Natives Are Good in Gardens Too
Australian native plants from your local area are the perfect addition to any garden. They are suited to the climate conditions, and once established, are easy to care for requiring less watering and no fertilizer, and they’re more resistant to pests and diseases. They also provide a habitat for may of the fauna species found in your area. Probably most importantly, having evolved together, local native plant species provide the right food of our native birds, bees, butterflies and many other insects, as well as may small mammals.
Planting native species from your area helps restore ecosystems
These ecosystems may have been lost from your area. Lots of gardens working together can play a role to help mitigate the negative effects of introduced species. Native gardens also reflect the natural beauty of the landscape, creating a visually appealing space through their seasonal changes, natural textures and colours that complement the local landscape. They can be used to replace common exotic species with ease. For example a Flax-Lilly planted instead of Agapanthas, or a Bottlebrush hedge, or even local Eucalypts instead of Cyprus pines for a wind break.
You can buy local native species at the NGT Community Nursery
Many of the native plants that NGT grows at the Mt Gambier Community Nursery are perfect for home gardens and are suitable for planting in the southeast of SA and areas of western Victoria. NGT has been planting around Mt Gambier to showcase some of these plants.
If any of these plants are of interest, please get in contact with our nursery by emailing info@ngt.org.au to discuss ordering for next year. The nursery is located at Vansittart Park, Commercial Street West, Mount Gambier. It is open by appointment, so please get in touch before you visit.
Avenue Cassinia
Botanical Name: Cassinia tegulata
Size: to 1.5 m
Flowering Time: Summer
Flower Colour: Cream/White
Good For: Insects
More Information: Endangered species
Coast Daisy
Botanical Name: Olearia axillaris
Size: 1-3 m
Flowering Time: Summer
Flower Colour: Small white daisy-like
Good For: Insects
More Information: Aromatic blue-green/grey foliage, which adds attractive contrast to the garden
Common Correa
Botanical Name: Correa reflexa
Size: To 2m
Flowering Time: Autumn – Spring
Flower Colour: Red with yellow ends, bell shaped
Good For: Excellent nectar source for birds during winter
Yellow Hakea
Botanical Name: Hakea nodosa
Size: To 3x3m
Flowering Time: Winter
Flower Colour: Yellow
Good For: Birds, insects and spiders
More Information: Will tolerate water logged areas
Australian Indigo
Botanical Name: Indigofera australia
Size: To 2m
Flowering Time: July-Sept
Flower Colour: Pink/purple pea shaped
Good For: Birds, insects such as beetles and ants
Desert Banksia
Botanical Name: Banksia ornata
Bunganditj Name: Wroyt
Size: To 3m
Flowering Time: Winter/Spring
Flower Colour: Pale yellow-brown
Good For: Birds and bees
Grass Tree
Botanical Name: Xanthorrhoea australis
Bunganditj Name: Kinyera
Size: To 2m wide, flower spike to 3m tall
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: White on long tall spike
Good For: Birds and insects including butterflies, moths, bees, beetles, small mammals
More Information: Flower spike is a feature for any garden, It’s leafy skirt is important habitat for birds and small animals
Myrtle Wattle
Botanical Name: Acacia myrtifolia
Bunganditj Name: Kandart
Size: To 2x2m
Flowering Time: July-Oct
Flower Colour: Pale yellow
Good For: Birds and insects
Guinea-flower
Botanical Name: Hibbertia fasciculatus
Size: To 50cm high
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Yellow
Good For: Insects
Manna Gum
Botanical Name: Eucalyptus viminalis
Size: To 35m
Flowering Time: Summer to Autumn
Flower Colour: White
Good For: Birds, bees, insects, mammals such as Pygmy Possums and Sugar Gliders
Drooping Sheaoak
Botanical Name: Allocasuarina verticillata
Size: To 10m
Flowering Time: Autumn/Winter
Flower Colour: Trees are either male (brown and yellow flowers) or female (red flowers)
Good For: Birds including Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos, small birds like finches eat seeds
More Information: Important indigenous use plant
Gold Dust Wattle
Botanical Name: Acacia acinacea
Size: To 1m
Flowering Time: Winter
Flower Colour: Yellow
Good For: Birds including Ants help to disperse seeds
Grey Wattle
Botanical Name: Acacia brachybotrya
Size: To 1-3m
Flowering Time: Winter/Spring
Flower Colour: Yellow, grey/green foliage
Good For: Butterfly larvae, food source for birds
Native Geranium
Botanical Name: Pelargonium australe
Size: To 50cm high
Flowering Time: Oct-Feb
Flower Colour: Pale pink
Good For: Good insect pollinator attractant
Yellow Rice-flower
Botanical Name: Pimelea flava
Size: To 1.5m
Flowering Time: Aug-Jan
Flower Colour: Yellow
Good For: Good insect pollinator attractant
Clustered Bush-pea
Botanical Name: Pultenaea dentata
Size: To 1m
Flowering Time: Aug-Dec
Flower Colour: Yellow pea flower with brown/red streaks
Good For: Birds and insects such as beetles and ants
Coast Groundsel
Botanical Name: Senecio pinnatifloium
Size: To 1m
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Yellow
Good For: Good insect pollinator attractant.
Tussock grass
Botanical Name: Poa labillardieri
Size: Clumping 1m diameter
Flowering Time: Spring/Summer
Flower Colour: Very small greenish
Good For: Birds, insects, lizards and skinks, larger animals graze. Butterfly habitat, eggs laid low on leaf, caterpillars eat leaf
More Information: Responds well to pruning
Spiny-headed mat-rush
Botanical Name: Lomandra longifolia
Size: Up to 1m tall
Flowering Time: Spring/Summer
Flower Colour: Small cream
Good For: Butterfly habitat, lizards and skinks eat the seeds
Flax-lily
Botanical Name: Dianella callicarpa
Size: Clumping, to 1m tall
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Blue-purple flower then blue berries
Good For: Insect pollinated, birds and lizards eat the seeds
More Information: Plant instead of Agapanthas
Kangaroo Grass
Botanical Name: Themeda triandra
Size: Tuffting grass, flower stems to 1m tall
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Rusty brown/red
Good For: Grazing native animals
More Information: Can be grown in pots
Tall Feather Grass
Botanical Name: Austrostipa elegantissima
Size: Clumping grass
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: A wispy cloud-like flower
More Information: Herb
Spiny flat sedge
Botanical Name: Cyperus gymnocaulis
Size: Tuffted to 1m
Flowering Time: July-March
Flower Colour: Brown balls
Good For: Grows well in wet areas
More Information: Weaving grass
Coast spear grass
Botanical Name: Austrostipa stipoides
Bunganditj Name: Nankru
Size: Tuffted to 1m
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Small
Good For: Insects and small mammals
Bulbine Lily
Botanical Name: Bulbine bulbosa
Size: Small to 50cm
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Yellow
Good For: Bees and insects
More Information: A bulb, dies back over summer, emerging again in late Autumn
Yam Daisy
Botanical Name: Microseris lanceolata
Bunganditj Name: Murna
Size: Small to 50cm
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Yellow
Good For: Bees, insects, and small mammals
More Information: A bulb, dies back over summer, emerging again in late Autumn. Tubers can be eaten
Vanilla/Chocolate Lily
Botanical Name: Arthropodium strictum
Size: To 50cm
Flowering Time: Spring
Flower Colour: Blue/purple
Good For: Bees and insects
More Information: Tubers can be eaten
Running Postman
Botanical Name: Kennedia prostrata
Size: Low spreading ground cover
Flowering Time: Aug-Oct
Flower Colour: Large red pea shaped
Good For: Birds and insects
More Information: Nitrogen fixing
Prickly Grevillea
Botanical Name: Grevillea aquifolium
Size: Low spreading ground cover
Flowering Time: Late spring/early summer
Flower Colour: Red
Good For: Birds, moths and other insects
More Information: Holly like leaves
Old Mans Beard
Botanical Name: Clematis microphylla
Size: Tree climber
Flowering Time: July-Sept
Flower Colour: White feather like flower, then a second display with the seeds having a long feather like attachment
Good For: Birds
More Information: Separate male and female plants
The grant has been generously awarded through the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and ANZ’s Seeds of Renewal small grant program.
