When we moved here in July 1995, even though the house backed onto the Field of Mars Wildlife Refuge, the vegetation consisted of Kikuyu lawns and not much else. The lawn mowing was extending right down into the Reserve until it came to a wall of Privet over which the Kikuyu was trying to grow.

That year I was doing the Ryde Tafe Bushland Management Course and saw an opportunity to remove the need for extensive lawn mowing and at the same time help reduce the impacts on the surrounding bushland. Around the house was the original soil and therefore a seed bank of natives waiting to be freed.

The kikuyu was sprayed with Roundup. Next came the flush of annual weeds which we controlled through selective spraying and careful handweeding around the seedlings of natives and anything as yet undetermined. We grew some plants from locally collected seed (with permission from Council) and also scattered some locally collected grass seed to give everything a helping hand while we waited for nature to do her thing...which she did and is still doing!

We also started a bushcare group and linked to another bushcare group to work in the surrounding bushland (but that's another story).

Now we have native plants including Microlaena, native Geranium, Dichondra, Pratia, Melaleuca, Glycine and various Cyperus species plus small birds, water dragons and water skinks, possum drays and birds nests in the trees and many other interesting things.

We have a native Microlaena, Geranium and Cyperus grassland in place of a lawn. It stays green all year and is never watered by us (only the rain waters it when it comes). My husband mows and rakes the grasses once or twice a year to thin them out, especially coming into bushfire season. This could be done more regularly to achieve a traditional looking lawn, however we like the natural look as do the birds and lizards!! Allowing the grasses to grow longer allows them to seed and make the grass area more lush and the grass seeds are a natural food source for many small birds.