Some native plants that have been promoted by nurseries in the past have not proved to be good garden plants – either being short-lived or, in the case of trees such as Eucalyptus nicholii, out-growing their promised size and so becoming too big for a garden.
This poor performance may have deterred some gardeners from growing natives in their gardens. Today many newly released plants are reliable and are well worth growing in the garden.
Don Burke looked at some of the newer natives which he classes as good small natives to have in the garden. The following plants are either prostrate or small shrubs around 1m (3′) high (except for those indicated as being taller growing).
Syzygium australe ‘Tiny Trev’ – A compact, small growing lillypilly which is useful as a foliage plant, for bonsai or as a fast growing native hedge. The main benefit of this lillypilly over other recent releases is that it appears to be unaffected by psyllids. These insects cause ‘pimples’ on the leaves of many lillypillies which detracts from their use as foliage or hedging plants.
Acmena smithii ‘Elizabeth Isaacs’ – A variegated lillypilly with fine cream-coloured leaf margins (may also be sold as ‘Variegated’ or ‘Variegata’).
Banksia spinulosa ‘Birthday Candles’ – An attractive compact (almost prostrate) banksia with large upright flower heads in autumn and winter. As it is slow growing it is a little more expensive than some other native plants. It is a good choice for planting in pots in most areas. This plant will do well in a coastal climate with well-drained soil.
Banksia integrifolia (Prostrate Form) – Don rates this prostrate banksia as one of the best native ground covers ever released. It is a strong growing plant with creamy-green banksia flowers.
Grevillea ‘Superb’ – One of the most popular garden plants in Australia is the grevillea ‘Robyn Gordon’. ‘Superb’ has similar characteristics to ‘Robyn Gordon’ but is more apricot in colour. It flowers throughout the year. It will grow around 1-2m (3-6′) high and 2-3m (6-10′) wide.
Grevillea ‘Honey Gem‘ – A vigorous grevillea with apricot orange flowers. This plant is very attractive to native birds. This plant will grow as a small tree to around 3.5m (12’) but can be kept smaller with pruning.
Grevillea banksii (Prostrate Red Form) – This grevillea is an excellent ground cover plant with attractive green foliage and bright red flowers.
Callistemon viminalis ‘Captain Cook’ – This bottlebrush has been around for many years but is an excellent plant. It grows to around 2m (6′). It has strong red bottlebrush flowers and a weeping habit.
Melaleuca linariifolia ‘Purpurea’ – This dwarf plant has attractive claret coloured new growth. It may also be known as ‘Claret Tops’.
Baeckea virgata ‘Howie’s Sweet Midget’ – This shrubby little bush is similar in appearance to a small conifer and is very hardy. Don rates this as being one of the best plants ever produced. Sold as ‘Compacta’ or ‘Miniature’.
Austromyrtus inophloia – Don describes these plants as having almost lillypilly-like growth. They are very hardy and will grow in a shady situation but may be a little frost sensitive. The cultivar ‘Aurora’ has the same features as the species but with attractive copper-coloured new growth.
Climate
These hardy natives will generally grow in most areas of Australia except for the cooler mountain areas.
Availability
These plants are available from most nurseries. Prices range from $6-$8 for a 140mm (6″) pot and from $10-$16 for a 200mm (8″) pot. Banksia spinulosa ‘Birthday Candles’ costs around $18 for a 200mm (8″) squat pot or $100 for a 40cm (14″) replicotta squat pot as shown in the segment.
Further information
The plants we showed were filmed at Tim’s Garden Centre – Mt Annan.
Tim’s Garden Centre is at Mt Annan Drive, Mt Annan, NSW. Phone (02) 4647 3788.
The following native plant specialist nurseries around Australia also stock many of the native plants discussed above:
Fairhill Native Plants, Yandina, QLD. Phone: (07) 5446 7088
Kuranga Native Nursery, Ringwood, VIC. Phone: (03) 9879 4076
Zanthorrea Nursery, Maida Vale, WA. Phone: (08) 9454 4540
Wirreanda Nursery, Ingleside, NSW. Phone: (02) 9450 1400
Nellie Nursery, Mannum, SA. Phone: (08) 8569 1762
