Now is the time to get rid of that struggling lawn that was installed in an area that doesn’t get enough winter sun and ends up being full of weeds and a headache every single year, or improve your predominately European style gardens that are full of exotic plants that in winter look depressing until the weather eventually warms up after many months of dormancy. Selecting native plants for your existing design will give you a fantastic result and they will complement the other plants beautifully and add that much needed winter colour and foliage. The contrasting flowers and foliage can look impressive. There are allot of coastal WA native plants that are super tough and waterwise and have beautiful silver foliage that contrast really well so you don’t get lost in a sea of green such as Leucophya brownii(small shrub), Conostylis candicans(clumping ground cover) and Olearia axilliaris(screening shrub or hedge). 

Brightening up that dull and shady spot in your garden can be as simple as selecting the right native plants such as Correas(small shrubs), Chorizemas(small shrubs), Thomasias(small shrubs), Guichenotias(small shrubs), Templetonia retusa(medium shrub)(small if pruned), Darwinia citriodora(small shrub or ground cover) are some examples that will add allot of joy at this time of year to an area that would normally struggle especially in mid-winter. In sunnier locations then many WA native plants that you choose will be flowering now or in the next few months and some really nice and extremely tough plants include Scaevola porocarya(shrub), Dampiera coronata(amazing perennial carpet of  green and blue that keeps coming back each year when it rains), Hakea laurina(screening shrub or small tree) with pink/white bird attracting spikey looking ball flowers, Guichenotia macrantha(small to medium shrub) with amazing mauve bell shaped flowers which are larger than Guichenotia ledifolia, Hardenbergia comptoniana(vine) fairly fast growing vine that you need to keep an eye on and prune regularly but it establishes quickly and is covered in purple pea flowers.

To find these beautiful plants please visit a specialist native nursery like Australian native nursery, King st Oakford or Zanthorrea in Maida Vale. Both nurseries have plant lists on their websites. If you want to be truly converted to native plants then a visit to Kings park from now through until the end of spring is a must. 

For expert advice and help with selecting the right plants for your garden please book a consult and design session with Ben.