| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Blue flax (Dianella sp.) | A small hardy grass-like plant with long, strappy leaves growing from 60cm to 1m in height. Blue flowers on branched spikes appear in spring followed by bright blue berries. Prefers a sunny position in well-drained soil. | Birds, lizards |
| Mat rush (Lomandra sp.) | Deep green, grass-like plant with small yellow-cream flowers in spring and summer growing from 30cm to 1m in height. Is a low maintenance plant that can be planted in full sun to a partially shaded position. | Lizards, frogs |
| Native violet (Viola banksii) | Attractive dense groundcover that grows to 15cm in height and 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 |
| Tussock grass (Poa labillardieri) | A tussock forming, grass that grows to 1m in height with highly ornamental needle-like blue/grey foliage. Drought and frost tolerant. Ideal for gardens, borders and rockeries. | Lizards |
Celebrate Arbor Day
Brisbane primary, secondary and special schools can apply for free native plants to plant on school grounds on Arbor Day.
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Celebrated throughout the world, Arbor Day is traditionally a day about planting trees for shade and educating students about the importance of trees.
To celebrate the 136th Arbor Day on Tuesday 13 October 2026, Brisbane primary, secondary and special schools can apply for a variety of free native plants to plant on their grounds.
Arbor Day 2026 plant list
Schools can apply for a variety of different species to plant and green their grounds, including shrubs, ground covers, tufting plants, shrubs and feature trees.
Every plant adds Brisbane’s urban forest, supports our unique wildlife and makes our city greener.
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Bottlebrush (Callistemon sp.) | Fast growing, hardy, woody shrub that grows up to 2m, producing 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 rockeries, hedges and borders. | Birds, insects |
| Dwarf heath myrtle (Sannantha similis syn. Baeckea virgata) | A fast-growing shrub with reddish stems, small dark leaves and white flowers from spring to summer. Typically grows up to 2m tall and is very hardy once established. Prefers full sun through to filtered sun and responds well to pruning and makes a good screen plant. Will tolerate mild frosts, drought and poor drainage. | Bees, other insects |
| Grevillea (Grevillea sp.) | Showy, evergreen plants that grow to 2m with nectar-rich flowers. They produce a 'spider flower' in a variety of single colours throughout the year. Grevilleas do best in a sunny position with light, free-draining soil. | Birds, bees, butterflies |
| Lilly pilly (Acmena sp.) | Lilly pillies are hardy evergreen plants with bright red new growth which matures to deep green glossy leaves. They come in varieties of small shrubs that grow up to 2m in height along with taller varieties. Prefers a sunny position with well-drained soil. Lilly pillies make excellent screens, windbreaks and hedges and can be pruned to size and shape. | Birds, bees |
| Melaleuca (Melaleuca sp.) | Small hardy shrubs to 2m height. Flowers occur in clusters and are borne during summer. Grows best in full sun with good drainage. | Insects, birds |
| Midgen berry (Austromyrtus dulcis) | A small shrub that grows to 1m in height. It features small but sweet-tasting berries and is considered one of the best bush tucker plants of all. Flowers in early summer with its berries following in late summer to early autumn. An attractive border, rockery or pot plant and can even be trimmed into a low growing hedge. | Bees, seed eating birds, butterflies |
| Tea tree (Leptospermum sp.) | An attractive small shrub ranging in size from 80cm up to 2m. 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 |
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Banksia (Banksia sp.) | Hardy evergreen shrubs with attractive foliage and bold cream-golden flowering spikes appearing over late summer to spring. Grows to 3m. Plant in an open sunny position in very well-drained soil. Regularly prune to encourage dense growth. | Birds |
| Bottlebrush (Callistemon sp.) | Hardy shrub that grows up to 5m 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 |
| Brisbane wattle (Acacia fimbriata) | Brisbane's native floral emblem, a stunning and iconic small Australian tree or tall shrub with masses of bright or pale-yellow ball shaped flowers in winter and spring. Grows to 6m. Prefers a sunny position in well-drained soil. Wattles are suitable as a hedging plant or as a screen. | Birds, bees |
| Lilly pilly (Syzygium sp.) | Hardy evergreen plants to 5m with glossy, green leaves with fluffy, pom-pom, white flowers in spring and summer followed by pink or red berries. Prefers a sunny position with well-drained soil. Lilly pillies make excellent screens, windbreaks and hedges and can be pruned to size and shape. | Birds, bees |
| Tea tree (Leptospermum sp.) | A bushy rounded shrub that grows to 5m. White or pink flowers cover the shrub in spring. Prefers well drained soil in a sunny position. Ideal as a screen, hedge or windbreak. | Bees, insects |
| Weeping baeckea (Baeckea frutescens) | A woody shrub that grows to 3m in height with weeping branches and tiny needle-like leaves, and small white flowers in spring and early summer. Prefers full sun and well drained soils and is a good screen plant. | Bees, insects |
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|---|---|
| Blue quandong (Elaeocarpus grandis) | A large fast growing rainforest tree, with pretty fringed cream flowers followed by shiny blue fruit. Though the tree can grow taller in the tropics, in Brisbane’s subtropical climate it grows to larger than 20 metres in height. Requires plenty of space as it has wide ranging buttress roots so plant in spacious areas away from drains. | Seed eating birds, butterflies, insects |
| Broad leaved paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia) | A medium to large tree growing from 8m to over 15m tall. The tree has thick, soft papery bark in cream to brown shades with light yellow or cream flowers in late summer to autumn. It withstands both very wet conditions and dryness. Plant in large open areas as it has a significant surface root habit. | Nectar eating wildlife and other native fauna |
| Lilly pilly (Acmena sp.) | Lilly pillies come in a variety of sizes including trees up 8m in height. A hardy evergreen plant with glossy, green leaves with fluffy, pom-pom, white flowers in spring and summer followed by pink or red berries. Prefers a sunny position with well-drained soil. Lilly pillies make excellent screens, windbreaks and hedges and can be pruned to size and shape. | Birds, bees, flying foxes |
| Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) | A medium to large tree growing from 8m to over 15m tall. It has dark glossy green foliage, with smooth grey bark and a broad shady crown. It has green-yellow flowers in spring followed by decorative orange-yellow seed pods in summer. A good low maintenance plant rarely troubled by pests or disease. It can grow large, so should not be planted near drains, paths or buildings. | Bees, insects |
| Weeping lilly pilly (Syzygium floribundum, syn Waterhousea floribunda) | A hardy, evergreen tree that can grow to over 15m in height. Clusters of white flowers appear from spring to summer, followed by round green fruits. Plant in a sunny open position with good regular watering in well-drained soil. Will tolerate some dry spells. Regular pruning will produce colourful, new growth and keep the plant bushy. | Bees, nectar eating birds, seed eating birds, mammals |
Apply for free native plants
Brisbane schools are eligible to claim up to 50 free native plants from Council for Arbor Day.
Schools can apply for native plants via our online form from Monday 3 August 2026.
To ensure your school receives plants in time for Arbor Day, make sure you apply by Friday 18 September 2026.
Other ideas to celebrate Arbor Day
There are many ways your school can get involved in Arbor Day, including:
- hosting a special ceremony to plant your free native plants
- planting Brisbane City’s native floral emblem, the Brisbane Wattle (Acacia fimbriata)
- learning about bush tucker plants and their value to indigenous culture
- walking around your school and identifying native trees and plants that support our wildlife
- encouraging your students to have an open discussion about trees and the values that they bring to their family, their school, their neighbourhood and the city
- having an art or photography exhibition themed around a favourite tree
- developing a collection of books that celebrate the importance and value of trees.
Find more ways your school can become clean and green.
Fun reading for Arbor Day
Discover books suitable for student reading this Arbor Day.
- Only a Tree Knows How to Be a Tree by Mary Murphy
- Adoette by Lydia Monks
- The Magic Faraway Tree: Silky’s Story by Enid Blyton and Jeanne Willis
- The Toast Tree by Corina Martin
- The Anzac Tree by Christina Booth
- Beneath the Trees by Cristy Burne
- The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
- Where the Forest Meets the Sea by Jeanie Baker
- The Last Tree by Mark Wilson
- The Lorax by Dr Seuss
- The World That We Want by Kim Toft
- Uno's Garden by Graeme Base
- I Can Name 50 Trees Today! by Bonnie Worth
- Plantastic! A to Z of Australian Plants by Catherine Clowes
- The Letterbox Tree by Rebecca Lim and Kate Gordon
- Little Fur (series) by Isobelle Carmody
- Surviving in the Wild (series) by Remy Lai
- The Rabbits by John Marsden
- Dry by Neal Shusterman
- Afterglow: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors edited by Grist, foreword by Adrienne Maree Brown
- Green Rising by Lauren (Wren) James
- Banjo Tully by Justin D’Ath
- The Summer We Turned Green by William Sutcliffe
- Tyenna: Through my Eyes - Australian Disaster Zones by Julie Hunt and Terry Whitebeach
- In Their Branches: Stories from ABC Radio National’s Trees Project edited by Gretchen Miller
- If Trees Could Speak: Stories of Australia's Greatest Trees by Bob Beale
- Trees That Call Australia Home by John Halkett
- Monarchs of the Woods: The Story of the Hoop Pine in Queensland from Settlement to the Present by Peter Holzworth
- Darwin’s Tree of Life by Michael Bright, illustrated by Margaux Carpenter
- The Arbornaut: A Life Discovering the Eighth Continent in the Trees Above Us by Meg Lowman