Native garden: Angus Stewart, AB Bishop’s tips on plants, saving waterr
Ahead of their award-winning book being republished, Angus Stewart and AB Bishop gave us some of their best gardening tips. Just don’t ask AB what her favourite native plant is.
AHEAD of their award-winning book being republished this week as The Waterwise Australian Native Garden, authors Angus Stewart and AB Bishop gave us some of their best tips and advice for gardeners wanting to plant more natives and save water.
Just don’t ask AB what her favourite native plant is.
How did your love of Australian natives begin?
Angus Stewart: I had a grandmother who painted wildflowers … she travelled all around Australia painting wildflowers and so when I got interested in horticulture I started to study wildflowers, but also why they weren’t more readily available and being grown in our gardens. That triggered off a lifelong career in developing native plants that were more garden-friendly.
AB Bishop: I was born in England, and then moved to South Africa, and had a couple of years in Nauru and came here in 1983. The second I landed I fell in love with eucalypts — they seemed so unique and different. That was the first part of it, but because I am such an animal-lover and conservationist, I suppose appreciated them more and more because of the connection they have with our native wildlife.
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When did you first notice a trend towards natives and people being more interested in planting with natives?
AS: Being a little older than AB, I was around in the 1970s and that’s when I think the first big wave of interest started, but back in those days there just was not a great availability of species, and species that were garden-friendly.
Also there was a lack of knowledge, and people developed this ethos that natives shouldn’t be pruned, they were let go ... and just didn’t look fantastic.
In the late 1950s there was a movement started, The Society for Growing Australian Plants, it was known as back then … The Elliot and Jones Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants, I think, was another one of those moments where people really started to sit up and take notice because the literature was available but also specific native plant nurseries started to appear.
What is the most important step for gardeners who are setting up a native garden?
AB: It sounds so boring, but any gardener will tell you the most important thing is understanding your soil. That is key, because that is essentially going to tell you what plants are going to thrive, and struggle.
AS: I think to really take notice and appraise their garden conditions — the soil, the climate — and try to choose native plants that are suited to their particular garden environment.
There are two philosophies in gardening: if you do want to grow those plants, you’ve got to try to modify your conditions to suit them … (but it’s) far more satisfying to try to suit the species you’re growing to the conditions, and the book is designed to give people an education about how to do that.
In terms of water efficiency in the garden, what makes the bigger impact – the garden design and layout, or is it the types of plants that you choose to put into it?
AB: For me, it’s definitely the plants because essentially any good layout you’re going to be choosing the right plants for that particular spot, and we’ve all got different microclimates in our gardens.
AS: It’s a combination of both, but I do think species selection is the more important of the two.
Again in terms of water efficiency, what is the biggest mistake people make with their gardens?
AS: Shallow watering. Plants will go and seek water. If you deep water — so water less frequently but give the plant more so water goes deeper into soil — the roots will grow down to it.
What is the one thing that Aussie gardeners can do to their gardens to make them more water efficient?
AS: Deep planting, where conditions are appropriate, and the second thing is if you know you’re going to have water issues select those species that are really drought adapted. The third thing is mulching.
AB: Mulch. That really is key … Whether you’re using inorganic or organic mulch, and in fire-prone areas we want to focus on using inorganic mulches and pebbles and stones, and they really keep the soil moist underneath. And when it is moist and cooler, you’re helping the critters in the soil and by allowing them to move around more, you’re creating air pockets and places that water can get in.
What is your favourite native and why?
AB: You realise that is just the meanest question anybody has ever asked … much worse (than asking a parent to choose a favourite child).
Let’s go for the genus Banksia. Banksias are such a diverse genus. They grow everywhere, they are absolutely unique and iconic, and they provide nectar and seed and a safe habitat for so many different critters.
AS: My favourite is called Anigozanthos Bush Pearl which is a beautiful pink, small kangaroo paw that flowers all year round. People can grow it in the city in a pot, or they can grow it in a more extensive garden and have this beautiful pink kangaroo paw flowering all year, attracting birds.
For those considering making changes to their gardens, what advice would you give them to try to persuade them to consider more native plants in their backyard or garden?
AB: Get to know your local indigenous plants. A lot of councils have lists of indigenous plants, and it is such a fun journey.
AS: Really think about what you want from your garden. Do you want to make it more wildlife friendly, do you want to bring in more birds, reptiles, insect pollinators, and use the book to research what species and cultivars. My real hope is people are celebrating that sense of place.
● The Waterwise Australian Native Garden is available now
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