We love the wildlife that the natives attract (especially the birds)and the easy care in comparison to non natives. I do rather want a gardener though. To view the home and garden type pictures of native gardens and then view my own, leaves me feeling somewhat depressed. Can you imagine how it would be if I had an ordered English garden!!!!! Give me the natives any time for our environment - native planting makes sense.
Bettina
· 1 year ago
Some very good advice there. Our council is currently removing all the willow trees from our water ways to replant with more native vegetation. Gardeners need to be very careful not to introduce weeds. Of course, being someone who is allergic to certain flowers, I feel gardeners should be careful to not make their neighbours sick too.
Aurel
· 1 year ago
The flowers are so beautiful...Reading to your post I find some facts that is very useful for a bad garderner like me :).
Susan
· 1 year ago
What a nice article. You were very correct regarding all of the advantages of native gardens.
In our city, there is a very small all "green" subdivision. They only used native plants and it is absolutely beautiful. So you can have it all!
Julia Brougham
· 1 year ago
Hello all, a note about Australian plants and fertiliser - they actually do need fertilising just like any other plant. The myth has persisted since the 70's that they don't. Banksias WILL keel over rapidly if you give them anything other than low-phosphate food - they are so good at grabbing what is in the soil that they overdose on it. For all other aussie natives - feed them!! Ordinary plant food, but if you haven't been feeding them, then start off with quarter strength and gradually build up to full rate over a couple of months of fornightly feeds. This is all the result of some very detailed study and practise over many years by Dr Ross Worrall of the Nararra Research Station near Gosford NSW. Even the supposedly "delicate" NSW Flannel flower will grow in quite concentrated doses of phosphate fertiliser. The most important thing you can do for any of your natives which are looking scungy or crook is to make sure they have plenty of aeration around their roots - dig in sand and raise the bed if necessary - then start feeding them gradually. Often what is blamed on insects or diseases is just plain drowning or starving. If after all your tenderness your plant refuses to thrive - dig it out and get another!
All Comments
I do rather want a gardener though. To view the home and garden type pictures of native gardens and then view my own, leaves me feeling somewhat depressed. Can you imagine how it would be if I had an ordered English garden!!!!!
Give me the natives any time for our environment - native planting makes sense.
In our city, there is a very small all "green" subdivision. They only used native plants and it is absolutely beautiful. So you can have it all!