Native plants are tough.
They have to be, because some of Australia's growing conditions
are brutal.
But just because they can put up with a lot
doesn't mean that some of them aren't total softies.
I'm on Dharawal country at the Sydney Wildflower Nursery,
looking at a range of great garden natives
that sit on both ends of the soft-to-spiky spectrum.
Soft foliage can be useful in landscape design,
but it also plays a really important role in ecology.
A lot of plants with soft leaves
have fine hairs that are an adaptation to reduce moisture loss.
That makes them nice to touch for human hands,
but birds also like to use them for nests and habitat.
Soft cascading plants, like this prostrate woollybush,
are a great option for the edge of pathways.
Feels nice to brush past
and it creates a soft, diffuse edge.
Casuarina glauca 'Green Wave'
grows large enough to work as a screening plant,
and the fine, shaggy foliage makes great habitat for insects.
Grevilleas can be a bit on the spiky side,
but if you want one that's not gonna bite you as you brush past,
try 'Amber Blaze'.
The foliage is soft and rounded,
and these large, showy flowers
attract plenty of birds, bees and butterflies.
Once you've chosen some soft plants,
why not take a look at some spiny, angular ones?
Because variety, after all, is the spike of life.
From an ecological perspective,
large, dense, spiky plants
have adapted to deter passers-by from eating their fruit.
Now, this finger lime, for example, as it matures,
will become rather large and dense
with huge spikes, lots of them.
Well, it won't be enough to deter me,
but it will be enough to make me approach with caution.
Banksia serrate 'Pygmy Possum'
is a small, compact shrub that can also grow low along the ground.
But watch your step, because it has razor-ridged small leaves.
But these sharp leaves don't bother small birds and mammals.
(CHIRPS)
Planting a mix of soft and spiky plants in your garden
can provide a range of habitat and food for wildlife.
Even if you're gardening in a small space or a rental,
there's still always the opportunity to play with texture,
by planting a mix of foliage into one large pot.
Whether you're planting into a pot like this
or a large garden bed,
try to layer your plantings
so there's an upper, mid and lower storey.
Our feature plant's going to be this beautiful plectranthus,
to take pride of place in the centre of our pot.
It is quite a delicate plant,
but one good thing about plectranthus
is the fact that it will grow from cuttings,
so if you do snap a piece off,
keep hold of it and get yourself another plant happening.
I like to get my feature plant pride of place,
then work my way around.
And this lovely prostrate grevillea,
little bit spiky, but it will flow out over the edge of the pot.
So, a beautiful soft mid-storey plant
is this lovely flannel flower.
As the name suggests, feels just like flannel.
These will grow from seed,
so, hopefully, if you get them in,
you might get a few popping up next season
once the flowers finish and the seeds have formed.
So we'll pop that in between.
Just going for a little bit of a soft and spiky alternation
through my pot mix here.
This is a lovely little lomandra.
It's interesting, because it's quite soft,
the way that we've got the foliage now, so...
Of course, it's also known as the spiny-headed mat-rush,
so once it does start to flower and fruit,
it will be quite spiky,
so it'll be a bit of both with the lomandra.
This lovely little specimen
is known as the mountain devil,
Lambertia formosa.
Now, anyone who's ever done any bushwalking around Sydney
will know just how spiky these are
if you're walking through the bush with shorts on.
But it is a stunning plant, a beautiful flower,
and the name comes from the seed pod
that looks a bit like a horned devil.
We'll put this little spiky number
next to our beautifully soft flannel flower.
I'll just pop that in there.
Now, always a good idea when you are planting spiky plants
to wear a pair of gloves.
Saves a lot of pain.
Now, this beautiful specimen
is another cultivar of Casuarina glauca.
This is the aptly named 'Cousin It'.
And...a beautiful form.
This fella, you chuck it in
towards the edge of the pot or the edge of your garden bed.
It will cascade out over
and give a really beautiful edge to your pot or your garden bed.
Now, the last plant that we've got here is isopogon,
known as 'drumsticks'
because of the form of the flower.
Absolutely stunning,
particularly when you see them in the bush,
but just as well at home in your garden or in your pot.
Again, a mid-storey.
All I've got to do now is backfill this pot with potting mix.
And I'm just gonna add some fine eucalyptus mulch
just to finish things off, tidy things up a bit.
Now, if you're gonna pack as many plants as this
into your pot or your garden bed,
it's always a good idea to keep on top of pruning
so that one or two of these don't start to take over.
Keep them in harmony and keep them in their place.
Australian plants are some of the most diverse in the world,
so why not plant them side by side
to show them off in all their spiny, fuzzy, colourful glory?