Converting front lawn to wild life garden

[PN]

Hi @EricL and @MitchellMc Hope you are keeping well. I am after some ideas and suggestions. Looking to transform the front lawn to a wild life garden. Wondering on ideas of how to start and how to go about it. I have enclosed photos of the left and right sections of the front lawn.

All suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Partha

Left section of front lawnRight section of front lawn

[BradN]

Hi @PN, 

Nice work getting a bird bath! The insects will love it too. The native bees and around my place seem to use mine as much as the birds do. Many insects don't just drink water; they also need it to make mud for their nests.

Cheers,

Brad 

[sideshowmatt]

Hi @PN ,

Looking great so far. Just thought I'd give you a couple of tips from my experience with a similar type of garden at my old house.

I was in a different situation as we built the house so started with a blank canvas.

This was about 9 years in. I mostly kept to natives, but sometimes I'd just see something in the nursery that I had to have.

I would advise using weed mat under the mulch. It doesn't completely wipe out weeds, but even if you don't notice them for a few weeks, because they are just growing in the mulch above the weed mat it is easy to remove them by hand and get all the roots. Saves needing to use chemicals to get rid of them.

Before the mulch is also a good time to lay any irrigation lines you will be using. You will see in the photo, the mulch needs a top up every year or so. This was just before I did mine. Not only does it break down but in the direct sun it fades after a while.

We also had a water tank under the front yard that would sometimes ( whenever we got those huge summer storms ) overflow and wash the mulch into the yard next door. I got some bush rock and pebbles and made a creek bed to at least control most of the water. It only had water in it a couple of times a year, but it really looked great when dry as well. I am thinking of making one here.

A small drawback you may have to get used to is raking the mulch back into the garden off your driveway and footpath where some of the birds throw it while hunting for worms etc. But that's a small price to pay to have a unique front yard. And it's balanced out by not having to mow all that grass anymore.

Looking forward to see how it turns out.

Matt.

[PN]

Hi sideshowmatt Matt wow this looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing the tips. I am going to definitely get the weeding mats. The creek bed looks amazing. I am a total novice on this so your tips are so helpful and also the photos are so good to see what it can end up looking like. Thanks Matt. 

[PN]

Hi @BradN Brad thank you so much for sharing that. I had no idea that insects build mud nests with the water. That is great to know. Anything especially to help the bees. Cheers

Partha

[BradN]

The smallest critters are the easiest ones to overlook!

You can also get these bee and insect houses in a range of sizes. The insects lay their eggs in the holes and seal them up with mud and stuff. I used to work at a garden centre where flying insects would nest in our display models!

[pstq]

We've use weed mat under the mulch too. It's a good idea to kill off the weeks that do come through, because the bigger they get, the bigger the hole they make in the weed mat, which makes it easier for more weeds to grow there. I've heard of people putting two layers of it.

[PN]

The front lawn makeover has hit a bump - big branch from pear tree has toppled overnight - collateral damage - gravelliea. The Japenese Maple was lucky to escape. 

Planting has progressed, prickly moses, some more ground cover. 

Waiting to see when the cavalry arrives to clear the tree cannot even get through on phone line disconnected for SES.

[BradN]

Yikes! What a pain. I'm glad nobody was hurt. That poor Grevillea, though...

[MitchellMc]

I'm sorry to hear that, @PN. That must be a disappointment, but the main thing is everyone is safe. The plants can be replaced.

Mitchell

[PN]

Thanks @MitchellMc Mitchell. Indeed and very true. The broken branches has been cleared thanks to Airtasker. And now the rebuild starts. Collateral damage not too bad one Gravelliea. Hoping the peer tree which lost the big branch survives. Thanks Partha.