Australia being the driest continent on Earth, maintaining a healthy, bright and lively garden of introduced varieties can be water and time consuming.

Here are a handful of things to know about starting a first native plant garden that’s both sustainable and low maintenance.

Typically, Spring and Autume are the best time to start a garden. The temperatures are cooler and rain is more likely, helping plants settle in with less stress.

In addition, soil temperatures usually remain warm for a while, which also helps plants get established and develop a strong root system that ensures that the plant thrives.

1. Native plants are less maintenance when they’re in the right place

You’ll hear a lot about natives being easy to take care of, but you sometimes won’t hear about matching the plants to the right soil, light and drainage conditions.

You wouldn’t put a water-loving plant on a hillside that has sandy soil, would you? Knowing the site for your proposed garden is key — everything from where the light is spring to fall, to how rainwater flows or collects, to doing a soil test on your growing medium.

Then you need to research plants. Make sure to use Latin names since many plants share common names. What do respected institutions say about where and how the plant grows? Is it competitive or a behaved clumper? How does it spread?

2. Site prep can be handled in various ways

If you’re matching plants to soil and drainage, you shouldn’t have to amend that soil, adding expense or labour.

When converting a section of the lawn into a native plant garden, a sod cutter can be used to remove grass once you’ve mapped out the edges of your garden border with a garden hose, rope or spray paint.

If you have an established garden area and want to add native plants, there’s even less prep work to do, unless you want to remove some tired, old plants or pebbled landscape.

3. Try to have blooms all season long

You’re more likely to help pollinators and other insects if you always have flowers blooming — plus it looks good. Large parts of the Australia share the same native plants, but you’ll need to be careful when researching bloom times.

Local landscape designers and garden nurseries can help determine best local pollinators and bloomers.

4. Pollinators need more than just flowers

Without foliage to eat, many youngsters and future butterflies, moths, flies and beetles would starve. The same can be said about pollen, which a lot of native bee species use to feed their young.

Additionally, try to use straight species where you can. These are native plants that have not been crossed or bred with others to produce new leaf colours or new flower colours and shapes.

When plants are altered, the chemical makeup of their leaves may change and be unable to support as many caterpillars.

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This article via Benjamin Vogt does not constitute advice; readers should seek independent and personalised counsel from an appropriate trusted adviser that specialises in property, a tax accountant and property or interior design specialist.