• 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

  • Pimelea: which one is which

    I love Pimeleas, they seem to always be in flower and each state has its own unique species. Pimelea’s are a stunning addition to a garden or even a pot. They put on a show with a mass of flowers and the butterflies love them . But which one is which? We are trying our…

    One response

  • One of a kind: Howittia trilocularis

    I discovered this unusual large native shrub in Cranbourne Botanical Gardens on my visit last year. I have never heard of it before but it instantly struck me with its deep purple flowers and small hairy leaves. It was planted as an understorey back drop shrub in one of the garden beds under the canopy…

  • The limitless potential of Thomasia solanacea

    I have written about this genus before but thought this species needs its own space on the blog as it really is an extremely versatile medium shrub. It is one of those plants for a trickier spot in the garden as it loves a dry shady position. It is endemic to south-west WA, it is…

  • try growing the curious Drosera binata

    I have been growing Australian carnivorous plants indoors for years, I find them fascinating with their reddish hairy leaves arranged in complex arrays designed to entice insects to land. So when I installed my pond last year I thought I would try emulating their native habitat and plant some around the edges of the water…

    One response

  • The perfect concealer: Aphanopetalum resinosum

    Aphanopetalum resinosum is the answer to many difficult positions in the garden, from dark shady dry corners of the garden to ugly fences or buildings which need to be greened up, Gum Vine may be the solution. This robust native vine has bright green shiny leaves and reddish stems and when it is in flower…

MORE of OUR LATEST ARTICLES

Latest Comments

  5. Thankyou for such an informative website. Love your bird baths but they are sadly way way too expensive 🙁

  6. It’s frustrating that some cat owners don’t accept results of multiple studies on cats predating on native animals. It’s also…

BIRD ATTRACTING

BUSH TUCKER

Coastal

Feature Shrub

GROUND COVERS

ILLAWARRA NATIVES

SHADE TOLERANT

SCREENING PLANTS

SMALL TREE

Ornamental grass

FROST TOLERANT

DROUGHT HARDY

Explore all our categories

TAGGED WITH:

Autumn Flowering bee attracting bird-attracting Bird Bath carpeting ground cover clay soils coastal garden cut flowers dense habit fast growing feature tree foliage contrast fragrant frost tolerant grey green leaves Honeyeater large flower long flowering period Modern Australian Native Garden part shade pink flowers purple flowers Quick growing rainforest species Red flowers Rhagodia spinescens Scented silver foliage small bird attracting spring flowering street address summer flowering understory planting WA water logged soils weeping habit well drained soil white flower wildlife habitat wind tolerant Xanthorrhoea yellow flowers

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.

Feel free to browse around! Join us in this ongoing exploration of Australia’s amazing natural environment.