I have decided to redo my gardens so i am removing all my old plants and trees and making a native garden. Yesterday i cut down a 4 metre tree and now i have the fun job of getting the stump out. I am going to put some bottle brushes in because my budgies love them but i am wondering if anyone else has some ideas of what other native plants that budgies like. I already have greviallas and my budgies do not seem to like eucalyptus at all. The garden is also going to be in back yard so i am trying to think of plants that are also pretty to look at. At the moment i have shrubs and grown covers that do not flower much so they are all going.

I highly recommend the book Creating a Native Garden for Birds by Frances Hutchison, I have a copy of it and it goes through everything from grasses to shrubs to trees and what sort suits which types of birds. It's also pretty cheap if you can't find it at the library, amazon has them starting a $8

Which tree did you cut down? Not the big grevillea?

 

I say choose callistemons over grevilleas. Their branches are "springier" and they tend to grow more in bunches/thicker. This means that there is more branches that can be pruned.

Which tree did you cut down? Not the big grevillea?

 

I say choose callistemons over grevilleas. Their branches are "springier" and they tend to grow more in bunches/thicker. This means that there is more branches that can be pruned.

 

 

I cut down the big one with purple flowers in front of the kids cubby house, it has thorns and the kids are always getting them in their feet from broken branches. Mike has already bought me one callistemon to plant.

Buying a book sounds a great idea MB, i will check the net for it.

i remember that one now. Good choice.

Yah... I love gardening. Make sure you take before and after photos and post them for us!!! :star:

 

In my 'mini' garden which I'm going to move into the back yard, I have herbs and rosemary in hanging pots... the girls love the ripping them up and rubbing their faces on them. Maybe you could have a section for stuff like this?

I forgot to take pics before i pull the tree out but i have photos of the mess i have to get rid of now. i manage to get the stump out but still have another one to remove and the crype mrytle and the other tall plant have got to come out yet and then i can start replanting.

 

All the branches i cut of the tree and the stump i had fun digging out.

 

 

Great job!!! You must be proud of the hard work you have done and the reults will soon be seen! I looking forward to sitting back, relaxing and seeing it all apear!!! :star:

I forgot to take pics before i pull the tree out but i have photos of the mess i have to get rid of now. i manage to get the stump out but still have another one to remove and the crype mrytle and the other tall plant have got to come out yet and then i can start replanting.

 

All the branches i cut of the tree and the stump i had fun digging out.

 

 

Did you do that all by yourself !!!

Hubby has a bad back so me and my 13 year old son did it. I like going and working around the house, it takes my mind of other things for awhile.

Edited November 3, 200816 yr by deb

Plant some native grasses for the budgies

 

To attract wild native birds go for grevillias, banksias, bottlebrush, wattle trees etc. Like others said, buy a book as there are literally thousands of plants and trees that birds love.

 

A bit of info:

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2195321.htm

Edited November 3, 200816 yr by birdgirl

Plant some native grasses for the budgies

 

To attract wild native birds go for grevillias, banksias, bottlebrush, wattle trees etc. Like others said, buy a book as there are literally thousands of plants and trees that birds love.

 

A bit of info:

http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s2195321.htm

 

 

Thanks, that is a great article. I used to have alot of native birds around but then the miner birds moved in and chased all the native birds away. Banksias would be nice, do budgies like to eat the branches. My budgies do not like wattle.

I look forward to seeing your garden completed Deb, should look wonderful!

I used to love working in the garden. My favourite job was when a tree blew over and I had to cut the branches off and dig out the stump. Really got the old shoulders working and the heart pumping.

Next great bit was the replanting and watching it grow.

Keep up the pictures Deb. By the way - great job getting the trunk out.

Edited November 4, 200816 yr by Neat
*****CHANGED tree'd to TREE****Changed BLOW to BLEW**

Most budgie won't eat wattle ... Some do though ... Leaves a bitter taste in their mouth ...

 

MATE GREAT JOB!!!!

 

Look up butterfly gardens - also Hibiscus native birds like too

I got back in the garden today and after a hour of digging around the stump i can still not get it out. It seems to have a long tap root because i have dug down a long way and the stupid thing will still not move. I decided to have a break from digging and pull the ground covers up but then i found something i did not want to see, 2 old tree stumps which i will have to dig up as well, looks like this project is not as easy as i thought it would be. :happy-dancing:

WOW!! you have done heaps!! It's looking great! well done!!

Hibiscus is a good one for budgies too - and is pretty :happy-dancing:

I got back in the garden today and after a hour of digging around the stump i can still not get it out. It seems to have a long tap root because i have dug down a long way and the stupid thing will still not move. I decided to have a break from digging and pull the ground covers up but then i found something i did not want to see, 2 old tree stumps which i will have to dig up as well, looks like this project is not as easy as i thought it would be. :happy-dancing:

Can they stay there ?

Good luck with that... I just finished ripping out 12 rose bushes... Got pricked about 100 times even with gloves on...

I got back in the garden today and after a hour of digging around the stump i can still not get it out. It seems to have a long tap root because i have dug down a long way and the stupid thing will still not move. I decided to have a break from digging and pull the ground covers up but then i found something i did not want to see, 2 old tree stumps which i will have to dig up as well, looks like this project is not as easy as i thought it would be.

Can they stay there ?

 

 

The 2 old stumps were half rotted so i have just mananged to get them out. I am wanted to put new trees in and the another stump is about 40cms wide so it take up a fair bit of room in the garden. I thought about planted trees either side of the stump but then there would be not much room for the new roots to grow.

I was able to do some more work in my garden today before it started raining. i am so eager to get the plants out so i can start replanting. I finally got the stump out and some over plants so now i just have to get the crype mytrle stump out and some more ground covers. i released i have maidenhair ferns growing in my garden, are they safe for budgies to eat and would they like them?

 

Another stump out

 

How the garden is progressing.

 

Looking great Deb!!! I would NOT feed maidenhair ferns... I don't think they would be safe, but not 100% sure. That stump is huge... Dad and I have removed our fair share of stumps... we had a huge wattle growing where my aviary now is. We dug around and ended up cutting through the roots, tiped it over sightly and cut off the huge tap root. It was very hard work and had to use and axe and crobar... but it came out!

Edited November 8, 200816 yr by maesie

Good work it looks great already cant wait for plants.

We cheated our backyard was a mess when we moved in with half a dozen stumps and heaps of weeds, we got the bobcat to pull them out!!

Now my garden is nearly ready for replanting i am starting to think more about what i will put in. I am thinking of planting a Lilly Pilly because i am after a big shady tree to cover the kids swing set, do budgies like to eat the branches and berries on this tree, it is a native so i assume it would be safe?

You may regret a Lily Pily when you have toms of little berries rotting in your grass! Don't know if your kids have a sandpit but if so then don't plant bottlebrush near it as you'll spend your life scooping the little flowers out of it (trust me!!!)

You may regret a Lily Pily when you have toms of little berries rotting in your grass! Don't know if your kids have a sandpit but if so then don't plant bottlebrush near it as you'll spend your life scooping the little flowers out of it (trust me!!!)

 

 

Thanks MB i did not think about the berries falling off, my kids would have fun treading on them and making a mess. i made the mistake when i first built a sandpit for my kids, i set it up under the bottlebrush tree i have and i had to move it. i already have 2 bottlebrushes and i am planting a another one so i am looking for a different type of native which the birds will like but will also provide shade in the back yard for the kids. i have 3 greviallas in my front yard so i do not want another grevialla.