"We all need somebody to lean on!", or so the song goes. But seriously we all are social creatures and often depend on each other to happily survive.
We are very lucky here in Pleasant Hills as we have plenty outlets to allow this to happen. Whether it's going down to the pub now and then or being involved with one of the local sporting or social clubs, everybody has the opportunity to become connected somewhere.
Plants are exactly the same and seemingly survive better when they are propagated in groups or at least pairs. There are many plants that require both a male and female variety to successfully produce viable seeds or fruit. A couple that come to mind are The Peppercorn Tree (the symbol of Pleasant Hills according to Paul Knie in his book "The Pepper Trees on Ryan Street") and the Carob Tree.
I have a male Carob tree and at this time of year the perfume is somewhat overwhelming, not to mention the inviting hum of being attended to by large swarms of bees and other insects who come for the nectar. But I have been lazy in procuring a female — when I do, I will be blessed with a delicious fruit that many say can be used as a substitute for chocolate; now there's a saving worth pursuing.
Other trees benefit from company, not necessarily from the same species. On Gardening Australia, an indigenous elder approached two identical fruit trees to collect tucker. The narrator was directed to collect from one tree only — the other was becoming attached to a tree of a completely different genus and was to be left alone to mature.
I have trees that seem to have thrived well after being planted near trees that have already developed. You never know what you might get in your garden if you just let it grow sometimes. I find that if I don't till my vegetable garden too early, I am presented with a variety of plants that can be dug around and encouraged.
The trick in planting large groups of trees is not to plant them too close together. We visually look at the plot when there are only seedlings to observe. We need to imagine what the group will look like when fully matured and not liken it to plantation trees.
When Arthur Phillip first arrived at Sydney Cove in 1788, he was able to take his horse and sulky through the trees to where Parramatta is today (and back) with barely a stop, in one day. In this type of environment, indigenous people were able to collect enough firewood from fallen branches, never ever have to cut a tree down.
Bob Marshall.