Deep red loamy soils
Our climate and growing conditions are perfect for so many plants, so here is what to plant in this type of soil.
Ground covers and grasses (up to one metre) and vines
| Common name | Botanical name | Features |
|---|---|---|
Barbed-wire grass | Cymbopogon refractus | soft blue-green, tufted perennial aromatic grass with taller arching seed heads, resembling barbed wire |
Blue flax lily | Dianella longifolia | small lily of open eucalypt forest; blue flowers; bright blue berries; suits rockery or foreground planting |
Guinea flower | Hibbertia linearis | low, compact shrub with good form; bright yellow flowers; suits rockery |
Many-flowered mat rush | Lomandra | small, grass-like plant for sunny sites; sprays of miniature flowers; evening perfume; draws butterflies |
Scrambling lily | Geitonoplesium cymosum | grassy-leafed scrambler; shiny black berry and dainty, white, perfumed flowers; fresh shoots edible |
Kangaroo grass | Themeda triandra | widespread grass of the eucalypt forest; fine foliage; coppery seed heads in summer |
Low shrubs (one to two metres)
| Common name | Botanical name | Features |
|---|---|---|
Dogwood | Jacksonia scoparia | fine-leafed hardy shrub for sunny position, clusters of yellow pea flowers; porous soils |
Hop bush | Dodonaea triquetra | shrub with distinctive clusters of bronze hop-like fruit; partial shade; moist, well-drained position |
Wild may | Leptospermum polygalifolium | hardy; fine-leafed shrub; open arching habit; useful in mass plantings; small white flowers in summer |
Medium shrubs (two to five metres)
| Common name | Botanical name | Features |
|---|---|---|
Brisbane laurel | Pittosporum revolutum | open shrub with cream flowers; evening fragrance; yellow fruit open to reveal red seeds; attracts birds |
Broad-leafed boxwood | Denhamia pittosporoides | useful screen plant; lush green foliage with plentiful orange fruit; from dry rainforest |
Native hibiscus | Hibiscus heterophyllus | slender tall shrub; large white flowers with deep red throat; prickly stems |
Prickly-leafed paperbark | Melaleuca nodosa | compact shrub with sharp leaves; adaptable screen plant; prolific flowering of two centimetre cream brushes |
Small trees (five to 10 metres)
| Common name | Botanical name | Features |
|---|---|---|
Black or river tea tree | Melaleuca | shapely, fine-leafed tree of varied height; profuse small brush flowers attract wildlife; moist deep soil |
Black she-oak | Allocasuarina littoralis | medium tree; fine needle foliage; male trees a rusty colour during winter flowering period; draws butterflies |
Cheese tree | Glochidion ferdinandi | compact tree with small glossy leaves; button-shaped fruit; moist soils; attracts wildlife |
Plunkett mallee | Eucalyptus | multi-stemmed gum of stunted form; dense heads of nectar-laden blossom in October |
Red kamala | Mallotus philippensis | nicely shaped tree if grown in sun; can be pruned to give new reddish growth; velvety red fruit |
Sandpaper fig | Ficus coronata | small tree with edible yellow fruit; attractive to wildlife; sandpaper texture to leaves |
Swamp box | Lophostemon suaveolens | fast growing eucalypt-like tree with graceful branch form; open canopy; frequent flowering periods |
Weeping bottle brush | Callistemon viminalis | small rounded tree of weeping habit; prolific red bottle brush flowers attract birds; moist sites |
Tall trees (over 10 metres)
| Common name | Botanical name | Features |
|---|---|---|
Crow’s ash | Flindersia australis | large timber tree suit specimen; panicles of white flowers; woody fruit opens into five woody sections |
Pink bloodwood | Corymbia intermedia | large trees for acreage or steep sites; comprised original canopy of the area; trunks a feature; provide food, nest and perch sites for varied native wildlife |
Spotted gum | Corymbia citriodora | large trees for acreage or steep sites; comprised original canopy of the area; trunks a feature; provide food, nest and perch sites for varied native wildlife |