Ideally bush areas will regenerate naturally from falling seeds, or those carried in by wind or birds. But sometimes nature may need a helping hand. With minimum effort and money, you can grow a range of easy-care native plants from seed.

Some native plant varieties are called 'primary species'. Examples are manuka, kanuka and ti kouka/cabbage trees. They like starting out on bare ground, and are hardy, easy to grow and will generally tolerate extremes in temperature, terrain, soil type and drainage. 

In many cases, planting even a few primary species can encourage birds to bring in the seed of a wider variety of plants, saving you the time and expense of growing them yourself.