• Lucious, Shade-loving: Trochocarpa laurina

    Note: The photos on this post were originally misidentified as Decaspermum humile. Thanks to @nightjarnatives who corrected the id on instagram! Trochocarpa laurina or ‘Tree Heath’ is a large shrub to small tree which loves the shade. I have recently spotted it growing under large Eucalyptus in full shade, it also enjoys dappled light. It…

  • Light it up: Grevillea lanigera ‘Mellow Yellow’

    I have mass planted Grevillea ‘Mellow Yellow in a semi shaded position in my garden and have been surprised at its tenacity and ability to cover its self in blooms for an extended period of time. The small striking spider like flowers appeared in Summer and are showing no sign of slowing down as we…

  • Who can resist ? Melaleuca ‘Candy Sparkles’

    Some plants are blessed with fantastic common or cultivar names, this is one such species which I would almost buy for the label alone. ‘Candy Sparkles’ promised to be vibrant, attractive and showy without me even seeing it in the ground! I have been snapping up this cultivar whenever I see it and popping it…

  • Native plants in the Melbourne City Streetscape

    This post is all about praising the plant selection used in the ‘Grey to Green’ project in the City of Melbourne. Much of the plant palate features native species, and on a recent tour I was so impressed with the combinations and utilisation of these species that I felt the need to share some photos…

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  • Happy 10th Eucalyptus Day: Eucalyptus paniculata

    I live among the gum trees, literally … as John Williams sang “Give me a home among the gum trees” this is the best I could hope for in suburbia to be living under the canopy of three magnificent indigenous Grey Ironbarks or Eucalyptus paniculata. I rejoice in their beauty every day. Our bedroom window…

  • The constantly evolving beauty of Ozothamnus diosmifolius

    This small to medium native shrub is a hard one to capture both in an image and in words, I have been documenting these three specimens in my garden since they were planted a couple of years ago. It never seemed the right time to photograph them as the flowers are always changing colour and…

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Mallee Designs’ focus is on providing resources for native plant gardeners and designers.

I have created this website to help promote the use of Australian native plants in garden design, not just for my garden designs but hopefully to inspire anyone out there who is interested in learning more about native plants and to give them a try.
It is created as a resource that I myself use when designing gardens but also as a space to open up discussion. Join me in this ongoing exploration of this amazing country’s natural environment. Browse around, and feel free to comment as you wish.