Native plant species
Brisbane City Council offers a variety of plants through the Free Native Plants Program, suitable for all garden types and sizes. Descriptions, growing conditions and fauna attracting information will help you choose the plants most suitable for your garden. Every plant adds to our city's urban forest, supports our unique wildlife and makes Brisbane cleaner, greener and more sustainable.
While Council endeavours to supply the variety of plant species on offer throughout the year, due to seasonal availability this is not always possible. If any species is not available at the time of request, it will be substituted with a similar plant type and size available through the Free Native Plants Program.
Note: information contained on this page is intended as a guide only.
Groundcovers
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal boobialla (Myoporum boninese) | Low growing, hardy spreading groundcover with thick fleshy glossy leaves. Grows to three metres. White flowers appear in spring and summer followed by purple berries. Prefers a sunny well-draining position. Suitable in pots or containers and rockeries. | Birds, lizards |
| Creeping boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) | Hardy prostrate groundcover that grows to one metre. Purple and white flowers during the summer months. An excellent spreading groundcover for a sunny well-drained position. Suitable in pots or containers. | Birds, lizards |
| Fan flower (Scaevola aemula) | Spreading groundcover that grows to 60 centimetres with dark green foliage and small mauve-pink flowers in spring and summer. Prefers well-drained soils. Great for hanging baskets. | Bees, lizards |
| Native violet (Viola hederacea) | Attractive dense groundcover that grows to 15 centimetres suitable for damp shady areas. Small, round, light green leaves with violet flowers throughout the year. Ideal for rockeries, mass plantings, pots and hanging baskets. | Lizards, frogs |
Tufting plants and grasses
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Blue flax (Dianella caerulea) | Hardy plant with long, strappy leaves that grows to 45 centimetres. Blue flowers on branched spikes appear in spring. Bright blue berries occur after flowering. Prefers a sunny position in well-drained soil. | Birds, lizards |
| Knobby club rush (Ficinia nodosa) | Tough, fast-growing, spreading, tufting grass with upright, dark green foliage up to one metre. Grows best in a full sun position. Brownish flower heads are produced on spikes throughout the year. Great plant for water features, ponds and effective in mass planting or containers. | Birds, frogs, lizards |
| Mat rush (Lomandra sp.) | Deep green, glossy, narrow strap leaves to one metre. Small yellow-cream flowers in spring and summer. Grow in a full sun to partial shade position. | Lizards, frogs |
Climbers
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Guinea vine (Hibbertia scandens) | A vigorous twiner with glossy, dark green leaves and large, golden yellow flowers over spring and summer. Grows to 1.5 metres and makes an excellent screening plant on walls or fences. Prefers well-drained soil. Grow in full sun to partial shade in an open position. Suitable for tubs and containers or as a groundcover. | Birds |
| Wonga-wonga vine (Pandorea pandorana) | A hardy, vigorous, fast growing, evergreen twining plant with bell-shaped white or yellow flowers in spring followed by large oblong shaped seed pods. Spreads up to six metres. Prefers an open, sunny position in well-drained soil. Great as a screening plant on a fence or trellis. Will grow in a large pot. | Butterflies, bees, insects |
Small shrubs - 0.5 metres to two metres
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Bottlebrush (Callistemon sp.) | Fast growing, hardy, woody shrub that grows up to two metres that produces beautiful blooms in a variety of single colours in spring and summer and sometimes again in autumn. Plant in a moist, well-drained, sunny position. Regularly prune to encourage bushier growth and increased flower production. Great for containers, edging, rockeries, hedges and borders. | Birds, insects |
| Coastal rosemary (Westringia sp.) | Hardy, small, fast-growing, evergreen shrub that grows to 1m². Long flowering and suitable as a hedge or screening plant or for low maintenance gardens, exposed sites and coastal gardens. Suitable for container planting. | Birds, butterflies, insects |
| Honey myrtle 'Claret Tops' (Melaleuca linariifolia) | A dense and compact shrub that grows to 1.5 metres with attractive, claret-coloured new growth and white flowers in summer. A great foliage plant for shrubberies or in a pot. Grows well in full sun or semi-shaded positions. | Birds, insects |
| Swamp banksia (Banksia robur) - seasonal | Hardy, evergreen shrub to two metres with bold flowing spikes in a variety of single colours. Flowers appear from autumn through to spring. Plant in an open, sunny position in well-drained soil. To encourage flower production and thicker foliage, cut flowering spikes and use in a floral display. | Birds, bees, butterflies, insects |
| Tea tree (Leptospermum sp.) | Attractive small shrub ranging in size from 80 centimetres up to two metres. Showy pink or white flowers in spring and autumn. Prefers moist well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. A useful feature plant for rockeries or over retaining walls. | Insects, bees |
| Thyme honey myrtle (Melaleuca thymifolia) | Small hardy shrub to 1m². Mauve claw type flowers occur in clusters and are borne during summer. Grows best in full sun with good drainage. Suitable for large pots or containers. | Insects |
Medium shrubs - three to five metres
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Banksia (Banksia sp.) seasonal | Hardy evergreen shrubs with attractive foliage with bold single colour flowering spikes. Plant in an open sunny position in well-drained soil. | Birds |
| Bottlebrush (Callistemon sp.) | Hardy, woody shrub that grows up to five metres that produces beautiful blooms in a variety of single colours in spring and summer and sometimes again in autumn. Plant in a moist, well-drained, sunny position. Regularly prune to encourage bushier growth and increased flower production. Bottlebrushes make excellent screening plants and are quick growers. | Birds, insects |
|
Grevillea (Grevillea sp.) |
Showy, evergreen plants that grow to four metres with nectar-rich flowers. They produce a 'spider flower' in a variety of single colours throughout the year. Grevillea's do best in a sunny position with light, gritty, free-draining soil. |
Birds, bees, butterflies |
| Lillypilly (Syzygium sp.) | Hardy evergreen plants to five metres with glossy, green leaves with fluffy, pom-pom, white flowers in spring and summer followed by red berries. Prefers a sunny position with well-drained soil. Lillypillies make excellent screens, windbreaks and hedges and can be pruned to size and shape. | Birds, bees, flying foxes |
| Tea tree (Leptospermum sp.) | A bushy rounded shrub that grows to five metres. White flowers cover the shrub in spring. Prefers well drained soil in a sunny position. Ideal as a screen, hedge or windbreak. | Insects, bees |
Shade and feature trees - over five metres
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
|
Flame Tree (Brachychiton acerifolius) seasonal |
Spectacular, hardy deciduous tree to 10 metres with light green lobed leaved. Profuse bell- shaped flowers occur in late spring or summer. Grows in most soils in a sunny position. | Butterflies |
| Golden penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) | An attractive specimen tree up to eight metres. Showy, dense cluster of golden yellow flowers appear from summer to winter. Plant in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. Suitable as a hedge, windbreak, screen, or feature tree. | Birds |
| Ivory curl tree (Buckinghamia cellsissima) seasonal | Fast-growing evergreen tree that grows to eight metres. Striking, long, creamy-fragranced flowers from spring until autumn. Prefers moist, well-drained soil in full sun to semi shade. | Birds, bees |
| Lemon-scented myrtle (Backhousia citriodora) | Great small feature tree to five metres. White flowers appear from summer to autumn. Leaves are lemon scented. Prefers moist, well-drained soil in semi shade. Ideal for hedges or mixed shrub bed. | Birds, butterflies, bees |
|
Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) seasonal |
Attractive evergreen shade tree with rounded canopy. Grows to 8 metres. Green-yellow flowers are produced in autumn followed by orange fruits in winter. Plant in a full sun to partial shade position in organic rich soil. Ideal as a shade or specimen tree. | Birds, bees, insects |
| Tulipwood (Harpulia pendula) seasonal | A hardy, fast-growing, evergreen tree that grows up to 10 metres with attractive, pale green foliage. Large sprays of light green-yellow, slightly fragrant flowers appear in summer followed by orange fruit. Requires open sunny position in a light to medium soil type. Excellent shade tree. | Birds, bees |
|
Weeping lillypilly (Waterhousia floribunda) |
Hardy, evergreen tree that grows to 8m². Clusters of white flowers appear from spring to summer, followed by green, round fruits. Plant in a sunny open position in well-drained soil. Regular trimming will produce colourful, new growth and keep the plant bushy. Can be trimmed to shape and size. Ideal as a dense screen or windbreak, or stunning as a large container plant. | Birds, bees |