This is one happy little scrambling native plant, with its sunny yellow flowers and buoyant bright green leaves it scrambles over anything in its path. Goodenia ovata is a low spreading shrub that grows as an under-storey plant in the bush around much of coastal Australia, it is tolerant of many different soil types and conditions, both wet and dry soil, waterlogging and light frost.

In the image above you can see it growing happily under a large Casuarina, and their aren’t many plants that are capable of that!

Goodenia ovata also comes in a couple of more prostrate forms Goodenia ‘Gold Cover’ and Goodenia ‘Edna Walling Cover Up’ both of which are hardy and quick growing.

Goodenia ovata responds well to hard pruning and is a good plant to use as a quick-growing “filler”, which I find very useful as a weed suppressant under large trees. Goodenia ovata likes a little bit of shade and if you are growing it in full sun you may need to keep the water up to it during extended dry periods.

It is an incredibly versatile plant for most native gardens and I would recommend trying it in that position where nothing else grows 😉