wildlife habitat – Mallee Design

The Mediterranean flavour of Grevillea olivacea

Grevillea olivacea is considered a fast growing native shrub for dry conditions, with its dense habit it is the perfect screening plant to block out any building, street or fence. I use it for its grey foliage and small spider… Read more ›

29/08/2023

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree, Winter flowering

bee attracting, bird-attracting, drought tolerant, fence screening, frost tolerant, Grevillea olivacea Red, Grevillea olivacea Yellow, habitat garden, hedge, Waterwise native, wildlife habitat

The constantly evolving beauty of Ozothamnus diosmifolius

This small to medium native shrub is a hard one to capture both in an image and in words, I have been documenting these three specimens in my garden since they were planted a couple of years ago. It never… Read more ›

13/03/2023 1 Comment

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Feature shrub, Hedge, Naturalistic garden, Shade tolerant

bee attracting, clay soils, cut flower, cut flowers, habitat garden, large flower, long flowering period, native bees, Ozothamnus 'Radiance', Ozothamnus diosmifolius, pink flowers, understory planting, well drained soil, white flower, wildlife habitat

Two favourite floating water plants: Nymphiodes geminata & Marsilea drummondii

I love to include water in my Landscapes, whether in the form of a frog pond, fish pond, water bowl or fountain. One of the reasons for my love of water in the garden is it not only attracts wildlife… Read more ›

28/10/2022

Kath Gadd

Coastal, Naturalistic garden, Water plants

bee attracting, Bush Foods, fish, frogs, habitat garden, Marsilea drummondii, Nymphoides geminata, Pond plants, water bowls, water feature, water plants, wildlife, wildlife habitat, yellow flowers

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 ›

02/02/2022

Kath Gadd

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

Habitat Gardening

My eye is repeatedly drawn to this delightful photo of a father Tawny Frogmouth and his hatchling. Tawny Frogmouth fathers look after their baby birds until they fledge and require wide branches or large forks in old trees to nest.… Read more ›

18/06/2021

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Landscape Design

Photo Competition Entries and Winner!

Our photo competition is finished and we’ve been absolutely blown away by all our entries. The submissions represent so many different birds and locations across Australia that we couldn’t resist putting them all in one blog post with the winner!… Read more ›

05/05/2021 2 Comments

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Landscape Design

Back from a Bird Language Retreat

The mantra of the weekend, a quote shared by JA Baker: “The hardest thing of all is to see what is really there.” The next Bird Language Retreat is Apr. 13th–16th 2023 _____________________________________ By Hannah Preston Two weeks ago I… Read more ›

27/11/2020 3 Comments

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Naturalistic garden, Shade tolerant

Andrew Turbill, Barrington Tops National Park, Bird Bath, bird calls, bird-attracting, Cymbidium suave, Glochidion ferdinandi, king parrot, Lyre Bird, native grasses, nature connection, Wangat Lodge, wildlife habitat

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

Kath Gadd

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

An under-utilised native tree: Glochidion ferdinandi

This is the ever adaptable Cheese tree Glochidion ferdinandi, I would love to see these used more widely in our streetscape as street trees but also as shade trees in gardens or parks. They have the same glossy luscious look… Read more ›

13/04/2020 14 Comments

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Illawarra natives, Medium Tree

butterfly attracting, fast growing, Glochidion ferdinandi, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Olive-backed Oriole, privacy screen, semi-deciduous, shade tree, Street Trees, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant

Portfolio: Stanmore Landscape Design

This small garden in the inner west of Sydney is a sight to behold after the recent rains. It is hard to believe that most of these plants have only been in for 6 months, that is the beauty of… Read more ›

09/03/2020 4 Comments

Kath Gadd

AILDM, Bird attracting, Groundcover, Naturalistic garden, Ornamental grass, Portfolio, Screening plants, Small garden, Small tree

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

Kath Gadd

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

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

Kath Gadd

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

Kath Gadd

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

A spikey, perfumed tangle of Grevillea flexuosa

This is a wonderfully messy Grevillea that likes to sprawl all over the place. Its stems literally get tangled in themselves and the leaves are stiff and spikey so they can almost grab onto other plants to hoist themselves towards… Read more ›

21/10/2019 1 Comment

Kath Gadd

Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Screening plants

bee attracting, cut flowers, fast growing, Grevillea flexuosa Grafted, long flowering period, perfume, Scented, spring flowering, weeping habit, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Portfolio: Northmead Garden Design

I was lucky enough to be asked back for some follow up advice for this charming native habitat garden in the outer suburbs of Sydney today. The renovations are finally over and the garden hasn’t faired too badly with all… Read more ›

16/09/2019

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Groundcover, Naturalistic garden, Portfolio, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small garden, Winter flowering

Yum Yum: Acacia cardiophylla

This is a wattle close to my heart, it is one of the most strongly perfumed Australian native flowers I have come across, but not in a over-powering sweet, honey-nectar way, it is more of a Boronia type scent…yum, yum…… Read more ›

18/08/2019 2 Comments

Kath Gadd

Drought hardy, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

Acacia cardiophylla, bee attracting, fast growing, fragrant, perfume, Quick growing, Scented, understory planting, weeping habit, well drained soil, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Wonderful Winter Wattles: Acacia iteaphylla

I love wattles, they are so useful for quick screens, winter flowers and perfume, they grow quickly and can act as a coloniser for a new garden giving it almost immediate structure. The older I get the longer lived Acacia… Read more ›

03/08/2019

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Winter flowering

Acacia iteaphylla, bee attracting, bird-attracting, fast growing, grey green leaves, Honeyeater, insectivorous birds, native bees, Parrot, Scented, Silvereye, understory planting, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

The flexible Pennisetum alopecuroides

Pennisetum alopecuroides is a striking native grass that makes a bold statement planted independently, as a border, backdrop or en masse. This is commonly know as Foxtail grass not to be confused with the South African Pennesetum which has become a… Read more ›

18/07/2019

Kath Gadd

Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Ornamental grass

bird-a, fast growing, finch, mass planting, Modern Australian Native Garden, native grass, Pennisetum alopecuroides, Pigeon, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant

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

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting

Bird Bath, birdbaths, small bird attracting, wildlife habitat

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 ›

01/07/2019

Kath Gadd

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

Pink and Grey: Guichenotia ledifolia

As a colour combination pink and grey is one of my favourites, especially on a plant, grey leaves and a soft pink flower win me over every time! Luckily for me it is a fairly common combination in native Australian… Read more ›

16/06/2019 3 Comments

Kath Gadd

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

bee attracting, foliage contrast, grey green leaves, Guichenotia ledifolia, long flowering period, pink flowers, understory planting, weeping habit, well drained soil, wildlife habitat

Portfolio: Bexley Garden Design

This is a sweet little garden I designed about 4 years ago and it has been lovingly slowly built by the owner’s friend. It is a small rear garden behind a modest brick house in the south western suburbs of… Read more ›

13/05/2019 2 Comments

Kath Gadd

Groundcover, Portfolio, Screening plants, Small tree

Acacia 'Mini Cog', Acacia baileyana prostrate, Acacia fimbriata Dwarf, Backhousia citriodora, Baekea virgata dwarf, Casuarina 'Cousin It', Casuarina 'Freefall', Dianella caerulea, Dichondra repens, Ficinia nodosa, foliage contrast, Grevillea 'Orange Marmalade', Lomandra 'Lime Tuff', Modern Australian Native Garden, Poa 'Kingsdale', weeping habit, wildlife habitat

Another Callistmon for the resurgence: Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’

I have written before about my love of bottlebrush and how I wish for a resurgence in their use in garden design and the general landscape. There are many new interesting forms and cultivars that are a far shot from… Read more ›

26/02/2019

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Bush tucker, Butterfly attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Small garden

Autumn Flowering, bee attracting, Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’, clay soils, fast growing, large flower, Red flowers, spring flowering, understory planting, weeping habit, wildlife habitat, wind tolerant

Why the name Mallee?

I am often asked if I come from Mallee country in Victoria and sadly the answer is no, Mallee Design my business name was not chosen for geographical reasons it was chosen for aesthetic reasons. I am in love with… Read more ›

19/02/2019 2 Comments

Kath Gadd

Bird attracting, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Landscape Design, Small tree

bee attracting, drought tolerant, Eucalyptus lehmannii, Eucalyptus macrandra, fast growing, feature tree, Mallee, Mallee Eucalyptus, summer flowering, weeping habit, well drained soil, wildlife habitat, yellow flowers

Mallee Design

Native Garden Design & Consultation

Tag Archives: wildlife habitat

Categories

Archive

The Mediterranean flavour of Grevillea olivacea

The constantly evolving beauty of Ozothamnus diosmifolius

Two favourite floating water plants: Nymphiodes geminata & Marsilea drummondii

Inala Conservation Reserve: Bruny Island

Habitat Gardening

Photo Competition Entries and Winner!

Back from a Bird Language Retreat

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

An under-utilised native tree: Glochidion ferdinandi

Portfolio: Stanmore Landscape Design

Why are birds not visiting my bird bath?

Drought Hardy Emu Bush

The Greatest Geebung: Persoonia pinifolia

A spikey, perfumed tangle of Grevillea flexuosa

Portfolio: Northmead Garden Design

Yum Yum: Acacia cardiophylla

Wonderful Winter Wattles: Acacia iteaphylla

The flexible Pennisetum alopecuroides

Mallee Spun Copper Dishes at QLD Garden Expo!

Winter brightener: Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’

Pink and Grey: Guichenotia ledifolia

Portfolio: Bexley Garden Design

Another Callistmon for the resurgence: Callistemon subulatus ‘Brogo Overflow’

Why the name Mallee?