12 Australian natives for steep banks and slopes in a garden
A steep bank or slope is one of the most difficult planting problems in a residential garden. Water runs off, soil erodes during rain, access for maintenance is awkward and the microclimate of sun exposure, faster drying and wind is harsher than the rest of the garden.
Raffi Kojian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A well-planted native bank photographed at Royal Botanic Gardens, Cranbourne, Melbourne.
Australian natives solve the slope problem in almost all cases. Their root systems are adapted to lean, dry, fast-draining soils. Many spread laterally by runners or layering, closing gaps and binding the ground. And unlike exotic groundcovers, they support the insects, birds and pollinators that make a garden genuinely alive.
A layered native Australian garden on a steep slope — the plants are doing the work of controlling erosion and run-off.
There are two layers to a successful native slope planting: the workhorses that do the structural and erosion work and the plants that make the bank worth looking at.
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The workhorses: reliable slope plants by role
The plants in this table are the proven performers. They are widely available, incredibly tough and selected for their ability to hold soil, cover ground and establish without fuss.
Lomandra longifolia is one of the most reliable soil-binding plants in the Australian flora and the backbone of most well-planted native banks.
| Plant | Role on slope | Climate zones | Key quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lomandra longifolia Spiny-headed mat-rush |
Soil binding, framework | All zones | Fibrous roots, handles wet and dry equally |
| Westringia fruticosa Coastal rosemary |
Structural shrub, weed suppression | Coastal and temperate | Self-shapes, handles salt and wind |
| Myoporum parvifolium Creeping boobialla |
Fast ground cover, gap closing | Temperate to arid | Roots at nodes as it runs, very fast coverage |
| Carpobrotus rossii Native pigface / Karkalla |
Erosion control, coastal coverage | Coastal and arid, southern Australia | Roots from cuttings on bare sand, zero care |
| Ficinia nodosa Knobby club rush |
Soil binding, wet banks | All zones, coastal and inland | Handles waterlogging and salt, architecturally distinctive |
| Acacia longifolia Sydney golden wattle |
Upper bank anchor, nitrogen fixing | Coastal and temperate | Fast establishment, deep roots, improves soil |
| Leptospermum laevigatum Coastal tea tree |
Sand and soil stabiliser | Coastal, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA | Deep roots in pure sand, canopy shades out weeds |
| Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' | Fast spreading ground cover | Temperate to warm temperate, all states | Spreads 3–4m, layers and roots, flowers year-round |
| Poa labillardieri Common tussock grass |
Soil binding, gap filling | Temperate, VIC, NSW, SA, TAS, ACT | Dense fibrous roots, handles dry slopes well |
| Themeda triandra Kangaroo grass |
Soil binding, habitat | All zones | Deep roots, high wildlife value, self-establishes from seed |
Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' is a fast-growing groundcover that spreads 3–4m, layers and roots and flowers year-round.
12 plants for visual interest on a slope
These native plants add something visually extraordinary between the workhorses: flower form, foliage or structural presence that makes the bank feel designed.
1. Fern-leaf banksia (Banksia blechnifolia)
Prostrate groundcoverMediterranean WA
C T Johansson, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Fern-leaf banksia (Banksia blechnifolia) — the prostrate form hugs the slope and spreads naturally; the deeply serrated, fern-like leaves are among the most visually extraordinary in the genus.
Banksia blechnifolia is one of very few banksias with a genuinely prostrate habit. It hugs the ground and spreads across a slope rather than growing upright. The deeply serrated, fern-like leaves are unlike almost anything else in the garden, and the cylindrical yellow flower spikes emerge at ground level in late winter and spring. In WA gardens on sandy slopes it requires almost no maintenance.
2. Royal grevillea (Grevillea victoriae)
Cold-zone flowering shrubCool temperate and alpine
Royal grevillea (Grevillea victoriae) — large red spider flowers against blue-grey foliage; one of the most frost-hardy grevilleas and one of the most visually striking on a cool temperate or alpine slope.
Grevillea victoriae's large, pendulous red spider flowers are produced over an extended season and attract honeyeaters reliably, and the blue-grey foliage is as distinctive as the flowers. It handles frost, exposed positions and poor soils without complaint and its spreading habit provides genuine soil coverage on a bank face. In the Australian Capital Territory, Victorian highlands and alpine NSW it is one of the most useful visually interesting slope plants available.
3. Woolly grevillea (Grevillea lanigera)
Low spreading groundcover shrubCool to warm temperate
Woolly grevillea (Grevillea lanigera) — the soft, grey-green woolly foliage creates a texture entirely different from the harder surfaces typical of slope plantings; pink-red flowers through winter and spring.
Grevillea lanigera brings texture to a slope garden. Its soft, grey-green woolly foliage creates visual contrast that makes the planting feel considered. The pink-red flowers produced through winter and spring are a significant nectar source for honeyeaters. It spreads by layering as stems that touch the ground root naturally and over time creates a dense, weed-suppressing mat that does real erosion work.
4. Ovens wattle (Acacia pravissima)
Weeping structural shrubCool temperate
GinnyWheezy, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Ovens wattle (Acacia pravissima) — the arching, weeping branch structure and small triangular phyllodes give it a silhouette unlike most other wattles; covered in yellow flowers in late winter, it is one of the most beautiful structural plants for a cool temperate bank.
Acacia pravissima is one of the most visually distinctive wattles available and one of the more compact. Its arching, weeping form gives it an elegant silhouette on a slope. In late winter it is covered in masses of golden yellow flowers that are a major nectar source for insects and birds. Its root system provides genuine bank anchorage and it handles poor soils, frost and dry conditions without complaint. Use it at the structural points of the bank where its weeping form can be appreciated.
5. Snake vine (Hibbertia scandens)
Fast coastal and subtropical coverageCoastal and subtropical, QLD and NSW
Snake vine (Hibbertia scandens) — large, clear yellow flowers among the biggest of any native groundcover; the vigorous trailing habit covers coastal and subtropical banks rapidly, rooting as it runs.
Hibbertia scandens covers coastal and subtropical banks rapidly, with stems that trail down, root at intervals and produce large, clear yellow flowers. The flowers are among the largest of any native groundcover. It handles salt, wind and coastal exposure well and in shadier positions on a bank it performs better than most other fast-covering options.
6. Dog rose (Bauera rubioides)
Damp shaded bank scramblerCool temperate, moist shaded slopes
Dog rose (Bauera rubioides) — small, perfectly formed pink flowers on scrambling stems; one of the most charming plants for a cool, moist shaded bank, where it weaves through other vegetation naturally.
Bauera rubioides is a plant for a specific and underserved niche on the slope — the cool, moist, shaded bank, particularly along drainage lines and the south-facing side of embankments. It scrambles through other vegetation rather than forming a dense mat. It handles damp conditions that would stress most slope plants and brings a soft, cottage-like quality. Relatively rarely planted in home gardens, which makes it a point of difference.
Why the most visually interesting plants are often WA endemics
South-west Western Australia is one of the world's thirty-six biodiversity hotspots. It is a region of exceptional plant diversity that evolved in geographic isolation over millions of years. Separated from eastern Australia by the arid Nullarbor, the south-west WA flora developed independently, producing an extraordinary concentration of species found nowhere else on earth. This isolation drove rapid speciation and produced flower forms, foliage structures and growth habits that have no close equivalents in eastern Australia.
7. Fan flower (Scaevola aemula)
Long-season flowering groundcoverCoastal and subtropical
Fan flower (Scaevola aemula) — the asymmetric fan-shaped flower is one of the most distinctive structures in the native flora; blue-purple blooms through an extended season across coastal and subtropical slopes.
The half-flower form of Scaevola is one of the most distinctive structures in the native flora — each bloom looks as if it has been split in two, the petals fanned to one side. It spreads informally across a bank, filling gaps with blue-purple flowers through an extended season from spring into summer, and handles coastal conditions well. It provides good pollinator value over a long season and combines well with the more structural workhorse plants around it.
8. Claw honey-myrtle (Melaleuca pulchella)
Flowering WA shrubMediterranean WA only
Melburnian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Claw honey-myrtle (Melaleuca pulchella) — the claw-shaped mauve-pink flowers are unlike almost anything else in the native flora; plant it where it can be seen up close, the flowers reward examination.
Melaleuca pulchella is included here for the flowers, which are genuinely unlike almost anything else in the native flora. The claw-shaped mauve-pink blooms are produced along the stems in a way that makes the whole plant look decorated and they attract native bees in significant numbers. It handles dry WA conditions, sandy soils and coastal exposure reliably and spreads to form a low mound. For WA gardeners it offers a flower form that genuinely surprises.
9. Running dampiera (Dampiera diversifolia)
Running WA groundcoverMediterranean WA only
mrpbps, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Running dampiera (Dampiera diversifolia) — an electric blue-purple that is difficult to match in any other native groundcover; spreads by underground runners across dry WA slopes, flowering prolifically through spring.
Dampiera diversifolia produces vivid, almost electric blue flowers in spring to visually transform a slope face. It spreads by underground runners and surface stems that root as they travel, making it genuinely useful for erosion control. Combined with Banksia blechnifolia and Melaleuca pulchella, it creates a WA slope planting with an extraordinary range of flower forms and colours across the spring season.
10. Wedding bush (Ricinocarpos pinifolius)
Spring-flowering coastal shrubCoastal and temperate, eastern Australia
Wedding bush (Ricinocarpos pinifolius) — masses of white star flowers in spring on a plant that handles dry coastal and sandy slopes without any support; one of the most striking spring-flowering natives in the eastern states.
Ricinocarpos pinifolius is one of those plants that stops people in their tracks when it flowers in spring — the entire shrub is covered in clear white star flowers to the point where the foliage is barely visible beneath them. It handles dry coastal and sandy soils, full exposure and its spreading habit provides useful bank coverage. Plant it mid-bank where the spring display can be seen from below.
11. Everlasting daisy (Rhodanthe chlorocephala)
Annual colour for disturbed arid slopesArid, semi-arid and dry temperate
Everlasting daisy (Rhodanthe chlorocephala) — papery pink and white flowers on silver foliage; adapted to disturbed, sandy and arid soils and one of the best options for adding seasonal colour to a newly established or replanted dry slope.
Rhodanthe chlorocephala is an annual adapted to disturbed soils — bare, sandy and dry conditions that most other plants find inhospitable. On a newly planted slope where the workhorse groundcovers have not yet closed the gaps, scattering everlasting daisy seed across the exposed soil between plants provides a season of papery pink and white colour that also suppresses weeds. The flowers dry in place and self-seed readily, meaning it can return the following year from the existing seed bank.
12. Weeping grass (Microlaena stipoides)
Soft grass for shaded banksShaded banks, cool to warm temperate
John Tann from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Weeping grass (Microlaena stipoides) — fine, soft texture and genuine shade tolerance make it the best native grass for shaded banks under established tree canopy; the weeping habit creates a flowing surface that moves in the wind.
Microlaena stipoides is one of very few native grasses that genuinely handles full shade, and its fine, weeping texture creates a visual softness on a shaded bank that contrasts well with the harder-structured shade plants around it. On a shaded bank it can be combined with Bauera rubioides and native violet to create a layered groundcover.
Planting on a slope: what works and what does not
The basic rules for planting on a slope are different from flat ground and worth understanding before you start.
Plant into the slope, not on top of it
Dig planting holes horizontally into the slope rather than vertically down. This creates a small shelf of undisturbed soil that holds moisture around the root zone. A hori hori is the most effective tool for this as its narrow blade cuts into a bank at angle. Position the plant very slightly uphill as you plant it so the crown sits just above the surrounding soil level, which prevents water pooling against the stem.
Mulch immediately and heavily
Bare soil on a slope is at maximum erosion risk. Mulch immediately after planting. Use a coarse mulch that will not wash away: wood chip or bark rather than fine compost or lawn clippings. On very steep banks, pegged erosion matting laid over the mulch can hold everything in place until plants are established.
Mulching immediately after planting is the most important single step on a slope — bare soil between plants is at maximum erosion risk until groundcovers close the gaps.
Water slowly and at the base
During establishment, water slowly at the base of each plant using a watering can rather than overhead spray. A terracotta olla is one of the most effective establishment tools on a slope as it delivers water directly to the root zone by slow seepage with no runoff.
Plant in staggered rows, not straight lines
Staggering plants across the slope in a diagonal or triangular pattern rather than straight horizontal rows closes gaps faster and distributes root coverage more evenly across the bank. Space groundcovers closer than you would on flat ground as the sooner gaps close, the sooner the erosion risk is eliminated. For large banks, plant structural shrubs first to anchor the upper and lower edges, then fill between them with spreading groundcovers and grasses.
Creeping boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) running across a slope — staggering plants in a diagonal pattern rather than straight rows closes gaps faster and distributes root coverage more evenly across the bank.
Weed before you plant
A slope with established weeds will be nearly impossible to weed once native plants are in the ground. Clear the bank thoroughly before planting. On steep slopes where smothering with cardboard is impractical, hand-clearing followed by immediate planting and heavy mulching is the most effective approach. See the spring weeding guide for species-specific removal advice.
A slope with established weeds — particularly kikuyu, couch or paspalum — will be nearly impossible to weed once native plants are in the ground; clear thoroughly before planting.
Putting it together
The most effective slope planting uses the workhorse table as its backbone and threads the twelve plants through it. A large sunny temperate bank might anchor with Acacia longifolia and Leptospermum laevigatum at the top, fill the face with Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' and Poa labillardieri, and add Grevillea victoriae and Acacia pravissima at structural points where the weeping and flowering forms can be appreciated. A coastal bank might use Westringia and Carpobrotus as the working layer, then bring in Hibbertia scandens for fast coverage and Ricinocarpos pinifolius for the spring display. A WA Mediterranean bank can create something genuinely extraordinary by combining Banksia blechnifolia, Dampiera diversifolia and Melaleuca pulchella across a sandy face — three plants with completely different flower forms and foliage, all adapted to the same conditions.
A bank planted with workhorses and visual interest plants together — once established, a well-designed native slope requires almost no ongoing maintenance.
The principle in every case is the same: the workhorses hold the bank and close the gaps, and the twelve do the job of making the bank worth looking at. A slope that does both is no more work to establish than one that only does one.
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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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