Native plants make sense in our hot climate, the drought resilience, adaptability to thrive in the poor soils and ability to help bring in native wildlife makes them the obvious choice for easy gardening at home. I love adding in native plants to my garden simply because they look good and come with beautiful flowers!
Combining Native Plants and Lawns
Combining lawns and native plants can be a harmonious combination but there are a few things you need to consider ensuring both thrive together. There are the obvious concerns about sufficient light on the lawn, you don’t want to plant anything too close to the perimeter that will shade out the lawn and think about the flowers as well as the fine stamens and berries that can clog and blunt cylinder mowers. Try to grade the height of your plants having the tallest at the back of the bed and the smallest around the lawn to maximise light.
Native plants in the Proteaceae family such as Grevilleas, Banksia and Hakea have Proteaoide roots just under the surface of the soil that help the plants absorb phosphorus. This makes them sensitive to fertilisers that are high in this element so it’s a good idea to group them together away from exotic plants and be wary when fertilising your lawn so that you do not overdo it as it can kill these sensitive native plants.
Planting Hedges
Hedging is often thought of as a European element in the garden, using exotic species of plants, but hedging doesn’t always have to be in a formal garden or exclusively exotic either. There are many native species of plants that work well in our climate for hedging and can work in many styles of garden, be tightly clipped or looser for a natural appearance. They help to separate garden zones and remove unsightly views as well as create structure to a space by defining boundaries and garden beds.
Endemic Plants
Endemic plants, those that evolved in the area you will be planting them into require little soil preparation, they are used to the conditions and will thrive with minimal interference, just loosen the soil in a wide planting hole to help the first emerging roots. Those that are still native but from a different area will appreciate some help with the ground, dig through some compost and a native fertiliser but steer clear of manures as these can have adverse effects on the root system. Once planted mulch with a coarse bark.
Callistemons
One of the best loose hedges and screening plants, perfect for the back of a garden bed is the callistemon, its fool proof and can tolerate drought, coastal conditions and frost as well as being adaptable to both clay and sandy soils. Callistemons come in a range of sizes too, from the lower growing (up to a metre) ‘Green John’, perfect for a low hedge, the medium sized ‘Macarthur’ will cover a fence to 1.8 metres, but not block out light and the taller ‘Slim’ to 3 metres.
Whatever variety you go for I like to leave them a little loose as this promotes more flowers, perfect for attracting birds. Once flowering has finished you can trim the plant to keep it tidy, sometimes it’s hard to find the right time as they bloom so prolifically but if this is a problem early spring is a good time, if you time it with your lawn renovation your garden will sing.
Coastal Areas
If you have salty coastal conditions and nothing will grow, try the Adenanthos or woolly bush, this native is very hardy to salt-laden winds thanks to its incredibly tactile foliage. Almost silvery in colour this plant looks exactly as the common name makes it sound and it works perfectly as a windbreak to help you grow more sensitive plants behind. Having still air in the garden will also allow you to relax more especially sprawling out on your lawn. If the foliage of this hedging plant isn’t enough for you it also gets a small red flower that is great for native wildlife too.
Attracting Wildlife
Having your plants double up as a wildlife and bird-attracting element to the garden as well as a screen or a feature can only be a benefit and Grevilleas are a great way to have your cake and eat it. Much like the Callistemon, they are incredibly versatile coping with heat, frost, salt and a range of soil types too. New modern varieties of grevillea also open up the rainbow as to what colour you can have in your garden, from subtle greens to flamboyant salmons and reds, as well as everything in-between. I like a variety called ‘Moonlight’ as it has bright creamy white flowers that illuminate a planting scheme, another fail-safe is ‘Robyn Gordon’ and ‘Superb’.
Lilly Pilly
If you are after a more formal look the Lilly Pilly is the plant for you, but you will need to add compost to the soil to aid in the water retention. Naturally a rainforest tree but highly adaptable to the home garden it’s popular as the small leaves knit together to give a dense hedge. There are many varieties from different species including Syzygium, Waterhousia and Acmena. My favourite is the weeping Lilly Pilly as it has a beautiful lime green new growth and a pendulous habit to the foliage. If you are looking for a hedge in a narrow space the Syzygium ‘Pinnacle’ is a good option as it grows up to 6 metres in height but only takes up a metre in garden bed to do so.
Westringia
For lower-growing shrubs the coastal rosemary Westringia is hard to beat. Grey, silver foliage highlights lower parts of the garden and being versatile to clipping you can leave it loose and sprawling or tight and topiarised just make sure you have good drainage as it doesn’t like wet feet or humid air, making it the perfect plant to surround a lawn. This plant is so good in 2015 the variety ‘Grey Box’ was awarded the plant of the year. Ornamental star-like flowers in whites, pinks and even purples can be seen throughout the year.
Ornamental Grasses Around Lawns
Another great type of plant to surround a lawn is the ornamental grasses such as Dianella and Lomandra. These help to soften the edges of a lawn and blend the boundary between lower soft lawn and ornamental planting pockets. Like your lawn ornamental grasses will love free-draining soil and similar water requirements so if there is any spill over from your irrigation it will only benefit the garden.
Australian natives make for a perfect pairing with functional outdoor lawn spaces. For more garden and lawn care tips and advice, check out the Lawn Solutions Australia blog here.
