Plant Finder

Small to medium sized shrub. The typical form has mauve flowers with a darker red-eye, but there are also forms with white and yellow flowers, without the dark eye. The flowers are 'tulip-shaped'. The foliage is deeply lobed dark-green in colour. The individual lobes of the leaves can be so narrow making the foliage 'needle like'. A.hakeifolia is grown as a garden plant and seems to be unusually cold and drought tolerant.

A small tree that grows up to 7m in height, it has a multi-trunked habit and flaking, reddish-brown bark. It can be a slow growing tree and it produces clusters of white flowers in spring, followed by clusters of small red fruits in autumn.

The Coastal Tea Tree is a small dense tree from the east coast of Australia. It can be utilised as a landscape screen and is very effective in small groves. It features small green leaves and conspicuous white flowers that are produced in spring. Used in subtropical areas as a revegetation tree however this plant can be invasive and is considered a weed in some areas. This plant is a food source and nesting site for birds.

Medlar is a small deciduous tree to 6m with good autumn foliage, spring flowers, and a useful rounded shape. The small edible fruits must be ‘bletted’--Allowed to over-ripen, becoming soft to the touch--before they can be eaten. Several different fruiting cultivars are available. Shakespeare refers to the fruit somewhat lewdly in Romeo's Queen Mab soliloquy in Romeo and Juliet.

One of the toughest and most delightful small trees is the Quince. This small tree can grow to 5m and has beautiful white-pink flowers in spring. The edible fruits form over summer and can be harvested in Autumn. Some light pruning and removal of basal suckers is often needed.

Larger than most Callistemon, this small tree grows to 7m in height and produces small creamy-yellow bottlebrush flowers in late winter, followed by bright pink new growth in spring. It tolerates waterlogged and compacted soils and produces an excellent weeping form when mature. It also responds readily to pruning as needed. This plant is a nectar and seed source for birds.

Useful food plant with a spreading open form, this native of South America produces a rounded, evergreen shrub to 5m. Once established it is a useful drought-tolerant shrub producing edible green fruit.

This is a dense, flowering shrub growing to 3m in height. It has fragrant leaves and produces dark pink to red flowers over summer. Because it is not a delicate plant it makes an excellent hedge and screening plant, particularly in coastal areas. Light pruning after flowering will maintain its form and flowers.

A shrub of Mediterranean origin, this grows to 4 m and has fragrant small, white flowers and dark, shiny green leaves. Small black berries are produced over autumn. Can be a very useful hedging plant, but needs regular pruning. This plant is not drought tolerant.

An upright, clumping, sterile hybrid from Germany, this grass can grow up to 2m in height when in flower over summer. It produces a dramatic upright form and can also be used for screening when mass planted. Feather Reed Grass needs pruning back to the base in winter and it performs best in good quality soils and some summer rainfall.

A small shrub growing to 1m high by 1m spread. It has small, grey-green leaves and produces masses of white-pink flowers during spring. Tolerating a range of soil conditions, this is best sited where there is good drainage and full sun.

A small, Australian shrub growing to 50cm in height. This produces small, delicate tubular red-orange flowers during late winter-spring. Useful as a low flowering hedge it needs careful establishment, then around 3 to 4 cuts per year. This plant is a nectar source for birds.

A small but beautiful drought tolerant plant. This is an evergreen grass with strappy leaves and can remain evergreen and attractive throughout year with little care and feeding. Looks best as a mass planting. Full sun or part shade.

New Zealand Flax is a clumping perennial with large, linear, sword-like leaves growing from 2 to 4 m in height. Many of the newer hybrid varieties are much smaller in height and there is a wide range of leaf colours and forms available. Moderately drought tolerant once established.

Couch is one of the easiest turf species to grow but like many spreading grasses it can be very invasive. Best in sunny locations, it produces vigorous runners over warmer months and has good tolerance to drought once established. In cooler climates Couch will often die back over winter but recover once the warmer weather begins.

Buffalo Grass is a warm season turf grass that produces vigorous, fleshy runners and dense, coarse foliage. It is best used in warm, sunny locations with good drainage and has reasonable tolerance to drought once established. There are good reports for the variety 'Sir Walter Buffalo'.

Many Australian native grasses are being tried as lawns and Weeping Grass is one of the best. Good preparation and establishment are needed to successfully grow this tufting, fine bladed grass as it grows into a soft, compact lawn. Weed control is important and the grass is best cut to a taller height than exotic lawn grasses (25 to 30mm). It tolerates a range of conditions, even deep shade. This plant is a valuable frog habitat.

Not a true climber but a scrambling shrub growing to 5 or 6m in height, the Banksia Rose can be an excellent plant for the Cottage Garden with masses of flowers produced over spring. It is reasonably drought tolerant once established and white and double yellow flower varieties are available. This plant generally only needs pruning every few years after flowering or when its vigour needs controlling.

A vigorous, deciduous climber with compound leaves and pendulous, lilac flowers in spring. Drought tolerant once established, the Chinese Wisteria can be slow growing at first, but vigorous in maturity. It needs a strong structure or frame for support and looks best when pruned during the winter. This is an anti-clockwise climber, as opposed to Wisteria floribunda, which is clockwise. Both are excellent floral plants.

A Californian dense evergreen shrub up to 2 or 3m in height. Like all members of the genus it produces magnificent blue flowers during spring and the rough leaves lend year round character. Tends to be slow growing and can be very drought tolerant once established. It will not recover from hard pruning into older wood.