Gardens go back to the 20s

FOUR established palm trees have been planted at the east end of Sturt Street.

Two Washingtonia robustas, or Mexican fan palms, have been planted at the Albert and Camp street intersections by municipal staff as part of the Sturt Street shared path project, and ongoing works to improve the city’s canopy cover.

The palm trees have been chosen as a reference to Ballarat’s landscaping of the 1920s.

In 2018, a 12-metre-tall palm tree fall at Civic Hall, not long after it had been planted into the ground beside Doveton Street. City staff attributed this to a failed ground cable anchor at the time.

Director of development and growth Natalie Robertson said the new Mexican fan palms on Sturt Street are bottom-heavy with a stable, flat base, and are different to the Canary Island palms at Civic Hall.

“As such, they will not require external support,” she said. “The palms are approximately 10 to 15 years old and currently 3.8 metres tall. We anticipate them to double in size over time.

“The City of Ballarat has sourced the Mexican fan palms from a specialised advanced tree nursery, Established Tree Transplanters from Echuca.”

Palms, cordylines, and flax all featured in the gardens around the Titanic Rotunda in the past, and there is still a Canary Island palm in this area dating back about a century.

As part of the Urban Forest Action Plan, municipal staff have an aim to boost the city’s tree canopy cover to 40 per cent in the next 18 years, and City of Ballarat mayor Cr Des Hudson said he was pleased to see new growth in the CBD.

“The fan palms are a great reflection of the historical significance of the central gardens on Sturt Street,” he said.

“It is a great opportunity to diversify our tree collection across Ballarat, as a healthy urban forest requires a variety of trees.”