Cecilija Rubenis, 29 Jan 2025

A Crimson Rosella feasts on seeds of *Bursaria spinosa* in Cam’s garden

There are so many reasons to love gardening. It literally grounds you as you become aware of the world around you and your place in it, forcing you to slow down to observe and participate in a system that is both beautiful and complex. It’s inevitable that gardeners love the creatures who live in and visit their garden, as they are a constant source of wonder and a critical part of a healthy system.

Of all our weird and wonderful garden visitors, birds may very well be the most obvious, delighting us with their song, their antics, and their bright colours. In the Canberra region we are lucky enough to have the richest birdlife of any capital city, boasting over 200 different species according to Canberra Ornothologists Group. Due to land clearing and urbanisation wildlife habitat has become fragmented, to the detriment of many creatures, including small birds. As gardeners, how can we best support our feathered friends now and into the future? By designing and planting your garden to enhance biodiversity. Attracting birds to your garden is not only an opportunity to admire our beautiful Australian birds, but they also leave a most precious gift behind – their poo. Bird droppings are rich in Phosphorus, an essential element in plant nutrition that enables photosynthesis, supports strong cell walls, and promotes healthy root development.

Below are some tips to get you started.

1. Design

Different birds have different requirements for food and shelter. Many birds that we commonly see in our gardens (such as Magpies, Currawongs, and Wattlebirds) have adapted well to the openness of our urban environments and traditional lawn gardens. Unfortunately, these larger birds pose a threat to our declining populations of small birds due to their aggressive nature. To help restore and nurture populations of small birds ensure your garden is diverse and layered with an over-storey, a dense mid-storey (extra points for spikey thickets for protection from predators), and an under-storey. These layers will comprise of trees, large and small shrubs, grasses, wildflowers, and ground covers. If you’re able to grow climbers, these are another great addition that can provide nesting opportunities for small birds. Each garden is different and there is no one-size-fits-all-design system, but it may be that your larger trees and shrubs are placed further from your house to assist in screening fences or neighbours, with small shrubs then bleeding into grasses, wildflowers, and groundcovers closer to the house. If you choose to incorporate water into your garden, proximity to main views and seating areas is optimal, so locating ponds or creeks in these open sections is ideal. Small birds may feel safe to come and drink from ponds if they are able to perch in trees or shrubs to observe the area first and have plenty of cover nearby so they can dart to safety if they feel threatened.

An Eastern Spinebill hovering to drink nectar from *Grevillea* ‘Lady O’ in a sheltered spot in my garden

2. Plants

Use endemic species where possible to support local insect and bird populations who are well-adapted to their local flora. Ensure you plant to provide a range of foods such as seeds, nectar, as well as plants that attract insects to support insectivorous birds. Take note of flowering times of different plants to ensure you have foods available throughout the year. The resources below explain the different needs of different types of birds.

With this in mind, some of the species we plant in our Canberra region gardens include the following:

Allocasuarina littoralis
Bursaria spinosa (spikey)
Eucalyptus gregsoniana
Eucalyptus pauciflora ‘Little Snowman’
Eucalyptus moorei
Hakea salicifolia
Hakea sericea (spikey)
Melaleuca linariifolia
Melaleuca linariifolia ‘Seafoam’
Myoporum floribundum
Callistemon sieberi
Banksia marginata
Banksia integrifolia
Banksia serrata
Banksia robur (keep out of areas prone to heavy frost, can handle extra moisture)
Leptospermum lanigerum
Leptospermum ‘Seclusion’
Leptospermum ovobatum
Acacia cultriformis
Acacia covenyi
Acacia dealbata
Acacia melanoxylon
Grevillea arenaria
Grevillea ‘Lady O’
Grevillea rosmarinifolia
Grevillea iaspicula (a large, woody, rambunctious shrub that is local to our area - we don’t tend to use it as it can be tricky to incorporate but if you have space, go for it!)
Philotheca myoporoides
Correa alba
Correa reflexa
Correa ‘Dusky Bells’
Correa glabra var. turnbullii
Correa ‘Tuckertime Dinnerbells’
Correa baeuerlenii
Poa labillardierei
Poa sieberiana
Themeda triandra
Lomandra ‘Katrinus Deluxe’
Lomandra ‘Tanika’
Dianella tasmanica
Dianella longifolia
Ficinia nodosa (cut to the ground when it flops over)
Xerochrysum bractaeum ‘Dargan Hill Monarch’
Xerochrysum viscosum
Bulbine bulbosa
Bulbine glauca
Wahlenbergia sp.
Rhodanthe anthemoides (the alpine form is superior to cultivars - available from Greening Australia)
Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Gold’, ‘Landscape Orange’, and ‘Landscape Scarlet’
Doryanthes excelsa (for larger spaces - purchase the largest specimen possible, as they take quite a few years until they begin to flower)
Myoporum parvifolium (stems are brittle – not for high-traffic areas)
Chrysocephalum apiculatum
Grevillea hybrid groundcovers (I like these most when they are able to cascade over a wall or rocks, as their spread is very wide and stepping amongst the stems for maintenance can be a challenge).
Hardenbergia violaceae
Clematis microphylla

A note on exotic species

There is no shame in enjoying and planting non-native species – a garden is an emotional space and it’s important to fill it with the plants you love! Cam and I both have many non-native species in our gardens, but the key is in how we integrate them into the space. I’m a lover of tall and whimsical perennials, which reside in my back kitchen and cut-flower garden. These include roses, perennials such as Salvias (Salvia ulignosa is a favourite of Blue Banded Bees) and Sedum, and lots of sunflowers and cosmos in the summer. I also have a few non-native hardy ferns amongst the locals in my fernery. Cam has a cut-flower hedge in his kitchen garden, which includes Leucospermum sp., Leucadendron sp., and a coppiced Eucalyptus pulverulenta, as well as roses and irises. Cam’s large garden also hosts a select number of exotics that blend beautifully with his predominantly-native garden, such as Protea, Phormium tenax, and Helichrysum petiolare. Go forth and blend, and know that you’re creating a garden unique to you and what you love. It’s important to experiment with different species and combinations, and know that if it doesn’t work, there’s no harm in digging it out again and moving or gifting it.

Young flower spikes of *Anigozanthos* ‘Landscape Orange’ emerging amongst NZ native *Phormium* ‘Bronze Warrior’, and *Poa labillardierei* in Cam’s front garden in early spring

3. Water

Providing water is sure way to boost biodiversity in your garden, almost instantly. It can be as simple as a shallow bowl with some pebbles in it, or as creative as a pond with a cascading waterfall. With the right placement, you’ll be able to watch birds bathing as you eat your morning porridge – the perfect way to start the day.

If you’re opting for a birdbath or bowl, different shapes will suit different bird species. Smaller birds will be more likely to drink and bathe in a gently sloping shallow bowl, whereas larger birds will generally opt for deeper water. Place your birdbath in an open space, preferably with some dappled shade, with taller plants nearby so birds can fly to safety if they need to. Ensure birdbaths are out of reach of cats and keep clean by changing water regularly. A stone or small branch placed in the middle of a bird bath will ensure any small critters (such as bees and beetles) who accidentally end up in the water can climb out.

If your budget and/or enthusiasm allows, incorporating a water features such as ponds, waterfalls, and streams or cascades into your design is the ultimate in biodiversity gardening for a huge range of creatures, as well as providing a sense of tranquility and shifting interest year-round. Depending on rock placement and design, water will trickle, babble, and murmur, and light will reflect onto surrounding surfaces in different ways throughout the year that will surprise and delight you. Circulation through a bio filter and aeration through cascades and waterfalls will also ensure the water remains clear and hygienic for visiting birds.

The ponds and creek in my courtyard garden provide the perfect niches for many different birds; the Rosellas and King Parrots bathe in the top waterfall, the Peewee family favour the creek, and the Spinebills prefer to perch in the nearby Callistemon, scouting the area to make sure it’s safe before diving into the main pond. Since adding some Anigozanthos ‘Landscape Scarlet’ near the top pond, they have also been enjoying using the flower spikes as their perch before bathing. However you decide to incorporate water into your garden, you can be sure that our feathered friends will be thanking you day after day.

Red-rumped Parrots and one of our resident Peewees visiting the main pond soon after construction was finished, brightening the main view from our living room on a cold, grey day

One final, important thing…

In order to keep our native wildlife safe, it is critical to keep our beautiful but destructive fur babies contained. Unfortunately, cats are amazing hunters and simple bell on a collar is not enough to warn birds of their approach. Many of our clients have solved this issue by installing creative outdoor cat-runs, to give their felines much needed outdoor time whilst keeping them well-entertained and well-contained.

Dogs can also have a detrimental effect on a habitat garden, although they are usually pretty unlikely to manage to catch a bird. I’m lucky that my resident kelpie cross is both obedient and very scared of birds, meaning that she has little to no impact on the native wildlife in my garden. However, if your pup is a hunter, chaser, or harasser, consider fencing off a section of your garden so birds or other visiting creatures are left alone by your rambunctious wolf.

My good-natured pup Lottie, who luckily is a very poor hunter

Although increasing biodiversity in one garden might feel like a drop of water in the ocean, each garden for wildlife is an invaluable link in the chain of habitat restoration, as birds and other creatures are able to move from garden to garden to bushland and back again in safety. As they say, build it and they will come - I know that I’ve been blown away time and time again and how quickly birds move into gardens that we have created.

Till next time, happy gardening!