If your garden is close to dying every heatwave or you’re just tired of watching exotic plants struggle despite your best efforts, it might be time to rethink your plant choices.
Using Australian native plants is a smart choice for gardens that need to survive our climate without constant intervention.
Martin Cuthbert Landscapes has been working with native species in their landscape design projects for years and they’ll tell you straight up that the difference between gardens fighting Australian conditions and gardens working with them is pretty dramatic.
Less drama, less cost, way less time spent trying to keep things alive.
Why native plants actually make sense here
Australian native plants have evolved over millions of years to handle exactly the conditions they live in. The soil, the rainfall patterns, the intense heat, the UV exposure. They grow to live in these climates.
When you compare that to European or Asian plants that need regular rainfall, rich soil, mild summers.
You’re basically forcing them to survive in conditions they never evolved for, which means constant watering, fertilising, pest control. It can mean a lot of maintenance and also means they need constant watering, especially during the hotter months.
It takes about a year or two for native plants to properly take to the soil and ground an environment.
But after that, they pretty much look after themselves. Still need some attention obviously but nothing like the constant maintenance exotic species demand.
How much water they save is probably the biggest and most immediate benefit. Most established natives need watering maybe once a week in peak summer, some even less. European style gardens?
Daily watering through summer or they just die. That means thousands of litres of water you can save.
You can save water which is environmentally helpful and also helpful if you need to save money.
Modern landscape designers who work with natives know how to create structured, intentional looks.
Formal hedges from native shrubs, feature plantings, groundcovers, screening plants. You can absolutely get clean lines and designed aesthetics with natives.
Soil requirements are way simpler
Australian soils have less nutrients than European or American soils. Which sounds bad but native plants are grown and evolved for this exact type of soil so its perfect conditions for them.
They don’t need the constant fertiliser that exotic species require. Too much fertiliser can actually do more harm than good.
The soil biology is different too. Native plants work with Australian soil fungi and bacteria, creating healthier soil ecosystems. Exotic plants often struggle because the soil biology they evolved with isn’t present here.
If you love to spend every free minute in your garden and live and breathe doing garden maintenance, then you may not care about having low-maintenance plants. In that case you cn choose whatever you would like. Its personal preference.
Wildlife benefits are real
Native plants provide food and habitat for local birds, insects, butterflies, native bees.
If you love to have animals and insects thriving in your garden then naive plants create the perfect environment for them. Insects and bugs honestly thrive with native plants and need them to survive.
You’ll see way more wildlife in a native garden compared to exotic plants that offer nothing to local fauna.
There’s something genuinely satisfying about watching native birds feeding in your garden, seeing butterflies on your flowering shrubs, hearing the buzz of native bees. Makes your garden feel alive and connected to the broader environment.
This is honestly a small way you can help your local wildlife.
If you prefer to have wildlife around you and cant or don’t get out to parks and bush often, then this is the perfect way to bring life to you. If you create a bird bath or feeding area, then you can invite life and animals to your garden.
Native bird and insect populations are under pressure from habitat loss. Your garden can be part of the solution, providing food sources and safe spaces. This is a small but impactful way you can help while also enjoying a beautiful garden.
And kids love it honestly. If you’ve got children, watching birds and butterflies in the garden is way more engaging than just looking at pretty flowers.
Some people worry about attracting snakes or other unwanted wildlife with natives.
This is very fair, but snakes go where there’s food (rodents usually) and shelter, regardless of whether you’ve got natives or exotics. Proper garden design and maintenance matters more than plant choice.
Garden maintenance with natives
There is still some maintenance to be done. Natives still need some maintenance, unfortunately you can’t just plant them and hope for the best. But close.
Pruning to maintain shape and encourage dense growth. Some natives get leggy if not pruned. Others are fine without it. Depends on species and your desired look.
Deadheading spent flowers on some species encourages more blooms.
Also moving read woods or branches can clean up the look.
But compared to European landscape gardens the maintenance is crazy different.
And the maintenance you do is more satisfying somehow?
Working with plants that want to be there rather than constantly fighting to keep struggling plants alive.
Some natives do have that distinctly Australian look which some people love and others don’t. But plenty of natives could sit in any garden style and you wouldn’t immediately clock them as natives unless you knew plants well.
Making the switch
You don’t have to rip everything out and start from scratch. Most people transition gradually, replacing plants as they die or as sections need refreshing.
Start with easy areas. Start with doing small things like replace that high maintenance exotic hedge with hardy native species. Try some native groundcovers instead of lawn in areas you don’t use. Adding some feature plants can create variety too.
If you’re doing major renovation or starting fresh, that’s when working with landscape designers who specialise in natives makes most sense.
When you switch to native plants, your maintenance needs also decrease a lot. So, if you’re finding yourself constantly in the garden you may want to consider.
You dont need to fertiliser and pest control that exotics often require.
They’re adapted to Australian soils which are generally nutrient poor compared to European or American soils.
Trying to grow plants that need rich soil means constant fertiliser applications, which costs money and often runs off into waterways causing environmental problems.
They can create cohesive design using natives from the start rather than piecemeal approach.
Planting them is the first step and they take about a year or two to properly settle. But once they have settled they are very self-sufficient and low maintenance. Mainly cosmetic maintenance making them look beautiful and pruned.
They also bring life to your garden and can create your own personal ecosystem which helps the local wildlife around you.
