There are some things to consider.

• There is a need to ensure that watering is deep.
• Choose plants from areas which have the same rainfall situation ie same amount of rain, at the same time of year. This is to ensure that plants will get minimum exposure to the high salinity.
• If possible place highly desirable plants near an alternative water source, eg rain water, to get them well established without the saline water.

List of Australian Native Plants with salt tolerance.

1^st Line Coast

Ground Covers, Climbers and Low Spreading Plants

Correa decumbens

Dianella revoluta

Eremophila glabra prostrate cerise form

Eremopohila glabra prostrate red form

Grevillea ‘Seaspray’

Isolepis nodosa

Kunzea pomifera

Leuocophyta brownii

Orthrosanthos laxus

Rhagodia spinescens

Scaevola crassifolia

Templetonia retusa prostrate form

Shrubs 1-2m

Atriplex cinerea

Callistemon rugulosus

Eremophila calorhabdos

Eremophila glabra (Rottnest Island)

Hakea cycloptera

Olearia axillaries

Templetonia retusa

Westringia fruticosa

Shrubs over 2m.

Atriplex nummularia

Callistemon teretifolius

Hakea drupacea

Melaleuca nesophila

More lists will be available soon.

Olearia passerinoides (Daisy Bush)

Olearia passerinoides is a mallee daisy and is quite a large bush with bright  green leaves, different to many mallee daisies which often have grey green leaves. Although this is a shrub, to me it behaves as a perennial shrub, in that new growth appears along the older wood.

The bush has a tendency to become scruffy, with the leaves higher up the stems and the flowers also high. If it was cut back to the lower growths, it would have dense foliage and be a more compact plant, and I suspect the flowering would also be quite spectacular.

As usual, I promise myself that I will do this, and yet another season goes buy. Mine have just finished flowering, so out with the secateurs tomorrow, while I think of it.

Olearia passerinoides is drought, lime and frost tolerant. It has clusters of small white daisies and grows to 2-3m tall by about 1.5-2m wide if left to its own devices. Pruning will keep it to a more compact size.

Dampiera rosmarinifolia

I found another good photo of this suckering plant which spreads by underground shoots form the root stock. It is a good hardy plant to have in a perennial border. It is easily kept confined.

It is drought tolerant and frost hardy and grows in lime soils.

Xanthorrhoea glauca ssp. angustifolia

I found this plant in Canberra Botanic gardens in the bush garden with other grasses and daisies. I assume that it is native to the area around Canberra. I could not find ant direct information about the plant. Most of the time I scrabbled around the base of plants in the garden looking for the aluminium tag attached to the plant to read what the species was. Unfortunately, I forgot to check other plants in the area in case there was further information.

Judging by the type of soil and location, I suggest that this plant needs good drainage. It is obviously frost hardy as it was in an exposed situation. There was a saying amongst the Australian Plant Society members that  if a plant grew in Canberra, it would survive any frost that formed in South Australia.

Acacia baileyana prostrate form (Cootamundra Wattle)

The prostrate form of Acacia baileyana is a lovely form of the taller tree. Even without flowers, the dense, grey green foliage is attractive in a garden setting. It cascades over slopes and follows the contour of the ground and it is excellent for covering large areas as a ground cover as it grows 30-60 cm tall and 3-4 metres wide. It has bright yellow flowers from winter to spring. It is a very hardy plant in most situations, withstanding dry periods and growing in full sun to part shade in sand, clay or loam.

A photo of the larger form in flower can be seen here.

Chrysocephalum semipapposum (Clustered Everlasting)

This is one of my favourite plants and it is a member of the daisy family. Members of  The Daisy Study Group had several forms of Chrysocephalum semipapposum growing. Chrysocephalum used to be Helichrysm.

It is a variable species with grey to green leaves which vary in width from quite fine to a coarser leaved form. It has clusters of small yellow flowers, which, if picked quite early in the flowering stage, will keep as an everlasting. If picked to late the flower will continue to open and the seeds will fluff out.

The plants grow from 50-80cm tall and make clumps up to a metre wide. Flowering is from Spring through to autumn so they are good value in the garden, especially in a cottage garden setting. The plants shoot from the bottom, so when the first signs of shooting appear, it is time to chop the clumps back to the new growth.

This plant is hardy in most situations and grows in full sun to filtered or part sun. It withstands periods of dryness but does best with extra moisture. The plant is suitable for heavy clay, loams and sand.

Eucalyptus largiflorens (Black Box)

This is an attractive small to medium tree, 10-20 metres high by 8-15 metres wide, with large clusters of cream flowers loved by bees and Honeyeaters. Black Box are known as good honey producing trees. These trees are seen on the banks or rivers and lakes in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, usually in low lying areas where water once lay. This stimulates the seed germination and is why stands of these trees are often seen in the middle of nowhere. If lakes or rivers have flooded, these seed capsules are left washed at the highest point at that time which may never be reached again. The soils in these areas are clays to heavy loams, which of course makes them ideal for such soils in home gardens, where the soils are poorly drained or alkaline. These trees are also resistant to heavy frost. Flowering is between August and January.

I can’t believe that the proposed name change for this tree is ‘Symphymomyrtus’ ie. the plant is possibly called Symphymomyrtus largiflorens! I haven’t kept up with all the Eucalyptus name changes, except for Corymbia ficifolia (Eucalyptus ficifolia, Western Australian Flowering Gum).

This photo was taken on the banks of the Murrumbidgee at Hay, in NSW.

Eucalyptus largiflorens

Brachychiton rupestris (Bottle Tree)

I found this unusual tree in a park in Nerrandera. It grows to a height of 10-20 metres  and a width of 5-15m. It has yellow belll flowers in clusters, each flower about 5 cm long, in Spring and Summer. It grows in full or part sun, in acidic to mildly alkaline sand loam or clay, and tolerates some dryness. It is suitable hills areas and inland planting. The foliage can be partly deciduous, and stock will eat it.

This plant is suitable for pots, parks and large gardens in favourable areas. As it is so slow growing, it would take many years to be a large tree. More information can be found here.

This plant has been used by Aboriginal people as bush tucker. Warning: the seed pods of Brachychiton rupestris (Bottle Tree) have irritating hairs.

Foliage, roots and seeds are edible, however seeds must be roasted. Another warning! Be sure of the identity of all bush tucker plants before eating!

Templetonia Retusa

There are large, red pea shaped flowers very attractive to birds and butterflies, during winter and spring. This is a hardy plant suitable for front line coast and inland situations. It is moderately frost tolerant and requires good drainage. This can be achieved by creating a planting mound at least 5-10cm higher than the surrounding soil, if drainage is a problem. Templetonia retusa is found in South Australia and Western Australia. More information can be found here and here.

Prostanthera aspalathoides (Mint Bush)

This photo was taken in Little Desert National Park. It grows in the mallee sands and there- fore needs good drainage. The occasional trim after flowering is useful for keeping the bush compact. Nectar feeding birds, like Honeyeaters, love the nectar filled flowers.

This is a species that grows in acid to highly alkaline soil, and is drought and frost hardy. It is suitable for second line coastal planting, and grows to .7m high.

Prostanthera aspalathoides, yellow form (Mint Bush)