Coastal – Mallee Design

Privacy with punch: Leptospermum lanigerum ‘Seclusion’

Please meet Leptospermum ‘Seclusion’ which I am finding to be an outstanding native screening plant, originally I admit to buying it for its intriguing cultivar name ‘Seclusion’, who doesn’t want that in their garden right? It also has a classic… Read more ›

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants

bee attracting, clay soils, dense habit, fast growing, foliage contrast, full sun, grey green leaves, Leptospermum lanigerum Seclusion, part shade, pink flowers, pollinating insects, Pollinator Plants, spring flowering, summer flowering, temporary inundation, wet weather, wind tolerant

Happy Wattle Day: The Ever useful Acacia fimbriata

The 1st of September is not only the first day of Spring, but it is also National Wattle Day! So if you have any flowering in your garden, cut off a sprig for a jar or pin it to your… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Screening plants, Small garden, Small tree, Winter flowering

Acacia fimbriata, bird-attracting, butterfly attracting, Fairy Wren, figbird, fragrant flowers, Honeyeaters, national wattle, National Wattle Day, privacy screen, weeping habit, wind break, yellow flowers

The Mediterranean flavour of Grevillea olivacea

Grevillea olivacea is considered a fast growing native shrub for dry conditions, with its dense habit it is the perfect screening plant to block out any building, street or fence. I use it for its grey foliage and small spider… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree, Winter flowering

bee attracting, bird-attracting, drought tolerant, fence screening, frost tolerant, Grevillea olivacea Red, Grevillea olivacea Yellow, habitat garden, hedge, Waterwise native, wildlife habitat

The Bronze Highlights of Gymnostoma australianum

This almost Christmas like tree is part of the Casuarina family, at first glance can look like a conifer or pine tree, but fuller in habit. Its overall texture and colour is very similar to She Oaks when they are… Read more ›

Coastal, Formal gardens, Hedge, Natives for containers, Screening plants, Small tree, Tropical garden

Autumn Flowering, bird-attracting, casuarina family, christmas tree, cone, dense habit, fence screening, foliage contrast, full sun, Gymnostoma australianum, part shade, privacy screen, prolific flowers, QLD species, rainforest species, well drained soil, wind break

Light it up: Grevillea lanigera ‘Mellow Yellow’

I have mass planted Grevillea ‘Mellow Yellow in a semi shaded position in my garden and have been surprised at its tenacity and ability to cover its self in blooms for an extended period of time. The small striking spider… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Groundcover, Natives for containers, Naturalistic garden, Winter flowering

Autumn Flowering, bee attracting, clay soils, drought tolerant, frost tolerant, full sun, grey green leaves, ground cover, long flowering period, well drained soil, wind tolerant, winter flowering

Who can resist ? Melaleuca ‘Candy Sparkles’

Some plants are blessed with fantastic common or cultivar names, this is one such species which I would almost buy for the label alone. ‘Candy Sparkles’ promised to be vibrant, attractive and showy without me even seeing it in the… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree

Autumn Flowering, bee attracting, clay soils, coastal garden, decorative bark, foliage contrast, heavy soils, interesting bark, large flower, Melaleuca 'Candy Sparkles', pink flowers, small tree, water logged soils, wind tolerant

Happy 10th Eucalyptus Day: Eucalyptus paniculata

I live among the gum trees, literally … as John Williams sang “Give me a home among the gum trees” this is the best I could hope for in suburbia to be living under the canopy of three magnificent indigenous… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Illawarra natives, Medium Tree, Winter flowering

bee attracting, clay soils, Eucalyptus Day, Eucalyptus paniculata, grey green leaves, Grey Ironbark, heavy soils, interesting bark, weeping habit, wind tolerant, Wollongong Native Trees

Emu Bush Challenge No. 10: Eremophila ‘Meringur Crimson’

And so it continues … documenting my Eremophila discoveries, I will get to 12 one day! As we approach the end of another La Niña Summer, where heavy downpours are common and the humidity is high, it is a great chance… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Naturalistic garden

bee attracting, Eremophila 'Meringur Crimson', foliage contrast, grey green leaves, understory planting, wind tolerant

Merry NSW Christmas Bush: Ceratopetalum gummiferum

I am a bit of a Grinch when it comes to Christmas and often one of the things which pulls me our of my un-festive slump is our Ceratopetalum gummiferum or native Christmas Bush. This year I was a little… Read more ›

23/12/2022 2 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Feature shrub, Formal gardens, Hedge, Illawarra natives, Landscape Design, Medium Tree, Screening plants, Shade tolerant, Small tree

Australian Native Garden, bee attracting, Ceratopetalum albury's christmas, Ceratopetalum gummiferum, Christmas bush, cut flower, dense habit, feature tree, Festive, flowers and bracts, native bees, Pollinator Plants, Red flowers, spring flowering, summer flowering, well drained soil

Kangaroo Paw Care – Get the Pruners Out!

The Kangaroo Paws in this Bundeena garden are a rainbow of colour, they were planted three years ago in a swathe to test Angus Stewarts ‘Anigozanthos ‘Landscape series’ range. They have a striking effect mass planted and it was a… Read more ›

28/11/2022 1 Comment

Bird attracting, Coastal, Feature shrub, Naturalistic garden, Ornamental grass, Uncategorized

Anigozanthos, Landsape Orange, Landscape Lilac, Landscape Lime, Landscape Red, Plant Care and Maintenace, pruning, Rhagodia 'Silver Border', Rhagodia spinescens, well drained soil

A true carpeting ground cover: Pratia pedunculata

This is a native ground cover which sometimes gets classed as a steppable (not a real word ;)), meaning it works well between steppers and pavers and can be walked on occasionally without too much fuss. I like to use… Read more ›

08/11/2022 3 Comments

Coastal, Frost tolerant, Groundcover, Shade tolerant, Small garden

carpeting ground cover, clay soils, full sun, lawn pavers, lawn substitute, moist soil, native lawn, part shade, Pratia pedunculata, spring flowering, steppers, summer flowering, understory planting, well drained soil, white flower, wind tolerant

Two favourite floating water plants: Nymphiodes geminata & Marsilea drummondii

I love to include water in my Landscapes, whether in the form of a frog pond, fish pond, water bowl or fountain. One of the reasons for my love of water in the garden is it not only attracts wildlife… Read more ›

Coastal, Naturalistic garden, Water plants

bee attracting, Bush Foods, fish, frogs, habitat garden, Marsilea drummondii, Nymphoides geminata, Pond plants, water bowls, water feature, water plants, wildlife, wildlife habitat, yellow flowers

Try not to dismiss Callistemon ‘White Anzac’

I have often included this hardy little shrub as one of my least favourite native plants, it can be spotted unkempt in the gardens of petrol stations or nature strips, languishing leggy and forgotten. But if given a little attention… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Hedge

clay soils, large flower, low mounding shrub, prolific flowers, wet weather, wind tolerant

A tough and useful Bushfood: Lomandra longifolia

Lomandra longifolia, or Common Mat Rush, is abundant along the NSW coast growing and in SA, Victoria and Tasmania in a range of environments from coastal dunes to dry Sclerophyll forest. It can also be seen growing in median strips and… Read more ›

29/09/2022 2 Comments

Bush tucker, Coastal, Drought hardy, Illawarra natives, Ornamental grass

Bushfood, clay soils, Common Mat Rush, Edible native plant, first nations knowledge, front line coastal, Indigenous to the Illawarra, Lomandra longifolia, sandy soil, small bird attracting, spring flowering, understory planting, weaving fibre, weeping habit, wind tolerant

Native flowers in the deepest dark of Winter

It has been a long cold, wet Winter here on the southern NSW coast, off and don’t forget windy! In fact my garden experienced a mini tornado a month ago, a micro weather event which sent someones garden shed and… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Butterfly attracting, Coastal, Naturalistic garden, Screening plants, Winter flowering

bee attracting, bird-attracting, birdsinbackyards, clay soils, Epacris microphylla, Eriostemon difformis ‘Star Sprite’, Grevillea 'Orange Marmalade', Grevillea arenaria, Grevillea oleoides, Hakea francisiana Grafted, Phebalium nottii Grafted, Pimelea linifolia, Westringia longifolia, winter flowering

What to Plant for Poorly Drained Soils

Wet Weather Gardening After yet more rain on the east coast many plants in many gardens are suffering water-logging. Even in reasonably well drained soils the inundation has been too much for some plants. Physically, the force of rain, streams… Read more ›

15/07/2022 3 Comments

Coastal, Feature shrub, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree, Tropical garden

Agonis 'Burgundy', Agonis flexuosa, Baloskion tetraphyllum, Banksia robur, bee attracting, boggy soils, Casuarina 'Cousin It', Casuarina 'Freefall', Casuarina 'Green Wave', Casuarina glauca prostrate form, clay soils, Grevillea baileyana, Leptospermum 'Starry Night', Melaleuca armillaris Pink, Melaleuca viridiflora 'Burgundy Weeper', Melastoma affine, Syzygium wilsonii, water logged soils, wet weather

Gardening for Wellbeing

Stress Relief, Connection to Nature, Community involvement, Mood lifting, Physical Health, Personal Growth ….just to name a few! Words by Kath Gadd and Hannah Preston at Mallee Design In times of great social and economic upheaval gardening can offer multiple… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Feature shrub, Frost tolerant, Naturalistic garden, Uncategorized, Winter flowering

bee attracting, clay soils, mental health, sit spot, understory planting, weeping habit, wellbeing, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Native Nurseries Across Australia

This is a collection of nurseries I’ve visited, bought from and love. I’ve written about some of my favourite Native Nurseries in blogposts before but it’s handy to have one reference list to come back to isn’t it?! It’s by… Read more ›

15/03/2022 11 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Illawarra natives, Natives for containers

My Favourite Poa: Poa ‘Suggan Buggan’

Since discovering this super blue grey form of Poa labillardieri I have been throwing it around with gay abandon ? my love for native grasses and Poas in particular is something which is pretty obvious when you see some of… Read more ›

28/11/2021 2 Comments

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Naturalistic garden, Ornamental grass

foliage contrast, grey green leaves, low spreading habit, mass planting, Poa 'Suggan Buggan, Poa labillardieri 'Suggan Buggan', Quick growing, small bird attracting, understory planting, weeping habit, wind tolerant

Powerful Pollinators: Leptospermums

We are mid the Australian Annual Pollinator Week and I have been admiring our our native tea trees all Spring so I thought I would bring them to your attention this week as they are wonderful plants to grow for… Read more ›

Coastal, Drought hardy, Frost tolerant, Hedge, Screening plants, Small tree

2nd line coastal, bee attracting, clay soils, coastal garden, drought hardy, grey green leaves, Leptospermum 'Lavender Queen', Leptospermum lanigerum, Leptospermum rotundifolium ‘Lavender Queen’, Leptospermum scoparium 'Seclusion', pollination, Pollinator Plants, Quick growing, silver foliage, spring flowering, weeping habit, wind tolerant

The almost native pig face: xDisphyllum ‘Sunburn’

Meet a new addition to the Australian native succulent family, well maybe more a half sibling or cousin, as technically this lovely green pig face is half south African ? shock horror! However there are so few Australian succulents I… Read more ›

25/10/2021 2 Comments

Coastal, Drought hardy, Groundcover, Natives for containers

bee attracting, carpeting ground cover, drought hardy, drought resistant, drought tolerant, fast growing, frost tolerant, full sun, large flower, well drained soil, wind tolerant, xDisphyllum Sunburn, year round flowering, yellow flowers

Happy National Wattle Day: Acacia binervia ‘Sterling Silver’

Spring! if ever there is a seasonal change to bring hope and excitement for the future surely Spring is it? I have been watching the Wattles all Winter long, they have been lovely this year and very appreciated during extended… Read more ›

Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub

Acacia binervia Stirling Silver, bee attracting, foliage contrast, fragrant, large flower, low spreading shrub, National Wattle Day, perfume, Quick growing, silver foliage, well drained soil, wind tolerant, yellow flowers

Portfolio: Gardening in Wind

This is my sisters garden on ‘Windy Hill’ as we like to call it, it gets so windy here the rubbish bins get blown down the street, gates are blown off their hinges and plants find it tough! Her front… Read more ›

27/08/2021 2 Comments

Bird attracting, Coastal, Drought hardy, Feature shrub, Groundcover, Hedge, Ornamental grass, Portfolio, Screening plants, Small tree

Acacia baileyana prostrate, Acacia binervia Stirling Silver, Acacia cardiophylla, Baeckea linifolia, Banksia 'Sentinel', Banksia integrifolia 'Roller Coaster', Calothamnus quadrifidus grey form, Casuarina 'Green Wave', clay soils, Eucalyptus 'Euky Dwarf', Eucalyptus pulverulenta 'Baby Blue', foliage contrast, Grevillea 'Amber Blaze', Grevillea 'Red Hooks', Grevillea banksii prostrate White, grey green leaves, Poa 'Kingsdale', weeping habit, wind tolerant

Instagram #INeedABirdbathHere Winner and Entries!

We’ve been simply blown away by the beautiful garden entries we received in our most recent birdbath competition #INeedABirdbathHere. We asked our followers to send us photos of their gardens for the chance to win a Freshly Spun Medium Copper… Read more ›

Bird attracting, Coastal, Feature shrub, Groundcover, Naturalistic garden, Ornamental grass, Small tree

bird-attracting, birdbaths, birdsinbackyards, habitat garden, nativegarden