NSW

Field notes for rewilders

Plant what belongs here.

Type your address. See the native vegetation mapped at your spot, pick the plants that belong there, then find growers who can supply them.

Or try a postcode

  1. 1Type your addressWe find the bushland mapped at your spot. Your address is never saved.
  2. 2Pick local plantsHelp restore biodiversity.
  3. 3Connect with a nurseryTake your plant list to them.

Why bother?

NSW is losing native bush every day.

NSW cleared about 90 hectares of native bush every day in 2023. Habitat loss is the main reason half of the state's listed threatened species could be gone within a century. The good news is we can start to move the dial on our own patch.SourcesNSW clearing reportNSW species report coverageTree canopy studySydney heat studyWoodland bird studyGarden escapes report

Make your mark

We all have the opportunity to leave our land better than we found it. Whether you have a backyard, a council strip or acres of farmland, we can all put down new roots and restore ecosystems for both plants and animals.

Birds love it too
Research shows that planting native bush helps local woodland birds recover.SourceBennett and colleagues, Journal of Applied Ecology, 2022

Keep the cool

Trees are one of our best ways to keep suburbs cool through heatwaves, but Greater Sydney's canopy grew just 4.2% between 2016 and 2022.

478 scorchers
Greater Sydney had 478 days over 35°C between 2000 and 2020, compared to 351 in the 120 years before that.SourceWestern Sydney University, Weather and Climate Extremes, 2025

Why native?

Two in three of Australia's wild weeds started life as somebody's nice garden plant. A native plant already belongs to your patch and supports the local wildlife.

Can't find plants grown from seed from your exact suburb? Don't let that stop you. A local nursery will still have recommendations for what will thrive in your local area and support local wildlife.

Tips for planting

A few minutes of care at planting pays off. In one Queensland rainforest trial, soaking the roots and planting carefully lifted survival after four months from 81% to over 91%.SourcesQueensland planting trialNSW Government planting guideSA Government seedling fact sheetHornsby CouncilEvergreen Growers

  1. Soak the potStand it in a bucket of water until the bubbles stop.
  2. Dig a wide holeAbout twice as wide as the pot, and just deeper than the root ball.
  3. Loosen the rootsSlide the plant out gently. If the roots are coiled, tease them out with your fingers.
  4. Plant it levelTop of the root ball level with the soil. Press the soil down, don't kick it, then give it a bucket of water.
  5. Mulch and keep it wetSpread 5 to 7 cm of mulch, a few centimetres clear of the stem, and keep grass away. Water deeply about twice a week through the first summer.

Best time to plant is autumn to early spring. Avoid December to February unless you can keep the water up.

Let's fill out the map

Put a dot on the map when something native goes in the ground. Only the postcode is kept, so the map shows areas and never exact spots.

0plants reported0postcodes

I planted one

See Other tips below.

Plant with others

These groups run regeneration on public land, with permission, training and people who know the local plants.

80% of Landcare volunteers surveyed made friends or new connections, and 87% felt more connected to nature.SourceLandcare Australia survey, 514 volunteers

Volunteer with NSW National Parks

Help with bush regeneration in national parks and reserves, working alongside park staff.

Find volunteering

Join a local Landcare group

Landcare groups plant, weed and restore local land. Browse the groups near you, or contact a regional coordinator.

Find a group Landcare coordinators

Run a nursery or a Landcare group?

List what you grow so people planting native vegetation near you can find you.

Get listed

Other tips...

P.S. Remember to Dial Before You Dig.