School Cockatoo Seedling Project
As part of the Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee’s Community for Cockies project, funded by Lotterywest, we’ve built and installed cockatoo nesting boxes at local schools, planted seedlings to create cockatoo food gardens, and now we’re offering students the opportunity to take home seedlings to plant — if they have suitable land available.
***Please read the detailed descriptions of the plants, including their mature height and preferred soil type, to ensure they’re suitable for where you plan to plant them.
***Please read the detailed descriptions of the plants, including their mature height and preferred soil type, to ensure they’re suitable for where you plan to plant them.
Available seedlings
Allocasuarina decussata KArRi sheaoak Size: It belongs to the family Casuarinaceae and is known for its distinctive wiry foliage and woody, cone-like fruit. Itypically grows as a medium-sized tree 8–15 meters. Flowering: Inconspicuous male and female flowers bloom during autumn, summer, and winter. The fruit is a woody, cone-like structure Growing Conditions: It grows well in loamy, clay, and poorer soils, thriving in karri forests and tolerating drought. |
Allocasuarina fraseriana Western Sheoak Size: A medium-to-large evergreen tree, it can grow up to 15 meters tall with a spread of 6 to 10 meters. I Flowers: foliage consists of fine, greyish-green, needle-like branchlets, while its true leaves are tiny, scale-like teeth in whorls of six to eight. Growing conditions: The species prefers light to medium, moist, well-drained soils and can thrive in full sun to part shade. It is both drought and frost-resistant. |
Banksia attenuata candlestick banksia or slender banksia Size: Typically a tree that can reach up to 10 meters tall, but in drier regions, it may grow as a smaller shrub, standing 0.4 to 2 meters high. Flowers: Produces profuse, showy, yellow, candle-like flowers from spring to autumn, which are held prominently above the foliage. The flowers are an important food source for native birds and insects. Growing conditions: Restricted to sandy soils, including white, yellow, or brown sands, and sand over laterite or limestone. |
Banksia ilicifolia Holly banksia Size: This is a highly variable species. It can grow as a small tree reaching up to 10–12 meters tall in sheltered conditions, or as a wind-blasted, shrub-like plant of 5 to 7 meters in coastal areas. Flowers: features spikey creamy-red flowers almost year-round. Growing conditions: Grows in deep sand and can be found on dunes or low-lying flats. 
Banksia nivea honeypot dryandra Size: The shrub typically grows to about 1 meter high and 1 meter wide, forming a low, compact mound. Flowers: Domed, orange-coloured flower heads emerge from within the plant's foliage during autumn and spring. These nectar-rich flowers are highly attractive to nectar-eating birds. Growing conditions: It thrives in well-drained, sandy soils and is well-suited for full sun or part shade. Once established it is a low-maintenance plant that is both drought and frost tolerant. 
Eucalyptus marginata jarrah Size: A tall tree, jarrah can reach up to 40 or 50 meters in height with a trunk diameter of approximately 3 meters. The bark is rough and fibrous, shedding in strips to reveal a reddish-brown layer beneath. Flowers: The tree produces clusters of creamy-white flowers that bloom in the spring and summer. These are followed by small, spherical, woody fruit. Growing conditions: grows in a variety of soils, including sandy, loamy, clayey, and lateritic soils, but requires well-drained conditions. It achieves its best growth on the red loams found in river valleys and thrives in sunny spots. 
Hakea falcata sickle hakea Size: An erect, branching shrub that can grow from 2 to 4 meters tall. Flowers: Scented, creamy-white, or white and pink flowers grow along the branches. Growing conditions: The shrub grows in winter-wet depressions and other damp areas. It prefers peaty-sandy or sandy-clay soils. |
Banksia grandis bull banksia or giant banksia Size: Typically grows as a medium-sized tree, reaching 5–10 meters in height, but can be a smaller, sprawling shrub in coastal or exposed areas. Some specimens have been known to grow up to 15 meters tall. Flowers: The large, cylindrical flower spikes appear in spring and summer (September to December in the Southern Hemisphere). They are a pale to rich yellow color, measuring up to 40 cm long and 8–9 cm in diameter. The flowers are packed densely on the spike. Growing conditions: Prefers full sun and excellent drainage in sandy soils. 
Corymbia calophylla marri Size: A large, fast-growing tree, Marri can reach heights of up to 40 meters, though it can grow as a mallee on poor soil. Flowers: Produces large clusters of creamy-white flowers during the summer and autumn. Growing conditions: It can grow in a variety of well-drained soil types, including sandy, gravel, and lateritic soils. 
Hakea cucullata snail hakea Size: An erect shrub that grows between 1 and 5 meters tall, with a slender habit and relatively few branches. Flowers: Strongly scented clusters of 25–30 deep pink to purple blooms appear in leaf axils from late winter to spring (August–November). Growing conditions: Thrives in well-drained sandy or gravelly soils of the Jarrah Forest, Warren, and Esperance Plains regions; moderately drought- and frost-tolerant. 
Hakea trifurcata two leaf hakea Size: Known for its unusual foliage, featuring two distinct leaf shapes, and its abundance of flowers, grows to a height of 1.5 to 3.5 meters. Flowers: The shrub produces a profusion of white, cream, or pale pink flowers from autumn through spring (April to October). They are often sweetly scented and attract various pollinators. Growing conditions: Requires well-drained soil. If drainage is poor, planting in a raised garden bed can help. 
Hakea undulata wavy-leaved hakea Size: Typically grows as an erect shrub, reaching a height and spread of 1 to 2 meters. Flowers: Scented, creamy-white flowers appear in axillary clusters between July and October. Each inflorescence holds 12–21 flowers. Soil: It can grow in a variety of well-drained soils, including sand, loam, gravel, and clay over laterite. |
Banksia littoralis swamp banksia Size: It is typically a medium-sized tree, growing 1.5 to 12 meters high. Flowers: Cylindrical, yellow or greenish-yellow flower spikes during autumn and winter (March to August). The flowers are rich in nectar and attract a variety of native wildlife, including nectar-feeding birds, insects, and bees. Growing Conditions: Thrives in moist, low-lying, and seasonally wet areas, such as swamps, creek beds, and depressions. It is well-suited to coastal environments and tolerates salt spray. 
Corymbia ficifolia red-flowering gum Size: It typically grows to a height of 6–10 meters, with a rounded, dense canopy. Dwarf cultivars are also available, reaching about 3–4 meters. Flowers: The tree produces a mass of flowers in large, terminal clusters during the summer. While its common name suggests red flowers, the color can vary widely among seedlings, ranging from white to red, pink, and orange. Growing conditions: thrives in full sun and requires well-drained soil to prevent root rot, to which it is particularly susceptible. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil and is tolerant of coastal conditions. 
Hakea oleifolia dungyn, or olive-leaved hakea Size: An upright, rounded shrub or tree, it typically grows to a height of 2 to 10 meters, with a width of 1.5 to 3 meters. Flowers: From August to October, it produces dense clusters of sweetly scented, white or cream-colored flowers in the leaf axils. Each cluster, or raceme, can contain up to 28 showy flowers. Growing conditions: It can thrive in a variety of well-drained soil types, including clay, sand, sandy loam, and gravel. 
Hakea prostrata harsh hakea Size: This species is highly variable, ranging from a prostrate (low-lying) shrub in coastal environments to an erect, spreading shrub or small tree reaching up to 4 meters tall in inland regions. Flowers: Abundant sweet-scented clusters in upper leaf axils from July to October; blooms range from white and cream to pink or red. Growing conditions: It grows in a variety of soils, including sand, gravel, and sandy clay. Typical habitats include coastal heathlands, woodlands dominated by Eucalyptus or Jarrahtrees, and hillsides with shallow soil. |
If you are interested in one seedling or more, please let us know which varieties would suit you best.
At this stage, we don’t know how many seedlings will be available, as it depends on how many student families take up this opportunity — it could be at least five per family.
At this stage, we don’t know how many seedlings will be available, as it depends on how many student families take up this opportunity — it could be at least five per family.