GARDENS FOR WILDLIFE BALLARAT

Gardens for Wildlife Ballarat is a free, community-based

gardening program that provides advice and ideas to those interested in making more

wildlife friendly spaces in urban gardens.

Whether you have a big backyard, a tiny courtyard, a community garden, a school veggie patch, or pot plants on your balcony, everyone can help contribute to the survival of wildlife by providing suitable places (habitat) for birds, insects, frogs, lizards and other animals.

By participating in the program and becoming engaged in wildlife gardening, you too are a volunteer helping our community to foster local nature. Private landholders can play a critical role in creating a healthy and thriving environment in urban and peri-urban areas.

Attract more birds (New Holland Honeyeater)

Plant food and shelter for native bees (Showy Podolepis)

Add a bat box or other nest box if there is a lack of local hollows

Provide water, add a rock in a water bowl for safety of small birds

Connecting to nature in our gardens is also good for our health!

By creating a garden that is wildlife-friendly we can:

Help conserve local plants and animals by planting more habitat
Have time to enjoy our gardens by being less tidy, reducing maintenance time and costs
Reduce water use and evaporation through mulching and use of local native plant species which are better able to tolerate drought conditions
Have native birds and insects in our gardens providing natural pest control and promoting increased pollination for better fruit/seed set
Enjoy close encounters with native animals in our gardens and encourage children to appreciate nature up close

Check out the rest of our site to find out how to begin your journey along the wildlife garden path.

We provide lots of links and tips to encourage you to provide more habitat in your garden.