A bird friendly garden runs on nectar, seeds and shelter. Native trees do all three at once, and most are tougher and lower input than the imported alternatives. Here are five Australian natives we plant when the brief is to bring birds in close.
Why native trees
Local birds are wired to the food and structure of local plants. Nectar timing, flower shape and seed size all line up. Plant natives and you get honeyeaters, lorikeets, wattlebirds and small insectivores moving through the garden in numbers, without having to chase them with feeders.
How to plan a bird friendly planting
Layer the planting. A canopy tree for height, a small tree or large shrub for the middle, and dense shrubs and ground cover below. Stagger flowering times so something is always in bloom. Keep water available year round.
Banksia integrifolia, Coastal Banksia
One of the most reliable nectar trees for the cooler months. Honeyeaters and lorikeets work the yellow flower spikes from autumn into spring. Salt and wind hardy, low input once established.
Callistemon viminalis, Weeping Bottlebrush
Pendulous branches, soft form, bright red brush flowers in spring with a smaller flush in autumn. Honeyeaters love it and the dense weeping habit gives small birds cover.
Eucalyptus mannifera, Brittle Gum
Clean white trunk, open canopy, white nectar flowers in summer. Parrots and honeyeaters work the flowers and the light canopy lets understorey plants thrive below.
Grevillea Moonlight
Long creamy white flower spikes for most of the year. Honeyeaters move through constantly and the fern like foliage gives small birds shelter close to the house.
Corymbia ficifolia Wildfire
Grafted Red Flowering Gum. Crimson clusters across summer, compact rounded crown, ideal for suburban scale. Lorikeets in numbers when it flowers.
Planting and care
Plant into free draining ground. Mulch with coarse material and keep mulch off the trunk. Water deeply through the first summer then taper off. Avoid phosphorus rich fertilisers on natives.
FAQ
Which native attracts the most birds? Banksia and Grevillea for nectar feeders, eucalypts and bottlebrush close behind.
Will these work in coastal gardens? Banksia integrifolia and Corymbia ficifolia handle coastal exposure well. Eucalyptus mannifera prefers slightly more sheltered sites.
How much pruning do they need? Light tip pruning on the shrubs after flowering. Trees need almost none.
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