Sustainable Natives

Black plum

This medium sized tree grows approximately 8-15m tall ( shorter in sunnier spots)
This tree is similar to Podacarpus elatus where there are separate male and female plants. So if you want fruit you will need a couple of plants. The flowers appear in late summer to autumn. The flowers are white in colour and are 15mm in diameter. Fruits appear on the female plants in winter which start yellow and turn black when mature and are 20mm in size.
This tree can handle coastal conditions and makes great speciman plant. Best grown in semi shade. Great bush tucker plant where the fruit is great to use as a chutney or in jams.

Blue Tongue or native tibouchina.

This Melastoma is a dwarf variety. It grows up to 0.5m in height and spreads 1m across.
The plant has beautiful 5cm wide magenta flowers that commences in late winter through to late spring.
The plant prefers semi shade but can tolerate early morning sun. The plant requires regular watering and pruning.

Canberra grass

A lava like moss looking spreading plant. Ideal for rockeries and containers. Great native alternative to
exotic zoysia japonica for Japanese gardens.
Prefers semi to full sun on well drained soils.  Keep water up to them as they don’t tolerate long periods of drought.
They can spread up to 1m long. Ideal for erosion control.

For those concerned about what plants to grow that will not attract wallabies might surprise you. It has been recommended to use plants such as grevilleas, correas, hibbertias, baeckeas, croweas, eriostemons, callistemons, dampieras, leptospermems and westringias. Let me know how you go.

Sweet Jasmine
This non-invasive climber has the usual jasmine smell which flowers from late August to January.

Egg and Bacon plant.
This 1m high x 1m wide sized shrub never fails to signal the start of spring and flowers from late winter throughout spring with orange and yellow flowers.
Eutaxia’s prefer dappled sunny spots but enjoy full sun. Prune to shape after flowering. Can be used in containers and is cery versatile.  Enjoys well drained soils.

Boronia molloyae x heyerophylla.
This boronia hybrid is one of the most profuse flowering of the boronia family.
The shrub can grow up to 2m high x 1m wide. The bright pink flowers appear early spring. Prune after flowering and as with most boronias plang in a dappled shade area in well draoned soil. Ideal on an embankment. Makes a great container plant. Keep plant moderately moist.

Brown boronia.
This beautiful and highly scented shrub to 1m tall x 0.75m wide is great in rockeries and on embankments. This plant requires well drained soil in dappled shade.  Prune after flowering in spring.