Water Needs

Drought-Tolerant

83 plants

Purple-leaf Cootamundra Wattle · Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea' A fast small tree with ferny blue-grey foliage flushed purple on new growth, smothered in fragrant golden ball flowers in late winter. Showy but can self-seed beyond its range.
Queensland Silver Wattle · Acacia podalyriifolia A striking large shrub clothed in rounded silvery-blue phyllodes and bright golden winter blossom. One of the most ornamental wattles, valued for foliage as much as flower.
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.
Tree Aeonium · Aeonium arboreum A branching shrubby succulent carrying glossy green rosettes atop bare woody stems, producing large conical heads of yellow star flowers in late winter to spring. A striking architectural feature.
Black Rose Aeonium · Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' A standout cultivar with large rosettes of glossy near-black burgundy leaves on branching stems, the colour deepening in full sun before yellow flower cones appear. A dramatic dark feature plant.
Agapanthus · Agapanthus praecox Spheres of blue or white flowers on tall stems above strappy clumps — a tough, drought-proof mass-planting staple. Choose sterile forms, as the species can self-seed into bushland.
Century Plant · Agave americana A massive architectural rosette of thick blue-grey leaves armed with sharp spines and a vicious terminal spike, crowned after decades by a towering branched flower stalk. A bold drought-proof sculptural plant.
Foxtail Agave · Agave attenuata A spineless soft-leaved agave forming large pale grey-green rosettes, eventually producing a dramatic arching flower spike like a foxtail. A widely planted soft-textured feature, safe and easy.
Silk Tree · Albizia julibrissin A spreading umbrella-shaped tree with feathery ferny foliage and fluffy pink powderpuff flowers through summer that draw butterflies and bees. Gives light, elegant dappled shade.
Krantz Aloe · Aloe arborescens A large branching shrub aloe with sprawling rosettes of toothed grey-green leaves, producing brilliant orange-red torch-like flower spikes through winter that draw nectar-feeding birds. A bold coastal feature.
Christmas Carol Aloe · Aloe 'Christmas Carol' A compact hybrid aloe with deep green rosettes marked by raised red bumps and toothed red margins that intensify in sun, sending up coral-red flowers. A festive small collector's pot plant.
Aloe Vera · Aloe vera A clumping rosette of thick fleshy grey-green leaves with toothed margins, filled with the soothing gel long used on burns, and sending up tall spikes of tubular yellow flowers. A practical pot staple.
Tall Kangaroo Paw · Anigozanthos flavidus The hardiest and most adaptable kangaroo paw — tall fans of strappy leaves topped by furry, nectar-rich flowers that birds adore. Tougher and longer-lived than the smaller hybrids.
Heartleaf Iceplant · Aptenia cordifolia A fast spreading trailing succulent with heart-shaped glistening green leaves and bright magenta daisy-like flowers through the warm months. A vigorous water-wise groundcover and basket plant.
Bishop's Cap Cactus · Astrophytum myriostigma A distinctive spineless cactus shaped like a star of broad ribs, dusted with tiny white woolly scales over a grey-green body, opening yellow flowers from its crown. An elegant, geometric collector's plant.
Kurrajong · Brachychiton populneus A hardy, drought-tolerant Australian native with a swollen trunk, glossy poplar-like leaves and cream bell flowers. An iconic, long-lived shade and shelter tree for tough conditions.
Weeping Bottlebrush · Callistemon viminalis (Sol. ex Gaertn.) G.Don · from $3.95 A fast-growing, tough Australian native with weeping branches and brilliant red bottlebrush flowers — a reliable screening and bird-attracting plant for almost any soil.
Pigface · Carpobrotus glaucescens A hardy coastal succulent forming a fleshy mat that sprawls over dunes and rocks, bright with magenta-pink flowers and edible salty-sweet fruit. Superb for sandy, salt-blasted sites.
Judas Tree · Cercis siliquastrum A hardy small tree that bursts with clusters of magenta-pink pea flowers directly on bare branches and trunk in spring, followed by blue-green heart-shaped leaves. Thrives in dry climates.
Peruvian Apple Cactus · Cereus repandus A tall columnar blue-green cactus with prominent ribs and spined areoles, opening large fragrant white night flowers followed by edible red fruit. A bold vertical accent and living hedge in dry gardens.
Common Everlasting · Chrysocephalum apiculatum A low, silvery-grey spreading daisy carrying clusters of bright golden button flowers through much of the year. Tough, drought-hardy and excellent for pollinators and dry verges.
Silver Torch Cactus · Cleistocactus strausii A slender columnar cactus densely clothed in fine white spines giving a silvery silken sheen, sending out horizontal deep-red tubular flowers from mature stems. A graceful upright accent for hot dry spots.
Cotoneaster · Cotoneaster glaucophyllus A hardy evergreen with grey-green leaves, sprays of white summer flowers and heavy crops of orange-red autumn berries loved by birds. Tough and drought-proof, but bird-spread seedlings can become weedy.
Pig's Ear · Cotyledon orbiculata A robust shrubby succulent with broad rounded grey-white leaves rimmed in red, bearing tall stems of nodding orange bell flowers loved by sunbirds. A tough, sculptural water-wise feature.
Buddha's Temple · Crassula 'Buddha's Temple' A curious hybrid forming tight stacked columns of grey-green folded leaves resembling a tiered pagoda, topped with dense heads of tiny white to pink flowers. A prized collector's oddity.
Jade Plant · Crassula ovata A robust shrubby succulent with thick woody stems and glossy oval jade-green leaves often edged in red, bearing clusters of starry white-pink flowers in winter. An enduring easy-care container classic.
String of Pearls · Curio rowleyanus A delicate trailing succulent strung with rows of round pea-like green beads, each with a translucent window, spilling in long curtains and producing small fragrant white brush flowers. A favourite hanging plant.
Blue Chalksticks · Curio talinoides var. mandraliscae A spreading groundcover succulent of upright finger-like blue-grey leaves with a chalky bloom, forming a cool silvery carpet ideal for mass planting and erosion-prone slopes. Tough and water-wise.
Blue Flax-Lily · Dianella caerulea A clumping strappy native with starry blue flowers followed by glossy violet berries that draw birds. Tough, tidy and at home in mass plantings or pots.
Snake Plant · Dracaena trifasciata Upright, sculptural sword-leaves that tolerate anything from a dim hallway to a bright window, and weeks without water. As tough as houseplants get.
Mexican Snowball · Echeveria elegans A neat clumping rosette of powdery pale blue-green leaves edged in translucent pink, sending up arching stems of bell-shaped pink-and-yellow flowers in spring. A classic windowsill and dish-garden succulent.
Perle von Nurnberg · Echeveria 'Perle von Nurnberg' A sought-after hybrid rosette flushed in dusky lavender-pink and grey with a fine powdery bloom, intensifying to deeper purple tones in bright light. A signature feature plant for containers and arrangements.
Golden Barrel Cactus · Echinocactus grusonii A magnificent globular cactus forming a ribbed ball clad in fierce golden-yellow spines, slowly broadening with age into a glowing sphere. A prized sculptural specimen, now rare in the wild.
Queen of the Night · Epiphyllum oxypetalum An epiphytic cactus with long flattened leaf-like stems that produce enormous fragrant white flowers opening for a single night. A spectacular, fragrant nocturnal basket and patio plant.
Tar Bush · Eremophila glabra An outback survivor built for heat and drought, with tubular nectar flowers loved by honeyeaters. One of the most reliable natives for hot, dry, low-water gardens.
Spotted Emu Bush · Eremophila maculata A rounded arid-zone shrub with spotted tubular flowers in red, pink, orange or yellow that feed honeyeaters through the cooler months. Exceptionally tough in heat and drought.
Silky Eremophila · Eremophila nivea A choice shrub clothed in silvery-white woolly foliage and soft lilac-blue flowers in spring. A standout silver feature for hot, dry, perfectly drained positions, often grafted.
Silver Princess · Eucalyptus caesia 'Silver Princess' · from $6.50 An elegant weeping mallee with powdery silver-blue leaves, ornamental minni-ritchi bark and pendulous pink flowers with golden anthers followed by silvery gum nuts. A spectacular small feature tree.
Yellow Gum · Eucalyptus leucoxylon 'Rosea' A hardy small to medium gum with smooth cream bark and showy pink to red flowers through the cooler months that draw flocks of honeyeaters. A reliable street and shade tree.
Red Ironbark · Eucalyptus sideroxylon 'Rosea' A handsome upright tree with deeply furrowed near-black ironbark and blue-grey foliage, carrying pink to red winter flowers rich in nectar. Tough, drought-hardy and excellent for birds.
Mediterranean Spurge · Euphorbia characias Architectural domes of blue-grey foliage topped by lime-green flower heads in late winter, unfazed by drought. The milky sap is a skin and eye irritant, so wear gloves to prune.
Firesticks · Euphorbia tirucalli A striking succulent of slender pencil-thin branching stems that blaze coral-orange to fiery red in cool sunny weather, carrying a highly caustic milky sap. A bold drought-proof feature to handle with care.
African Milk Tree · Euphorbia trigona An upright branching succulent with three-sided green ridged stems lined with small paired spines and teardrop leaves, exuding an irritant milky sap. A fast architectural feature, often mistaken for a cactus.
Tiger Jaws · Faucaria tigrina A small clumping succulent whose paired triangular leaves bear soft white teeth along their edges, snapping shut like tiny jaws, and opening golden-yellow daisy flowers in autumn. A fun, easy collector's plant.
Blue Barrel Cactus · Ferocactus glaucescens A handsome barrel cactus with a powdery blue-green ribbed body armed with golden-yellow spines, opening a ring of pale yellow flowers at its crown in summer. A striking, slow sculptural specimen.
Ox Tongue · Gasteria bicolor A shade-tolerant succulent with thick tongue-shaped dark green leaves speckled in white, bearing arching sprays of curved stomach-shaped red-and-green flowers. An easy, forgiving, pet-safe collector's plant.
Ghost Plant · Graptopetalum paraguayense A trailing rosette succulent with thick pointed leaves in opalescent shades of grey, lavender and pink under a chalky bloom, shifting hue with sun and season. An easy, fast-propagating beauty for pots.
Fred Ives Graptoveria · Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' A vigorous large rosette intergeneric hybrid in shifting shades of bronze, lilac and pinkish-purple with a soft bloom, easily offsetting into clusters. A showy, forgiving feature for pots and gardens.
Woolly Grevillea · Grevillea lanigera A prostrate, spreading grevillea that carpets the ground in soft grey foliage and pink-and-cream spider flowers through the cooler months, feeding honeyeaters when little else is out.
Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon' · Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon' · from $4.50 One of Australia's most popular garden hybrids — a low-maintenance native shrub producing red toothbrush flowers almost year-round to feed the birds.
Chin Cactus · Gymnocalycium mihanovichii A small ribbed globular cactus, famous in its chlorophyll-free red, pink or yellow grafted 'moon cactus' form, producing delicate pink flowers. A colourful, compact novelty for bright windowsills.
Pincushion Hakea · Hakea laurina A large shrub or small tree with blue-green leaves and striking crimson pincushion flowers tipped with cream styles through autumn and winter. A nectar magnet for honeyeaters.
Cooper's Haworthia · Haworthia cooperi A jewel-like rosette of plump translucent blue-green leaves with glassy 'windowed' tips that glow when backlit, allowing light into the buried plant body. A coveted collector's miniature.
Zebra Plant · Haworthiopsis fasciata A small slow-growing rosette of stiff dark green pointed leaves banded with raised white tubercle stripes like zebra markings. A tough, pet-safe windowsill gem that tolerates lower light than most succulents.
Autumn Joy Sedum · Hylotelephium spectabile Fleshy grey-green clumps build all summer to flat heads of dusky pink that deepen to rust in autumn, swarming with butterflies. The seed heads stand handsomely through winter.
Flaming Katy · Kalanchoe blossfeldiana A compact succulent with glossy scalloped green leaves smothered in long-lasting clusters of tiny bright flowers in red, pink, orange or yellow. A hugely popular flowering gift and patio plant.
Paddle Plant · Kalanchoe thyrsiflora A striking succulent with large rounded paddle-shaped leaves stacked in a rosette, the grey-green blades edged in brilliant red when sun-stressed, before a tall fragrant yellow flower spike. A bold pot feature.
Panda Plant · Kalanchoe tomentosa A charming succulent clothed in dense silvery felt, its plump leaves tipped with chocolate-brown notches like furry ears. A soft, tactile, easy-care novelty for bright windowsills.
Golden Rain Tree · Koelreuteria paniculata A tough, rounded shade tree carrying large airy sprays of yellow summer flowers followed by ornamental papery lantern-like seed capsules, with bright yellow autumn foliage.
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.
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.
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.
Living Stones · Lithops spp. Extraordinary mimicry succulents of paired fused leaves patterned and coloured to imitate the pebbles around them, splitting to reveal a daisy-like white or yellow flower in autumn. A prized collector's curiosity.
Lime Tuff Mat-rush · Lomandra 'Lime Tuff' A compact, dense lomandra with fine lime-green foliage forming a tidy rounded tussock. Tough and low-care, it suits formal borders, mass plantings and containers.
Spiny-head Mat-rush · Lomandra longifolia An indestructible strappy-leaved native that thrives in sun or shade, wet or dry, coast or inland. The workhorse of low-maintenance landscaping and erosion control.
Pincushion Cactus · Mammillaria spp. A popular clustering globular cactus covered in spiralled spined tubercles, ringed in spring with a crown of small pink, white or yellow flowers. One of the easiest and most rewarding cacti for beginners.
Oleander · Nerium oleander An extremely tough, heat- and drought-proof shrub flowering all summer in pink, white or red. Ideal for hot, dry and coastal screens, but every part is highly toxic to people and animals.
Prickly Pear · Opuntia ficus-indica A large segmented cactus of flat oval green pads armed with spines and fine barbed glochids, bearing yellow flowers and edible red-purple fruit. A declared weed in much of Australia, so plant with care.
Moonstones · Pachyphytum oviferum A captivating succulent with plump egg-shaped leaves coated in a frosted lilac-pink bloom resembling sugared almonds, on short stems. A slow, jewel-like collector's plant for bright pots.
Chinese Pistachio · Pistacia chinensis A tough, drought-hardy shade tree with glossy pinnate foliage that turns brilliant orange, red and crimson in autumn. An excellent, reliable choice for hot, dry street and park planting.
Sweet Pea Bush · Polygala myrtifolia A fast, hardy shrub almost permanently dotted with purple-pink pea-shaped flowers brushed with a fringed keel. Excellent in dry coastal gardens, though it can self-seed and naturalise.
Elephant Bush · Portulacaria afra A bushy succulent with reddish-brown stems and small round glossy green leaves, edible and tangy, favoured for bonsai and hedging in warm climates and grazed by elephants in its native South Africa.
Mistletoe Cactus · Rhipsalis baccifera A soft trailing epiphytic cactus of fine cylindrical green stems cascading in a dense curtain, dotted with tiny cream flowers and translucent white mistletoe-like berries. A lush, spineless hanging plant.
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.
Christmas Cactus · Schlumbergera truncata An epiphytic forest cactus with flat segmented spineless stems that arch and trail, erupting in vivid pink, red or white tubular flowers in the cooler months. A long-lived heirloom basket plant.
Gold Mound Sedum · Sedum 'Gold Mound' A low mounding succulent with fleshy chartreuse to golden-yellow leaves that glow in bright light, dotted with small yellow star flowers. A bright easy filler for pots and rockeries.
Burro's Tail · Sedum morganianum A trailing succulent forming long ropes densely packed with plump blue-green teardrop leaves coated in a chalky bloom, tipped with red-pink flowers in summer. Perfect tumbling from a hanging basket.
Blue Spruce Stonecrop · Sedum rupestre A hardy creeping groundcover succulent with needle-like blue-green foliage resembling tiny spruce shoots, lighting up with flat heads of bright yellow star flowers in summer. Tough and frost-tolerant.
Hens and Chicks · Sempervivum tectorum An extremely hardy alpine succulent forming tight rosettes that cluster into colonies of offsets, the leaves often blushed red at the tips. Famously frost-proof and ideal for rockeries and troughs.
Kangaroo Grass · Themeda triandra An iconic native grassland species with blue-green tufts that turn russet-bronze in summer and nodding rusty seed heads. Drought-hardy, it suits meadows and low-water plantings.
Coastal Rosemary · Westringia fruticosa A soft grey-green coastal shrub that clips beautifully into hedges and balls. Salt-proof, drought-proof and flowering most of the year — the native answer to box and lavender.
Wynyabbie Gem Coastal Rosemary · Westringia 'Wynyabbie Gem' A dense rounded shrub with fine grey-green foliage and mauve flowers through most of the year. Hardier and showier than the species, it clips superbly into hedges and balls.
ZZ Plant · Zamioculcas zamiifolia Glossy, architectural and nearly unkillable — the ZZ stores water in fat rhizomes and shrugs off dark corners and missed waterings. The ultimate low-care statement plant.