12 highly adaptable Australian native plants for your garden
There are a number of Australian natives that perform well across almost any conditions, tolerating drought, frost, salt, poor soils and exposure without complaint and recovering from neglect that would finish most alternatives. These are the plants that belong in every garden, regardless of climate zone or soil type.
The twelve plants below have all been selected on one criterion: genuine, documented adaptability across a wide range of Australian conditions. All of them are here because the evidence for their toughness is difficult to dispute.
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12 highly adaptable Australian native plants
Knobby club-rush (Ficinia nodosa)
Knobby club-rush is one of the most underestimated plants and one of the most genuinely versatile. In the wild, it occupies an extraordinary range of conditions: coastal foredunes in pure sand, clay-based drainage lines, seasonally waterlogged ground, exposed clifftops, saline flats and dry inland positions. The round stems are dark green and the spherical brown seed heads sit at their tips. It is often mistaken for a grass but is a true rush. Its tolerance of both waterlogged and very dry conditions in the same species is unusual in the plant world.
It establishes quickly from tube stock using a hori-hori, requires no fertiliser and looks after itself once established. Its dense root system binds soil without the aggressive spreading of many introduced grasses. One of the most useful plants for coastal gardens, wet transitional zones and difficult slopes where soil stability is needed.
Correa (Correa reflexa)
Common correa is useful across almost every difficult condition in the garden. It handles drought, moderate frost, deep shade, coastal wind, poor soils and clay. The tubular flowers hang from the branches through autumn, winter and early spring precisely when almost nothing else in a temperate garden is flowering and are heavily visited by honeyeaters. It is a great option for the difficult dry shade beneath trees, a position that defeats most alternatives.
Prune lightly after flowering with sharp secateurs to maintain a compact habit. It will reshoot strongly from old wood. It does not need fertiliser or rich soil. The small, leathery leaves and compact root system are calibrated for lean conditions.
Spreading flax lily (Dianella revoluta)
Dianella revoluta grows naturally across a wide range of conditions from dry inland woodland to moist coastal forest, in full sun and deep shade, in clay and in sand. The blue-green leaves form spreading clumps that suppress weeds at ground level, and the small blue to purple flowers are followed by berries that attract birds. Its tolerance of both drought and moderate waterlogging in the same plant is one of the qualities that makes it so useful in gardens across most climate zones.
Plant tube stock using a hori-hori and space 40–50cm apart for groundcover effect. Wear gloves when working around established clumps as the leaf margins are finely serrated. Divide large clumps in autumn to propagate freely and fill more ground.
Kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra)
Kangaroo grass is one of the most widely distributed native grasses in Australia, occurring across every mainland state in conditions ranging from tropical savanna to cool temperate grassland. In a garden, it has one of the most distinctive seasonal displays available from any native grass, with the foliage turning a warm copper-red in summer and autumn. Its deep root system makes it drought tolerant and it handles frost and periodic waterlogging. It is one of the most ecologically important plants for native insects and provides shelter and nesting material at ground level.
Cut back hard with sharp secateurs in late winter before new growth begins to remove old material and stimulate fresh growth. Plant in full sun as it becomes lax and floppy in shade. It works beautifully massed in a meadow planting alongside native daisies and wildflowers.
What makes a plant genuinely adaptable
True adaptability is not the same as being commonly planted. Many popular natives perform well in ideal conditions but struggle when those conditions are not met. For a plant to be considered adaptable, it needs to establish and thrive across a range of soil types, moisture levels, exposure and climate zones.
Rosemary grevillea (Grevillea rosmarinifolia)
Rosemary grevillea is among the most reliably tough shrubs available for temperate Australian gardens. The rosemary-like foliage is attractive year-round and the spider flowers are produced almost continuously from late winter through spring. It handles drought, frost to around -6°C, salt spray, wind, poor soils and moderate alkalinity. Its tolerance of a wide pH range is particularly useful in gardens where soil conditions are variable or unknown. As with all plants in the Proteaceae family, it is sensitive to phosphorus. Never fertilise with standard plant food or blood and bone. See our guide to growing grevilleas by climate zone for more on species selection and care.
Prune lightly after the main flowering flush with sharp secateurs to maintain density. Grevillea foliage can cause skin irritation in some people, so wear gloves when pruning. It works well as an informal hedge, a windbreak plant or a mid-layer shrub in a mixed native planting.
Hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa)
Hop bush has perhaps the widest natural distribution of any shrub on this list. It grows naturally from tropical to cool temperate Australia, in arid and semi-arid conditions, in coastal sand and in heavy inland clay. It is one of the most drought-tolerant native shrubs available and becomes genuinely self-sufficient faster than almost any alternative. It is one of the most effective screening plants for difficult dry positions.
Plant in full sun and leave it alone. No fertiliser, no irrigation once established, minimal pruning beyond shaping. It is one of the few natives that establishes reliably even in the height of summer in most climates. Use a ninja claw cultivator to lightly break up the surface around new plantings to prevent crust formation in dry soils.
Pigface (Carpobrotus rossii and C. glaucescens)
Pigface operates at the extreme end of the adaptability spectrum. Its thick succulent leaves store water against prolonged drought, its trailing stems root at nodes across bare sand and exposed rock, and it handles salt spray, coastal winds, extreme heat and periodic frost with equal indifference. In the right position it is essentially indestructible. The vivid pink-purple flowers in spring are among the most striking of any native groundcover, and the fleshy fruit that follows is edible, an important food source for Aboriginal Australians with a pleasantly salty, sweet flavour.
Plant 60–80cm apart in full sun in free-draining soil using a hori-hori. Overwatering causes more problems than underwatering. Trim back stems that extend beyond their area with loppers or secateurs as needed. When sourcing, confirm you are buying the native C. rossii (southern Australia) or C. glaucescens (eastern coast) not the introduced African species in the same genus, which are invasive.
Hardenbergia (Hardenbergia violacea)
Hardenbergia is one of the most useful plants because it comes in two forms, a climber and a prostrate groundcover, and both are genuinely tough. It flowers through late winter and spring, providing nectar at the time of year when native bees most need it. As a legume it fixes atmospheric nitrogen, gradually improving the soil around it. It handles drought, poor soils, moderate frost and coastal exposure. The prostrate form works particularly well as a living mulch beneath taller shrubs. It is one of the best plants for covering fences and structures without the aggressive root systems that make many climbers destructive.
Prune lightly after flowering in spring with sharp secateurs. No fertiliser is required the nitrogen-fixing root system handles its own nutrition.
Coastal rosemary (Westringia fruticosa)
Coastal rosemary has earned its place in Australian gardens by performing reliably in almost every condition thrown at it: salt, wind, drought, alkaline soils, clay, sand, coastal exposure and moderate frost. It is one of the most useful screening and hedging plants in the native palette and one of the few that takes clipping well without losing vigour. It is long-lived, self-sufficient and provides year-round shelter for pollinators and small insects.
Trim lightly with sharp secateurs or hedge shears to maintain density. It can be cut back quite hard and will reshoot reliably. No fertiliser and no irrigation once established. It also performs well on exposed coastal sites where most other shrubs would not survive.
Crimson bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus)
Crimson bottlebrush handles heavy clay, periodic waterlogging, extended drought, frost, coastal conditions and poor soils, a combination that almost no other medium shrub manages simultaneously. The vivid red brush flowers are produced in spring and again in autumn and are among the most visited by honeyeaters of any plant in a temperate garden. A mature, established plant requires almost no care. See our guide to pruning native shrubs for timing and technique.
JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Prune after each flowering flush by removing spent flower spikes and about 10cm of growth behind them with sharp secateurs or loppers for thicker stems. This prevents the open, leggy habit that can develop and encourages dense lateral growth. No fertiliser. See our wet soil guide for companion plants in difficult drainage positions.
Lilly pilly (Syzygium australe)
Lilly pilly is one of the most versatile medium to large natives available for temperate and subtropical gardens. It tolerates full sun and moderate shade, wet soils and dry periods, clay and sandy loam, coastal exposure and inland conditions. The glossy foliage produces bright pink new growth in spring, the small white flowers attract insects through summer, and the red to purple berries are eaten by birds. It is the most ecologically productive screening and hedging plant available in the native palette, providing habitat, food and structure simultaneously.
Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Trim to shape with sharp secateurs after the main flush of new growth in spring. It responds very well to clipping and can be maintained as a formal hedge or allowed to develop its natural form. See our planting guide for establishment technique. Lilly pilly performs best when planted in autumn in temperate gardens.
Lomandra (Lomandra longifolia)
Lomandra is saved for last on this list because it is arguably the single most adaptable native plant in cultivation. It grows across most of mainland Australia in conditions ranging from coastal dunes to alpine grassland, from seasonally flooded creek margins to dry exposed ridges. In cultivation it tolerates full sun and full shade, waterlogged and drought-stressed soils, clay, sand and gravel, frost, salt and heat. It requires virtually no maintenance once established and is practically impossible to kill. It is also one of the most important living mulch and groundcover plants available. Several compact cultivars including 'Tanika' and 'LM300' are available for smaller spaces and perform equally well across the same wide range of conditions.
Plant using a hori-hori for tube stock. Wear gloves as the leaf margins are sharply serrated. Cut back hard every three to four years in late winter to remove old material and stimulate fresh growth. Divide established clumps in autumn to propagate freely.
Getting these plants established
Even the most adaptable plants need a little support through their first dry season. The qualities that make these plants tough long-term, including deep roots, lean-adapted nutrition and drought tolerance, only develop after establishment is complete. In the first six to twelve months, planting technique and timing still matter. Autumn planting, coarse woodchip mulch, deep infrequent watering and a terracotta olla buried beside each plant in fast-draining soils will get even the toughest plant through its first summer more reliably than leaving it to its own devices from day one.
The gardener's job is to get them through establishment. After that, they take care of themselves. See our guide to first year failure for a full diagnostic of what can go wrong and how to avoid it, and our budget guide for the most cost-effective way to get started.
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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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