New guide promotes backyard biodiversity
Lismore City Council has launched a publication to inspire urban, village and rural residential home owners to invite the natural world into their gardens.
The booklet was launched by Theresa Adams, Lismore City Council Environmental Strategies Coordinator, at the 18th annual Big Scrub Day at Rocky Creek Dam on October 16.
The Environmental Strategies team partnered with Rous County Council to create the 40-page colour booklet and Brunswick Valley Landcare kindly provided the template from their original version for the Byron Shire.
My Native Local Garden Guide provides tips on designing and planning a garden using natives, and recommends species suitable to plant in Lismore’s main landscapes, the floodplain, midland hills and escarpments. For example, there are 22 species listed to create a creek-side rainforest garden with groundcovers, vines, shrubs and trees.
“For the Lismore version we added information on landscaping for water quality in our drinking water catchments, and information on how to look after Lismore’s important koalas in our own backyards,” Theresa said.
“Local native species are easy to grow, are adapted to the extremes of our climate, and can offer a lot of colour and texture to make your garden beautiful.
Most importantly, a native garden will help create connectivity between patches of habitat for the movement of native plants and animals. The Richmond birdwing butterfly is one example of local wildlife slowly coming back to the urban environment through the planting of the birdwing butterfly vine.”
Copies of My Native Local Garden Guide are available for download on Council’s website www.lismore.nsw.gov.au, or in hardcopy at Council’s Corporate Centre (43 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah), the Lismore Library, the Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre and the Lismore Environment Centre.
Image 1: Promoting My Local Native Garden Guide are (l-r) Lismore City Council Environmental Strategies Officer Vanessa Tallon and Environmental Strategies Coordinator Theresa Adams with Michael McKenzie from Rous County Council.
Image 2: Promoting My Local Native Garden Guide is Lismore City Council Environmental Strategies Coordinator Theresa Adams (front) with Lismore City Council Environmental Strategies Officer Vanessa Tallon and Michael McKenzie from Rous County Council.
