The Australian Native Garden showcases innovative and artistic ways of using native plants on a domestic scale. These include examples of native plants used for hedging, structural planting, screening vegetation, as specimen plants, formal and informal garden beds, in pots, and as copses of trees. The design works with existing site conditions, utilising existing features of the site such as the heritage stone wall and a variety of different sun and shade conditions.
Plant species have been selected to minimise water use with the aim of using only rainwater collected from adjacent rooves for irrigation. A 25,000 litre rainwater tank feeds into under-mulch drip irrigation.
The garden is designed around sustainable landscaping principles such as design for local conditions, low water use and non-invasive plant selection, water conservation practices, habitat for local fauna, minimal chemical use, minimal non-renewable energy consumption, and use of local and sustainably sourced materials.
All plants are either locally indigenous to the Adelaide plains, native to other parts of Australia or Australian cultivars or hybrids.
Find out about activities to do with native gardens under our Sustainable Landscapes Project.
18 July 2023
Have you ever driven past the beautiful heritage-listed Goodman Building when passing the Garden on Hackney Road? Did you know this building was formerly the base for the Municipal Tramways Trust but now serves as the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium administration building.
07 June 2023
World Ocean Day is an annual celebration held on 8 June which unites and rallies the world to protect and restore our blue planet. In our latest blog, State Herbarium's Jem Barratt takes a deep dive into how its scientific work focusing on seagrasses and seaweed helps with the restoration and preservation of our ocean ecosystems.
