Koalas generally live in open dry forest country - not wet rainforest. Cycads,Bowenia,Macrozamia,Lepidozamia,Codiaeum and all Aroids are toxic, very toxic and while the K's may not eat them just chewing on them could be fatal. I am not a Koala expert but know that what is poisonous to one type of animal may not be poisonous to another, ie seeds which a bird can eat may kill a human. K's have a specially adapted digestive system to process the eucalypt leaves. I would SUGGEST YOU GET IN TOUCH WITH AN AUSTRALIAN ZOO SUCH AS AUSTRALIA ZOO IN QUEENSLAND OR LONE PINE KOALA SANCTUARY IN BRISBANE BEFORE PLANTING ANYTHING IN THE ENCLOSURE. I presume the wellbeing of the Koalas is more important than the wellbeing of the plants. Many of the plants listed so far in this post will not grow in a shady area so do your homework thoroughly before you spend any of your $800 budget. It would be a pity to waste it on plants that will never prosper. Callistemon and Lily pilly (Syzigium) are easy to grow from seed but are unlikely to grow in such small planters for very long. Birs nest fern should do well in planters. Koalas are more endangered than any of the plants listed so please be careful.

I did not mean to offend anyone, natives are good but you can't just plant them and leave them. I think you would have to do a fair bit of research regarding the best natives for your situation. You cant just stereotype them, give them the same treatment and expect them to look good. I did not tell nickyz to forget natives, just reconsider where they are to be planted. Palms (natives) do not cause the same leaf (and root) problems as other plants near pools to that would be the best option for this situation. On the gold coast I imagine that you can grow a very pleasing tropical native garden. If you do choose natives, you have to look after them. A really good book to get started is "Starting out with natives" by John Wrigley and Murray Fagg.

this is all a farce. The so called name of the plant is not really Goodbye Neighbours. Goodbye Neigbours is actually a trademark which is now invalid because it has become the identity of the plant itself. The originator of this plant has never offerred a variety name . If the name of the plant was say Houzz Special it would be written like this Acmena smithii 'Houzz Special' GOODBYE NEIGHBOURS TM Here properly used GOODBYE NEIGHBOURS only tells you who produced the plant and is NOT the identity of the plant itself which is 'Houzz Special' If I used the trademark HIDE YOUR NEIGHBOUR I could write the description like this Acmena smithii 'Houzz Special' HIDE YOUR NEIGHBOUR TM ...The variety name stays the same 'Houzz Special' but the buyer can see its produced by the business that uses the trademark HIDE YOUR NEIGHBOUR

I had this recipe in my last school garden club newsletter. I found it on Jackie French's site. She also has a lot of good recipes and advice. Hope it helps. LILLY-PILLY JELLY - A Jackie French recipe I prefer to make this recipe from the small leafed lillypilly (Syzygium leuhmannii) which produces large quantities of fruit around Christmas time but you can use a mixture of lillypillies when quantities are limited. Collect fresh, firm, ripe fruit from trees and wash well. If you do not intend to make the jelly immediately, you can freeze the berries for later use. Wash and chop (no need to core or peel) a small quantity of granny smith apples. I use six large apples for a whole bucket of berries. Adjust quantities according to your supply of berries. Add berries and apples to a saucepan with enough water to cover the bottom half of the fruit. Boil uncovered for around 30 minutes, stirring regularly until the water shows good colour and the berries and apples are soft. Strain the mixture through a sieve for a cloudy jam or through muslin cloth for a clear jelly. Add 1 cup of sugar for each cup of strained liquid, re-boil. Bottle while hot into warm, clean jars and seal well. This recipe makes a clear, soft jelly. For a firmer consistency add a jam setting agent according to directions. *If you add extra water during the fruit boiling process, you will make lillypilly cordial. Add a little of the pink lillypilly cordial concentrate to water, mineral water, soda water or champagne!