A NATIVE ANIMAL FRIENDLY GARDEN

Mohamed Kamara
Apr 22
4 min read

Updated: Apr 23

Plants That Attract Beautiful Native Australian Animals

⚠️[Draft, Pending final review. Thanks for reading!]⚠️

Gardens are our place of serenity, relaxation, contemplation and even a place to bring families and friends together. This same place that hosts us, our relatives and emotions can also be an accidental heaven for our little neighbours from wildlife, namely, Australian native animals. My many visits to hundreds of gardens (if not over a thousand) unique gardens, including botanic gardens all over the country have always made me wonder how wildlife can be so comfortable around us. Then I thought, in most cases, it has been an accidental, or say even opportunistic discovery from these lovely visitors. However, accidents can be removed from the equation when we think of purposefully inviting them in our backyards.

So now, how do we select plants that shelter and help native animals thrive in a garden? According to state flora (South Australia), a body of government operating under the department for environment and water in South Australia, It is recommended to choose plants that are adapted to your local conditions as well as the planting of different layers of vegetation. Selecting local native plants can be of great benefits to the surrounding fauna especially with the use of plants they have evolved with for thousands of years, providing a mutualistic symbiosis between them on simply put, mates helping each other - both benefit! For example, koalas use half a kilo of Eucalyptus leaves a day, so that being readily available to them can be a present like no other. Different vegetation layers can be helpful for shade and shelter and this combined with a garden that flowers all year long makes for an even better endeavour. Year-long flowering gardens will be covered in another topic publication.

In making a planting choice, please refer to the Fruticose (Shrubby form) form of these plants as most of them also come in arborescent or tree-like form. There are between 24,000 and 27,000 species of native Australian plants. Plants which together help our native fauna also help us with different purposes of great importance varying from medicinal, cultural and spiritual, food and beverage and economic natures.

We have a role to play in letting flora and fauna connect especially with growing worldwide population and urbanization leading to phenomena such as the Urban Heat Island effect. After all, bigger problems are addressed with smaller actions.Sun Tzu in ‘The Art of War’ emphasizes this "Great results can be achieved with small forces when they are applied with precision and strategy." But in gardening and horticulture, we make build and nurture. We make peace not war.

BANKSIA (Telopea)

This pretty shrub adds colour to a garden and attracts native bees, birds and mammals. Its flowers are full of nectar making it attractive to them [native animals]. There are over 173 species of them, only one of which is not found in Australia. Its flowers range from shades of yellow, white, red, orange etc…

BOTTLEBRUSH (Callistemon)

This is a low maintenance plant for those who may be keen gardeners. It is hardy and provides a place to call home for a range of animals sucha possums, flying foxes, birds who love its nectar, lizards and different insects. With so many little friends wandering by, this may even be your chance to dabble in a new-found hobby with them.

WATTLE (Acacia)

This is a fast-growing tree with yellow flower balls. It provides shelter for native birds and is a good resource for nectar-loving bees. It has over 1,350 different species and 1,000 of them are found in Australia. Fun fact: The golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is the National Flower of Australia.

native birds and its survival has been preserved by national parks. It is the main emblem of New South Wales (NSW).

SPIDER FLOWER (Grevilleas)

Despite its unfriendly name, Spider Flower is a unique and elegant foliage and you can expect to encounter Hundreds of different species of them in the wild. Its flowers can be found in pink, green, cream and yellow. They attract insects, bees and birds who love their nectar.

KANGAROO PAW (Anigozanthos)

Known for its furry flower (shaped like a kangaroo paw). It mainly has green, pink, yellow and black flowers.

Their lack of dense foliage makes them formidable for potting especially in narrow spots. This lack of dense foliage also makes them easy to maintain. There is also the opportunity to display the soil (usually with bark chips of different colour) they're planted on if planted in the garden.