Every plant in the Heatwave-Resistant Haven collection is chosen to deliver on heat tolerant plants. Add a few that share your conditions and group them for the strongest effect.
Heatwave-Resistant Haven
When the mercury soars, these full-sun, drought-tolerant plants keep their cool — a garden built to survive the Australian summer.
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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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Arizona Sun Blanket Flower · Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' An award-winning, compact blanket flower bearing red daisies tipped with golden-yellow all season. Heat- and drought-hardy, flowering in its first year and loved by bees and butterflies. -
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. -
Autumn Joy Stonecrop · Sedum 'Autumn Joy' Fleshy grey-green clumps topped with broad flower heads that open dusky pink and deepen to rusty-red in autumn. Bees and butterflies cover the blooms; seed heads stand through winter. -
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. -
Baxter's Banksia · Banksia baxteri A rounded WA shrub with deeply lobed holly-like leaves and squat lime-yellow flower domes nestled among the foliage. A drought-hardy feature and long-lasting cut flower. -
Bell-fruited Mallee · Eucalyptus preissiana A spreading WA mallee shrub bearing large bright yellow flowers and distinctive bell-shaped gum nuts. A hardy, showy small feature for dry, sandy gardens. -
Birthday Candles Banksia · Banksia spinulosa 'Birthday Candles' A compact dwarf banksia with fine green foliage and gold and burgundy candle flowers through autumn and winter. A neat, bird-attracting feature for small gardens. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Cherry Candles Banksia · Banksia spinulosa 'Cherry Candles' A compact banksia with deep cherry-red and gold candle flowers through autumn and winter. A colourful, hardy and bird-attracting low feature shrub. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Coast Spear Grass · Austrostipa stipoides A coastal Australian native tussock grass forming dense clumps of wiry green-grey foliage with feathery flowering plumes. Salt- and wind-tolerant, it suits exposed seaside and erosion-prone sites. -
Coastal Cushion Banksia · Banksia integrifolia 'Coastal Cushion' A prostrate cushioning form of coast banksia with white-backed leaves and pale yellow flower spikes. Tough, salt-tolerant and ideal for coastal banks and erosion control. -
Coastal Gem Grevillea · Grevillea 'Coastal Gem' A dense prostrate spreading groundcover with fine green foliage and small pink-red spider flowers through the cooler months. Excellent for banks and coastal gardens. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Cut-leaf Banksia · Banksia praemorsa A dense coastal WA shrub with blunt-tipped serrated leaves and large cylindrical flower spikes in wine-red or yellow. An excellent hardy screen and cut flower. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Firewood Banksia · Banksia menziesii A WA banksia with zigzag pinkish new growth and large acorn-shaped flower spikes in shades of pink, red and gold. A striking bird-attracting feature and cut flower. -
Fireworks Grevillea · Grevillea 'Fireworks' An upright medium shrub with needle foliage and bright red and yellow spider flowers that explode across the bush like fireworks. Hardy and very bird-attracting. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Giant Feather Grass · Stipa gigantea A clumping evergreen grass forming a low mound of fine foliage from which tall airy stems carry shimmering golden oat-like flower heads. A see-through feature that catches the light in borders. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
Grass Tree · Xanthorrhoea glauca An iconic slow-growing Australian grass tree forming a stout dark trunk topped with a fountain of blue-green foliage and a tall flower spear after fire. A sculptural living feature. -
Grass-leaf Hakea · Hakea francisiana An upright shrub of inland WA and SA with slender grey leaves and dense cylindrical spikes of deep pink to red flowers in spring. A striking arid-zone bird-attracting feature. -
Grey Box Coastal Rosemary · Westringia fruticosa 'Grey Box' A dense compact coastal rosemary with silver-grey foliage and white flowers, naturally forming a tidy ball. Ideal for low clipped hedges and coastal borders. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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.