Attracting native wildlife to your garden

Invite the birds over

If you are designing a new garden or redeveloping an old, why not create a setting where native wildlife will be as equally at home - it may well double the pleasure you get from the garden! Even if your garden is small, it can still attract birds on a temporary basis, especially over winter and spring when the tui, bellbird and kereru (native wood pigeon) will travel considerable distances in search of flowers and fruit. Silvereye, grey warbler and fantail are insect eaters so plant varieties are not so important as a healthy organic mix of spiders, moths, beetles, wetas, earthworms, katydids and stick insects. A good layer of mulch or leaf litter on the garden will encourage insects and birds are a natural way of keeping them under control. Morepork and kingfisher eat insects as well as mice. Birds also pollinate flowers and give pleasure with their song. In making your garden attractive to native birds, introduced birds such as goldfinch, chaffinch, yellow hammer, blackbird, song thrush, house sparrow and starling are also likely residents.

Plant food species

Some rough ‘wild’ areas are ideal for wildlife, especially gullies, streams and boggy areas but it is possible to have a more formal garden and still have native birds visiting. This is more likely if you have native bush nearby and some favourite food trees for birds in either shelter belts or around the garden. These could include kowhai, flax, kaka beak and tarata for nectar and wineberry, karamu and korokia for fruit. The chart overleaf is a guide to some of the more important food bearing species, though it should be noted that not all grow in all parts of the country.

As a general rule, choose plants that naturally occur in your area. Plant favourite bird

foods like flax and kowhai where you can see them from inside the house. But avoid planting too close to the house as reflections on windows can confuse birds. A number of kereru are killed every year trying to fly through panes of glass - a distressing way to die for such a beautiful bird.

Hang it high

Most native birds have become wary about feeding on the ground, wise to the fact that a cat may be lurking in the bushes. Think about growing ground creepers like Fuchsia procumbens in a hanging basket – it is a wonderful sight with red berries hanging down. Climbing plants like Metrosideros carminea, Passiflora tetranda (NZ passionfruit)  and Tecomanthe speciosa also have a place along a wall or over a pergola - but you do need a frost free site for Tecomanthe.

Keep it low

In designing your garden, consider making some safe areas for lizards by using low-growing, dense plants such as Coprosmas or Muehlenbeckia as well as rocks, dry stone walls, concrete slabs or even a log stack where lizards can hide from predators, especially cats.

Pushed for space?

If you have limited space for big trees, try growing plants in containers, for example, titoki, broadleaf or cabbage tree. Some shrubs like kakabeak can even be standardised to fit in with your garden design – but make sure you allow them to flower so the birds benefit.

What to plant

There are many native trees, shrubs and climbers that look attractive in the garden and also provide food and shelter for wildlife. The following is a selection only and there are many more. There are numerous hybrids and cultivars of native plants developed for garden situations but these should not be planted in or near natural bush so as to avoid cross pollination. Our staff should be able to advise further.

Plant list - Botanical name , Common name & Features

Tall trees

Dacrycarpus dacrydioides kahikatea  f i

Elaeocarpus hookerianus pokaka  f i

Podocarpus totara totara  f b i

Prumnopitys ferruginea miro f b

Prumnopitys taxifolia matai  f b i

Trees & Tall Shrubs

Alectryon excelsus titoki  f

Aristotelia serrata makmako f i

Carpodetus serratus putaputaweta f b i

Coprosma species f l

Cordyline australis ti kouka f n i

Corynocarpus laevigatus karaka

Fuchsia excorticata kotukutuku f n b i

Griselinia littoralis kapuka  f b i

Hedycarya arborea porokaiwhiri  f i

Hoheria angustifolia hungere i

Knightia excelsa rewarewa n i

Kunzea ericioides kanuka n i

Leptospermum scoparium manuka n i

Lophomyrtus obcordata rohutu  f

Marcopiper excelsum kawakawa f

Melicope simplex poataniwha f i

Melicytus ramiflorus mahoe n b i f l

Myoporum laetum ngaio f n

Myrsine australis mapou f i l

Olearia species  tree daisies i

Pennantia corymbosa kaikomako f n i

Pittosporum eugenioides tarata f

Pittosporum tenuifolium kohuhu f i

Plagianthus regius manatu i

Pseudopanax arboreus whauwhaupaku f n i

Pseudopanax crassifolius horoeka f n b i

Pseudopanax ferox toothed lancewood f n b i

Pseudowintera colorata horopito f

Schefflera digitata patete f

Sophora species kowhai n i

Vitex lucens puriri f n i

Shrubs

Aristotelia fruiticosa  mountain wineberry f

Coprosma species f  b l

Corokia species & cultivars f n

Hebe species & cultivars i

Helichrysum lanceolatum niniao i

Melicytus alpinus porcupine shrub f l

Melicytus micrantus manakura f l

Muehlenbeckia astonii shrubby pohuehue f n l

Myrsine divaricata weeping matipo f i l

Neomyrtus pendunculata rohutu f n i

Phormium cookiaum wharariki n

Phormium tenax harakeke n

Podocarpus nivalis mountain totara f b i

Raukaua anomalus f n

Sophora species kowhai n i

Small shrubs and groundcovers

Astelia species f i

Clianthus puniceus n i

Libertia species NZ iris f n

Coprosma cultivars groundcovers f l

Dianella nigra turutu f

Fuchsia procumbens creeping fuchsia f n i

Muehlenbeckia axillaris creeping pohuehue f n l

M. complexa pohuehue white fruit f n l

Parahebe species n i

Pratia angulata panakenake f i l

Rubus parvus creeping lawyer f

Climbers

Clematis species n i

Metrosideros species n i

Parsonsia species b

Passiflora tetranda kohia f

Rubus species f

Ripogonum scandens kareao f

Tecomanthe speciosa n

f = fruit/seed

n = nectar

b = bud/foliage

I = insects

l = fruit for lizards

Veronica (Hebe) tairawhiti or Wairoa koromiko which is endemic to the North Island. This naturally uncommon plant is found from the East Cape Region (from the upper Motu River east), Gisborne, Wairoa (Northern Hawkes Bay) south to Mahia Peninsula, where it is primarily a coastal shrub of low shrubland. It is a very attractive shrub to small tree to 2-3m tall with yellow-green leaves, that flowers from January to April. It is an excellent plant for screening parts of a lawn or garden, and does well in full sun with a damp root run.  An ideal natural hedge which will respond well to some clipping.

Clematis quadribracteolata is endemic to the North and South Island, and is found from Waitomo and the Bay of Plenty south to the Eastern Wairarapa in the north, and Nelson, Marlborough, Westland, Canterbury, Otago and Southland in the south, mainly in the drier east. It grows in lowland to subalpine areas favouring grey scrub, frost flats, forest margins, grows on
tussock grasses, and is found in low, wet areas near streams and along roads. It is an evergreen slender, low-growing woody climber with grooved branchlets, glabrous of finely puberulent when young. It has branches that grow 1-2m in length and it prefers a sunny to half-shady situation on moderately moist soil. It has very small, sweetly scented red/pink, violet/purple flowers from September to October.

Veronica (Hebe) hectori subsp. laingii is endemic to the South and Stewart Islands, and is confined to Fiordland and Stewart Island. This low shrub that grows up to 25cm high is found growing in the mountains of Fiordland in mixed tussock-scrub and snow tussock-herbfields, but can be found on shallow snowbanks and moist depressions in fellfield, and in cushion vegetation, and on Stewart Island in damp, grassy meadows on valley floors, and on the summit of Mount Anglem. Very similar to Veronica (Hebe) hectori subsp. hectori, but is much smaller in size and in leaf size. It has white flowers in summer, and requires a well drained soil. It is suitable for gardens in colder areas. It was discovered on Mount Anglem in the early 20th century by Leonard Cockayne, and is named after botanist and author R. M. Laing, who explored many parts of Canterbury and Banks Peninsula.

Leptinella dioica or shore cotula is endemic to the North, South and Stewart Islands, but is not known to be found in Northland or Fiordland.  It is found in coastal and inland areas from sea-level up to 1000m a.s.l.. In the northern part of its range usually on the margins of saltmarshes but further south extending well inland in seepages and permanently open, damp turfs. It is a dioecious or monoecious, creeping, somewhat fleshy perennial herb of usually wet coastal habitats. It has rhizomes at or near soil surface, and green, dark green to purple-green leaves, that form a prostrate patch. An excellent ground cover and ideal as a lawn alternative in soils that are seasonally damp, or somewhat poorly drained. Highly variable, and the numerous wild forms could provide an excellent source for future cultivar selections.

Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Kuawa or Lake club-rush is indigenous, but also found throughout the world. In New Zealand it is found throughout the North Island, and in the South Island it is present in Nelson, Marlborough, Westland otherwise only around Christchurch and Lake Ellesmere. On the Chatham Islands it is known from one place - where it is possibly introduced.
It is found in coastal to montane areas, up to 300 m a.s.l., mostly in standing water, growing in brackish or freshwater systems such as lakes, ponds, lagoons, river and stream margins. It is also found well inland around geothermal systems. It is a tall, bluish-green, creeping rush like plant 1.5m high up to 4m. Its main use is for environmental planting, but may be grown in wet soils or around the edge of a large pond. It may die down in colder areas over winter.

Libertia cranwelliae, Cranwells Iris or Cranwells Mikoikoi is endemic to the North Island.  It is  found in the East Cape from near Hicks Bay, south to the Kopuapounamu valley in coastal forest on cliff faces, in seepages, on stream and river banks. Plants consisting of leafy fans crowded or emerging at intervals from far-spreading horizontal  creeping plant stems or runners that takes root at points along its length to form new plants.Leaves are 150–900 mm long and  5–11 mm wide, and are inclined to turn yellow where exposed to full sun. Flowers and fruits do not reach top of leaves. Flower buds are sometimes yellowish or brown, opening to white flowers that are 20–35 mm  in diameter, from September - November. Flowers are followed by large seed capsules (fruit) from January - December, that are up to 20 mm long, and  barrel-shaped, ripening from green to yellow-orange to black or grey-black, sometimes splitting slightly. Seeds dispersed when capsule disintegrates. It is evergreen and very hardy to sun or semi shade, and will tolerate drier sites but prefers a free draining site. This nationally critical plant was rediscovered in 2006, in the wild by Graeme Atkins at one site near East Cape where there were 30 plants found to be growing in coastal forest. This site is threatened by weeds, goats, cattle and red deer. Libertia cranwelliae has not been rediscovered at its former locations at the Awatere River and Kopuapounamu Valley.

Acrothmanus colensoi, syn Cyathodes colensoi or prickly mingimingi is endemic to the North, South and Stewart Islands, and is found from the Kaimanawa Mountains, Ruahine and Tararua Ranges southwards where it is widespread on the drier mountains in eastern Nelson, Marlborough and Canterbury. It is rather local in Otago and rare in northern Southland. It grows on well-drained sites, including rocky outcrops in montane shrubland, mixed tussock-scrub or snow tussock grassland from 600-1600m asl. It is a low sprawling, bushy shrub often forming patches up to 50cm high and 2m across. It has upright branches with small rigid leaves that can be a dull greenish-grey colour sometime with a reddish or purplish brown hue, and are paler underneath with prominent white veins and down-turned margins. They have small white flower from November, that although have both male and female parts present there are different sizes in them between plants so they function as either male or female. Only the females bear thin fleshed fruits from February that when ripe can range from white through pink and red to deep crimson.