15 of western Australia's most mind-blowing wildflowers for gardens
Western Australia's southwest is one of only 35 recognised biodiversity hotspots on the planet. It contains more than 12,000 plant species, the majority of which occur nowhere else on earth. The flowers that have emerged from this region over millions of years of isolation are unlike anything produced anywhere else in form, colour, structure and ecological ingenuity. Many of them can be grown in Australian gardens well outside WA.
This guide covers fifteen of the most extraordinary, ordered from least familiar to most, with notes on what makes each one remarkable and how to grow it. Some are specialist or rare, others can be sourced more easily.
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Why WA produces flowers unlike anywhere else on earth
Four factors combined over tens of millions of years to produce the southwest's extraordinary flora.
1. Geological age
The southwest sits on some of the oldest, most stable land surfaces on the planet. These ancient rocks have not been covered by sea, glaciated or significantly disrupted by volcanic activity since before flowering plants evolved. Plants have had an uninterrupted evolutionary runway of extraordinary length.
2. Isolation
The southwest is bounded by ocean on two sides and desert on the other two. The result is one of the highest rates of endemism on the planet. The majority of WA's plant species occur nowhere else, which means evolutionary pressures and solutions developed in isolation from the rest of the world's flora.
3. Soil
WA's soils are among the oldest and most nutrient-depleted on earth. In these impoverished soils, no single plant type can monopolise resources, which created the conditions for thousands of species to carve out distinct ecological niches side by side. With so many species competing for the same limited pool of pollinators, each one evolved increasingly specialised and distinctive structures to attract specific animals, insects or birds.
4. Pollinator relationships
WA's plants co-evolved with honeyeaters, native bees, moths and small mammals as pollinators. Bird-pollinated flowers are characteristically large, bold and tubular, built for a beak rather than an insect tongue. This is why so many WA wildflowers look almost architectural in scale and form. They are engineering solutions to the specific anatomy of the animals that visit them.
The result is a flora that has been described as the most functionally and taxonomically diverse evolutionary centre for plants on the planet.
Growing WA wildflowers in eastern Australia
Most WA wildflowers share a set of cultivation requirements that reflect their origins in nutrient-poor, free-draining soils with hot dry summers and cool wet winters. The three most important rules are: excellent drainage, no phosphorus and minimal disturbance to the root zone.
In eastern Australia, the plants most likely to fail are those planted in heavy clay, watered too frequently or given fertiliser containing phosphorus.
1. Qualup bell (Pimelea physodes)
WA endemic · South coast, Fitzgerald River region
WA · SA · Cool to warm temperate · Excellent drainage essential
The qualup bell is one of the most structurally unusual flowers in Australia. Pendulous waxy bracts hang like paper lanterns, enclosing the true flowers within. This is a design that protects the reproductive structures while directing pollinators to enter from below. It is endemic to a small area around the Fitzgerald River National Park on WA's south coast, one of the most biodiverse national parks in the world.
| Soil | Sandy or gravelly, free-draining, very low phosphorus |
| Climate | WA and SA most reliable. Cool to warm temperate. Dislikes humidity and waterlogging. |
| Sourcing | Hard — specialist native nurseries only |
| Difficulty | Moderate to hard — naturally short-lived (3–5 years). propagate from cuttings to maintain stock. |
| Maintenance | Light tip pruning with secateurs after flowering. Plant with hori-hori. No fertiliser. |
2. Dampier's rose (Diplolaena dampieri)
WA endemic · Southwest coast, Cape Leeuwin to Fremantle
WA · SA · Victoria · Warm to cool temperate · Free-draining soil essential
Dampier's rose produces pendulous clusters of deep red-orange flowers at the branch tips, each cluster surrounded by layered woolly bracts. The foliage is strongly aromatic as the plant belongs to the same family as boronia and shares its characteristic scent when the leaves are crushed. In the garden it is a compact to medium spreading shrub with sustained winter and spring flowering.
| Soil | Sandy or loamy, free-draining, coastal tolerant, low phosphorus |
| Climate | WA, SA and Victoria most reliable. Warm to cool temperate. Dislikes humidity. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries. Grafted forms increasingly available. |
| Difficulty | Moderate — needs drainage and airflow. More reliable in grafted form. |
| Maintenance | Tip prune with secateurs after flowering. Plant with hori-hori. No fertiliser. |
3. Royal hakea (Hakea victoria)
WA endemic · Ravensthorpe and south coast
WA · SA · Warm temperate · Mediterranean climate preference
Royal hakea produces some of the most extraordinary foliage of any plant on the planet. The large, stiff leaves are marked with concentric bands of green, cream, orange and deep red. Young plants are relatively plain but established specimens are genuinely unlike anything else in a garden setting. The colour is permanent and structural, produced by pigments comparable to those responsible for autumn colour in deciduous trees, deployed year-round. It is one of the most architecturally distinctive plants in the Australian flora.
| Soil | Sandy or gravelly, free-draining, very low phosphorus |
| Climate | WA and SA most reliable. Warm temperate with dry summer preferred. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries |
| Difficulty | Moderate — sensitive to phosphorus and overwatering once established |
| Maintenance | Minimal once established. Plant with planting spade. Use olla first summer only. No pruning needed. No fertiliser. |
4. Sturt's desert pea (Swainsona formosa)
WA and SA · Arid and semi-arid Australia
WA · SA · All states in free-draining conditions · Dislikes humidity
Sturt's desert pea is the most visually dramatic wildflower in Australia and one of the most striking of any on the planet. The large scarlet pea flowers are up to 9cm long and each have a glossy black or deep burgundy boss at the centre. It evolved for an arid environment where brief seasonal rains trigger mass germination and flowering before conditions dry again, which is why it performs best when treated as an annual sown fresh each season rather than grown as a permanent garden plant.
| Soil | Sandy, free-draining, unamended — lean conditions essential. See our guide to plants for lean soils for companion species. |
| Climate | All states but best in dry climates. Dislikes coastal humidity. Excellent in Melbourne, Adelaide, inland. |
| Sourcing | Easy — widely available as seed from native seed suppliers |
| Difficulty | Moderate — seed requires scarification. Dislikes transplanting. Resow annually. |
| Maintenance | Annual resowing. Scarify seed before sowing. No pruning. No watering once established. No fertiliser. |
5. Featherflower (Verticordia nitens)
WA endemic · Southwest and wheatbelt
WA · SA · Warm to cool temperate · Sharp drainage essential
Verticordia is the most species-rich endemic genus in WA, with over 100 species producing flowers heavily fringed and feathered that catch the light and give the plant an almost luminous quality in full sun. Verticordia nitens — the Morrison featherflower — smothers its small compact frame in masses of bright orange-yellow blooms from spring into summer. It is the most widely grown and reliable Verticordia for gardens and a good introduction to the genus.
| Soil | Sandy or gravelly, free-draining, low phosphorus |
| Climate | WA and SA most reliable. Warm to cool temperate. Dislikes humidity and waterlogging. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries |
| Difficulty | Moderate to hard — naturally short-lived. Sharp drainage essential. |
| Maintenance | Light tip pruning with secateurs after flowering essential for longevity. Plant with hori-hori. No fertiliser. |
6. White plume grevillea (Grevillea leucopteris)
WA endemic · Southwest and wheatbelt
WA · SA · Victoria · Warm to cool temperate
White plume grevillea produces enormous cylindrical plumes up to 20cm long, cream-white and densely packed, that arch outward from the branches. The flowers carry a strong honey fragrance that intensifies in warm weather and the plumes are among the largest flower structures of any Australian shrub. It is a significant nectar source for honeyeaters and one of the most underused WA grevilleas in eastern Australian gardens.
Melburnian, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Soil | Free-draining, low phosphorus — no clay. See our grevillea guide for more on cultivation across different climates. |
| Climate | WA, SA and Victoria. Warm to cool temperate. Wide range in eastern gardens. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries |
| Difficulty | Moderate — no phosphorus, drainage essential |
| Maintenance | Light pruning after flowering with secateurs. Plant with planting spade. Olla first summer. No fertiliser. |
7. Smokebush (Conospermum spp.)
WA endemic · Southwest
WA · SA · Victoria · Warm to cool temperate
Smokebush earns its name from the effect of its flowers in full bloom: from a distance the shrub looks more like a plume of smoke than a flowering plant. The genus Conospermum has around 50 species, almost all endemic to WA, producing one of the most distinctive floral textures in the Australian flora. Cut stems are long-lasting and widely used in the cut flower industry.
| Soil | Sandy or gravelly, free-draining, low phosphorus |
| Climate | WA, SA and Victoria. Warm to cool temperate. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries |
| Difficulty | Moderate — drainage and no phosphorus essential |
| Maintenance | Light pruning after flowering with secateurs. Plant with hand fork. No fertiliser. |
8. Coral vine (Kennedia coccinea)
WA endemic · Southwest
WA · SA · Victoria · NSW · Wide temperate range
Coral vine is WA's most spectacular native climber and one of the most vivid pea flowers in the Australian flora. The flowers are produced in dense clusters of deep coral-scarlet along the twining stems. It covers fences, trellises and pergolas rapidly and is significantly more dramatic than the eastern Hardenbergia that fills the same garden role. It is a larval host plant for several native butterfly species and a nectar source for eastern spinebills and other honeyeaters across its cultivated range.
pimelea, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Soil | Free-draining, low to moderate nutrients |
| Climate | WA, SA, Victoria and NSW. Wide temperate range. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries, occasionally mainstream. See our guide to native climbers for fences and structures for companion climbing plants. |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate — vigorous once established |
| Maintenance | Prune after flowering with secateurs or loppers. Plant with hori-hori. Needs climbing structure. No fertiliser. |
9. Everlastings (Rhodanthe chlorocephala)
WA endemic · Southwest and wheatbelt · Mass sowing for best effect
All states · Full sun · Direct sow in free-draining soil
WA's everlastings are the wildflowers spread across the wheatbelt and midwest after good winter rains, covering kilometres of open ground in a display that has no equivalent anywhere else in the country. In the garden they are grown as annuals from direct-sown seed. The flowers open in full sun and close at night and in overcast conditions — a behaviour called nyctinasty that is part of the plant's pollinator management strategy.
| Soil | Free-draining, unamended, sandy — lean conditions essential |
| Climate | All states in full sun. Best in drier climates. Performs well across wide range. |
| Sourcing | Easy — seed widely available. Flowers can be dried as everlastings. |
| Difficulty | Easy — direct-sown annual. Resow each autumn. |
| Maintenance | Annual resowing in autumn. Cut for drying with flower snips just before full opening. No fertiliser. |
10. Kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos spp.)
WA endemic · Southwest and southwest coast
All states · Wide range · Drainage critical · Perth · Adelaide · Melbourne
Kangaroo paw is WA's floral emblem and the best-known of all WA wildflowers. The tubular flowers are covered in dense velvety hairs and split into six lobes at the tip that curl back to reveal the stamens. The overall shape closely mimics the silhouette of a paw, which is not accidental. The flower evolved to deposit pollen on the specific part of a honeyeater's head that contacts the tube as the bird reaches for nectar, ensuring precise pollen transfer between flowers of the same species.
| Soil | Free-draining, sandy, low phosphorus |
| Climate | All states. Best in dry climates. Manageable in Melbourne with drainage. Dislikes humidity. |
| Sourcing | Easy — widely available in nurseries across Australia |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate — ink disease risk in humid climates |
| Maintenance | Divide every 2–3 years with hori-hori. Remove spent stems with secateurs. Plant with hand fork. No phosphorus. |
11. Barrens regelia (Regelia velutina)
WA endemic · Barrens Range, south coast
WA · SA · Warm to cool temperate · Free-draining soil essential
Barrens regelia is endemic to a tiny area of WA's south coast around the Barrens Range. It produces dense, bottlebrush-like heads of deep pink to magenta flowers with prominent stamens that extend well beyond the petals. The name velutina refers to the soft, velvety texture of the stems and foliage, which gives the plant an unusually tactile quality in the garden. It is rarely seen in eastern Australian gardens and deserves far wider use.
| Soil | Free-draining, gravelly, low phosphorus |
| Climate | WA and SA most reliable. Warm to cool temperate. |
| Sourcing | Hard — specialist native nurseries only |
| Difficulty | Moderate — drainage and no phosphorus essential |
| Maintenance | Light prune after flowering with secateurs. Plant with planting spade. Olla first summer. No fertiliser. |
12. Dampiera (Dampiera diversifolia)
WA endemic · Southwest
WA · SA · Victoria · Wide temperate range
Dampiera produces some of the most vivid blue-purple flowers of any Australian groundcover. The flowers belong to the family Goodeniaceae and have an unusual five-petalled structure arranged asymmetrically in a fan shape, with two petals pointing upward and three downward — a distinctive arrangement characteristic of the family. It spreads by underground runners to form a low, dense mat that suppresses weeds effectively, making it both ornamentally useful and ecologically functional.
| Soil | Free-draining, low nutrients |
| Climate | WA, SA and Victoria. Wide temperate range. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate once established. See our guide to native groundcovers for companion species. |
| Maintenance | No pruning needed. Spreads by runners to fill space naturally. Plant with hori-hori. No fertiliser. |
The one rule for WA wildflowers in eastern gardens
Most WA wildflowers fail in eastern gardens for one main reason: phosphorus fertiliser. If you choose to fertilise at all, use only products specifically labelled as suitable for Australian native plants or proteaceous plants and apply at half the recommended rate. The better approach for most of the plants on this list is to apply a generous layer of coarse native mulch and leave the soil chemistry alone.
13. Geraldton wax (Chamelaucium uncinatum)
WA endemic · Mid-west coast, Geraldton region
WA · SA · Victoria · NSW · Wide temperate range
Geraldton wax is the most widely cultivated WA wildflower in Australian gardens and one of the most significant cut flowers in the Australian export industry. The flowers last for weeks on the plant and weeks again in a vase. The fine aromatic foliage — linear, needle-like and strongly fragrant when crushed — reduces water loss in dry conditions and deters browsing animals.
| Soil | Free-draining, sandy or loamy, low phosphorus |
| Climate | WA, SA, Victoria and NSW. Wide temperate range. Dislikes summer humidity. |
| Sourcing | Easy — widely available in nurseries across Australia |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate — post-flowering pruning essential to prevent dieback |
| Maintenance | Prune by up to one third immediately after flowering with secateurs. Plant with planting spade. No phosphorus fertiliser. |
14. Bitter-pea (Daviesia spp.)
WA endemic · Southwest · Wide range of species and habits
WA · SA · Victoria · Wide temperate range
The genus Daviesia has over 130 species, the majority endemic to southwestern Australia, and produces the classic yellow and orange-red pea flower in masses. What makes bitter-peas botanically extraordinary is their seed dispersal mechanism: the seed pods are sharply triangular with a hard, horn-like projection designed to be carried by ants, which collect and cache the seeds underground, effectively planting them. The foliage is often modified into stiff, sharp phyllodes rather than true leaves, and the plants fix atmospheric nitrogen through root nodule bacteria — a significant contribution to soil fertility in the lean WA soils they evolved in.
| Soil | Free-draining, unamended, low nutrients — lean conditions essential |
| Climate | WA, SA and Victoria. Wide temperate range. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate once established — nitrogen-fixing so improves its own soil |
| Maintenance | Light pruning after flowering with secateurs. Plant with hori-hori. No fertiliser needed — nitrogen-fixing. |
15. Guinet's wattle (Acacia guinetii)
WA endemic · Geraldton to Northampton, rocky hills
WA · SA · Warm to cool temperate · Free-draining soil · Some frost sensitivity
Guinet's wattle is endemic to a tiny strip of rocky coastal hills between Geraldton and Northampton in WA's midwest. In winter and spring the low spreading shrub covers itself completely in masses of small golden puffball flowers against fine, feathery grey-green foliage. The combination of the restricted range, the unusual prostrate habit and the sheer density of winter flower makes it a compelling choice for a rockery or low border position where winter colour is needed.
| Soil | Gravelly or rocky, free-draining — replicates its natural rocky hill habitat |
| Climate | WA and SA most reliable. Warm temperate. Some frost sensitivity — shelter in cooler gardens. |
| Sourcing | Moderate — specialist native nurseries |
| Difficulty | Easy to moderate — frost sensitive, otherwise undemanding |
| Maintenance | Light prune after flowering. Plant with hori-hori. No fertiliser. |
Where to find WA wildflowers in eastern Australia
The best sources for these plants are specialist native plant nurseries, of which there are good operators in every state. Some botanic gardens also run annual plant sales that include WA species propagated on-site.
For all of them, the establishment period — the first two summers in the ground — is the critical window. A buried terracotta olla delivers water directly to the root zone during this period without surface waterlogging, and a generous layer of coarse native mulch moderates soil temperature and moisture through the hot months. See our planting guide for the full establishment approach that applies to all of them.
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