In praise of… pollination!
September 2, 2026
Varroa mites, bees, and our future: Where have all the bees gone?
October 9, 2026
Back in 2020, my life changed, along with everyone else’s. Yes, there was the COVID craziness but luckily, around the time of the first lockdown, I stumbled upon my suburb’s Buy Nothing group. It truly changed my life. I instantly recognized the potential of Buy Nothing as a market for all those plants I was propagating.
As Chief Gardener and First Assistant Beekeeper at my home, I take propagation seriously. I’d already been growing new plants for some years. After the house reno in 2016, this was an essential part of garden rehab after the builders and plumbers had exercised their unique landscaping skills in our yard 
. Soon enough I was running out of plant space and looking around for willing victims.
The houses next door had an undistinguished front garden courtesy of Housing ACT, with no one especially interested beyond the compulsory mowing of the grass every few weeks. So I did a little guerilla gardening.
The barely-controlled chaos of Liz's garden in Spring.
In due course, I got chatting with the workers at these houses, which were refuges for young people. The workers were pleased to allow me to plant more boldly: correas, a kangaroo apple and a trio of brachychitons that I’d grown, along with various bomb-proof plants such as daisies and herbs. Their front garden perked up. I failed to mention that most of what I was planting was bee-friendly.
One thing led to another and the workers approached me about converting the big backyard of the adjacent house into a garden in which distressed young people could chill out. I pointed them towards the people who could implement this vision, and contributed in modest ways, propagating some natives, as well as lending a pair of hands for planting and weeding.
The result was the Ainslie Peace Garden – a story for another time.
Meanwhile, with its two-way traffic, Buy Nothing became a fascinating lifeline. Some days felt like a birthday and Christmas all at once, receiving gifts from others, and gifting bee-friendly plants to my suburb. That was always my no-so-secret plan; with our bees foraging on the lavender hedges of Ainslie, it seemed right to contribute to my neighbours’ gardens. Perhaps, one pot of salvia or lavender at a time, we were creating our own unofficial pollinator corridor through the suburb.
My Beloved built a simple greenhouse for me, which helped extend the growing season.
It hasn’t all been pollinator-friendly plants, though that’s been my main focus. Salvias are popular. With a gorgeous range of colours, they grow well from cuttings, and are bee magnets. Every day last summer, we saw blue banded bees zooming around the lilac-coloured salvias on the patio.
A picture drawn for Liz as thanks for the gift of home-grown seedlings..
I’ve gifted lavender, asters, echinops, daisies, Lamb’s Ears, Hibiscus syriacus, herbs (holy basil, borage, comfrey, lemon balm, wormwoods, little bay trees, curry tree seedlings, shiso, and parsley), natives (myoporum, scaevola, crinum lilies, warrigal greens, bulbines, kangaroo apples, vanilla lilies, templetonia), water plants, iris and other bulb species, as well as vegetable seedlings.
Over time, I’ve widened my gifting horizons. I now propagate with ACT for Bees events and the Canberra Region Beekeepers in mind. Friends with no gardening know-how but willingness to plant for bees are a speciality.
Decades ago, an ex said of me: “Liz can’t say no to a plant.” He was correct. If it grows, and I can dig it out and pot it up, or root a cutting, or plant the seed, it’s fair game.
Then I reached The Age, and courtesy of the Miracle of Superannuation, had enough to retire. OMG, this is heaven on earth. After all, the original Paradise was a walled garden, a place of privacy and respite in nature. For years, I’d said that my retirement plan was to propagate plants and walk the dog. Since joining the Land of the Perpetual Long Weekend, I’m doing more of the same, but more, more, and more of it, without the imperative of employment to pay the bills. So far I’m not-at-all bored. A quarter acre block in Ainslie is plenty enough to keep me entertained and enjoying the good life.
Holy basil seedlings gifted by Liz to Buy Nothing group members.
I’m still learning about plants, propagation, what works and what doesn’t, and more recently, through volunteering with ACT for Bees, the marvel of all those Other Pollinators. While growing for honeybees has been a priority, over the years my partner, who has a background in ecology, has helped me appreciate the value of biodiversity and the miracle of natural pest control. We have around 250 plant species, happily co-existing in barely-controlled chaos, along with managed bee hives, native bees, chooks, and frogs in ponds.
Why have a garden when you can have an ecosystem?
We love showing off. And gifting plants. So if you are passing through Ainslie, and notice the purple house with the busy verge garden and parsley in a bucket on the street library next to the footpath, knock on the door. You might score a cuppa, a chat, a tour of the chaos, and perhaps a pot of something to take home with you.
Happy planting, everyone.
Liz Fraser
Chief home gardener, Assistant Beek, ACT for Bees and Other Pollinators volunteer
