Update: all 1,000 free native trees have now been snapped up by people who pre-registered! Any uncollected trees will be made available for walk-ins during the last hour of the event.
Registrations are now open for Onkaparinga households, community groups and small businesses to claim up to four free native trees – a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day!
One-thousand trees will be available at the second annual One Tree Per Child Onkaparinga community tree giveaway event at the Aldinga Community Centre on Sunday 15 June (2–4pm).
So, if you want to level up your garden, you can guarantee your trees for collection at the fun-filled family day by pre-registering now (until 13 June or until capacity is reached).
Any leftover or uncollected trees will be available at the giveaway event, where you can also enjoy a show from The Amazing Drumming Monkeys, expert tree care and planting advice, kids face painting and craft activities, community garden tours, a pollinator friendly garden session suitable for all ages, information stalls, a coffee van, free kids snacks and more.
The trees available are native tubestock, lovingly grown by Trees for Life using local seed, which are perfect for local gardens and even better for pollinators.
They’ll grow to 3–4m and thrive in our dry conditions — small in size, but mighty for biodiversity! Trees include Melaleuca decussata, Acacia myrtifolia, Leptospermum continentale and Leptospermum myrsinoides.
One Tree Per Child Onkaparinga is a partnership between the City of Onkaparinga, One Tree Per Child, Green Adelaide, Arborgreen and Trees for Life, and it began last year to encourage planting on private land to enhance green spaces, cool the area, and provide habitats for pollinators.
Onkaparinga was the first South Australian council to partner with One Tree Per Child, which was established by Jon Dee and Olivia Newton-John in 2015 and has since seen hundreds-of-thousands of trees planted in 11 countries.
Seventy-four per cent of Onkaparinga’s land is privately owned, which makes it vital for the community to get involved in planting and keeping it green.
Onkaparinga’s early learning centres and schools are also onboard, with the council’s nursery growing 600 trees for planting on campus, and Green Adelaide Education providing a combined educational curriculum-linked planting program.
Students involved last year are already excited about returning to their plantings in 10 years’ time to check in on their planted trees!
To register for your free trees and to learn more about the event and planting trees in your garden, visit the council’s website.