g'day beebs,

depends where the iron bark is sited, if away from the house a safe distance like it should be i'd just let the native grasses thrive under it.

a bit of an idea what area you are in will help with other suggestions.

for lots of reasons you are better off promoting an open zone of about 10 meters or so around the home and out building proper. this is a big benefit in fire safety. the first plantings of tree types should be those that can be cut down and will regrow ie.,. callistemons & malelucaes etc.,.

also no plantings of any sort within a 2 meter barrier around buildings for creating your dry zone termite barrier.

a rule of thumb for living safely with those large forest trees especially the eucalypts and their relatives is the maximum growing height of the tree + 50% being the distance these trees should be away from any structures etc.,. for me knowing what can happen in storms their height +100% is even safer. and these trees are also noted for dropping major limbs for no apparent reason at all.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

Hi ...We have quite a few Ironbarks on our block and very close to the house cannot do much about it unless we win Lotto.

My apologies to members on Dial-Up if these Pics download slow.

I grow lots of plants under and up our Ironbark trees, Creepers::: Allamanda, Bougs, Stephanotis floribunda. Bulbs, Hippeastrum, Agapanthus, Broms, Crucifix Orchids Ferns Canna Lily, anything and under one is the meeting place of the birds their bath.
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We have lots of the Litoria fallax Eastern Dwarf Tree Frog (Green) and the Litoria latopalmata Broad-palmed Frog (Brown) they are very small between 2-4cms. They seem to enjoy living in the Roses, Bougainvillea, and Hibiscus..

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Plenty of Bearded Dragons on our 3/4 acre block in suburbia we grow a mixture of Natives, Tropicals and Exotics.
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The Pale Headed Rosella love the seeds that fall on the Garage/Shed Roof.
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All the birds come in for a drink and a bath we only have three and must put more in.
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Even the baby Noisy Miners have lots of fun in cooling down on the hot days.
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Ben and his brother Bill are baby Butcherbirds also enjoy the water they are such a delight to watch.
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In these dry times we have also put in a small Water-wise garden this one gets only rain fall..
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It may help you a little... Oh and good luck with your new garden

This link below will help you with your Natives so you can get plenty of the right kind of birds into the garden....MM.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flora for Fauna

We have both broadleaf and narrow leaf ironbark growing naturally in my area. The bush remnant contains acacias, hakeas, callistemons, melaleucas, persooninas, lomandras, NSW Christmas bush amongst many others. Depending on the site conditions (ie amount of light, water etc), you should be able to grow any of the forest understory shrubs. I would suggest talking to your local council and native nursery to find out what naturally grows there.

If you have the space, you could set up a mini bushland area by planting a few more trees. This will also protect the tree from stong winds.

Hi beebs,
It is my understanding that the reputation of Eucalyptus for limb-shear has been extrapolated from the few to the many. As a general rule of themb, the eucalypts which make good building material are also good strong trees in the paddock, and don't deserve to be lumped with the widowmakers like river redgum and the angophoras. Ironbark is one of the strongest, and a tree you could trust where, for example, you might trust an English oak.
Do you want to go with dry sclerophyll plants such as melaleucas and callistemons, ar are you more interested in a rainforesty look? Dry sclerophyll plants burn like a bomb, whereas the "dry rainforest" species tend to be a bit hard to set alight. They are also usually good at growing in a crowd, even in the difficult situiation of under eucalypts.
Pittosporums are notably fire-retardant, and are lovely civilised things to live with - not to big and amenable to pruning for thicker growth or size control. Members of the Sapindaceae family are particularly deep rooted and get down below the eucalypt roots to a space of their own. They include Alectryon, Arytera, Atalaya, Cupaniopsis, Diploglottis, Dodonaea, Elattostachys, Guoia, Harpullia, and Heterodendron - plenty of good shrubs and small trees there. And all those dry rainforest things are drought hardy and never need watering after their first six weeks.
Hoveas also have a reputation of preferring the under gumtree site.
Another gem worth trying is the little Ironbark orchid, Dendrobium aemulum, which you can usually get from nurseries, and might like to attach to the south side of your tree.
Trish

thanks everyone.
better get researching all those species to see what takes my fancy.
love the pics misty morn.

beebs

Thanks beebs I love the fauna on our block and use the camera often...MM

Red Gums will only start dropping limbs when they are the best part of 100 years old or more. So you could even plant these in a large garden with little concern. They will not become a problem in your life time.