Native plants are not just beautiful; they are sustainable, water-saving, cost-effective, and are perfectly suited to the unique local Perth climate. This means you don’t have to spend as much time or effort to maintain them and they are ideal for people wanting low-maintenance gardens who might not have a green thumb.
Native plants occur naturally in the area that they have evolved. But they are not just ornamental; they serve an ecological function.
They help preserve biodiversity because, without native plants, the wildlife, local birds, and insects that have evolved with them can’t survive.
Here is a list of the 7 best native plants that grow in Perth that you should consider choosing while making your landscaping decisions.
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1. Coastal Wattle – ‘Acacia lasiocarpa.’
This is a small and dense plant with ornamental golden flowers which blossom in the winter and spring.
They’re a low-spreading species and grow around 0.3 to 0.5 m with a 1 to 1.5 m spread.
They’re versatile and can withstand drought and coastal conditions. Since they don’t require much water, they are ideal for the hot or dry spots you may have in your garden.
If you have a small garden or are looking for potted plant options, the coastal wattle is an excellent choice.
They can grow happily in full sun as well as part-shade conditions
2. Toothbrush Grevillea – ‘Grevillea Bronze Rambler.’
This species gets its name because of its exceptional, wine red and ‘toothbrush-like’ appearance.
Its flowers flourish throughout the year with a mass display in spring.
Be it drought or frost, this tough native shrub can withstand the harshest climatic conditions of Perth.
It can spread up to 2 to 3 meters and grow up to 50 cm.
Toothbrush Grevillea is ideal for mass planting, rockeries, slopes, and banks.
Plant it in a full sun region in your garden and water regularly for the first 12 weeks until it reaches its drought-tolerant stage.
This plant grows fast and will attract native wildlife like frogs and lizards, bees, nectar-sucking birds, and butterflies.
3. Bottlebrush – ‘Callistemon Kings Park Special.’
Callistemon Kings Park is an extremely popular and fast-growing bottlebrush with deep red bottle-brush flowers.
Like the Toothbrush Grevillea, Callistemon Kings Park is drought tolerant once established. But while you need to water it regularly, let the soil dry out between watering because this plant, like us, doesn’t like having wet ‘feet’.
They are usually bunched together and create a brilliant display during the spring and autumn.
It will brighten up your garden with its abundant flowers and is ideal for windbreaks, screens, small hedges, and erosion control.
It can cover around 3 to 4 meters and grow up to 5 meters. It is frost sensitive and can grow in full sun or part shade.
4. Common Everlasting – ‘Chrysocephalum apiculatum.’
This is a fast-growing perennial herb with golden-yellow button flowers that grow from late spring to early summer.
It ranges from a sparse erect plant that can grow up to 60 m high with narrow leaves to a much lower ground-level sprawling plant with fleshy leaves.
If you have a garden full of rockeries, this is your best choice since the Chrysocephalum apiculatum loves living amongst the rocks.
While it prefers full sun, it will grow well in light shade, though there may be fewer flowers.
It prefers well-drained soils.
5. NSW Christmas Bush – ‘Ceratopetalum gummiferum.’
This is an evergreen native shrub with small star-shaped creamy flowers in spring that turn a stunning rusty red around Christmas.
While they are easy to grow, the NSW Christmas Bush can be slow to establish.
Ceratopetalum gummiferum truly thrives in full sunlight, but it can grow in semi-shade, too.
The Christmas Bush can achieve a height of 5 m and spread up to 1.5 m.
6. Bower Plant – ‘Pandorea jasminoides.’
Pandorea Jasminoides is a frilly climber Vine that is extremely easy to grow.
It has clusters of small trumpet shaped flowers with petals whose shade ranges from white to pale pink. It also has a striking dark pink throat that makes it stand out beautifully.
Under warm frost-free conditions, the heaviest blooming takes place during the spring and summer.
While it is adaptable to most soil types, they thrive in full sunlight, growing up to 20 to 30 feet long.
This Bower plant is a popular choice for wall gardens, pergolas, and archways.
7. Aniseed Boronia – ‘Boronia crenulata.’
It is a small ornamental shrub with ball-shaped or cup-shaped lilac-pink flowers.
It flowers from late winter to spring and can tolerate a light frost. Boronia Crenulata has small and uniquely aromatic leaves.
It likes moist but well-drained soils and is suited to Perth’s climates all year long.
It grows well in containers and can grow up to one meter with a similar spread. You can also plant this along the borders and shady rockeries.
One important thing to note is that Aniseed Boronia doesn’t tolerate root disturbances very well. So you have to be extra careful when choosing its final location and transplanting.
Those are our top 7 recommendations for native plants for Perth gardens.
But while we have given you some of the best native plants in Perth to choose from, you still have to decide which plants can grow well together and which are best suited for your specific location and garden design.
If you’re not sure how to choose the right native plants for your garden, and would like advice on what to choose, along with professional help when it comes to planting them, we are just a phone call away!
Find out more about our planting services, give our team a call now on (08) 6263 4645.