Bay OK Open Native Gardens

Step inside four inspiring native gardens in Busselton and discover practical ideas for creating beautiful, resilient and wildlife-friendly gardens at home. Hear directly from gardeners as they share their experiences, challenges and successes growing native plants. 10-minute talks by the garden host hourly from 10:30am. Information stalls from local community groups and agencies will be present at some of the gardens. Location: Open Garden locations supplied to ticket holders via email the week prior. Garden 1: A Masterclass in Small-Space Native Gardening Discover how a compact suburban block can be transformed into a thriving, wildlife-friendly oasis where every square metre has been thoughtfully designed and beautifully utilised. Packed with Australian native plants, habitat features, productive spaces, and clever design solutions, it showcases small-block landscaping at its finest. From native shrubs and groundcovers to a productive vegetable garden and even a small lawn area, every element has been carefully considered to maximise beauty, biodiversity, and functionality. The garden sits alongside a magnificent grove of mature WA Peppermint trees and the nearby New River wetland, creating a seamless extension of these important natural areas into the urban environment. This connection attracts a variety of birdlife and other local wildlife, making the garden feel much larger than its footprint suggests. Gardeners looking for practical ideas for sandy soils will find plenty of inspiration here. Throughout the garden, coarse chunky mulch plays a key role in maintaining healthy plants and improving soil conditions. Both the front and back gardens will be open for visitors to explore. Whether you're interested in native plants, wildlife-friendly gardening, productive small spaces, or clever design ideas for challenging soils, this garden offers inspiration at every turn. Accessibility: The entire garden is wheelchair accessible. Parking & Facilities: There is limited verge parking available. No toilet facilities. Toilet facilities can be found at the Par 3 on Fairway Drive. Garden 2: Discover a Stunning Waterwise Garden Designed for People and Wildlife This garden offers plenty of practical inspiration for anyone looking to garden successfully on sandy soils while reducing water use and increasing biodiversity. A standout feature is the impressive nature verge, created in 2023 to replace what was once an expanse of unutilised lawn. Now a striking waterwise landscape, the verge seamlessly complements the predominantly native home garden and creates an inviting streetscape that benefits both the community and local wildlife. This flourishing habitat extends the nearby natural environment into the urban landscape, creating an important wildlife corridor. Visitors may spot local birdlife, reptiles, and even the occasional kangaroo making use of the garden's welcoming habitat features. As a Bay OK Garden, the property is managed according to environmentally responsible gardening principles, demonstrating how beautiful gardens can conserve water, improve soil health, and support local biodiversity while remaining attractive and practical. Whether you're interested in transforming a lawn into a waterwise landscape, gardening on difficult sandy soils, incorporating Australian native plants, or creating habitat for wildlife, this garden offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration. Accessibility: Only part of this garden is wheelchair accessible. Parking & Facilities: Verge parking is available on the west side of New River Ramble. Toilet facilities can be found at the Par 3 on Fairway Drive. Garden 3: A Plenty-Full Garden From a 5000m2 bare old cow paddock to a flourishing family garden, this unique garden is a wonderful example of what patience, creativity, and a love of growing can achieve. Over the past 18 years, this welcoming garden has been shaped largely from gifted plants, salvaged treasures, and home-grown propagation. A highlight of the garden is the recently transformed front yard. Replacing a struggling lawn, a thoughtfully designed native garden was created, showcasing waterwise plants from Western Australia's South West and across Australia. Beyond the front garden lies a productive and inspiring backyard packed with ideas for sustainable living. Wander through a generous vegetable patch, visit the composting area and chook pen, discover more than two dozen fruit trees, and enjoy the sights and sounds of bird baths, a frog pond, and a dedicated wildlife habitat. What makes this garden truly special is its relaxed, eclectic style. Every corner tells a story of a plant shared by a friend, a rescued garden treasure, or a creative solution using reclaimed materials. The result is a garden rich in personality, biodiversity, and seasonal interest, where local birds and wildlife thrive alongside productive food gardens. Accessibility: The entire garden is wheelchair accessible. Parking & Facilities: There is plenty of on-site parking available. No toilet facilities. Closest toilets are at Geographe Community Landcare Nursery on Queen Elizabeth Avenue. Garden 4: Discover a Thriving Wildlife-Friendly Coastal Garden Step into a stunning urban oasis, where a lifelong passion for gardening has transformed more than 1,000m² of coastal land into a lush, vibrant sanctuary for both people and wildlife. Nestled beneath magnificent mature WA Peppermint trees, this inspiring garden combines sweeping lawns, generous garden beds, and an ever-growing collection of Australian native plants, complemented by a selection of the gardener’s favourite exotic species. Visitors can discover a wide variety of habitat features designed to support local wildlife, including possum boxes, bird boxes, bat boxes, bee hotels, bird baths, and water stations. Keep an eye out for western ringtail possums, bobtail skinks, and the many bird species that regularly visit this welcoming habitat. One of the garden's most impressive achievements is its successful understorey planting beneath the mature WA Peppermint trees. Many gardeners struggle to establish plants under large trees, but with careful selection and nurturing, native species have thrived in the dappled shade. Managed according to Bay OK gardening principles, it showcases practical techniques that improve soil health, conserve water, and support biodiversity. Through the use of coarse mulch, soil-improving clays, wetting agents, native plants, slow-release fertilisers, and composted manures, the garden remains green, healthy, and resilient despite challenging coastal conditions. Accessibility: The entire garden is wheelchair accessible. Parking & Facilities: Limited verge parking is available nearby. Additional public parking and toilet facilities can be found at the Dolphin Road Boat Ramp, just a 2-minute walk from the garden.

Gain expert tips on selecting, establishing and maintaining native plants suited to the South West. Presented by horticulturalist Rod Cary of Geographe Community Landcare Nursery. Location: Geographe Community Landcare Nursery

Learn how to design a garden that provides food, shelter and nesting opportunities for local wildlife. Presented by field ecologist and naturalist Clint Conner (The Forest’s Familiar) Location: Geographe Community Landcare Nursery

Discover the unique flora and ecology of Ambergate Reserve on a guided walk through this important natural area. This is a unique opportunity to learn more about the conservation values, threats and management of this stunning and very significant 75 hectare reserve. The walk will be guided by Cheryl Hammence from the Friends of Ambergate Reserve. Numbers strictly limited. Registration essential. (All proceeds from ticket sales from this walk go to the Friends of Ambergate Reserve) Location: Corner of Queen Elizabeth Ave and Doyle Rd, Ambergate Please note that this event occurs at the same time as the Workshop - Habitat Gardens. This walk uses the narrow gravel bushland trails through the reserve with uneven ground in places and requires a good level of mobility.

GCLN inc. is a not-for-profit volunteer-based nursery specialising in local, native plants from the South-West of Western Australia. The Nursery will be open for sales with nursery tours available, Get expert advice on selecting, growing and caring for native plants suited to local conditions and have all your questions answered by expert horticulturalist, Rod Cary.

Open Garden: Explore An Established 2-Hectare Native Garden Wander through a remarkable two-hectare native garden which has been transformed from a bare, brown paddock into a sweeping landscape of interconnected garden beds, creating a living mosaic of colour, texture, and wildlife habitat. For visitors looking for ideas to reduce large lawn areas at home, this garden offers plenty of inspiration. The flowing bed shapes demonstrate how large areas of turf can be transformed into attractive, low-maintenance landscapes that are both beautiful and environmentally beneficial. The garden has become a haven for local wildlife. Resident kangaroos are often seen moving through the property in the early evening, while brushtail possums and skinks find refuge among the dense plantings. Black cockatoos are frequent visitors, their distinctive calls now a regular feature of this once-quiet paddock. This is a garden that encourages you to think bigger. Whether you are interested in restoring habitat, converting lawn to native plantings, gardening on difficult soils, or creating a landscape filled with personality and wildlife, this garden is sure to leave you inspired. 10-minute talks by the Open garden host at 10:30am and 11:30am. Information stalls from local community groups and agencies will be present at the open garden. Location: Open Garden locations supplied to ticket holders via email the week prior. Accessibility: The entire garden is set across a gentle slope. Visitors will be walking on gravel and grass, and wheelchair accessibility will be difficult. Parking & Facilities: Verge parking is available on Endicott Loop. Additional parking accessed from Cape Naturaliste drive. No toilet facilities available. Nearest will be in Dunsborough town centre. FireWise Demonstration Garden Talk: Is Your Garden Bushfire Ready? As our climate becomes hotter and drier, creating a beautiful garden that can also help reduce bushfire risk has never been more important. This informative display garden shows how practical landscaping choices can make your home and garden more resilient while remaining attractive, waterwise, and wildlife-friendly. This garden showcases practical, easy-to-implement solutions that can be applied to suburban, rural, and semi-rural properties. As you explore the garden, you'll find interpretive signage demonstrating the key principles of FireWise garden design. This is an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge and ask questions about managing vegetation in bushfire-prone areas. FireWise garden talks: 10:30am and 11:30am with GeoCatch's Lisa Massey. Location: Dunsborough Fire Station, 1 Marri Drive, Dunsborough Accessibility: The entire garden is wheelchair accessible. Parking & Facilities: Parking is available behind the fire station as indicated. Do not park in front of the Fire Shed. No toilet facilities available. Nearest will be in Dunsborough town centre.

Join a guided walk and discover the rich diversity of native plant species found in Dunsborough's local reserves. Location to be confirmed.

Healthy soil builds a healthy garden and this workshop will show you how! Learn the secrets of healthy soil that supports thriving plants and productive gardens. Presented by soil biologist Mark Tupman (Productive Ecology) Location: Soils Dunsborough

Discover practical ways to create a garden that attracts and supports birds, pollinators and other native wildlife. Presented by consulting ecologists Mike and Mandy Bamford (Bamford Consulting Ecologists) Location: Soils Dunsborough