Wherever you live in Australia, it pays to shop around and make sure you buy your plants at prices to suit your budget. There are a growing number of nurseries that sell plants at very competitive prices, and many offer discounts if you buy in bulk. Here is a list of some of the nurseries around the country where you will find very cheap plants.
NSW
Growers Plant Market
184 Annangrove Road
Annangrove
Phone: (02) 9679 0922
Open: Monday to Sunday 9am-5pm
Sells: natives and exotics, including murrayas, buxus, gardenias and camellias. Also pots, garden ornaments and indoor plants.
Cost: very competitive prices, for example mondo grass in 100mm (51/2″) pots, 4 plants for $10.
Tharwa Nursery
21 Myoora Road
Terrey Hills 2084
Phone: (02) 9450 1967
Open: Monday to Saturday (closed on Sundays)
Sells: many native plants (including indigenous local species) and non-native plants in tubes.
Cost: Tubes generally cost $2 each; dropping to $1.75 for 50 or more plants; and to $1.60 for 90 or more.
QLD
Rainbow Nursery
2 Castile Crescent
Edens Landing
Phone: (07) 3807 4741
Open: 7 days 8.30am-5.00pm
Sells: mainly in 125mm pots: Exotics, natives, indoor plants, palms, potted colour
Cost: $3.85 or less
SA
State Flora Nurseries (at 2 locations)
Belair
Belair National Park
Phone: (08) 8278 7777
Open: Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Weekends 10am-5pm
Bremer Road
Murray Bridge
Phone: (08) 8539 2105
Open: Monday to Friday 8.00am-4.30pm
Sells: 1200 species of natives (trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, rushes, and climbers). These nurseries specialise in local species, and use locally sourced seed of trees and shrubs to encourage biodiversity. They also have a good bookshop on native plants.
Cost: Seedlings $2.25 per tube (50 or more $1.80 – must be the same species). Cutting grown $3.50. If you advance order seedlings, the nursery will grow them and you only pay $1.05 per tube (have to order 25 of the same species).
TAS
Woodlea Nursery
49 Whish-wilson Road
Scottsdale 7260
Phone: (03) 6352 7262
Sells: natives and non-native hedging and windbreak plants.Natives include melaleuca, grevillea, leptospermum, callistemon, eucalyptus, climbers and grasses.Exotics include hedging plants like pittosporum, photinia, ligustrum and Leyland cypress.
Cost: $2.20 per tube or $1.55 when you buy more than 30 (can be different species). Hiko trays containing 40 plants grown from seedlings cost 80c per plant. More than one tray costs 65c per plant; more than 5 trays are 54c per plant. Mail order available.
VIC
Camberwell Market
Station Street
Camberwell
Phone: 1300 367 712
Open: Sunday mornings from 6.30am-12.30pm
Sells: many types of plants, depending on who hires a stall on the day.
WA
Narrogin Plant Nursery
Hough Street
Narrogin (2 hours from Perth)
Phone: (08) 9881 9212
Open: Monday to Friday 8am-4.30pm
Sells: natives only. They include WA endemic species, especially understorey plants. Most popular natives include eucalyptus, melaleuca, hakea, banksia, dryandra, kunzea, acacia. They also sell mixed trays of