Native Plants

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rdhopkins2

rdhopkins2

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Oct 1, 2002
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I'm looking at helping a mate do up his garden and we'd like to have a predominantly native garden that preferably flowers spring through to autumn and attract native birds. It's on a small suburban block so certainly not looking at towering eucalypti but any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. Drought / heat tolerant would also be good for bonus marks. Thanks.
 
If your both in Glen Waverley, head on down to KES in Knox. I'm in the northern suburbs so I only know nurseries in my local area but a quick Google search on indigenous nurseries will help you out. I used to work in an indigenous nursery and the people that run them are a fountain of knowledge
 

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rdhopkins2 said:
I'm looking at helping a mate do up his garden and we'd like to have a predominantly native garden that preferably flowers spring through to autumn and attract native birds. It's on a small suburban block so certainly not looking at towering eucalypti but any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. Drought / heat tolerant would also be good for bonus marks. Thanks.
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You want native birds but no doubt you'll get Indian Mina's. They suck big time. Very territorial and scare everything else away.

Google:

Westringia - not the best looking shrub but do flower and don't die if you don't water them.

If you're going to hedge, try Murraya - not native but grows quick and needs less water than almost any other hedge.

If you want ground cover, try Grevillia Poorinda Royal Mantle. Not the best looking ground cover but is native, covers up ground blocking out weeds, and attracts birds.

Varieties of grasses are popular (you see them along motorway medium strips all the time) but they keep multiplying and sporning elsewhere in your garden.

Kangaroo Paw - don't think it attracts birds but it's native and many people like the look. The problem I have with them is if I touch the flower I get a rash.

Go to your local nursery and ask for suggestions, but use Google first so you have some idea.
 
Thanks for your replies and suggestions. Any others are also welcome.
Mate lives in Narre Warren and I think the soil type is much the same there as is Glen Waverley.
 
I have 1 more tip:

Go to a wholesaler. As in the wholesalers who supply to Flower Power and Waldeck Nurseries etc. Everything will be half the price. So if you work out what you want and it's $800 at your local chain nursery, it will be $400 on the outskirts of the city at a wholesaler. Worth borrowing a trailer, driving out, fill trailer up. Half price.

I used these guys in Sydney:

http://www.downesnursery.com.au/

There's just over an hour out of the city just past the outskirts of suburbia. They supply all the nurseries. You don't need a ABN or be a landscaper.

You should check this places and make sure their prices are about half of what the chain retailers are:

http://www.tgaaustralia.com.au/

http://www.haignurseries.com.au/

http://www.glenvuenursery.com.au

One more tip: When I bought Murrayas (for hedge) I bought about 70 or 80 of them. $10 each in a chain retail nursery (10 or 15cm), $4.25 or something for 10-15cm and $6 something for 25cm. Downes were giving me the "we don't have 10/15cm ones so you have to buy the 25's". I found another wholesaler who said he had 10/15cm ones for just under $5. ordered, paid, picked up, and they were all 25cm tall.

Downes' sales girl also gave me the "no one sells small ones because they are too hard to grow".

Shop around a bit and if people say they don't have the small size it's because they didn't see them and they have grown! Someone will sell you them for the lower price
 
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