People of ReWild – Hannah

When and why did you start to ReWild your garden?

I have enjoyed gardening with native plants for a number of years, but only in the last couple has my “why” been honed. ReWild Perth and other internet resources have led me to add more focus on local native plants, as well as adding habitat structures to support wildlife. This gives even more purpose and drive to my time in the garden.

What do you love most about your ReWild garden?

I love how my garden is always there for me, always evolving, always providing me chances for new and interesting projects. I can spend back-to-back days out in the garden and still feel a sense of sadness in the late afternoon, when the day is coming to an end, and I begrudgingly have to accept it’s time to head inside.

I also love how rewilding creates a sense of focus on the small details of the garden: the arrival of a new garden guest, presence of certain insects, the impact of different seasonal variations. These all create little moments of mindfulness when out in the garden.

What has been the main challenge in establishing a ReWild garden?

Trying to stay focused on one project at a time, rather than trying to do all areas and spaces at once! We have a relatively large space, so the sheer size of the area under our care can at times be overwhelming.

Our back yard in particular was a blank canvas – completely overrun by weeds. Trying to manage these weeds throughout winter is a big task (lots of hand pulling!), so I am working on filling the spaces and improving the soil to progressively reduce this issue.

Tell us about your garden’s guests – what wildlife have you seen in your garden, including any new species since you started?

We have a visiting brushtail possum and lots of sweet quendas, who leave wonderful trails of divots all around the yard. Occasionally when weeding we have come across a bobtail lizard – who let us know in no uncertain terms what he thought of us pulling out his cover!

We love when the black cockatoos come to feed in the marri trees out the front, and leave an almighty mess on the ground below. It’s so thrilling when we see them ducking in for a drink in the bird baths.

Since installing our frog pond last year, we have had two types of frogs visit our garden – motorbike frogs and banjo frogs. The arrival of the motorbikes for the first time this spring brought great excitement to our household!

What are your top tips for someone starting a ReWild garden?

Prepare to get addicted!! It’s a wonderful feeling to see your garden supporting wildlife guests, so once you start you won’t stop!

My other top tips would be to make spaces where you can sit and enjoy your newly established features, and to check out what your local government offers for verge trees, and free or subsidised plants, as this can help plant out a whole area for minimal cost.

Visit the ReWild Perth website to discover resources to create your own wildlife habitat haven.

Interested in featuring in People of ReWild? Log in to your free ReWild Perth account and visit this page.