12 Australian native plants that self-seed to fill your garden
When a plant sets seed and a seedling grows, something ecologically functional is happening. The soil and conditions are right and the plant is completing its reproductive cycle. It is one of the more reliable signs that a garden has moved past the establishment phase. A garden that rearranges itself across seasons becomes more interesting over time.
The 12 plants below are reliable self-seeders in Australian gardens. None of them are aggressive in the way that exotic self-seeders can be. All of them produce flowers or seed heads worth having wherever they appear.
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1. Digger's speedwell (Veronica perfoliata)
Victoria · NSW · ACT · Tasmania · SA highlands
Digger's speedwell is one of those plants that makes you wonder why it is not in every garden. The blue-purple flower spikes are produced with grey-green leaves that clasp the stem in pairs. The botanical name perfoliata refers to the stem appearing to pass through the leaf.
Donald Hobern from Canberra, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Where it self-seeds best
Digger's speedwell self-seeds most freely in cool temperate gardens with some overhead shade and good drainage. It performs well beneath eucalypts and in dry understorey conditions where few other flowering plants can grow. It is not suited to tropical or subtropical climates or to waterlogged soils. In the right position it will establish a self-sustaining colony over several seasons.
How to encourage it
Allow flower spikes to set seed and dry on the stem before cutting. Disturb the leaf litter lightly around established plants in autumn with a hand-claw cultivator or hori-hori to create contact between seed and soil.
2. Rice flower (Pimelea humilis)
Victoria · Tasmania · Southern NSW · SA
Pimelea is one of the most rewarding plants when it is on full display. Clusters of small white to pale pink flowers cover a low spreading shrub in spring. It self-seeds reliably in its immediate vicinity. It is not widely grown, which makes a grouping of it genuinely unusual.
Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Where it self-seeds best
Rice flower self-seeds best in well-drained, slightly acidic soils in cool temperate climates. It dislikes heavy clay, poor drainage and humid conditions. It works in heathland-style plantings alongside banksias and native grasses where lean, dry conditions match its natural habitat. See our Hobart and Melbourne native plant guides for companion species.
How to encourage it
Allow the seed to ripen and fall naturally. Prune lightly with secateurs after flowering to maintain form but avoid cutting into old wood, which does not regenerate reliably.
How to relocate a self-seeded plant
Water the seedling well the day before moving it. Use a hori-hori to cut down vertically around the plant at a radius slightly wider than the leaf spread, then lever the root ball out cleanly from beneath rather than pulling from the stem. Keep as much soil around the roots as possible. Move the plant immediately to its new position. Plant at the same depth it was growing, firm the soil gently and water in slowly and deeply using a hose or a terracotta olla placed beside the plant.
Plants with taproots like billy buttons and some daisies are less forgiving and should be moved as early as possible. If you miss the window, it is usually better to let the plant flower and set seed in its current position and relocate the next generation.
3. Rottnest Island daisy (Trachymene coerulea)
WA · SA · Victoria · Southern NSW
Rottnest Island daisy produces flower heads in pale blue to white in the same structure as a Queen Anne's lace. It is an annual that completes its cycle in a single season and relies entirely on self-seeding for persistence in the garden. In the right conditions it does this without any assistance, reappearing in successive seasons in the same position or nearby.
Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Where it self-seeds best
Rottnest Island daisy self-seeds most reliably in free-draining sandy or gravelly soils in full sun across Mediterranean and warm temperate climates. It is particularly well suited to WA and SA gardens where the summer-dry conditions match its native range. In cooler or wetter climates, treat it as a reliable annual and collect seed in autumn for the following season.
How to encourage it
Allow flower heads to dry completely on the stem and scatter seed naturally. In new areas, clear a patch of bare soil or fine gravel with a narrow trowel or border rake in late summer and allow seed to fall onto the surface. It needs light to germinate and will not establish through heavy mulch.
4. Willow herb (Epilobium spp.)
All states
The seed dispersal mechanism alone is worth growing willow herb for. The long seed pods split to release dozens of seeds, each attached to a fine silky plume that carries it on the slightest air movement. In late summer and autumn a plant in full seed is striking in its own right. Several Australian species are native to a wide range of habitats from alpine to subtropical.
Where it self-seeds best
Willow herb self-seeds most freely in disturbed, open ground and along moist edges where the seed settles. A terracotta olla buried nearby during establishment will extend the season significantly in hot, dry positions. It self-seeds into converted lawn beds and disturbed edges reliably.
How to encourage it
Leave seed pods on the plant until they split naturally. The silky seeds travel further than most, so established plants will seed into positions well beyond the immediate vicinity. Mark any seedlings you want to keep with a copper stake before they are accidentally removed as weeds.
5. Brachyscome (Brachyscome multifida)
Victoria · NSW · SA · WA · Southern QLD
Brachyscome produces masses of small daisy flowers in shades of purple, pink and white across a long season. It is a short-lived perennial that relies on self-seeding to maintain a continuous population. The result over several seasons is a self-renewing drift of colour that adjusts its position subtly each year.
Where it self-seeds best
Brachyscome self-seeds most freely in open, well-drained positions in full to part sun. It works well at the front of a border, along bed edges and in gravel where seed can contact bare mineral surface. It is not suited to humid tropical or subtropical climates. In cool temperate gardens it is often the first thing flowering in late winter and one of the last to finish in early summer.
How to encourage it
Allow spent flower heads to dry on the plant rather than deadheading. Once plants decline, remove them cleanly with a hori-hori and leave the surrounding soil open for seedlings that will already be present. Avoid applying fresh mulch over areas where you want self-seeding to occur.
6. Native bluebell (Wahlenbergia stricta)
All states except NT
Native bluebell is one of the most freely self-seeding flowering plants in Australian temperate grasslands. The blue to pale violet flowers appear through spring and early summer and the seed capsules that follow release tiny seed that germinates readily in open soil and short grass. It is a true grassland plant, establishing quickly and flowering in its first season from seed.
Where it self-seeds best
Native bluebell self-seeds most freely in open, lightly disturbed ground across temperate and subtropical climates. It is one of the most widely distributed self-seeders on this list, performing reliably from Tasmania to coastal Queensland. In a converted lawn or no-dig bed, it will establish itself within the first or second season without being planted. It works for the dry conditions beneath established eucalypts.
How to encourage it
Allow seed capsules to dry and split on the stem. In grassland plantings, a light disturbance of the soil surface in late summer with a cultivator creates the bare soil contact that germination requires. Do not mulch areas where you want bluebells to self-seed.
7. Billy buttons (Craspedia glauca)
Victoria · Tasmania · ACT · Southern NSW · SA · WA
Billy buttons set seed readily after flowering and the seedlings are easy to identify from the moment they emerge. The spherical yellow flowers on long, bare stems are architectural enough to earn their place anywhere they appear. They are also among the most effective flowers for native bees through the spring season.
Where they self-seed best
Billy buttons prefer open, well-drained positions in full sun. They self-seed most freely in lighter soils and gravel mulch where seed can make contact with mineral surface. Heavy organic mulch suppresses germination. They are best suited to cool and cold temperate gardens where the combination of winter cold and summer dry matches their natural grassland habitat.
How to encourage them
Allow flower heads to dry fully on the stem before cutting. If you want to encourage spread in a particular area, cut dried heads and lay them on cleared ground in late summer.
8. Yellow buttons (Chrysocephalum apiculatum)
All mainland states
Yellow buttons is one of the most widely distributed flowering groundcovers in Australia, which partly explains why it self-seeds so readily across such a wide range of conditions. Its reliability across all mainland climate zones makes it one of the most broadly useful self-seeders on this list.
Where it self-seeds best
Yellow buttons self-seeds best in lean, well-drained soils in full sun. It is one of the most reliable self-seeders for hot, dry positions where other plants struggle to reproduce. In rich soils or heavy mulch, plants grow lushly but often self-seed less freely. It suits all mainland climates including arid and semi-arid zones. See our dry garden guide for companion species.
How to encourage it
Avoid deadheading, instead allow flowers to set seed and dry on the plant. Cut back hard after the main flowering flush to encourage a second round of flowers and seed. Remove spent plants once they decline to free space for the seedlings already establishing around them.
9. Native everlasting (Rhodanthe chlorocephala)
WA · SA · Victoria · Southern NSW
Native everlasting is an annual that completes its life cycle in a single season but self-seeds so prolifically that it maintains a continuous presence. In good seasons, it can naturalise across bare ground in substantial drifts. The seed heads are also worth cutting for dried arrangements.
Where it self-seeds best
Native everlasting self-seeds most freely in sandy, free-draining soils in full sun across Mediterranean and warm temperate climates. It is particularly reliable in WA and SA gardens where the summer-dry conditions match its natural range. It will not establish through mulch so bare mineral soil is essential for germination.
How to encourage it
Allow flower heads to dry completely on the stem and scatter seed naturally in late summer. Clear patches of bare ground in areas where you want the plant to establish. In new gardens, scatter seed directly onto cleared soil in autumn and water in once.
10. Strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum)
All states
Strawflower is one of the most recognisable Australian wildflowers. It self-seeds reliably across a wide range of conditions and the seedlings establish quickly in their first season. In warm climates it behaves as a perennial; in cool temperate gardens it is a reliable self-seeding annual.
Where it self-seeds best
Strawflower self-seeds most freely in open, well-drained positions in full sun across temperate and subtropical climates. It is one of the most widely adaptable self-seeders on this list, performing in coastal, inland, cool and warm positions. It does not self-seed reliably in deep shade or waterlogged soils. In a restored garden or converted lawn bed, it is often one of the first flowering plants to establish itself without being planted.
How to encourage it
Allow flowers to dry fully on the stem and release seed naturally. In new areas, scatter seed onto cleared soil in autumn. Prune spent plants back with secateurs rather than removing them entirely. The cut stumps often reshoot and produce a second season of flowers.
When to harvest and scatter seed
Seed collected too early will not be viable. It needs to complete its development on the plant before it is ready to germinate. The reliable test is simple: the seed head should be dry, the colour should have shifted from green to brown, straw or grey, and the seed should detach easily from the head with light pressure or a gentle shake. If it resists, it is not ready.
Check seed heads regularly from late summer onward. Cut the stem just below the seed head and place it upside down in a paper bag in a dry, ventilated position for a week or two to allow any remaining seed to dry and fall. Store in a cool, dry place in a labelled paper envelope.
When scattering seed, clear the target area of mulch first and scratch the soil surface lightly with a cultivator or the tip of a hori-hori to create bare mineral contact. Scatter seed thinly and press lightly into the surface. For most Australian wildflowers, autumn is the best time to sow. Water in once and then leave the area undisturbed.
11. Tussock grass (Poa labillardieri)
Victoria · NSW · Tasmania · SA · ACT
Tussock grass seeds freely in open conditions and the seedlings establish readily in the gaps between established plants. The arching blue-green foliage and delicate seed heads contribute structure through every season. Finches and seed-eating birds are drawn to seeding poa, which means the plant brings additional wildlife activity. In a converted lawn it will gradually colonise available space, producing a naturalistic grassland layer without any replanting.
Where it self-seeds best
Tussock grass self-seeds most freely in open grassland plantings with limited mulch cover, establishing in mineral soil and in the gaps between established tussocks. It is suited to cool and mild temperate climates and performs best where summers are dry rather than humid. See our guide to native grasses for texture for companion species and spacing guidance.
How to encourage it
Leave seed heads on the plant through summer and autumn. Avoid cutting back too early in the season — the seed needs time to ripen and fall. A light cut in late autumn with secateurs refreshes the tussock without removing the seasons seed.
12. Kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra)
All mainland states
The reddish-bronze seed heads through summer and autumn are among the most beautiful structures in the native garden. It self-seeds freely into open ground around established plants, gradually building a grassland layer that requires almost no maintenance once it is established.
Where it self-seeds best
Kangaroo grass self-seeds most freely in open, well-drained positions across all mainland climate zones. It is one of the few grasses that performs reliably from the tropics to cool temperate highlands. It self-seeds most prolifically where summer heat is followed by autumn rain — the combination that triggers germination in its natural grassland habitat. In a restorative planting or converted lawn bed, it is one of the first ecologically significant plants to establish itself once conditions are right.
How to encourage it
Leave seed heads on the plant through summer and allow them to fall naturally in autumn. In new plantings, scatter fresh seed onto cleared, bare soil in late summer — do not bury it, as kangaroo grass germinates on the surface. A light disturbance of the soil with a cultivator immediately before sowing improves contact between seed and soil without inverting the soil profile.
What a self-seeding garden tells you
A garden where plants reproduce without assistance is one where the conditions are right. The soil is biologically active enough to support germination. The microclimate is stable enough for seedlings to establish. The garden is not being managed in ways that prevent natural processes — the mulch is not too deep, the soil is not too disturbed, there is enough open mineral surface for seed to make contact.
In a new planting, self-seeding is rare. In an established one, it becomes increasingly common as the conditions that support it accumulate. Paying attention to where self-seeded plants appear and what those positions have in common, tells you what's working in your garden. It is one of the more useful forms of feedback the garden offers.
See our our propagation guide for supplementing self-seeding and our first year failure guide for what to watch for through the establishment period.
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A Guide to Australian Native Gardening
How to plan, plant and care for a thriving native garden, whatever your experience level.
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