small bird attracting – Mallee Design

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A tough and useful Bushfood: Lomandra longifolia

Lomandra longifolia, or Common Mat Rush, is abundant along the NSW coast growing and in SA, Victoria and Tasmania in a range of environments from coastal dunes to dry Sclerophyll forest. It can also be seen growing in median strips and… Read more ›

29/09/2022 2 Comments

Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Illawarra natives, Ornamental grass

Bushfood, clay soils, Common Mat Rush, Edible native plant, first nations knowledge, front line coastal, Indigenous to the Illawarra, Lomandra longifolia, sandy soil, small bird attracting, spring flowering, understory planting, weaving fibre, weeping habit, wind tolerant

Bird Nerd-ing in a Mallee Birdbath

Our friend Angus Stewart in Tasmania (from Gardening with Angus) recently captured all these wonderful birds making use of his Mallee Dish – including a few that we’ve never seen before since they only occur in Tasmania. In this video… Read more ›

27/07/2022 2 Comments

Bird attracting, Frost tolerant, Naturalistic garden, Products, Winter flowering

Inala Conservation Reserve: Bruny Island

Forty Spotted Pardalote Image above by Alfred-Schulte The Inala Reserve on Bruny Island was the highlight of my recent trip to Tasmania, we spent two nights staying in the cabins inside the reserve bird watching and exploring this natural wonderland.… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Groundcover, Medium Tree, Naturalistic garden

bird-attracting, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus viminalis, Forty-spotted pardalote, Inala Conservation Reserve, nature connection, nesting boxes, small bird attracting, summer flowering, Swift Parrot, wildlife habitat

My Favourite Poa: Poa ‘Suggan Buggan’

Since discovering this super blue grey form of Poa labillardieri I have been throwing it around with gay abandon ? my love for native grasses and Poas in particular is something which is pretty obvious when you see some of… Read more ›

28/11/2021 2 Comments

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Naturalistic garden, Ornamental grass

foliage contrast, grey green leaves, low spreading habit, mass planting, Poa 'Suggan Buggan, Poa labillardieri 'Suggan Buggan', Quick growing, small bird attracting, understory planting, weeping habit, wind tolerant

The very versatile Lomatia myricoides

I have been wanting to tell you all about the River Lomatia for some time but have been waiting to find some fully grown shrubs to photograph and I finally found them on my recent Summer trip to Mount Kosciuszko.… Read more ›

Butterfly attracting, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Snow Tolerant

bee attracting, cut flowers, large shrub, Lomatia myricoides, moist shade, moist soil, native bees, small bird attracting, summer flowering, understory planting, weeping habit, well drained soil, white flower

The pretty prickly Grevillea acanthifolia

There aren’t really enough spikey Grevilleas in my opinion, when it comes to planting for birds and to create habitat especially for small birds Grevilleas are a wonderful lure, if they are spikey they can also provide shelter as well… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Shade tolerant

dense habit, Grevillea acanthifolia, heavy frost, insectivorous birds, moist soil, naturalhabitatlandscapes, pink flowers, Prickly, small bird attracting, spreading habit

An oldie but a goodie: Thryptomene saxicola ‘FC Payne’

This is a classic 70’s native garden plant, a WA species which doesn’t need to be grafted to grow elsewhere in Australia and for good reason it has stood the test of time. Thryptomene saxicola ‘FC Payne’ is hardy and… Read more ›

Butterfly attracting, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

butterfly attracting, cut flowers, drought hardy, fragrant, insectivorous birds, long flowering period, native insect attracting, natives for pots, pink flowers, prolific flowers, small bird attracting, understory planting, weeping habit

Emu Bush No. 9: Eremophila bignoniiflora x polyclada

Three years ago I set myself a challenge to learn 12 Eremophila species in 12 months, it hasn’t been going very well …..yet again I have failed to meet my own deadline ? However, my desire to learn more about… Read more ›

20/07/2020 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Small tree, Winter flowering

bee attracting, drought resistant, Eremophila bignoniiflora x polyclada, large shrub, long flowering period, small bird attracting, spring flowering, summer flowering, weeping habit, white flower

Camera Trap Basics for Bird-Spotters

Recently, we’ve been using camera traps to capture videos of birds using our birdbaths. One of my favourites is the video of these wonderful silvereyes flocking around a dish in some coastal habitat below! Silvereyes migrate in large groups, feed… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Illawarra natives, Products

bird-attracting, birdbaths, dense habit, front line coastal, Grey Fantail, habitat garden, Little Wattlebird, Silvereye, small bird attracting, small birds, trap camera, water bowls

The Grevillea that ticks all the boxes: Grevillea ‘Winter Delight’

This low growing shrub is one of my favourite Grevilleas, it covers itself in pinky red flowers all through winter to attract the birds and the bees. It has a naturally dense habit which can only be improved with a… Read more ›

16/06/2020 4 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Groundcover, Small garden, Winter flowering

bee attracting, dense habit, Grevillea 'Winter Delight', grey green leaves, long flowering period, low growing, low mounding shrub, low spreading habit, part shade, pink flowers, Red flowers, small bird attracting, well drained soil, wildlife habitat

Why are birds not visiting my bird bath?

There are a number of reasons for not seeing birds in a birdbath. You may not have allowed enough time for birds to find your birdbath, birds may actually be coming but you don’t see them or cats may be… Read more ›

05/03/2020 6 Comments

Bird attracting, Products

Angophora hispida, Bird Bath, Crimson Rosellas, Dianella caerulea, habitat garden, insectivorous birds, little wattle bird, Musk Lorikeets, Satin Bowerbird, small bird attracting, small birds, White-plummed Honeyeater, wildlife habitat

Low and Large: Grevillea ‘Cooroora Cascade’

This Grevillea ground cover always looks optimistic to me, with its large sunny gold flowers and luscious green fine leaves, it scrambles around the garden filling gaps with its happy go lucky stems. Grevillea ‘Cooroora Cascade’ is a prostrate form of… Read more ›

05/02/2020 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Groundcover, Natives for containers

carpeting ground cover, dense habit, drought resistant, Grevillea 'Cooroora Cascade', large flower, small bird attracting, spill over, summer flowering, weeping habit, well drained soil, yellow flowers

Drought Hardy Emu Bush

In this post I am adding to my Eremophila database and also trying to increase awareness of native plants which I believe have proven to be reasonably drought hardy. As a genus Eremophilas are very tough native shrubs, they will grow in… Read more ›

15/01/2020 6 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants

bee attracting, drought hardy, Eremophila glabra 'Murchison Magic', Eremophila longifolia, fast growing, grey green leaves, pink flowers, Red flowers, silver foliage, small bird attracting, Waterwise native, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant, year round flowering

The Greatest Geebung: Persoonia pinifolia

Geebungs are a wonderful Genus of native plant, they below in the Proteaceae family like Banksias and possess a variety of flowers, leaves and habits. In fact I have already written about Persoonia pinifolia a couple of years ago, see here. … Read more ›

08/12/2019 10 Comments

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Shade tolerant

bird-attracting, Cranbourne Botanic Gardens, fast growing, frost tolerant, Honeyeater, large flower, Persoonia pinifolia, small bird attracting, summer flowering, weeping habit, well drained soil, wildlife habitat, yellow flowers

Mallee Spun Copper Dishes at QLD Garden Expo!

Hi Everyone, This is just a heads up that we will be coming up to the Sunshine Coast to exhibit in next weeks QLD Garden Expo, we are very excited to be doing our first interstate show and would love… Read more ›

07/07/2019 1 Comment

Bird attracting

Bird Bath, birdbaths, small bird attracting, wildlife habitat

Pretty in Pink: Callistemon ‘Pink Champagne’

There are so many varying coloured Callistemons available now, there isn’t really any reason to only associate them with the traditional red anymore. I am a big fan of the softer coloured bottlebrushes, the greens pale yellows and pinks, the… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants

Autumn Flowering, bee attracting, bird-attracting, Callistemon 'Pink Champagne', clay soils, fast growing, frost tolerant, Honeyeater, lorikeet, pink flowers, regular pruning, small bird attracting, spring flowering, wind tolerant

Winter brightener: Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’

I have already written about this striking low growing Hakea here however I think this is one of the many very special native plants that deserves a second (and possibly third) plug 😉 This is Hakea myrtoides-x-petiolaris ‘Burrendong Beauty’ a wonderful hybrid… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Winter flowering

cut flowers, fast growing, Hakea 'Burrendong Beauty', low spreading shrub, pink flowers, Prickly, small bird attracting, wildlife habitat

We’re adjusting our pricing on July 1st 2019

On the 1st of July 2019, we’ll be adjusting our pricing to reflect rising copper prices and to invest in new tooling that will raise the finished quality of our dishes. The pricing change will not come into affect until… Read more ›

20/06/2019 1 Comment

Bird attracting

Bird Bath, habitat garden, small bird attracting, spun copper dish, water bowls, water feature

Mother appreciation day: 10% discount on Mallee Spun Copper Dishes

As far as I am concerned Mothers Day is a load of consumer hype, mothers should be appreciated everyday not once a year, you can tell that this mother is tired 😉 I dream of having a deep veranda with a… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Naturalistic garden

Australian Native Garden, discount, Modern Australian Native Garden, Mother's Day Sale, small bird attracting, water, water bowls, water feature

A must have in your habitat garden: Bursaria spinosa

All hail sweet Bursaria! this native plant is a superstar performer in a native habitat garden fulfilling so many critters requirements and needs. I have been collecting images of Bursaria spinosa for about 10 years now, always looking for a… Read more ›

21/04/2019 4 Comments

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree

bee attracting, Bursaria spinosa, Double-barred finch, fast growing, fragrant, habitat garden, insectivorous birds, native bees, part shade, perfume, Pilotbird, Prickly, prolific flowers, shade tolerant, small bird attracting, summer flowering, white flower, wind tolerant, wrens

Correas and Croweas: Special Shady Friends

I spent last weekend in Mount Victoria, staying in a log cabin surrounded by a wonderful bush garden. There were plenty of Banskias, Eucalypts and Acacias but what really filled the garden out were the swathed of Correas and Croweas… Read more ›

16/04/2019 2 Comments

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Naturalistic garden, Shade tolerant, Small garden, Winter flowering

Autumn Flowering, bird-attracting, Correa 'Canberra Bells', Correa 'Little Cate', Correa decumbens, Correa glabra, Correa lawrenceana, Crowea exalata, Crowea saligna, Honeyeater, pink flowers, small bird attracting, understory planting, well drained soil

Why raised Birdbaths are better!

In this post I am going to touch on a contentious topic for some people and as I am completely not wishing to offend anybody here is a little warning to cat lovers and owners out there; basically I think… Read more ›

08/09/2018 43 Comments

Bird attracting, Naturalistic garden, Products, Winter flowering

Banksia ericifolia, cats, Dianella caerulea, feral animals, habitat garden, predators, small bird attracting, wildlife habitat

Beginner Friendly: Banksia paludosa ‘Little Pal’

There are many, many dwarf forms of Banksias around now, most of them are Banksia spinulosa, a few are ericifolia. You can never have enough Banksias and if all these dwarf cultivars mean more Banksias are being planted in gardens… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Small garden, Winter flowering

Autumn Flowering, Banksia paludosa 'Little Pal', bee attracting, clay soils, compact habit, foliage contrast, low mounding shrub, small bird attracting, sugar gliders, wind tolerant

Quick Screen & Habitat: Hakea salicifolia

This is the Willow Leafed Hakea or Hakea salicifolia, friend to Hakea sericea, the reason I think they are friends is that they have a lot in common, plus they were growing so happily together when I took these photos… Read more ›

11/10/2017 48 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Screening plants, Winter flowering

bee attracting, bird-attracting, dense habit, fence screening, frost tolerant, Hakea salicifolia, small bird attracting, spring flowering, white flower, wildlife habitat