15 summer flowering Australian natives for a bursting garden
Midsummer is when spring flowers are fading, the heat peaks and many plants slow down until the weather cools. The fifteen natives below all flower in summer and several carry on into spring or autumn. They cover five kinds of garden, from frosty southern beds to wet tropical ones.
Growing notes follow each plant along with the tools that make the job easier. For the season's maintenance jobs, see our guide to summer tasks by climate zone.
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How the climate ranges work
Cool temperate covers Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra and the tablelands, where winters bring frost. Warm temperate and Mediterranean covers Sydney, Adelaide and Perth. Subtropical covers south-east Queensland and the northern NSW coast. Tropical covers Cairns, Darwin and the far north. Dry inland covers the semi-arid country with hot summers and low rainfall. Many plants here stretch across more than one group, so check the frost and drainage notes.
Cool temperate gardens
Frosty winters and mild summers. These three cope with both and still deliver colour in the warm months.
Digger's speedwell (Veronica perfoliata)
Digger's speedwell is one of the few blue flowering natives that performs through summer. Spikes of flowers rise above the foliage from late spring right through the season. The paired leaves wrap around the stem. It is frost hardy and copes with poor ground, which makes it an easy choice for cool southern gardens.
Dinkum, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Full sun gives the heaviest flowering. Free drainage matters more than soil quality, so on clay build a low mound with coarse sand or gravel mixed through. Cut the plant back by about a third after flowering with a sharp pruner to keep it dense. Feed once in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser at most, because rich feeding gives soft growth and fewer flowers. Humid subtropical gardens are harder on it, as still air encourages fungal spotting.
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Lemon beauty heads (Calocephalus citreus)
Lemon beauty heads is a small silvery tuft that sends up wiry stems topped with lemon-yellow button flowers from spring through summer. It stays under 40cm in both directions, so it suits the front of a border, a rock garden or a large pot. The fine silver foliage looks good long before and after the flowers.
Harry Rose from Dungog, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Full sun gives the best flowering and part shade is tolerated. In the wild it grows in grassland and open woodland, often in ground that is damp for part of the year. In a garden it needs good drainage. Sandy, gravelly or stony ground suits it. On clay it needs a raised mound of coarse sandy mix, which is quick work with a good spade. Water weekly through the first summer and then very little.
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Plant fact
The species name perfoliata means through the leaf. On Digger's speedwell the paired leaves join around the stem, so the stem appears to pass straight through them. The same word is used for several other plants with this leaf arrangement.
Gold Cover hop goodenia (Goodenia ovata 'Gold Cover')
Gold Cover is a hop goodenia selection that stays near 30cm tall and spreads to 1.5m, with small bright yellow flowers sitting over the foliage through spring and summer. It is frost hardy, which makes it a rare native groundcover for cold inland gardens.
Full sun gives the heaviest flowering and part shade gives looser growth. Sandy, clay based and poor soils all work. Water weekly through the first summer to get the roots down, then only in extended dry spells. Mulch 50mm deep until the plants close over and plant them 80cm apart for a dense cover. Shear it back by about a third after the main flowering with a pair of secateurs.
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Warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens
Mild winters with occasional light frost. These four give flowers from late spring through the heat of summer.
Fan flower (Scaevola 'Mauve Clusters')
Mauve Clusters is a low fan flower that stays under 20cm high and spreads to about 1.2m, with mauve fan shaped flowers arriving in flushes through spring, summer and autumn. It is heat, drought and salt tolerant, so it suits hot exposed beds and coastal gardens.
Full sun gives the heaviest flowering. Light shade is tolerated at the cost of some blooms. Sandy and gravelly ground is ideal. On clay it needs a mounded bed with coarse sand. Water twice a week in the first summer, then only during long dry spells. Feed lightly in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser. Trim the whole plant back by a third in late winter or after a heavy flush using secateurs. A typical lifespan is three to five years, so plan to replace it.
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Spear lily (Doryanthes palmeri)
Spear lily is the lesser known relative of the gymea lily. A rosette of long arching leaves about 2m tall sends up a curved flower spike that can reach 3m, carrying deep red flowers that suit a bold, architectural planting. It is slow. Small plants can take most of a decade to flower, so buy the largest plant the budget allows.
Plant in full sun to light shade in well-drained soil. On heavy clay, set the crown on a mound built with a sturdy spade so it stays dry. Water deeply every week or two through the first summer and then rely mostly on rain. There is no formal pruning. Cut spent flower spikes at the base with bypass loppers and remove browning outer leaves. It tolerates heat and salt but takes light frost only once established.
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Baeckea (Sannantha virgata 'Compacta')
Sannantha virgata is a fine-leaved shrub that covers itself in small white flowers through the warmer months. 'Compacta' stays around 1m by 1m, which suits a low hedge or a soft mass at the front of a mixed planting. It is humidity tolerant and handles coastal conditions, so it also works in subtropical and tropical gardens. Nurseries often still sell it as Baeckea virgata or Babingtonia virgata, which are older names for the same plant.
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Full sun gives the densest growth. Free drainage is the requirement. On clay raise the bed and add coarse compost. Tip prune from planting, then trim lightly after flowering and take no more than a third of the growth. A pair of copper handled secateurs suits this kind of light and frequent trimming.
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Thyme leafed melaleuca (Melaleuca thymifolia)
Thyme leafed melaleuca produces mauve to pink claw-shaped flowers that repeat through the warm months on a rounded shrub about 1m tall and 1.5m wide. Unlike many flowering natives it takes sand, clay and soil that stays wet after heavy rain, which makes it a good choice for the low spot where other shrubs sulk.
Full sun gives the best flowering. Light shade costs some density. Shear it back by about a third after the main flush and mulch 75mm deep, keeping the mulch clear of the stems. Melaleucas are sensitive to high phosphorus, so feed once in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser or not at all. It is frost hardy once established.
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Trim after the flush
For the flowering shrubs in this list, the safest time to prune is straight after the main flush finishes, when the cut removes spent flowers rather than buds. Take no more than a third of the growth and avoid cutting into bare old wood, which is slow to reshoot. Wipe the blades between plants. Use a sap and resin cleaner such as Yanipika on sticky stems so each cut stays clean and disease is not carried from one plant to the next.
Subtropical gardens
Warm and humid with little or no frost. These three bring a low flowering mat, a climbing vine and a damp-loving creeper.
Guinea flower (Hibbertia 'Little Rocker')
Little Rocker is a compact guinea flower that stays about 30cm tall and spreads to around 1m, with bright yellow flowers appearing across the warm months rather than in one short burst. It is drought, salt and poor soil tolerant, which suits exposed coastal beds.
Allthingsnative, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Full sun gives the densest growth and the most flowers. Light shade costs some flowering. Free drainage is essential. Sandy and gravelly soils suit it. On clay it needs a raised bed with a coarse mulch. Water weekly through the first summer, then only during long dry spells. Shear lightly after the main flowering and avoid cutting into bare old wood, which is slow to reshoot. Plant 50cm apart for full groundcover. It takes light frost only.
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Snake vine (Hibbertia scandens)
Snake vine is a hibbertia that climbs. The stems twine to about 3m on a trellis or fence, or sprawl as a groundcover to 2m or more, while large yellow flowers open in succession from spring into autumn. It is salt and wind tolerant, so it suits exposed coastal positions.
Full sun gives the heaviest flowering and almost any soil that drains will do. Too much feed favours leaf over flower. Cut it back hard in late winter, using loppers on the older stems. Shear stray runners through the year. Plant 1m apart if it is being used as a groundcover. It takes light frost only.
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Blue star creeper (Pratia pedunculata 'Country Park')
Blue star creeper forms a flat mat about 10cm high that spreads to a metre, scattered with small pale blue stars through the warmer months. It is one of the few summer flowering natives that likes damp ground. It handles light foot traffic, so it suits the gaps between pavers. Some nurseries list it as Lobelia pedunculata.
Full sun gives the densest flowering, though some afternoon shade helps in the hottest districts. Any reasonable garden soil improved with compost works. It handles wet ground. Water two or three times a week while it establishes, then keep it damp through summer, which a hose with a spray gun handles easily. A light feed in early spring and again at midsummer keeps the colour even. Plant 30cm apart in a grid. It is not suited to dry inland gardens or the wet tropics.
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Tropical gardens
Hot and humid with a wet season. These three suit gardens with little or no frost.
Grevillea (Grevillea 'Kimberley Gold')
Kimberley Gold is one of the few grevilleas listed for tropical gardens, carrying golden yellow and orange flowers for much of the year on a rounded shrub about 1.5m tall and 2m wide. It sits well in a hot bed with other sun lovers.
Bonniegirly, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Full sun all day suits it. Drainage matters far more than fertility. On clay it should be planted on a raised mound. Water weekly through the first summer only, then let it go. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser or nothing at all, because standard garden fertilisers can kill grevilleas. Tip prune after the main flush with secateurs, taking up to a third of the new growth. It takes light frost only.
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White blue tongue (Melastoma affine 'Alba')
White blue tongue is the white form of a tropical Melastoma. It carries open white flowers through the warm months, followed by dark edible berries. It grows fast to about 1.8m by 1.5m and handles heavy or wet ground that most natives refuse.
Unlike most plants in this list it is not drought tolerant, so keep the root zone watered through establishment and dry spells. A buried olla is a steady way to do it. Tip prune from planting to encourage a bushy shape, then trim by up to a third after the main flowering. It is frost tender. Cold southern or tableland gardens will lose it.
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Red back ginger (Alpinia caerulea)
Red back ginger offers something rare among summer flowering natives, because it prefers shade. An upright clump about 2m tall carries white flowers through the warm months, followed by bright blue berries with a light ginger tang. It suits the dappled corner under trees where the sun lovers fade.
Martin Hannan-Jones, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Dappled light to full shade is ideal, with morning sun tolerated where the soil stays moist. Moist soil enriched with compost is the sweet spot, though it also tolerates heavy and poorly drained ground. Cut spent or tatty canes off at ground level with secateurs whenever you notice them. A native slow release fertiliser each spring keeps the foliage deep green. It tolerates light frost only.
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Dry inland and semi-arid gardens
Hot summers and low rainfall. These two want sun, sharp drainage and very little fussing.
Drumsticks (Pycnosorus globosus)
Drumsticks, also sold as billy buttons, sends up tight golden globes on tall bare stems through spring and summer. It is a different plant from the Craspedia billy buttons grown as a cut flower, though the two share a common name and a similar look. It stays about 60cm tall and only 30cm wide, so it slips between larger shrubs as a seasonal filler. For more small flowers like it, see our guide to native daisies by colour and climate.
Full sun is essential, along with free-draining soil low in fertility, so skip fertiliser or use a very light native blend. It is a short-lived perennial that is best treated as a seasonal filler. Cut spent stems at the base as the globes fade. Humid subtropical summers are its weak point, where crowded plants may rot at the base. A scatter of native wildflower seed around it keeps the border topped up from year to year.
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Southern Gem native hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii hybrid 'Southern Gem')
Southern Gem is a hybrid of the native hibiscus Alyogyne huegelii, covered in wide purple blooms that arrive in waves through the warm months. It grows to around 2m by 1.8m, so it works as an informal flowering screen where heat and dry ground rule out most flowering shrubs. For other plants that take dry conditions in stride, see native plants for every kind of dry garden.
Pictured is the parent species, Alyogyne huegelii. Southern Gem is a hybrid of this plant.
Full sun is essential, with sandy or gravelly ground ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound with coarse sand in the backfill, because drainage is critical. Trim the tips by about a quarter after each flowering flush with secateurs, otherwise the base becomes open and woody. Feed lightly in early spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser if at all, as rich feeding produces soft growth and fewer flowers. Expect around eight to ten good years from a plant. It takes light frost only.
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Putting it together
These plants do not all flower at once, which is the point. Digger's speedwell and Gold Cover goodenia open in late spring. Lemon beauty heads, the melaleuca, baeckea and spear lily carry the middle of summer. The fan flower, guinea flower, snake vine and grevillea keep going toward autumn. In a warm garden, choose one plant from each window so something is always in flower.
Whichever climate group you garden in, drainage is the common thread. Nearly every plant here prefers free-draining soil. A mound or raised bed fixes most problems on clay. The exceptions are the tropical plants, which want steady moisture instead.
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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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