Try contacting the botanical gardens, they should be able to help.

I thought, they are more after fancy stuff? No contractors out there?

I found Edenvale plant nursery quite helpful. But maybe some soil test would be a good idea.

Have you seen their set up out at Cranbourne? Very big on native stuff.

Steffen, what struggling native species do you have in your garden?

And can you clarify what you mean by "endemic "?

endemic as in from my local area. Like kangeroo paw is more happy in WA. A banksia died already and a bottle brush. Got clay soil, but who knows, what former owner did to the soil.

Steffen, does your local council have an environment officer who could help with information about endemic or indigenous vegetation for your garden? I'm probably teaching you to suck eggs but indigenous native plants are more likely to survive with less maintenance costs than natives introduced from outside your area so I believe you're on the right track there. Indigenous plants also provide habitat for local wildlife since they evolved together so if there's any remnant bushland nearby there's a chance your garden will attract the wildlife dimension. Exciting possibilities!

Most Banksias prefer sandy or acid soil so maybe your Banksia floundered in the clay. I'm not sure about the Callistemon. Was there any water logging of the soil?

we made a hole and filled it up with better draining material, but water would still log in winter I suppose. Better would be a bit of a hill I guess, so excess water could drain away. Natives just look better, other plants somehow look as they don't belong. A few winters ago it was really wet and one plant just fell over. Turns out, the roots were completely rotten away.

Also, its Australia, if you want an English garden, go to England.

The plan is no fertilizer and nothing, native plants should be adopted to the conditions. Thats why endemic, something thats happy with clay and a thin layer of dirt. Got a native lawn already.

I like your style, Steffen. However, what looks better is in the eye of the beholder & so many beholders are beholden to English or northern hemisphere style gardens. Personally, I find a strong element of cultural cringe in such a stance but each to his/her own, perhaps, notwithstanding the fact that so little is left of Australia's native vegetation & its attendant wildlife. I suspect that the loss of Australia's natural environment will have to reach a critically low level before people lift their noses from their dumb phones & start wondering what happened to the Magpies. This approach seems to be happening at last in England where I've heard there is a growing interest in planting local species in cities in order to help the return of long lost wildlife.

If your garden experiences a degree of natural water logging in winter then clearly plants that are adapted to the conditions are the way to go. Earth mounds & holes filled with better draining material are for those who enjoy exercise or are time rich!

Great to hear that you have a native lawn. What grass species did you use & has your lawn produced seed & attracted any see-eating native birds yet?

its weeping grass mricolenia stiposdis, redgrass, QLD blue grass, wallaby grass. I let it do its thing, produce seeds, so it stays there. Plus its all low growing varieties, so no mowing. Unfortunately there is some couch and some Bermudagrass. The bermudagrass is invading big time, naybe eventually have to destroy everything and start again.

I get the impression that Microlaena stipoides is becoming more popular as a lawn grass. Hopefully, it won't be promoted as such in areas where it's not indigenous. I believe it is indigenous to your area.

But it's a real shame that you might have to start again. It's so unfortunate that so many Australian landscapes are vulnerable to invasion by introduced species. I have a couch invasion that needs to be dealt with in summer & this will involve spraying an area where Ruby Saltbush Enchylaena tomentosa has regenerated. Fortunately, I have lots more Ruby Saltbush nearby so it should regenerate into the area I spray. Maybe it's a case of one step back then two steps forward.

I think its a wintergrass all along the coast. Its easy to grow and not too tall. And makes lots of seeds, so in theory if you let it drop its seed and eliminate other grasses it should establish itself good. Just, its not invasive.And other grasses outcompete it. Maybe I rotate some chickens over the most affected sections, they would destroy everything. Then start again.

Nara is the latest hype, but its similar to Bermudagrass, sends stolons. So its invasive.

I'm not sure about the chickens, Steffen. Anything which adds fertilizer to the soil is unlikely to benefit most native plants. Where I have good stands of native grasses which are infested with ferals I spray the ferals, targeting them as accurately as possible. I manage to kill some native grasses in the near vicinity but there's enough seed from surrounding native grass to germinate in the sprayed areas.

the trouble with Bermudagrass is, it sets runners above and below ground. So there is not just spots, it goes everywhere. Eventually seems I have to kill everything and keep going, until its not coming back. Then start again.

You may or may not have seen this, Steffen: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7453.html

the selective stuff is not available at the local hardware store?

I'm not sure. You'd need to ask, I guess. Or you could try your nearest garden centre.