12 Australian natives with texture, tactility and soft form

1. Pincushion hakea (Hakea laurina)

Hakea laurina · Mediterranean and warm temperate · Large shrub or small tree to 5m

What looks like the flower of pincushion hakea is not actually the flower. Instead, the flowers are the individual cream styles, each one a complete bloom. The whole head is a soft, radiating sphere of extraordinary complexity.

Beyond the flowers, Hakea laurina is a highly garden-worthy large shrub or small tree with bold grey-green foliage, strong structure and exceptional wildlife value. The flowers are among the most significant nectar sources for honeyeaters. For more on the genus, the hakea growing guide covers variety selection and cultivation in detail.

2. Flannel flower (Actinotus helianthi)

Actinotus helianthi · Eastern Australia · Annual or short-lived perennial to 60cm

The flannel flower bracts (they are not technically petals) have a dense, napped texture that is genuinely remarkable: they feel exactly as the name promises, like a fine flannel fabric. The white-tipped grey-green bracts radiate from a central yellow-green button.

Native to sandstone-based soils in eastern NSW and southern QLD, flannel flower rewards understanding of its natural habitat. It grows in nutrient-poor, sharply draining, slightly acidic soils in full sun to light shade. Rich, heavy or water-retentive soils are fatal. It is also one of the most popular wildflower garden plants for attracting native bees.

3. Tall mulla mulla (Ptilotus nobilis)

Ptilotus nobilis · Arid and semi-arid · Perennial to 60cm

The genus name Ptilotus comes from the Greek for "feathered". The cylindrical flower spikes are densely covered in soft, silky bristles in silver-pink. The texture is somewhere between a feather duster and a soft brush. The species name nobilis — meaning noble — is apt.

Native to arid and semi-arid inland Australia, it thrives in dry gardens with excellent drainage and full sun. It is short-lived in cultivation — typically two to three years — but self-seeds freely in the right conditions. In humid coastal gardens it tends to rot at the base. In the right dry inland zone, it is one of the most rewarding flowering plants available.

4. Grey spider flower (Grevillea buxifolia)

Grevillea buxifolia · Eastern Australia · Shrub to 1.5m

Grevillea buxifolia has been in cultivation longer than almost any other grevillea — over 250 years — and yet it remains underused in Australian gardens. The flowers are soft grey-white with a felted, velvety texture in bud that is completely unlike the more familiar prickly or waxy grevillea flowers. The foliage is stiff and can be sharp when pruning, but the flowers themselves are remarkably tactile.

Native to coastal heathlands, dry sclerophyll forests and rocky slopes in NSW, it prefers well-drained, slightly acidic soils in full sun to light shade. It is hardy, long-lived and highly attractive to honeyeaters and native bees. Light pruning after flowering keeps it compact — the grevillea growing guide covers technique and variety selection across all climate zones.

5. Smoke bush (Conospermum stoechadis)

Conospermum stoechadis · WA Mediterranean · Shrub to 1m

In full flower, Conospermum stoechadis looks as though someone has pressed a handful of cloud into its branches. The texture is cottony and yielding, completely distinct from any other Australian flower. Aboriginal peoples of the southwest used various Conospermum species medicinally, including topically for skin conditions.

Melburnian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Native to the kwongan heathlands of southwestern WA, smoke bush demands the conditions of its origin: low-nutrient, freely draining, sandy and slightly acidic soil in full sun. In Mediterranean-climate gardens with the right soil it is long-lived and very low maintenance once established.

6. Rose cone flower (Isopogon formosus)

Isopogon formosus · WA Mediterranean · Shrub to 1.5m

The persistent seed heads of rose cone flower are perfectly spherical, woody and smooth, roughly the size of a large marble. The plant earns its place in the garden across multiple seasons: first the rose-pink flowers, then the spherical heads that remain for months.

Isopogon formosus is native to southwestern WA and is one of around 35 species in the genus, most endemic to WA. In cultivation it requires the conditions of its origin: low-nutrient, freely draining, slightly acidic soil in full sun. The genus as a whole is significantly underused in Australian gardens — see the unusual natives guide for more plants in this territory.

7. Billy buttons (Craspedia species)

Craspedia species · Widespread · Annual or perennial to 60cm

Each stem of a billy button terminates in a perfect, dense yellow sphere. They are among the most successful cut and dried flowers in the Australian flora: the spheres hold their shape and colour for months without any treatment. In the garden, a mass planting in flower results in dozens of perfect yellow globes moving in the wind.

The genus Craspedia includes around 20 species across a wide range of Australian habitats from alpine grasslands to coastal heathlands. Most prefer well-drained soil, full sun and moderate moisture. They associate naturally with native wildflower plantings and work well alongside grasses and low groundcovers. Treat as short-lived perennials and allow them to self-seed for continuity.

8. Chamomile sunray (Rhodanthe anthemoides)

Rhodanthe anthemoides · Widespread · Low perennial to 30cm

The petals of chamomile sunray (technically ray florets) are thin enough to be almost translucent but structured enough to hold their form. The plant itself is low and spreading with fine, aromatic foliage and in full flower it produces a continuous carpet of white and gold across spring into summer.

Widely distributed across southeastern Australia in well-drained grasslands and rocky slopes, it performs best in full sun with sharp drainage and low-nutrient soil. It self-seeds freely in the right conditions, establishing naturalistically through a planting of native groundcovers and low grasses and is excellent for attracting native bees through its long flowering season.

9. Woolly bush (Adenanthos sericeus)

Adenanthos sericeus · Coastal and Mediterranean · Shrub to 2–3m

The softness of woolly bush is engineering. Each needle-like leaf is covered in a dense layer of fine silky hairs that evolved to reflect heat, trap a thin layer of still air and reduce water loss in the exposed, wind-blasted coastal scrub of southwestern WA. The entire shrub is essentially wearing a coat.

It is well suited to coastal gardens, Mediterranean climates and any garden with well-drained soil and a dry summer. The small red tubular flowers attract honeyeaters but the foliage is the main event. It can be lightly pruned after flowering to maintain a compact shape. See our pruning guide for the right approach.

10. Hedgehog grass (Echinopogon ovatus)

Echinopogon ovatus · Woodland understory · Perennial grass to 60cm

The genus name says everything: echinos is Greek for hedgehog, pogon for beard. The seed heads are dense, bristled and almost spherical. En masse, a planting of hedgehog grass at mid-height is extraordinary in low morning or afternoon light. It adds a shimmer of soft texture that catches and holds the sun.

Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Native to forest and woodland understories across eastern Australia, it is one of the better options for planting under established eucalypts where the light is filtered and competition from tree roots is significant. The soil care guide covers the loose, biologically active soil these woodland species establish best in.

11. Feather speargrass (Austrostipa species)

Austrostipa species · Widespread · Perennial grass to 60–90cm

The long awns that give feather speargrass seed heads their feathery quality are hygroscopic: they twist and untwist in response to changes in humidity. This movement literally drills the seed into the soil. Austrostipa includes around 65 species distributed across every Australian climate zone, making it one of the most geographically flexible genera on this list.

Commonly cultivated species include A. stipoides (coast speargrass), A. ramosissima (stout bamboo grass) and A. elegantissima (feather speargrass). Most prefer full sun and well-drained soil and associate naturally with broadly adaptable native shrubs and groundcovers. One important note: the introduced weed serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma) is sometimes confused with native speargrasses — purchase from a reputable native nursery to ensure you have the right plant.

12. Knawel cushion plant (Scleranthus biflorus)

Scleranthus biflorus · Alpine and cool temperate · Perennial

Scleranthus biflorus forms a tight, domed mound of vivid lime-green. The surface is so fine and dense it resembles artificial moss shaped by hand. But press your palm into it and it is firm. A cushion 30cm across in a wild alpine environment may represent decades of growth.

Native to subalpine grasslands and rocky slopes in NSW, VIC and Tasmania, in cultivation it needs excellent drainage above all else. It does not perform well in warm coastal or subtropical gardens. In the right climate, it is essentially permanent and genuinely unlike anything else you can grow.