Gardening with Margaret Matthews
For winter colour and birds, go native
by Margaret Matthews
When you look out of your window, what do you see? Grey clouds, bare branches, dull evergreen shrubs which will only come to life when the hustle and bustle of spring arrives. Melbourne’s famous ‘four seasons in one day’ is not always true. We can have weeks of grey, drizzly days when the sombre view from the window is the only outlook. Depressing, isn’t it?
There is something else missing from many gardens in winter — the sound of birds.
At this time of the year Australian plants come into their own. Many flower from May to September and have bright, cheerful flowers that transform the garden and bring native birds to brighten dark days with their individual voices. There are indigenous plants for every situation, from groundcovers to trees. Most blend well with exotics, and they respond well to pruning and feeding as all plants do, if a few simple rules are followed.
It is most important to receive skilled advice when choosing plants. Australian plants have often had a bad press because they have been the wrong plants in the wrong place. Kuranga Native Nursery in Ringwood has experienced staff to advise on the right plants for your garden and those that will encourage birds. In Kuranga’s most recent newsletter they devote quite a lot of space to Correas. These are native plants with bell-shaped flowers in warm colours of orange, pink, red, yellow and white, and sometimes the flowers are bi- or tri-coloured. There are forms ranging from groundcovers to medium-sized shrubs and they are especially attractive to nectar feeding birds.
I thought I would pass on this information on correas now, for if they are planted at this time of year they will provide welcome colour in late winter and spring, and next year will have established themselves permanently in the garden. With a minimum of care and attention they will bring life and birds for many years to come. Correas are suitable for the smaller garden and many are especially good for growing in containers.
Correa pulchella is a versatile species that will grow contentedly in a range of soils. There are many forms of C pulchella available. Here is a description of some of them:
C pulchella prostrate ‘Remarkable Rocks’, is a compact groundcover with a dense habit of growth. C pulchella prostrate: another form with richly colourful vermilion bells. C pulchella ‘Minor’, with orange bells, and others with flowers of ivory, pink (pale, mid and deep pink bells).
Correa reflexa: C reflexa prostrate, Cape Nelson form a dense, prostrate form, with a splendid display of greenish bells. C reflexa Cape Nelson is a compact shrub with a spread of up to one metre, covered in red flowers with greenish yellow tips. C reflexa Breakneck River: a bushy little shrub of around 40cm high, with interesting dark pink flowers. C reflexa: very compact little shrub with a height of around 40cm and a spread of 80cm or so and well displayed bright red and greenish yellow flowers.
All the above plants will flower from autumn to spring and they will benefit from an annual light dressing of lime (not all native plants like lime!). There are many other bird attracting plants in a native nursery: grevilleas, banksias, callistemons, melaleucas, acacias, all of which are available in many forms and heights.
In retirement, or even planning for it, we should consider how to take advantage of our increased leisure time. There is a need to take up new interests and becoming a ‘twitcher’ (I think this term originated in Britain, and refers to a dedicated, maybe even an obsessive, birdwatcher) could be one of them.
Both the Gould League and The Bird Observers’ Club of Victoria have books, audiotapes etc for sale. The following list of birds that may be seen in the greater Melbourne area is by no means complete:
White-faced Heron
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (white)
Gang-gang Cockatoo
Galah
Species of Lorikeet
Cockatiel
Eastern Rosella
Species of Owl
Tawny Frogmouth
Laughing Kookaburra
Sacred Kingfisher
Welcome Swallow (House)
Species of Martin
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Willie Wagtail
Yellow-rumped Thornbill
Yellow Thornbill (Little)
Striated Thornbill
Red Wattlebird
Little Wattlebird
Noisy Myna
White-earned Honeyeater
White-plumed Honeyeater
White-naped Honeyeater
Eastern Spinebill
Silvereye
House Sparrow
Common Starling
Common Myna (Indian Myna)
Australian Magpie-lark
Grey Butcherbird
Australian Magpie
Grey Currawong
Australian Raven
Turtle-Dove (Indian Turtle-Dove)
Margaret Matthews gardening archive page
