NATIVE GARDEN CORRIDORS
Introduction
A native garden corridor is where individual gardens containing local native plants are linked together to an area of bush or nature reserve. A corridor can provide a safe route for native birds, insects and reptiles to live and travel through urban areas. It also helps to absorb pollution from road run-off which could otherwise end up in our waterways and estuary.
Below is a simple diagram of a native garden corridor:
Introduction
A native garden corridor is where individual gardens containing local native plants are linked together to an area of bush or nature reserve. A corridor can provide a safe route for native birds, insects and reptiles to live and travel through urban areas. It also helps to absorb pollution from road run-off which could otherwise end up in our waterways and estuary.
Below is a simple diagram of a native garden corridor:
Which yard?
It doesn’t matter if you choose to link backyards, front yards or both. Ideally animals should have the ability to move freely across boundaries and along the corridor, so high fences can be an issue. Front yards are generally quite suitable for corridors because there are often fewer high fences.
What sorts of plants are suitable?
The native animals that you’d like to attract into your garden have adapted to eating and living in native plants that grow naturally in your local area. These are called endemic plants and have adapted to the particular environment where you live. This means they are perfectly suited to growing in your garden, rather than exotic plants that originally came from somewhere else in the world.
To choose some endemic plants for your garden, take a walk through some patches of bush or nature reserves close to your house and take photos of the native plants that you like. Look for plants of all sizes (low-growing, medium-sized and larger trees) which will help create a habitat suitable for a range of critters to come and visit. Your native plant nursery can help you identify the plants in the photos, and with a bit of luck they’ll have some seedlings for sale.
To attract birds to your garden you’ll need to plant things that they can eat, hide and nest in. Medium sized shrubs like Grevillea, Chorilaena and Rhagodia are good choices, as well as trees like Agonis (Peppermint) and but there are lots of other varieties that you can choose depending on the existing buildings, your ability to maintain the garden and your personal tastes.
Bees love flowering native plants and can provide you with a valuable service if you also have fruits or vegetables on the property that require pollination. This can include melons, blueberries, avocado, lemons, limes, plums, apricots, carrots, onions, some cucumbers, capsicum, pumpkins and cauliflower.
Remember to consider the size of the plants when fully matured. Tuart seedlings are cute but they can grow to over 20 metres tall when fully mature. Also, remember to avoid power lines and other services.
Hiding places
Logs, thorny bushes and other nooks and crannies in your garden provide a safe place for small birds, insects and reptiles to hide. Large open areas leave the little critters feeling very exposed and vulnerable to predators such as crows or cats, so keep this in mind when planning your garden.
Mulching your garden to a thickness of at least 80mm not only keeps weeds down and the soil moist, but it also provides a habitat for worms and other soil organisms that are a food source for other creatures such as lizards and birds.
When is the best time to plant?
Planting your new garden in autumn will give the plants some time to establish their roots before summer. The first summer is often pretty tough for seedlings and they will need to be watered once a week during hot weather.
It doesn’t matter if you choose to link backyards, front yards or both. Ideally animals should have the ability to move freely across boundaries and along the corridor, so high fences can be an issue. Front yards are generally quite suitable for corridors because there are often fewer high fences.
What sorts of plants are suitable?
The native animals that you’d like to attract into your garden have adapted to eating and living in native plants that grow naturally in your local area. These are called endemic plants and have adapted to the particular environment where you live. This means they are perfectly suited to growing in your garden, rather than exotic plants that originally came from somewhere else in the world.
To choose some endemic plants for your garden, take a walk through some patches of bush or nature reserves close to your house and take photos of the native plants that you like. Look for plants of all sizes (low-growing, medium-sized and larger trees) which will help create a habitat suitable for a range of critters to come and visit. Your native plant nursery can help you identify the plants in the photos, and with a bit of luck they’ll have some seedlings for sale.
To attract birds to your garden you’ll need to plant things that they can eat, hide and nest in. Medium sized shrubs like Grevillea, Chorilaena and Rhagodia are good choices, as well as trees like Agonis (Peppermint) and but there are lots of other varieties that you can choose depending on the existing buildings, your ability to maintain the garden and your personal tastes.
Bees love flowering native plants and can provide you with a valuable service if you also have fruits or vegetables on the property that require pollination. This can include melons, blueberries, avocado, lemons, limes, plums, apricots, carrots, onions, some cucumbers, capsicum, pumpkins and cauliflower.
Remember to consider the size of the plants when fully matured. Tuart seedlings are cute but they can grow to over 20 metres tall when fully mature. Also, remember to avoid power lines and other services.
Hiding places
Logs, thorny bushes and other nooks and crannies in your garden provide a safe place for small birds, insects and reptiles to hide. Large open areas leave the little critters feeling very exposed and vulnerable to predators such as crows or cats, so keep this in mind when planning your garden.
Mulching your garden to a thickness of at least 80mm not only keeps weeds down and the soil moist, but it also provides a habitat for worms and other soil organisms that are a food source for other creatures such as lizards and birds.
When is the best time to plant?
Planting your new garden in autumn will give the plants some time to establish their roots before summer. The first summer is often pretty tough for seedlings and they will need to be watered once a week during hot weather.
Rain gardens
If you have a low lying wet area in your garden or an area that receives run off from paving, roofs or other hard surfaces, it’s a great opportunity to create a rain garden. Rain gardens catch and filter pollution such as nutrients, animal droppings, rubbish and oils before they enter storm water drains or before they leach through our sandy soils and enter our waterways, estuary or ocean.
Be creative and choose a variety of native species that will tolerate heavy rainfall as well as long dry spells. Your local native plant nursery will be able to help you. Kangaroo Paws and some rushes and sedges are good choices. Mulch your rain garden with gravel instead of bark or straw mulch which could wash away in the next storm. The rain garden should be able to drain within a day or two of a large rainfall event. If that’s not the case then it’s not working properly and the design may need to be modified. Water lying around for any length of time can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
It’s best not to plant rain gardens up against buildings because the water running into the garden could undermine the building’s foundations.
Useful links
There is a wealth of information on the internet these days. Listed below are a few resources will help you on your way to research and develop a garden that suits your situation:
Water Corporation
Water Wise Plant Selector
Popular garden designs for Perth and the South West
A guide to choosing plants with low water requirements that are suited to your area. The plants listed are both native and exotic.
Gardening Australia
Water wise fact sheets
Native plant fact sheets
Information on designing gardens that have low water requirements
Department of Environment and Conservation
Flora Base
Look up WA native plants to see their preferred growing conditions and what they look like.
Sustainable Gardening Australia
Case studies, fact sheets and other resources
Sustainable garden checklist
Pest control and companion planting
Retrofitting sustainability
Wicking beds (giant self-watering pots)
Low water lawn varieties
A wealth of information for the home gardener.
Josh’s House
Example of a new home built with sustainability in mind
Josh Byrne’s sustainable home in Fremantle. Includes videos and fact sheets.
WA Department of Health
Grey water use
Guidelines and approved grey water diversion devices
City of Bunbury
Local Planning Policy - Landscaping
Contact the City for advice
Guidelines for landscaping within the City of Bunbury
Phone 9792 7000
Shire of Dardanup
Urban Verges and Landscaping
Contact the Shire for advice
Guidelines for landscaping within the Shire of Dardanup.
Phone 9724 0000
Email records@dardanup.wa.gov.au
Shire of Collie
Local Planning Strategy
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9734 9000
Email colshire@collie.wa.gov.au
Shire of Harvey
Urban Landscaping
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9729 0300
Email shire@harvey.wa.gov.au
Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup
Local Planning Strategy
Townsite Expansion Strategy
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9780 4200
Email shire@donnybrook.wa.gov.au
Shire of Williams
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9885 1005
Email shire@williams.wa.gov.au
Shire of West Arthur
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9736 2222
Email shire@westarthur.wa.gov.au
GeoCatch
“Bay OK” sustainable gardening resources.
www.geocatch.asn.au
Phone 9781 0111
If you have a low lying wet area in your garden or an area that receives run off from paving, roofs or other hard surfaces, it’s a great opportunity to create a rain garden. Rain gardens catch and filter pollution such as nutrients, animal droppings, rubbish and oils before they enter storm water drains or before they leach through our sandy soils and enter our waterways, estuary or ocean.
Be creative and choose a variety of native species that will tolerate heavy rainfall as well as long dry spells. Your local native plant nursery will be able to help you. Kangaroo Paws and some rushes and sedges are good choices. Mulch your rain garden with gravel instead of bark or straw mulch which could wash away in the next storm. The rain garden should be able to drain within a day or two of a large rainfall event. If that’s not the case then it’s not working properly and the design may need to be modified. Water lying around for any length of time can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
It’s best not to plant rain gardens up against buildings because the water running into the garden could undermine the building’s foundations.
Useful links
There is a wealth of information on the internet these days. Listed below are a few resources will help you on your way to research and develop a garden that suits your situation:
Water Corporation
Water Wise Plant Selector
Popular garden designs for Perth and the South West
A guide to choosing plants with low water requirements that are suited to your area. The plants listed are both native and exotic.
Gardening Australia
Water wise fact sheets
Native plant fact sheets
Information on designing gardens that have low water requirements
Department of Environment and Conservation
Flora Base
Look up WA native plants to see their preferred growing conditions and what they look like.
Sustainable Gardening Australia
Case studies, fact sheets and other resources
Sustainable garden checklist
Pest control and companion planting
Retrofitting sustainability
Wicking beds (giant self-watering pots)
Low water lawn varieties
A wealth of information for the home gardener.
Josh’s House
Example of a new home built with sustainability in mind
Josh Byrne’s sustainable home in Fremantle. Includes videos and fact sheets.
WA Department of Health
Grey water use
Guidelines and approved grey water diversion devices
City of Bunbury
Local Planning Policy - Landscaping
Contact the City for advice
Guidelines for landscaping within the City of Bunbury
Phone 9792 7000
Shire of Dardanup
Urban Verges and Landscaping
Contact the Shire for advice
Guidelines for landscaping within the Shire of Dardanup.
Phone 9724 0000
Email records@dardanup.wa.gov.au
Shire of Collie
Local Planning Strategy
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9734 9000
Email colshire@collie.wa.gov.au
Shire of Harvey
Urban Landscaping
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9729 0300
Email shire@harvey.wa.gov.au
Shire of Donnybrook-Balingup
Local Planning Strategy
Townsite Expansion Strategy
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9780 4200
Email shire@donnybrook.wa.gov.au
Shire of Williams
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9885 1005
Email shire@williams.wa.gov.au
Shire of West Arthur
Contact the Shire for advice
Phone 9736 2222
Email shire@westarthur.wa.gov.au
GeoCatch
“Bay OK” sustainable gardening resources.
www.geocatch.asn.au
Phone 9781 0111
Local businesses and suppliers
Leschenault Community Nursery
Located off Estuary Drive, East Bunbury
Phone 9791 4670
www.leschenaultcommunitynursery.com.au
A not-for-profit nursery producing approx.150 local native species for revegetation and retail sales.
Boyanup Botanical
Lot 14, South Western Highway, Boyanup
Phone 9731 5470
http://boyanupbotanical.com.au/
A nursery located in Boyanup that specialises in native plants.
True Blue Turf
433 Tuart Drive, Busselton
Phone 9754 8873
www.trueblueturf.com.au
Supplier of Australian native lawn species, Nara.
Vicki Pretorius
Phone 0438 090 039
Email vickipretorius@gmail.com
Bunbury based landscape architect specialising in sustainable design.
Leschenault Community Nursery
Located off Estuary Drive, East Bunbury
Phone 9791 4670
www.leschenaultcommunitynursery.com.au
A not-for-profit nursery producing approx.150 local native species for revegetation and retail sales.
Boyanup Botanical
Lot 14, South Western Highway, Boyanup
Phone 9731 5470
http://boyanupbotanical.com.au/
A nursery located in Boyanup that specialises in native plants.
True Blue Turf
433 Tuart Drive, Busselton
Phone 9754 8873
www.trueblueturf.com.au
Supplier of Australian native lawn species, Nara.
Vicki Pretorius
Phone 0438 090 039
Email vickipretorius@gmail.com
Bunbury based landscape architect specialising in sustainable design.
