I have created a sensory garden for my daughter using native plants, when I first planted this bed I thought it would be several years before the trees were particularly noticeable. Most of the plants were tubestock.
These two photos show the growth rate.
That must be very satisfying for you, Wollemi.
Woko, it certainly is, and as there are native grasses amongst the trees and shrubs and this garden bed is to be widened further it should draw in the little birds. One section does have a clump of prolifice flowering shrubs but there is a section where, grasses, indigofera australis, and harden bergia are prevalent.
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/
Good to see the green growth and your intention to widen the garden bed. Any effort to reduce lawn area is productive and I hope you manage to achieve your aim of drawing in the little birds Wollemi.
We have lots of little birds such as golden whistler, rufous whistler, superb fairy wrens, red-browed finches, eastern spinebills, and more in our far back yard, we are allowing the native ti-tree to grow in a long arch down towards the house to provide some cover all the way down to where we would like to see more little birds.
The gardens here are "rest of my life" project... If I do a bit each year it will grow and get to how I want it eventually.. and yes minimum lawns will be excellent.
Happy Birding!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/138588528@N02/