Hi Laura,

OK, where do we start ?

- a lot will depend on your current location : Sydney has different conditions to Nowra, or Yass, or ...

- when you have established your baseline re soil and water (how much, and when), you can begin looking at different species.

- if you have access to a local chapter of the SGAP, they should be able to recommend plants that are endemic to your area : these will often be the best choices

- as a general rule, there are certain species which do well along the east coast, assuming that you dont have problems with heavy frost. My personal picks are:

Elaeocarpus Reticulatus (Blueberry Ash)
Syzygium Australe (Creek Cherry etc)
Melaleuca 'Revolution Gold' and 'Revolution Green'
Xanthostemon Chrysanthus (Golden Penda)
Harpullia pendula (Tulipwood)
Low shrubs such as grevillea and banksia for shelter

The list goes on and on, but you really need to check with local gardeners and nurseries to see what works best in your neck of the woods.

Good luck,

Artie

For a wildlife corridor you really would need a very good reason to go past indigenous plants sourced locally - you may be able to get advice on where to obtain them from a local landcare group or the council. If in Sydney I think there are some indigenous nurseries that could help.

Good luck!

Dan

You should really do this in conjunction with the council. They are ultimately responsible for these wildlife areas, and would be in the best position to help you out. There is a certain strategy involved with bush regeneration, and if not done properly, can have disatrous consequences.

thanks for that it is in a frost area , i was thinking of grevillias and flowering gum etc but i want a bit of varitety and i want to attract all the birds as well again thank for the info
ps you wouldnt know of any good nursery around crescent head would you

Ask your council's Bushcare Officer, they will have advice for you.

I agree with Dan regarding the use of locally sourced plants. A wildlife corridor is for Fauna to travel from one area of bush to the other. We have a Wildlife Corridor on our property. So you need to create a habitat to match that in your area.

Ours also has all sorts of stuff to provide protection as well as food. As a result of a good shrub layer, birds such as Bower Birds, Wrens, native pidgeons etc. have returned and as well the population of parrots has increased. But the real bonus has been the arrival of reptiles such as Land Mullets, Bearded Dragons and Water Dragons. The arrival of the latter is mostly due to the use of lots of rocks and logs providing hiding places and the construction of a pond.

Don't forget that a wildlife corridor is not a garden! You really need to give the bush a helping hand in re-establishing itself. You do not want to make a bush garden and call it bushland. It is far too easy to introduce unwanted pests and diseases into the bush that way. The first step is creating a canopy, using indigenous plants that live fast and die young. Next is to establish long term canpoy, and ground plants. In between all this, you need to identify which plants are weeds, and which are naturally occuring - not always easy with herbs and grasses.