Natives

Orange Cross Kangaroo Paw is a striking Australian native with evergreen, strappy foliage and tall spikes of burnt-orange flowers appearing through spring and summer. Like other kangaroo paws, it makes a bold feature in the garden and adds vibrant colour to borders, native plantings, or containers. The long flower spikes are also excellent for cut flowers, creating a dramatic display in vases where their bright colour can last for weeks. For best results, apply a slow-release Australian native fertiliser once a year after flowering. When the flowering season finishes, prune the spent stems right back to the base. This encourages fresh growth, with new flower stems emerging from the plant’s underground rhizome.

Soil: Well-drained soil.
Conditions: Full sun. Drought, light frost and coastal tolerant.
Size: Height 1.5-2m x width 1m

A superb, hardy, evergreen Australian native shrub, the Gin Gin Gem is a low, dense grevillea with vibrant lime foliage and small spider-type red and cream flowers that attract honey bees and small nectar-feeding birds. It makes an ideal groundcover for embankments and rockeries and brings bright splashes of colour to the garden from late autumn through winter and spring. Prune lightly after flowering for an even more dense habit, and feed in spring.

Soil: Well-drained soil.
Conditions: Full sun or part shade. Drought, light frost and coastal tolerant
Size: Height 0.25m x width 2-3m

Banksia integrifolia Sentinel is a striking Australian native with an upright, narrow growth habit and dense, dark green foliage that flashes a silvery underside in the breeze. From summer through to mid-winter it produces large, lemon-coloured flower spikes that attract honeyeaters and bees. This evergreen banksia is ideal for coastal gardens and works beautifully in flower beds, borders, or as a natural screen. Its tall, slender form makes it perfect for adding structure and a vibrant splash of colour to the landscape while supporting local wildlife.

Soil: Prefers a well-drained, humus-rich soil and is suited to sandy soils.
Conditions: Full sun or part shade. Frost tolerant to –10C, drought and coast hardy.
Size: Height 1.5-3m x width 0.6-1m

Bird Song is a delightful, smaller-growing banksia with beautiful shiny green foliage and large classic banksia candle flowers in autumn and winter. The flowers start as yellow buds, age to a darker orange-red, and are loved by nectar-feeding birds and other wildlife. Bird Song is naturally dense but can be encouraged to be even more compact if pruned after flowering finishes. Very useful for informal hedging, massed planting or on its own.

Soil: Well-drained soils. In heavier soils, it is good to create raised beds.
Conditions: Needs full sun for best flowering. Drought, coastal and light frost tolerant.
Size: Height 1-2m x width 1-2m.