Australian Gardens

Designing An Australian Native Garden

Most people want a natural looking bush garden. It is Important that you choose a theme and stick to it otherwise the garden may look quite nice but be a meaningless assortment of plants. Many of the best native gardens are modelled on real bush examples. This gives you a number of choices of types of gardens that can be based on nature:

• A typical open woodland to denser forest with ground covers, climbers, grasses, shrubs and trees.
• An indigenous garden, commonly a woodland, using the full complement of available plants that grow naturally in the local area.
• A heathland, mainly shrubs and groundcovers with showy flowers.Many of these plants are from South Western Australia, and require well drained, infertile soils and low humidity to grow well. This type of garden might include Dryandras, Isopogons, Lambertias, native heaths, Grevilleas etc.
• A cottage garden, generally interpreted as "a riot of colour",using mainly natives that look like exotics. This could be considered a variation on a heathland garden. It is equally valid to use native plants in cottage gardens. Some suitable natives include Tetratheca, tea tree hybrids, Indigofera australis, Eriostemons, Hypocalymas, Baueras, Brachycomes, etc.
• A rockery which may consist of alpine plants, or plants from other rocky areas, and may include tussock grasses, grass trees, and small gems like ground orchids and helichrysum species.
• A rainforest, with ferns, palms, orchids, trees and climbers. This type of garden requires a protected position, effective irrigation and improved soils.

Australian native gardens can also be more formal, with regular tip pruning and shaping of plants for compact form. One of the early problems with native gardens was the idea that they should not be pruned (because this did not happen in nature.)In fact bush plants are constantly tip pruned in nature, by browsing animals, by frost and hail damage and by insects, keeping the plants naturally dense and compact. Unpruned garden plants are often mainly sticks with a little green at the top. The problem is made worse by the plants receiving more water and fertilizer than they would in nature.

When designing a native garden consider:

• How things fit together in the bush.
• What makes up a bush garden (animals, plants soil etc.). 
• Putting it all together and keeping it together over time.

 

The Design Process

Before getting your hands dirty you need to follow a process of information gathering, planning, and design.

Information gathering

Try to find out as much as you can about the climate and soil. The extreme weather conditions determine how well the plant grows. As a guide, walk around the neighbourhood to see which natives already grow well in the area. Visit a garden supplies yard and check the prices and availability of materials such as timber, soils, mulch, rocks, pre formed ponds etc.

Planning

With all your information decide first on a theme. You may choose a theme using plants that grow well in the area, which will give you good results easily and cheaply. This is the wisest course and will usually be low maintenance. Or, you may have your heart set on a rainforest or an alpine rockery (but you live in Alice Springs!). To do this will be more difficult and costly, but fun. It will also require a lot of maintenance time and money. You will want to work out a sequence of jobs, such as ordering in soil, pavers, purchasing pond liner etc, and finally planting and mulching.

Design

This includes the logical and attractive placement of paths, bird baths and other features.Similarly, the right plants need to be selected for the right place, so that they will grow well, perform a function (e.g. attract birds or shade the house), fit in with the theme you have chosen, and last but not least, look good. Ideally there should be at least one reason for the placement of each element in the garden. Most people go out to the nursery and buy on impulse which usually results in many plant deaths, high maintenance and high expense.

You should draw up a scale plan on tracing paper over graph paper. If you get graph paper that has 1cm wide lines, then consider 1cm on the paper to be equal to 1 metre on the ground, which is a 1:100 scale. This may seem to be a waste of time, but the drawings don't have to be fancy, and it will help to clarify your thinking.It is also cheaper and less painful to make mistakes on paper than when you are making the garden.

Show the plan to friends, other householders and your local nursery person. They will all have their own ideas, some will be helpful, others will be difficult to reconcile with your own. They may also spot design errors.

Decide on areas for unsightly garbage bins, vegetable patch etc. Keep these hidden or screened with climbers from attractive planted areas and outdoor living areas. There are many practical considerations when designing a garden :

• Do you have a destructive dog?
• Do you have children who might fall in a pond or eat poisonous plants?
• Are you allergic to wattle or grass pollen?
• Do you know where underground services are? Power lines?
• How much time can you spare for maintenance? Can you get help?
• How often and how long do you go on holiday?

Creating a Natural Bush Garden

A natural bush garden can be anything which attempts to simulate a natural environment. For low maintenance it must aim to be an area where the created garden will inhibit the growth of unwanted weeds through close planting and mulching.For a wilderness or bush garden the design must be informal. Consider the whole atmosphere including smells and sounds.The garden should be alive with argumentative birds, fluttering butterflies and lizards lounging on warm rocks. Underfoot should be spongy with mulch smelling of earth and eucalyptus. A bush garden is more than just trees and shrubs. Try to include all of the low growing herbs, grasses, lilies, etc of the under storey. Remember, designing a garden is much harder than painting a picture or decorating a house. You can't simply put any plant anywhere because it looks nice. Tree ferns planted next to a sunny west wall will cook. You are dealing with living, three dimensional plants which grow and change through the seasons. Mostly you will say "It will look nice in three weeks time", or "It looked nice three weeks ago".

Choosing Your Plants

You should choose your plants carefully.  Remember, every plant will have it's good points and it's bad points. You have to decide for yourself which characteristics of a plant are most important to you! Consider all of the following points, and balance the priority of one against another according to your own preferences.

Aesthetics (Attractiveness)

Consider; how a plant looks? Does it create the type of effect you want?
Consider the colour, texture and density of foliage, fruit and flowers, changes in appearance throughout the year (ie: period & time of flowering, leaf colour changes, etc.) and the habit or form of the plant (ie: prostrate, weeping, cone shaped, etc.).

Function

What will the plant be used for? (ie: screen, bird attractant, shade, soil binding, etc.). Does it fulfill this function adequately?

Growth Characteristics

How will the plant affect the environment around it? Trees can grow big, shading the area and eventually causing sun loving plants around them to deteriorate. Do you want shade or not? Do you want the garden cooler or warmer? Do you want it more or less moist? Do you want the wind redirected or stopped? The plants you select can affect all of these things, and more.

Hardiness

Will the plant withstand frost, drought, excessive heat, flood, high winds, poor soil conditions, pest or disease attack, etc?

Suitability of the Location

Is the plant ideally suited to the soil and climate it is being planted in, or is it just able to tolerate these conditions?

Fragrance

Fragrance in leaves and foliage is an advantage in many situations.

For people with allergy or sinus problems, this can however, be a big disadvantage. 

Safety

Is the plant potentially dangerous? Plants that are likely to have falling branches, spiky or thorny foliage, poisonous plant parts, etc. should be avoided unless they are grown in a position where they are unlikely to be a problem. Plants that are known to burn easily should be avoided in fire prone areas.

Pollen of some species, such as the grasses and Acacias can also create allergy problems.

Life Span

How long is the plant likely to live? Many wattles, boronias and some other natives are relatively short lived (but this can be used by the landscaper to provide a garden which evolves  as some plants reach full size, others die out to make room).

BEWARE!  The biggest trap you can fall into is to choose your plants on 
impulse. Just because it catches your eye in the nursery, doesn't mean that it's the best plant for the spot you want to fill in your garden)

Hardy and Cold Tolerant Plants

- Suited to inland and snow prone areas of Southern Australia:

• Trees

  Acacia dealbata, elata, pravissima, pycnantha
  Allocasuarina (most species)
  Angophora costata
  Callitris (most species)
  Eucalyptus alpina, botryoides, cinerea, dives, globulus, gunni, leucoxylon, mannifera, melliodora, nicholi, pauciflora, polyanthemos, regnans, saligna, sideroxylon, stoatei, torquata, viminalis
  Melaleuca linariifolia
  Pittosporum undulatum 

• Shrubs

  Astartea fascicularis
  Bauera (most species)
  Callistemon citrinus, viminalis
  Correa alba, reflexa
  Darwinia citriodora
  Grevillea alpina, juniperina, Poorinda varieties, rosmarinifolia,
  Hakea nodosa, sericea
  Indigofera australia
  Leptospermum flavescens, juniperina, scoparium
  Melaleuca (most temperate species)
  Myoporum floribundum
  Pimelea ferruginea
  Pomaderris (most species)
  Prostanthera (most species)
  Pultenaea flexilis, villosa
  Thryptomene calycina, saxicola
  Westringia (most species)
  

• Ground Covers
  

  Billardiera scandens
  Brachysema celsianum
  Grevillea gaudichaudii, juniperina prostrate form
  Leptospermum rupestre
  Micromyrtus ciliata
  Muehlenbeckia axillaris
  Scleranthus biflorus
  Themeda australis (Kangaroo grass)
  

• Frost Hardy Native Plants
  

  Acacia baileyana, cultriformis, dealbata, floribunda, howittii, pravissima
  Banksia ericifolia, marginata, media, spinulosa
  Bauera rubioides, sessiliflora
  Boronia filifolia, megastigma, muelleri, pinnata
  Brachyscome multifida
  Callistemon citrinus, pallidus, paludosus, rigidus, salignus
  Callitris oblonga
  Cassia artemisioides, sturtii
  Casuarina cunninghamiana, glauca, stricta, torulosa
  Correa alba, decumbens, Manni, reflexa
  Epacris impressa, microphylla, pulchella
  Eremophila glabra, maculata
  Eriostemon myoporoides, verrucosus
  Eucalyptus alpina, cinerea, cladocalyx, crenulata, gunnii, leucoxylon, macrandra, melliodora, nicholii, pauciflora, polyanthemos, sideroxylon, stellulata.
  Grevillea alpina, aquifolium, baueri, capitellata, confertifolia, juniperina, lanigera, lavandulaceae, Poorinda hybrids, rosmarinifolia, sericea, steiglitziana, tridentifera
  Hakea elliptica, nodosa, petiolaris, purpurea, salicifolia, sericea
  Helichrysum apiculatum, baxteri, bracteatum
  Indigofera australis
  Kunzea capitata, parvifolia, pomifera
  Leptospermum flavescens, humifusum, juniperinum, lanigerum, scoparium
  Melaleuca armillaris, decussata, elliptica, incana, pungens, squarrosa, stypheloides, thymifolia, uncinata, wilsonii
  Myoporum debile, parvifolium
  Pandorea pandorana
  Pittosporum phyllyraeoides
  Prostanthera aspalathioides, crenulata, lasianthos, nivea, rotundifolia
  Telopea oreades, speciosissima
  Thryptomene calycina, saxicola
  Westringia fruticosa

Plants for Dry Places

- Grow well in soils which are normally dry:

Acacia aneura (Mulga)
Atriplex (Saltbush)
Banksia (most West Aust. varieties)
Brachychiton populneus, rupestris
Eucalyptus calycogona, eremophila, forrestiana, spathulata, tetraptera, 
torquata, viridis
Myoporum sp.

Drought Tolerant Plants

- Withstand periods of dryness:

• Trees

  Acacia aneura, pendula, spectabilis, stenophylla
  Allocasuarina inophloia, verticillata
  Brachychyton rupestre
  Callistemon (most tree types)
  Callitris columellaris,preissii
  Eucalyptus caesia, calycogona, camaldulensis, campespe, crucis, diversifolia, forrestiana, globulus, macrocarpa, papuana, radiata spathulata, stricklandii, tetraptera, torquata, viridis
  Ficus (Common fig)
  Melia azederach var. australasicus
  Pittosporum phyllyraeoides

• Shrubs

  Atriplex (most)
  Banksia ornata
  Callistemon (most shrub types)
  Cassia artemisioides, nemophila
  Chenopodium nitrariaceum   
  Dodonaea (most)
  Doryanthes excelsa
  Eremophila (most)
  Eucalyptus grossa, tetraptera
  Grevillea aspera, lavandulaceae, steiglitziana, wilsonii
  Hakea bucculenta, elliptica, laurina, multilineata, sericea
  Melaleuca decussata, elliptica, huegelii, lanceolata, uncinata, wilsonii
  Prostranthera aspalathoides
  Scholtzia capitata
  Solanum brownii
  Swainsonia (most)

• Ground Covers
  

  Allocasuarina nana
  Carpobrotus glaucescens
  Convolvulus erubescens
  Helichrysum apiculatum
  Kunzea pomifera
  Myoporum parvifolium
  Rhagodia deltophylla
  

• Windbreak Plants
  

  Acacia floribunda, longifolia, mearnsii, pravissima, saligna
  Acmena smithii
  Agonis flexuosa           
  Allocasuarina (most varieties)        
  Callistemon citrinus, pallidus, salignus, viminalis                  
  Callitris (most species)
  Correa alba
  Eucalyptus alpina, camaldulensis, forrestiana, globulus compacta, leucoxylon, pauciflora, polyanthemos, viminalis, viridis
  Grevillea rosmarinifolia
  Kunzea ambigua, flavescens
  Leptospermum lavaegatum, lanigerum, scoparium
  Melaleuca armillaris, elliptica, ericifolia, huegelii, hypericifolia, 
  nesophila, squarrosa, stypheloides
  Myoporum insulare
  Pittosporum undulatum
  Westringia fruiticosa
  

• Windbreaks in Tropical and Sub-Tropical Climates
  

  Acmena smithii
  Archontophoenix alexandrae
  Callistemon formosus, viminalis
  Callitris collumellaris
  Castenospermum australe
  Casuarina cunninghamiana, littoralis
  Eucalyptus tereticornis, tessellaris
  Leptospermum flavescens
  Melaleuca leucadendron, linariifolia
  Melia azaderach
  Vitex ovata
   

Scented Native Plants

• Trees

  Actinostrobus pyramidalis    
  Albizzia lebbeck
  Angophora hispida, subvelutina
  Backhousia angustifolia, citriodora
  Buckinghamia celcissima      
  Choricarpia leptopetala
  Doryphora sassafras          
  Eleocarpus reticulatus
  Eucalyptus (most  some more so than others)
  Hymenosporum flavum          
  Flindersia (most species)
  Pittosporum undulatum        
  Stenocarpus salignus
  Toona australis
  
  

• Shrubs

  Acacia cardiophylla, dealbata, floribunda, mearnsii, pendula, suaveolens
  Boronia (most species)
  Bursaria incana, spinosa
  Callistemon (most)
  Calothamnus (most)
  Darwinia citriodora
  Eremophila mitchellii
  Eriostemon (most)
  Grevillea australis, buxifolia, leucopteris, prostrata, tridentifera
  Hakea nodosa, plurinervia, suaveolens, varia
  Homoranthus flavescens
  Kunzea ambigua
  Leptospermum petersonii (syn L. citratum)
  Lomatia arborescens
  Melaleuca (many)
  Murraya paniculata
  Olearia (most  but not always attractive)
  Prostanthera (most varieties)
  Zieria (All)
   

Some Plants which Flower for Extended Periods

Astartea fascicularis
Boronia denticulata
Brachycome multifida
Correa alba
Crowea exalata
Darwinia citriodora
Helichrysum (many sp.)
Grevillea (many sp.)
Leschenaultia formosa
Viola hederaceae

Popular Native Climbing Plants

• For Cooler Climates:
  

  Billardiera bicolor, scandens & cymosa
  Clematis aristata & microphylla (not in W.A.)
  Hardenbergia violacea
  Kennedya rubicunda & nigricans
  Muehlenbeckia adpressa
  Pandorea pandorana
  Sollya heterophylla
  
  

• For dry inland:
  

  Clematis microphylla (not in W.A.)
  Jasminum linare
  Patersonia eucalyptophylla
  Ipomea mulleri
  
  

• For Northern Australia (moist conditions preferred):

  Abelmoschus moschatus
  Ceropigia cunninghamiana
  Cissus antarctica
  Dioscorea reticulata (Yam)
  Dischidia (Button orchid)
  Hoya australis, macgillvrayii, rubida
  Hibbertia scandens, dentata
  Ipomea digitata
  Jasminum suavissimum
  Kennedya retorsa, procurrens
  Passiflora herbertiana
   

Plants for Coastal Conditions

• Small Shrubs That Require Moderate Protection (up to 1.5 metres)
  

  Agonis flexuosa 'Nana'
  Anigosanthos flavidus KANGAROO PAW
  Brachyscome iberidifolia
  Correa decumbens, reflexa
  Crowea exalata
  Dampiera hederacea
  Dianella revoluta
  Epacris longiflora
  Grevillea banskii (prostrate form), thelemanniana
  Helichrysum bracteatum
  Hibbertia cuneata
  Melaleuca incana nana
  Pimelea ferruginea
  Thryptomene saxicola
  Xanthorrhea minor
  
  

• Small Plants For Exposed Coastal Conditions (up to 1.5m)
  

  Acacia terminalis (prostrate form)
  Banskia marginata (small and large forms available)
  Bauera rubiodes
  Brachysema lanceolatum
  Calocephalus brownii
  Calothamnus quadrifidus (low growing form)
  Carprobrotus rossii
  Grevillea fasiculata, lanigera
  Hardenbergia violacea (bushy form)
  Ipomoea  (Morning Glory)
  Leptospermum juniperinum 'Horizontalis', sericeum
  Myoporum parvifolium
  

• Medium To Large Shrubs That Require Moderate Protection (1.5 to 5metres)
  

  Acacia floribunda, iteaphylla, littorea, myrtifolia, pravissima,
  saligna
  Banskia ericifolia
  Callistemon 'Harkness', macropunctatus 
  Grevillea 'Clearview David'
  Hakea bucculenta, laurina, victoriae
  Pittosporum tobira
  Prostranthera ovalifolia 
  

• Medium To Large Shrubs For Exposed Coastal Gardens (1.5 to 5 metres)
  

  Acacia cyclops, suaveolens, truncata
  Atriplex cinerea COAST SALTBUSH
  Banskia media, praemorsa, verticilliata
  Callistemon "KINGS PARK SPECIAL", speciosus
  Correa alba
  Grevillea 'Coastal Glow'
  Hakea sericea, suaveolens
  Kunzea baxteri
  Melaleuca armillaris, diosmifolia, hypericifolia, nesophila
  Myoporum acuminatum BOOBIALLA
  Westringia fruiticosa COASTAL ROSEMARY
  

• Trees For Coastal Gardens (# requires moderate protection)
  

  Acacia baileyana #, longifolia var. sophorae
  Agonis flexuosa 
  Angophora costata, floribunda
  Araucaria heterophylla
  Banskia integrifolia (COASTAL BANSKIA), serrata
  Callitris preissii, columellaris
  Casaurina glauca, littoralis
  Cinnamomum camphorum
  Eucalyptus botryoides, calophylla # MARRI, citriodora #, 
  conferruminata (syn lehmannii), diversifolia, ficifolia # RED FLOWERING GUM
  kitsonia #, leucoxylon, robusta SWAMP GUM, rugosa
  Leptospermum laviegatum  COASTAL TEATREE
  Melaleuca stypheloides
  Melia azederach var australasica (deciduous)
  Tristania laurina 
  

• Climbers (# requires moderate protection)
  

  Clematis microphylla (NOT ALLOWED IN W.A.)
  Hardenbergia comptoniana      
  Hibbertia scandens
  Hoya australis
  Ipomea brasiliensis
  Kennedia nigricans #, rubicunda #
  Muehlenbeckia adpressa
  Pandorea jasminoides#
  Sollya heterophylla #
  
  

Plants for Lime Soils

• Shrubs which grow in Lime Soils
  

  Atriplex nummularia (Saltbush)
  Banksia ashbyi, ornata
  Brachyscome iberidifolia, lanceolatum
  Callistemon 'Harkness Hybrid'
  Calocephalus brownii (Cushion Bush)
  Calothamnus quadrifidus
  Casuarina humilis
  Chamaelaucium uncinatum (Geraldton wax)
  Clianthus formosus (Sturt's Desert Pea)
  Correa alba, decumbens, mannii
  Diplolaena (most)
  Epacris impressa
  Eremophila glabra
  Grevillea ilicifolia (NB: Most Grevilleas are not suited), leucopteris, pauciflora, vestita
  Leptospermum lavaegatum
  Melaleuca hypericifolia, nesophila, wilsonii
  Myoporum insulare (Boobialla)
  Pittosporum
  Rhagodia sp.
  
  

• Trees Which Grow in Lime Soils
  

  Araucaria heterophylla
  Banksias (Most W.A. types)
  Brachychiton populneus, rupestris
  Casuarina cristata
  Eucalyptus camaldulensis, cladocalyx nana, lehmannii, forrestiana, gomphocephala, leucoxylon rosea
  Melia azaderach var australasicus
  Pittosporum phillyraeoides
   

Plants Resistant to Inner-City Pollution

• Trees
  

  Acacia floribunda, longifolia, melanoxylon, pycnantha
  Allocasuarina (many varieties)
  Eucalyptus ficifolia, globulus compacta, ovata, torquata
  Ficus macrophylla
  Melaleuca linariifolia, stypheloides
  Pittosporum phyllyraeoides
  

• Shrubs
  

  Acacia iteaphylla, retinoides
  Actinostrobus pyramidalis
  Callistemon citrinus, salignus
  Calothamnus quadrifidus
  Casuarina distyla
  Grevillea rosmarinifolia
  Hakea sericea, salicifolia, suaveolens
  Leptospermum scoparium
  Melaleuca armillaris, decussata, incana, wilsonii
  Myoporum insulare

 

Learn with ACS

Learn about designing and planning your ideal bush garden with ACS.

We have a great range of eBooks and courses which will enable you to improve your knowledge of garden design, plant selection and much more - take a look at the links to these at the bottom of this page.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with us - we will be happy to help you; contact us by -

Phone on (UK) 01384 442752), or (International) +44 (0) 1384 442752, or use our FREE COURSE COUNSELLING SERVICE.

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