WILDLIFE FRIENDLY GARDENING
Gabrielle Anderson

Like a lot of established gardens in Sydney, a lot of trees and plantings in my own garden are exotic rather than native. Our garden also has a regular lawn, and not many thickly planted shrubby areas. We have managed to make sure the garden is well mulched, and to plant several native Lilly Pilly trees on our wide nature strip. There is, however, a lot more we could do to make our garden more wildlife friendly. With this in mind, I went in search of information and advice.

What is wildlife friendly gardening?

Wildlife friendly gardening aims to create a natural habitat within our own gardens which will attract local fauna. The basics include planting gardens with local native species, the use of mulches, limiting water use, and natural pest control. It’s also important to keep cats and dogs confined at night. We share our urban areas with native fauna such as frogs, birds and lizards. Wildlife friendly gardening helps this fauna survive and thrive.

Creating a wildlife habitat

There are four basic requirements for creating a wildlife habitat garden. These are food, shelter, nesting sites and fresh water. Planting native flora can provide food and shelter for local wildlife. Groundcovers, mulches, rocks and logs all provide shelter. Nesting boxes can be installed to take the place of tree hollows, and bird baths or ponds used as water sources.

One very simple hint for creating a wildlife habitat is to allow a corner of your garden to become overgrown. This more sheltered area is ideal for some of our smaller garden inhabitants such as insects, skinks, and blue tongued lizards.

Attracting birds

Planting local trees and shrubs provides food, shelter, and nesting sites for birds. Lorikeets and other honeyeaters eat nectar from banksias, grevilleas, teatrees, wattles, lilly pilly, and eucalypts. Rosellas and other parrots eat seed from the she-oak.

Kookaburras, magpies, butcher birds and owls feed on the insects and lizards found under logs, sticks, and leaf litter. Smaller insectivorous birds like wrens require thick shrubby areas for protection. Insect attracting plants such as wattles, banksias, and hakeas should be planted to attract and shelter these smaller birds.

Where to get information

Local Councils are a good source of advice on wildlife friendly gardening. I was able to get a guide to plants that are native to our local area, tips on attracting fauna to our garden, a guide to noxious weeds, and information on nest boxes. Some Councils also sell nest boxes at cost price.

The internet is also a great source of advice on wildlife friendly gardening. One particularly useful site I found was www.floraforfauna.com.au You can use the map system on the site to find out what flora you should be planting in your local area to help provide a habitat for local fauna. The site gives detailed information on how to set up your garden to attract specific birds/mammals/reptiles. I selected ‘frogs’ and was given specific information on selecting tufting and clumping plants such as Flax Lilly and establishing garden elements such as leaf litter and a pond or bog.

Other useful sites I found were the NPWS Backyard Buddies Program and Wildwatch Australia.

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