FoBCB). Due to COVID, our group were unfortunately unable to plant the trees, but luckily Knox City Council was able to assist with a team of contractors.

 

The plants were propagated and supplied by the Knox Environmental Society (KES). KES is also a group of volunteers who collect, propagate and supply our Council with local indigenous plants.

 

The team planted the native trees in a new garden bed along the shared path along Lewis and Scoresby Roads. They were planted where existing canopy had been lost at Scoresby Reserve and Dandenong Creek. In time, this planting will provide a strong habitat corridor along several creeks within Knox.

 

On behalf of the Friends of Blind Creek Billabong and Knox City Council we thank everyone for your support. We look forward to working together on future projects.”

Dru Taylor | Bushland Management Officer | Friends of Blind Creek Billabong

If you are interested in how your business and Fifteen Trees could work together, contact Lou at <[email protected]> and ask for a no obligation proposal or check out our COMPANY page for more info.

Writer

Lou Ridsdale is a big fan of words and has been our Comms Manager since 2019.

She is a big-minded green thumb, Earth Lover, big-hearted nature freak plus a savvy media and horticulture expert, who passionately believe that everyone is capable of leading a more nourishing and sustainable life. Her passion for education + communication being the most empowering tool for change is reflected in her setting up her own digital/comms agency Hey Hoe Let’s Grow Socials. She also founded Food Is Free Inc. a unique grassroots food security platform specialising in food security education. She fell in love with trees after reading The Magic Faraway Tree as a child.

You can find Lou here