Small Shrubs, Herbs and Creepers
Small Shrubs, Herbs and Creepers
This section covers small herbaceous plants, woody steamed shrubs less than 1 meter in height and prostrate ground creeping plants.Â
Acacia aculeatissima - Snake wattle
0.2-0.6 m x 1-2 m
Light open sprawling shrub. Branchlets ribbed, covered in short, stiff hairs.
Yellow ball flowers, July - Sept.
Excellent for rockeries or banks.
Acaena novae-zelandiae - Bidgee Widgee
Prostrate x 1-4 m
Perennial herb. Rambling mat plant with sparse to densely hairy stems.
Adaptable, tolerating wet or dry conditions; full sun to shade.
Acaena ovina - Sheeps Burr
25-50 cm x 30 cm
Rosette ore erect tufted perennial herb. White flowers with dark purple stamens form in a spike and has green spiny burrs.
Acrotriche prostrata - Trailing Ground Berry
Prostrate - 15 cm x 1-2 m
Open trailing plant, stems rooting at intervals, branchlets softly hairy.
Greenish translucent, tubular flowers.
Moist friable soil. Semi-shade to full shade.
Ideal for growing with ferns.
Acrotriche Serrulata - Honeypots
10-30 cm x 0.5-1 m
Slow-growing, dense mounding shrub.
Greenish translucent tubular flowers rich in nectar.
Most well drained soils tolerating dry periods. Semi-shade to dappled shade.
Flowers have a strong honey fragrance.
Bossiaea prostrata - Creeping Bossiaea
Prostrate x 0.5-1.5 m
Groundcover, yellow and brown pea flower.
Variable foliage.
Grows well under other plants.Â
Brachyscome multifida - Cut Leaf Daisy
10-40 cm x 0.2-1 m
Fast growing, suckering perennial herb forming dense spreading groundcover.
Profuse pale mauve, pink or white flowerheads. Flowers most of the year.
Moist clay soils, tolerating dryness once established; full sun to full shade.
Popular ornamental plant.
Brunonia australis - Blue Pincushions
10-35 cm x 10-15 cm
Rosette of spoon-shaped leaves and dense blue flowerheads.
Often short-lived in cultivation. Makes an excellent container plant.
Calocephalus lacteus - Milky Beauty Heads
15-50 cm x 10-30 cm
Sprawling shrub, soft grey leaves, white button flowers.
Moist soils tolerating inundation and some salinity. Full sun, semi-shade.
Calotis scabiosifolia var integrifolia - Rough Burr Daisy
Hairy perennial herb with mauve flowerheads on long stalks.
Semi-shade.
Chrysocephalum apiculatum - Common Everlasting
Prostrate - 30 cm x 1-2 m
Spreading dense shrub, terminal clusters of yellow flowers.
Well drained soils. Full sun.
An excellent rockery plant. Prune regularly.
Chrysocephalum semipapposum - Clustered Everlasting
0.3-1 m x 1-3 m
Wooly aromatic herb, golden flowers.
Variable, from moist to dry soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Requires hard pruning of old growth.Â
Coronidium scorpioides - Button Everlasting
Synonyms: Helichrysum scorpioides, Helichrysum rutidolepis
20-30 cm x 20-30 cm
Spreading herb, yellow flowers. The foothills form has paler flowers and less leaves on stalk.
Moist well drained soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
An attractive rockery plant.
Craspedia variabilis - Billy Buttons
15-60 cm x 0.5-1 m
Variable tufted perennial herb, yellow flowers on long stalks.
Shallow, well drained to moist sandy to clay soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Spectacular in flower. May be grown in containers or rockeries or used in massed plantings.
Cymbonotus preissianus - Bear's Ears
Prostrate x 10-30 cm
Hairy annual or perennial herb forming a flat rosette. Single yellow daisy flowerheads.
Dry to moist clay soils. Semi-shade to full shade.Â
Desmodium gunnii - Slender tick-trefoil
20-50 cm x 20-50 cm
Slender scrambling herb which dies back to its rootstock in summer. White to yellowish pea flowers.
Well drained soils, tolerating dry periods once established. Full sun, semi-shade.
Dichondra repens - Kidney Weed
Prostrate, creeping herb, spreads to 2m.
Moist to well drained soils; semi-shade to full sun.
Alternative to grass with light foot traffic.
Gonocarpus humilis - Shade Raspwort
Prostrate - 30 cm x 30-70 cm
Semi-prostrate to bushy shrub with terminal spikes of tiny greenish-yellow flowers.
Moist soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Grows amongst thick undergrowth.
Gonocarpus tetragynus - Common Raspwort
10-30 cm x 20-40 cm
Erect bushy herb with loose spikes of tiny pinkish-red flowers.
Moist to dry, well drained soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Goodenia lanata - Trailing Goodenia
Prostrate x 0.5-1.5 m
Dark green foliage, yellow flowers on long stalks.
Tolerates extended dry periods once established; full sun, semi-shade.
Attractive in a container and trailing amongst other plants.
Hackelia latifolium - Forest Hounds Tongue
Synonyms: Cynoglossum latifolium, Austrocynoglossum latifolium
0.5-1.5 m x 0.5-2 m
Weak-stemmed, straggling prickly perennial.
Ovate, hairy leaves with small bluish flowers.
Moist soil in sheltered areas; semi-shade to dappled shade.
Hackelia suaveolens - Sweet Hound's-tongue
10-50 cm x 0.5-1.5 m
Basal rosette of wavy spoon-shaped leaves. Small, highly fragrant white flowers.
Moist, well drained soil. Full sun, semi-shade.
Useful for containers or on embankments. Responds well to light pruning.
Hibbertia riparia - Erect Guinea-flower
Synonym: Hibbertia stricta
30-100 cm x 60 cm
Showy plant with pale yellow flowers and dull green leaves.
Moist well drained soil, responding to summer watering. Full sun, semi-shade.
Hovea heterophylla - Common Hovea
Synonym: Hovea linearis
30-60 cm x 30 cm
Open trailing or erect plant with mauve pea flowers along the stems.
Dry well drained soil. Semi-shade to full shade.
A dainty little plant to grow amongst other plants and under eucalypts.
Hydrocotyle hirta - Hairy Pennywort
Carpeting perennial herb.
Tiny pale yellow flowers.
Round kidney-shaped leaves.
Moist soil; semi-shade to full shade.
Hypericum gramineum - Small St. John's Wort
25 cm x 5-20 cm
Erect perennial herb, stems often ridged.
Blue-green oblong leaves with orange-yellow flowers in loose clusters.
Moist soils tolerating moisture and summer dryness; full sun, semi-shade.
Kennedia prostrata - Running Postman
Prostrate x 1-2.5 m
Crinkly and hairy grey-green leaves,
Scarlet long-stemmed pea flowers.
Well drained soils; full sun, semi-shade.
Drought tolerant once established. Grows well in a hanging basket.
Lagenophora stipitata - Blue Bottle Daisy
Synonym: Lagenifera stipitata
5-25 cm high
Hairy dark green leaves with mauve flowers on stalks.
Adaptable to moist well drained soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Lagenophora sublyrata - Slender Bottle Daisy
Synonyms: Lagenifera gracilis, Lagenophora gracilis
To 25 cm x 8 cm
Basal rosette of dark green leaves with small mauve or white flowers on stalks.
Well drained soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Suitable for containers.
Leptorhynchos tenuifolius - Wiry Buttons
10-30 cm x 30 cm
Wiry, branched perennial with single yellow flowers held erect.
Prefers well drained situations but tolerates some moisture. Full sun, semi-shade.
Linum marginale - Native Flax
30-80 cm x 30 cm
Slender erect bluish perennial herb.
Open, clear blue flowers.
Ascending, narrow leaves.
Moist well drained soils; full sun, semi-shade.
Cut back hard in late autumn to encourage new growth.
Lobelia anceps - Angled Lobelia
Synonym: Lobelia alata
Prostrate - 30 cm high
Suckering, erect to spreading perennial herb. Small, pale blue, fan-shaped flowers.
Seasonally moist soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Suitable for a bog garden.
Lobelia pendunculata - Matted Pratia
Prostrate x 2-3 m
Dense matting plant with fine stems. masses of starry to fan-shaped blue or white with bluish tinges flowers.
Permanently moist but not waterlogged soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
A most attractive suckering plant flowering well in full sun provided it is kept moist.
Microseris lanceolata - Yam Daisy
15-50 cm x 15-25 cm
Tufted perennial herb regenerating annually from fleshy, branched or turnip shaped tuberous root.
Long toothed leaves with a single bright yellow daisy flowerhead.
Moist to well drained soils. Seli-shade.
Tuberous rootstock was a staple part of the Aboriginal diet.
Microtis unifolia - Common Onion-orchid
15-90 cm high
Dense spike of several pale to golden-green erect flowers.
Moist to dry soils, well-drained rocky situations; full sun, semi-shade.
May form extensive colonies.
Olearia myrsinoides - Silky Daisy Bush
0.3-1 m x 1-1.5 m
Open, spreading shrub, white flowers.
Well drained and rocky soils tolerating extended dry periods once established. Semi-shade.
Pelargonium australe - Austral Storks Bill
30-60 cm x 0.3-1 m
Soft, perennial herb forming a clump.
Aromatic rounded leaves with clusters of white or pink flowers.
Well drained soils, often on ricky outcrops, tolerating dryness once established; full sun, semi-shade.
Useful rockery plant.
Pelargonium littorale - Coast StorksBill
20-40 cm x 0.3-1 m
Erect perennial herb with long stalked clusters of pink flowers.
Well drained soils; full sun, semi-shade.
An attractive plant for small gardens and containers.
Pimelea curviflora - Curved Rice-flower
15-50 cm x 10-50 cm
Dull green, curved leaves with yellow-green flowers.
A variable species. Possibly toxic to stock.
Pimelea humilis - Common Rice-flower
10-30 cm x 0.3-1 m
Erect or straggling small shrub with dense creamy-white flowerheads.
Moist to dryish well drained soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Can be planted under established trees.
Plantago debilis - Slender or Shade Plantain
Tuft 3-25 cm high.
Rosetted perennial herb with slender spikes of pale green flowers.
Moist to well drained loamy soil. Semi-shade.
Plantago varia - Variable Plantain
10-20 cm x 15-30 cm
Rosetted perennial herb with dense spikes of brown flowers on stalks.
Well drained dryish soils. Full sun, semi-shade.
Platylobium infecundum - Famine Flat-pea
Separated from Platylobium formosum
Prostrate x 1-2 m
Spreading suckering shrub.
Heart-shaped leaves with large yellow & red pea flowers.
Moist to well drained soil. Semi-shade.
Platylobium obtusangulum - Common Flat-pea
0.6-1 m x 0.6-1.8 m
Spreading, clumping or arching shrub.
Triangular leaves with sharp points. Flowers yellow with red central markings.
Prefers drier well drained soils. Semi-shade.
Pterostylis curta - Blunt Greenhood
10-30 cm high
Rosette of ovate or oblong leaves. Single erect green and white striped flower.
Moist to well drained soils. Semi-shade to full shade.
An easily grown free flowering plant that forms vast flowering colonies.Â
Pterostylis pendunculata - Maroon Hood
To 25 cm highÂ
Rosette of long-stalked, prominently veined ovate to oblong green leaves. Single erect green and white flower. Tip of maroon.
Moist soil from sand to clay. Semi-shade to full sun.
Forms small dense colonies beneath low shrubs and grasses or protected by tree trunks.
Pultenaea hispidula - Rusty Bush-pea
0.3-1 m x 0.5-2 m
Graceful pendulous shrub with single yellow flowers.
Well drained moist soil. Semi-shade.
A graceful small shrub. An attractive addition to the garden.
Pultenaea pedunculata - Matted Bush-Pea
Prostrate x 1-3 m
Densely matted plant with yellow & red flowers.
Well drained soils, tolerating dry periods once established. Full sun, semi-shade.
An excellent groundcover. Useful for soil-binding and cascading over rockeries and retaining walls.
Ranuculus lappaceus - Austral Buttercup
10-60 cm x 30-60 cm
Soft, sparsely to densely hairy, tufted perennial herb, long spreading hairs on lower stem.
Singles or pairs of golden flowers on long, erect stalks.
Moist but not stagnant soils; full sun, semi-shade.
A bright, easy to grow herb for permanently moist areas.
Ranuculus plebeius - Forest Buttercup
10-40 cm x 20-60 cm
Tufted perennial herb covered with flattened or spreading hairs. Shiny yellow flowers.
Semi-shade to full shade.
Sambucus gaudichaudiana - Native Elderberry
0.6-1 m x 0.5-1.5 m
Upright perennial herb with waxy, white fragrant flowers.
Moist well drained soil. Semi- shade to full shade.
A bright shrub for a shady moist area. Aborigines ate the berries.
Senecio quadridentatus - Cotton Fireweed
0.4-1 m x 0.5-1 m
Erect perennial herb with stems and leaves covered with cottony hairs.
Very adaptable to most soils except waterlogged conditions. Full sun, semi-shade.
Solenogyne gunnii - Hairy Solenogyne
Rosette of dull green leaves with erect flowering stalks with single , terminal, greenish flowerheads.
Prefers moist, shaded positions in poor soils.Â
Sphaerolobium minus - Eastern Globe-pea
20-60 cm x 20-50 cm
Leafless plant with spikes of yellow pea flowers.
An attractive rockery plant. Rarely seen around Melbourne.
Sphaerolobium vimineum - Leafless Globe-pea
0.3-1 m x 0.3-1 m
The wings of the pea flower are longer than the keel, and the bracteoles are green.
Full sun, semi-shade.
Stylidium armeria - Thrift-leaved Triggerplant
0.2-1 m x 20-40 cm
Small tufted perennial herb, with pink flowers.
Moist well drained soils, tolerating dryish periods once established. Full sun, semi-shade.
An excellent rockery or container plant.
Stylidium graminifolium - Grass Trigger Plant
20-75 m x 10-50 cm
Small tufted perennial herb, with pink flowers.
Moderately well drained sandy or gravelly soil. Full sun, semi-shade.
Tetratheca ciliata - Pink Bells
0.3-1 m x 0.3-1 m
An erect clumping shrub with fragrant mauve to white flowers.
Prefers morning sun. Attractive in flower, it can be grown in containers or rockeries.
Veronica gracilis - Slender Speedwell
15-30 cm x 1 m
Slender, erect herb with pale mauve cup flowers.
Moist, well drained and seasonally wet soils. Full sun to full shade.
Veronica plebeia - Creeping Speedwell
Prostrate - 30 cm x 1-2 m
Attractive ground cover in shady gardens, lavender flowers.
Moist well drained soils; full sun to full shade.
Spreads readily in ideal conditions, and makes an attractive groundcover in shaded gardens.
Viola betonicifolia - Mountain Violet
15-30 cm x 15-40 cm
Erect tufted perennial herb.
Basal rosette of dark green leaves.
Large purplish-blue to purple flowers with golden-yellow centres.
Moist to dryish well drained soil; semi-shade to full shade.
Viola hederacea - Native Violet
10-15 cm x spreading.
Tufted stoloniferous herb forming a dense mat.
Single violet flowers.
Dryish to moist soils; full sun to full shade.
A prolific grower once established.
Wahlenbergia capillaris - Tufted Bluebell
15-50 cm x 15 cm
Vigorous erect, branching perennial herb.
Pale to bright blue flowers on long stalks.
Moist well drained soils; full sun.
Wahlenbergia gracilis - Sprawling Bluebell
10-60 cm x 0.3-1 m
Sprawling annual or perennial herb.
Soft blue bell-shaped flowers.
Full sun; semi-shade.
Spreads readily in garden.
Wahlenbergia stricta - Tall Bluebell
20-50 cm x 30-40 cm
Erect, clumping herb.
Pale blue or white flowers.
Well drained soils; full sun, semi-shade.
Xanthosia dissecta var. dissecta - Cut-leaf Xanthosia
5-10 cm x 20-30 cm
Spreading perennial herb. Tiny green or reddish flowers.
Semi-shade.
Xerochrysum viscosum - Sticky everlasting
Synonym: Bracteantha viscosa
20-90 cm x 0.3-1 m
Much branched sticky herb with showy bright yellow flowers.
Well drained soils. Full sun.
Prune to encourage bushiness.