One of the foundations of the environmental movement has been to "think globally and act locally". Growing and planting native shrubs is a wonderful example of acting locally to improve the environment. We do not have to wait for others before taking action. Growing native shrubs can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. The techniques recommended below are based on:

• Low technology - techniques that can be used anywhere, with few inputs of outside resources or energy.
• Affordability - you can literally grow tens of thousands of plants with volunteer labour and a few tools.
• Simplicity - growing techniques that are easily understood and followed, and do not involve the use of potentially harmful chemicals to treat the seeds, control weeds or add fertility.

If you are sold on using native shrubs, the next step is how to get them. There are four possible routes - buying from a nursery, transplanting from the wild, growing from cuttings and growing from seed. Local supplies of native shrubs are seldom available. Even if they are, few groups or individuals can afford to buy stock in the numbers required for most restoration projects.

The last three options make the best use of available resources and are the keys to any large-scale projects such as stream rehabilitation, windbreak plantings or forest restoration. You can select seed, cutting material or transplants from good parent stock and know that you are maintaining or even improving the quality of the species.

Collecting Tips

Here are some general tips on collecting material - whether seeds, seedlings or cuttings. Always ask permission of the landowner before collecting. While this might seem unnecessary, it is in your best interest. At Macphail Woods, we have been developing good relationships with landowners who are happy that we can make use of plants on their property. They often have a wealth of information on the plants and can give you some history on how the area developed or the best places to collect. We have always found it worthwhile talking to landowners and they have appreciated our efforts. If a landowner finds you on private property taking cuttings without permission, it will be a bad start to what could otherwise be a good relationship.

Try to go easy on the environment and avoid degrading one area to improve another. You should never collect more than 10% of the total seed crop in an area. If others are using the same source, lower this considerably. Cuttings should be done using proper pruning techniques, leaving the parent plant in good condition and able to produce some seed next year. Finally, always collect from healthy, vigorous plants. Poor parent stock often means poor offspring, so avoid collecting from diseased or unhealthy looking plants.