Every plant in the Clay Soil Heroes collection is chosen to suit clay soil. Add a few that share your conditions and group them for the strongest effect.
Clay Soil Heroes
Heavy clay defeats a lot of plants, but these heroes cope with its poor drainage and seasonal wet, turning a problem soil into a thriving garden.
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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. -
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. -
Annabelle Hydrangea · Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' Famous for enormous rounded heads of pure white sterile florets up to 30 cm across, carried on new wood so it can be cut hard each winter. Extremely hardy and reliable. -
Anthony Waterer Spiraea · Spiraea japonica 'Anthony Waterer' A reliable mounding spiraea bearing flat heads of deep carmine-pink flowers through summer, loved by bees. Hardy and easy, with leaves sometimes flecked cream and good autumn tones. -
Arrowhead · Sagittaria platyphylla A marginal aquatic with broad lance-shaped emergent leaves and whorled spikes of small white flowers. Note this species is a declared weed in parts of southern Australia. -
Bechtel Crabapple · Malus ioensis 'Plena' An ornamental crabapple bearing large, fragrant double pink rose-like blossoms in mid-spring. A rounded small feature tree with good autumn foliage colour. -
Black Bamboo · Phyllostachys nigra A handsome running bamboo whose canes mature from green to glossy jet black, prized as a feature. Spreads by invasive rhizomes, so must be grown in containers or behind a root barrier. -
Black Mondo Grass · Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens' A striking strappy-leaf groundcover forming spreading tufts of near-black arching foliage, with small mauve flowers and black berries. A dramatic contrast plant for edging, pots and pebble gardens. -
Blue Flax Lily 'Little Jess' · Dianella caerulea 'Little Jess' A compact, clumping strap-leaved flax lily with airy sprays of blue starry flowers followed by glossy purple berries. A tough, low-care mass-planting and border grass for sun or shade. -
Bonica Rose · Rosa 'Bonica' A landscape floribunda producing arching sprays of soft pink double blooms over a long season, followed by orange hips. The first rose inducted into the Rose Hall of Fame for shrub roses, tough and almost care-free. -
Boston Ivy · Parthenocissus tricuspidata A self-clinging deciduous climber whose three-lobed green leaves turn brilliant crimson and scarlet in autumn before falling. The classic clothing for brick walls, it attaches by adhesive tendril pads. -
Bradford Pear · Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford' A broadly rounded ornamental pear with dense white spring blossom and glossy foliage turning red-purple late in autumn. A vigorous shade and feature tree for street and garden use. -
Breeze Flax Lily · Dianella caerulea 'Breeze' A fine-leaved flax lily forming a soft fountain of bright green foliage with blue flowers and purple berries. Hardy and versatile for borders and mass plantings. -
Bristol Ruby Weigela · Weigela florida 'Bristol Ruby' A vigorous, upright weigela hung with masses of ruby-red to deep rose trumpet flowers in late spring that draw bees and nectar-feeding birds. Hardy and easy in sun or light shade. -
Broccoli · Brassica oleracea var. italica · from $3.95 A cool-season brassica producing dense green flower heads followed by tender side shoots after the main head is cut. A rewarding winter crop in fertile, well-limed soil. -
Bronze Rambler Grevillea · Grevillea 'Bronze Rambler' A tough fast prostrate groundcover with deeply lobed foliage that flushes bronze-red, and toothbrush red flowers. Ideal for slope stabilising and weed suppression. -
Brush Box · Lophostemon confertus A robust evergreen Australian native with a dense rounded canopy of glossy leaves, peeling reddish-brown bark and fluffy white summer flowers. A tough, widely planted street and shade tree. -
Bulbine Lily · Bulbine bulbosa A tufted native lily with fleshy grass-like leaves and spikes of fragrant star-shaped yellow flowers in spring. An easy, drought-hardy perennial and bush-food bulb. -
Bunya Pine · Araucaria bidwillii A massive, dome-crowned Australian native conifer with glossy stiff foliage and very large edible-seeded cones, a traditional Aboriginal bush food. A long-lived feature and shade tree for large open spaces. -
Canna 'Bengal Tiger' · Canna 'Bengal Tiger' A bold bog-tolerant canna grown for dramatic green leaves boldly striped in yellow and edged maroon, topped by vivid orange flowers. Thrives in rich, wet soil at the pond margin or in borders. -
Captain Cook Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Captain Cook' A compact weeping bottlebrush with bright red brushes in spring and summer and attractive pink new growth. A neat screening and feature native for small gardens. -
Cassa Blue Flax Lily · Dianella caerulea 'Cassa Blue' A compact Australian native flax lily with upright blue-grey strappy foliage, sprays of small blue flowers and shiny purple berries. A versatile, hardy choice for borders, mass plantings and pots. -
Chameleon Plant · Houttuynia cordata 'Chameleon' A spreading bog groundcover with heart-shaped leaves splashed red, cream, yellow and green, and small white flowers. Vigorous and can be invasive in damp ground, so often best contained in a pot. -
Chinese Dwarf Bamboo · Bambusa multiplex 'Chinese Dwarf' A low, dense clumping bamboo with fine green foliage to the ground, forming a soft, manageable screen or informal hedge. Non-invasive and ideal where height needs to be kept in check. -
Chinese Elm · Ulmus parvifolia A graceful, spreading shade tree with small glossy leaves and beautiful mottled, flaking bark in tones of grey, orange and cream. Tough, disease-resistant and a popular bonsai subject. -
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. -
Claret Ash · Fraxinus angustifolia 'Raywood' A handsome shade tree with fine dark-green foliage that turns a deep wine-claret purple in autumn. Fast and adaptable, it is one of the most popular deciduous avenue trees. -
Claret Tops Honey Myrtle · Melaleuca 'Claret Tops' A dense compact melaleuca grown for its claret-red new foliage flushes against fine green leaves. A colourful, hardy low hedge and feature for low-water gardens. -
Cleveland Select Pear · Pyrus calleryana 'Chanticleer' A neat, tightly pyramidal ornamental pear with profuse white spring blossom and reliable burgundy-red autumn colour. A tough, disease-resistant street and feature tree. -
Common Tussock Grass · Poa labillardierei A handsome large tussock grass with fine blue-green foliage forming soft fountain-like clumps topped by airy summer seed heads. A movement-rich native for mass planting and erosion control. -
Coppertop Viburnum · Viburnum odoratissimum 'Coppertop' A sweet viburnum prized for vivid coppery-bronze new foliage that contrasts with glossy green older leaves. Vigorous and dense, making a colourful tall screening hedge with fragrant white spring flowers. -
Coral Gum · Eucalyptus torquata A small, hardy goldfields gum smothered in coral-pink to red lantern-shaped flowers for much of the year. An excellent drought-tough feature and street tree. -
Creeping Boobialla · Myoporum parvifolium A fast, dense prostrate native that hugs the ground with succulent green foliage and tiny white star flowers in summer. An outstanding weed-suppressing cover for banks and verges. -
Cumbungi · Typha orientalis A vigorous native marginal reed with strappy upright leaves and the familiar brown cigar-shaped seed heads. Spreads strongly, so best confined to large dams and natural wetlands. -
Double Knock Out Rose · Rosa 'Double Knock Out' A fuller-flowered form of the Knock Out shrub rose, with double cherry-red blooms over a long season. Shares the same exceptional disease resistance and low-care, self-cleaning habit. -
Dwarf Fountain Grass 'Hameln' · Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln' A dwarf, compact fountain grass forming neat mounds of fine green foliage topped with creamy bottlebrush plumes. Lower-seeding and well-mannered, it suits borders, edging and containers. -
Dwarf Lilly Pilly · Syzygium smithii 'Minor' A compact lilly pilly with flushes of coppery new growth, fluffy white flowers and edible mauve berries. A versatile, hardy hedge and screen for most gardens. -
Dwarf Maiden Grass 'Adagio' · Miscanthus sinensis 'Adagio' A compact clumping grass with fine silvery-green foliage forming a tidy mound, topped by pink-tinted plumes that fade to silvery-white. A smaller-scale feature grass for borders and pots. -
Dwarf Papyrus 'King Tut' · Cyperus papyrus 'King Tut' A more compact selection of papyrus with the same green firework heads on slender stems, ideal for tubs, pots and small water features. Grows happily in saturated soil or shallow water. -
Emerald Green Arborvitae · Thuja occidentalis 'Smaragd' A narrow, naturally tidy pyramidal conifer holding a rich emerald-green colour through winter. The benchmark plant for low-fuss formal screens and hedges in cool and temperate climates. -
Emerald Lustre Viburnum · Viburnum odoratissimum 'Emerald Lustre' A sweet viburnum prized for large, glossy emerald-green leaves with bronze-red new growth. Vigorous and lush, making a handsome dense hedge or screen. -
Endeavour Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Endeavour' An upright medium bottlebrush bearing large vivid red brushes through spring and summer. A robust, bird-attracting screen and feature shrub. -
English Ivy · Hedera helix A tough, self-clinging evergreen climber and groundcover with classic lobed dark-green leaves that thrives in deep shade. Useful but invasive, it can damage masonry and is toxic if eaten. -
English Yew · Taxus baccata A dense, dark-green conifer that tolerates hard clipping, making it the classic choice for formal hedges and topiary. All parts except the red aril are highly toxic to people and pets if eaten. -
Euky Dwarf · Eucalyptus 'Euky Dwarf' A compact, fast-growing gum reaching only 5-6m with smooth pinkish-grey bark and a neat rounded canopy. Bred as a tidy small shade and street tree for confined gardens. -
Eve Price Laurustinus · Viburnum tinus 'Eve Price' A compact, dense laurustinus with deep pink buds opening to white winter flowers, followed by metallic-blue berries. An RHS Award of Garden Merit shrub making a reliable, drought-tolerant evergreen hedge for sun or shade. -
Evergold Sedge · Carex oshimensis 'Evergold' A neat evergreen sedge forming arching tufts of leaves with a broad creamy-gold central stripe edged green. Brightens shaded borders, pots and woodland edges. -
Evergreen Giant Lilyturf · Liriope muscari 'Evergreen Giant' A large, robust lilyturf forming upright clumps of broad dark-green strappy leaves with tall spikes of pale violet flowers. Excellent as a low informal hedge, border or mass planting in sun or shade. -
Faulkner Box · Buxus microphylla 'Faulkner' A Japanese box selection with rounded, deep-green leaves that hold colour well in winter and resist bronzing. Dense and slow, making it a top choice for clipped low hedges and topiary. -
Feather Reed Grass 'Karl Foerster' · Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' A strongly vertical clumping grass with stiff upright stems carrying feathery flower spikes that mature to golden wheat tones. Sterile and non-seeding, it makes an architectural, low-care exclamation point in borders. -
Flower Carpet Amber Rose · Rosa 'Flower Carpet Amber' A carpet rose from the next-generation Flower Carpet series, with warm amber-apricot blooms that age to soft cream. Heat-tolerant, disease-resistant and exceptionally free-flowering. -
Flower Carpet Coral Rose · Rosa 'Flower Carpet Coral' A compact spreading carpet rose with clusters of warm coral-pink blooms above glossy foliage. Disease-resistant and drought-tolerant, perfect for the front of borders and containers. -
Flower Carpet Pink Rose · Rosa 'Flower Carpet Pink' The original Flower Carpet carpet rose, smothering the ground in clusters of bright pink blooms over glossy disease-resistant foliage. Extremely tough, drought-tolerant and almost care-free. -
Flower Carpet Red Rose · Rosa 'Flower Carpet Red' A spreading carpet rose covered in vivid red clusters of single to semi-double blooms above healthy glossy foliage. Tough, drought-tolerant and ideal for banks, borders and mass planting. -
Flower Carpet White Rose · Rosa 'Flower Carpet White' A spreading carpet rose massed with clean white blooms above glossy green foliage. Disease-resistant, drought-tolerant and excellent for groundcover or trailing over walls and containers. -
Fountain Bamboo · Fargesia rufa A cold-hardy clumping bamboo forming a graceful fountain of fine arching foliage on slender canes. Non-invasive and shade-tolerant, it makes an elegant screen for cool-climate gardens. -
Freeman Maple · Acer ×freemanii A vigorous hybrid of red and silver maple combining fast growth with an upright symmetrical crown and dependable, long-lasting orange-red autumn colour. A premium street and shade tree. -
Freeman Maple 'Autumn Blaze' · Acer x freemanii 'Autumn Blaze' A vigorous, broadly oval hybrid maple combining the fast growth of silver maple with the brilliant orange-red autumn colour of red maple. A superb, well-shaped deciduous shade tree. -
Fringed Wattle · Acacia fimbriata A soft, weeping wattle with fine fringed foliage and a profuse late-winter display of fragrant lemon-gold pom-poms. Fast, hardy and ideal as an informal screen or quick filler. -
Frosted Curls Sedge · Carex comans 'Frosted Curls' A soft evergreen sedge forming a fountain of fine, silvery pale-green weeping foliage with curling tips. A graceful textural filler for borders, pots and shaded edges. -
Giant Timber Bamboo · Bambusa oldhamii A large, vigorous clumping bamboo with thick upright green canes and a lush leafy canopy, making a fast, tall privacy screen or windbreak. Non-invasive and tolerant of a wide range of climates. -
Gold Cluster Grevillea · Grevillea 'Gold Cluster' A prostrate, dense grevillea smothered almost year-round in clusters of bright golden-yellow flowers loved by honeyeaters. A reliable low groundcover and bank cover. -
Golden Bamboo · Phyllostachys aurea A tall running bamboo with upright golden-green canes that spreads aggressively by underground rhizomes. A serious environmental weed in Australia and only safe behind a deep rhizome barrier. -
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. -
Goldflame Spiraea · Spiraea japonica 'Goldflame' A compact deciduous spiraea with new growth flushing coppery-orange over gold foliage, topped by flat pink flower heads in summer. Brilliant autumn colour and very hardy. -
Goldstripe Bamboo · Bambusa multiplex 'Goldstripe' A compact clumping bamboo with fine arching foliage and golden-yellow canes, forming a dense, tidy screen. Non-invasive and well suited to smaller gardens and hedging. -
Goldsturm Black-eyed Susan · Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' An award-winning black-eyed Susan smothered in golden-yellow daisies with dark cones from summer to autumn. Reliable, long-flowering and a feast for bees, butterflies and finches. -
Great Balls of Fire Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Great Balls of Fire' A dense rounded bottlebrush grown chiefly for its brilliant red and pink new foliage flushes, with occasional red brushes. A colourful, hardy low hedge. -
Green Gem Box · Buxus sempervirens 'Green Gem' A very hardy, naturally globe-shaped box forming a tight green ball with minimal clipping. Excellent for cold-climate low hedges, knot gardens and formal balls. -
Green Globe Honey Myrtle · Melaleuca 'Green Globe' A naturally rounded dwarf melaleuca with dense bright green foliage forming a tidy ball without pruning. Ideal for low formal hedges, balls and container feature plantings. -
Gymea Lily · Doryanthes excelsa A massive rosette-forming lily of the Sydney region throwing up flower stems to 4m topped with a head of large red blooms. A bold architectural feature and bird magnet. -
Hannah Ray Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Hannah Ray' A tall upright bottlebrush with weeping branches, bronze new growth and large red brushes in spring and autumn. An excellent narrow screening and street tree. -
Hop Goodenia · Goodenia ovata 'Gold Cover' A prostrate form of hop goodenia spreading into a glossy green mat dotted with bright yellow flowers for most of the year. A fast, hardy groundcover for sun or shade. -
Hot Pink Bottlebrush · Callistemon viminalis 'Hot Pink' A weeping bottlebrush bearing vivid hot-pink brushes in spring and autumn that draw honeyeaters. A colourful, hardy feature and informal screen for warm gardens. -
Irish Yew · Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata' A strongly upright, columnar yew with dark green foliage forming a dense vertical pillar. A formal accent and clipping plant, though all parts except the aril are toxic if ingested. -
Japanese Blood Grass · Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra' An ornamental grass grown for upright blades that emerge green and flush with deepening blood-red tips, glowing when backlit. Note the species is a serious weed, so confine to pots and remove any green-reverting shoots. -
Japanese Water Iris · Iris ensata An elegant moisture-loving iris with large flat-faced blooms in shades of purple, blue and white over slender upright foliage. Loves wet ground in spring and summer but prefers drier feet in winter. -
Japanese Windflower · Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jobert' Pure white single flowers with golden stamens sway on tall wiry stems above handsome dark foliage from late summer into autumn. An award-winning, shade-tolerant classic; sap can irritate. -
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. -
Kangaroo Vine · Cissus antarctica A lush evergreen rainforest climber with glossy toothed leaves that quickly clothes a fence or pergola in deep green and tolerates shade. A hardy screening vine and popular indoor plant. -
Katie Belles Lomandra · Lomandra longifolia 'Katie Belles' A tall upright lomandra with broad green strappy leaves and tall scented yellow flower spikes. Architectural and hardy, excellent for screening and feature plantings. -
Kings Park Special Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Kings Park Special' A vigorous large bottlebrush with weeping branches and bold crimson brushes in spring and autumn that are alive with honeyeaters. A reliable screen, windbreak or specimen. -
Knobby Club-rush · Ficinia nodosa A tough, tufting coastal sedge with wiry dark green stems tipped by little knobby seed heads. Salt-, wind- and waterlogging-tolerant, it excels in coastal and rain-garden plantings. -
Knock Out Rose · Rosa 'Knock Out' The landmark landscape shrub rose that revolutionised low-care roses, with cherry-red single blooms produced continuously. Outstanding disease resistance and self-cleaning, needing almost no spraying or deadheading. -
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. -
Lady Di Bower Vine · Pandorea jasminoides 'Lady Di' A vigorous evergreen climber with glossy foliage and large pure white trumpet flowers with pale yellow throats through spring and summer. Ideal for fences and pergolas. -
Laurustinus · Viburnum tinus 'Lucidum' · from $17.95 A dense, hardy evergreen valued for clusters of pink buds opening to white flowers in winter and spring, followed by blue-black berries. A dependable frost-tolerant hedge or screen. -
Leyland Cypress · ×Cupressocyparis leylandii An exceptionally fast-growing columnar conifer prized as a quick privacy screen or windbreak. Dense feathery green foliage clothes the plant to the ground, responding well to clipping for a tall hedge. -
Lilly Pilly · Syzygium australe · from $3.95 Australia's favourite native screen — glossy evergreen leaves flushed coppery-red when new, clipping into dense hedges and topiary, followed by edible magenta berries the birds love. -
Lilyturf 'Just Right' · Liriope muscari 'Just Right' A clumping strappy-leaf perennial forming tidy tufts of arching deep-green foliage topped with spikes of violet-purple flowers in late summer. A reliable, low-care border and mass-planting plant. -
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. -
Liquidambar · Liquidambar styraciflua A tall, conical shade tree with star-shaped maple-like leaves that colour spectacularly in shades of crimson, purple and gold through autumn. A classic avenue and parkland tree. -
Little Jess Flax Lily · Dianella 'Little Jess' A compact, clumping flax lily with deep green strappy leaves, sprays of blue starry flowers and purple berries. A neat, tough small native for borders, pots and mass planting. -
Little John Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Little John' A dense dwarf bottlebrush with blue-green foliage and deep blood-red brushes through spring and intermittently year round. Ideal for low hedging and containers. -
London Plane · Platanus ×acerifolia A large, robust shade tree with broad maple-like leaves and striking flaking cream-and-grey camouflage bark. Famously tolerant of pollution, pruning and tough urban conditions. -
Louisiana Iris 'Black Gamecock' · Iris 'Black Gamecock' A Louisiana iris bearing rich velvety deep purple-black flowers with golden signals, held above strappy green foliage. Thrives in boggy ground or at the edge of ponds. -
Lucia Flax Lily · Dianella 'Lucia' A compact flax lily with blue-green foliage that develops purple tints, plus blue flowers and berries. Tough, frost-hardy and tidy for borders and mass plantings. -
Luscious Water Gum · Tristaniopsis laurina 'Luscious' A selected water gum with large glossy leaves, smooth orange-brown bark and clusters of fragrant yellow flowers in summer. A handsome, well-behaved shade and street tree. -
Manchurian Pear · Pyrus ussuriensis 'Manchurian' A hardy, broadly rounded ornamental pear with abundant white early-spring blossom and glossy foliage that turns brilliant red, purple and orange in autumn. A tough, cold-hardy shade tree. -
Matted Pratia · Lobelia pedunculata A creeping, mat-forming groundcover with tiny leaves studded with starry pale blue flowers, tolerant of light foot traffic. An excellent lawn substitute and paving filler for moist spots. -
Mondo Grass · Ophiopogon japonicus A tough evergreen strappy-leaf groundcover forming a dense carpet of fine dark-green grassy foliage. A hard-wearing, low-care lawn alternative for shade and a favourite for pathways and edges. -
Morning Light Maiden Grass · Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' A graceful clumping ornamental grass with very fine green leaves edged white that read silver from a distance, topped by coppery-pink plumes in autumn. A refined upright feature for borders. -
Mrs Bradshaw Geum · Geum 'Mrs J. Bradshaw' An award-winning avens with semi-double scarlet flowers waving on wiry stems above a low rosette of hairy leaves. Long-flowering and a cheerful favourite of cottage gardens. -
Nafray Fountain Grass · Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Nafray' An Australian-bred selection of the native swamp foxtail forming neat green clumps topped with fluffy purple-bronze bottlebrush plumes. Tough, low-care and sterile-flowering, making it a safer choice than the weedy species. -
Nardoo · Marsilea drummondii An Australian native aquatic fern with four-lobed clover-like leaves that float on the surface or stand above damp mud. An iconic inland wetland plant; its spore cases were ground for food by Aboriginal peoples. -
Native Bluebell · Wahlenbergia stricta A dainty native perennial sending up wiry stems topped with nodding sky-blue bells from spring to autumn. A charming, self-seeding filler for cottage and meadow plantings. -
Native Violet · Viola hederacea A dainty spreading groundcover with kidney-shaped leaves and white-and-purple flowers held on slender stems almost year-round. Loves cool, moist shade where it forms a lush living carpet. -
Nyalla Lomandra · Lomandra longifolia 'Nyalla' A robust lomandra with steel-blue strappy foliage and scented yellow flowers in spring. Extremely hardy and architectural, ideal for mass plantings and coastal sites. -
Old Man's Beard · Clematis aristata A graceful native clematis climbing through shrubs and trees, covered in starry white flowers in spring followed by fluffy silvery seed heads. A delicate cover for shaded fences and woodland gardens. -
Ornamental Pear 'Aristocrat' · Pyrus calleryana 'Aristocrat' A broadly pyramidal ornamental pear with horizontal branching, glossy wavy-edged foliage and white spring blossom. Autumn colour ranges through gold, orange and crimson-red. -
Ornamental Pear 'Capital' · Pyrus calleryana 'Capital' A narrow, columnar ornamental pear bearing white spring blossom and glossy leaves that turn coppery-purple and red in autumn. Ideal for tight spaces, driveways and formal avenues. -
Pacific Giant Delphinium · Delphinium 'Pacific Giants' Towering spires densely packed with blue, purple, white or mauve flowers, each with a contrasting central 'bee'. A classic seed strain for the back of the border; all parts are toxic if eaten. -
Pale Rush · Juncus pallidus A hardy Australian native rush forming dense clumps of stiff, upright pale-green stems, thriving in wet ground and pond margins. Excellent for bog gardens, rain gardens and bank stabilisation. -
Papyrus · Cyperus papyrus A tall, architectural marginal sedge with triangular stems topped by spherical bursts of fine green thread-like bracts. Dramatic at the edge of large ponds or in bog gardens. -
Photinia 'Red Robin' · Photinia × fraseri 'Red Robin' · from $3.50 A fast, frost-hardy evergreen screen famous for its brilliant red new growth each spring. The exotic workhorse hedge for cool-climate gardens. -
Pickerel Weed · Pontederia cordata A hardy marginal aquatic with glossy spear-shaped leaves and showy spikes of violet-blue flowers through summer that attract bees. Excellent for pond edges and bog gardens. -
Pin Oak · Quercus palustris A fast-growing oak with a distinctive pyramidal crown and deeply lobed glossy leaves that turn rich russet-red in autumn and often persist into winter. A superb large avenue tree. -
Pink Knock Out Rose · Rosa 'Pink Knock Out' A pink-flowered member of the Knock Out family, bearing single bright pink blooms continuously through the warm months. Robust, disease-resistant and undemanding in the landscape. -
Plum Pine · Podocarpus elatus A handsome native conifer with long, glossy dark-green leaves and edible purple-black fleshy fruit used as a bush-tucker flavouring. Tolerant of clipping, it makes a fine native screen, hedge or feature. -
Poorinda Royal Mantle Grevillea · Grevillea 'Poorinda Royal Mantle' A vigorous flat groundcover that roots as it spreads, carrying deep red toothbrush flowers against dark green foliage. A classic erosion-control native. -
Powdery Thalia · Thalia dealbata A bold marginal aquatic with large blue-green canna-like leaves dusted with white bloom and tall stems of purple flowers. A statuesque feature for the edge of ponds. -
Purple Coral Pea · Hardenbergia violacea 'Happy Wanderer' A vigorous twining native pea bursting into sheets of purple flowers in late winter and spring. A reliable, fast cover for fences, trellises and banks. -
Pyramidal Arborvitae · Thuja occidentalis 'Pyramidalis' An upright, columnar arborvitae with dense soft green foliage forming a broad pyramid. A reliable, hardy choice for tall screening and windbreaks in cold and temperate gardens. -
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. -
Red Maple · Acer rubrum A fast-growing North American shade tree with a tidy oval canopy that ignites in fiery red and orange autumn tones. Tolerant of damp soils and excellent for streets and parks. -
Resilience Lilly Pilly · Syzygium australe 'Resilience' A psyllid-resistant lilly pilly selection with dense glossy foliage, bronze new growth and white flowers followed by red berries. An excellent low-care hedge and screen. -
Rheingold Arborvitae · Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold' A compact, rounded to conical conifer with soft golden-amber foliage that turns rich copper-bronze in winter. A glowing low feature for pots, rockeries and mixed conifer beds. -
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. -
Rose Glow Barberry · Berberis thunbergii 'Rose Glow' A purple-leaved barberry whose new growth is mottled rose-pink and silvery-white over a deep wine base, deepening to scarlet in autumn. Thorny and colourful for hedging, though it can self-seed and is a weed risk in some regions. -
Rosemary Grevillea · Grevillea rosmarinifolia A hardy prickly-foliaged shrub resembling rosemary, flushing red-and-cream spider flowers through autumn, winter and spring. Excellent dense habitat and screening for small birds. -
Rozanne Cranesbill · Geranium 'Rozanne' An award-winning, sterile cranesbill that flowers non-stop with violet-blue, white-centred saucers from spring to autumn. Spreading and weed-suppressing, it is one of the longest-flowering perennials grown. -
Rubens Photinia · Photinia glabra 'Rubens' A smaller, refined photinia with glossy leaves and bright red new growth, more restrained than the fraseri hybrids. White spring flowers and a neat habit suit it to medium screening hedges. -
Sacred Lotus · Nelumbo nucifera A striking aquatic perennial with large blue-green leaves held high on stems above the water and fragrant pink to white bowl-shaped flowers followed by distinctive seed pods. Best in full sun in warm climates. -
Shara Lomandra · Lomandra fluviatilis 'Shara' A soft weeping fine-leaved lomandra forming a low blue-green fountain. Compact and very hardy, ideal for borders, slopes and low-maintenance mass plantings. -
Slender Weavers Bamboo · Bambusa textilis 'Gracilis' A tall, well-behaved clumping bamboo with upright slender green canes and a narrow footprint, making it Australia's most popular living privacy screen. Non-invasive and fast to establish a dense green wall. -
Slim Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Slim' A very narrow upright bottlebrush bred for tight spaces, with red brushes in spring and summer. Ideal for slim hedges and screening along fences and driveways. -
Snake Vine · Hibbertia scandens A scrambling coastal climber and groundcover with glossy leaves and large bright yellow buttercup-like flowers through much of the year. A tough, versatile cover for banks, fences and dunes. -
Snow in Summer · Melaleuca linariifolia 'Claret Tops' · from $17.95 A compact form of the popular paperbark with striking burgundy new growth maturing to green, and fluffy white summer flowers. Hardy and adaptable for hedges, screens and feature planting. -
Snow Pear · Pyrus nivalis 'Snow Pear' A rounded deciduous pear grown for its silvery-grey felted young foliage and white spring blossom. Drought-tolerant once established and well suited to Mediterranean and dry gardens. -
Snowball Tree · Viburnum opulus 'Roseum' The sterile snowball viburnum, smothered in rounded heads of pure white florets that age to soft pink in spring. Deciduous with good autumn leaf colour and a fine cut-flower shrub. -
Soft Twig Rush · Baumea rubiginosa A native marginal sedge forming neat clumps of fine green stems, useful for stabilising pond edges and natural water filtration. A reliable choice for constructed wetlands and rain gardens. -
Spring Grove Cedar · Thuja plicata 'Spring Grove' A vigorous, dense western red cedar selection with glossy bright-green foliage, bred as a fast formal hedge. Tolerant of clipping and a popular modern alternative to conifer screens. -
Summer Snow Flowering Gum · Corymbia 'Summer Snow' A grafted flowering gum producing large trusses of pure white blossom through summer that draw birds and bees. A compact, reliable feature tree for most climates. -
Super Hedge Photinia · Photinia x fraseri 'Super Hedge' An upright photinia selected for dense, vertical growth that makes a fast, narrow screening hedge. New growth flushes vivid red and responds well to regular clipping. -
Swamp Foxtail · Pennisetum alopecuroides A clumping grass with arching green foliage and showy purplish foxtail plumes in summer and autumn. Self-seeds readily and is regarded as an environmental weed in parts of Australia. -
Tall Sedge · Carex appressa A vigorous weeping sedge forming a lush green fountain of fine arching foliage. Thriving in damp and boggy ground, it is a go-to for rain gardens, pond edges and erosion control. -
Tanika Mat Rush · Lomandra longifolia 'Tanika' A popular Australian native strappy-leaf plant forming fine-textured weeping clumps of bright green foliage with scented yellow flower spikes. Extremely tough, drought- and frost-hardy, and ideal for mass plantings. -
Tar Bush 'Kalbarri Carpet' · Eremophila glabra 'Kalbarri Carpet' A prostrate emu bush forming a dense silver-grey mat dotted with tubular yellow-green flowers that feed honeyeaters. An extremely drought-hardy groundcover for hot, dry banks. -
Tas Red Flax Lily · Dianella tasmanica 'Tas Red' A flax lily prized for the red-burgundy tones in its strappy foliage during cooler months, with blue flowers and purple berries. Hardy and colourful in mass plantings. -
The Fairy Rose · Rosa 'The Fairy' A tough, spreading polyantha groundcover rose smothered in dense sprays of tiny soft-pink rosettes from summer into autumn. Disease-resistant, undemanding and lovely cascading from pots and low walls. -
Thyme Honey-myrtle · Melaleuca thymifolia A small, dainty paperbark with fine blue-green leaves and curious fringed mauve-purple claw flowers through the warmer months. Tolerates wet feet and suits damp or boggy spots. -
Trumpet Vine · Campsis radicans A vigorous, self-clinging deciduous climber bearing bold clusters of orange-red trumpet flowers through summer that draw nectar-feeding birds. Robust and showy, but suckering and best given firm support. -
Upright Water Milfoil · Myriophyllum crispatum A native semi-emergent aquatic with feathery whorled foliage that rises above the water surface. A useful oxygenator and habitat plant for natural ponds and frog bogs. -
Variegated Weigela · Weigela florida 'Variegata' An arching weigela with green leaves neatly edged creamy white, hung with rose-pink tubular flowers in late spring. A bright, hardy shrub that attracts bees and nectar-feeding birds. -
Virginia Creeper · Parthenocissus quinquefolia A vigorous self-clinging deciduous vine with handsome five-fingered leaves that ignite into fiery red and burgundy tones in autumn. Excellent for quickly covering large walls, fences and pergolas. -
Water Gum · Tristaniopsis laurina An adaptable evergreen Australian native with glossy leaves, smooth peeling orange-brown bark and fragrant yellow summer flowers. A popular, well-behaved street and feature tree. -
Water Hyacinth · Eichhornia crassipes A free-floating aquatic with glossy rounded leaves on inflated buoyant stalks and showy lavender-blue flower spikes. A declared noxious weed across much of Australia and illegal to keep in many states. -
Water Lettuce · Pistia stratiotes A free-floating aquatic forming rosettes of soft, velvety pale-green leaves resembling a floating lettuce. A declared weed in Australia and prohibited in several states. -
Water Snowflake · Nymphoides indica A dainty floating aquatic with small heart-shaped leaves and frilly white star-flowers fringed with delicate hairs. Quickly covers the surface of warm ponds. -
Waterlily 'Attraction' · Nymphaea 'Attraction' A vigorous hardy waterlily bearing large deep garnet-red cup-shaped blooms flecked with white, held just above floating green pads. A classic, reliable choice for medium to large ponds. -
Waterlily 'Colorado' · Nymphaea 'Colorado' A free-flowering hardy waterlily with warm salmon-peach blooms that deepen as they age, held above mottled pads. Compact enough for tubs and small ponds. -
White Anzac Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'White Anzac' A low spreading bottlebrush with soft white brushes through spring and summer. A hardy, bird-attracting groundcovering screen useful for banks and coastal sites. -
Wildfire Bottlebrush · Callistemon 'Wildfire' A medium bottlebrush with weeping habit and large fiery red brushes in spring and autumn. A robust, bird-attracting feature and informal screen for most climates. -
Willow-leaved Hakea · Hakea salicifolia A fast, dense large shrub with willow-like leaves and clusters of small creamy flowers in spring. One of the best native plants for a quick screen or hedge. -
Winter Rose Hellebore · Helleborus 'Winter Rose' An Australian-bred hellebore series with large outward-facing flowers in white, pink and ruby that hold their colour for weeks through winter. Shade-loving and evergreen; all parts are toxic if eaten. -
Wonga Wonga Vine 'Snowbells' · Pandorea pandorana 'Snowbells' A vigorous evergreen climber with glossy ferny foliage and masses of fragrant creamy-white tubular bells in spring. A fast, hardy cover for fences, pergolas and screens. -
Wood's Pink Aster · Aster 'Wood's Pink' A compact, award-winning Michaelmas daisy covered in clear pink, yellow-centred flowers in autumn. Mildew-resistant and a vital late nectar source for bees and butterflies. -
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. -
Yellow Spotted Emu Bush · Eremophila maculata 'Aurea' A rounded emu bush with bright green foliage and yellow tubular flowers through winter and spring that draw honeyeaters. Extremely drought-hardy for arid and coastal gardens. -
Yellow Wild Iris · Dietes bicolor Pale yellow iris flowers, each petal blotched maroon-brown at the base, are carried over slender evergreen foliage through the warm months. A hardy, low-care clumping perennial for tough spots. -
Zebra Grass · Miscanthus sinensis 'Zebrinus' A tall clumping grass distinguished by horizontal creamy-yellow bands across its arching green blades, with feathery plumes in autumn. A bold, unusual feature for large borders. -
Zebra Rush · Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani 'Zebrinus' A marginal rush prized for its upright cylindrical stems banded horizontally with cream and green. A striking vertical accent for pond edges and bog gardens.