The
list below contains a small number of local
native plants that can be propagated from local
cuttings or seed and, having been tried in local
gardens, are now growing happily in place. They
are a selection from a much larger group that
could be successful and provide both beauty
for the gardener and habitat for local critters.
Gardening
is meant to be relaxing and fun and the fun
thing about these plants is to try and find
the right place in the garden for you and the
plant. We have found that most of these will
grow with an initial watering regime to allow
them to establish under almost any conditions.
Being local they are used to the vagaries of
local soils and climate and some of us have
found that they will grow in even the most degraded
post-construction situation on a suburban block.
After all, buried concrete has been found on
a suburban block long after the house has been
built.
We have
tried to select a small number of local native
plants which are fairly representative of vegetation
structure, trees, shrubs, grasses and what we
have called understorey plants, as well as the
floral diversity that many people require to
make the effort worthwhile. Understorey in this
instance simply means those small but showy
plants, such as daisies, that are often overlooked,
but play a role in making a garden look interesting,
filling in the gaps between the shrubs, trees
and grasses. This is what they do in the wild
and this is their appropriate role in the suburban
garden.
In some
cases plants that are usually quite small in
the wild will grow to a decent size in a garden,
given enough space. This is something you have
to think about with local native plants if you
want a certain effect. Small native plants,
particularly grasses and understorey plants,
need space to show their true worth. Believe
it or not, what appear to be inoffensive local
native shrubs which are not that threatening
in their early lives can actually shade out
anything after they get going.
All of
these have a role to act out in the play that
you write. You can vary the mix depending on
the effect you want. Alternatively, the shrubs
can fill the almost traditional role of a screen
while the grasses and understorey plants utilise
the middle ground. This is going to be affected
by the amount of space you have, perhaps the
most important issue in this age of varying
block sizes. It’s over to you. Ask the
local growers about possibilities.
Happy
gardening.
Alan
Ford and Gwyn Clarke
Acknowledgements:
Geoff Clarke
ANPS Plant data-base
Australian National Botanic Gardens
Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants:
W R Elliot & D L Jones
Don and Betty Wood ( particularly Flowers
of the ACT & Region)
Grassland Flora: D Eddy, D Mallison,
R Rehwinkel, S Sharp
The
Plants
Trees
Allocasuarina
verticillata
Syn Casuarina stricta. Tree 6mH x 5mW. Spreading
habit with drooping branches and attractive
furrowed bark. Female has fluffy flowers March-December
and woody cones. Hardy in most sites and conditions.
Acacia
implexa
Small tree 4-6mH x 4mW. Long curved foliage.
Pale yellow ball flowers in autumn with curved
and twisted pods. Well drained soils in full
or filtered sun. A hardy species which tolerates
dryness.
Shrubs
Acacia
rubida
Tall shrub or small tree 3-5mH x 3-5mW. Red
stems and light green foliage, often with divided
juvenile leaves present. Profuse yellow ball
flowers in spring. Most soils in sun or part
shade. Tolerates dryness.
Bursaria
spinosa
Erect spiny shrub 2.5mH x 1.5mW with small oval
leaves, felted beneath. Dense heads of small
white fragrant flowers in summer. Very hardy
in a wide range of soils and conditions. Attractive
to butterflies.
Mirbelia
oxylobioides
Variable shrub to 1.5mH x 1mW. Small stiff hairy
leaves and orange yellow pea flowers in late
spring and early summer. Well drained soils
in part shade or full sun. Withstands dry periods.
Grows under trees.
Dillwynia
sericea
Small shrub 0.6-0.8mH x 0.6-0.8mW with small
narrow leaves. Yellow and red pea flowers in
spring and summer. Well drained soils in part
shade or full sun. Withstands dry periods. Grows
under trees.
Daviesia
mimosoides
Medium shrub to 2.5mH x 2mW. Elliptic wattle
like leaves. Yellow and red pea flowers September-December.
Attractive triangular seed pods. Well drained
soils in dappled shade or part sun. Good under
trees. Very showy.
Grevillea
lanigera
Small shrub 0.5-1mH x 1mW with rounded habit.
Woolly grey leaves, red and cream flowers in
winter-spring. Very adaptable to a variety of
conditions. Attracts birds.
Small
Understorey Plants
Lomandra
longifolia
A dense tussock plant 0.5-1mH x 0.6-1mW. Creamy
flowers from August-December and then brown,
shiny fruits. Good drainage in most soils with
some sun. Feature with shrubs or accent plants
with grasses.
Brachyscome
rigidula
Small perennial herb 0.4mH x 0.5mW. Fine divided
leaves. Mauve flowers for long periods. Good
in heavy clay soils in full or part sun. Plant
in groups for dense effect. Prune old stems
in early spring.
Chrysocephalum
apiculatum
Small perennial herb. Variable, to around 0.2mH
x 0.5mW. Depending on form, silver to silvery
green leaves. Clusters of small golden flowers
all the year. Reasonable drainage and sun. Prune
in early spring. Good in massed plantings.
Calocephalus
citreus
Small perennial herb 0.2-0.5mH x 0.3-1mW, attractive
silvery grey foliage, bright yellow flower heads
Oct-Feb. Wide range of soil conditions with
adequate drainage. Likes part to full sun. Dies
back in winter.
Xerochrysum
viscosum
Syn Bracteantha viscosa. Perennial daisy 0.7mH
x 0.5mW with sticky linear leaves. Yellow papery
flowers in spring-summer. Suits most soils and
aspects. Prune away old stems in early spring.
Wahlenbergia
communis
Local ACT bluebell, forming clumps about 0.3mH
x 0.5mW with slender leaves and stems. Masses
of light blue flowers spring-summer. Sunny sites.
Grows in most situations but responds to better
conditions. Dies back in winter.
Grasses
Austrodanthonia
carphoides
Syn Danthonia carphoides. Short Wallaby Grass.
Small perennial grass forming short tufts 0.1-0.3mH.
Spikelets green to purple, straw coloured and
hairy with age.
Themeda
triandra
Syn Themeda australis. Kangaroo grass. Forming
clumps with short leaves, bluish when young,
reddish when older, particularly in winter.
Flowers and seed heads to 1mH, above leaves.
Most soils in sun.
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