South Australia is the driest state in the driest inhabited continent, and our native plants have spent millions of years adapting to exactly the conditions that make gardening here a challenge: long, hot summers, unreliable rainfall, poor soils, and drying winds. Plant them in the right spot and they need little water once established, rarely need fertiliser, and bring a constant stream of honeyeaters, wrens, butterflies, and native bees into your garden.
This list brings together twenty of the best native plants for South Australian gardens. Many are indigenous to SA - some grow wild in the Adelaide Hills and on the Adelaide Plains - while others come from elsewhere in Australia but have proven themselves reliable performers in our conditions. Together they cover every role in a garden, from trees and feature shrubs to ground covers, grasses, and climbers.
Why Grow Natives in South Australia
- Water savings: Once established, most of the plants on this list survive on rainfall alone in Adelaide, with only occasional deep watering during extended heatwaves.
- Wildlife: Native plants provide nectar, seed, and shelter for local birds, insects, and lizards that exotic plants often can't.
- Low maintenance: Natives adapted to poor soils need little or no fertiliser and only light pruning.
- Local character: A garden built around natives reflects the landscape of South Australia rather than one borrowed from Europe.
Flowering Shrubs
1. Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon'
One of Australia's most popular grevilleas, 'Robyn Gordon' grows into a rounded shrub of around 1 to 1.5 metres and produces large, deep red flower clusters almost all year. Honeyeaters adore it. It thrives in full sun with good drainage and handles Adelaide's heat with ease. Wear gloves when pruning, as the foliage can irritate sensitive skin.
2. Native Fuchsia (Correa reflexa)
Correa reflexa is native to much of South Australia, including the Mount Lofty Ranges. It produces tubular bell-shaped flowers through autumn and winter, when few other plants are in bloom, making it a vital food source for honeyeaters in the cooler months. It grows 0.5 to 1.5 metres and tolerates dry shade beneath trees - a difficult spot in any garden. Hybrids such as 'Dusky Bells' are also widely available and very reliable.
3. Emu Bush (Eremophila)
If there is one group of plants made for South Australian gardens, it is the emu bushes. Many species are native to SA's arid and semi-arid regions, and they are among the toughest plants you can grow. Forms range from silver-leaved ground covers of Eremophila glabra to the spotted emu bush, Eremophila maculata, which grows into a 1 to 2 metre shrub covered in red, pink, or yellow tubular flowers. All need excellent drainage and full sun, and they dislike summer watering once established.
4. Dwarf Bottlebrush (Callistemon 'Little John')
'Little John' is a compact bottlebrush that grows to about 1 metre tall and wide, with blue-green foliage and deep red brushes in spring and again in autumn. It suits small gardens, low hedges, and large pots, and tolerates a wide range of soils including Adelaide's heavy clays. A light trim after flowering keeps it dense.
5. Silver Banksia (Banksia marginata)
Banksia marginata is native to South Australia, including the Adelaide Hills and the South East. It varies from a low shrub to a small tree depending on the form, with silvery-backed leaves and pale yellow flower spikes from late summer into winter. It is one of the more adaptable banksias, coping with sandy and clay-loam soils provided drainage is good. Like many members of the protea family, it is sensitive to phosphorus, so never use standard fertilisers around it.
6. Native Hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii)
Native to South Australia and Western Australia, the native hibiscus produces large, silky lilac to purple flowers from spring through summer. It grows quickly to around 2 metres and suits a sunny, well-drained spot. Prune it back by about a third after flowering to keep it bushy, as it can become leggy.
Ground Covers
7. Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium)
A fast-growing, low ground cover that spreads up to a metre or more across, smothering weeds with a dense mat of fine leaves and small white or pink star flowers in spring and summer. It is native to SA and Victoria, tolerates poor soils, and makes an excellent lawn alternative for areas that don't get foot traffic.
8. Fan Flower (Scaevola aemula)
Scaevola aemula is native to South Australia and produces masses of purple-blue fan-shaped flowers from spring right through to autumn. It sprawls to about 50 centimetres across and is perfect for the front of garden beds, rockeries, and hanging baskets. It appreciates a little extra water in summer to keep flowering.
9. Common Everlasting (Chrysocephalum apiculatum)
This hardy perennial is native across much of Australia, including South Australia, and covers itself in golden button flowers from spring into summer. Its silver-grey foliage contrasts beautifully with green-leaved plants. It attracts butterflies and native bees, and dried flower heads keep their colour for months.
10. Native Daisies (Brachyscome)
Native daisies such as the cut-leaf daisy, Brachyscome multifida, form soft mounds of fine foliage studded with small mauve, pink, or white daisies for much of the year. They are ideal for edging, pots, and filling gaps between larger shrubs. Shear them back lightly when flowering slows to encourage a fresh flush.
11. Muntries (Kunzea pomifera)
Muntries is a low, spreading ground cover native to the coastal sands of South Australia and western Victoria, and an important traditional food of the Ngarrindjeri people and other Aboriginal nations of the region. It produces fluffy white flowers in spring followed by small, apple-flavoured berries in late summer. It thrives in sandy, well-drained soils and is a wonderful choice for an edible native garden.
Strappy Plants and Grasses
12. Spreading Flax Lily (Dianella revoluta)
Dianella revoluta is native to SA and grows into a tough clump of narrow, blue-green strappy leaves around 50 to 80 centimetres tall. Small blue flowers in spring are followed by glossy purple berries. It tolerates sun or part shade, drought, and poor soil, and is ideal for mass planting along paths and driveways.
13. Lomandra (Lomandra longifolia)
Lomandras are among the most versatile landscaping plants available. Compact forms such as 'Tanika' grow into soft, fine-leaved tussocks around 60 centimetres tall and are almost indestructible once established, handling full sun, shade, drought, and occasional waterlogging. They are excellent for stabilising slopes and edging garden beds.
14. Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos)
Although native to Western Australia, kangaroo paws perform beautifully in Adelaide's Mediterranean climate. Their velvety flowers in red, orange, yellow, or pink rise above strappy foliage from spring into summer and are a magnet for honeyeaters. Choose hardy hybrid varieties, plant in full sun with excellent drainage, and cut spent flower stems right down to the base to encourage new growth.
15. Kangaroo Grass (Themeda triandra)
Kangaroo grass once covered vast areas of the Adelaide Plains. It forms graceful tussocks around 50 to 90 centimetres tall with green foliage that turns rusty orange-red in summer. It is extremely drought tolerant and provides seed and shelter for small birds and insects. Use it in naturalistic plantings or as a striking feature in a gravel garden.
Climbers
16. Native Lilac (Hardenbergia violacea)
Hardenbergia is native to South Australia, including the Mount Lofty Ranges, and produces cascades of purple pea flowers from late winter into spring, when colour is scarce. It can scramble over fences and trellises or be grown as a sprawling ground cover. It is hardy, fast-growing, and adapts to most soils. White and pink forms are also available.
Silver and Coastal Plants
17. Cushion Bush (Leucophyta brownii)
This striking silver shrub is native to the coastal dunes of southern Australia, including South Australia. It forms a dense, rounded mound of wiry silver stems around 50 centimetres to 1 metre tall and is extremely tolerant of salt spray, wind, and sandy soils - ideal for gardens from Semaphore to Victor Harbor. It needs full sun and sharp drainage and should not be overwatered.
18. Saltbushes (Atriplex and Rhagodia)
Saltbushes are quintessential South Australian plants, native to much of the state from the coast to the outback. Old man saltbush, Atriplex nummularia, grows into a large silver-grey shrub that makes an excellent windbreak or informal hedge, while the coastal seaberry saltbush, Rhagodia candolleana, forms a sprawling green screen. Both are exceptionally drought and salt tolerant, and saltbush leaves are edible.
Trees
19. Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha)
Australia's national floral emblem is native to South Australia and grows wild in the Adelaide Hills. This small tree reaches 4 to 8 metres and smothers itself in fragrant golden flowers from late winter into spring. It grows fast, fixes nitrogen to improve the soil, and attracts birds and insects. Wattles are relatively short-lived, so think of golden wattle as a quick-growing feature while slower plants establish.
20. SA Blue Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon)
The SA blue gum is one of the signature trees of the Adelaide Plains and a superb food source for lorikeets and honeyeaters, flowering through winter. Full-size trees grow large, so for suburban gardens choose a compact cultivar such as 'Euky Dwarf', which reaches around 5 to 8 metres and produces masses of red to pink blossom. Plant well away from buildings, pipes, and power lines.
How to Plant and Care for Natives in SA
When to Plant
Autumn is the best time to plant natives in South Australia. Warm soil encourages root growth, and winter rain helps plants establish before their first summer. Early spring is a second option, but plants put in later than October will need careful watering to survive their first hot season. See our autumn planting guide for more seasonal advice.
Planting Tips
- Water the plant in its pot thoroughly an hour before planting.
- Dig a hole twice as wide as the pot but no deeper.
- Gently loosen circling roots and place the plant at the same depth it sat in the pot.
- Backfill with the original soil - natives generally don't need rich soil improvers.
- Form a shallow basin around the plant and water deeply.
- Mulch with 5 to 7 centimetres of coarse organic mulch or gravel, keeping it clear of the stem.
Watering
Water new plantings deeply once or twice a week through their first summer, then gradually reduce. Most natives on this list survive on rainfall alone from their second or third year in Adelaide, with a deep soak during long heatwaves. Deep, infrequent watering encourages roots to grow down where the soil stays cool and moist. Our water-wise gardening guide covers irrigation in more detail.
Feeding
Many Australian natives - especially grevilleas, banksias, and other members of the protea family - are sensitive to phosphorus and can be killed by standard garden fertilisers. If you feed natives at all, use a slow-release fertiliser specifically labelled as suitable for natives, and apply it sparingly in spring.
Pruning
Light, regular tip pruning after flowering keeps most native shrubs bushy and full of flowers. Avoid cutting back hard into old wood, as many natives won't reshoot from bare stems.
Going Local: Indigenous Plants
For the greatest benefit to local wildlife, consider including plants indigenous to your own area - species that grew naturally in your suburb before European settlement. Plants grown from local seed are adapted to your specific soils and rainfall, and they support the insects and birds that evolved alongside them. Specialist native nurseries, community nurseries, and some councils can help you find local-provenance plants, and Green Adelaide publishes resources on planting for biodiversity in metropolitan Adelaide.
Be aware that some Australian plants from other states can become weeds in South Australia's bushland. Sweet pittosporum, for example, is native to eastern Australia but is a significant environmental weed in the Mount Lofty Ranges. If you live near bushland, favour local species.
Start Your Native Garden
You don't need to replace your whole garden at once. Start by swapping a thirsty lawn edge for a bed of native ground covers, or plant a few bird-attracting shrubs along a fence line, and expand from there. Within a season or two you will notice more birds, more insects, and a garden that looks after itself through summer.
Use the GardeningSA plant finder to search for native plants by water needs and soil type, and find specialist native nurseries near you in the SA gardening directory. For more low-water ideas, read our guide to the best drought-tolerant plants for Adelaide.