Saltmist Bush Gardens combines natural garden design with ecological expertise 

Saltmist Bush Gardens offer a unique set of skills bringing together garden design, ecology, and horticulture to create outdoor spaces that are for living.

Our inspiration is drawn from the ecosystems of the southern Mornington Peninsula. Local native plant gardens provide a strong sense of place connected by the Moonah dominated vegetation throughout the private properties and bushland reserves in the local area, along with the Mornington Peninsula National Park.

Our approach is centred around the use of local native plantings along with soft landscaping techniques. We work with any existing local native vegetation and the contours of the site.

Our cost-effective approach avoids the use of heavily engineered features and techniques that involve re-leveling the land. Our approach can be adapted to a range of property types, from large to small, with our without existing gardens or local native vegetation.

We can also provide ecological advice on how to manage your property to attract birds and other animals, how to manage weeds, and how to facilitate the natural regeneration of local native plants.

We can assist with local native planting requirements as part of a planning permit conditions for new builds.

Why create an indigenous to site bush garden?

Local native plants (indigenous plants) offer a wide diversity of structure, colour, form, and texture from robust canopy trees to delicate ground covers. The natural woodlands and scrublands of the southern Peninsula are self designed. Plants compliment each other with their dark green to silvery blue hues. These plants have evolved over time and are perfectly suited to the southern Peninsula’s sandy soils, ocean winds and salty air.

As a local native garden establishes, it brings in local birds and other native fauna. The bush garden compliments and respects the wider landscape it is situated within and provides wildlife corridors to allow wildlife to establish and more easily move between areas of habitat. 

The thoughtful combination of the southern peninsula’s local native plants produces a timeless contemporary bush garden.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live the Bunurong People of the Kulin Nation and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We celebrate the stories, culture, and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.