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.

Andrew Timms leads the team at  G.J Gardner Homes Melb Inner East who are generous supporters of local community groups, and their tree planting projects. This year they purchased 405 native trees (and tree guards) for one of our community revegetation projects, bringing their tally of trees to 3,000! An environmental milestone!

The planting site for this year’s trees was at JW Mason’s Reserve in Wantirna, on the lands of the Wurundjeri People. This location is of significance as it is one of a few locations that has good existing indigenous vegetation including Manna gums and Blackwoods.

Some of the indigenous plants that ‘went into the ground’ on the day included Blackwood, Messmate Stringybark, Bidgee Widgee, Sword Tussock-grass (substitute for Poa labillardierei, Common Tussock-grass), Tasman Flax-lily, Myrtle Wattle, Kangaroo Thorn, Hop Wattle, Narrow-leaf Bitter-pea, Grey Parrot-pea, Hop Goodenia, Australian Indigo, Tree Everlasting and Cluster Pomaderris. In the short term, these plants will provide shelter and food sources for insects and smaller birds, and in the long term will improve the genetic diversity in the area.

We are beyond excited to share some amazing milestones with you all! For the first time, we had the pleasure of working with Fifteen Trees and GJ Gardner Homes, who generously approached us and offered to fund 400+ native plants for our latest project at JW Manson’s Reserve. Their support has been invaluable and we thank them.

We’re also celebrating our first-ever corporate volunteering event! A massive shoutout to the 25 incredible legends from Mentholatum Australasia (based here in Knox) who brought their energy, enthusiasm, and all-around great vibes to a corporate volunteering day! Last but not least, a special thank you to the Bushland team at Maroondah City Council for the site preparation and the KES Knox Environment Society for the plants.

Together, we’re making a real difference, and we couldn’t have done it without you all. Here’s to many more collaborations and milestones in the future!

Anthony Bigelow | President | First Friends of Dandenong Creek

Thank you G.J. Gardner for the additional funding for tree guards. These guards helps protect the new seedling and gives it protection from grazers, in particular rabbits and kangaroos. Inside the plastic sleeves, a microclimate helps protect them from harsh UV, drifting sand, frost, and wind. Once the seedlings survive their first summer and get the opportunity to develop a strong taproot, their chances of survival skyrockets.

Writer: Colleen Filippa

With a background in Environmental Science, Colleen is the Founding Director of Fifteen Trees. In 2009, after 20 years in primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions, Colleen left the classroom to start the company. Fifteen Trees is a social enterprise assisting individuals and companies to reduce their carbon footprint by supporting community groups such as Landcare, schools and environmental networks.