About

My name is Kath Gadd, I am a qualified Horticulturalist and Landscape Designer and I specialise  in creating modern native gardens using exclusively Australian plants.  I have been working in the garden design industry since 2004.

My main area of horticultural expertise comes from an extended working knowledge of Australian native plants, and I am passionate about promoting their use in the Landscape Design industry by writing articles and publishing photos for magazines, journals and books.
I’m inspired by Australian Native Plants and the bush and am driven to green our urban environment. I am currently solely self-employed and divide my time between Kath Gadd Landscape Design maintaining and adding to the growing native plant resource which is Mallee Design and helping run Birdbaths.malleedesign.com.au.

I also have a background in Photography and Mallee Design is built on the back of my passion for photographing our unique native flora. By making my images available on this website with a minimum water mark, I am happy for them to be shared for your own private use and research.
Please get in touch if you would like to include them on your website or in your documentation for work purposes.
To request print quality RAW files of any images send through an email and we will be in touch with either a quote or copyright details.

I have a special interest in creating habitat gardens for native wildlife, bush foods and  the local indigenous plant species of the Illawarra.

Australian Native Gardens have come a long way since being in vogue in the 1970’s, the number of species and cultivars available now is  far superior; there is no better time to plant a native garden. Our climate is becoming less and less predictable and that makes it difficult for our gardens and us. By research and careful planning you can create a native garden that can withstand much of our harsh, changing climate.

I have created this website to help promote the use of Australian native plants in garden design, not just for my garden designs but hopefully to inspire anyone out there who is interested in learning more about native plants and to give them a try.
It is created as a resource that I myself use when designing gardens but also as a space to open up discussion. Join me in this ongoing exploration of this amazing country’s natural environment. Browse around, and feel free to comment as you wish.

Useful links for more information about gardening with Australian native plants:

http://blog.growingillawarranatives.org/– A wonderful website put together by passionate and dedicated volunteers all about our native Illawarra Flora

http://asgap.org.au – Australian Native Plant Society

http://www.austplants-nsw.org.au – Australian Plant Society NSW

http://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au – Gardening with Angus

http://www.australiannativeplants.net.au – Australian Native Plants Directory

http://www.grevilleapark.org – Illawarra Grevillea Park in Bulli, well worth a visit!

 https://www.australianoutdoorliving.com.au/australian-native-plants/ – New Australian Native Plant Resource

These are some of the Blogs I follow and find inspiring and informative:

http://australianmodernistlandscapes.wordpress.com – Fantastic modernist Architecture blog with a touch of native plant Design

http://ourgreengenes.wordpress.com – Food for thought

http://theplanthunter.com.au – Life with Plants

Comments

12 responses to “About”

  1. Marie Condon

    Hi, Kath, you sound like the answers to my prayers. I’ve become very interested in native gardens of recent times . I want to indeed I’m very excited to lcreate my own native garden but I so need advice on how to turn the garden into a bird /insect attractive native garden . By the way so love those beautiful bowls .

    Reply
  2. Marie Condon

    Hi Kath, I not sure if I posted this email yesterday so I’ll rewrite it. I feel your the answer to my gardening prayers. I have been struggling with the idea of transforming my garden into a more native one with the idea of attracting more insects and birds .
    Some parts are difficult as they are quite shady and I’m not sure about the soil suitability for natives . I would love your consultation on this
    Regards
    Marie

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Marie,

      Send us an email through our contact page with some details about your location and garden requirements – https://malleedesign.com.au/contact-us/ – and we will be in touch.

      Kind regards,
      Hannah

      Reply
  3. Estelle Donoghue-Harder

    morning Kath enquiry another name Alyogyna Huegelii West Coast Hibiscus fell in love seeing on tv, seems difficult to buy as went to Bunnings Rothwell closest store Qld or do you send direct or where i could get one or do you sell direct thank you look forward to learning more as love my garden Estelle .

    Reply
  4. Grant Scott

    Hi Kath
    I am trying to get hold of a grafted grevilla green glow or waitiki gem. I am in Melbourne but are prepared to buy from anywhere in Australia. They seem very hard to get. I would be most appreciative for any info you might be able to give me as to where I can source these trees from.

    kind Regards
    Grant Scott

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Grant,

      You could try ringing Sydney Wildflower Nursery, they have some in stock at the moment and you could ask where they were sourced from?

      Good Luck,

      Kath

      Reply
  5. Skye

    Hello MD people! I recently received our medium bird bath with aged patina and it is GLORIOUS!I have a question for you. Do you have any leads on where one can find truly interesting bubbling style water features made of materials like stone or similar that would sit well alongside our birdbath? I see so many plastic ones):

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Hi Skye,
      So glad to hear that you love your bird bath. We have this link to creating an elegant water feature. Hope this is helpful, let us know how you get on.

      Reply
  6. Tracy

    Hi Kath
    I’m really inspired looking at your photos, I love the leptospermum Julie Anne, it is a lovely little ground cover!
    I will have a look at this site more regularly as I have a keen interest in horticulture and enjoy helping others create beautiful native gardens, here in Albany.
    Kind regards

    Reply
    1. Kath Gadd

      Thank you Tracy, Happy Gardening. Kath

      Reply
  7. Kerrie Killingly

    You are a new brains trust

    Reply
  8. Rebecca O’Mahoney

    Hi Kath,

    Thank you for creating such a great resource! I’m redesigning our block, and am researching plants before I buy, dig and plant. I love the new perennial style garden look, but I am hoping to achieve the look with Australian plants first, then imports (is that the right terminology??!! I’m clearly not a horticulturalist!!!) for a bit of diversity.

    Thanks again,
    Rebecca O’Mahoney

    Reply

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