Growing Australian native daisies by colour and climate
Australian native daisies can be found in almost every environment — clinging to coastal cliffs, carpeting alpine meadows, appearing in arid inland landscapes and thriving in suburban gardens and pots. Part of the surprise lies in what a daisy actually is. The daisy family, Asteraceae, is one of the most diverse plant families on earth and while many species fit the familiar shape of a central disc surrounded by petal-like rays, others are wonderfully strange, architectural or purely textural.
Australia is home to hundreds of its own daisies, many of which are incredibly tough and long-flowering. This guide groups them by colour, which not only makes them easier to design with but reveals just how varied and beautiful this corner of our native flora really is.
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Before choosing a native daisy: what to know first
Annuals versus perennials
This is the most important distinction in the daisy family. Annual daisies, including most of the everlastings and paper daisies, complete their entire life cycle in a single season and then die. They return only if conditions allow self-seeding. Perennial daisies, such as the brachyscomes and chrysocephalums, return from the same root system and require only light maintenance to stay productive. For low-maintenance planting, perennials are the more reliable choice. For wildflower gardens and seasonal colour, annuals are unmatched.
Drainage is non-negotiable
Almost every native daisy on this list will fail in poorly drained or waterlogged soil. Most evolved in open, exposed positions with sandy, gravelly or loamy soils that dry out between rain events. In heavier soils, plant into a raised position or improve drainage with coarse sand before planting. A hori-hori is the right tool for planting as it makes a precise hole without compacting the surrounding soil the way a spade does. In containers, use a free-draining native potting mix and ensure pots have adequate drainage holes.
Deadheading and pruning
For annuals, deadheading spent flowers with sharp secateurs as soon as the petals begin to fade redirects the plant's energy into producing new flower buds. If you want to collect seed for next year, leave a handful of spent flowers on the plant until fully dry before harvesting. For perennials, a light trim after the main flush of flowering keeps the plant compact and encourages the next round of growth. Most perennial daisies respond well to cutting back by around one third after their main season.
Everlastings and tropical gardens
Most everlasting and paper daisies are not suited to tropical and high-humidity subtropical climates, where the combination of heat and summer rainfall prevents the dry conditions they need to thrive. Tropical and subtropical gardeners should focus on the perennial brachyscomes and daisy bushes (Olearia), which handle these conditions considerably better.
Growing native daisies in containers
Terracotta ollas placed in larger pots provide slow, consistent moisture at root level. This is ideal for natives that dislike wet surface soil. Feed container daisies lightly with a low-phosphorus native fertiliser every six to eight weeks through the growing season, as nutrients leach more quickly from pots than from garden beds.
White and soft cream native daisies
White daisies are among the most versatile in the garden as they soften bold foliage, brighten shaded positions and pair well with almost everything. Use them to lighten planting schemes that risk feeling too heavy or to create contrast against darker-leaved natives like westringia or lilly pilly.
1. Tall daisy (Brachyscome diversifolia)
Container friendlyA perennial with white to pale lilac rays and a yellow centre, forming loose clumps that flower for long periods, particularly in the cooler months. The stems are upright and airy, giving the plant an open, relaxed presence that works well in both formal and naturalistic plantings. It is excellent for cottage-style native gardens and mass planting along garden edges where its airy habit creates movement.
2. Winged everlasting (Ammobium alatum)
An annual with papery white bracts surrounding a bright yellow centre, famous for its longevity as a cut or dried flower — it holds its form and colour for months after harvest. It evolved to thrive in poor soils and harsh sun, flowering freely and setting seed efficiently before conditions deteriorate. It is one of the easiest everlastings to grow from seed scattered directly onto prepared soil in autumn.
3. Flannel cudweed (Actinobole uliginosum)
Known for its soft, velvety grey foliage, this small annual is as tactile as it is visually distinctive. Small white flower heads sit close to the foliage, giving the plant a compact, cushion-like quality that reads beautifully at ground level in a wildflower planting. The woolly surface reduces moisture loss, making it genuinely suited to arid and semi-arid conditions.
4. Hoary sunray (Leucochrysum albicans)
A tall, upright perennial with silvery foliage and pale, papery flowers held well above the leaves. Its strong vertical form and tolerance for exposure make it feel more architectural than floral. It grows in open grassland and grassy woodland across south-eastern Australia, tolerating dry conditions, light frost and windswept positions where softer plants struggle. The white papery bracts persist long after flowering, extending its season of interest well into summer.
Allthingsnative, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5. White strawflower (Xerochrysum bracteatum)
A striking plant with crisp white papery bracts surrounding a golden centre. Exceptionally resilient, it evolved to withstand heat, drought and open exposure, and its long-lasting blooms make it as practical as it is beautiful. The papery texture means the flowers dry naturally on the plant, making it one of the best Australian daisies for cutting and bringing indoors. It self-seeds gently in the right conditions, returning year after year without becoming a nuisance.
6. White burr daisy (Calotis dentex)
A lesser-known native daisy producing crisp white flowers with bold yellow centres, followed by distinctive burr-like seed heads that cling lightly to fur, feathers and clothing, dispersing the plant efficiently across the landscape. Its life cycle reflects a classic Australian strategy: flower quickly, set seed efficiently and persist through variability. A rewarding and unfussy addition to dry garden schemes.
Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Yellow and gold native daisies
Yellow is the most common daisy colour in Australia and it makes sense in design terms too. Golden native daisies act as the warm backbone of a planting scheme, reliable through the season and effective at distance. Use them in mass plantings for a bold, impactful effect, or sparingly as highlights against silver-leaved natives and fine-textured grasses.
1. Yam daisy (Microseris walteri)
Yam daisy is a perennial with cheerful yellow flowers and deep cultural significance. Once an important food source for First Nations peoples across south-eastern Australia, the starchy tuberous roots were roasted and eaten. In the garden it forms a low rosette of strappy leaves and produces flowers in spring on slender upright stems. It tolerates dry conditions once established and suits grassy or meadow-style plantings where it can naturalise over time.
2. Billy buttons (Craspedia globosa and related species)
Container friendlyIconic golden spheres held aloft on slender, leafless stems, unlike almost anything else in the Australian flora. These perennials are tough, tolerating clay, drought and light frost across a wide range of climates. They are long-lasting in both fresh and dried arrangements and attract native bees reliably through their spring flowering season. A native garden staple that consistently earns its place.
3. Woolly buttons (Trichanthodium skirrophorum)
A small native daisy with compact, button-like yellow flower heads and softly hairy foliage. Its sculptural form and understated colour make it feel more textural than floral. It is a plant of open arid and semi-arid country, adapted to thin soils and intense sun, and performs best in gardens that reflect those conditions: lean soil, excellent drainage and full exposure.
Russell Best, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
4. Scaly buttons (Leptorhynchos squamatus)
A low-growing perennial daisy with tight yellow button flowers and fine, grey-green foliage, often found in grasslands and open woodlands across south-eastern Australia. It is an important part of grassy ecosystem plantings and provides nectar for small native bees that cannot access larger, tubular flowers. Subtle but reliably rewarding in the right conditions.
Harry Rose from South West Rocks, Australia, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5. Golden everlasting (Xerochrysum bracteatum)
An annual with large, vibrant yellow flowers that thrives in difficult conditions and is often one of the first plants to recolonise disturbed ground, flowering rapidly and setting seed before other species establish. The golden form is the most commonly grown and one of the most rewarding, producing flowers over a long period that hold their colour and form both on the plant and in a vase. A standout in wildflower mixes and informal borders alike.
6. Yellow buttons (Chrysocephalum apiculatum)
Container friendlyA low-growing perennial with clusters of small yellow flowers and aromatic, silver-grey foliage. One of the most broadly adaptable of all Australian native daisies, it occurs across every state and tolerates a wide range of soils and climate conditions. The flowers are produced almost continuously through the warmer months, making it one of the longest-flowering groundcovers available. It spreads steadily to form a dense mat that suppresses weeds effectively and stays tidy with only the occasional trim using sharp secateurs.
Pink native daisies
Pink native daisies are often delicate in appearance but surprisingly resilient. They pair beautifully with fine-textured grasses and silver-leaved plants, creating movement and a soft, layered feel that works equally well in formal borders and naturalistic garden settings.
1. Swan River daisy (Brachyscome iberidifolia)
Container friendlyAn annual famous for its pastel pink and mauve tones, produced in such abundance that the fine foliage almost disappears beneath the flowers. It is easy to grow from seed scattered directly onto the soil surface, fast-flowering and ideal for pots, hanging baskets and the front of borders. The flowers attract small native bees and hoverflies reliably and the plant performs well in both warm and cool temperate conditions as long as drainage is reasonable.
2. Pink paper daisy (Rhodanthe chlorocephala subsp. rosea)
A classic spring annual with bright pink papery bracts surrounding a white centre and one of the most recognisable of all Australian wildflowers. It thrives in poor soils and rewards minimal care. The papery texture allows blooms to be cut and dried with the colour intact. It is best grown from seed sown in autumn in cool to temperate climates and performs particularly well in free-draining sandy or gravelly soils.
3. Mangle's everlasting (Rhodanthe manglesii)
A Western Australian annual with vivid pink to deep rose papery bracts and a yellow centre — one of the most striking of all Australian everlasting daisies. It is closely related to the pink paper daisy but has nodding flower heads and slightly finer stems, giving it a more delicate appearance in the garden. Like other everlastings, it holds its colour long after cutting and is an excellent choice for dried arrangements as well as garden display.
bmichanderson, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
4. Pink clusters everlasting (Schoenia cassiniana)
A lesser-known annual with soft pink blooms and fine, upright foliage. The flowers form in loose clusters at the stem tips rather than as single heads, giving the plant a slightly different texture to the classic everlasting. It germinates readily from seed after autumn rain and flowers through late winter and spring, making it particularly valuable in the garden at a time when colour is scarce. Beautiful in wildflower meadows and naturalistic gardens.
Mark Marathon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5. Minuria (Minuria scoparia)
A small, upright native daisy with tight pink to mauve button-like flower heads and fine, needle-like foliage. Often found in arid and semi-arid regions across inland Australia, it is a rewarding choice for low-water gardens in warmer, drier climates. The narrow leaves reduce moisture loss in dry conditions and the plant tolerates alkaline and sandy soils that challenge many other daisies.
Lachlan Copeland, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Deadheading native daisies
Deadhead as soon as the petals begin to fade but before the seed head fully dries. Use sharp secateurs and make a clean cut to the next bud or leaf node — clean cuts heal faster and reduce the risk of disease. If you are growing everlasting daisies and want to collect seed for next season, leave a handful of spent flowers on the plant until they are completely dry and papery before harvesting.
Purple, blue and mauve native daisies
This colour group includes some of the most striking daisies in the Australian flora, and some of the most garden-ready. Purple and blue daisies add depth and contrast to planting schemes — they work especially well planted alongside yellow-flowering natives, where the colour interplay is bold and effective. Several in this group are also among the best choices for tropical and subtropical gardeners.
1. Cut-leaf daisy (Brachyscome multifida)
Container friendly
A hardy perennial with finely divided foliage and violet to lavender flowers produced prolifically over a long season from late winter through to autumn. It is one of the most broadly adaptable native daisies available, tolerating coastal exposure, clay soils, dry spells and light frost. The mounded habit stays tidy with only an occasional light trim after the main flush of flowering — one of the most reliable choices for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.
2. Woolly New Holland daisy (Vittadinia gracilis)
Naturally found in grasslands and open woodland across much of Australia, this species is more subtle than many nursery favourites but exceptionally well adapted to Australian conditions. The small, woolly flower heads produce mauve to purple rays around a yellow centre, held on fine stems above softly hairy foliage. It tolerates poor soils, dry conditions and open exposure and is an important plant for ground-level insects in grassland restoration plantings.
DavidFrancis34 from Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
3. Native blue daisy (Brachyscome angustifolia)
Container friendlyCompact and floriferous, with soft blue-purple blooms produced over a long season from late winter through summer. It forms a low, spreading mound of fine foliage and flowers so freely that the leaves can be difficult to see during peak flowering. One of the best native daisies for edging paths, spilling over low walls or filling the front of a border, and one of the most reliable in containers.
4. Purple burr daisy (Calotis cuneifolia)
A compact native daisy with mauve-pink flowers and distinctive burr-like seed heads that cling lightly to passing animals, dispersing the plant efficiently across the landscape. Its spiky, textural form feels far removed from the classic daisy shape, revealing a tougher, more utilitarian side of the family. It grows in open grasslands, rocky slopes and disturbed ground across a wide range of climates and tolerates dry, alkaline conditions that would finish most other daisies.
Poyt448, Peter Woodard, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5. Rough daisy bush (Olearia asterotricha)
A robust daisy shrub with clusters of small purple to white flowers held above coarse, textured foliage. Unlike soft, meadow-style daisies, rough daisy bush has a strong, upright form and a distinctly rugged character shaped by its origins in the cooler forested landscapes of south-eastern Australia. It is more structurally useful than most daisies, functioning as a mid-storey shrub that provides cover for birds as well as nectar.
6. Coastal daisy bush (Olearia axillaris)
Container friendlyCoastal daisy bush is native to the WA and SA coastlines and is one of the toughest daisy shrubs available to Australian gardeners. It handles salt spray, sand, drought and coastal winds without difficulty and unlike most daisies in this guide it performs reliably in subtropical gardens where humidity is higher and summers are wet. The small white to pale lilac flowers with yellow centres appear through winter and spring, attracting a range of small insects.
Melburnian, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Why native daisies belong in every Australian garden
Australian native daisies are resilient, water-wise and perfectly adapted to our soils and climate. Many are perennial, returning year after year with minimal input. Others are annuals that self-seed gently, creating evolving displays without becoming invasive. They support native insects, birds and soil health while offering extraordinary diversity in form, texture and colour — from neat pots to wild meadows, there is a native daisy suited to almost every garden style and scale.
Perhaps most importantly, they challenge the idea that native plants are dull or limiting. Once you begin to notice their diversity and beauty, it becomes clear that Australian daisies are not an alternative to traditional garden flowers. They are the original, the resilient and the most honest expression of place.
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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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