Beautiful waterwise native plants

Here’s a list of beautiful native WA plants that can survive without retic, or on a tiny fraction of the water compared to lawn or traditional garden thrive through the hottest months.

If you are planning to have a non-retic garden it might pay to improve the soil slightly with a small amount of Kaolin clay and soil improver and if it’s getting very little additional water, you may want to include TerraCottem wetting crystals. These crystals are expensive but are used extensively in land care commercially in rainfall only situations as they are effective in improving plant survival in the early stages.

https://www.terracottem.com/

Plant suggestions:

Ground covers:

Banksia nivea – attractive clumping ground cover, very waterwise once established

Conostylis candicans – popular silver foliaged strap leafed plant with yellow pom pom flowers

Grevilea crithmifolia prostrate – tough spreading low ground cover with attractive white flowers

Banksia blechnifolia – attractive Banksia with interesting leaves and flowers from the ground

Small shrub:

Calothmanus hirsutus – small compact claw flower plant with beautiful foliage, great for gardens

Thryptomene sp – beautiful small shrubs that get covered in small flowers from white to purple.

Verticoridas – Feather flowers – an abundance of varieties, beautiful feather flowers, very waterwise  

Isopogon formosus – Rose coneflower – attractive shrub that gets covered in bird attracting flowers

Hypocallyma angustifolia - white myrtle flowers and nice foliage

Eremaeae pauciflora – tough plant that  has orange flowers in early summer

Scaevola porocarya – beautiful blue flowering Scaevola – emerald foliage

Summer Calytrix – Calytrix fraseri – beautiful pink flowers during summer

Beaufortia aestiva – summer flowering plant with attractive red/orange flowers

Leucophyta brownii – popular landscape plant with silver foliage and daisy flowers

Grevillea bipinnatifida – the WA parent of the Robyn Gordon grevillea, beautiful flowers/foliage

Screening:

Olearia axillaris – attractive silver foliaged coastal daisy that is very waterwise once established

Albany woolybush – beautiful soft foliage with bird attractive jug flowers

Hakea laurina - Pin Cushion Hakea – beautiful flowers/foliage and can grow like a hedge  (pruned regularly)

Kunzea baxteri – beautiful foliage and flowers

Salt bush – Atriplex sp. – Very waterwise and attractive silver foliage – loves pruning

Feature trees:

Silver princess Eucalypt – Beautiful weeping foliage, attractive bark and flowers - to 8m

Corymbia ficifolia - Red flowering gum – Beautiful feature tree with attractive red flowers in summer

Hakea laurina – Pin cushion Hakea – beautiful versatile plant that can grow as a tree

Eucalyptus rhodantha  - Rose Mallee – Beautiful waterwise tree – silver foliage and red flowers

Eucalyptus macrocarpa – Mottlecah – Beautiful waterwise tree – silver foliage and red flowers

Banksia prionotes – Acorn Banksia – Beautiful large shrub/tree with stunning flowers