Flora for Fauna

Bulleen Art & Garden - National winners of the flora for fauna award at the 2003 garden centre of the year awards

Bulleen Art & Garden has enthusiastically adopted and extended the Flora for Fauna program as something which complemented and fitted in well with its other environmental policies and practices. Flora for Fauna is an initiative of the Nursery & Garden Industry and is supported by the Federal Government through its Natural Heritage Trust. We are keen to spread the message that Flora for Fauna gardens can be a joy to the people who create them as well as a life-saver to the fauna that find sanctuary there.

Bulleen Art & Garden has made the Flora For Fauna message an integral part of many areas of the Garden Centre, rather than a simple merchandising exercise.

Sharing your garden with wildlife will add to the beauty and health of your garden. Birds, butterflies and frogs bring colour and interest to the landscape, as well as consuming many insect pests.

You’ll find all the components you need for a wildlife garden in Bulleen Art & Garden’s Award-winning Flora for Fauna displays.

Plants that provide food and shelter for birds, butterflies can be found near the indigenous plant section and plants for frogs are displayed in the water garden section. Look out for plants labelled as ‘Star Performers.’ Selections of these plants, in combination with other habitat elements, are guaranteed to attract wildlife. These other elements, including water bowls, nest boxes, mulches and soils, as well as wildlife gardening books and indigenous plant lists, are all available in the nursery or from our sand and soil yard.

Bulleen Art & Garden Spreads the Flora For Fauna Message.

Bulleen Art & Garden is itself can be regarded as an interactive demonstration garden where customers can find a thriving frog population, enormous stick insects, butterflies, yabbies, blue tongue lizards, possums and a huge variety of birds that visit, feed, bath, drink and nest in the centre (without artificial nectar or seed dispensers). The occasion snake may pass through as well!!

Displays include:

• Indigeous plants. An entertaining and creative display of information and a wide range of fauna friendly plants. The message is reinforced by the view of river flats which can be enjoyed while browsing through the information.

• Water Gardens. Which attract frogs, a sensitive environmental indicator.

• Native Grasses in lawn care section. This is an innovate addition to the Flora For fauna message.

• Nest Boxes and Bird Baths are featured throughout the Centre.

• The Flora For Fauna Message is also spread via our plant range.

• Considerations in purchasing, merchandising, information etc

• Bulleen Art & Garden Bookshop.

• Co-operation with local councils to promote Indigenous Gardens.

• Community Fete Trailer.

Complementary Initiatives

Bulleen Art & Garden has a number of related long term projects with very similar aims.

• Sustainable Gardening Australia. Bulleen Art & Garden has been one of the driving forces and founder of SGA which ultimately aims at garden practices becoming more environmentally sustainable so that all creatures have healthy habitats. www.SGAonline.org.au

• Bolin Bolin Cultural Landscape Precinct. Bulleen Art & Garden has recognised its unique location on the banks of the Yarra. Bulleen Art & Garden initiated the formation of a steering committee to promote and protect environmental, aboriginal and artistic aspects of this area.

• Indigenous Gardens in the Park have been created by Bulleen Art & garden over the last eight.

This work has been made possible by a team of passionate and knowledgeable staff who have embraced the Flora for Fauna scheme and spread the theme throughout the garden centre.

If you have any queries, please contact: Malcolm McVeigh, our Nursery Manager.