“Plant me instead”

This is a guide to local (indigenous) plants that are suitable for Sandy Point gardens. These plants can thrive in sandy soil and will tolerate varying degrees of salinity and wind. They can help increase the biodiversity of the village and provide food and habitat for local fauna.

  • Scrub or Swamp Sheoak
    Allocasuarina paludosa
    Compact habit < 2m. Screening plant. Bird attracting. Soft foliage suitable for brushing up against in narrow walkways/driveways.

    Sea Box
    Alyxia buxifolia
    Slow growing. Attractive dark green small leaves.Suitable for hedging and clipping into spheres. White windmill-like small flowers Oct to Feb.

    Coast Saltbush
    Atriplex cinerea
    Silver-grey foliage. Spreading habit < 2m Salt and drought tolerant.

    White Correa
    Correa alba
    Spreading low shrub <1.5 m with tiny white star-shaped flowers. Suitable for hedging and shaping/ tip pruning which encourages flowering. Year round habitat and food for birds.

    Silky Guinea-flower
    Hibbertia sericea
    Small upright yellow flowered shrub with small dark green leaves. Prune after flowering to shape shrub and encourage growth.

    White Kunzea
    Kunzea ambigua
    Shrub growing 1-3 m has white honey- scented flowers. Suitable for hedging

    Coast Daisy-bush
    Olearia axillaris
    Greyish shrub with dense branches and tiny yellow flowers. Suitable for hedging. Good soil binder.

    Sticky Daisy-bush
    Olearia glutinosa
    Shrub < 2 m has attractive blue-green sticky foliage and attractive white to mauve flowers in summer

    Snowy Daisy-bush
    Olearia lirata
    Masses of white flowers in spring. Prune after flowering. Shrub usually grows up to 3 m locally.

    Dusty Daisy-bush
    Olearia phlogopappa
    Shrub < 2 m with many white flowers. Prune after flowering.

    Coast Everlasting
    Ozothamnus turbinatus
    Dense upright shrub with stiff narrow leaves and stems. It flowers in autumn with cream to yellow flower heads. Can be hard pruned after flowering

    Bassian Pomaderris
    Pomaderris oraria
    Shrub with dull crinkly leaves. Suitable for hedging. Not usually eaten by rabbits if unguarded.

    Coast Pomaderris
    Pomaderris paniculosa
    Shrub with green glossy leaves. Suitable for hedging. Has cream to greenish flowers in Spring.

    Seaberry Saltbush
    Rhagodia candolleana
    Fast growing spreading shrub. Useful ground cover on exposed steep slopes.

    White Elderberry
    Sambucas gaudichaudiana
    Attractive green leaves with bright white fragrant flowers between Oct and Feb. An annual plant that does well in a moist shady position.

    Kangaroo Apple
    Solanum aviculare
    Fast growing shrub 1-4 m in height with attractive dark green leaves and violet flowers Sep-Feb followed by orange to scarlet ovoid fruit. Prune heavily to rejuvenate.

  • Drooping or Coast Sheoak
    Allocasuarina verticillata
    Can grow quite large and it may be difficult to establish other plants under its canopy

    Coast Banksia
    Banksia integrifolia
    Slow growing but potentially large tree. Can be pruned. Has yellow flower spikes much of the year. Bird attracting.

    Silver Banksia
    Banksia marginata
    Local form. Up to 2m. Useful for screening. Has yellow flowers in autumn.

    Sweet Bursaria
    Bursaria spinosa
    Creamy scented flowers at Christmas, and branches spiny when young. Can be pruned.

    Coast Manna Gum
    Eucalyptus viminalis ssp pryoriana
    Can be pruned if growing too large. Is koala fodder food. Protect from koalas when young. Tree canopy spreads often with a dense crown. It has an attractive rough bark. Food source for birds and butterflies.

    Coast Tea-tree
    Gaudium laevigatum (Leptospermum laevigatum)
    In smaller spaces can be pruned to limit growth. Often self germinates in bush blocks. Stunning spring display of small white flowers.

    Coast Beard Heath
    Leucopogon parviflorus
    Often self germinates in bush blocks. Slow growing large shrub with crowded tiny white flowers in spring.

    Common Boobialla
    Myoporum insulare
    Can grow into large tree but can be pruned easily. Fast growing. Fragrant white flowers with purple spots Sep-Dec. Can be used for screening or as a windbreak.

  • Coast Spear-grass
    Austrostipa flavescens
    Perennial grass that grows as tufts to 1.2 m high. Useful soil binder in front-line coastal planting.

    Coast Spear-grass, Prickly Spear-grass
    Austrostipa stipoides
    Grows into attractive tussock, but leaf ends are very prickly.

    Black-anther Flax-lily
    Dianella revoluta
    Gradually spreads to form dense clumps sometimes covering large areas. It has attractive blue to violet flowers between Oct and Jan followed by bright round violet-purple berries.

    Knobby Club-sedge
    Ficinia nodosa
    Good soil binder. Has attractive globular flower heads changing in colour from yellow-green to brown.

    Chaffy Saw-sedge
    Gahnia filum
    Perennial leafy tussock. 0.6 - 1.2 m high. Prefers saline or brackish moist conditions and full sun. Attractive flowers and also butterfly food.

    Red-fruited Saw-sedge
    Gahnia sieberina
    Can grow into a tall and wide tussock with attractive yellow-brown flowers and then bright shiny red nuts. It likes moist conditions. It is a food plant for butterflies.

    Coast Saw-sedge
    Gahnia trifida
    Upright clumping sedge with narrow in-rolled leaves and pale to dark brown flowers.

    Sea Rush
    Juncus kraussi
    Prefers saline moist conditions so not suited to all local garden environments. It has attractive reddish-brown flowers Dec to Mar.

    Coast Sword-sedge
    Lepidosperma gladiatum
    A spreading sedge that grows well under partial shade.

    Spiny-headed Mat-rush
    Lomandra longifolia
    A tussock-like rush that grows well in the shade. Grows to 1 m in height and has atractive male and female flowers.

    Weeping Grass
    Microlaena stipoides
    Suitable for lawns in shade. A perennial grass with graceful arching stems. It can be mowed in a lawn but may invade into garden beds.

    Coast Tussock-grass, Blue Tussock-grass
    Poa poiformis, var. poiformis
    A locally common tussock-grass that prefers coastal conditions.

    Kangaroo Grass
    Themeda triandra
    Blue-green tussock with attractive dried flower heads. Self seeds in local conditions.

  • Small-leaved Clematis
    Clematis microphylla
    Often self germinates in bush blocks. Will climb and spread through nearby trees or structures.

    Love Creeper
    Comesperma voluble
    Climber that can form dense tangles on supporting bush but won’t cover large areas. Occurs naturally in Sandy Point but is difficult to establish in gardens.

    Twining glycine
    Glycine clandestina
    Open twining plant. Has pretty tiny mauve pea flowers in spring.

    Austral Trefoil
    Lotus australis
    Grown from seed soaked in hot water overnight. Height to 60 cm and ground creeping. White to pink flowers mostly in spring.

    Climbing lignum
    Meuhlenbeckia australis
    Can form mounds on the ground or dense tangles in other shrubs to provide habitat for small birds.

  • Austal bugle
    Ajuga australis
    Small border type plant with blue flowers of various shades. Its foliage is attractive when not flowering.

    Karkalla
    Carpobrotus rossii
    Spreads easily in a sunny position. Often better if planted in a confined area.

    Kidney Weed
    Dichondra repens
    Spreads easily once established. May dry off in hot weather. Likes damp shady places.

    Running Postman
    Kennedia prostrata
    May need protection from slugs and rabbits when young. Red flowers in spring

    Austral Stork’s-bill
    Pelargonium australe
    Grows easily from seed. Pink flowers. Drought tolerant.

    Ivy-leaf Violet
    Viola hederacea
    Spreads easily once established. May dry off in hot weather. Likes damp shady places.

    Satin Everlasting
    Helichrysum leucopsideum
    Upright perennial herb growing to 50 cm in height. Yellow flowerheads with white bracts October to March. Can be pruned back in winter to encourage new growth. Butterfly attracting.

    Common Everlasting / Yellow Buttons
    Chrysocephalum apiculatum
    Low growing to 30 cm in height and spreading to > 1 m. Silver grey foliage with yellow flowers possible much of the year particularly in Spring.