Think outside the box- try using Australian natives to add a splash of colour to your garden...

A native garden need not be just green, there are many stunning and vibrant flowers produced by indigenous plants. Like ornamental and exotic species, natives have evolved to compete for the attention of pollinating insects and birds. Whilst it is quite possible to have a garden full of natives which will guarantee some flowers all year round, if you also add the various textures and tones of bark, and the different shapes and colours of foliage which are available, you can quite literally end up with a riot of colour without using a single exotic species.


USING NATIVES FOR COLOUR

It is relatively easy to achieve year-round flowers from native plants - just keep three things in mind:

1. Concentrate on plants which flowers for long periods, like the Grevilleas, many of the Melaleucas and the Helichrysums. With these as your main performers, you can bring on plants with shorter seasons like the native orchids and boronias, to play starring roles from time to time.
2. Be sure to plant some species that flowers in every month of the year. In cooler climates such a Victoria and Tasmania, pay particular attention to including winter flowering plants.
3.Don’t create too much shade. Most flowering plants will produce more and better flowers if they get lots of sun. Avoid planting too many trees and whenever you do plant a large tree or shrub, think carefully about the direction it will throw shade. You might be better planting bigger plants where the shade will be thrown onto your house or shed.


SOME PLANTS WHICH FLOWER FOR LONG PERIODS

Correa
There are many of these, flowering for several weeks in winter; see the chapter on Popular Native Shrubs.

Grevillea
Most Grevilleas flower for months; some, like ‘Robyn Gordon’ and ‘Ned Kelly’, for most of the year. See the chapter on Popular Native Shrubs.

Helichrysums, Bracteanthas, Helipterums, Chrysocephalum
Asteraceae

Commonly called Everlastings, Helichrysums or Strawflowers, these are generally small shrubs or clump-forming plants. Many of the species will flower all year round, but greater quantities of flowers develop in warmer conditions. They were once all classified as Helichrysums, but technically they are now divided into a number of different genera including Helichrysum, Chrysocephalum, Bracteantha and Helipterum.

The flowers are commonly used as cut flowers and for dried arrangements.
Butterflies are attracted to Helichrysums for the nectar.

Helichrysums should be pruned when young to shape. They adapt to most soils but prefer good drainage. Apart from the occasional caterpillar there are few pests and diseases affecting them. They propagate easily from cuttings in standard propagating mix, or often straight into open ground.


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