"Nothing seems to rouse the passions of some Australians so much as disparaging roses, lawns, plane trees and the like. Yet I really do think that they are a blot on the landscape. I used to joke that I'd shout beer all round at my local pub the day someone brought me a plane tree leaf that an insect had actually taken a bite out of. The fact is, that as far as Australian wildlife goes, plane trees are so useless that they might as well be made of concrete. Australia is home to 25,000 species of plants, as opposed to Europe's 6,000 or 7,000. Surely amongst that lot we can find suitable species that will provide shade, and food for butterflies and native birds as well. To be honest, there is another reason I dislike many introduced plants. If gardens are a kind of window on the mind, I see in our public spaces a passion for the European environment that indicates that we are still, at heart, uncomfortable in our own land. If we can see no beauty in Australian natives, but instead need to be cosseted in pockets of European greenery, can we really count ourselves as having a truly sustainable, future adapted to Australian conditions?" ~ Tim Flannery, scientist, conservationist and author.
Why grow native?
Local
species are adapted to the soils and climate of this region. They require
less attention, are less likely to become environmental weeds and are
less likely to fail than many introduced plants. Growing local plants
helps preserve them and preserves the countryside's 'Australian' character
and provides food for native birds and other animals.
Growing native helps keep our environment in balance. Roger Oxley gives the example of boxthorn. "The white flowers of native blackthorn (Bursaria) attract certain parasitic wasps in late summer. These wasps lay their eggs in, and subsequently kill, the grubs of Christmas beetles that can cause terrible damage, and even death, to our gum trees This rather ordinary, straggly shrub also plays a vital role in the survival of Australia's rarest butterfly, the Bathurst copper butterfly, which relies on a small black ant for care for its caterpillars. The ant, in turn, depends on the boxthorn. Some birds use the boxthorn for protection from predators.
To grow local native plants successfully, fertilisers need NOT be added to the soil. Mulching with leaves and red gum chips will help deter weed growth. An occasional good watering is advisable in dry weather.
Tim Barden of Ko-warra transplants is propagating a variety of Weeping Grass (Microlaena stipioides) which has great potential for lawns, requiring only about half as much water as conventional lawns. He is also propagating an even hardier native grass, Redgrass (Bothriochloa macra).
Before choosing a plant for a site, consideration should be given to the width and height a mature plant will attain. It is not wise to plant trees close to your house or, in the case of town properties, close to the neighbour's fence. Trees such as Red Gums and Box are too large for the typical town block.
Indigenous plants
of
Northern Victoria and Southern NSW
Part 3: plant tour
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Left: Ironbark, Box and Whirrakee Wattle near Bendigo. Above: Everlastings |
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Plants suitable for garden cultivation
 Clustered Everlasting
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Northern Victoria and Southern Riverina Conservation and Environment Site
| Section 1: Conservation News | Section 5: Photo Gallery |
| Section 2: Bushwalking | Section 6: National Parks & Reserves |
| Section 3: Birding | Section 7: Animals |
| Section 4: Local Plants (continued) | Section 8: Conservation Links |
Reference
books
on local plants
Nathalia
Wildflower Group, Flora of the Nathalia District and Barmah Forest.
This book, partly funded by Parks Victoria, has been reprinted. It is
an invaluable guide to the plants of the region and is equally useful
in the Millewa Forest, on the NSW side of the border. Being a pocket guide,
many plants are, e.g. Banksia, are excluded.
M Driver &M Porteners: The Use of Locally Native Trees and Shrubs in the Southern Riverina, (available, possibly free of cost, to locals by phoning Greening Australia, PO Box 1010 DENILIQUIN 2710 on 058 813 429) is an outstanding colour booklet produced for land holders by Landcare, Greening Australia and Royal Sydney Botanic Gardens.
G.M. Cunningham et al: Plants of Western NSW (reprinted I993 by Inkata Press). This book is no pocket guide but an outstanding and comprehensive work of several hundred pages. Like the Nathalia Wildflower Group's book, this guide features coloured photographs of the plants listed.
Fay Boyle, Frances Cincotta, Dianne Davies et al, Indigenous Plants of Bendigo: a gardener's guide to growing and protecting local plants. First published in 2004, this gardener's guide was produced by the City of Bendigo in conjunction with the Bendigo Native Plants Group. Available free of cost to ratepayers, this is a must-have book if you reside in the area! All Councils should consider producing a booklet similar to this.
Several texts cover the plants of the Bendigo Whipstick and the Box-ironbark Forests found to the south of the region. The Bendigo Field Naturalists Club has published a number of works. The VNPA has published a useful guide to the plants of the box-ironbark forests.
Catalogue of Goldfields Regeneration Nursery, Tannery Lane Bendigo. This nursery has an extensive range of local plants listed in its catalogue and sells a selection of reference books. Well worth a visit if you live in the region. A colour coding system in the catalogue distinguishes between Riverina (Northern Plains), Goldfields, and Central Uplands plants. Open 7 days. www.goldfieldsrevegetation.net.au
Paul Urquart and Leigh Clapp The New Native Garden: Designing with Australian Plants (New Holland 1999). This book suggests ways in which native plants can be used as part of a designed garden rather than as an imitation of natural bush. Indigenous plants can be used along with other native and even introduced plants.
Diana Snape's book, The Australian Garden (Blooming Books 2002), also makes suggestions on designing a garden using a blend of local and non-local Australian plants.
Small delicate plants such as this can sometimes be observed in local bushland during the Spring. Enjoy orchids and and other plants in the bush but leave them there! Transplanted natives are unliekly to survive in your garden: most plants can be purchased from specialist nurseries at low prices. It is suggested that tubestock is likely to develop better root systems and survive longer than older, larger plants. Let others waste their money on plants in pots ~ keep to tubes! By the way, email stocky at echuca dot net dott au if you can identify the plant above.
Farmers can encourage natural regeneration by fencing around existing trees to keep out stock and rabbits: it's much cheaper and easier than tree planting. Maintaining roadside and remnant native vegetation helps keep a seed bank for future revegetation projects. It also helps native fauna to survive.
Recent studies by Deakin University researchers suggest that at least 30% of indigenous plant cover needs to be retained and/or enhanced (e.g. in an area 10km by 10km) in order to meet the habitat requirements of the majority of native birds. Whilst 10% cover is the minimum threshold for the majority of native birds and mammals, many require at least 30% cover and large bushland blocks.
Links
Australian National Botanic Gardens