Nurturing Nature

Let’s embrace the delicacy of changing seasons. Winter is receding and nature is awakening with bursts of life. Marina Grassecker, the Managing Director at Harvest Native Nursery makes way for the vibrant resurgence of Spring. Read her tips and tricks for welcoming our native Spring plants and animalia into the beautiful season of rebirth and revival.

It is finally the most magical time of the year, where the insects and animalia come out of hibernation and the buds bloom! The birds are all airborne, happily gathering nest material and playfully chirping. To give them a helping hand, keep your native grass prunings and put them into a box for the birdies.

When gathering a few logs for a regenerative project, we discovered we did not have enough, because of this, one log was taken out of our nursery garden and guess what we found? A male and a female Eastern skink living inside! We will definitely not be moving any more logs from the nursery, after all it’s what they are meant for… habitat.

Harvest Nursery offers a variety of logs and rocks, perfect for creating a snug haven for moths, lizards, small birds, and many other little critters. We’ve got grasses and groundcovers ready to turn your outdoor space into a wildlife wonderland. When you next stop by the nursery, consider creating a habitat for the native wildlife.

Soon we will see the busy caterpillars…or should I say garden munchers! These creatures have been chomping on our lovely natives, they will shortly become majestic lovelies that make us take a double look at their beauty as they fly by.

There are so many flowering natives at present that it is difficult to advise favourites. A big standout is the

Pultenaea species (egg & bacon plants) of which there are many and we have them in stock!

Don’t forget the prickly and dense shrubs such as Banksia ericifolia and Daviesia ulicifolia (Gorse Bitter Pea), for small bird habitats.

Adults tend to be hesitant to grow prickly shrubs near children, however, just chuck them in once and they will not go near the bush again. Seriously though, if it is explained to children what the bush is for, they will immediately respect the bush and what it does for the small birds. Remember, kids are smart!

The coastal Banksia integrifolia is blooming magnificently and feeding the Lorikeets, and last year’s seed pods are being eaten by the Black Cockatoos. That’s versatility for you!

Our bushlands come alive much of the year with flowers from trees, shrubs, grasses and groundcovers. To achieve colour in your garden all year round, come to our native nursery at the beginning of each season and we will help your garden bloom indefinitely. •

281 Mona Vale Rod, Terry Hills 2084. (02) 9450 2699. sales@harvestseeds-nativeplants.com.au.