My Local Native Garden A planting guide to promote biodiversity in Tweed Shire www.tweed.nsw.gov.au Acknowledgements Tweed Shire Council recognises the generations of the Image Credits: local Aboriginal people of the Bundjalung Nation who have lived in and derived their physical and spiritual Alison Ratcliffe, Andy Erskine, Angus Underwood, needs from the forests, rivers, lakes and streams of this Australian National Botanic Gardens, Australian Native beautiful valley over many thousands of years as the Plants Society, BRAIN, Brian Walters, Byron Backyard, traditional owners and custodians of these lands. Byron Shire Council, CRC for Water Sensitive Cities, David Milledge; David Taylor, David Ting, Deborah Tweed Shire Council acknowledges Brunswick Valley Pearse, Flora Far North Queensland, Friends of the Landcare Inc. and Rous County Council for granting Koala Inc., George Cornacz, Glen Leiper, Hank Bower, permission to utilise the information contained within James Mayson, Jimmy Britton, John Turnbull, Lucinda My Local Native Garden: A planting guide to promote Cox, M Crocker, Mark Evans, Mangroves to Mountains, biodiversity in the Byron Shire (Brunswick Valley Marama Hopkins, Michael Bingham, Nick Sanderson, Landcare 2017). Peter Gibney, Peter Gray, Peter Scholer, PlantNET, Rainer Contents Hartlieb, Richard Smith, Rita de Heer, Robert Whyte, INTRODUCTION The 2017 “My Local Native Garden” Team Rous County Council, Save Our Waterways Now, Steve Alison Ratcliffe – editor and updates Wilson, Susan Allen, Suzi Lechner, Tanya Fountain, T Welcome 4 John Turnbull - editor and updates Trivett, The Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust, Biodiversity in the backyard 5 Jo Green – wildlife in your garden Wendy Gibney, Veda Dante. My local native garden sections 6 Water Quality – Rous County Council & Byron How to use this book 7 Shire Council Disclaimer Vegetation communities 8 Josie Tebo – graphic design Map of landscape zones 9 This publication is based upon information and data Tweed Shire Council would like to thank the sourced from various government departments, websites, DesIgN 10 following people and organisations for their articles, journals and books listed under references. The invaluable input: authors cannot accept any responsibility and disclaims Site Analysis 10 any liability, errors, omissions, or misstatements Design Process & Concept Plan 12 Brunswick Valley Landcare; Byron Shire Council; Rous contained in this publication, which have resulted from Basic Planting Guide 14 County Council; Tweed-Byron Local Aboriginal Land placing reasonable reliance on such information. Council; Lismore City Printers. My LOCaL NaTIve gaRDeN Andy Baker; Andy Erskine; Angus Underwood; Annette © Copyright Tweed Shire Council COasTaL 16 Stanton; Brad Green; Hannah Bunkers; James Mayson; April 2017. Digitally available as a PDF at Jim Olivier; Jude Alcorn; Jude Mason; Lisa Bleakley; Liz www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/NativePlants and RIpaRIaN & aLLUvIaL 20 Gander; Lucinda Cox; Mandy Lisson; Mark Dunphy; www.tweedlandcare.org.au FOOThILLs & hINTeRLaND 24 Pat Skene; Rainer Hartlieb; Richard Smith; Rita De Heer; Rohen Davis; Scott Hetherington; Shannon This program has been assisted by the New South RIDges & RaNges 28 Wales Government through its Environmental Trust Dante; Wendy Gibney. Education Grant Program. aqUaTIC pLaNTs & WaTeR FeaTURes 32 LaNDsCapINg FOR WaTeR qUaLITy 34 WILDLIFe IN yOUR gaRDeN 35 INvasIve speCIes 38 OTheR pOINTs FOR CONsIDeRaTION 40 ResOURCes & ReFeReNCes 42 24 Spinifex Illustration: Andy Erskine 2 My Local Native Garden My Local Native Garden 3 Introduction BIODIVERSITY IN THE BACKYARD – A NATURAL we often only think of an individual species being in danger of extinction, RESOURCE but the reality is each individual his publication hopes to inspire For those wishing to explore further, species depends on a range of other Have you ever stopped to think how local residents and new arrivals species - a community - for their we’ve inherited clean water to drink, Tto learn a little more about selection information by consulting survival. This is the inter-dependence fresh air to breathe or how our soils our spectacular environment. Most the companion online resource to of ecosystems and why it is important Macadamia continue to grow healthy food? The importantly we want you to invite the this publication, The Native Species to protect not just one species, but all answer is biodiversity – literally the natural world into your own backyard Planting Guide for Tweed and Byron species – biodiversity. variety of plants and animals, their - to share some space with our native Shires www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/ genetics and the ecosystems they live plants and animals. NativeSpeciesPlantingGuide. This in. These plants and animals, soils By planting a native garden filled with local plants interactive online resource will enable users to select local native species you to design, plant and maintain our water, generate our oxygen and you can connect your garden to the existing your own garden with species that provide the gift of healthy soils. We colour and location requirements, wildlife corridors and enhance the survival for need to protect biodiversity for our environmental needs (e.g. salt hardy, our basic planting guide, your garden own health as well as play our part in vegetation type), availability, etc. many native species and their ecosystems will not only be easier to grow and looking after the planet. maintain, but it will also integrate and produce a personally selected into the surroundings, linking with Increased population, poor The Tweed Shire is recognised as a range of natural habitats to help It will also provide links to images land management practice, and a biodiversity hotspot – one of the support the great diversity of local pressure from land clearing and richest and most diverse regions for wildlife. Central to this idea is to work resources can also be found at the end development has fragmented the with nature, after all our native plant of this publication. original environment into small there are 92 plant and 122 animal communities have already proved their islands or remnants where species are species recognised as threatened, 11 success to be here through millennia most vulnerable to weeds, pests and Endangered Ecological Communities, of evolution. predators. one Endangered Population and one My Local Native Garden is an entry area of Critical Habitat in the Shire. point to introduce you to just some of the incredible variety of local native plants. Ideally we want you to ignore the exotic species and focus on endemic species as these will have food value for native fauna and are less likely to become a bushland weed. Tuckeroo Photo: George Cornacz Leaf-tailed Gecko 4 My Local Native Garden My Local Native Garden 5 My Local Native Garden Sections: COASTAL RIVERINE & FOOTHILLS & RIDGES & ALLUVIAL HINTERLAND RANGES (P 16-19) (P 20-23) (P 24-27) (P 28-31) How to use this book 1. Look 2. Check 3. Choose Look at the sections opposite (Coastal; Check the locations under the section Choose from the list of striking native plants in your section, add others from the soil and landscape descriptions the Native Species Planting Guide best describes your property? Go to it database www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/ and view the range of stunning plants other sections – your garden may NativeSpeciesPlantingGuide – contact that will enrich your garden. draw inspiration from two or more your local bush friendly nursery and ask sections*. them if they have your selection in stock. include sections and plants from one, two or even three zones. If you’re unsure, try visiting your local nursery with a soil sample, get in contact with your local Landcare group or ask advice from Council. Chillingham Couchy Creek Chinderah Crystal Creek Cobaki Cudgera Creek Cobaki Lakes Eviron Along the ridges and Condong Farrants Hill the gullies of: Casuarina Crystal Creek Cedar Creek Chinderah Eviron Limpinwood Eungella Fingal Head Murwillumbah Mooball Glengarrie Hastings Point Nunderi Pumpenbil Hopkins Creek Sleepy Hollow Smiths Creek Numinbah South Murwillumbah Stokers Siding Tomewin Pottsville Stotts Creek Tomewin Tyalgum Creek Tweed Heads Tumbulgum Tyalgum Wooyung Tweed Heads West 6 My Local Native Garden My Local Native Garden 7 WHAT IS A PLANT COMMUNITY? VEGETATION ZONES AND ELEVATION Plant communities are a unique N as a result of interactions between a variety of factors such as: its effect on soils and nutrients free draining (sand based) or the Tweed Shire – several of these are listed as threatened under State or swampy (heavy clay based); fertile Federal legislation. or low in organic matter EXAMPLES OF NATURAL PLANT COMMUNITIES leads to cooler, wetter conditions. It can also affect temperature and Foredunes exposure, all of which impacts on Themeda grasslands on seacliffs and coastal headlands soil types, and can determine if an Coastal heathland area is prone to frost. Coastal cypress pine forests where one side has predominantly Littoral rainforests sun/shade and/or particular winds Mangroves to salt laden winds or in tidal zones Coastal saltmarshes where only those species that can handle brackish inundation can thrive temperature range increases with distance from the moderating Subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate rainforest Wet and dry sclerophyll open forest to woodland breezes can moderate the effect of Native Grassland humidity Montane heathland high