Mixing your greens for a multi-purpose garden
John has been a keen gardener for many years but more recently has made gradual changes to reflect his interest in local indigenous species.
Situated in the Adelaide Hills suburb of Hawthorndene, this garden is unique with three remnant Eucalyptus species present, namely River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), SA Blue Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) and Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa). The remainder of the garden was entirely introduced species, a mixture of European and Australian plantings, with a layered effect that still provided good habitat.
John carefully considered the habitat value of the previous plantings and decided to make gradual changes that would have the least impact on birds and other wildlife that visit the garden. Of course this was only one aspect of his project… he also thought about bushfire hazard reduction, water runoff and how the garden would look.
Wildlife visiting John's garden includes the vibrant and noisy rosellas and rainbow lorikeets, wattlebirds, magpies and kookaburras. Smaller birds include several species of honeyeaters and the Superb Fairy-wren. There have been brushtail and ringtail possums and sometimes a koala passes through. In the warmer weather there are skinks, occasional blue tongue lizards and lots of butterflies.
The area is in a bushfire zone so local plant species have been carefully selected considering the form and habit and their flammability. John is aware that plantings at the outer edge or the street side of his property are more vulnerable to fire, so decided to keep some of the established exotics there, as he considers that they will not burn as readily as some of the local indigenous shrubs. With Belair National Park nearby, John is mindful that the 'non-local' plants that he retains in his garden are those least likely to spread into bushland and become environmental weeds.
The planned changes also consider water runoff. Stormwater from the roof and about three quarters of the block enters a system of three relatively small ponds down the slope, positioned to slow the rate of surface flow and increase water infiltration into the soil. The ponds only retain water in winter so John calls it his ephemeral wet area. Since their formation more local plant species have been introduced and there is extra habitat particularly for frogs and small birds. Species around the ponds include Flat Sedge (Cyperus vaginatus), Pale Rush (Juncus pallidus) and Wallaby Grass (Austrodanthonia sp.). There are still some introduced plants remaining including a shrubby variegated Pittosporum that does not set fruit. Various other introduced plants provide colour and form to the area and will also be retained.
In another section of the garden there is a meandering path between informal garden beds and another series of shallow ponds that fill from runoff from a grassed open area. There are plantings of Sedge (Carex breviculmis), several immature Grass-trees (Xanthorrhoea semiplana), Wallaby and Kangaroo Grass, Chocolate Lily (Arthropodium strictum), Clustered Everlasting (Chrysocephalum semipapposum), Native Lilac (Hardenbergia violacea) and the lovely local Lavender Grevillea (Grevillea lavandulacea). John has decided to leave the pink diosma in at this stage, as it shelters the new plantings and doesn't "get away" into the nearby bushland. All the local indigenous plants have been supplied from specialist growers who have guaranteed that the seeds have been collected within five kilometres of John's property.
Scattered throughout the lower section of the garden there are locals including two wattles, the spiky shrub called Kangaroo Thorn (Acacia paradoxa) and the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) which is a small tree. The Kangaroo Thorn has been placed back from the path, it's an attractive but prickly home to some blue Superb Fairy-wrens, and dense enough to deter neighbouring cats. The nearby Sticky Hop-bush (Dodonaea viscosa) with beautiful glossy bright green leaves and shiny reddish fruits is thriving. There are two species of Hakea, the Beaked Hakea (Hakea rostrata) and Erect Hakea (Hakea carinata), both with woody fruit that may tempt the Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos to stopover next time they fly over the property. More introduced shrubs will be removed in this section when the new planting are big enough to provide a screen for the house, and habitat for wildlife.
The garden is gradually evolving and photographs show the changes, which are easy to forget as time passes. John is keeping a list of the indigenous plantings to keep a check on which species thrive, although to begin with he has re-introduced the more robust species. Species with more specific requirements may be grown at a later stage, but already his garden has become a haven… a Backyard For Wildlife!
Indigenous (local native) species planted in John's garden:
Scientific Name Common Name
Acacia paradoxa Kangaroo Thorn
Acacia pycnantha Golden Wattle
Arthropodium strictum Common Vanilla-lily
Austrodanthonia sp. Wallaby-grass
Carex breviculmis Short-stem Sedge
Cheilanthes austrotenuifolia Annual Rock-fern
Chrysocephalum apiculatum Common Everlasting
Dodonaea viscosa Sticky Hop-bush
Eucalyptus camaldulensis var. camaldulensis River Red Gum
Eucalyptus leucoxylon South Australian Blue Gum
Eucalyptus microcarpa Grey Box
Hakea carinata Erect Hakea
Hakea rostrata Beaked Hakea
Hardenbergia violacea Native Lilac
Juncus pallidus Pale Rush
Themeda triandra Kangaroo Grass
Xanthorrhoea semiplana Yacca
