Best full sun plants for Perth

WA Scene | December 23, 2022 | 0 Comments

Native plants are a wonderful choice when it comes to choosing full sun plants for low maintenance gardens in Perth. They are well-adapted to local conditions and require less water and fertiliser than many introduced species. With another scorching Perth summer kicking into full gear it’s a timely time reassess what plants grow best in a full sun location.

There are loads low-maintenance plants that are ideal for West Australian gardens which thrive in full sun areas of the garden. However, Australian native plants are the first thing I think of when it comes to choosing full sun plants in Perth.

Here are some of my favourite sun-loving, low-maintenance plants:

Big Red Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos):

Kangaroo paws love living in a sunny position but be sure that they are planted in a location which has good soil drainage.

Their lovely green foliage adds a little height and cover to bare areas and their delightful red flowers will brighten up your garden during spring and summer.

Kangaroo paws are a drought-resistant plant and require very little maintenance making them ideal for full sun locations.

Saltbush (Rhagodia spinescens):

This hardy shrub has a lovely silvery-gray foliage and is a very low-maintenance plant. Saltbush is perfect for coastal areas as the name suggests as it can handle salty sea spray making it ideal for Perth’s coastal suburbs.

Saltbush is relatively compact and grows to a height of around 1.5 metres but will spread nicely to cover an area of around 4 metres. This means it can be used for hedging. Pruning the tips of the saltbush will encourage bushier growth. It produces pretty little cream flowers in summer.

Geraldton Wax (Chamelaucium uncinatum):

Geraldton Wax is an attractive native Western Australian shrub. It is a favourite in native gardens, with its needle-like leaves and waxy pink or red flowers that appear from later Winter to Spring.

Geraldton Wax is well-suited to Australia’s dry gardens and landscapes and the plants cope well with irregular watering and low soil fertility.

‘Kings Park Special’ Bottlebrush (Callistemon):

‘Kings Park Special’ Bottlebrush is a relatively compact, free-flowering bottlebrush with bright red/pink flower heads.

‘Kings Park Special’ is on of the most beautiful bottlebrush, it is very hardy and will handle a range of soil types and positions. A good feature or screen plant, it can be pruned to shape or allowed to grow naturally into a small tree.

‘Kings Park Special’ Bottlebrush will thrive in a full sun location.

Coastal Rosemary (Westringia Fruticosa):

Westringia Fruticosa is a hardy, low-maintenance plant that grows happily in full sun. This particular hybrid has lovely white flowers that cover the entire plant in spring.

Coastal Rosemary thrive in a sunny, light shade location and are perfect for planting in a low maintenance gardens, poolside, or in a coastal garden, as they are drought resistant.

Kalbarri carpet (Eremophila glabra):

Kalbarri carpet or Tah bush or Emu bush as it is also know is an attractive native ground-cover with dense silvery-grey foliage and an abundance of yellow-gold contrasting flowers in spring and summer.

A native Western Australian plant mostly found in the semi arid areas of Western Australia, such as Kalbarri as the name suggests. It’s flowers are rich in nectar and attract honey eaters and other birds to the garden.

A versatile plant you can mass plant to create as the name implies as carpet like effect, use on banks and retaining walls, or plant in large containers and use around the garden as features.

Kalbarri carpet is perfect for full sun locations and is drought and frost tolerant.

Moonlight Grevillea (Grevillea):

Grevillea Moonlight is tough and adaptable and also flowers all year round.

‘Moonlight’ Grevillea make a great feature plant due to its flowers, but also makes an effective informal screen or hedge.

A fantastic grevillea choice, especially for warmer climates.

Birthday Candles Banksia (Banksia spinulosa):

This lovely little banksia only grows to a height of around 0.5 metres and is perfect for rockeries or other small sunny garden areas. It is native to Western Australia, which means it is well suited to our conditions.

It has wonderful looking flowers in autumn and winter that are golden-yellow in colour.

‘Birthday Candles’ Banksia are both drought and frost-tolerant, making them ideal for full sun planting. They will attract a variety of birds and butterflies to the garden.

These are just some of the wonderful full sun plants perfect for Perth gardens.