Native plants are adapted to our local conditions and more likely to survive and thrive in your garden. Don’t forget the importance of our local trees too as they provide important food, shelter and breeding places for our wildlife (from insects to mammals). They also provide shade, bush tucker, screens and wind breaks within your garden.
Listed below is a selection of easy-to-grow local plants that can attract native wildlife and create an attractive native and/or bush tucker garden.
Many of the plants listed below are on display at IndigiScapes Botanic Gardens and available to purchase from the IndigiScapes Native Nursery. You can also enjoy tasting some bush tucker flavours from the IndigiScapes Café or purchase some of the delightful bush tucker offering from the IndigiScapesgift shop.
Warning
- Never eat plants that are growing in an area where they may have been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides, where the water supply could be polluted or soil could be contaminated.
- Never eat any part of any wild growing plant unless you are certain you can identify it.
- No responsibility is taken by Redland City Council for any injury caused as a result of reliance on the information contained in this web page.
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Groundcovers provide the foundation of your garden. They help to prevent weeds, and provide a source of food and shelter for many butterflies and ground dwelling animals such as lizards and frogs.
Blue Flax Lily - Dianella congesta
A tough plant that forms colonies on coastal sand dunes. Its purple berries are edible and the most pleasant tasting of the Flax Lilies.
Coastal Boobialla - Myoporum acuminatum
A low maintenance, salt tolerant ground cover. A single plant will cover a large area.
Kangaroo Grass - Themeda triandra
Kangaroo Grass is a clumping and hardy plant that responds well to pruning, particularly after seeding. The seed heads are on long stalks with attractive shaped seeds that some birds can eat.
Pig Face - Carpobrotus glaucescens
A low-growing, creeping succulent. Pink flowers all year round. Edible fruit.
Native Violet - Viola banksii
Popular groundcover that thrives anywhere it is wet.
Paper Daisy - Xerochrysum bracteatum
Long-lasting, pretty flowers make this plant popular for gardens and dried flower arrangements. Needs replacing annually, but you can use their fluffy seeds to help replace them.
River Lily - Crinum pedunculatum
An eye-catching succulent plant, great for landscaping. Produces large, white flowers in the summer. Juice from the leaves is reputed to relieve jellyfish stings.
Creek Mat Rush - Lomandra hystrix
Extremely hardy, fast growing tussocks that are great for holding soil where the water flows. Fresh white leaf base is edible.
Yellow Buttons - Chrysocephalum apiculatum
A hardy groundcover. Popular for its year-round yellow flowers.
Tall Sedge - Carex appressa
A clumping grass-like plant that grows to one metre tall. A suitable plant for moist areas beside fish or frog ponds. -
Vines play an important role in the lifecycle of many of our butterflies. They also act as a nesting place for birds and can enhance the backyard garden by providing a screen along fences or on a garden gazebo.
Bower of Beauty - Pandorea jasminoides
A vigorous rainforest vine with fragrant, pink, tubular flowers and glossy leaves. Good for fences or trellises.
Dusky Coral Pea - Kennedia rubicunda
A hardy creeper, suitable for fences and trellises. Large dusky pea flowers are the feature.
Sarsaparilla Vine - Hardenbergia violacea
A small, dense vine featuring pretty purple flowers. Leaves used by early settlers as a tea substitute with a sarsaparilla taste.
Scrambling Lily - Geitonoplesium cymosum
A twining climber with the white flowers and black berries that can grow to about one metre tall. Will grow on a fence or in the garden as a low shrub.
Snake Vine - Hibbertia scandens
A hardy sprawling vine of coastal sand dunes with large yellow flowers.
Birdwing Butterfly Vine - Pararistolochia praevenosa
A woody climbing vine with tubular creamy flowers. This is the host plant of the vulnerable Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia) -
Planting shrubs throughout the garden will not only brighten your garden with wildflowers but they will also provide significant food and refuge for wildlife, particularly small birds.
Blue Tongue - Melastoma malabathricum
An ornamental shrub that grows to two metres and produces beautiful pink flowers through spring and summer. The fruit makes for a tasty snack that will leave your mouth blue.
Coffee Bush - Breynia oblongifolia
A hardy shrub with attractive foliage that grows up to two metres. Produces bright red fruits in summer.
Dwarf Banksia - Banksia oblongifolia
A multi-stemmed shrub that can grow up to one metre on sandy soils. Nectar-rich flowers can be soaked in water to make a sweet drink.
Hairpin Banksia - Banksia spinulosa
An ornamental, multi-stemmed shrub that can grow up to two metres. It is hardy and produces many nectar-rich golden flower brushes in autumn.
Hairy Bush Pea - Pultenaea villosa
A small, weeping shrub with soft hairy leaves and yellow pea flowers in spring. Looks good planted in clusters.
Hop Bush - Dodonaea triquetra
A fast growing, open shrub that can grow between two and three metres. Features interesting long-lasting papery, triple-winged seed capsules.
Midyim Berry - Austromyrtus dulcis
A low growing, coastal shrub with attractive foliage and pink new growth. Produces white flowers and pleasant tasting, edible berries. Berries can be eaten raw or made into jam.
Pointed-leaf Hovea - Hovea acutifolia
A popular shrub that is very hardy and grows up to two metres. It produces masses of purple pea flowers. When the seeds open, they make a ‘popping’ noise.
Darling Pea - Swainsona galegifolia
A small evergreen spreading shrub that grows up to one metre tall. Long flowering, producing a spike of pink pea flowers. Native bees love them.
Sago Bush - Ozothamnus diomifolius
An attractive, fast growing shrub, reaching heights of up to three metres. Produces masses of long-lasting white or pink flowers.
Prickly Box - Bursaria spinosa
A thorny shrub growing up to three metres that provides great habitat for small birds in the garden.
Thyme Honey Myrtle - Melaleuca thymifolia
A small, attractive shrub featuring purple feathery flowers. Grows up to one metre. It is quite hardy and pruning will make it denser.
Wallum Bottlebrush - Melaleuca pachyphylla
A popular shrub with brilliant red or lime green flower spikes for most of the year. Hardy, responds well to pruning and grows up to two metres tall.
Wild May - Leptospermum polygalifolium
A common local tea-tree, popular with the gardeners for its profuse white flowers, weeping open growth and hardiness. Grows up to three metres tall. -
Trees in your garden provide an important micro habitat and are a valuable to many species of wildlife, from insects to tree-dwelling mammals. They provide shade for the backyard and can help to keep your house cool in summer.
Bangalow Palm - Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
A tall palm with bright red berries, similar to the Alexandra Palm. This is the only palm tree native to the Redlands mainland.
Blueberry Ash - Elaeocarpus reticulatus
An attractive tree that can be pruned to shape. Bears lots of small, bell shaped flowers and bright blue fruits. Grows to six metres tall.
Broad-leaf Paperbark - Melaleuca quinquenervia
A tree with distinct papery bark that can grow up to 20 metres tall. Great for attracting wildlife. Oil extracted from leaves is used to treat colds.
Brush Box - Lophostemon confertus
A fast-growing tree that can grow up to 25 metres tall. It is very hardy in dry conditions, a good bird attractor when flowering in spring, and also acts as a koala food tree.
Coastal Banksia - Bankisa integrifolia
A versatile coastal tree up to 10 metres with golden, nectar-rich flower spikes. Flowers can be soaked in water to make a sweet drink.
Eprapah Wattle - Acacia fimbriata var. perangusta
A hardy, fast growing tree with attractive weeping foliage and masses of yellow flowers in late winter. Can grow up to six metres.
Forest She-oak - Allocasuarina torulosa
A hardy ornamental tree with fine weeping foliage, great for wind breaks. Female trees produce woody seed cones which are important food for the vulnerable Glossy Black Cockatoo.
Grey Myrtle - Backhousia myrtifolia
A small ornamental tree, growing up to eight metres tall. Features showy, cream flowers and aromatic leaves when crushed. Hardy once established.
Macaranga - Macaranga tanarius
Growing up to six metres tall, this is a fast growing tree, featuring huge, glossy leaves. A useful shade tree when creating a rainforest garden.
Native Frangipani - Hymenosporum flavum
A fast growing tree, reaching to 10 metres tall. Features attractive foliage. Produces perfumed, yellow flowers.
Native Mulberry - Pipturus argenteus
A small, fast growing tree, occurring on rainforest edges. It can grow up to six metres tall and produces edible soft, fleshy fruits that are great for attracting birds.
Pink Euodia - Melicope elleryana
A small, glossy-leaved tree, growing up to 10 metres tall. Features unusual clusters of pink flowers along the branches. Birds and butterflies love it.
Pink Tips Bottlebrush - Melaleuca saligna
A small tree, growing up to five metres tall. Features papery bark, cream flowers and pink new growth. Hardy, but does best with some watering.
Plunkett Mallee - Eucalyptus curtisii
A small, multi-stemmed gum tree that can grow up to six metres tall. Ideal for smaller yards. Hardy and bears masses of white flowers that attracts birds.
Scribbly Gum - Eucalyptus racemosa
An imperative koala food tree, featuring a distinct silver-coloured trunk covered in scribble marks. Grows up to 30 metres tall and prefers sandy soil.
Small-leafed Lilly-pilly - Syzygium luehmannii
Growing up to eight metres tall, this ornamental rainforest tree features dense, glossy foliage and edible red or pink fruits.Lilly Pilly fruits are mostly used for jams but can be used in fruit salads, sweet and savoury sauces, syrups, relishes, puddings, muffins, soft drinks, ice cream or to accompany meat dishes.
Tallowwood - Eucalyptus microcorys
A fast growing tree with fibrous, brown-orange bark. A favourite of the local koalas and occurs naturally on sandy soil.
Water Gum - Tristaniopsis laurina
An attractive and compact shade tree, reaching up to 15 metres tall. It produces clusters of small, yellow flowers that contrast against its glossy dark leaves.
Wheel of Fire - Stenocarpus sinuatus
A rainforest tree with spectacular red flowers resembling a spiked wheel. Grows up to eight metres tall.
Bush Tucker
The natural environment on Redlands Coast contains a bounty of useful and edible bush tucker plants.
Many types of bush tucker plants are grown, displayed and sold at the IndigiScapes Centre. Bush tucker tours and tastings are also available at the centre.
Bush tucker plants are hardy and can adapt to various conditions. Below are just a few types that can be found in the Redlands Coast.
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Macadamia integrifolia, M. tetraphylla
The Macadamia is our bush tucker star and one of Australia’s best known native foods. So far it is our only native plant that's grown and sold as a commercial crop both here in Australia and overseas. It is an attractive food tree to 20m which is classified as vulnerable in the wild. The nuts are tough to crack but delicious, nutritious and rich in oil. They can be eaten raw, made into nut butters or added to sweet and savoury dishes. They are ready to eat in summer.
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Alpinia caerulea
A relatively hardy, fast growing ginger to 2 metres which is not only useful in the kitchen but is also loved by frogs in the garden. The plant produces edible blue berries and the pulp of the fruits, which has a gingery fruit salad flavour, can be eaten raw (although the seeds are usually spat out).
The young underground roots have a mild ginger flavour and can be used in place of Asian ginger in dishes. The leaves can be used to lay under or wrap up food cooked on an open fire or BBQ. The seeds can be crushed and used as a peppery spice. A truly versatile bush tucker plant and a lovely addition to your garden.
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Syzigium/Acmena: several species
An ornamental rainforest tree favoured by butterflies and birds with dense, glossy foliage ranging in height to around 20 metres (dependent on species and growing conditions). Fluffy white flowers loved by nectar seeking animals, are followed by edible fruits, often born en-masse in summer, which range in colour from pinks to reds and even purples.
The slightly acidic fruits range in flavours and have been described as tasting a bit like rose-apple through to sweet clove. They can be eaten fresh, or frozen and dried for later use.
Lilly Pillys are mostly used for making jams but can be used in fruit salads, sweet and savoury sauces, syrups, relishes, puddings, muffins, soft drinks, ice-cream or to accompany meat dishes.
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Rubus moluccanus, R. rosifolius, R. parviflorus
A prickly, sprawling shrub or groundcover to 1 metre which grows in a range of sites. Produces sweet rich red berries best eaten when they are starting to soften. A tea can be made from the leaves which is said to ease morning sickness and labour pains or gargled to relieve a sore throat. The plant can spread over a wide area via underground root suckers. Best planted in a less accessed corner of the yard and cut back once a year or kept contained in a pot.
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Viola banksii
Popular groundcover that thrives anywhere it's wet. The delicate flowers are edible and can be used fresh to beautify salads or dipped in egg white and sugared for use in cake decorating and confectionary. Suitable to plant in a hanging basket for a visually pleasing effect.
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Pipturus argenteusSmall tree/shrub to 8 metres which can be pruned to shape. Usually occurs on rainforest edges so prefers a moist area. Small soft, fleshy fruits are edible and have a sweet taste, but you will need to work quite hard to make a meal of the berries.
Host plant to a variety of butterflies and insects and flowers are used by adult butterflies for nectar. Birds love the small berries this tree produces too.
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Podocarpus elatus
A slow growing rainforest tree to 20 metres with deep-green strap like leaves. It tolerates a wide range of conditions and can be made into an attractive container plant. The fleshy deep blue-purple fruit looks like a plum with its seed attached on the outside.
The flesh has a very unique jelly like texture and is sweet and tasty. Great fresh or excellent in desserts or syrups.
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Austromyrtus dulcisA dense low growing shrub to one metre with reddish new foliage and small white flowers. Prefers a more sheltered site but is very hardy so will grow in a wide variety of situations.
Soft spotty fruits are sweet and slightly aromatic. Fruit can be eaten raw or made into a nice jam or cordial. A good plant for a bird friendly garden.
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Dianella: several speciesA hardy clumping or spreading grass-like lily from around 30cm to 1.5 metres depending on the species. Beautiful purple-blue flowers are followed by small bright purple fruits that are edible in small quantities and pleasant tasting.
A good plant for filling gaps and borders of a frog and bird friendly garden.
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Ficus coronata
A small tree with rough sandpaper-like leaves which grows to around 8 metres high. The soft, hairy dark purple fruits are edible and a delicious treat for birds. The rough leaves can be used like sandpaper to smooth wood surfaces.
This plant prefers a moist sheltered spot but is quite hardy.
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Leptospermum liversidgei
A shrub which grows to 4 metres with lovely lemon scented foliage which is reputed to repel mosquitos. On a hot day the oil perfumes the air around the plant.
The leaves of this plant can be used to substitute for lemon myrtle as the oil from the leaves has the same qualities but has a more intense flavour and therefore less is needed. Leaves can be used fresh or dried. Make a tea from the leaves or use to flavour cakes and scones or savoury dishes.