Australian natives better suited to bushland than backyards
Some native species evolved for very specific ecosystems that don’t always translate well to home gardens. Without the conditions that shape their behaviour in the wild, their strengths can become constraints.
While they play vital roles in bushland, these plants are often better suited to large, intact landscapes, where growth patterns, life cycles and long-term performance don't become difficult to manage.
If you’re keen to try them, understanding what they need and where they truly belong will give you the best chance of success.
Large eucalypts, e.g. Eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian blue gum)
Their role in the wild
Large eucalypts support complex food webs, provide nesting hollows and shape soil, light and moisture patterns. Their size and longevity create stable canopy over decades, allowing understorey plants, fungi and animals to persist around them.
Why this does not translate well at home
Their extensive root systems compete for water, leaf litter can become a nuisance and mature canopy size can overwhelm. Eucalypts also drop limbs as a natural response. In bushland, this creates habitat, but in gardens the unpredictability and scale of falling branches can pose a risk.
What it takes to grow them successfully
Growing large eucalypts requires significant space and long-term planning. Regular coppicing can be used to limit height and manage canopy size, but is not suitable for all types. In many cases, they are only practical on larger properties.
Choosing a more suitable option
For home gardens, smaller native trees or mallees provide similar character and wildlife value without dominating.
Native raspberry (Rubus parvifolius)
Nadiatalent, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Their role in the wild
Native raspberry is an understorey plant found along forest edges where it stabilises soil. Its dense growth provides shelter, nesting sites and food for birds and mammals. It is found commonly from Queensland into eastern South Australia.
Why this does not translate well at home
Native raspberry spreads through underground runners, forming thorny thickets that are difficult to contain. Plants grow to 1+ metres high, with tangled, prickly stems. While the fruit is appealing, the overall habit can become unruly.
What it takes to grow them successfully
Success requires space, as native raspberry spreads readily. It's important that growth can be monitored and regularly cut back to prevent encroachment beyond its intended bounds. Use thorn-proof gloves to protect skin.
Choosing a more suitable option
Clumping bush tucker shrubs such as Midyim berry or Native currant offer similar benefits without high-needs management.
Tools for Australian Gardeners
Bracken fern (Pteridium esculentum)
Their role in the wild
Bracken fern plays a key role after fire by rapidly covering exposed soil and reducing erosion. Its fast regrowth moderates soil temperature and temporarily occupies space as other plants establish.
Why this does not translate well at home
Bracken spreads via deep, persistent rhizomes. This underground network allows it to reappear repeatedly, which can take over neighbouring plants and encroach into unwanted areas.
What it takes to grow them successfully
Long-term success requires space where dominance or spread is acceptable and there's minimal disturbance.
Choosing a more suitable option
Many native ferns are better suited to gardens, particularly clumping species. Options such as soft tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) provide texture and structure without dominating.
King fern (Todea barbara)
Their role in the wild
King fern is a relic species that grows where moisture is constant, air movement is low and temperatures remain stable. It contributes long-lived structure and ground-level habitat within intact rainforest.
Why this does not translate well at home
Most home gardens cannot provide the continuous moisture, high humidity and protection that king fern requires. Even short periods of drying, heat stress or exposure can cause frond loss. Once stressed, plants are slow to recover and may continue to deteriorate.
What it takes to grow them successfully
You'll need a deeply sheltered site with permanently moist soil, minimal temperature fluctuation and protection from wind and sun. This may only be achievable in a purpose-built shade structure.
Choosing a more suitable option
For most gardens, more adaptable native ferns are a better choice. Species such as rasp fern (Doodia aspera) tolerate variable moisture and temperature while still providing structure and habitat value.
Pink fingers orchid (Caladenia species)
Their role in the wild
Pink fingers orchids spend most of their life cycle underground, emerging to flower when temperature, moisture and light align. Their survival depends on long-term soil stability.
Why this does not translate well at home
Pink fingers need specific fungi that are easily disrupted by digging, mulching or changes to surrounding planting. As a result, plants may flower once and then retreat underground indefinitely, or disappear altogether.
What it takes to grow them successfully
They require planting into undisturbed ground. Avoid cultivation, fertiliser and regular watering, as these can disrupt the fungal relationships the plant depends on.
Choosing a more suitable option
Native orchids bred for gardens can offer a more satisfying result. These alternatives provide seasonal interest and habitat value without relying on highly specific underground relationships to survive.
Fire-responsive banksias (serotinous species)
Their role in the wild
Some banksias store seed in woody cones that remain sealed until exposed to fire. This strategy ensures seed release occurs when competing vegetation has been cleared. It's what gives seedlings the best chance to establish.
Why this does not translate well at home
The fire conditions that prompt seed release are absent. Plants may grow and flower for many years, but their cones remain closed and regeneration never takes place. When a plant eventually dies, there is no natural replacement.
What it takes to grow them successfully
Growing serotinous banksias means recognising that individual plants are not self-renewing. As finite plantings, they will have to eventually be replaced.
Choosing a more suitable option
Non-serotinous banksias that set seed without fire retain the character and wildlife value, but have the ability to regenerate.
Dryandras (now Banksia subgenus Dryandra)
Their role in the wild
Dryandras evolved in some of the most nutrient-poor soils on earth, particularly in south-west Western Australia. They are adapted to areas of extremely low phosphorus, allowing them to grow slowly without being outcompeted by nutrient-hungry species.
Why this does not translate well at home
Most garden soils are far richer than the environments dryandras like. Even small amounts of phosphorus from compost, mulch or fertiliser can disrupt their nutrient balance. Plants often establish and appear healthy at first, then decline suddenly.
What it takes to grow them successfully
The garden will have to deliberately replicate low-nutrient soils with strict control of all inputs. Maintaining these conditions over time is difficult in mixed garden settings without constant vigilance.
Choosing a more suitable option
Native shrubs like Grevillea and Callistemon tolerate a broader range of soil conditions. These plants offer similar form and wildlife value, while being far easier to grow.
Choosing plants that fit the garden you have
These plants are specialists, shaped by ecosystems that home gardens may struggle to replicate. Our own green spaces tend to reward a bit more flexibility.
Choosing native plants that align with the conditions of your garden leads to easier management and greater resilience over time.
For gardeners who enjoy experimentation and careful observation, some of these species can still be worth trying, as long as their limits are understood from the outset.
