Gardens for wildlife

Overview

Gardens for Wildlife is a free program that helps residents develop wildlife friendly habitat in their gardens.

By increasing habitat in our gardens we can create important stepping-stones for wildlife to thrive and move through our neighbourhoods.

Whether you have a large established garden or a small balcony, there are many elements you can add to enhance your space and to provide shelter, nesting habitat and food sources for native wildlife.

The Gardens for Wildlife program at City of Kingston offers:

For more information about habitat gardening, biodiversity and attracting wildlife to your garden, download the Gardens for Wildlife Booklet(PDF, 8MB) or check out our posters and colouring sheets with tips and information on native wildlife, plants and nesting habitats.

Garden assessment bookings

Our Gardens for Wildlife officer can provide customised advice on creating habitat and attracting native animals to your garden.

During your garden assessment, our officer will:

  • ask if you have any ideas or requirements for your garden
  • troubleshoot any garden issues
  • provide you with different wildlife garden ideas
  • develop an initial garden project with you

Within 14 days of your assessment, our officer will provide you with a report featuring personalised garden advice, suggested plant species list and a planting location diagram.

You can book an in-person home garden visit (Monday afternoons or Thursday mornings) or provide details about your garden for an online assessment. 

Book an in-person garden assessment

We are now taking in-person bookings until early December 2024. If no bookings are available, use the ‘Subscribe to this page’ button at the bottom of this page to be notified when bookings reopen in 2025.

Book now

Select 'Northern suburbs' if you are located in:

  • Braeside
  • Cheltenham
  • Clarinda
  • Clayton South
  • Dingley Village
  • Heatherton
  • Highett
  • Mentone
  • Moorabbin
  • Moorabbin Airport
  • Mordialloc
  • Oakleigh South
  • Parkdale

Select 'Southern suburbs' if you are located in:

  • Aspendale
  • Aspendale Gardens
  • Bonbeach
  • Carrum
  • Chelsea
  • Chelsea Heights
  • Edithvale
  • Patterson Lakes
  • Waterways

Submit an online assessment

Receive a Garden for Wildlife assessment from the comfort of your own home. Provide details about your garden and receive an email report within 14 days, detailing how to transform your space into a haven for wildlife.

Submit an online assessment

Indigenous plants

The following are a list of common Indigenous plants that are local to the Kingston area.

You can find out more about plants of the local area from Indigenous Plants of the Sandbelt: a gardening guide for south-eastern Melbourne by Rob Scott et al., as well as Flora of Melbourne by Marilyn Bull

Large Trees

Species name Common name Soil types Height (m) Width (m) Habitat value Sunlight conditions
Banksia integrifolia Coastal Banksia coastal 10-20 5-10 birds, butterflies, mammals full sun
Eucalyptus camaldulensis River Red Gum heavy wet 12-30 15-20 birds, insects, mammals full sun
Eucalyptus melliodora Yellow Box dry sandy 10-20 8-20 birds, butterflies, insects, mammals full sun, semi shade
Eucalyptus ovata Swamp Gum heavy wet 8-20 8-20 birds, butterflies, insects, mammals full sun, semi shade
Eucalyptus radiata Narrow-leaf Peppermint dry sandy 10-15 6-10 birds, butterflies, insects, mammals full sun, semi shade
Eucalyptus viminalis ssp pryoriana Coastal Manna Gum dry sandy 8-16 5-12 birds, insects, mammals full sun

Small and Medium Trees

Species name Common name Soil types Height (m) Width (m) Habitat value Sunlight conditions
Acacia implexa Lightwood adaptable 5-8 2-3 birds, butterflies, mammals full sun, semi shade
Acacia mearnsii Black Wattle dry sandy 6-10 6-10 birds, insects full sun, semi shade
Acacia melanoxylon Blackwood heavy wet 5-10 4-6 birds, butterflies, mammals full sun, semi shade
Allocasuarina littoralis Black She-oak dry sandy 4-8 2-5 birds, mammals full sun, semi shade
Allocasuarina verticillata Drooping Sheoke dry sandy, coastal 4-11 3-6 birds, butterflies, insects full sun
Banksia marginata Silver Banksia adaptable 4-6 1-3 birds, butterflies, mammals full sun, semi shade
Bursaria spinosa Sweet Bursaria adaptable 4-6 2-4 birds, butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Eucalyptus pauciflora Snow Gum dry sandy 5-10 6-10 birds, butterflies, insects, mammals full sun, semi shade
Leptospermum laevigatum Coastal Tea-tree coastal 2-8 2-4 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Melaleuca ericifolia  Swamp Paperbark  adaptable  2-7   2-3  birds, butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade 

Medium and Large Shrubs

Species name Common name Soil types Height (m) Width (m) Habitat value Sunlight conditions
Acacia oxycedrus Spike Wattle dry sandy 1-3 1-2 birds full sun, full shade
Acacia paradoxa Hedge Wattle adaptable, coastal 2-4 2-5 birds, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Acacia stricta Hop Wattle heavy wet 2-5 2-4 butterflies full sun, full shade
Acacia suaveolens Sweet Wattle dry sandy 1-3 2-5 birds full sun, semi shade
Acacia verticillata Prickly Moses adaptable 2-4 2-3 birds, butterflies, mammals semi shade
Cassinia aculeata Common Cassinia adaptable 2-4 1-2 butterflies, insects semi shade
Cassinia arcuata Drooping Cassinia dry sandy 1-3 1-2 butterflies full sun, semi shade
Hakea nodosa Yellow Hakea adaptable, coastal 1-3 1-2 birds, butterflies, mammals full sun, full shade
 Kunzea leptospermoides Yarra Burgan   adaptable  2-5 2-4   butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade 
Leptospermum continentale Prickly Tea-tree heavy wet 1-4 1-2 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Leptospermum myrsinoides Heath Tea-tree dry sandy 1-2.5 1 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Myoporum insulare Common Boobialla coastal 2-5 3-6 birds, butterflies full sun
Ozothamnus ferrugineus Tree Everlasting adaptable 2-6 1-3 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Solanum laciniatum Kangaroo Apple dry sandy, coastal 1-3 1-3 birds, mammals full sun, semi shade
Viminaria juncea Golden Spray heavy wet 1.5-5 1-2.5 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade

Small Shrubs

Species name Common name Soil types Height (m) Width (m) Habitat value Sunlight conditions
Allocasuarina paradoxa Green She-oak dry sandy 0.5-2 1-2 birds, insects full sun, semi shade
Atriplex cinerea Grey Saltbush dry sandy, coastal 1-2 2-3 birds, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Bossiaea cinerea Showy Bossiaea dry sandy 1-2 1-2 insects, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Correa alba White Correa coastal 0.5-2.0 1-3 birds, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Correa reflexa Common Correa adaptable 0.3-2.0 1-2 birds, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Epacris impressa Common Heath moist well drained 0.5-1.5 0.2-0.6 birds, bees, butterflies, insects full sun
Goodenia ovata Hop Goodenia coastal 1-2 1-3 birds, butterflies full sun, full shade
Indigofera australis Australian Indigo adaptable 1-2 1-2 birds, butterflies full sun, full shade
Leucophyta brownii Cushion Bush coastal 0.2-1.0 0.5-2.0 birds, butterflies, insects, lizards full sun, semi shade
Leucopogon virgatus Common Beard-heath dry sandy 0.3-1.0 0.2-0.6 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Olearia axillaris Coast Daisy-bush coastal 1-2 1-2 butterflies, insects full sun
Olearia ramulosa Twiggy Daisy-bush heavy wet, coastal 0.5-2.0 1 butterflies, insects semi shade
Rhagodia candolleana Seaberry Saltbush coastal 2 1.0-2.5 birds, insects, lizards, mammals full sun, semi shade

Graminoids, Lilies and Irises

Species name Common name Soil types Height (m) Width (m) Habitat value Sunlight conditions
Arthropodium milleflorum Vanilla Lily dry sandy 0.3-1.3 0.3 bees full sun, semi shade
Arthropodium strictum Chocolate Lily adaptable 1 0.5 butterflies, lizards full sun, semi shade
Austrostipa flavescens Coast Spear-grass dry sandy, coastal 1-2 0.7 birds, butterflies, insects, lizards full sun, semi shade
Austrostipa mollis Soft Spear-grass dry sandy 0.6-1.5 0.5-0.75 birds, butterflies, insects, lizards full sun, semi shade
Austrostipa stipoides Prickly Spear-grass heavy wet, coastal 0.8-1.5 0.8-1.5 birds, butterflies, insects, lizards full sun
Carex appressa Tall Sedge heavy wet 0.5-1.2 0.5-1 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Dianella brevicaulis Small-flower Flax-lily coastal 0.5-0.9 0.6-0.9 birds, butterflies, insects, lizards full sun, semi shade
Dianella admixta Spreading Flax-lily adaptable, dry sandy 0.3-0.8 spreading birds, butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Dichelachne crinita Longhair Plume Grass moist well drained 0.5-1.0 0.2-0.3 birds, butterflies, insects, lizards full sun, semi shade
Distichlis distichophylla Australian Salt-grass adaptable, moist, wetland 0.1-0.2 spreading birds, butterflies, insects, lizards full sun
Eleocharis acuta Common Spike-rush moist, wetland 0.3-0.9 spreading frogs full sun
Eragrostis brownii Common Love-grass adaptable 0.40 0.3 frogs full sun, semi shade
Ficinia nodosa Knobby Club-rush coastal 0.5-1.5 0.6-2.0 birds, butterflies, lizards, frogs full sun semi shade
Juncus pallidus Pale Rush heavy wet 0.5-2.0 0.3-1.0 birds, butterflies, lizards, frogs full sun, semi shade
Lomandra filiformis Wattle Mat-rush dry sandy 0.5 0.2 birds, butterflies, lizards, frogs full sun, semi shade
Lomandra longifolia Spiny-headed Mat-rush adaptable, coastal 0.9-1.2 1-1.2 birds, butterflies, lizards full sun, semi shade
Microlaena stipoides Weeping Grass dry sandy, heavy wet 0.3-1.0 0.5 birds, butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Patersonia occidentalis Long Purple-flag dry sandy, heavy wet 0.2-0.4 0.3-0.6 birds, butterflies, lizards, frogs full sun, semi shade
Poa labillardierei Common Tussock-grass dry sandy, heavy wet 0.3-1.5 0.3-0.5 birds, butterflies, lizards full sun, semi shade
Poa sieberiana Grey Tussock Grass dry sandy 0.5-0.8 0.3-1 birds, butterflies, lizards, frogs full sun, semi shade
Rytidosperma fulvum Wallaby Grass heavy wet 0.8-1 0.2-0.3 birds, insects full sun, semi shade
Rytidosperma geniculatum Kneed Wallaby-grass adaptable 0.2-0.4 0.2 birds, insects full sun, semi shade
Rytidosperma racemosum Clustered Wallaby-grass dry sandy 0.1-0.8 0.8 birds, insects full sun, semi shade
Rytidosperma setaceum Bristly Wallaby Grass adaptable 0.6-0.7 0.4 birds, insects full sun, semi shade
Themeda triandra Kangaroo Grass heavy wet 0.5-0.9 0.75 birds, lizards full sun, semi shade

Climbers, Groundcovers and Wildflowers

Species name Common name Soil types Height (m) Width (m) Habitat value Sunlight conditions
Acaena novae-zelandiae Bidgee-widgee adaptable, coastal prostrate 1-4 birds, lizards full sun, full shade
Amperea xiphoclada Broom Spurge moist well drained, coastal 0.3-0.8 0.4-0.5 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Billardiera mutabilis Common Apple-berry adaptable, dry sandy climber 1-3 birds, butterflies full sun, full shade
Carpobrotus rossii Karkalla dry sandy, coastal prostrate 1-3 bees, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Centella cordifolia Centella adaptable, wetland 0.5-1.0 0.5-2.0 insects, lizards full sun, semi shade
Chrysocephalum apiculatum Common Everlasting adaptable prostrate 1-2 butterflies full sun
Clematis microphylla Small-leaved Clematis dry sandy, coastal climber 5 birds, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Dichondra repens Kidney Weed adaptable prostrate 1-2 insects, lizards, frogs semi shade, full shade
Disphyma crassifolium Rounded Noon-flower coastal prostrate 1-2 butterflies, insects full sun
Einadia nutans Nodding Saltbush  adaptable, coastal  prostrate   1-2 birds, butterflies, insects, lizards   full sun, semi shade
Gonocarpus tetragynus Common Raspwort adaptable 0.1-0.3 0.2-0.4 bees, butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Hardenbergia violacea Purple Coral-pea dry sandy, coastal climber 6 birds, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Kennedia prostrata Running Postman dry sandy, coastal prostrate 1-2.5 birds, butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Myoporum parvifolium Creeping Boobialla adaptable, coastal 0.1-0.2 1.5-3.0 birds, butterflies full sun, semi shade
Pelargonium australe Austral Stork's Bill dry sandy, coastal 0.3-0.6 0.3-1 butterflies, insects full sun, semi shade
Pimelea humilis Common Rice-flower adaptable 0.2-0.5 0.5-1.0 butterflies full sun, semi shade
Selliera radicans Shiny Swamp-mat coastal, wetland prostrate 0.5-1.0 butterflies, birds full sun, full shade
Tetragonia implexicoma Bower Spinach coastal prostrate 2 birds, lizards full sun, semi shade
Villarsia reniformis Running Marsh-flower wetland 0.4 0.5-1.0 frogs semi shade, full shade
Viola hederacea Native Violet heavy wet prostrate 1-2 butterflies, insects full sun, full shade
Wahlenbergia communis Tufted Bluebell moist well drained 0.1-0.5 0.1-0.5 bees, birds, butterflies, lizards full sun, semi shade

 

Soil Types Key:

  • adaptable – plants that tolerate different soil types and can grow in most local soils
  • coastal – plants that generally prefer dry sandy soil but can also tolerate salt spray and low nutrient coastal soils
  • dry sandy – plants that prefer well drained sandy soils
  • heavy wet – plants that prefer moist heavy soils (higher clay content)
  • moist well drained – plants that prefer moist well drained soils (higher sand content)
  • wetland – plants that are typically found in wetland areas and can tolerate inundation

 

Vegetation community groups

Rich and diverse vegetation communities such as heathlands, woodlands and wetlands once dominated the local landscape.

Download the map and plant list below for more information.

Map of Kingston Vegetation Community Groups(PDF, 2MB) 

Indigenous Plant Species and Vegetation Community Groups(PDF, 205KB)

 

Invasive plant species (environmental weeds)

Plant species that are invasive and out-compete native plants are known as environmental weeds. We strongly encourage you to consider removing or replacing weed species with less invasive ones.

For further information visit Agriculture Victoria or Weeds Australia.

Below is a list of some common environmental weeds in the City of Kingston.

Common environmental weeds in Kingston

Species name Common name Plant type Replacement plant
Agapanthus spp African Lily Herb Dianella admixta (Spreading Flax Lily)
Allium triquetrum* Angled onion Herb Ficinia nodosa (Knobby Club-rush) 
Asparagus asparagoides Bridal Creeper Climber Clematis microphylla (Small-leaved Clematis)
Chamaecytisus palmensis Tree Lucerne Tree Leptospermum myrsinoides (Heath Tea-tree)
Cirsium vulgare* Spear Thistle Herb Acacia oxycedrus (Spike Wattle)
Coprosma repens  Mirror Bush Large Shrub  Myoporum insulare (Common Boobialla)
 Delairea odorata Cape Ivy Climber Billardiera mutabilis (Common Apple-berry)
 Echium plantagineum* Paterson's Curse  Herb  Patersonia occidentalis (Long Purple-flag) 
Erigeron bonariensis Tall Fleabane Herb  Poa labillardieri (Common Tussock-grass)
Fraxinus angustifolia
 Desert Ash  Tree Acacia implexa (Lightwood)
Gazania spp.  Gazania Herb   Chrysocephalum apiculatum (Common Everlasting)
Genista linifolia* Flax-leaved Broom Shrub  Goodenia ovata (Hop Goodenia) 
Hedera helix English Ivy  Climber Clematis microphylla (Small-leaved Clematis) 
 Lycium ferocissimum*  African Boxthorn  Shrub Bursaria spinosa (Sweet Bursaria) 
 Phalaris aquatica Canary Grass  Grass Themeda triandra (Kangaroo Grass) 
 Pittosporum undulatum  Sweet Pittosporum  Tree Acacia melanoxylon (Blackwood) 
Rubus fruticosus*  Blackberry   Shrub Acacia verticillata (Prickly Moses) 
 Salpichroa origanifolia  Pampas Lily of the Valley  Herb  Billardiera mutabilis (Common Apple-berry)
 Solanum nigrum  Black Nightshade  Herb  Goodenia ovata (Hop Goodenia)
 Tradescantia fluminensis Wandering Tradescantia  Creeper Hardenbergia violacea (Purple Coral-pea) 
Ulex europaeus* Gorse Shrub Goodenia ovata (Hop Goodenia) 

 *Noxious Weed

 

Local Indigenous Plant Nurseries

Bayside Community Nursery

Carrum Indigenous Nursery

Frankston Indigenous Nursery

Greenlink Sandbelt Nursery

Colouring Sheets, Posters and Booklet

Download our colouring sheets(PDF, 1MB) with tips and information on native wildlife, plants and nesting habitats.

Download the Gardens for Wildlife Booklet(PDF, 8MB)

Download our posters for habitat tips on attracting local wildlife:

 

Back to top