Aussie Finch Forum

Hi guys,

Good old Col Western will be installing my new aviary tomorrow and I was wondering what plants go best in a fully covered aviary that would get plenty of sunlight.

The constraint is that it has to be in a pot as I have cement floors.

I was thinking miniature fruit trees???

Can anyone recommend a good pot plant type that is suitable for an aviary and relatively easy to procure?

I Like tea trees but they are too small and take too long to grow to the size I want.

Can anyone recommend a good nursery in the Wollongong or south syd area (including Campbelltown or surrounds)?

Thanks

El Feroz

Go for westringias and native mint bushes, they'll thicken up quickly and look good and can usually be bought 2feet high or so.

Best thing I ever bought for the plants is self watering pots, plastic ones from Bunnings for around $25 each, plants have done really well in them.

I would use seeding grasses, which can be aquired from your local finchos by asking nicely for cuttings. Bottlebrushes that are native to the area are also good.
LML

Can someone please confirm these are not poisionous.

I have some standard Lilli Pilli's in Pots and they would make great nesting sites, not to mention they look great, grow well in a pot, and dont require watering everyday, nor do they require an abundance of light.

I picked them up from a Nursery out near Camden for $30.00 each as opposed to flower power who charge 60-95 each.

It also depends on what species you intend,Canaries or European finches will most likely kill anything that buds.They love to eat them or pull them off the twigs
as aresult the bush will die eventually.
These days I have planted Rose Bushes through out my aviaries and they work for me.If you need to put some thing in a pot then get some Standard Roses.
the birds will spend time in them and will nest there.They will do well in a pot provided they have access to sunlight and can be heavily pruned back to stop them getting too big if that could be a problem.I also agree that Lilly pilli trees will give good cover and can be pruned but I am not sure if its the plant and fruit that are toxic or not.
Grasses can be an asset,even the Phylaris growing by the side of the road can be used.Pot several and you can rotate them,when not in the aviary you can cut it back and it will seed again.

elferoz777 wrote:Hi guys,

Good old Col Western will be installing my new aviary tomorrow and I was wondering what plants go best in a fully covered aviary that would get plenty of sunlight.
ThanksEl Feroz

The answer to this question rests on what the aviary is "fully covered" with? Solid opaque metal or some laserlite, which lets the light through the roof? Also what direction does the front of the aviary face? Then we might be able to make some workable suggestions.

Tintola wrote:

elferoz777 wrote:Hi guys,

Good old Col Western will be installing my new aviary tomorrow and I was wondering what plants go best in a fully covered aviary that would get plenty of sunlight.
ThanksEl Feroz

The answer to this question rests on what the aviary is "fully covered" with? Solid opaque metal or some laserlite, which lets the light through the roof? Also what direction does the front of the aviary face? Then we might be able to make some workable suggestions.

Ok the aviary roof is fully covered in tin.

The reason I did this was because it faces north east and gets almost constant daylight despite the roof.

I will be keeping a mix of Aussie finches in the aviary with some green singers depending on how they go.

Thanks Elferoz,
My reason for asking is to try to save you a heap of money on plants that will not do well. Keep in mind that although you are getting a lot of sun now in winter that the sun will be on a higher angle in summer and you will only get a couple of hours of "direct" sun early morning. With all respect, most of the plants already mentioned require full sun and may not cope too well. Plants in pots will grow towards the light source unless the pot is rotated every week to give even light distribution. It would be a good idea to place a sheet of laser lite on one section of the roof in the middle section, to avoid having to do this all the time. So having said all that, it looks like what you need are plants that will tolerate a lot of shade in summer and will grow prolifically despite being constantly picked at by the birds. My suggestions would be a decent clump of the running bamboo in a large pot or small-leafed privet, both of which will tolerate those conditions. Even those will suffer so maybe rotate two pots of each , one in and one out, so they get a chance to recover.