Our FAQ's

We have collated some of the questions that we are often asked, or that often come up in discussions with the community, here. If you have a question that is not answered here, or that you think we should add to the list, please feel free to contact us.

What indigenous plants make good hedges?
Many local indigenous plants make good hedges or screening bushes. Prickly Currant-bush (Coprosma quadrifida), Wedge-leaf Hop Bush (Dodonaea viscosa ssp cuneata), Bottle-brushes (Callistemon species), Correas, Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) are all useful and attractive for bird habitat, feeding, and pollination. These are preferable over non-indigenous species that are often used which can become invasive in our area, such as Pittosporum tenuifolium from New Zealand, especially the variety “James
Stirling,” or the Sweet Pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum) from East Gippsland which is invasive in our higher rainfall area and should be avoided.

What plants should I avoid having in my garden?
Some non-indigenous garden plants can smother, choke, replace and out-compete native vegetation in our environment – we call them Garden Escapees and have a full list in our Caring for Your Patch booklet. Some of the most common that we see are Foxglove, Sweet Pittosporum and Holly.
We know they are pretty, but please don’t plant them here!