Plant / Shrub to Replace Bark

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BLazeD

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#280020 22-Nov-2020 19:56

I have bark surrounding some grass and paths and birds are constantly kicking it up into said grass or bark. Enormous amounts of it, every day. There is weedmat under the bark, no food sources... I have been down that path of trying to stop the birds. It's not possible!

From what I gather, the only way to stop this is to remove the bark. What to replace it with though?

Does anyone have any ideas? Maybe something like this plant? No idea the name of it.

Thanks for your suggestions!

qwertee

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#2608647 22-Nov-2020 20:12

Its a pain and even with the garden edging you have they do toss the bark around !

Try black mondo grass dwarf variety.

This link is for the green stuff but I think you can get the black stuff as well

https://www.bunnings.com.au/mondo-grass-dwarf-10-pack_p3821091

Anther idea is black netting that is stretchy as well and you can use weed mat pins (U shaped) to anchor them.
You will need to cut the netting to allow for the tree stems, but good that your strip is narrow.
Dont look that nice but gets the job done .

eracode

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#2608666 22-Nov-2020 21:36

We had bark covered gardens when we bought a new home five years ago. Didn’t like the look of the bark so we planted heaps of a low- growing, ground-cover variety of Coprosma. Planted at about 0.5m centres - now they completely cover the bark and look good. The variety we got grows about 10 cm high and when grown has a cover diameter of about 1.2m.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

webwat

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#2608703 23-Nov-2020 00:03

My driveway looks like that as well, we currently just accept that theres more bark on the driveway than in the garden, but some renga lillies have spread out quite a bit and now prevent the birds from getting in under them. One of the libertia species may also keep the birds away, or a mat-forming ground cover like a native Fuschia.

Time to find a new industry!

lurker

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#2608708 23-Nov-2020 00:40

Try stone, like Teddington Chip which is cheap enough. Our bark would end up all over the drive due to wind/rain etc, just put some stone down instead

eracode

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#2608711 23-Nov-2020 05:10

This has come up in GZ before. I had this problem and used this solution in the areas where we didn’t want the Coprosma (see above). Bought several metres of soft plastic windbreak material from Palmers - it has a mesh-size of about 5mm. You buy it by the metre off a roll - it’s a metre wide.

I cut it down to 50 cm width, scraped back the bark, pegged lengths of it down alongside the path where the birds were scattering the bark - then sprinkled a layer of the bark back over the mesh to disguise it. It’s not at all ugly. This stops the birds getting into the ground beneath - they can’t get their beaks into the soil where the worms are and get frustrated, disillusioned and pissed-off - and stop doing it. i.e. works really well.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

BLazeD

239 posts

Master Geek

#2608993 23-Nov-2020 11:57

Thanks everyone.

I think I like something like the low-growing, ground-cover variety of Coprosma the best. I think it would look the best and I wouldn't have to go back and remove the bark. It could actually be an improvement in terms of look in certain places too!

This article is quite good https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/nz-gardener/75183130/13-of-the-best-new-zealand-native-ground-cover-plants man I wish I had of known about this before getting all the bark in!

Maybe 8, 9, 13 or 15 from that list.

duckDecoy

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#2609000 23-Nov-2020 12:16

eracode:

We had bark covered gardens when we bought a new home five years ago. Didn’t like the look of the bark so we planted heaps of a low- growing, ground-cover variety of Coprosma. Planted at about 0.5m centres - now they completely cover the bark and look good. The variety we got grows about 10 cm high and when grown has a cover diameter of about 1.2m.

Possibly Coprosma Hawera ?

You're original pic showing mondo grass would also be a good idea. Some of the groundcovers you linked to don't like drying out, so take your desire to regularly water in summer into account

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eracode

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#2609001 23-Nov-2020 12:16

BLazeD:

Thanks everyone.

I think I like something like the low-growing, ground-cover variety of Coprosma the best. I think it would look the best and I wouldn't have to go back and remove the bark. It could actually be an improvement in terms of look in certain places too!

This article is quite good https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/home-property/nz-gardener/75183130/13-of-the-best-new-zealand-native-ground-cover-plants man I wish I had of known about this before getting all the bark in!

Maybe 8, 9, 13 or 15 from that list.

Yes the Coprosma is great - only thing is that the initial plants are quite small and take 1-2 years to get to full coverage.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

BLazeD

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#2609002 23-Nov-2020 12:17

duckDecoy:

You're original pic showing mondo grass would also be a good idea. Some of the groundcovers you linked to don't like drying out, so take your desire to regularly water in summer into account

Thanks, we have irrigation though so should be OK?

Cheers

eracode

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#2609004 23-Nov-2020 12:21

duckDecoy:

eracode:

We had bark covered gardens when we bought a new home five years ago. Didn’t like the look of the bark so we planted heaps of a low- growing, ground-cover variety of Coprosma. Planted at about 0.5m centres - now they completely cover the bark and look good. The variety we got grows about 10 cm high and when grown has a cover diameter of about 1.2m.

Possibly Coprosma Hawera ?

You're original pic showing mondo grass would also be a good idea. Some of the groundcovers you linked to don't like drying out, so take your desire to regularly water in summer into account

Yep - not 100% certain of the name now but I’m sure that’s the one we used.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.

neb

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#2609139 23-Nov-2020 14:50

qwertee:
Anther idea is black netting that is stretchy as well and you can use weed mat pins (U shaped) to anchor them.
You will need to cut the netting to allow for the tree stems, but good that your strip is narrow.
Dont look that nice but gets the job done .

That's what I resorted to, nothing else even slows them down. I've had birds move several cubic metres of mulch to the bottom of a bank over time, and that's not a typo. Covering every square centimetre with pinned-down bird netting was the only way to deal with it. Don't be tempted to get a minimal amount and stretch it to fit, they'll dig into any tiny gap and make a huge mess. Once the netting is in place, no more problems.

neb

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#2609144 23-Nov-2020 15:02

duckDecoy:
You're original pic showing mondo grass would also be a good idea. Some of the groundcovers you linked to don't like drying out, so take your desire to regularly water in summer into account

That's the problem with groundcovers, many of them don't like dry periods and if you're putting them into sun-baked ground they won't do well. Also things like Mondo Grass grow quite slowly and you'll need to mass plant it, which means both a long wait and some expense. There's a bunch of stuff I could rattle off, various spreading Grevilleas like 'Bronze Rambler' (do OK in hot sun), Lotus Berthelotii (bit finicky about water), Myoporum Parvifolium (OK in dry soil), Coprosma Acerosa or Muehlenbeckia Complexa (needs nurturing, then active management if it takes off), Lantana Montevidensis (somewhat smelly flowers, popular in carparks to cover retaining walls which is why I avoid it), Ceanothus (needs water, slow-growing), Coleonema (does well in full sun but can get big), etc.

If you really want results in a hurry, throw a kudzu root in the general direction of where you want things covered. Doesn't matter if it lands on the concrete driveway, it'll still grow. Feed it with water, weedkiller, diesel, it won't care. In a day or two your whole section will be covered in kudzu. Here's the official growers' guide.

eracode

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#2609401 23-Nov-2020 19:35

The description of Coprosma acerosa Hawea (referred to above) on a nursery website says: “A low growing Coprosma that forms a tight mat of small narrow olive-green leaves. Great for cascading over walls, down banks or in rockeries. Very flat and compact in habit. Fast growing and will handle almost any conditions although particularly suited to dry areas”.

Sometimes I just sit and think. Other times I just sit.