- What is soil structure?Soon
- Much Much More...Soon
33 Low Maintenance Australian Native Shrubs for Your Garden
The key to creating a low maintenance garden is to pick the right plant for the right spot.
Contents
Characteristics of Low-Maintenance Plants
Easy Pruning and Cleanup
Choose plants that require minimal and straightforward pruning. This reduces the time and effort spent on maintenance tasks. Evergreens do not shed excessive leaves, eliminating the need for frequent cleanup. Fortunatley almost all Australian natives are evergreen and typically easy to prune (many can often be completely chopped back to the ground if needed).
Right Plant, Right Size
Select plants that fit the available space without the need for constant pruning. Matching the size of the plant to the designated area prevents overgrowth and maintains a visually pleasing garden.
Ideal Conditions
Ensure your chosen plants are well-suited to the local climate and soil conditions. This minimizes watering and the risk of diseases, pests, and other issues, reducing the need for constant intervention.
The Advantages of Australian Native Plants
Something for everyone
With a diverse range of native plants, there's an option for every soil condition at every size. Find the right match for your garden to ensure optimal growth without the need for extensive amendments.
Colourful and Evergreen
You can enjoy a vibrant and colorful garden by incorporating native plants with different colours, flower shapes and foliage texture. The rich diversity of native flora enhances the aesthetic appeal while requiring minimal maintenance. There are plenty of evergreen shrubs to 2 meters in Australia.
Quick Growers
Native plants are often quick growers, allowing you to enjoy a lush garden in a short period of time. This is especially beneficial for new gardens, where quick growth can help fill empty spaces and provide privacy.
Tips for Creating a Low-Maintenance Australian Garden
The 80% Rule
Eighty percent of garden maintenance revolves around selecting the appropriate plants for each location. Avoid common pitfalls by choosing plants that match your conditions and won't be "2 meters, too big, in 2 years".
Local Native Nurseries
There are so many varites and cultivars of Australian natives that are specific to and grown in certain regions. If it is grown close by it is more likely to be adapted to your local conditions so it can thrive and resist pests and diseases. Take advantage of the knowledge of your local nursery to find the right plant for the right spot.
You Still Have to Water
While native plants are adapted to local conditions, they still need to be watered until they are established. This is usually 6-12 months after planting, depending on the plant and the conditions. Once established, native plants are generally drought-tolerant and require minimal watering.
Banksia (Banksia spp.)
Banksia is known for its unique flower spikes and tolerance to poor soils.
Height: 0.5m to 25m- Width: Varies (Dependent on species)
- Sun: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Well-draining
- Water: Low to moderate water requirements
- Flower Colours: Varies (Yellow, red, orange)
Banksia spinulosa
Height: Can be a low-growing shrub - Compact, dwarf variety with unique flower spikes. Height varies.
Banksia integrifolia
Height: Small tree, Large tree, Large shrub - Coastal variety with unique flower spikes, suitable for coastal conditions.
Banksia robur
Height: Compact shrub (2.5m) - Medium shrub with unique flower spikes.
Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos spp.)
Kangaroo Paw is known for its striking, tubular flowers and drought tolerance.
- Height: .5m-1.5m (Dependent on species)
- Width: Varies (Dependent on species)
- Sun: Full sun
- Soil: Well-draining, some adaptable
- Water: Low to moderate water requirements
- Flower Colours: Red, orange, yellow, green, pruple, pink and mixed
Anigozanthos flavidus
Height: Varies - Tall stems with green and yellow tubular flowers.
Anigozanthos masquerade
Flower Colours: Blue - Distinctive paw-shaped blooms with striking colour.
Anigozanthos 'Bush Ranger'
Height: Compact variety - Compact variety with red and green flowers.
Grevillea (Grevillea spp.)
Grevillea includes diverse species with attractive flowers, and many are bird-attracting.
- Height: 0.3m to 30m
- Width: varies
- Sun: Full sun
- Soil: Well-draining soil
- Water: Low to moderate water requirements
- Flower Colours: Red, organge, yellow, purple, pink, white.
Grevillea intricata
Appearance: Dense with narrow conical flowers - 0.5m to 3m densely branched shrub and tangled branches.
Grevillea 'Superb'
Height: Medium-sized shrub - Medium-sized shrub with orange and pink toothbrush-like flowers.
Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo'
Height: Low-growing ground cover - Low-growing ground cover with needle-like foliage and flowers.
Bottlebrush (Callistemon spp.)
Bottlebrush is known for its bottlebrush-shaped flowers and is adaptable to various soil types.
- Height: 0.6m to 9m
- Width: 1m to 4m
- Sun: Full sun
- Soil: Adaptable
- Water: Low to moderate water requirements
- Flower Colours: Red, crimson, white, yellow, purple and green.
Callistemon pallidus
Flower: White - Large shrub with bright white bottlebrush flowers.
Callistemon viminalis
Height: Graceful, weeping habit - Graceful, weeping habit with red or pink flowers.
Callistemon 'Little John'
Height: Compact variety - Compact variety with blue-green foliage and red bottlebrush flowers.
Lilly Pilly (Syzygium spp.)
Lilly Pilly is often used for hedging, with glossy leaves and berries.
- Height: 1m to 33m
- Width: 1m to 4m
- Sun: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Adaptable
- Water: Moderate water requirements
- mall white flowers with long lasting red or purple berries.
Syzygium luehmannii
Height: Dense, bushy shrub - Dense, bushy shrub with glossy green leaves.
Syzygium australe 'Resilience'
Height: Popular hedging variety - Popular hedging variety with bronze new growth and white fluffy flowers.
Syzygium wilsonii
Height: Small tree - Small tree with attractive pink powderpuff-like flowers.
Dwarf Acacia (Acacia spp.)
Dwarf Acacia is drought-tolerant, with attractive fern-like foliage.
- Height: 0.5m to 3m
- Width: 0.5m to 2m
- Sun: Full sun
- Soil: Most need well-draining, some are adaptable
- Water: Low water requirements
- Foliage: Fern-like
Acacia 'Mini Cog'
Height: Low-growing ground cover - Low-growing ground cover with feathery foliage.
Acacia cognata 'Green Mist'
Height: Compact shrub - Compact shrub with green, weeping foliage.
Acacia cultriformis
Height:Tall Shrub - Tall shrub with mass of golden flowers.
Tea Tree (Leptospermum spp.)
Tea Tree is known for its fragrant foliage and flowers, with a range of sizes available.
- Height: 1.5m to 6m
- Width: 0.5m to 4m
- Sun: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Adaptable
- Water: Low to moderate water requirements
- Flowers: White, pink, red
- Foliage: Fragrant
Leptospermum scoparium
Height: Small tree - Small tree with aromatic foliage and white flowers.
Leptospermum petersonii
Height: Medium-sized shrub - Medium-sized shrub with lemon-scented leaves.
Leptospermum 'Pink Cascade'
Height: Weeping shrub - Weeping shrub with pink flowers.
Native Rosemary (Westringia spp.)
Native Rosemary is resilient and drought-tolerant with rosemary-like leaves.
- Height: 0.3m to 1.5m
- Width: 0.5m to 2m
- Sun: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Adaptable
- Water: Low water requirements
- Flower Colours: White, light-lavender, pale blue-mauve
Westringia fruticosa
Height: Medium-sized shrub - Medium-sized shrub with white to mauve flowers.
Source: Wynyabbie Gem Rosemary
Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem'
Height: Compact shrub - Compact shrub with small, dark green leaves and white flowers.
Source: Smokie Rosemary
Westringia 'Smokie'
Height: Low-growing ground cover - Low-growing ground cover with gray-green leaves and small white flowers.
Correa (Correa spp.)
Correa is known for its bell-shaped flowers and tolerance to coastal conditions.
- Height: 0.3m to 3m
- Width: 0.5m to 2m
- Sun: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Well-draining soil
- Water: Low to moderate water requirements
- Flowers: Bell-shaped white, pink, scarlet, crimson or red and white
Source: White Correa
Correa alba
Height: Small shrub - Small shrub with white bell-shaped flowers.
Correa reflexa
Height: Medium-sized shrub - Medium-sized shrub with pink to red bell-shaped flowers.
Correa pulchella
Height: Low-growing - Low-growing with pink flowers.
Melaleuca (Melaleuca spp.)
Melaleuca is a paperbark species with aromatic foliage.
- Height: 1m to 35m
- Width: 1m to 4m
- Sun: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Adaptable
- Water: Low water requirements
- Flower Colours: Red, pink, mauve, purple and yellow.
Melaleuca linariifolia (Claret Tops)
Appearance: Red tipped clouds - Medium-sied shrub with small white flowers, unpruned forms a cloud of red tipped foliage.
Melaleuca alternifolia
Height: Medium-sized shrub - Medium-sized shrub with narrow leaves and white bottlebrush-like flowers.
Melaleuca thymifolia
Height: Low-growing shrub - Low-growing shrub with aromatic foliage and pink to purple flowers.
Kunzea (Kunzea spp.)
Kunzea is a hardy shrub with small, aromatic flowers.
- Height: 0.4m to 10m
- Width: 0.5m to 2m
- Sun: Full sun
- Soil: Well-draining, some clay-loam
- Water: Low water requirements
- Flowers: White, yellow, pink, purple red
Kunzea ambigua
Height: Medium-sized shrub - Medium-sized shrub with white aromatic flowers.
Kunzea capitata
Height: Small shrub - Small shrub with pink aromatic flowers.
Kunzea parvifolia
Height: Small shrub - Small shrub with pink or white aromatic flowers.
Concluding Thoughts
Australian native shrubs are a great addition to any garden and there are plenty of evergreen shrubs to 2 meters in Australia.Although we try to keep information up to date, please check with your local nursery for the latest information. Remember that a low-maintenance plant is the right plant for the right spot.
Whether you need help choosing the perfect shrub for your garden, planting and establishing your shrubs, or maintaining your shrubs over time, let us help. You can also check out our other gardening course articles that we are adding to regularly.
Start Your Garden