Foliage

Aromatic Foliage

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Bower Wattle · Acacia cognata 'Limelight' · from $18.95 A soft, weeping dwarf wattle with fine cascading lime-green foliage that forms a neat mounding feature. Popular in containers and modern landscapes for its graceful fountain-like form.
Moonshine Yarrow · Achillea 'Moonshine' Flat heads of soft sulphur-yellow flowers float above ferny silver foliage all summer. An award-winning, drought-hardy yarrow that bees and butterflies flock to and that dries well.
Terracotta Yarrow · Achillea 'Terracotta' Broad flat heads open burnt-orange and fade through terracotta to soft buff-yellow over ferny grey foliage. A drought-hardy yarrow giving warm, shifting colour and excellent for drying.
Paprika Yarrow · Achillea millefolium 'Paprika' Flat clusters of cherry-red flowers with gold eyes age to soft salmon over ferny green foliage. A tough, spreading yarrow excellent for dry banks and pollinator borders.
Yarrow · Achillea millefolium Flat-topped flower plates over ferny aromatic foliage, exceptionally tough in poor dry soils and a haven for beneficial insects. Vigorous and spreading, so give it room.
Golden Sweet Flag · Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' A low grassy bog plant forming fans of bright gold-and-green striped leaves with a faintly sweet scent when crushed. Ideal for the edge of ponds, rain gardens and damp borders.
Sweet Lili Hyssop · Agastache 'Sweet Lili' Tall spikes of rose-pink and lilac flowers rise over liquorice-scented foliage, humming with bees and visited by honeyeaters. Drought-tolerant and long-flowering through the warm season.
After Dark Peppermint · Agonis flexuosa 'After Dark' A striking small weeping tree with deep burgundy-purple aromatic foliage and tiny white flowers in spring. A dramatic, colourful feature and screen for coastal gardens.
Chives · Allium schoenoprasum Grassy, hollow leaves with a mild onion flavour and pretty pink pompom flowers the bees adore. A clumping perennial that's snip-and-come-again all season.
Dill · Anethum graveolens Feathery blue-green foliage and flat heads of yellow flowers — both leaf and seed flavour fish, pickles and potatoes. Best direct-sown, as it dislikes root disturbance.
French Tarragon · Artemisia dracunculus The true French tarragon — aniseed-scented and essential to béarnaise — rarely sets viable seed, so it's grown from divisions or cuttings. Dies back in winter and reshoots in spring.
Lemon Myrtle · Backhousia citriodora A rainforest tree whose glossy leaves release an intense lemon fragrance and are prized as a bush-tucker culinary herb, topped with fluffy cream flowers in summer. A useful aromatic feature and screen.
Calendula · Calendula officinalis Edible golden and orange daisies that flower through the cool months and self-seed cheerfully. The petals brighten salads and have a long herbal tradition.
Geraldton Wax 'Purple Pride' · Chamelaucium uncinatum 'Purple Pride' A WA shrub with fine aromatic needle foliage smothered in waxy purple-pink flowers from winter into spring. A superb long-lasting cut flower and drought-hardy feature.
Mexican Orange Blossom · Choisya ternata A rounded evergreen with glossy aromatic three-part leaves and clusters of fragrant white star flowers in spring and again in autumn. Aromatic when crushed; a tidy, hardy informal hedge.
Coriander · Coriandrum sativum · from $3.50 A fast cool-season herb whose pungent leaves and citrus-flavoured seeds are staples of Asian, Mexican and Indian cuisine. Best direct-sown and grown quickly, as it bolts in heat.
Lemongrass · Cymbopogon citratus A lush, fountaining clump of citrus-scented grass — the swollen leaf bases lend their fragrance to Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Loves warmth and resents cold, wet winters.
Tick Bush · Kunzea ambigua A soft, arching shrub with fine aromatic foliage smothered in fluffy honey-scented white flowers in late spring that hum with bees and insects. A fast, hardy screen for coastal sites.
Sidonie Lavender · Lavandula x allardii 'Sidonie' A large, vigorous allardii-type lavender bearing long mauve-blue spikes over much of the year. Heat- and humidity-tolerant, making it a strong performer in warm Australian gardens.
English Lavender · Lavandula angustifolia Silvery, fragrant and alive with bees all summer — the classic low hedge for a sunny, free-draining spot. Cut the flowers for drying or the kitchen.
Hidcote English Lavender · Lavandula angustifolia 'Hidcote' A compact English lavender prized for its deep violet-purple flowers and dark buds on tidy grey bushes. Award-winning, cold-hardy and ideal for low formal hedging.
Munstead English Lavender · Lavandula angustifolia 'Munstead' An early-flowering, compact English lavender with soft blue-purple spikes and excellent culinary buds. Reliable, cold-hardy and one of the best for cool-climate gardens.
Avonview French Lavender · Lavandula dentata 'Avonview' A vigorous toothed-leaf French lavender flowering for most of the year in mild climates, topped with showy purple bracts. Tough, coastal-tolerant and quick to establish.
French Lavender · Lavandula dentata The toughest lavender for warm Australian gardens, with grey toothed leaves and an exceptionally long flowering season. Tolerates humidity better than English types.
Grosso Lavender · Lavandula x intermedia 'Grosso' The world's most widely grown oil lavandin, with long-stemmed deep violet spikes and intense fragrance on big silver bushes. Superb for drying, oil and hedging.
Provence Lavender · Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence' A large lavandin with long, slender pale-violet spikes and a sweet, clean fragrance prized for drying and oil. Vigorous and silver-leaved, it makes an outstanding scented hedge.
Madrid Blue Spanish Lavender · Lavandula stoechas 'Madrid Blue' A compact, very early-flowering Spanish lavender from the Madrid series with rich blue-purple bracts over a long season. Neat and floriferous, perfect for containers and edging.
Major Spanish Lavender · Lavandula stoechas 'Major' A classic early Spanish lavender with deep purple 'rabbit-ear' bracts crowning chubby flower heads from late winter. Robust, aromatic and bee-friendly.
Princess Spanish Lavender · Lavandula stoechas 'Princess' A Spanish lavender topped with long, vivid candy-pink bracts above a dense flower head from winter into summer. Free-flowering, compact and excellent in pots.
Spanish Lavender · Lavandula stoechas Instantly recognised by the rabbit-ear bracts perched atop chubby flower heads. Free-flowering and showy, though it can self-seed and is a declared weed in some districts.
The Princess Lavender · Lavandula stoechas 'The Princess' An improved, award-winning Spanish lavender carrying large rose-pink bracts in profusion from late winter to summer. Showy, weather-tolerant and quick to flower from young plants.
Lemon-scented Tea Tree · Leptospermum petersonii A tall tea tree with aromatic lemon-scented foliage and white spring blossom, often grown as a fragrant informal hedge. The leaves can be steeped for a citrus bush tea.
German Chamomile · Matricaria chamomilla Dainty white daisies with apple-scented foliage, dried for the classic calming tea. An easy self-seeding annual that draws in beneficial insects.
Lemon Balm · Melissa officinalis Crushed leaves give off a bright lemon-mint scent the bees flock to — soothing in teas and good in summer drinks. Vigorous and self-seeding, so trim before it sets seed.
Peppermint · Mentha x piperita A cool, menthol-rich sterile hybrid of spearmint and watermint — vigorous and best confined to a pot so its runners don't take over. Grown from cuttings rather than seed.
Spearmint · Mentha spicata Vigorous, fragrant and almost impossible to kill — best grown in a pot to keep its running roots in check. A few leaves transform drinks, salads and lamb.
Catmint · Nepeta faassenii Soft grey-green mounds froth with lavender-blue flowers loved by bees, releasing a minty scent when brushed. Shear after the first flush and it rebounds for a second show.
Walker's Low Catmint · Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low' A billowing mound of grey-green aromatic foliage smothered in lavender-blue flowers from spring into summer. Award-winning, tough and a superb low edging that bees swarm over.
Six Hills Giant Catmint · Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant' A larger catmint forming a big, sprawling mound of grey aromatic foliage drenched in lavender-blue flowers. Long-flowering, drought-hardy and irresistible to bees and cats alike.
Sweet Basil · Ocimum basilicum · from $3.50 The essential summer herb — pinch it often for bushy growth and a steady supply of fragrant leaves. Fast and rewarding from seed in warm weather.
Sweet Marjoram · Origanum majorana Sweeter, milder and more delicate than its cousin oregano — a tender perennial often grown as an annual in cooler gardens. Lovely in dressings and with roast vegetables.
Oregano · Origanum vulgare The pizza-and-pasta herb — spicy, peppery and at its most pungent when grown hard in full sun. A spreading perennial that's drought-tough once established.
Rice Flower · Ozothamnus diosmifolius An upright shrub topped in spring with dense clusters of tiny white or pink button flowers held above fine aromatic foliage. A major commercial native cut flower and easy garden filler.
Big Red Zonal Geranium · Pelargonium x hortorum 'Big Red' Bold ball-shaped heads of vivid scarlet flowers smother this zonal geranium for most of the year over rounded, faintly aromatic leaves. Sun-loving and drought-hardy, perfect for pots; toxic to pets.
Lord Bute Regal Geranium · Pelargonium 'Lord Bute' A regal pelargonium with sumptuous deep blackcurrant-purple flowers edged in wine-red over crinkled aromatic leaves. Showy in pots and warm borders; toxic to pets.
Curled Parsley · Petroselinum crispum Tightly ruffled, deep-green leaves on a tidy biennial that crops for the best part of a year. Slow to germinate but worth the wait for a constant kitchen supply.
Long-leaf Wax Flower · Philotheca myoporoides A neat shrub with aromatic foliage and pink buds opening to masses of starry white waxy flowers in winter and spring. A fine cut flower and a fragrant, hardy garden filler.
Oval-leaf Mint Bush · Prostanthera ovalifolia A soft, fast-growing shrub with aromatic foliage that erupts in a haze of purple bell flowers in spring. Brush the leaves for their minty scent; a lovely short-lived feature.
Heatwave Salvia · Salvia greggii 'Heatwave Glimmer' A compact, heat-bred Salvia greggii from the Heatwave series, smothered in pink-toned flowers through the warm months. Exceptionally drought- and heat-tolerant once established.
Anise-scented Sage · Salvia guaranitica Deep cobalt-blue flowers on tall stems, irresistible to nectar-feeding birds, over anise-scented leaves. Vigorous and free-flowering from early summer to the first frosts.
Black and Blue Sage · Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue' Cobalt-blue flowers emerge from near-black calyces on tall anise-scented stems, irresistible to honeyeaters. Vigorous and free-flowering through the warmer months.
Amistad Sage · Salvia 'Amistad' Tall stems carry deep amethyst-purple flowers in near-black calyces from spring to the first frosts. A vigorous, award-winning guaranitica hybrid loved by birds and bees.
Anthony Parker Sage · Salvia 'Anthony Parker' A robust hybrid of S. leucantha and S. elegans bearing dense deep-purple-blue spikes in autumn over anise-scented foliage. Vigorous, heat-tolerant and alive with birds.
Ember's Wish Salvia · Salvia 'Love and Wishes' x 'Ember's Wish' Part of the Australian 'Wish' series, with glowing coral-orange flowers in burgundy calyces carried almost year-round. Nectar-rich, compact and a magnet for honeyeaters.
Kisses and Wishes Salvia · Salvia 'Love and Wishes' Group Another in the Australian 'Wish' series, with soft icy-pink flowers in deep maroon calyces flowering almost continuously. Compact, nectar-rich and excellent in pots and mixed borders.
Love and Wishes Salvia · Salvia 'Love and Wishes' An Australian-bred sibling of 'Wendy's Wish' with burgundy calyces and magenta-purple flowers carried almost continuously. Compact, nectar-rich and excellent in containers.
Mystic Spires Sage · Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' A compact, free-branching selection of Salvia 'Indigo Spires' smothered in deep violet-blue spikes from spring to autumn. Tidy and floriferous, ideal for borders and large pots.
Wendy's Wish Salvia · Salvia 'Wendy's Wish' An Australian-raised sterile hybrid with magenta-pink tubular flowers held in maroon calyces, flowering almost year-round. Nectar-rich and a favourite of honeyeaters; a portion of sales supports the Fairy Garden charity.
Hot Lips Salvia · Salvia 'Hot Lips' A bushy Salvia microphylla selection whose bicolour red-and-white flowers shift with the seasons, sometimes all red, all white or lipstick-marked. Tough, long-flowering and bee-friendly.
Caradonna Woodland Sage · Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' Striking violet-blue flower spikes held on near-black upright stems above neat clumps of aromatic foliage. An award-winning, cold-hardy sage that draws bees and rebloms if cut back.
Woodland Sage · Salvia nemorosa Dense spikes of violet-blue flowers held over neat clumps of aromatic foliage, alive with bees from late spring. Cutting back spent spikes triggers repeat flushes through summer.
Common Sage · Salvia officinalis Soft, grey-green velvety leaves on a hardy Mediterranean sub-shrub — the classic partner for pork, stuffing and butter sauces. Drought-tolerant and quietly handsome.
Rosemary · Salvia rosmarinus A culinary herb that doubles as a tough, drought-proof, clip-able hedge. Aromatic, bee-friendly and evergreen — earns its place in the kitchen garden and the border alike.
May Night Sage · Salvia x sylvestris 'Mainacht' An award-winning sage with deep indigo-violet spikes from near-black buds, flowering early and reblooming if cut back. Compact, cold-hardy and a reliable magnet for bees.
French Marigold · Tagetes patula Cheery, pungent-leaved marigolds that flower for months and are a classic companion plant in the vegie patch. Quick and foolproof from seed, thriving in heat.
Common Thyme · Thymus vulgaris A tough, woody little Mediterranean sub-shrub that thrives on neglect in hot, dry, free-draining spots. Tiny aromatic leaves and a haze of bee-loved summer flowers.