How to plant Australian natives in your garden for the best success
Planting an Australian native is not complicated, but it is different to planting a rose or a vegetable. The instincts that serve you well in a conventional garden like improving the soil, adding fertiliser and watering frequently can actively work against you. The native plants that struggle most in their first year are often the ones that received the most intervention at the time they were put in the ground.
This guide covers the full process from choosing your plant through to the end of the first dry season. The goal is a plant that is genuinely self-sufficient within twelve to eighteen months.
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Tube stock or advanced plant?
One of many decisions to make is what size plant to buy. Most native nurseries sell in two formats: tube stock, which are small plants in narrow planters roughly 10cm deep and advanced plants, which are in 140mm pots or bigger.
Tube stock is almost always the better choice for natives. The root ball is small, which means the plant adapts its root architecture to the local conditions from the start. A well-planted tube stock will typically outperform an advanced plant within two seasons and the cost saving is significant. See our native garden budget guide for more on stretching your dollars.
Advanced plants are worth the extra cost in a few situations:
- When you need immediate visual impact in a prominent position
- When you are planting a specimen tree or large shrub that will anchor the garden
- When you are establishing a windbreak that needs to function quickly
In these cases, plant the advanced specimen and fill around it with tube stock.
Check the root ball before you buy
A healthy tube stock plant should have roots that are just beginning to reach the base of the tube, not circling the bottom or escaping out of drainage holes. A heavily root-bound plant will take longer to establish. Tip the tube gently and check before buying.
When to plant
Timing matters more with natives than with many exotic plants because the establishment window varies significantly by season and climate zone.
In temperate and cool temperate Australia
Victoria · Tasmania · ACT · Southern NSW · Adelaide Hills
Autumn is the best planting time by a significant margin. Soil temperatures are still warm from summer which drives root growth, but air temperatures have dropped, reducing stress on the above-ground part of the plant. Natural rainfall typically increases through autumn and winter, reducing your irrigation burden. The plant has the entire cool season to develop its root system before facing its first summer. A plant put in the ground in April in Melbourne has a fundamentally different establishment trajectory to one planted in October.
In subtropical gardens
South-east Queensland · Coastal NSW north of Sydney
The transition from dry season to wet season in late summer and early autumn serves a similar function. Plant as the humidity rises and before the main rainfall arrives so aim for February through April. Soil temperatures are still high enough to drive root growth but the worst of the summer heat is easing. Avoid planting in the height of the wet season when waterlogged soil prevents root development and fungal problems at the crown are more likely.
In tropical gardens
Darwin · Cairns · The Kimberley
Plant at the end of the wet season when soil is moist and temperatures are beginning to ease, typically April to June. This gives the plant the entire dry season to establish its root system in relatively stable conditions before the next wet arrives. Some supplemental watering will be needed through the first dry season months. Avoid the peak wet season as intense rainfall and saturated soil make it difficult for new plantings to establish and the humidity increases the risk of fungal problems at the root crown.
In Mediterranean climate gardens
Perth · Coastal South Australia
Mediterranean climates have the opposite seasonality to most of eastern Australia with wet winters and dry summers. Autumn planting from March through May works well here too: winter rains take over the irrigation burden almost immediately and the plant has the cool, moist season to establish before its first dry summer. Spring planting is particularly risky in Perth as the dry season begins almost immediately afterwards, leaving a newly planted root ball with very little time to establish before it faces months of heat and no rainfall. See our Perth native plants guide for species suited to this climate.
In alpine and elevated tablelands gardens
Snowy Mountains · Blue Mountains · Central Tablelands · Grampians highlands
These gardens have the shortest reliable planting window. Late spring — October through November — avoids the risk of a hard frost hitting a newly established plant before it has developed any cold hardiness. The soil has had time to warm after winter and the plant has the full growing season ahead before the first autumn frost. Do not plant in autumn in these positions: a newly planted specimen with undeveloped roots is far more vulnerable to winter frost than one that is well established.
The seasons to avoid in most climates are midsummer, when heat and dry conditions stress new plantings before roots are established and the peak of a dry season, when irrigation demands are highest and establishment rates are lowest. See our maintenance guide by climate zone for seasonal timing specific to your region.
Reading your site before you plant
Sun and shade
Observe the position through the day before planting. A spot that appears sunny in the morning may be in deep shade by afternoon, or vice versa. Most flowering natives need a minimum of four to six hours of direct sun to perform well. Shade-tolerant species like correa, dianella and crowea can manage on less. Full shade, less than two hours of direct sun, limits your options significantly but does not eliminate them.
Drainage
Poor drainage kills more natives than drought. To test your drainage, dig a hole roughly 30cm deep, fill it with water and observe. If it drains within an hour, drainage is good. If water is still sitting after three hours, drainage is poor and you need to either choose plants specifically suited to wet conditions, improve drainage before planting with coarse sand, or raise the planting level by mounding. See our guide to natives for wet soil if drainage is a persistent issue.
Existing roots
Planting near established trees, particularly large eucalypts, means competing with an existing root system that has spent years occupying the available soil. In these positions, use a hori-hori rather than a spade to create planting pockets with minimal disturbance and choose plants specifically adapted to those conditions. See our guide to planting under eucalypts for plant selection and technique.
Preparing to plant
Soil amendment — less is more
The instinct to improve soil before planting is understandable, but often counterproductive with natives. Most Australian native plants have evolved in nutrient-poor soils and have root systems specifically adapted to extract nutrients at the low concentrations available. Adding large quantities of compost, manure or fertiliser encourages fast, soft growth that is vulnerable to drought stress. For banksias, grevilleas, hakeas and other proteaceous plants, phosphorus causes direct root damage and can kill an established plant.
The right approach is modest: a small amount of well-aged compost worked into the planting hole to improve water retention slightly without fundamentally changing the soil. If your soil is extremely poor or compacted, loosen it with a hand fork across the planting area before you begin, but do not bring in topsoil or heavily amend the profile.
Prepare the plant
Before planting, water the tube stock or pot thoroughly and allow it to drain. A dry root ball does not make good contact with the surrounding soil and the plant goes into transplant stress immediately. If the plant has been sitting in its pot for a long time and the roots are circling, tease them gently outward with a hori-hori before planting. Remove any damaged, dead or diseased foliage with sharp secateurs so the plant directs its energy into root establishment.
Plan your spacing
Tube stock makes it tempting to plant too close together because the plants look so small. If you want quick coverage, plant at roughly half the mature spread and accept that you will thin plants in three to five years as they fill out. If you are planting a long-term garden where each plant should develop its full natural form, space to mature width from the outset. Groundcovers and grasses can be planted more densely; large shrubs and small trees should be given their full room.
The planting process
The steps below apply to the majority of Australian native plants.
Planting banksias, grevilleas and hakeas
Plants in the Proteaceae family have specialised proteoid root systems that are exceptionally sensitive to phosphorus. Never add standard fertiliser, blood and bone or superphosphate to the planting hole or surrounding soil. Do not add compost with high nutrient content. These plants are among the most rewarding in the native palette precisely because they are so self-sufficient once established.
Watering through establishment
The establishment period is the time between planting and the plant becoming genuinely self-sufficient. This varies by species, planting time and climate. As a general guide, most natives planted in autumn in a temperate climate will be through establishment by the following autumn. Plants planted in spring or summer face a harder first season and may need support for longer.
How often to water
Water deeply and infrequently rather than shallowly and often. The goal of establishment watering is to encourage roots to follow moisture downward into the soil profile, which produces a plant that is anchored and genuinely drought tolerant. Frequent shallow watering keeps roots near the surface, where they remain vulnerable to heat and drought and dependent on continued irrigation.
After the initial deep watering at planting, water again after three to four days. Then water once a week for the first month, then every ten to fourteen days through the first dry season, then stop.
Use ollas in fast-draining soil
In containers, sandy or very free-draining soils, surface watering can evaporate or drain away before roots absorb it. A terracotta olla buried between plants delivers water slowly and directly to the root zone through porous clay walls. It is one of the most efficient approaches for establishment in difficult soils. Fill every two to three days through the first dry season. Once the plant is established the olla can be left in place as a passive deep-watering system through future dry periods.
What to watch for
Some wilting and leaf drop in the first two to three weeks after planting is normal. It is a sign of transplant stress and not necessarily a sign of failure. The plant is adjusting to the shock of having its root system disturbed and its water uptake temporarily reduced. As long as new growth appears within four to six weeks, the plant is establishing. If there is no new growth after six weeks and the plant looks progressively worse rather than better, investigate the root ball for signs of overwatering, poor drainage or the plant sitting too deep. See our article on why native plants fail in the first year for a full guide.
After the first dry season
A native plant that has come through its first summer without intervention has done the hardest thing it will ever do. Its root system has now extended into the surrounding soil and it has demonstrated that it can function in your specific conditions. From this point forward, most Australian natives need very little from you.
Once established, stop routine watering entirely for drought-tolerant species. Water deeply once or twice through a prolonged dry spell if the plant shows stress, but do not return to a regular watering schedule. Most natives that struggle in their second and third year do so because we continue watering which prevents the plant from developing genuine drought tolerance.
A light application of low-phosphorus slow-release native fertiliser in spring of the second year gives a small nutrient boost as it enters its first full growing season, but this is unnecessary for phosphorus-sensitive plants. See our guide to fertilising native plants for D.I.Y options.
Established plants that have outgrown their position, become woody or lost vigour can often be rejuvenated with a well-timed prune. See our pruning guide for species-specific advice and our division guide for clumping species that can be multiplied from established plants.
Normal stress vs genuine failure
Normal in the first few weeks: wilting in afternoon heat, some leaf drop, yellowing of lower leaves, no visible new growth. Signs of genuine failure: progressive deterioration after six weeks with no new growth, blackening or softening at the stem base, root ball that smells off when examined, or complete collapse of foliage.
Planting natives well is less about doing more and more about doing less, more carefully. The plants that establish fastest and perform best long-term are almost always the ones that were planted at the right time, in the right position, without excess amendment and then left to get on with it.
keep reading
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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