Plant Natives

Last Updated : 13 Apr 2023
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Our native birds and lizards love gardens where they can easily find food and water and places to hide. Native plants provide them with the best sources of food and shelter. The more backyards have native plants, the easier it is for native birds to thrive and move around the neighbourhood.

Planting natives

If you're looking for the perfect natives for your backyard, Auckland Botanic Gardens website has an excellent tool called ‘Plants for Auckland’ which helps you find a native plant to suit specific needs and preferences like, size, plant use, flower colour, and even scent.

Handy tips

  • Autumn is a good time to plan ahead and choose what to plant
  • Winter is the best time to plant natives as there is time for the seedlings to get enough rain and establish before spring
  • Planting a variety of native trees and shrubs helps ensure there is plenty of food all year round
  • The handy tables on this page tell you what birds eat, which plants supply this food and when - so you can help with a year-round buffet in your backyard
  • Eco-sourcing plants is the best way to make sure you are planting seedlings that will survive and thrive in the Auckland environment. Find out how here
  • Use these tips to help chose a site and plant your tree.

Safety in numbers

When groups of neighbours have native trees and shrubs planted along their boundaries, they start to form corridors that help our native birds move all over Auckland. 

If you don’t know where to start or want to get active, you can also look here to see if there’s a community planting day coming up near you.

Find out more on how to attract birds to your garden and create backyard biodiversity here.

How you can help

Find out more

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