The benefits of planting natives
The varieties of native plants that are now available for the garden have grown dramatically in the past decade.
And the growing choice in species is, perhaps more than ever, inspiring green thumbs to add some Australiana to their backyard creations.
There are plenty of good reasons to introduce at least a few native plants to the garden, none more so than encouraging beneficial birds and bugs into our outside environments.
We might not realise it, but sometimes in being so dedicated to creating formalised gardens with one-dimensional exotic plants, we can inadvertently establish relative wildlife deserts.
It is in these ‘green deserts’, where we can also accidentally promote a hub for disease, weeds and pests, which we then try to combat with chemicals or often-inappropriate quick fixes.
Watching honeyeaters acrobatically snap up insects on the wing at dusk after gorging themselves on nectar from flowering natives is a delight.
Busy New Holland honeyeaters also won’t tolerate competition from sparrows and hands up if you have barracked hard watching an aggressive wattlebird give a mess-creating blackbird a hurry-up out of the garden.
Then there are the bugs. Noting the absence of destructive aphids on roses planted near certain types of native shrubs can be a welcome surprise.
Lacewings and ladybirds, encouraged by native habitat, love nothing more than feasting on soft-bodied pest insects.
Having codling moth-free apples, while everyone else in the neighbourhood is struggling with infestations, can have us scratching our heads – that is, until we realise there is some sort of curious relationship happening with another nearby native plant.
The idea is all about creating urban habitats, where we promote the natural order of Australian life to come into its own and establish environmental balance.
Many of the same rules for other plants also apply for many natives.
They have just as many needs and wants and while some are, not all are naturally tough. Mass displays can be better than solitary plantings and there are always options to have something flowering at different times of the year, constantly making the vista easy on the eye and ensuring a reliable food source for our feathered friends.
Like all plants, consider the planting circumstances. Knowing soil composition and PH and planting species accordingly can be the difference between success and failure.
In the Wimmera we have everything from alkaline clay to raw sand.
Take time to understand size, habit and maintenance required to get the best out of your plant. For example, some native plants survive without a lot of water but might flower more or less with a regular drink.
Horsham Spring Garden Festival is sure to have plenty of natives as well as appropriate exotics that can work in tandem available for sale. They are worth a try.
Sometimes tubestock, while less impressive, produce better results than larger plants in bigger pots. But on other occasions it can be the opposite, depending on the specimen.
Much depends on how quickly you want the plant to make an impression in the garden.
Members of groups such as Horsham Urban Landcare, which will be at the festival, can usually offer advice.