Beyond Grevilleas: Rethinking the Australian Native Garden

"I'm creating a native garden."

It's a phrase I hear almost every day at Trevallan.

On the surface, it sounds like one of the easiest requests in the world to help with. As a horticulturist, I should know exactly where to point someone.

But the longer I've worked in this industry, the more I've realised it isn't actually a simple question at all.

In fact, I think it's one of the most misunderstood conversations we have in horticulture.

Let me explain.

A Thought Experiment

Imagine I tell you I've just bought a new house. The soil is poor, the block is hot and exposed, and I've decided I'm going to create a native garden. Not just any native garden. A purist native garden. No exotics. Only Australian native plants.

I've settled on a Murraya hedge, with colourful drifts of Coleus as the bedding plants beneath it.

How did you react?

If you're like most people, you probably paused for a second. Some of you may even have wondered whether I'd completely lost the plot. After all, when we picture a native garden, most of us immediately think of Grevilleas, Banksias, Bottlebrushes and Kangaroo Paws.

Yet here's the interesting part.

Murraya paniculata naturally occurs in northern Australia, while Coleus scutellarioides is also native to northern Australia, although both natural ranges extend into Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

So why does this garden feel wrong? The more I've thought about it, the more I think that answer says more about our perception of native gardening than it does about the plants themselves.

Somewhere Along the Way, We Created a Picture of what a Native Garden should look like

Somewhere over the years we've collectively built an image in our minds of what a native garden should look like. It usually includes Grevilleas, Banksias, Bottlebrushes, Kangaroo Paws and perhaps a few Lomandra. Now, this isn't something I have learnt from a design textbook. It's something that's slowly become obvious after thousands of conversations with customers.

Now these are all fantastic plants and I happily recommend them but they're only a tiny chapter in Australia's botanical story.

Australia has more than 24,000 native plant species. We have rainforest trees, epiphytes, orchids, palms, vines, ferns, lilies, herbs and groundcovers. There are plants that have evolved in deserts, alpine regions, wetlands, coastal dunes and subtropical rainforests. Some thrive in deep shade while others wouldn't survive without full sun.

The diversity is extraordinary.

Yet if you asked most Australians to describe a native garden, I suspect many would describe the same ten to twenty plants.

I don't think we've ended up here deliberately.

The nursery (growers) industry, gardening magazines, television programs and even local councils have naturally gravitated towards plants that have beautiful flowers, seem to be relatively easy to grow for growers and are commercially viable (looks good in a pot for an extended period of time). Grevilleas flower spectacularly, Bottlebrushes attract birds and Banksias make outstanding feature plants.

It's hardly surprising they've become the public face of Australian native gardening.

The problem isn't that these plants are popular. The problem is when they become the whole story.

What Do We Actually Mean by "Native"?

A native plant is one that occurs naturally somewhere in Australia. Some Australian native plants are found only here, while others naturally occur across Australia and neighbouring countries.

An indigenous plant occurs naturally within a particular local area or ecosystem. They are a subset of native plants that have evolved alongside the soils, climate and wildlife of that specific region.

An endemic plant is even more specialised. It is naturally restricted to one particular geographical location and occurs nowhere else on Earth.

Those distinctions might sound like botanical jargon, but they completely change the conversation.

Take Murraya paniculata as an example. It occurs naturally in northern Australia, but it is also native to parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Its wider distribution doesn't make it any less Australian—it is still one of our native plants.

At the other end of the spectrum are plants that occur naturally in only a very small part of Australia. A species found only on Mount Walker, near Ipswich, is just as much an Australian native when it's planted in Sydney as a Western Australian Banksia is when it's planted in Brisbane. Neither has become any more or less Australian simply because it's growing outside its natural range.

Neither is more "Australian" than the other. They're simply native at different scales.

Then, just as you think you've got your head around that, another question appears.

What about cultivars?

Many of the native plants we grow today aren’t naturally occurring forms. They’re cultivars, plants selected or bred for particular characteristics such as more prolific flowering, compact growth, colourful foliage, disease resistance or a tidier habit. Some have been developed to fit into today’s smaller suburban gardens. Others have been selected because they flower for longer or have a more striking appearance than the original species.

So do they still count as native?

Botanically, they’re derived from native species. Ecologically, the answer depends on what you’re trying to achieve.

What I think we sometimes forget is that every breeding decision involves compromise. When we select a plant for one characteristic, we’re often changing others as well. A cultivar may have a longer flowering season, a more compact habit or brighter foliage, but that doesn’t automatically make it a better plant in every situation.

I’ve noticed this becoming more apparent over the years.

Take kangaroo paws, for example. The original taller species have earned a reputation for being tough, long-lived plants when grown in suitable conditions. Yet many of the newer compact hybrids, despite often being promoted as improved garden plants, can struggle to persist in pots through a single season in our South East Queensland climate. They look spectacular when they’re performing well, but I’ve found they can be far less forgiving than their taller relatives.

Grevilleas tell a similar story.

Compact and dwarf cultivars are incredibly popular because they flower heavily, fit neatly into modern gardens and are often promoted as low-maintenance alternatives to the larger species. Yet in Ipswich’s humidity, many of these newer selections can be more susceptible to fungal diseases and have a much shorter lifespan than gardeners expect. Meanwhile, some of the older, larger species and cultivars continue to grow happily for many years with comparatively few problems.

Does that mean cultivars are a mistake?

Not at all.

Many are outstanding garden plants and have opened Australian natives up to people with smaller gardens, balconies and courtyards. Plant breeding has given us an enormous range of beautiful plants that simply didn’t exist a few decades ago.

But I do think we’ve become a little too quick to assume that “new” automatically means “better”. Sometimes the original species has already spent thousands of years adapting to Australia’s conditions. That’s a difficult achievement for any plant breeder to improve upon.

Perhaps the question shouldn’t be whether a cultivar is better than the original.

Perhaps we should simply ask whether it’s the right plant for the place we’re asking it to grow.

And perhaps that's the question we should be asking first.

What Is Your Garden Trying to Achieve?

When someone tells me they want a native garden, I don't really want to know whether they like Grevilleas.

I want to know why.

What are you hoping to achieve?

Do you want to attract birds? If so, which ones? Nectar-feeding honeyeaters require very different plants to fruit-eating pigeons, and both have different needs to insect-eating birds or species that forage for lizards and insects through leaf litter.

Are you hoping to support butterflies? If so, are you planting nectar plants for the adults, or have you also considered the host plants their caterpillars need to survive?

Is your goal to create habitat for wildlife? Reduce water use? Restore a local ecosystem? Showcase Australian plants from across the country? Screen out the neighbours? Or perhaps you simply love the beauty and diversity of our native flora.

None of those answers are wrong.

In fact, they're all worthwhile.

But they all lead to different gardens.

A restoration project has very different goals to a suburban front yard. A wildlife garden may prioritise locally indigenous species that support particular insects, birds or mammals. A collector may delight in growing rare Australian plants from every corner of the country. Someone gardening on a small suburban block may choose compact cultivars simply because they're the right plant for the available space.

This is why I believe the question shouldn't be, "What are the best native plants?"

It should be, "What is this garden trying to achieve?"

Because once you understand the purpose, the plant selection becomes much clearer.

The Conversation We Have Every Day at Trevallan

One of my favourite conversations starts with a customer walking through the gate and asking,

"Where's your native section?"

I usually smile and reply,

"Which natives are you looking for?"

Something for full sun or deep shade?

A tree or a groundcover?

A climber?

An epiphyte?

A rainforest species?

Something indigenous to South East Queensland?

Or simply an Australian native?

There's usually a brief pause before they smile and say,

"You know... the Grevilleas."

So I start there.

Gently asking, explaining about dry rainforest plants, native herbs, climbers, epiphytes, lilies and ferns. We're talking about species they've never heard of and discovering just how incredibly diverse Australia's flora really is.

Honestly, that's one of my favourite parts of this job.

Watching someone fall in love with an Australian native plant they didn't even know existed.

South East Queensland Has One of Australia's Richest Floras

Living in South East Queensland gives us a unique perspective. We're surrounded by an extraordinary diversity of plant communities. Subtropical rainforests, dry rainforests, open eucalypt forests, wallum heathlands, wetlands, vine scrubs and coastal ecosystems all occur within a relatively small part of the country.

The diversity is remarkable.

Yet here's the challenge.

If we decided to plant only species indigenous to our own suburb, many of us would struggle to source enough plants commercially. Some of our most remarkable local species simply aren't produced in numbers large enough to supply garden centres, while others aren't grown commercially at all.

At Trevallan, we make a conscious effort to stock not only Australian plants from across the country, but also small batches of lesser-known South East Queensland natives whenever we can source them. Some of these are grown by passionate specialist nurseries, others we propagate ourselves, and many simply aren't available often enough to become everyday nursery plants.

It's something we'd love to see change.

The reality is that growers generally produce what they know will sell, and retailers can only stock what is available. Gardeners buy the plants they recognise, growers continue producing those plants, and the cycle repeats itself.

That's one of the reasons you see the same Grevilleas, Banksias and Bottlebrushes in nursery after nursery. They're excellent plants, they're reliable sellers, and they're readily available.

But beyond those familiar favourites is an extraordinary world of Australian plants that most gardeners never get the opportunity to discover.

Changing that won't happen overnight, and it won't happen because growers suddenly decide to produce different plants or customers demand something different.

Unless the media begins showcasing a broader range of Australian plants, unless gardening programs, magazines, councils, designers and landscapers stop relying on the same familiar species, and unless growers are willing to take greater responsibility for expanding what they produce, very little will change.

Garden centres can ask, encourage, educate and try to source more unusual plants, but we cannot sell what is not being grown.

That is the reality.

Growers have enormous influence over what becomes visible, available and eventually accepted by the public. If they continue producing only the plants they already know will sell, then gardeners will continue seeing the same plants, asking for the same plants and believing that those plants represent the full extent of Australian native gardening.

The media carries that same responsibility. What is repeatedly featured becomes familiar, and what becomes familiar becomes desirable. If the same Grevilleas, Banksias, Bottlebrushes and Kangaroo Paws continue to dominate magazines, television, council planting guides and social media, then lesser-known native plants remain invisible no matter how extraordinary they may be.

Retail garden centres are often left in the middle. We can try to introduce customers to rainforest species, climbers, epiphytes, herbs, ferns and locally indigenous plants, but without consistent supply and broader public awareness, those efforts remain limited.

Real change requires every level of the industry to step up.

Growers need to take more chances on underrepresented species. The media needs to broaden the plants it celebrates. Designers and councils need to specify beyond the usual shortlist. Horticultural professionals need to educate more confidently, and gardeners need to demand more than the same narrow version of a native garden.

Until that happens, we will keep talking about the extraordinary diversity of Australian flora while continuing to offer the public only a small fraction of it.ll.

The Native Garden Question

Have We Oversimplified Native Gardening?

Lately, everywhere I turn, I seem to hear the same message.

"Plant natives."

It's often followed by a series of statements that have become accepted as fact. Native plants don't need care. They thrive in poor soil. They survive drought. You can simply plant them and walk away. They're the only plants that support birds and wildlife, and if your garden isn't 100% native, then somehow you're part of the environmental problem.

The intention behind these messages is good. We should absolutely be encouraging people to think about biodiversity, habitat and sustainability. But somewhere along the way, we've reduced an incredibly complex subject into a simple slogan.

As a horticulturist, that's something I struggle with.

The first problem is that "native" is not a gardening style. It is simply a description of where a plant originates. Australia is an enormous continent with extraordinary diversity. We have alpine regions that experience snow, tropical rainforests that receive incredible rainfall, coastal heathlands battered by salt winds, dry inland deserts, mangroves, floodplains and open woodlands. Every one of those ecosystems has produced plants adapted to very different conditions.

Yet we often speak about Australian natives as though they all have the same requirements.

A rainforest understory shrub from South East Queensland has very little in common with a shrub growing naturally on the granite outcrops of Western Australia, other than the fact they both evolved in Australia. One may thrive in filtered light and rich organic soil, while the other demands perfect drainage and full sun.

Calling both simply "native" tells us very little about how they should be grown.

That brings me to another misconception, that native plants somehow look after themselves.

Every plant has requirements. Some prefer moisture, others demand excellent drainage. Some appreciate pruning, while others resent it. Some are frost hardy, others are damaged by a light chill. Some tolerate drought only once established after years of developing a root system. The idea that you can simply plant a native and forget about it isn't good gardening advice. It's good marketing.

Good gardening has always been based on one simple principle: right plant, right place.

Unfortunately, I feel we've replaced that principle with another: Plant a native.

The two statements are not the same.

Perhaps the greatest irony, however, is that we rarely stop to ask which natives we're planting.

Here in South East Queensland we have an extraordinary range of native plants, yet many are almost impossible to buy commercially. Some naturally grow beneath rainforest canopies and need shade. Some have tiny, insignificant flowers that would never attract attention on a retail bench. Some grow slowly. Some are difficult to propagate. Some simply don't fit our modern idea of a colourful landscape plant.

They're fascinating ecologically, but they're not always commercially attractive.

Instead, the nursery industry, like every industry, grows what people will buy and what can be produced economically. So we see endless cultivars of grevilleas, callistemons, syzygiums and ornamental grasses. Every season, there is another compact form or another dwarf form, another new flower colour or leaf shape.

Many of these are excellent plants, and I grow and recommend plenty of them myself.

But they represent only a tiny fraction of Australia's native flora.

Sometimes I wonder whether people who proudly declare they have a "native garden" are actually celebrating Australia's botanical diversity, or simply planting different versions of the same handful of commercially successful genera.

Even more interesting is that many of these popular plants aren't local to the area in which they're being planted. A Western Australian species growing in coastal Queensland is still Australian, but is it necessarily the best ecological choice for that landscape? Meanwhile, countless genuine local species remain largely unavailable because they are difficult to produce or don't fit consumer expectations.

That conversation rarely happens.

Another statement I hear regularly is that only native plants support wildlife.

The reality is far more complicated.

Local native plants play an incredibly important role in supporting specialised insects, birds and ecological relationships that have evolved together over thousands of years. There is absolutely no argument from me on that point.

But wildlife doesn't read plant labels.

Bees visit flowering herbs. Butterflies feed from nectar-rich ornamentals. Birds shelter wherever they find dense cover. Fruit trees provide food. Vegetable gardens support insects that in turn become food for other wildlife. Long-flowering salvias can feed pollinators for months when little else is available.

The healthiest gardens I've visited are rarely monocultures. They are layered landscapes with trees, shrubs, perennials, herbs, grasses and groundcovers all performing different roles throughout the seasons.

That, to me, is biodiversity.

I also worry that the conversation has become unnecessarily divisive. Gardeners who love roses are somehow seen as opposing those who love grevilleas. Cottage gardens are portrayed as the enemy of native gardens. Edible gardens are treated as though they contribute little to biodiversity.

Surely the goal is to create gardens that are resilient, interesting and alive.

A lemon tree doesn't diminish the value of a banksia. A flowering perennial doesn't cancel out a native grassland. A vegetable patch isn't incompatible with habitat creation.

Nature itself is layered and diverse. Why shouldn't our gardens be?

None of this is an argument against native plants. In fact, it's the opposite.

I think Australia's native flora deserves more respect than being reduced to a slogan that says, "Plant a native, it requires no care, and you'll save the environment."

Our native plants deserve to be understood. They deserve to be appreciated for the remarkable ecosystems they come from, for their individual requirements and for the incredible diversity they represent.

So perhaps instead of asking whether a plant is native or exotic, we should ask better questions.

Where does it naturally occur?

What conditions does it prefer?

What role does it play?

Is it the right plant for this place?

Because that's what good horticulture has always been about.

Perhaps if we spent less time drawing lines between native and exotic, and more time creating thoughtful, layered and diverse gardens, we'd achieve the very thing we're all trying to protect, healthy ecosystems filled with life.

The Native Garden: A Balanced Approach

With the ongoing discussions about some exotic species becoming problematic in parts of Australia, I felt it was time to reveal that while I love native plants, I also have a deep appreciation for many exotic species and believe they can coexist harmoniously.

The Native Plant Misconception

It’s important to recognise that just because a plant is native doesn’t mean it won’t become a weed. Take the Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana) as an example. This beautiful, fast-growing acacia is naturally restricted to the South Western Slopes of New South Wales. When planted in higher rainfall areas, it can aggressively invade surrounding bushland, self-seed, and become a nuisance. 

Another misconception about native plants is that they require little to no maintenance. A native garden, like any other garden, requires effort. This includes:

• Soil Cultivation: Regularly improving soil with compost and organic mulch.

• Fertilising: Using products like Organic Link at the start of each season and supplementing with regular liquid fertilising.

• Maintenance: Trimming and replacing plants as weather conditions change.

Responsibility

People must start to take responsibility for our plants and gardens. For instance, Syngoniums, a popular houseplant, are classified as weeds. Do we stop cultivating this plant, or do we educate and ensure responsible care and correct disposal, if needed? As a professional horticulturalist, I explain the potential pitfalls and dangers of allowing such plants into the wild. I expect their new owners to trim and care for them to prevent them from becoming out of control. I expect people to allow themselves to be educated and take on that advice. You cannot buy a climber and then get upset when it climbs.

Choosing the Right Plants

• Reputable Sources: I only purchase plants from reputable sellers. For example, seed-grown vinca (which I do not sell) can be a weed, but with modern horticultural advancements, sterilised vinca won’t usually last longer than 6-12 months (this is what I stock).

• Local Availability: Many Southeast Queensland natives are not commercially available because they are hard to cultivate in large numbers or aren’t as visually appealing as their Western Australian counterparts. Thus, a native garden in Ipswich might consist of 20 Western Australian and South Australian natives and only a couple of Southeast Queensland natives.

Genetic Dilution in Local Australian Plants

Genetic dilution refers to the weakening or loss of genetic diversity in local native plant populations due to cross-breeding with introduced species from other areas or non-native species. This can lead to several ecological and evolutionary problems, including reduced adaptability to local conditions and the loss of unique genetic traits.

An example of this happening is with the Australian native Corymbia torelliana, commonly known as Cadaghi. It is native to northern Queensland, Australia, and has been widely planted outside its native range due to its fast growth, aesthetic appeal, and usefulness in timber production.

Corymbia torelliana can hybridise with closely related species, such as other Corymbia species and some Eucalyptus species. When this occurs, the genetic material of Corymbia torelliana mixes with that of the native species, resulting in hybrid offspring. These hybrid offspring may exhibit reduced fitness compared to pure native species, including traits such as lower resistance to local pests and diseases, or reduced adaptability to local soil and climate conditions.

The genetic dilution of native species can also lead to a reduction in biodiversity, potentially disrupting ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling, water regulation, and habitat and food provision for other species.

Corymbia torelliana produces a large amount of pollen, which can be dispersed over long distances by wind or pollinators like bees. This increases the likelihood of cross-pollination with native species over longer distances. Just one tree can affect a very large area.

The Role of Exotic Plants

Native and European plants can be used together. Many fruit trees and vegetables aren't native, but that doesn't mean we should stop growing them. Many herbs, like garden mint, and comfrey, can become weeds, yet we don’t stop cultivating them. Instead, we focus on education and responsibility.

I have personally found Camellia sasanqua flowers and bacopa (both exotic) are a preferred flower for my native bees.  Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) was traditionally used by the ancient bee keepers. They used to rub the crushed leaves on the beehives to encourage the domesticated bees to return to their hives. They also believed that the lemon balm would also bring new bees to the hive.

Creating a garden, whether it be native or a combination, requires thoughtful planning and effort, but the results are worth it. By understanding the specific needs of our environment and taking responsibility for our plant choices, we can create beautiful, sustainable gardens that celebrate both native and exotic species. Let’s continue to educate ourselves and others while embracing the diversity that makes our gardens thrive.

Native Cottage Garden

Recently a customer asked me to help her design a native cottage garden.

She had watched an episode of Gardening Australia where they had made a beautiful cottage garden using only Australian native plants.

The problem was this list, like many native plant lists, had native plants that grew better in dry sandy soils not natives that can handle humidity, drought, frosts, black heavy clay soils .... all the things Ipswich can throw at a plant, sometimes at once!

Accepting the challenge, I set out to create a new list of native plants that thrive in Ipswich's variable climate and soils. Special thanks to The Mountain Man for his extensive knowledge of native plants; his input was invaluable in compiling this list.

This list is meant to inspire and demonstrate that anything is possible. It is not exhaustive but serves as a guideline. If it were my garden, I’d incorporate a variety of plants including grasses, groundcovers, shrubs, and flowering annuals. I would also plant trees to provide shade and create spaces for epiphytic plants like orchids and air plants.

Soil improvement would be ongoing, with compost and organic mulch, and I would fertilise with Organic Link at the start of each season, supplemented by regular liquid fertilising. A maintenance program would be essential for trimming and replacing plants as weather conditions change. A native garden still requires care, including fertilising and maintenance.

Australia's diversity means that just because a plant is native doesn’t necessarily make it suitable for every garden, soil, or climate. It's crucial to select the right plants for your specific conditions.

Cottage Garden using Australian Native Plants

Australian Native Kangaroo Paws

You know how as a kid you thought your mum was the vegie monster because she made you eat food like Brussel sprouts but as you get older the idea of Brussel sprouts for dinner grows on you till somehow you find yourself not only buying them and cooking them but also enjoying them.

Kangaroo Paw, an Australian Native Plant

Kangaroo Paws are kind of like my Brussel sprout in the garden! For years I would almost double over in pain at the idea of growing one of these hideous plants. Why? I couldn’t come to terms with a plant that had gangly disease ridden leaves and long boring flowers.

I guess I just had never seen it used well in landscaping because now I am totally in love. Why? Strangely enough it was Ipswich City Council and the Riverheart parklands that caused me to start to fall in love with them because a few years ago they were planted en masse in the gardens and they looked fantastic most of the year. 

Kangaroo Paws belong to the genus Anigozanthos, native to south-western Western Australia. A region that’s drier, hotter, and has very sandy soil. Quite different from Ipswich's heavier soils and sticky summer air.

And that’s where a lot of the trouble starts. One of the main reasons I disliked Kangaroo Paws was because of the dreaded ink spot, those black patches that ruin the leaves. It’s mostly caused by fungal diseases thanks to humidity, but frost damage and snails can also contribute. Parts of Ipswich can swing between high humidity and black frosts, basically, Kangaroo Paw hell.

Some newer cultivars, like the Celebration series, recommend growing in pots in a partially shaded spot and only in areas with less than 70% humidity (Ipswich averaged around 75% in summer 2024). So while Kangaroo Paws traditionally love full sun and excellent drainage, if you're in a more humid region like ours, pots in airy spaces with morning sun might be the better way to go. Terracotta pots are a great choice too, because they breathe. If you want to grow Kangaroo Paws out in the garden, try going for the older varieties like Anigozanthos flavidus or the red and yellow flowering forms in the Bush Gem series.

Most sprays or fertilisation will not prevent Ink spot.  Thanks to Angus Stewart, the main cultivator of Kangaroo Paws, I now know the best and easiest way to deal with ink spot! Mow over them when the leaves start to become infected and fertilise with a complete organic slow release fertiliser like Organic Link!  Secateurs would work just as well as a mower but nowhere near as fun!

By cutting all that leaf off, you get get rid of Ink spot and encourage beautiful, fresh new leaf which gives the plant a really vigorous green appearance and promotes the flowers and the flowers are the best part.

Kangaroo Paw flowers have been described as one of Australia’s most striking and unusual flowers and with modern cultivation I think there is one available in in all the colours of the rainbow, hot pink, red and green and the black are my favourite.

These fabulous bird-attracting, drought tolerant plants grow to all different sizes too. From small boarder plants to large striking feature plants there is one suit all gardens.  All they need is a dry well drained spot in full sun and easily accessible by mower (or Secateurs)!

I love using a mixture of flowering heights in pots too. They make an awesome feature in a hot area of your patio or garden. Just remember to remove the spent flowers and yucky leaves and this plant should reward you with vibrant colour most of the year.

This weekend eat some Brussel sprouts and plant an icon of the Australian garden at your house.

Diospyros australis

What’s not to love about a beautiful native tree that work wonderfully as a feature tree or slow growing hedge that also produces edible fruit?

Diospyros australis, commonly known as Black Plum or Native Persimmon, is a small native rainforest tree found from south-east NSW up to tropical Queensland.

During the cooler months Diospyros australis, produces plum-like berries. Berries are about 10mm in size, starting out yellow and turning black as they ripen. They are most edible when black and soft with a sweetness that makes them perfect for jellies, chutneys and jams.

Small cream/yellow flowers appear enmasse from October, and will self-pollinate. However it is sometimes advised to plant two or more trees to improve your chances of fruiting.

The fruit isn’t the only reason to grow one. I love the beautiful green glossy foliage. The leaves tend to have a yellow/green underside with a prominent yellow mid-vein. I would be using Diospyros australis instead of Syzigum australe for my hedge plantings.

Being a native rainforest tree, Diospyros australis prefers moist well composted soils. It performs best with protection from both wind and afternoon sun.

These trees can grow anywhere between 4 to 10 metres in the garden, but as they are slowish growing can easily be kept as a small bushy shrub or even in a large pot, trimmed to be a feature plant! I also found out they are known for their fire retardant properties, making them a worthwhile inclusion in your garden especially if you live in a bush fire zone.

The fruit and leaves of the Diospyros australis is said to have many medical properties. One property is helping to convert starch into energy and keep blood sugar levels in check, perfect for Diabetics. The fruit is said to also said to help relieve stomach pain, anti-scorbutic (high amounts of vitamin C) and diuretic. If you make your own vinegar from the fruit you can drink it to help reduce enlargement of spleen, diarrhoea, and those have urine retention problems.

This beautiful native tree, commonly called Burrpurr (Yolngu) by the First Nations, will become a must have in your garden.

Native Shade Tree

Luscious® is a cultivar or Tristaniopsis laurina. It is one of my favourite Australian native shade trees.

Luscious® can grow in a small garden, provide some shade and allow your children to still play around it.

Tristaniopsis laurina
Photo: Brian Walters from Australian Native Plant Society

Just imagine a tree

• no higher than 5-8m high and around 3-5m wide

• bird and bee attracting

• has scented flowers

• Evergreen

• lush deep green leaves that are long and leathery

• brilliant red new growth to add a bit of colour

Sounds pretty perfect, right?

Well I just described Luscious®.

We have one of these growing at Trevallan and while all these things I’ve mentioned are great and perfect selling points it’s the bark that takes my breath away. It’s roughly textured and is cream coloured with variations in it. It’s a true feature in itself.

This tree can also handle full sun to part shade and all types of soil. It can handle the heat, humidity and once established can handle the cold and dry.

I would care for this tree like I care for all my other plants. About four times a year I throw some Organic Link around the base and I try to liquid fertilise with Triple Boost every fortnight.

Luscious® is a cultivar or Tristaniopsis laurina and is an absolutely stunning native and one that for some reason is constantly overlooked but not anymore!

Please enjoy this exciting video telling you about amazing this tree is.

Leptospermums - Spoilt for Choice

Love our native Tea Trees, Leptospermums?

Here a a few cultivars to fill your garden with.

Leptospermum obovacum 'Starry Night' 

Leptospermum obovacum 'Starry Night'

This glorious Leptospermum has shiny black-purple foliage... I know you are already sold but when it's dripping in white starry flowers you may actually think it really is a Starry Night!!!!

All the wildlife will love you too as the flowers are laden with pollen

This easy to grow, exceptionally hardy Australian native is happy in full sun to light shade. It can handle most soils and once established will handle a little dry and a light frost. It will get to around 2m High x 1.5m Wide. I would trim and shape from an early age if a tight screen was needed. Trim after flowering.

I would fertilise every three months with Organic Link fertiliser and plant into excellent quality garden soil.

Trevallan's have not started to flower yet as this Leptospermum flowers late spring summer. This picture is from Austraflora 's website. The breeders of this beautiful plant.

Leptospermum Purple Haze (Leptospermum scoparium). 

Leptospermum Purple Haze (Leptospermum scoparium).

This Leptospermum has pretty pinky/purple flowers in spring that cover the entire Bush. The mass of flowers attracts nectar feeding insects, birds and other wildlife.

I like this Leptospermum mainly though because it’s leaves are a little different to other Leptospermums, they are kind of small, fat and glossy.

This is a great small to medium shrub that can be used a feature plant in pots or gardens but would also be perfectly suited to form a small low hedge.

It grows naturally to around 1.5ms tall. This plant doesn’t need to be trimmed but like most Leptospermums looks better after a haircut. Leptospermums can handle a range of soil types and once established don’t mind the cold, heat or the dry. I like to give all my natives a good feed with Organic Link (a complete organic slow release fertiliser) about once every three months.

Leptospermum scoparium ‘Burgundy Queen’

While all Leptospermums are beautiful my favourite and the one I’d have in my garden is the Leptospermum scoparium ‘Burgundy Queen’.

I think at first it was the deep burgundy almost black foliage but It’s majestic upright growth habit also took my breath away.

Then I found out it flowered profusely with intense dark burgundy double flowers. I was blown away. Plus it has the most adorable black eyes inside the flowers.

Seriously how could you not fall in love.

I honestly think it looks best kept trimmed to around 1.5m but this plant can easily grow untouched to about 3m

I could imagine it in a pot surrounded by the soft delicate Sweet Alyssum or in a dry landscape garden as a hedge.

Leptospermums can handle a range of soil types and once established don’t mind the cold, heat or the dry. I like to give all my natives a good feed with Organic Link (a complete organic slow release fertiliser) about once every three months.

Like most Leptospermums ‘Burgundy Queen’ is great at attracting wildlife when it’s in flower and is also an amazing cut flower.

Seriously I think we all need these beauties in our life.

Leptospermums - Aussie Blossom Range

Naoka Leptospermum

I always get asked for Geraldton Wax. While we do sometimes stock this beautiful native I believe the Leptospermum cultivars, our native Tea Trees, do a lot better here in Ipswich.

I like to refer to our native tea trees as the Australian Cherry Blossom

The Leptospermums that reflect this name the best is the Aussie Blossom Range.

The Aussie Blossom Range is a beautiful range of Leptospermums that have masses of stunning flowers in a range of pink shades that cover the bush for about 8-10 weeks in winter and early spring.

The range has been bred for easy care, compact growth and brilliant flowers and there are a few within the range to choose from

• Alicia Rose pbr (rose coloured flowers)

• Emily Nao pbr (pink coloured flowers)

• Joy pbr (dusty pink flowers)

• Martin pbr (dusty white flowers)

• Naoka pbr (pink with ruby red centre)

• Stephen Rose pbr (white with pink centre)

You could mass plant any of these beauties to create an informal low hedge (grow to about 1.5m) or you could create a stunning masterpiece in your garden with just one.

While you don’t NEED to trim these guys I always find they grow and look better after a hair cut. I like to do it after they finish flowering.

Joy Leptospermum

While some people are under the impression natives don’t need fertiliser this is not true. All plants need fertiliser. I like to say it’s the difference between survive and thrive.

I like to give all my natives a good feed with Organic Link (a complete organic slow release fertiliser) about once every three months and a liquid fertilise with Triple Boost about once a fortnight.

This is a beautiful range of plants and I think at least one should be a part of any garden design. They even work wonderfully for cut flower displays.

Brilliant Australian Native Plant

Photo by Brian Walters from the Australian Native Plants Society

Summer Red Eucalyptus would have to be the best flowering Australian Native gum tree for suburbia.

Before this range was released if you wanted a flowering gum tree you had to just go out and buy one and hope for the best. Sometimes the flowers turned out red and other times pink, but quite often it was an insipid white which you didn’t really want anyway. Plus the plant was straggly and had to be kept heavily trimmed to look nice.

The good news is that it’s now possible to buy flowering gums with predictable flower colours. Specially bred for the home garden, the new plants are hybrids between Eucalyptus ficifolia and Eucalyptus ptychocarpa, grafted on to Eucalyptus intermedia rootstock.

Eucalyptus ‘Summer Red’ produces masses of mid-pink to red flowers in summer and grows quickly to around 5 metres. It has large glossy green leaves and the new foliage is an attractive bronze colour. The trees should do well in most areas of Australia and will tolerate light frosts and drought.

Eucalyptus ‘Summer Red’ would be my ideal gum tree for the home garden. It is the perfect shade tree, with a height and spread of around 5m. It can be kept easily pruned and is even suitable for large pots.

Make a bird happy today and plant a Eucalyptus ‘Summer Red’!

It can be trimmed after flowering and I find its best to fertilise them at least three times a year with Organic Link.

A Stunning Australian Native Plant

Photo by Brian Walters from the Australian Native Plants Society

The Alloxylon flammeum, Queensland tree waratah, would have to be boss lady's favourite Australian native plant.

This tree is widely known as one of the most stunning rainforest trees (endemic to North Queensland Rainforest) with a spectacular flowering display in spring.  Despite its tropical origin, the tree waratah can be grown in cooler districts at least as far south as Sydney where the plant flowers reliably.

Alloxylon is from the Greek allo, strange or different and xylon, wood, referring to the unique wood anatomy of the genus - oak-like grain with very broad medullary rays. Flammeum is Latin, meaning flame-coloured or fiery red.

It is listed as 'Vulnerable' under the EPBC Act* (ie. facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future, as determined in accordance with prescribed criteria).  Which means if you have the space get one of these beauties in your garden!

It has shiny green elliptical leaves up to 18 cm long, and prominent orange-red inflorescences (An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches) that appear from August to October, followed by rectangular woody seed pods that ripen in February and March. Juvenile plants have large (up to 25 cm long) deeply lobed pinnate leaves.

It will flower most prolifically if grown in full sun in deep rich  soil with extra water given in periods of hot dry weather. In its native habitat it can grow to around 25m tall. In a normal garden it will get to around 10m tall and I find it to be the perfect shade tree.

You can trim after flowering but it has a natural beautiful shape that does not require trimming. It will need a good fertilise every three months. I use Organic Link on all my natives.