shrubs for finch aviary

[tommy88]

i am looking for a very fast growing native bush wich will grow quickly in my finch aviary any ideas?

[GregH]

I'm sure that there will be others in SA that can answer your question in more specific terms but important considerations for your plant choice will be:
1) How much direct sun is received in your aviary?
2) What is the drainage in your aviary? (poorly drained soils impede plant growth and encourage many diseases of both plants and birds)
3) How do you intend to water your plant/s (damp floors encourage many avian diseases)
4) How high is the aviary roof?
5) Can you manage pruning at least once a year? The more vigourous the plant the more you will have to prune
6) Does it have to be a shrub? The fastest way to achieve a good nesting plant is to plant a vigourous creeper over a frame of the desired size & shape.

[tommy88]

where the plant will go wont get direct sunlight but will get light all day it will be raised in a pot and i will prune it reguraly

[cranberry]

Maybe try something that will grow indoors like a palm or dracinia. Most natives need some sort of direct sunlight.

[snap_point]

the birds will love a Lemon Scented Tea Tree, or any wattle are fast growers and will grow bushy for you.

[Buzzard-1]

Have been racking my brain (Which didn't take much due to the limited size) and my suggestion is a clumping bamboo in a pot fast growing and can be controlled by pot size.

[jusdeb]

I recently bought some tube stock from the local state forest nursery ..kangaroo paw , tee tree and grevillea ...apart from the grevillea the others have gone mad with the rain and are easily 4 times the original size .

Worth a look if you have one near you , they had all manner of grasses and shrubs and if you tell the staff what its for they will point you in the direction of semi shade plants for aviaries.

Cheap too ...

[jusdeb]

Oh bamboo is an excellent idea for fast growth while the other plants take their time .

[GregH]

If there's no direct sun then I think Myrtaceus shrubs (eg Melaleuca, Callistemon, Calitrix, Leptospermum etc) or bamboos won't do that well. I'd go for a creeper over a frame as most creepers withstand understorey levels of light quite well. Ones to consider are star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), common scented jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum), blue bell creeper (Billardiera heterophylla - previously Sollya heterophylla ) or native sarsparella (Hardenbergia violacea). Up here I've have success with in low light with Lady Palms and as long as you're frost free they should be OK too - keep an eye out for Rhapis excelsa or R. humilis.

In the wilds around Tamworth where I grew up the finches preferred thorny scrambling vines like wild roses and blackberries but both have high light requirements.

[jusdeb]

star jamine works well ( also called potato creeper ) also doesnt make you sneeze in spring and very fast growing , Ive had it cover a shed in a year , doesnt die back , trainable to go where you want it .