It is autumn now and time to start some planting before the winter frosts. My last big planting at the back failed, I was away too much and apart from a couple of plants they all died from lack of water whilst they were establishing.

So the situation is backs onto paddocks so no wind protection, all day sunshine in summer, wicked frosts in winter.

I would like shrubs that are bird attracting that grow about four meters high. Less care required and tougher the plant the better. I want them to be pretty dense to act as a bit of a windbreak for the fruit trees.

So any recommendations for drought and frost resistant plants? I intend to print out the thread and take it to a nursery.

Like a broken record, I’ll suggest callistemon. You have to be prepared to prune after flowering for the first three to five years to keep them dense, but as a first level, they come up great:

First year or so:

Then they get bigger:

I don’t have a current picture, but they have joined up now.

These aren’t as high as you are talking about, but for a first row…..you do need to stagger the heights to send the wind up.

I’d then think about finding out what is you local wattle(s). They are likely to be higher. So you can plant them immediately behind, or alternate. The wattles go higher and the callistemon fill in the gaps.

And if you want a third row, some native/local gumtrees. Personally I’d range them as you see I did there in Casterton…..callistemon at the fence side, medium next then gums on the “inside”. You obviously have fewer gums, and set them back from the others towards the inside of the block to provide shade as well.

Gosh, I haven’t done garden planning for years!

I’m a fan of natives, so will agree with buffy’s suggestions of Callistemons and Acacias. A “mixed” hedge looks best IMHO, so rather than a single species, you can choose many plants that you like and put them all together. You could also consider Banksias and even Waratahs, which, if you’re lucky, could prefer the dry conditions in your area.

The Acacias are probably a good choice to begin with. They are fast-growing, very hardy and will improve the condition of your soil. However, they are short-lived, so you would need to have replacements ready as they die. I find that it is the seeds which attract the birds, rather than the flowers, and in my own garden this tends to attract the more interesting native birds, rather than the more common Noisy Miners and Rainbow Lorikeets.

The hardiest shrubs I have were all planted from tube-stock, and of these, the hardiest are the Isopogans. I have planted perhaps 300 plants in the last 5 years. Many of these were sourced from our Local Council and were free, which is a good thing, as the trial and error process I have been through was expensive enough.

If you want to have birds then go for smaller native bushes to encourage the local birds.

headsie said:

If you want to have birds then go for smaller native bushes to encourage the local birds.

I agree with all tyhe comments about natives and local is a word I like to use. There are many natives but the best ones are those naturally adapted to your clmate and soils.

Callistemons and Acacias are fine but I’d add that though there may be an Acacia for anywhere that there may not be a Callistemon that goes just anywhere. I’d probably prefer Melaleuca because they are generally more dense.