What are gazanias?
Gazanias are escaped garden plants, introduced to Australia from South Africa. In South Australia, gazanias are an invasive environmental weed on roadsides and coastal dunes and present a significant threat to the health of our natural ecosystems by outcompeting our native plants. Gazania is a declared weed under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019. The sale of gazania or contaminated goods and its movement on a public road are prohibited. For more information on gazania, refer to the Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board gazania factsheet.
Why remove gazanias?
It is the responsibility of the landowner to control gazanias on their property. Established plants reproduce by seed, which can disperse 1km or more from the source, and through Rhizomes, produce a dense carpeting groundcover. In coastal environments, there is potential for gazanias to form a continuous ground cover, which chokes out native vegetation.
Council staff and volunteers are engaged in the ongoing removal of gazanias from reserves in Goolwa and Middleton, particularly in the dune system along the coastal strip. The work is vital to preserve the biodiversity of bushland areas but can only be successful if new plants do not re-establish where older plants have been removed. We are appealing for the help of local residents by asking them to remove plants from private gardens and road verges, so that they do not contribute to the re-establishment of gazanias in bushland reserves.
Benefits of backyards for biodiversity
As urban areas have expanded, natural bushland has been fragmented and largely confined to small conservation reserves. In some areas such as Goolwa, Council and the local community are working hard to preserve the last remaining areas of native vegetation as urban biodiversity reserves (such as the Goolwa sand dune system). However, there is no reason why backyards can't be rich in native plant and animal communities.
You can help improve your local environment by choosing to plant indigenous plants in your garden. Backyards for biodiversity help to conserve native plant and animal species and create links between isolated bushland reserves. They also add colour and life to your backyard by attracting native wildlife such as birds. On top of that, it makes practical sense to choose indigenous plant species because they are adapted to the conditions, and therefore require less maintenance, less water, less fertiliser, less pesticide - basically less fuss! There are lots of resources available to show you how others have gone about creating a backyard for biodiversity.
What can I plant?
Landscape South Australia has produced a useful Coastal gardens planting guide that provides simple yet inspiring garden advice for people living in the coastal areas. Water-wise local native plants are attractive replacements for introduced plants that are harmful to our local coastal landscapes. Alexandrina Council also produced a Township Verge Planting Guide that can be downloaded here.
Where can I buy local native plants?
Community nurseries are great places to find out about suitable plants and planting conditions. The following community nurseries are in the Alexandrina area – please check out their contacts first before you get in contact with them as contacts may have changed:
Alexandrina Community Nursery | Clayton Bay Community Nursery | Hindmarsh Island Landcare Group Community Nursery |
About our campaign partners
Since 2018, Alexandrina Council delivered several campaigns encouraging residents to remove gazanias from their gardens and roadside verges. The Gazania free garden swap events are a collaboration between Alexandrina Council, Landscape Boards, neighbouring local councils, community, and local community nurseries. The campaigns are initiated through Alexandrina's Environmental Action Plan 2030.
Further information