Adding the right border and edging plants can significantly transform the look and functionality of your garden, especially in Australia’s diverse climate and varying home styles.
Landscaping with native Australian plants can help define property boundaries or pathways while adapting to different sun exposures and supporting the local ecosystem. This approach enhances your garden’s aesthetic and practical aspects, making it a striking, resilient, and eco-friendly outdoor space.
Flowering Plants as Border Options
Agapanthus ‘Peter Pan’
Agapanthus ‘Peter Pan’ is a compact perennial ideal for borders in your Australian garden. Its lush, strap-like leaves and delicate blue flowers bloom profusely throughout the summer, providing a vibrant display against more subdued greenery.
Erigeron ‘Seaside Daisy’
Erigeron ‘Seaside Daisy’ offers a continual splash of daisy-like flowers from spring to autumn. This hardy plant thrives in full sun and adapts well to various soil types, making it an excellent choice for creating low-maintenance borders that are alive with colour.
Lavandula ‘English Lavender’
Lavandula ‘English Lavender’ not only brings its iconic fragrance to your garden but also serves as a fantastic border plant due to its height and spread. The purple blooms attract bees and butterflies, enhancing biodiversity while adding aesthetic value.
Dianella caerulea ‘Blue Flax Lily’
Dianella caerulea ‘Blue Flax Lily’, known for its striking blue berries and robust foliage, stands out in any border arrangement. It’s particularly effective when planted en masse along pathways or driveways where its architectural form can be fully appreciated.
Rhaphiolepis ‘Snow Maiden’ Indian Hawthorn
Rhaphiolepis ‘Snow Maiden’, often referred to as Indian Hawthorn, is admired for its glossy leaves and clusters of pink flowers that emerge in spring.
This evergreen shrub is drought-resistant once established, offering both beauty and resilience as an edging choice.
Colourful Foliage for Year-Round Interest
Nandina ‘Moon Bay’
Nandina ‘Moon Bay’ offers striking foliage that changes colour throughout the seasons, providing a vibrant display in your garden. Its leaves turn from bright green in spring to rich reds and purples in colder months, making it an excellent foliage plant choice for continuous visual interest.
Euonymus ‘Tom Thumb’
Euonymus ‘Tom Thumb’ is compact but brings dynamic contrast with its evergreen leaves edged in pink and white. This hedge plant maintains its colour year-round, adding texture to your border without overwhelming the space.
Cotyledon ‘Silver Waves’
Cotyledon ‘Silver Waves’ features silvery-grey foliage that not only shimmers under sunlight but also adds a sculptural element to garden edges. It’s drought-resistant, thrives in full sun, and provides a silver foil against which other plants can stand out.
Limonium Perezii (Statice)
Limonium Perezii, commonly known as Statice, produces clusters of small purple flowers atop long stems surrounded by grey-green foliage.
This salt-tolerant plant is perfect for coastal gardens, offering both durability and splashes of colour from summer through autumn.
Pennisetum Rubrum (Purple Fountain Grass)
Pennisetum Rubrum or Purple Fountain Grass creates dramatic impact with cascading burgundy leaves and feathery plumes that dance in the breeze. It grows well under full sun and performs beautifully as an accent plant or when massed together for more profound visual effects.
Low Growing Plants for a Clean Edge
Buxus ‘English Box’
Buxus Sempervirens, commonly known as the ‘English Box’, is perfect for creating formal edges in your garden. This dense evergreen shrub maintains its deep green colour throughout the year and can be shaped easily thanks to its compact foliage.
Ideal for low hedges or border framing, Buxus thrives best in well-drained soil and partial shade to full sun.
Ophiopogon ‘Dwarf’ Mondo Grass
‘Dwarf’ Mondo Grass, a smaller version of Ophiopogon japonicus, offers a lush, grassy groundcover that complements other border plants with its dark green leaves. It forms tight clumps, reaching up to 10 cm in height, making it an excellent choice for filling gaps between stepping stones or creating soft edges along garden beds.
Its durability and low maintenance requirements make it a favourite among gardeners looking for reliable edging solutions.
Liriope ‘Evergreen Giant’
The ‘Evergreen Giant’ Liripe provides striking vertical interest with its tall spikes of purple flowers that emerge above tufts of arching green leaves during summer and autumn.
Reaching heights of up to 50 cm, this robust plant not only adds texture but also acts as a natural barrier against weeds. Plant it in part shade where it’ll thrive without much fuss.
Thymus ‘White Creeping Thyme’
For those preferring aromatic edging alternatives, ‘White Creeping Thyme’ is an excellent selection. This herb spreads over the ground quickly and emits a pleasing fragrance when brushed against or stepped on.
It boasts tiny white flowers from spring into early summer and prefers well-drained soils in sunny locations—ideal for pathways or as part of rock gardens.
Lomandra Confertifolia Little Con
Lomandra Confertifolia ‘Little Con’ is adapted perfectly to Australian conditions; this tough yet graceful perennial features fine green blades that form dense mounds up to 30 cm high.
Its ability to withstand drought makes it particularly useful for areas prone to dry spells while still maintaining aesthetic appeal with minimal care required.
Hardy Plants for High Traffic Edges and Driveway
Lomandra Longifolia
Lomandra Longifolia stands out as an excellent choice for high-traffic areas around your driveway.
This hardy grass-like plant tolerates frequent foot traffic, making it ideal for borders where durability is key. It’s drought-resistant once established, ensuring it maintains its lush appearance without requiring excessive watering.
Senecio ‘Blue Chalk Sticks’
Senecio ‘Blue Chalk Sticks’ offers striking blue foliage that can add a splash of color to your driveway edges. Its succulent leaves are not only visually appealing but also highly resilient to stepped-on conditions.
This plant thrives in full sun, contributing to its low maintenance profile, perfect for busy gardeners.
Rosemary Huntington Carpet
Rosemary Huntington Carpet provides more than just aromatic foliage; it’s a robust plant suited for edging pathways or driveways.
Its creeping habit helps stabilize the soil and withstands moderate traffic, all while offering culinary benefits. Plant it in well-drained soil and watch it flourish with minimal care.
Stachys ‘Lambs Ears’
Stachys ‘Lambs Ears’ features soft, velvety leaves that make it a tactile delight in any garden setting. Beyond its unique texture, this plant is highly adaptable and serves well as a ground cover that can endure occasional footsteps. Its drought tolerance ensures survival in various conditions.
Teucrium fruticans
Teucrium fruticans, commonly known as bush germander or tree germander, brings structure to garden edges with its silvery foliage and light blue flowers.
Ideal for sunny spots along driveways or walkways, it forms a dense barrier that resists pedestrian traffic while attracting beneficial pollinators throughout the blooming season.
Santolina Chamaecyparissus
Santolina Chamaecyparissus, also known as lavender cotton, is a hardy plant with grey-green foliage that provides excellent texture and is well-suited for high-traffic edges due to its tough and resilient nature.
Designing Your Garden Borders
Layout Techniques
When planning your garden borders, start by considering the space’s function and form. Align plants like Buxus ‘English Box’ for structured, formal edges that complement paths or sitting areas.
For a more casual appearance, mix Ophiopogon ‘Dwarf’ Mondo Grass with Liriope ‘Evergreen Giant’ to create natural drifts that guide the eye effortlessly through your garden.
Remember, effective border design balances repetition and diversity to maintain interest throughout the seasons.
Colour and Texture Considerations
Your choice of plant colours and textures is crucial in achieving a harmonious garden border. Integrate plants with varying foliage hues such as the silver-toned Stachys ‘Lambs Ears’ alongside the deep green of Lomandra Confertifolia ‘Little Con’.
This contrast not only adds visual depth but also highlights each plant’s features. Additionally, incorporate flowering species like Lavandula ‘English Lavender’, whose purple blooms add vibrant splashes of colour while offering aromatic benefits.
Planting and Care Tips
Soil Preparation
Before you start planting, preparing your soil correctly is crucial for the health of your border and edging plants. Begin by removing any weeds and debris from the area.
Testing the soil pH can guide you on necessary amendments; most border plants thrive in slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH 6-7).
Incorporate organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure to improve soil structure and fertility. This step ensures that your plants get a good start, promoting robust growth.
Planting Techniques
Choosing the right technique for planting can greatly influence the success of your garden edges. Space plants according to their mature size to avoid overcrowding, which can lead to moisture loss and nutrient competition.
For continuous blooms or coverage, stagger plant rows in a zigzag pattern rather than a straight line, maximizing space efficiently. It’s important to water newly planted areas thoroughly until they are well established, forming strong root systems capable of supporting healthy above-ground growth.
Up next: Top 10 Australian Bush Tucker Plants to Grow
Image by bykot_photo – [email protected] – janomo/depositphotos
