Christmas is just around the corner, and it’s time to get out the decorations! If you’re anything like our team, our Christmas decorations are often plants, and Australia has several beautiful native plants that are perfect for this time of year. So, we’ve listed some of our favourite Christmas-themed natives:
Callistemon – Bottlebrush
Callistemon or Bottlebrush have cylindrical, brush-like flowers. They are referred to as bottle brushes as they resemble traditional bottle brushes. While you often see flowers in shades of red, some have cream, yellow and pink flowers. There are over 30 species of Bottlebrush, and they’re a great native, evergreen option for hedges and screening. While bottlebrushes are known for their blooms, their foliage is as equally ornamental.
Adenanthos sericeus – Woolly bush
Adenanthos sericeus foliage has a silver, soft, velvet-like texture. It can grow to 5m tall, and if planted in a container or pot, it can be an excellent option for a Christmas tree. During spring and summer, it produces pink flowers, making great cut flowers so you can create a stunning native arrangement in your home. You’ll typically find Adenanthos sericeus in more humid climates of Australia, such as northern Sydney and Brisbane.
Grevillea angulata – Holly-leaf Grevillea
Holly-leaf Grevillea, commonly found in the Northern Territory, is an excellent Christmas plant thanks to its holly-like foliage. It produces decorative greenish, white, to yellow-orange pendulous flowers throughout the year. It’s a highly hardy plant with fantastic ornamental features.
Ceratopetalum alberys ‘Red’ – Christmas Bush
Ceratopetalum alberys ‘Red’ or Christmas Bush is a stunning tree perfect for Australian native gardens. It produces white flowers set in red bracts, which traditionally appear in December, making it ideal as a cut flower and styled in wreaths and arrangements. The warmer your region, the sooner flowers will begin to bloom. Its foliage comprises three serrated lobes, which have a soft green hue.
Blandfordia nobilis – Christmas Bell
Part of the Lily family, Christmas Bell is prominent in form and colour with its erect stems and bicoloured, firm bells. Its flowers have tones of orange, from scarlet to blood-red, tipped with saffron yellow or paler tints. The bells are 4 cm long and about 1cm wide in a cluster near the top of the main stem, hanging on curved branches. They brighten small spaces in the garden during summer and are drought and heat tolerant.
Telopea speciosissima – Waratah
Telopea speciosissima, or Waratah, as they’re more commonly known, has striking large red flowerheads, each with hundreds of flowers. They have evergreen, broad, dark-green leaves that last for weeks as a cut flower and make the perfect table centrepiece. While the most common variety of Waratah has red flowers, varieties are also available in pink, yellow and white. When planted, Telopea speciosissima can grow between 1m – 4m tall.
Anigozanthos – Kangaroo paw
Kangaroo Paw is a unique Australian native with handsome foliage and tall flower spikes that emerge bearing tubular, velvety flowers in virtually every colour of the rainbow. All varieties of kangaroo paw have a similar appearance, with the significant differences being overall size and flower colour. The plants form a clump of foliage with typically long, thin, leathery, and deep green leaves. Their beautiful colours and textures make them perfect for Christmas wreaths and arrangements.
