Plant Guide to the Southern Highlands

Banksia at Fairy Bower Falls walking track, photo by V. Watson April 2022

There are many choices we can make as gardeners to improve the wildlife habitat of our backyards and gardens, and this includes choosing local native species as decorative, border, screening or highlight plants. 

Local native species suit our climate and soil type and therefore they usually require less inputs such as water and fertiliser, however it is important to remember that many native plants require a good pruning after flowering to improve growth and habit.

Also, native species are a great option when considering the future impacts of climate change. The plants we choose for our garden need to be resilient. Essentially, if something grows well in your garden with minimal input then that is a good option.

In addition, many exotic garden plants escape into natural bushland, wetlands and creeks and become problematic weeds, such as English Ivy, English Holly, Japanese Honeysuckle and Narrow-leaf Privet, please do not plant weedy plants.