It has been very difficult to find clear weekends to build, where we don’t have other commitments, but last weekend we made some progress on the cat enclosure. Finally!
We needed a firm anchor point for the cat netting. Unfortunately, the existing lattice was not strong enough. It was beginning to show signs of age, with holes in it, and some rot. Beautiful Banksia Rose or not not, it had to come down and be replaced with something more solid.
Here is an image of the trellis and rose before we started work.
We chose a plain but solid steel fence as the replacement. It will last a long time, and when the plants re-grow, will still look good. Unfortunately, we had to cut down the Banksia Rose because it was so intertwined in the lattice:
After a full days work – primarily by Richard – we had a new solid colourbond fence.
There was still a little bit of work to do this weekend. Richard attached capping and facia boards to the fence, including a narrow garden bed along the foot of the fence. And yes, we do hope the Banksia Rose regrows from the stump in the ground. We’re optimistic as it has a few viable stems which originate this low. We will also plant more flowering plants along the inside of the fence to soften the look. It is very stark after the soft green foliage of the climbing plants.
Happily, the next morning we were pleased to see the Superb Fairy Wren and a Blackbird sitting on the new fence, near the fernery, where we had left a fully grown and bushy Banksia Rose intact. The birds were further away from the kitchen window than before, but they seemed just as happy going about their business. When the cat netting is put into place, they will still have that section of Banksia Rose to live in and play in. They just won’t be able to feed in the back yard.
Stage 2 will be attaching the netting, and patching up some holes in the shade cloth on the fernery. Hopefully we can do that next weekend.
For those interested in the whole process, here is a slideshow which shows work in progress.
Fifteen Acres 
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