• What to Plant for Poorly Drained Soils and temporary inundation

    I am adding to this post as here on the East coast of NSW we continue to have flooding, heavy downpours and associated erosion. It has been over 3 years of this tumultuous weather and this particular blog post has been getting quite a lot of visits. The past few years have also given me…

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  • Distinct hot pink: Melaleuca fulgens

    Melaleuca fulgens hails from the West of Australia, no surprise there, however it can be found growing in the southern and eastern states quite happily. This species has a long flowering period from Winter through to Summer and as the blooms are such a bright highlight it is hard to miss. This is the pink…

  • Another furry leaved beauty: Lasiopetalum baueri

    This is commonly known as Slender Velvet Bush, which is a most apt description of this interesting under-storey shrub. Lasiopetalum baueri has rusty coloured , furry new growth and pretty delicate pink flowers in Winter. The dried flowers are long-lasting and have potential as a cut flower and the attractive foliage lasts for ages in…

  • A flower within a flower within a flower … Hoya australis

    This is Hoya australis or Wax flower and I have taken some close up photos which demonstrate perfectly why this umbel has been given its common name. I find this one of the most curious flowers from our native vine species, it is a large highly perfumed umbel of tiny wax like flowers which is…

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  • The most weeping of the weeping: Myoporum floribundum

    I am obsessed with plants with a weeping habit or drooping foliage, some people find them sad and depressing looking but they are my favourite. There are many native plants with soft long leaves or gently falling branches, they can create dense screens, focal points or backdrops. Weeping foliage in a garden gives a relaxed informal…

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  • A spikey, perfumed tangle of Grevillea flexuosa

    This is a wonderfully messy Grevillea that likes to sprawl all over the place. Its stems literally get tangled in themselves and the leaves are stiff and spikey so they can almost grab onto other plants to hoist themselves towards the sunlight and as its name implies it is so very flexible 😉 Grevillea flexuosa…

    One response

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providing resources for native plant gardeners and designers.


Mallee Design was created by Kath Gadd in 2012 to document and share her love for native Australian garden design. Her original motivation was to inspire those interested in learning more about native Australian plants. The Mallee Design blog has since grown into a rich resource, used by gardeners, horticulturalists, landscape designers and others.

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