About Goodenia Gardens
Goodenia Gardens is an Illawarra-based garden care and native planting service creating healthy, resilient landscapes that support local wildlife.
Led by Samantha King, the work draws on years of hands-on experience in bush regeneration and conservation land management across the Illawarra.
Established in 2023, Goodenia Gardens brings together practical garden care and ecological knowledge to help gardens work with the surrounding landscape.
Meet
Sam
Goodenia Gardens is run by Sam, an Illawarra-based gardener and conservation land manager.
Sam grew up in Otford on the edge of the Royal National Park and has spent much of her life working with native landscapes.
She holds a Certificate III in Conservation and Land Management and has extensive experience in bush regeneration across the Illawarra, including five years working with local bush regeneration companies and bushcare groups supporting ecological restoration projects.
Sam has also worked on Lord Howe Island, a World Heritage listed environment, where she managed conservation teams and contributed to land management projects.
Her work focuses on practical garden care combined with ecological knowledge to create landscapes that function as habitat as well as beautiful outdoor spaces.
Our Approach
A Natural Approach to Garden Care
Goodenia Gardens focuses on thoughtful garden care and planting that suits local conditions.
Many clients begin with regular garden maintenance and gradually introduce more native plants over time. This approach allows gardens to evolve naturally while becoming more resilient and supportive of local wildlife.
Work ranges from everyday garden care through to native habitat planting, revegetation and bush regeneration.
Ecologically Informed
At Goodenia Gardens we apply bush regeneration principles developed by sisters Joan and Eileen Bradley, pioneers of modern bush regeneration in Australia.
This approach focuses on carefully removing weeds and supporting native vegetation to regenerate naturally from existing seed banks and surrounding bushland. Work is carried out gradually, starting with healthier areas and improving more degraded sections over time.
Local Knowledge
Working across the Illawarra, Goodenia Gardens understands the soils, landscapes and plant communities that shape the region.
Different parts of the region have very different growing conditions. The Coastal Frontline, Coastal Plain and Escarpment and Foothills each support different vegetation communities, which means plants that thrive in one area may struggle in another.
For this reason, plant selections focus on species that naturally occur in the Illawarra and surrounding environments. These plants are generally more resilient, requiring less watering, fertiliser and ongoing maintenance while providing food and habitat for local wildlife.
Thoughtful plant selection can also help gardens become small stepping stones of habitat across the region, supporting birds, pollinators and other wildlife moving through the landscape.
What is a Goodenia?
Goodenia is a group of native Australian plants found across the Illawarra, known for their bright yellow fan-shaped flowers and hardy nature.
The name reflects a focus on resilient, locally suited planting that supports native habitat.