KI native plant nursery open and set to bloom following funding boost

The nursery has over 100 species of KI native plants, which can be used for revegetating land, windbreaks, shelterbelts, coastal plantings and home gardens.

“We have a wide range of eucalypts, wattles, coastal plants, and smaller shrubs suitable for the home garden,” Nursery Manager Jo McPhee said.

“We are incredibly grateful for the extra support we now receive from Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the extra support we now receive from Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network (KIWN).”

KIWN President Katie Welz said the KI Wildlife Network is not only focused on individual animals that need our help but also the biodiversity, needed to support them as a species.

“Ecological restoration gives back habitat to birds, mammals, reptiles and insects, whilst also cleaning our air and keeping our waterways & oceans healthy,” Ms Welz said

“We want to acknowledge the KI Landscape Board their KI Native Plant Nursery who help us do this every year,” she said.

The KI Native Plant Nursery is open every Tuesday from 9am until 1pm and Thursday from 9am until 4pm to Thursday 28 August 2025. During this time, the nursery is also open by appointment.

“Winter is the best time for planting, after the breaking seasonal rains have arrived" Ms McPhee said. This mainly applies to larger scale revegetation projects where it is not possible to water the plants, if there is adequate soil moisture the plants will survive on their own.

Ms McPhee is a wealth of knowledge for landholders seeking advice on which species to plant, as well as where and how to plant them based on the unique conditions of their property.

"There are many attractive species of local natives available in the nursery that will grow better in your garden than plants that are not indigenous to KI," she said.

"More diversity of native species planted in your garden encourages good biodiversity outcomes," she said.

The nursery has detailed information about soil types across the island and specialist knowledge of local provenance planting, which will ensure a higher success rate for revegetation and landscaping projects.

“Where possible we use seed or cutting material sourced as close as possible to the planting site. This ensures the plants are adapted to the soil type and climatic conditions of that location,” Ms McPhee said.

"The nursery takes orders by the end of August each year and begins propagation in September," Ms McPhee said. The plants are ready to collect in autumn the following year.

"If you are interested in planting natives, please contact us.”

Thanks to the support from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Kangaroo Island Native Plant Nursery received five years of funding to continue this work after the 2019/20 bushfires.

This funding enables the nursery to deliver approximately 77,000 plants to bushfire-affected landholders since 2021.

The nursery also receives funding from Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, and most recently received a funding boost from the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network and the Landscape Priority Fund, which is covering updating the nursery's seedbank.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support we receive from our funding partners,” Ms McPhee said.

“This funding will help us improve our seed bank and give us greater capacity to grown native species to Kangaroo Island.”

The KI Native Plant Nursery details:

• Address: 22b Telegraph Road, Kingscote (next to the AMPOL service station)
• Opening hours: Open to the public every Tuesday from 9.00 am until 1.00 pm and every Thursday from 9.00 am until 4.30 pm from May until August 2024.
• Prices: Tube stock is $2.50 and propagated cuttings are $4.50.
• Contact: 0437 332 692.