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Gardens for Wildlife

Creating a wonderful place for local wildlife in your garden 🌱

Gardens for Wildlife is a free program designed to inspire and encourage Bayside residents, community groups, schools and businesses to create habitat in their gardens and open spaces, nature strips, patios or balconies to support local native wildlife. 

As our urban environment continues to grow, so do the pressures on many of our fragile native fauna species when seeking out suitable habitat, shelter and natural food sources. 

Whether your backyard is large or small, there are plenty of ways you can help our local wildlife, many of which require no money at all. 

Bayside Gardens for Wildlife icon featuring a Superb Fairy Wren

Information sessions and workshops

Subscribe to the Gardens for Wildlife monthly eNewsletter to keep up to date with information sessions and workshops throughout the year. 

Subscribe to Gardens for Wildlife eNewsletter

Habitat Gardening advice

Visit our recently established Gardens for Wildlife display garden at and connecting nature strip adjacent to Bayside Community Nursery for ideas on habitat gardening. 

Visit Bayside Community Nursery on the first Saturday of every month from 10am to 12pm, during opening season (April to October). Our volunteer garden guides can provide information and advice on establishing or improving your wildlife habitat garden. 

To assist our volunteers please provide at least one of the following:

  • Photos of the area you wish to establish or improve for wildlife habitat 
  • A sketch of your garden or garden area, including as much detail as possible eg. paths, trees 
  • Nearmaps or Google maps screen capture of your property

Become a Gardens for Wildlife volunteer

New volunteers are always welcome. 

Volunteering is a great way to learn more about the plants and animals of Bayside, assist with their promotion and support and connect with like-minded people within the community.

You can also help protect Bayside’s biodiversity by getting involved in a Friends of Bayside Group.

Sign up to volunteer

Other resources

Live Bayside - Plant Bayside is an invaluable booklet to assist planning your wildlife habitat garden. Printed copies are available from Bayside Community Nursery. 

Banksia Bulletin is a quarterly magazine packed with interesting articles and information on environmental projects, activities and events within Bayside and beyond.

Biodiversity Action Plan provides further information about biodiversity in Bayside.

Habitat Linkage Plan provides information on Council’s creation of green corridors for local wildlife access across Bayside

Indigenous Species List is a complete list of all the indigenous species of Bayside’s original vegetation communities.

Nature strip planting guidelines and the recommended plant list for nature strips to support habitat planting.

Nominate a tree for the Significant tree register to help protect large and significant trees across Bayside.

Visit our Wildlife-friendly garden page for simple elements to include in a wildlife-friendly garden.


Gardens for Wildlife is a joint initiative between the community, Council and Bayside Community Nursery.

We acknowledge the assistance of Gardens for Wildlife Victoria and founding program Knox Gardens for Wildlife. You can connect, share and learn with other wildlife habitat gardeners on the Gardens for Wildlife Victoria Community Facebook group.

Image: Juvenile Eastern Spinebill by Pauline Reynolds