Transforming your garden

By Madeleine Murray

LINDA BRANNIAN recently moved from a large rural property to a small suburban block on the edge of Murwillumbah.

A keen birdwatcher, bushwalker and cyclist, Linda wanted a native garden that would attract birds and other creatures.

“When I moved in, there was some astro-turf, a butterfly bush, a dead avocado tree, a couple of dead lemon trees, and just dirt in the back part,” Linda told The Weekly.

A dedicated bush regenerator, she didn’t want exotic plants spreading into the native park near the Rous River. She wanted a low maintenance garden without large trees.

Linda met Christian Ellis, a local native garden designer, at a Land for Wildlife workshop.

“Based on my requirements, Christian selected and planted a range of suitable native trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, sedges and groundcovers,” Linda said.

Plants are clumped according to their drainage needs and sun tolerance. Bird and insect-attracting species were included and after the garden was planted, it was heavily mulched.

“Planting hardy species has paid off,” Linda said.

“So far, I’ve only lost two shrubs. The native grasses are growing quickly, and the groundcovers are spreading. The mulch keeps weeds at bay.

“I love watching my new garden develop and grow. The maturing plants are forming layers that should provide habitat niches for small animals and I am delighted to see that insects and birds are already appearing.

“My tip for anyone starting a native garden is to take time to observe your yard. Work out where the difficult spots are and then find out what will grow there. There is a native plant for every situation.”

So far, Linda has counted 46 native bird species in her garden, and eight butterfly species. A native garden promotes biodiversity, and can connect wildlife corridors. Since it is native, it is adapted to our climate and needs less watering, weeding or bug protection.

Most of the garden is heavily mulched to cool the soil, encourage plant root development and suppress weeds.

For more information, check out My Local Native Garden Guide on Council’s website. Linda’s little oasis was created by Christian Ellis of Grounded Garden and Design, here’s the website: groundedgardenstudio.com