Creating a native garden in backyards of Lismore

A 40-page booklet has been launched that will help landowners in the Lismore area create a native garden in their backyard.

The booklet 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.

Lismore City Council Environmental Strategies Coordinator Theresa Adams revealed the booklet for the first time at the 18th annual Big Scrub Day at Rocky Creek Dam on 16 October.

It has been prepared by the council’s environmental strategies team in partnership with Rous County Council.

Brunswick Valley Landcare provided the template for the Lismore booklet from their original version for the Byron Shire.

‘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,’ Ms Adams 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.’

The booklets are now available for download on the Lismore City Council’s website www.lismore.nsw.gov.au, or from the council’s corporate centre in Goonellabah, the Lismore Library, the Nimbin Neighbourhood and Information Centre and the Lismore Environment Centre.