When most people hear the word ‘garden’ they think of a wide expanse of perfectly trimmed grass bordered by carefully pruned roses. In some cases, there may also be a small veggie patch growing lettuce and tomatoes in an out-of-the-way corner. While certainly pleasant, this style of highly thirsty gardening has become more difficult to maintain due to the increase in price and high demand for municipal water supplies, coupled with an alarming pattern of annual draughts that seem to be growing more severe every year. Fortunately, there is an answer in the form of hearty, draught-resistant Australian native species gardening!
If your property already has native trees and shrubs in place you are in luck, all you have to do is trim them up and make the area accessible to foot traffic with garden paths. Sometimes older trees become rotten and present a hazard due to falling branches, if this is the case simply engage the services of the pros who specialize in tree lopping in Gold Coast, they will ensure that your patch of native ecology is safe for you to enjoy! Australia boasts some of the most unique and lovely flora in the world, with many species quite distinct from those found in other countries, just like the wildlife is! It’s fun and easy to grow native plants as well as being a positive boost to our natural environment!
If your garden isn’t already blessed with native plants, here are some tips to help you get started:
Planning – Begin by studying up on the species that you would most enjoy having in your backyard oasis. Once you have chosen what plants you want to grow, make a rough map of your property and imagine how you would like to see them placed. If you want a really natural appearance avoid planting in rows, instead spread them around in a seemingly random pattern, but still making sure you can fit a meandering garden path among them, and that the arrangement will be attractive- you can fudge a bit on the side of appearances over true nature, it is your garden after all and the main thing is to be able to enjoy it! If you have a few full-grown native species already in place, especially larger trees or shrubs, you might have a bit of jungle to tame, but you can work with them, using them as anchors to place your new additions around.
Preparation – It’s best to purchase established seedlings rather than try to grow from seeds, the latter can have unpredictable rates of success and will take a lot longer to reach a point where you can enjoy them. Regarding the choice of plants, you should take your local climate into consideration, it’s fun and easy to grow species unique to your region. Most native plants need good drainage to thrive, so keep this in mind as you prepare the space.
The Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research website has some great advice and a list of species for you to consider. Have fun creating your own oasis of native Australian foliage!