Native gardening

Why create a habitat garden?

The design of your garden and the plants you choose to grow will influence the animals and birds that visit your backyard. Your garden can provide important resources for native wildlife including food, water, and protective habitat for birds, lizards, possums, frogs and beneficial insects. Well-designed gardens can help protect native animals from introduced or over-aggressive native species and act as an important stepping stones between bushland reserves in the Woollahra area.

Whether you’re considering adding a few new plants for a corner of your garden or planning some major changes the resources and guides below will provide some great support for your garden project. These resources provide tips for garden design, plant selection and growing local native species.

What features are important for a habitat garden?

Our Habitat Gardening Guide(PDF, 7MB) outlines the key elements of a habitat friendly garden and provides a list of species local to the Woollahra Council area.

How can I select and grow locally native plants?

• Local Native Plants for Sydney's Eastern Suburbs(PDF, 917KB) provides a list of plants that are suitable for planting in this area and basic information on each species.
• Randwick Community Nursery propagates and sells plants from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. They also sell exotics and plants from out of area so please check which plants are local. 
• Sutherland Shire Community Nursery propagates and sells plants from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
• Australian Native Plant Society provides more detailed information on each plant species and tips to for selecting suitable species for your backyard.

How can I attract small birds to my garden?

If you’re interested in planting to provide habitat to attract small birds these resources from Birds in Backyards may be helpful.

• Gardening for small native birds
• How to make your garden a safe haven for birds
• Bird habitat guidelines