Sometimes I find native gardens lack a little….structure. Its lovely to have a bush style garden with lots of flowing foliage and a naturalistic feel, however I am a big fan of breaking that up with some stronger forms which can often brighten up the planting and give an extra eye catching edge.
![](https://malleedesign.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/P1420680-1024x684.jpg)
In the images above you can see Leptospermum ‘Fore Shore’, which already has a very compact mounding habit, but when it is clipped it creates a wonderful sculptural shape.
![](https://malleedesign.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/P1170420-1024x686.jpg)
Another of my favourites for clipping into a tight sphere or ball is Casuarina ‘Green Wave’ seen above as a young shrub and below on the left as a more mature specimen.
![](https://malleedesign.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/P1210897-1024x686.jpg)
Landscape designer Fiona Brockhoff maintains many of her shrubs in a clipped form, below you can see how successfully Correa alba performs with regular tip running.
![](https://malleedesign.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/P1430381-1024x1534.jpg)
And below Correa baeuerlenii also shapes up beautifully into a sphere, in fact most Correa species will be happy to be maintained in this way.
![](https://malleedesign.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/P1420984-1024x684.jpg)
Other native species which also will give you that tight mounded shape are:
Eremophila ‘Nivea’ Grafted
Westringia species
Baeckera virgata Dwarf
Prostanthera species
Leucophyta brownii
Grevillea arenaria
Acacia fimbriata Dwarf
Callistemon ‘Great Balls of Fire’
Rhagodia spinescens
Phebalium squamulosum
Austromyrtus dulcis
![](https://malleedesign.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/P1430382-1024x684.jpg)
If you have any other special native plants which you think clip well into a dense shape please let me know, happy pruning!
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