A Native Botanic Garden
Ours is a Native Botanic Garden
The focus is on Australian native plants, not only those endemic to the Shoalhaven area, but also many species from much further afield. Initially (from about 2006 onward) these were all from Australia's east coast, ranging from far north Queensland down to Tasmania. This involved experimentation to see what would survive in the conditions here at Shoalhaven Heads and some pleasantly surprising results were produced. Then in 2016 we expanded the range to also include plants from Western Australia, again with trial and error, finding that some (but not all) do well here.
By 2020, with may new plants plants becoming well established, Shoalhaven Heads Native Botanic Garden had filled out substantially. Because of the small size of our site (about 1 hectare or 2.5 acres) it had become evident that we are very constrained by space and need to be increasingly selective about what we plant. This is leading to an increased emphasis on endangered, rare & unusual Australian natives and bush tucker plants.