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Hi all
Many thanks to Greg and Karen for warning us about that
flora and fauna website and the reminder that local indigenous flora is
generally best for local fauna.
A few other points:
- local plants are best able to support the insect
populations which are so important to the web of life, and provide the food of
most of our small birds.
- some plants from your region can become invasive
weeds in local native vegetation; the list the site gave for my local area
includes at least one plant which has generated concern already. With climate
change this danger is increasing.
- another threat is hybridisation - some tea-trees are
hybridising in my area and I remember a warning about the
grevilleas
On the first of these see White,J.G., Antos, M.J. -
yes Mark Antos!, Fitzsimmons, J.A., Palmer, G.C. (2004) "Non-uniform bird
assemblages in urban environments: the influence of streetscape vegetation"
Landscape and Urban Planning. They show that streets
in Melbourne with indigenous planting have a greater abundance and
diversity of birds that in other types of street.
All that said, I reckon that www.floraforfauna.com.au is very
welcome and another sign that the nursery and gardening industry is
improving its act. Although some real horrors are still in the shops, there
are far fewer environmental weeds on sale and the other day Aldi completely
withdrew a grass from its stores after expert advice!
The site does recommend local councils, SGAP and
Greening Australia as sources of advice if you want to grow indigenous plants. I
just wish it warned people about the dangers of environmental damage
from your garden plants if you are near native vegetation and that, without
a green light, plants/seeds should never be sent to other regions or to
overseas. When out of place some of our lovely species are a real
curse.
Michael Norris
Hampton, Melbourne
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