Plant guide / Melbourne

Plants with
presence.

A concise guide to plants often used in considered Melbourne gardens. Final selection should always respond to soil, sun, water, exposure and local conditions.

Established Melbourne garden with lawn, Eucalyptus canopy and layered Australian native planting

Living landscape · Lawn and native planting

Canopy · Structure · Movement · Groundcover

Before choosing

Right plant.
Right place.

SunSoilWaterScaleMaintenance

Sculptural tree

Olive

Olea europaea

Silver foliage and a calm, established character. Best in full sun with free-draining soil.

Position: Full sun
Water: Low once established

Native canopy

Snow Gum

Eucalyptus pauciflora

A refined Australian tree with pale bark and an open canopy. Give it appropriate room to mature.

Position: Full sun
Character: Light canopy

Evergreen structure

Westringia

Westringia fruticosa

A reliable native shrub for clipped forms or soft mass planting, tolerant of wind and dry periods.

Position: Sun / part shade
Maintenance: Low to moderate

Textural grass

Lomandra

Lomandra longifolia

Strong linear foliage for repetition, edges and difficult locations. Cultivar choice determines final scale.

Position: Sun / part shade
Water: Low to moderate

Soft understory

Native Violet

Viola hederacea

A delicate native groundcover for protected, cooler parts of the garden and between stepping stones.

Position: Part shade
Water: Moderate

Seasonal flower

Coastal Rosemary

Westringia cultivars

Fine foliage, pale flowers and a restrained palette that works well beside stone and concrete.

Position: Full sun
Form: Natural or clipped

Feature foliage

Japanese Maple

Acer palmatum

Elegant branching and seasonal colour for sheltered courtyards with protection from hot afternoon sun.

Position: Part shade / sheltered
Water: Moderate

Climber

Star Jasmine

Trachelospermum jasminoides

Evergreen coverage and fragrant flowering for screens, pergolas and softened boundaries.

Position: Sun / part shade
Support: Required

Olive foliage and textured branch — **Olive**Silver canopy

Westringia foliage and pale flowers — **Westringia**Evergreen structure

Lomandra foliage beside limestone — **Lomandra**Movement and texture

Star jasmine on a dark screen — **Star jasmine**Climbing layer

A living system

Planting design is more than a list.

Good planting balances canopy, structure, seasonal change and ground coverage. We select species as a community, then tune spacing and quantities to the architecture and microclimate of each site.

Planting design

Let us compose a palette for your garden.

Plan your landscape ↗

Plants withpresence.

Right plant.Right place.