Using Natives in Permaculture Design

The following is a brief outline of the benefits of using a variety of Australian native plants in permaculture design, something which I believe has been lacking a bit in many of the permaculture publications I have read.

There still remains some fear of the rampancy of many of the very productive pioneer species which were used during permaculture’s early days (inga edulis, tipuana tipu, leuceana). If you look around however, it is still the local acacias which proliferate as the predominant pioneers in the reclamation of grasslands, if left to natural succession. If you live in the cooler regions of Australia, these acacias will coppice quite readily, and are a wonderful support species to use. A good idea, which I learnt from my friend Rick, is to source acacias which have a lower rainfall requirement than site you are on. That way, they will not compete as much with your productive species which they are supporting, whether they be fruit or timber trees depending on the context. If you are situated lower down in a valley, you can use indigenous varieties, but those sourced from up on the ridges where it is drier. Otherwise, you will need to source them from a drier region, for example the Flinders Ranges wattle requires only 300mm rainfall per year. There are also many other wonderful native nitrogen fixers, such as the climbing Hardenbergia violacea, of which there is also a shrub variety, and Kennedia, the running postman ground cover just to name a couple.

In many cases, I have observed prickly, dense, Australian native shrubs as basically the equivalent of government commission flats, as far as density of insectivorous bird habitat goes. The only thing is, instead of being an eyesore, they are beautiful, green and have lovely flowers which the bees also enjoy. I believe that they are a very valuable addition to many permaculture systems. If these dense prickly shrubs, including some Grevillea (rosmarinafolia, and junipera are especially good), Hakea, Acacia, Leptospermum and Melaleuca varieties, are given an occasional tip prune as they grow, they will end up much denser. This ensures even better protection for the smaller birds, prohibiting the entry of larger predators, and hence they will be more likely to make a new home in your garden. These small Australian birds are often some of the most colourful, the Blue Wren being my favourite, and are amazing to watch as they dart in and out of my vegie garden, expertly picking off any extra pests flying around and dropping fertile little parcels on their way. To ensure these helpers make their home in your garden, the only other thing they ask for is a relatively protected pond nearby. This is great to have near your garden anyway, for the added benefit of frog habitat, who will also happily eat pests in your garden. You may as well surround the pond with rocks too while you’re at it, to provide homes for the lizards as well. In these cases, an increase in diversity in my observation, is a real positive and not just fantasy.

The larger nectar feeding native birds are generally not as good at eating pests, but can still be a welcome inclusion to the garden, purely for the manures they import. They are attracted to the garden by slightly larger and more open native shrubs with prolific flowers, such as some of the Banksias, Callistemon, Hakea and Grevillea varieties to name a few. A range of these dotted around can also ensure almost a year round availability of feed for the bees. By the way, Banksia integrifolia cones are excellent for using in a smoker.

One of the reasons some people do not wish to plant many of these native shrubs is because it is the foreign minor birds which often move in, scaring off the natives. However, these migrants, which we as migrants introduced, perform the same function as the aboriginal nectar feeders. If your hatred for them is still too strong though and you can’t stand it, an air rifle pellet costs about 5 cents, and they would be a welcome addition to the compost heap. If you don’t want to kill them, don’t worry, the feral cats and foxes will probably get quite a few of them anyway, leaving valuable droppings on their way out. 

Native Reeds such as Scirpus and Juncus around your dam are also a wonderful way of importing nutrients and a possible food source, as they are a favourite food of native wood ducks.

Those dead looking, clumping Poa grass varieties, which suddenly became very popular in roadside plantings about five years ago, can also be a good addition to a system as a filler, as they are a favourite food of native finches.

Kangaroo Paw is another beautiful plant which you and the birds will enjoy.

There are also some good natives to assist with pest management such as the Prostanthera or native mint, its strong scent making it a great masking plant.

As a groundcover, either above unsightly banks, or even as a living mulch under fruit trees, I believe that the Myoporum parvifolium is definately worth considering. Extending from a central root source, it does not sucker as it creates a thick carpet above the soil. It has beautiful little white flowers, lasts for a number of years, and it's vigour on roadside plantings is testament to its hardiness. Dampiera is  also a good option in this role.

Lomandra longifolia is another one worth considering. It is used quite effectively as a perennial kikuyu grass barrier at the Permaforest. Dianella can fill a similar niche, and the berries on some of them aren't too bad.

Next time you are bushwalking along the Tasmanian coastline, close to the cliff edge, being battered by a strong South-Easterly wind, howling straight from the Tasman Sea, you will be very appreciative of the windbreak capabilities of the Casuarina. Even five metres from the edge, all that is felt is felt is a breeze, as her needles whistle away. Some hakea varieties also have this needle like foliage, performing the same windbreak function, but their prolific flowers also provide feed and are an appreciated habitat of many native birds. The Casuarinas of course, also have the added benefit of fixing nitrogen and phosphorus, they are prolific mulch droppers, they burn nice and hot when young, provide emergency stock fodder, timber and many will grow unassisted out of pasture grass.

This has been just a few of the true benefits which I believe are offered by including some natives in design. I have not written about Australian native plants’ role as edible inclusions in the landscape, because in this capacity I actually think that they are somewhat overrated. If we had consulted the Aborigines and begun to cultivate the native fruits and nuts of Australia when we arrived over 200 years ago, then that would be a different story I am sure, but at this stage, I have been impressed by only a small number of Australian Bush Foods. Of course there are notable exceptions like the Macadamia, Bunya Nut, Water Chestnut (thanks to the Chinese) and a few of the fruits, but at this point in time, the cultivation of bushfoods still seem to me like a bit of a novelty, and quite romantic (some of the spices are pretty good though, and have potential). As someone I respect once pointed out, you don’t see many Bush Foods restaurants situated near the local Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Greek, Italian, American and Afghani restaurants do you? If it is your passion, however, I would encourage you to follow your heart and experiment with bushfoods. But if you are going to do so, be pragmatic, and plant a number of nice varieties from different locations and select carefully, to allow the domestication of these still quite wild foods, with a service to future generations in mind.

Although being brief, and obviously missing many other possibilities, I hope you got a bit form this. All the best, Cam