Swan Hill summers are hard: 40°C days, low rainfall and soil that bakes hard. These plants are made for it. Natives and introduced favourites, all proven in the Mallee.
Drought tolerant, drought resistant, drought hardy: whichever word is on the label, it promises a plant that gets by on very little water. In Swan Hill that plant also has to get through 40°C days, frosty winters and, on plenty of blocks, salty ground.
Peta-Lyn and John have gardened here since 1981. Every plant on this page has been judged on how it does in a real Swan Hill garden, whatever the label says. If it's here, they're confident it will earn its place.
The list mixes Australian natives with introduced plants from places with summers like ours: the Mediterranean, South Africa and the dry steppes of Central Asia.
Summers regularly hit 40°C or more, and the soil bakes hard.
Frosts usually run from mid-May to early September. Plants have to handle both extremes.
Not much falls, and you can't count on it when the garden needs it.
Sandy and clay soils, often with salt. Many gardens need plants that cope with hard ground.
Lavender, ornamental olive, kurrajong, red hot poker and the ornamental salvias all want full sun. Give lavender the driest, sunniest spot in the garden.
Weeping myall, purple hopbush, yellow buttons, lomandra and Russian sage take frost as well as heat. Rock rose and some salvias want a little shelter while they're young.
An ornamental olive or a weeping bottlebrush does well in a large pot, and dwarf agapanthus such as 'Storms River' and 'Peter Pan' suit small spaces. For smaller pots in full sun, see our succulents.
Eighteen plants that hold up through a Swan Hill summer: groundcovers, grasses, flowering shrubs and shade trees.
Native shrub0.5 to 2 m
Eremophila species
One of the toughest plants in the Australian range. Eremophilas come from arid country and do well in exactly what Swan Hill gives them: scorching summers, cold winters, sandy alkaline soil and very little water. Red, pink, purple, lilac or yellow flowers, often in winter when little else is out. Honeyeaters love it.
Native shrub0.3 to 4 m
Grevillea, various
There's a grevillea for almost every spot in a Mallee garden, whether you need a compact groundcover or a big screening shrub. The spider flowers bring honeyeaters all year. 'Scarlet Sprite', 'Robyn Gordon' and the tough prostrate forms handle heat, frost and dry soil easily. Good drainage is the one thing they insist on.
Native shrub1 to 2 m
Westringia fruticosa
Grey-green leaves, soft white to pale mauve flowers and a very tough constitution. Takes full sun, frost, wind and long dry spells without complaint. A great low hedge, border shrub or informal screen, and far more forgiving in alkaline Mallee soil than the Mediterranean herb it's named after. Trim lightly after flowering.
Native tree5 to 8 m
Acacia pendula
A medium-sized wattle native to inland Victoria and New South Wales, exactly the kind of country Swan Hill sits in. Long, silver-grey weeping branches, and it handles droughts and frosts that would finish other trees. Pale yellow flower balls in late winter and spring with a light, sweet scent. A beautiful feature tree or windbreak.
Native tree8 to 15 m
Brachychiton populneus
Its swollen trunk stores water to see it through drought. Glossy dark green leaves and bell-shaped flowers in summer. Aboriginal people valued it for food, fibre and shade. It grows naturally across inland eastern Australia and suits Swan Hill beautifully: a great shade tree for a big garden or a driveway.
Native grass0.5 to 1 m
Lomandra longifolia and cultivars
Possibly Australia's toughest ornamental grass. It puts up with drought, frost, heat, heavy clay, sand, salt, fire and neglect. 'Tanika' and 'Katrinus Deluxe' make neat, arching clumps of fine leaves that look good with no fuss. Ideal for mass planting, edges and slopes.
Native shrub2 to 4 m
Dodonaea viscosa 'Purpurea'
A fast-growing screening shrub with deep bronze-purple leaves that look striking in the garden and in a vase, and papery seed pods in summer. Native to inland Australia and happy with frost, dry spells and alkaline soil. Great for hedges, windbreaks or as a bold contrast plant.
Native groundcover10 to 15 cm
Myoporum parvifolium
A vigorous, flat groundcover that spreads quickly to smother weeds and cover bare ground. Small white star-shaped flowers in spring and summer bring in native insects. Takes full sun and long dry spells once established. Great on slopes, banks and rockeries. The broad-leaf form is especially tough in the dry.
Native groundcover20 to 30 cm
Chrysocephalum apiculatum
Cheerful golden-yellow pom-pom flowers almost all year on a spreading mat of silvery-grey leaves. One of the best drought tolerant groundcovers for the Mallee: the silver leaves reflect sunlight and cut moisture loss. Fills gaps, edges paths and covers dry banks, and handles frost and poor soil easily.
Native shrub or small tree3 to 5 m
Callistemon viminalis
Brilliant crimson bottlebrushes on gracefully weeping branches. Handles heat, drought and frost once established, and copes with poorly drained or slightly salty soil better than many plants. A favourite feeding tree for honeyeaters and lorikeets, and a lovely feature tree or informal screen.
Introduced shrub0.5 to 1.2 m
Lavandula species
A Mediterranean plant that could have been designed for Swan Hill. Deep roots find moisture well below the surface, silvery leaves reflect the summer sun, and it loves lean, alkaline, well-drained soil. Spanish lavender (L. stoechas) and English lavender (L. angustifolia) both do well. Fragrant, frost tolerant and loved by bees. Plant it in the driest, sunniest spot you have.
Introduced shrub0.5 to 1.8 m
Salvia rosmarinus
Drought tolerance and a kitchen herb in one plant. Rosemary comes from rocky Mediterranean coasts with almost no summer rain, poor soil and blazing heat, and it loves that. In Swan Hill it does well with very little care once established. Evergreen and fragrant, with blue flowers the bees adore. Upright and trailing forms make a low hedge, border or feature.
Introduced tree4 to 8 m, can be pruned
Olea europaea
One of the most drought resistant trees in the world. Olives evolved in the dry Mediterranean and need almost no extra water once established. Silvery-grey leaves look good all year against Swan Hill's bright skies. A great specimen tree, a large pot plant or the centre of a Mediterranean-style garden. Check local council advice on fruiting varieties.
Introduced perennial0.9 to 1.2 m
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Tall, airy spikes of lavender-blue flowers over silver-grey, aromatic leaves from summer into autumn. Stunning mass planted or as a backdrop. It comes from the Central Asian steppes, where summers are fierce and rain is scarce, so it suits the Mallee well. Cut it back hard in late winter. Lovely with agapanthus, grasses and native shrubs.
Introduced perennial0.5 to 1 m
Agapanthus species
Bold blue or white globes of flowers in summer, tough strappy leaves all year, and almost no care once settled. It comes from South Africa, another hot, dry climate with frost, and handles Swan Hill summers well once established. Great massed along a driveway or fence line. Dwarf types such as 'Storms River' and 'Peter Pan' suit small spaces. Choose sterile cultivars so it doesn't seed.
Introduced shrub0.6 to 1.5 m
Cistus species
Paper-thin, crinkled flowers in white, pink and crimson on one of the toughest shrubs for hot, dry, rocky ground. Cistus grows wild on Mediterranean hillsides and needs almost nothing from you once established. Good in rockeries and on slopes, anywhere you want colour without water. Takes light frost; protect young plants in their first winter.
Introduced perennial0.6 to 1.2 m
Kniphofia species
Dramatic torch-like spikes of red, orange and yellow from a South African grassland plant. It handles Mallee heat and frost well, likes well-drained soil and hates being overwatered. Bold colour through summer and autumn, and a magnet for honeyeaters. Plant it in full sun and leave it be.
Introduced perennial or shrub0.5 to 1.5 m
Salvia, various
Salvias include some of the toughest and prettiest flowering plants around. Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), 'Hot Lips' and S. greggii give months of colour on very little water once established. They like full sun and sharp drainage. Many are frost tolerant, but some need a sheltered spot in a cold Swan Hill winter, so ask us which suits your garden.
Even the toughest plant needs help in its first season. "Drought hardy" on the label means once it's settled in, and getting it through that first Swan Hill summer is what matters. Once the roots are deep, you can mostly step back and let it do what it was built to do.
Autumn gives plants 6 to 8 months to grow roots before their first summer. A plant that goes in the ground in March has a far better chance than one planted in October and facing a Swan Hill January.
Shallow, frequent watering keeps roots near the surface. Water deeply and less often, so roots follow the water down to where moisture lasts through the dry.
A thick layer of mulch, 100 mm or more, keeps the soil cooler, holds moisture in and keeps weeds out. In Swan Hill it does more for plant survival than almost anything else you can do.
Mediterranean plants such as lavender, rosemary and rock rose hate sitting in wet soil. On heavy clay, raise the planting area a little or mix in coarse grit before you plant.
Salinity affects a lot of gardens around Swan Hill, and it rules out many plants that would otherwise cope with the heat and the dry. Peta-Lyn and John have worked with salt on their own 3-acre property since 1981, so when they say a plant will handle salty ground, they mean it.
The plants here are among the best choices where salt is a real problem. Come in and tell us about your soil, and we'll help you find what will work on your block.
"We've dealt with salt on our own block for over forty years. Ask us, we've seen what works." Peta-Lyn and John Nosatti
Every garden is different: different soil, different aspect, different problems. Bring photos, your questions or just a description of the spot you're planting, and we'll help you find something that will do well there.