Story: Waterwise Treasures
Episode: 7
Presenter: Sue McDougall
Air Date: 2 October 2021

We are blessed in WA to have some of the most spectacular displays of wildflowers. Sue shares her knowledge on the best native plants to have in your garden to make your very own wildflower display.

• Eucalyptus Brandiana, commonly known as the square fruited mallet, has flowers that take months to develop and are bright red in colour. This plant is unique to WA.
• Eucalyptus Brandiana has smooth bark and a trunk that is square when juvenile. It doesn’t develop a lignotuber and has a singular trunk.
• A lignotuber is where gums store their reserves in case of a catastrophic event such as a fire.
• Leschenaultia Biloba is common and easy to grow in a pot. The Formosa Red and Formosa Eldorado are less common but just as easy to grow, they look fabulous planted together.
• When growing native plants in pots, ensure to provide them with a controlled-release fertilizer and preferably plant them in a clay pot.
• Eremophila Nivea and Eremophila Rotundifolia perform brilliantly in heavy clay soils. These plants grow naturally in sandy soil, but grafting will allow the plants to thrive in heavier soils.
• Alyogyne Huegelii performs brilliantly in heavy clay soils. Place it in the hottest part of the garden, with the least water and it will thrive. After flowering, snip the tips out or give it a light prune.
• Pruning after flowering for all native plants will encourage them to bush up and the result is more flowers next year.
• Applying mulch around the whole garden at this time of the year is crucial to keeping the root system of the plants cool so they can continue to perform for many weeks yet.