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Frankston City Council Gardens for Wildlife Lifestyle Capital of Victoria ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Frankston City Council respectfully acknowledges the traditional owners, the Bunurong people, as the custodians of this land. We pay respect to all Aboriginal community Elders, past and present, who have resided in the area and have been an integral part of the history of the region. Photographs Mary Trigger (all photos unless otherwise attributed) Special thanks to Neville Bartlett (NB), Ian Moodie (IM), Raf Heriot (RH), Nick Clemann (NC), Wildlife-friendly Fencing (WFF), Lizette Salmon (LS), Jenny Maclean (JM) and Elaine Shallue (ES). Inaturalist.ala.org.au (CC BY-NC 4.0) photographer credits: Chris Lindorff (CL), Nick Lambert (NL), James Booth (JB), Lorraine Phelan (LP), Wendy Moore (WM), Chris Clarke (CC), stanley8m (ST), experion (EX), reiner (RN), Ian Wheatland (IW), nyoni-pete (NP), nip13 (NI), Robert957 (RB), matthew_ constance (MC), andyfrank (AF) and calamanthus (CM). Disclaimer: Although precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information, the publishers, authors and printers cannot accept responsibility for any claim, loss, damage or liability arising out of the use of the information provided. Cover image: New Holland Honeyeater by Neville Bartlett This publication is printed on environmentally friendly paper. 2021 Introduction 02 Garden design 03 Indigenous plants 20 Indigenous fauna 28 Planting and maintenance 46 Reference and advice 57 02 Introduction Gardens provide us with an opportunity to support the unique plants and animals of our local environment. Frankston City Council has developed Bushland reserves such as Bunarong this booklet to help our residents to Park, Studio Park, Frankston Foreshore, design and plant gardens — or even Seaford Wetlands, Kananook Creek, small patches of gardens — that will Langwarrin and Pines Flora and Fauna benefit local wildlife by providing food Reserve provide valuable sanctuaries and shelter, as well as stepping stones, for our local plants and animals to so they can move freely across our survive and are wonderful places to landscapes. explore. However, wildlife does not understand the concept of a fence and The Frankston City region contains a will often venture out of the parks range of different vegetation types that seeking food, water and a mate. are important habitats for indigenous Creating wildlife-friendly gardens (or locally native) species. Maintaining provides a safe space for our local and expanding these habitats is key to wildlife to cross our landscape. sustaining biodiversity, which is key to ensuring ecosystems remain healthy Wildlife-friendly gardens are infinitely now and into the future. rewarding. To sit at a window and watch a honeyeater feeding from a grevillea Development and population growth, that you’ve planted, to listen to the farmland clearance, introduced pests chorus of frogs at dusk, or spy a sugar and weeds — together with the effects glider soaring between trees are all of bushfires and the impacts of a good for the soul and help connect you changing climate — are increasing to your natural environment. pressure on native wildlife. As these threats increase, native animal habitat becomes more isolated and fragmented. This makes it difficult for wildlife to breed, forage, find shelter, and move across the landscape, resulting in a decline in species diversity and abundance. Magpie Moth on Native Raspberry 03 Garden design New Holland Honeyeater feeding on a banksia flower. (NB) Many native animals depend on There are no hard and fast rules with indigenous plants for food, shelter designing a wildlife-friendly garden, (from predators, competitors or the other than trying to mimic some natural weather), and somewhere to breed conditions. Local wildlife will generally safely. Likewise, plants benefit from benefit most from indigenous plants, animals through pollination, seed but your garden does not need to be dispersal, pest control, waste exclusively indigenous. breakdown and soil maintenance. 04 Indigenous plants and biodiversity Indigenous plants are the original or local plants that occur naturally, in a given location. They have adapted to the conditions within the local environment such as the soil and climate. These local plant species have also Biodiversity is important, as it sustains evolved alongside native wildlife, the natural systems which provide therefore providing the best possible us with clean air and water, regulate food and shelter for native animals. climate and maintain healthy soils for A greater variety of indigenous plant food production. species means more food and a more diverse habitat for native wildlife. Wildlife corridors connect isolated areas Biodiversity of habitat in a landscape. The variety of plant, fungi and animal species in an environment, genetic differences within and Habitat between species and differences The environment where between the ecological systems an animal naturally lives in which they live. or occurs. Habitat along a creek for example, A high diversity of plant species allows wildlife to move through the improves the resilience of local landscape more easily with greater ecosystems to survive destructive access to food and shelter. Indigenous events or processes, such as weed gardens act in a similar way, providing and pest animal invasion and a habitat stepping stone to help local climate change. wildlife move around the landscape. 05 The benefits of growing indigenous plants are that they: • Are perfectly suited to our local soils • Reflect Frankston’s natural character, and climate, and will thrive without preserving and enhancing a sense of fertilisers or sprays local identity • Can withstand Melbourne’s hot, dry • Offer you an opportunity to grow summers and long dry periods with a more sustainable garden little or no watering once established • Contribute to the preservation of • Grow quickly and often flower within Frankston’s natural biodiversity the first season of being planted • Can strengthen local wildlife • Have greater resistance to disease corridors to help wildlife cope when sourced from diverse genetic with climate change stock • Attract and provide food and shelter for local native birds, insects and other animals George Pentland Botanic Gardens 06 Natureplay Being outdoors in the garden or a local reserve is fun and exciting for children. Links with nature are fundamental to children’s connection with the natural world and a perfect play space! Gardening is a great activity for children to have fun, learn new skills and spend quality time with family. Garden spaces big and small are a perfect outdoor play space. Natureplay ideas: • Make secret places in the garden to hide and watch wildlife • Explore with a magnifying glass • Draw pictures or take photos of garden wildlife • Build a lizard lounge • Count how many birds visit your birdbath • Plant native River Mint and Chocolate Lilies for their scent • Respect animal homes by leaving rocks, logs and vegetation as you find it Download the Junior explorer/ Go for a discovery bush detective activity sheets. See walk with a page 60 under Council resources, EnviroActivities. magnifying glass 07 Key design elements Wildlife-friendly gardens can be designed in different styles - they can be formal, a riot of colour in a cottage style, or an informal natural look. Consider how you use your garden and Ensure you are aware of the mature incorporate elements, such as a shady size of your plants, to avoid ending up seat where you can sit and watch birds with a 60 metre gum tree towering over and butterflies. your house! Include feature elements, such as If you are considering changing your a striking tree, a swathe of tussock garden quite a bit, a planned approach grasses or a frog pond to create interest is important. Blitzing a garden may as well as habitat. result in wildlife abandoning your garden for years or being exposed and Consider the flowering times of preyed upon if the intact vegetation is different plant species and aim to have removed too quickly. Better to adopt a a year round supply of food for wildlife. staged approach with patches of intact vegetation progressively replaced with Include habitat elements, such as bird new plants. baths near prickly shrubs for protection, large flat rocks for lizards to warm up or The following section sets out some a pond with refuge logs for frogs. key considerations for maximising the habitat value of your garden. Consider the growing requirements of each plant species and group together those with similar requirements for water and light, to maximise efficiency of water use. (LS) 08 Layers Diversity A key to creating a wildlife-friendly A wide variety of indigenous plants garden is to create structural diversity helps to provide a range of habitats, – lots of plants and lots of different shelter and food sources for different layers. Aim to create a mix of trees, wildlife. shrubs of varying height, grasses and A healthy balance of different predator groundcovers. and prey species means that no one Dead trees and shrubs can also provide type of creature will get out of control habitat for many of our native wildlife. and become a pest problem. Likewise, a few logs, rocks, sticks, mulch Aim to achieve a mixture of different and leaves on the ground can provide plant heights, foliage densities habitat for many local insects and lizards. (including open areas), plant surfaces Note that logs and rocks should not be (i.e. leaves and bark) and a range of sourced from local bushland where they species that flower throughout the year are already providing habitat. If you to provide a consistent supply of food. live in a bushfire-prone area, consider locating mulch some distance from your house. Garden layers TREES Provide food and shelter for birds, possums, gliders, bats, goannas and insects. SMALL TREES AND LARGE SHRUBS Habitat for birds, possums, gliders, goannas and insects. SMALL SHRUBS Provide food and shelter for birds, possums, gliders, lizards and insects. GRASSES AND GROUNDCOVERS Provide food and shelter for birds, lizards, frogs and insects. LOGS, MULCH AND ROCKS Provides habitat for lizards, frogs and insects.