Australian Plants for Revegetation, Forestry & Landscaping

Our Alphabetical Plant List has recent images of our current stock. The Plant Type List is a list of the plants we produce which is sorted into different size ranges to help with plant selection.

Success in any venture requires adequate planning. These are some of the issues you need to consider to ensure the best outcomes & better establishment of seedlings.

What are you trying to achieve?

Your needs will influence the species that are most appropriate.

In farming situations you may want to achieve a few things:

• providing shelter for stock, buildings & pastures.
• creating habitat for native birds, animals & insects especially those which prey on pests
• establishing agro-forestry blocks for sawlogs, posts or firewood or perhaps emergency stock forage.

In urban situations you may be interested in aesthetic and amenity issues. Many people are also interested in attracting native wildlife to enhance their patch of serenity.

On revegetation sites on public land you may want to address habitat decline and loss of bio-diversity.

Timing of Operations

Consider the operations to be undertaken. When will you have the time to do these tasks?

• Fencing - it is certainly necessary to exclude livestock from young trees to prevent browse damage. Tree guards can be used to prevent damage from feral livestock such as rabbits and hares.
• Weed control - perhaps the most important issue to be addressed as weeds growth competes with moisture and nutrients crucial to seedling survival.
• Ordering seedlings - often not considered until just prior to planting time. At least six months notice is needed by nurseries to ensure your project is able to be supplied with the right quantity and most appropriate species mix for your site conditions.
• Planting the seedlings - it is best to time your planting activities when there is sufficient soil moisture to allow the seedlings time to establish prior to the next dry period.
• Establishment after care - weeds & pests need to be monitored to avoid losses from competition or browsing.

Species Selection

Issues to consider are:

• mature height & spread
• tolerance to drought
• tolerance to waterlogging
• tolerance to wind exposure
• tolerance to salt (coastal wind & ground water)

Ordering Seedlings

If you are to expend time and energy preparing the site, you should also consider the need to order seedlings at least six months in advance. This ensures you will have the appropriate species available, and that they will be grown to a stage ready to plant when the time arrives. Don't get caught short or you may have to settle for second best choice, or worse still have none available at all. Demand for indigenous seedlings is not always easy to fulfill.

Managing Seedling Transport

What facilities do you have to care for the seedlings after dispatch from the nursery?
If you are to pick up your seedlings from the nursery you will need to consider a covered vehicle to protect the seedlings during transport.
If you are going to hold the seedlings for a period until you plant them, you will need a place to store them with access to water. Seedlings grown in side-slit cell trays dry out very quickly especially in windy conditions. Your storage area will need to have raised benches to hold the stock. This will stop roots growing from the base of the cells as this will increase the difficulty in removing the seedlings from the trays.

Recording of Banjo Frogs kindly provided by Murray Littlejohn.