Landscape designer Kath Gadd has a lifelong passion for the bush and is bringing its scents and colours into the urban environment. Using native Australian plants, she creates spaces that are harmonious and calming for humans, and a haven for wildlife. Watch as Kath takes Charlie Albone through one of her thoughtfully designed gardens, filled with native plants and a design that encourages biodiversity.
Want to build a garden that brings birds, lizards and insects of all manner? According to Kath, there are three essential design elements needed. Using native plants, create a garden with the following features:
Spiky-leaved plants
(Hakea petiolaris)
“Spiky-leaved plants – such as hakea – provide great habitat for small birds to hide in,” Kath Gadd says. Pair these with nectar-producing natives such as grevillea to draw honeyeater birds to your garden.
Plants that attract wildlife
Kath Gadd’s beautifully designed garden includes the following plants that invite wildlife to refuge in:
- Sea urchin hakea (Hakea petiolaris)
- Banksia blechnifolia
- Pin cushion hakea (Hakea laurina)
- Emu bush (Eremophila spp.)
Rocks and boulders
(Eremophila glabra)
Rocks and boulders provide sunbathing spots for skinks and blue tongues, as well as butterflies. Nothing is better than basking in the sun for a reptile!
Water features
(Poa spp.)
And with all these critters flitting around, a water feature is essential as a spot for birds to have a drink or swoop in for a quick bath. This is even more important in drier and drought-prone habitats, where a reliable source of water may be hard to find.
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