13 Australian plants for sandy soil and how to establish them
Dry, sandy soil is one of the most challenging conditions in the Australian garden. Water moves through before roots can draw it in and nutrients leach out with every rain event. Organic matter also breaks down quickly and is not replaced. Most plants struggle not because of any single factor, but because all three pressures combine simultaneously.
The plants below have evolved specifically in these conditions. Their root architecture, leaf structure and growth habits are calibrated for low-nutrient, fast-draining ground.
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13 Australian native plants for dry sandy soil
Showy banksia (Banksia speciosa)
Showy banksia grows almost exclusively in deep, nutrient-depleted sand on the sandplains of south-western Western Australia, one of the most botanically remarkable and ecologically extreme landscapes in Australia. The flower spikes are extraordinary: large, pale lemon-yellow with intricate patterning, produced through summer and autumn. The deeply serrated leaves are visually striking even when the plant is not in flower.
Eric Hunt, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It requires deep, well-drained sand, full sun and a Mediterranean-style dry summer making it the right choice for Perth gardens and similar climates in southern WA and coastal SA. In other climates, drainage must be exceptional. Never fertilise with phosphorus as banksia proteoid roots are acutely sensitive and excess phosphorus causes rapid decline. See our banksia growing guide for more on species selection by climate zone and the right approach to feeding native plants.
Woolly bush (Adenanthos sericeus)
Woolly bush is one of the most visually distinctive Australian native shrubs. The fine, needle-like leaves are covered in soft white hairs that give the whole plant a silky quality. It grows naturally in the deep, nutrient-depleted sands of south-western Western Australia and has evolved specifically for the lean, fast-draining conditions that define those landscapes. The small red tubular flowers appear in spring and are visited by honeyeaters.
Consultaplantas, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It is best suited to Perth gardens and similar conditions in southern WA and coastal SA where dry summers are the norm. In other climates, it can be grown with exceptional drainage. It responds well to light tip-pruning with sharp secateurs to maintain a dense, bushy habit. It is drought tolerant once established and requires no supplemental watering.
Billy buttons (Craspedia variabilis)
Billy buttons is a daisy, producing perfectly spherical, golden-yellow flower heads on upright stems. It grows in dry forest, woodland and grassland across most of mainland Australia in sandy to clay-loam soils and has a natural tolerance of drought and lean ground. The woolly basal rosette of leaves is an adaptation to moisture stress, trapping humidity at the surface and reducing transpiration. It often dies back in hot summers, which is normal behaviour and not a sign of failure. Mark the position with a copper stake so the dormant plant is not disturbed.
Mass planting in sandy soil creates a meadow effect through spring, particularly when combined with yellow buttons and native everlastings. Remove spent stems with secateurs at the base once they have finished. It self-seeds in suitable conditions and will gradually naturalise across a planting area. See our guide to wildflowers that support native bees.
Dusty miller (Spyridium parvifolium)
The tiny white papery flowers of dusty miller are clustered into dense heads surrounded by pale bracts. It grows naturally in dry heathland and woodland on sandy, low-nutrient soils across south-eastern Australia, often in the company of banksias, hakeas and acacias. It is genuinely adapted to the lean, fast-draining conditions of sandy heathland and requires no fertiliser or soil amendment.
Plant in a full sun to lightly shaded position with good air movement. It responds well to a light tip-prune with sharp secateurs after flowering to maintain a compact, bushy habit. Worth seeking out for the mid-layer of a sandy heathland planting and it works brilliantly in a pastel cottage style garden.
Fan flower (Scaevola aemula)
Fan flower is named for the distinctive half-fan shape of each bloom. The flowers are a vivid purple-blue produced across spring and summer. The plant spreads readily across the surface of sandy soil of eastern Australia, covering ground without competing aggressively. It is one of the most visited plants by native bees through its flowering season and is also one of the toughest coastal sandy soil plants available.
Plant in full sun with excellent drainage. It can be planted directly from tube stock using a hori-hori and establishes quickly in sandy conditions. Tip-prune lightly after each flowering flush to maintain density. It works well at the front of a border or as a spreading groundcover between taller shrubs in a heathland planting.
Spreading wattle (Acacia genistifolia)
Spreading wattle is a prickly, dense shrub of south-eastern Australia, growing in some of the most nutrient-poor, sandy soils in the country. Like all wattles, it fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules, gradually improving soil quality over time. This is a useful quality in sandy ground where nitrogen is typically scarce. The small cream to yellow flowers appear from autumn through spring, providing nectar across a long period.
KeresH, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Its prickly foliage makes it a useful habitat plant, providing protected nesting and roosting sites for small birds. Plant tube stock using a hori-hori. Wear a gardening belt to keep your tools and gloves accessible when working in the thorny mid-layer of an established heathland planting. Like all wattles it is relatively short-lived but self-seeds in suitable conditions.
Yellow buttons (Chrysocephalum apiculatum)
Yellow buttons is a low, spreading perennial with clusters of small everlasting flowers above silver-grey, woolly foliage. It grows naturally across a very wide range of dry, open habitats in sandy and gravelly soils. It is one of the most adaptable small natives for lean ground. The woolly leaf surface is a direct adaptation to moisture stress as it reduces transpiration, reflects heat and resists desiccation.
It spreads by underground runners and gradually fills gaps in sandy soil without becoming invasive. It works well as a low-maintenance groundcover beneath taller heathland shrubs or as a filler between border plants. Trim back lightly after flowering with secateurs to encourage fresh growth. No fertiliser required.
Native everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum)
Native everlasting is Australia's best-known paper daisy and one of the most reliable flowering plants for dry, sandy, low-nutrient ground. The papery bracts that surround the flower head retain their colour when dried, making them excellent as cut flowers. It is naturally short-lived and self-seeds freely in sandy conditions, often naturalising across a planting area and returning season after season without replanting.
Sow directly into prepared sandy soil in autumn or early spring, or plant tube stock with a hori-hori. Remove spent flower heads with secateurs to extend the flowering season, or leave them on the plant to set seed and naturalise. It combines beautifully with billy buttons and yellow buttons in a dry sandy meadow planting.
Preparing dry sandy soil for planting
Use a ninja claw cultivator to loosen the top 10cm of dry sandy soil before planting — it breaks up any surface crust and opens the soil without over-working it or destroying the soil structure. For harder sandy ground or compacted surface layers, a Japanese hand pick mattock creates precise planting pockets with minimal disturbance to the surrounding ground.
Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos spp. and cultivars)
Kangaroo paw is endemic to Western Australia and evolved in the sandy, nutrient-poor soils of the south-west. Its rhizome root system stores water and nutrients against periods of drought and its strap-like leaves reduce water loss in exposed positions. It is one of the most widely available and well-known natives, and its performance in dry sandy soil is genuinely exceptional. The tubular flowers are among the most distinctive in Australian flora and are visited by honeyeaters.
Plant in full sun with excellent drainage, using a hori-hori to place tube stock without disturbing the surrounding roots. Remove spent flower stems at the base with sharp secateurs. Established clumps can be divided in autumn using a clean knife to separate the rhizomes. Each division with roots and a few fans of leaves will establish readily in sandy soil.
Soft spear grass (Austrostipa mollis)
Soft spear grass is one of the most elegant native grasses for dry sandy soil, forming upright, robust tussocks with fine arching leaves and long, feathery seed heads. It grows naturally across a wide range of sandy, low-fertility habitats across WA, SA, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, making it one of the most broadly distributed grasses for this soil type. The seed heads mature from green-purple to golden through spring and summer. It provides seed for ground-feeding birds and shelter for invertebrates at the base of the clump.
Macleay Grass Man, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Plant tube stock using a hori-hori in full sun to light shade. It is frost and drought tolerant once established and requires no fertiliser. Cut back hard with sharp secateurs after flowering in late summer to remove old material and stimulate fresh growth. Mass planting of five or more creates a soft, naturalistic texture that contrasts well with the daisy-forming groundcovers in this list.
Prickly moses (Acacia verticillata)
Prickly moses is a wattle with a strikingly different appearance to most of its genus. The bright yellow cylindrical flower spikes appear in late winter and spring and are excellent for native bees. It grows in dry sandy and rocky soils in Victoria and Tasmania, often in heathland and coastal scrub, making it best suited to cool temperate gardens.
A. Barra, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It responds well to light pruning with sharp secateurs after flowering to maintain a compact, dense form. Like spreading wattle, the prickly habit provides shelter for small birds.
Silky hakea (Hakea sericea)
Silky hakea is a dense, prickly shrub of dry sandy heathland across coastal and tableland eastern Australia. Its needle-like leaves reduce moisture loss in exposed positions and the root system is adapted to extract nutrients at the low concentrations typical of sandy soils. Small white flowers appear in winter and spring and attract native bees and small honeyeaters. It is one of the most structurally useful mid-layer plants for a heathland garden.
Handle the root ball carefully at planting as hakeas resent root disturbance. A hand pick mattock is useful for creating a precise planting pocket in hard or compacted sandy soil without the leverage disturbance of a spade. See our guide to growing hakeas for more on species selection by climate.
Hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa)
Hop bush is the most climate-adaptable shrub in this list, found naturally from tropical to cool temperate Australia in some of the driest, most nutrient-poor soils in the country. In dry sandy conditions, it establishes readily, grows quickly and becomes self-sufficient faster than almost any other native shrub. It is one of the most useful screening plants for difficult dry positions.
Plant in full sun and leave it alone. It requires no fertiliser, no irrigation once established and minimal pruning. Use a ninja claw cultivator to lightly break up the surface around new plantings after rain to reduce surface crust formation, which can cause water to sheet off rather than penetrate in very dry sandy soil.
Establishing natives in dry sandy soil
Work the surface before planting
Dry sandy soil often develops a hard surface crust between rain events that causes water to run off rather than penetrate. Before planting, use a cultivator to break up the top 10cm across the planting area. For harder compacted patches, a hand pick mattock creates individual planting pockets cleanly. Clear any accumulated leaf litter or debris from the planting area first with a broom or rake so you can assess drainage.
Plant tube stock, not advanced plants
In dry sandy soil, tube stock outperforms advanced plants consistently. The smaller root ball establishes faster, the plant adapts its root architecture to the local conditions and the cost saving allows more plants to establish across a broader area. This is particularly relevant in sandy soil where planting density matters for ground coverage and weed suppression. Use a hori-hori to create precise planting slots — push it into the soil, lever it open, drop the root ball in and firm closed. For more on the economics of tube stock, see our native garden budget guide.
Use ollas for establishment
The biggest establishment challenge in dry sandy soil is that surface watering evaporates or drains away before roots can absorb it. A terracotta olla delivers water slowly and directly to the root zone through the porous clay walls. Fill the olla every few days through the first dry season and the plant's roots will follow the moisture downward, developing the deep root system that makes it drought tolerant long-term.
Mulch deeply
A 7 to 10cm layer of coarse woodchip mulch reduces surface evaporation dramatically in sandy soil and moderates the extreme soil temperature fluctuations that sandy ground is prone to in summer. Keep mulch pulled back from plant stems. Avoid fine bark or straw, which compacts in sandy conditions and can create a water-repellent layer. See our full guide to mulching Australian native plants for more detail on timing and technique.
Do not fertilise
Every plant on this list has evolved in nutrient-poor sandy soil. Adding fertiliser does not help them establish faster. In the case of banksias and hakeas, phosphorus directly damages the proteoid root system that makes them so effective in lean ground. A light dressing of well-aged compost worked into the planting hole is all the amendment these plants need. See our guide to natural fertilisers for native gardens for the right approach.
Sandy soil is not a problem to be solved so much as a starting point to work with. Get the planting approach right and these plants will do what they have always done in the Australian landscape; flower prolifically, support wildlife and largely take care of themselves. The lean conditions that make the first season challenging are the same conditions that produce the most resilient, self-sufficient plants in the long run.
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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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