Brian Bainbridge's Garden

  Stormwater from the roof is directed through the garden along a shallow drainage line and many moisture loving plants grow here.  This small footbridge is made from recycled timbers.    The garden has attracted a range of wildlife since it was established in 2004, helped by it's location, mostly surrounded by the parklands of the Merri Creek in outer-urban Fawkner. Invertebrates that make use of the long grassland habitat include purple-winged mantids, several cricket species, butterflies including the Dispar skipper, Saltbush (Chequered) Blue and White-brand Grass Dart Skipper, several types of native bee and grasshoppers.       At left is a pair of tiny, spiny Hispellinus beetles.  The larvae feed inside the stems of Kangaroo Grass and Mat Grass (Hemarthria uncinata).  Adults emerge in summer, often perching on the flowering culms of the food plant.       After windstorms blew out the top of an ill-placed Silky Oak (Grevillea robusta), I killed the tree by stem injection.  The tree has been more attractive to wildlife dead than it ever was when alive, becoming a powerful magnet for birdlife.  It is a a lookout, basking spot and even a hunting ground for birds incessantly inspecting the peeling bark and crevices.  A water dish is maintained near the dead tree which is kept full and clean at all times in summer. Several young Blackwoods and Lightwoods planted nearby have rapidly grown, creating shelter needed by small birds to feel comfortable when bathing.  Some  pruning was needed to ensure the flight path and view lines remained open.         Constant garden residents include Red Wattlebirds, White-plumed Honey-eaters, Australian Magpie, Willie Wagtail and Crested Pigeons along with the exotic Indian Mynahs, Starlings, House Sparrows and Spotted Turtle Doves.  Less common visitors are the New Holland Honey-eaters, Grey Shrike-thrush (love areas of fallen leaves, bark and twigs, Spotted and Striated Pardalote , Eastern Rosella (methodically ate all the pods of the Golden Spray (Viminaria juncea) this year and the Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater (a special visitor from inland Australia which has over-wintered in the area for several years). The Tufted Bluebell, Wahlenbergia communis and Native Pelargoium, Pelargonium australe, make a beautiful, hardy combination amongst rocks, flowering throughout summer. 

Bruce and Ann McGregor’s Garden

Age of garden: 29 years
Area: 50 m2
Bioregion: Victorian Volcanic Plain
Soil type: Black basalt soil, flat.
Special features of the site: Front yard presenting indigenous plants to the neighbourhood.
On southern side of the house, so there is a lot of shade.
Source of plants: Most came from Victorian Indigenous Nurseries Co-op (VINC). Some have self-sown.

What was there before?
The south-facing front ‘garden’ had a couch grass lawn with two pelargoniums. We liked the rich deep black basalt soils, and the north-facing back garden which had lots of fruit trees. The front garden became indigenous, while the backyard has some indigenous species as well as a variety of flowers, fruit trees and vegetables.

Why did you want to grow an indigenous garden?
We were co-authors of A planting guide for the Merri Creek valley (Merri Creek Co-ordinating Committee 1980) about local indigenous plants, so were already interested and wanted to show them to other home gardeners. In 1981, when we found this house, very little was known about growing indigenous Merri Creek plants. The front garden was always an experimental garden so we could learn about what worked. We also wanted to provide food and habitat for local wildlife. As it turned out some of the plants provided cuttings for revegetation plantings along the Merri Creek. We also wanted to demonstrate that you could have a garden that did not need to be watered.

Can you describe the design of the plantings?
Originally we designed the front garden along the lines of a Victorian garden with oval beds on either side of the central path, to complement the 80 year-old house. The oval beds were outlined with borders of Poa labillardierei and a few local basalt rocks we uncovered. Inside the ovals were shrubs such as Woolly Tea-tree (Leptospermum lanigerum), Sticky Boobialla (Myoporum viscosum) and Hop Goodenia (Goodenia ovata). These plants were all kept pruned to shape. Along the front fence were planted Tree Violet (Melicytus dentatus), Gold-dust Wattles (Acacia acinacea), and a Woolly Tea-tree. We wanted the Gold-dust Wattles to grow up and over the central path at the front gate to provide an arch entrance. This arch was there for a few years but was too hard to maintain.

Along the central path were low Everlastings and a few Lomandras. At the back of the garden near the verandah were taller Kangaroo Apples, a Drooping She-oak (Allocasuarina verticillata) and a Banksia marginata. Along the side fence to the west were several Lightwood Wattles and a Bursaria to provide some shade to the house. Lightwoods and some Rock Correas were planted elsewhere around the garden.

The formal layout became obscured after about 10 years, and no trace remains as plants grew in various forms and directions, died, or were cut down, so now it looks very informal.

Establishing and maintaining the garden
For nearly two years we did nothing but try to kill the couch grass. This involved several sprayings with Roundup. The garden then received a heavy cover of ‘Eucamulch’, a byproduct of Eucalyptus oil distillation consisting of chopped Eucalyptus twigs and leaves. Eucamulch was added each year for about four years, by which time the leaf-fall and the prunings provided enough mulch. The only time water has been used is at planting and for a few weeks following, and some targeted hand-watering occasionally during the drought.

Pruning is important to keep the plants vigorous and out of people’s faces so it is done three or four times each year, depending upon the season and the plant. The garden is also weeded every three or four weeks to remove the invasive exotic grasses, sow-thistles and sticky weeds which appear from time to time (cats, blackbirds!). This weeding only takes 5-10 minutes but prevents any local seeding.

Over 30 years several plants have died or been removed and have been replaced with other trees. The Boobialla responded well to pruning but after 15 years lost its form and vigour. We planted another Drooping She-oak in its place. Lately we have included more groundcover and grassland plants, particularly along the front fence following the replacement of the brick fence with a woven wire fence.

What were some of the problems you encountered?
Some of the trees grew too large and had to be removed or drastically reduced. The first She-oak was removed at 20 years of age much to our regret. It grew rapidly upwards and then northwards over the verandah and roof. The spouts were constantly clogged with the cladodes (needles) which rained down. The main concern was really the size of the tree and the potential damage to the house. The second She-oak started to suppress the plants underneath. It died during the drought and we left it standing for a few years as a perch for the birds, until it fell down in high winds.

The Woolly Tea-tree was a problem after rain, when it hung down over the front fence and over the public footpath.The Bursaria also grew much larger than the guide books said and enveloped the power line coming in to the house. One trunk was much thicker than a man’s thigh. It has been cut back. The Poa were also very vigorous, probably as there was not enough competition. They had to be pruned very hard to maintain their form otherwise they ended up very tall and leggy. In the end they rotted away under the She-oak needles!

Kangaroo Apples will grow almost anywhere, even germinating in the neighbours’ yards. However they do not respond well to pruning. They are relatively short lived and so it is best to push them hard and then start again quickly.

What benefits have you seen?
We have enjoyed living in the bush in Brunswick. Our daughters had fun playing there, as there are plenty of hidey-holes. The garden has also let us make friends with quite a few people who have made comments while passing in the street. It is also great to be awakened in the morning by the honeyeaters singing in the tree outside our bedroom. We loved hearing the wind in the She-oaks and still miss this ‘windharp’. The long-flowering Bluebells (Wahlenbergia spp.) are wonderful during summer. There are also more and more invertebrates, skinks and fungi making the garden home. The garden is relatively low-maintenance.

Advice to new gardeners
Read a guide to gardening with local indigenous plants, if one is available. Get advice from a local indigenous nursery. Every garden setting is different, so a degree of experimentation is needed. If there is space, a eucalypt or banksia is good to attract birds (honeyeaters).

Think about the mature size of plants when drawing up a planting plan. In suburban gardens most large plants will grow even larger than the books say as there is less competition, more resources (runoff water from the paths, etc) and more shelter than in the bush. Most plants need to be pruned to manage the garden, otherwise they will become too large and some plants may die early. Pruning also helps mulch the garden.

What’s your favourite aspect of your garden?
A large Lightwood on our back fence can be seen from our kitchen table. It has been a great resting place for thousands of birds over the years including Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes, various cuckoos, lorikeets and honeyeaters. We even had a vagrant Koel in the tree.

Bruce likes to ‘hide’ in the front garden while weeding and many people walk past and don’t even notice him. We are very pleased to have a number of 30-year-old plants in the garden who are now old friends!

Indigenous Garden Links

Australia: Using indigenous plants to conserve indigenous fauna http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL17/mar00-1.html Australia: Importance of Australia's Indigenous Plants http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/indig.html Australia: Flora for Fauna http://www.floraforfauna.com.au/links.asp?id=82 Australia: Sustainable Gardening Australia http://www.sgaonline.org.au Australia: Wildscape http://www.wildscape.com.au/about/ Australia: Global Garden http://www.global-garden.com.au/burnley/nov99dte.htm Australia: Bush garden http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2003/archives/2003/in_the_garden/gardening_tips,_books,_techniques_and_tools?p=3671 Australia: Flora Victoria http://www.floravictoria.com Australia (Victoria): Indigenous nurseries http://www.greeningaustralia.org.au/GA/VIC/HotTopics/nurserylists.htm Australia (Black Hill): Wildflower garden http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/parks/blackhill/wildflower.html Australia (Clarence): Biodiversity garden http://www.unley.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=377 Australia (Kur-ring-gai): Wildflower garden http://www.anbg.gov.au/chabg/bg-dir/066.html Australia (Melbourne): Grow your own indigenous plants http://www.homes1.com.au/Mag_Indigenous.html Australia (Melbourne): Indigenous Garden http://www.acfonline.org.au/asp/pages/document.asp?IdDoc=1929 Australia (Melbourne): Urban bushland parks http://www.global-garden.com.au/burnley/oct97dte.htm Australia (Sydney): Indigenous Landscape Design Australia http://ilda.sitesuite.ws/ Australia (Townsville): Gardening for butterflies http://farrer.riv.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL14/jun99-1.html Britain: Wild flower garden http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/wild_flowers.htm Cameroon: Indigenous garden http://www.bgci.org.uk/botanic_gardens/Bafut_BG_new_Cameroon_garden.html Germany (Herberstein Castle): Ecological Garden http://www.herberstein.co.at/en/gaerten/oeko.php India: Beauty With Indigenous Species http://ezinearticles.com/?Beauty-With-Indigenous-Species&id=7873 Israel: Ecological garden http://techunix.technion.ac.il/~greenweb/en_eco.html Korea: Ecological garden http://www.unesco.or.kr/unescokorea/past_no1/focus_3.html Madeira: Garden of indigenous plants of São Vicente http://www.madeira-web.com/PagesUK/gardens/garden-sao-vicente.html Malta: Indigenous and protected trees http://schoolnet.gov.mt/hands.on.farming.gozo/indigenous%20trees.htm New Zealand: Otari-Wilton’s Bush http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/gardens/otariwiltonsbush/otariwiltonsbush.html Phillipines: Indigenous bonsai trees http://www.upd.edu.ph/~updinfo/archives/NovDec2002/Bonsai%20Garden.htm South Africa: The value of an indigenous garden http://www.gisa.co.za/article.php?AID=88&artcatid=12&CID=5 South Africa: Greening South Africa’s schools http://www.nbi.ac.za/education/pret4.htm South Africa: The indigenous movement http://www.graemark.co.za/The%20Gardener/2005%20February/the_indigenous_movement.htm United States: Natural gardening http://www.nearctica.com/family/garden/natgard.htm United States: Beautiful wildflower gardens http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/outdoors/37 United States: Ecological sensitivity in landscape gardening http://www.nutrition4health.org/NOHAnews/NNF00EcolLandscape.htm United States (Brooklyn): Wildflower gardening http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/wildflower/ http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/ecology/ United States (Brooklyn): Going Native (book) http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/wildflower/handbooks/going_native/3.html United States (California): Ecological garden design http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/freeform/slosson/documents/1993-19942141.pdf United States (California): Bay Nature http://www.baynature.com/2003janmarch/resources_2003janmarch.html United States (California): Earthwise garden http://www.drsociety.bc.ca/garden.htm United States (Connecticut): Wildflower garden http://www.conncoll.edu/ccrec/greennet/arbo/wfg/wfgmain.html United States (Hawaii): How to plant a native Hawaiian garden http://www.state.hi.us/health/oeqc/garden/index.html United States (Minneapolis): Wildflower Garden http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=4&parkid=340 United States (New England): Garden in the Woods http://www.newfs.org/garden.htm United States (New England): Ecological garden http://www.ela-ecolandscapingassn.org/wint_conf_sponsors.htm United States (Okefenokee): Okefenokee Natural Garden http://www.innatfolkston.com/nec/garden.htm

Indigenous Garden examples from Chris Findlay

The following examples were provided by Chris Findlay.These photos show the Burnley Indigenous Garden at its peak when I worked on it from 1997 to 2000. It had a great framework of trees and shrubs when I started, so I re-developed the ground layer. Within my three years I managed to introduce over 100 species of ground flora to this “Bush” style garden.After Burnley I started Flora Victoria. These are indigenous grassland landscapes we designed and developed for Brimbank City Council.

Jeff Yugovic's Indigenous Garden

This is a terrific garden that makes use of lots of interesting local plants. Here are some pictures from Jeff's garden.      

Monash Uni Indigenous Food Garden

I am truly blessed.  For, although I work in the light-industrial heartland of Melbourne’s South Eastern suburbs, it is also home of the Clayton campus of Monash University. In the midst of the grounds is a small oasis. Located near the Halls of Residence and the Lake, lies the indigenous garden. It is here that it is my privilege to walk each day. I like the early morning best. As the students pass me, they are seemingly oblivious to the natural wonder and beauty of their surroundings.    The garden itself is pleasantly laid out on the hill between the Loop Road and the Lake. It has a wonderful collection of indigenous plants, neatly labelled with their name and the purpose to which they were put by the local Aboriginal people.       Some examples include:

• KABIN: Running Postman. Flower-honey; stem tying. Kennedia prostrata R Br
• WARPUR: Native Willow. Seed and gum eaten. Pittosporum phillyreoides D C
• GURGUDJ: Ruby Saltbush. Fruit eaten. Enchylaena tormentosa

To the west, at the top of the hill, lies a huge tree trunk on it side. There is an interesting shape cut into it. The nearby sign says “The scar on this tree was created a long time ago by the Wurundjeri balluk people of the Yarra Valley when they cut out a piece of the bark to make a shield. The tree was recently donated by the Wurundjeri people.”     Aside from the plants, the area is a magnet for a variety of birds. Recently there have been Little Pied Cormorants, Straw-Necked Ibis, a White Faced Heron as well as the usual quota of common ducks etc. The last week has seen a flock of Rainbow Lorikeets making a cacophony in the trees above the lake. If you are in the area and have a spare moment I invite you to come and take a look and enjoy the sights and sounds of this little piece of heaven. (Melways 575). Perhaps other members would care to share their favourite spot? Finally I would like to thank Beth Gott for all her efforts in making this garden happen. - Lawrie Hanson

Wirrapunga

Wirrapunga is an indigenous garden showcasing plants of the Aldgate Valley (SA)in a natural grassy woodland setting. Over 300 species of indigenous plants including over 60 species of lilies and orchids and 40 grass species make up a spectacular garden. By invitation, Wirrapunga is part of Australia's Open Garden Scheme and will be open to the public on the 10th and 11th September 2011. More information on Wirrapunga can be found at www.johnwamsley.com