Tweet Life
Attract native birds and raise your twitter profile.
Bottlebrushes
Our native Callistemon species have showy, nectar-filled flowers that attract lorikeets, rosellas and honeyeaters, and many insects that feed smaller birds. The seeds provide a bounty for rosellas and other parrots. ‘Kings Park Special’, ‘Endeavour’ and ‘Harkness’ are good small trees with red blooms, but there are pink, mauve, yellow and white varieties. Compact shrubs include ‘Captain Cook’, ‘Firebrand’ and ‘Matthew Flinders’. Bottlebrushes can tolerate wetter soils than most natives.
Banksias
Banksias offer shelter as well as abundant nectar on their flower-packed spikes, often in the important autumn-winter period. They also attract insects and provide seeds for larger birds such as cockatoos. Some of the most beautiful species, such as
B. grandis and B. pilostylis are native to WA and not as well suited to the eastern states, where good choices are ‘Giant Candles’, coastal banksia ( B. integrifolia) and heath banksia ( B. ericifolia).
Grasses
Little birds such as finches and wrens hunt out common garden pests in our gardens but usually stay low to the ground, flitting from plant to plant. They love tussocky grasses for their seeds and for shelter.
Try native grasses such as kangaroo grass ( Themeda triandra), tussock grass ( Poa labillardieri), meadow rice grass ( Microlaena stipoides) and wallaby grass ( Austrodanthonia spp). Dot clumps through the garden near ground-hugging shrubs so little birds have a continuous safe zone to forage.
Grevilleas
Grevilleas range from groundcovers to tall trees, but most are small to medium shrubs. The large-flowered hybrids bloom all year, attracting large honeyeaters that are fun to watch but can chase away small birds. Top performers include ‘Superb’, ‘Peaches and Cream’, ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Honey
Gem’, but there are dozens in all shades of yellow, orange, pink, cream and red. Compact shrubs with smaller flowers are better for small birds. Try G. rosmarinifolia
‘Firecracker’, ‘Pink Midget’ and ‘Lady O’.
Camellias
Camellias are just some of many non-native plants that reliably bring in the birds. Sasanquas flower from late summer to autumn, followed by japonicas, which bloom from winter into spring, meaning an abundance of nectar for three-quarters of the year. The dense foliage also offers shelter and safety. Camellias are valuable because they can grow in shade; most natives need a sunnier spot to flower well. #
Native birds are especially attracted to red and yellow flowers. Plant a range of plants that flower at different times of the year. Birds are essential to the ecosystem and there are more than 700 native species to welcome into your garden.
lists her top five budding attractors. Helen Young