Best bioswale plants in Australia and where to buy them online

Australian gardeners and landscape professionals are increasingly designing with water movement in mind. Bioswales are landscape elements that slow, capture, and filter stormwater while reducing erosion and improving water quality.

Possibly the greatest challenge in a bioswale is plant selection. The wrong plant will either drown or die back in dry spells, and while this is a completely natural process, aesthetic standards dictate that we not give our sites back to the “weeds”. What we want are plants that thrive in both saturated conditions and periodic drought, retain structure, and help stabilise soil.

Below are well-suited bioswale plants you can buy online and plant with confidence.

What makes a good bioswale plant

Plants communities that:

• Tolerate both wet soil and periods of dryness
• Include different functional offerings, from roots to above-ground protections.
• Facilitate the microbiology that cleans up pollution and pathogens after weather evens.
• Provide year-round structure and weed suppression
• Support filtration and moisture movement

Top Australian plants for bioswales

Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ1’ PBR Trade Name Better John™

Soft blue-green dense foliage; very compact native shrub; vibrant red flowers

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $6.55. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/callistemon-better-john.html

Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ23’ PBR Trade Name Green John™ 

Lime-green new growth; bushy, fast to establish; small and compact

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $6.55. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/callistemon-green-john.html
• The Plant Cellar: Pot; From $5.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/callistemon-green-john/

Callistemon viminalis ‘LC01’ PBR Trade Name Macarthur™ 

Hybrid bottlebrush blending Little John and Captain Cook; bushy shrub with abundant red flowers

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $6.30. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/callistemon-macarthur.html
• The Plant Cellar: Pot; From $12.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/callistemon-macarthur/

Callistemon viminalis ‘CV01’ PBR Trade Name Slim™

Narrow-growing tall bottlebrush; ideal for driveways and narrow beds

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $6.20. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/callistemon-slim.html
• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $6.50. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/slim-callistemon

Dianella caerulea ‘DCNC3’ PBR Trade Name Baby Breeze™

Suitable for mid to upper slopes of periodic wet areas. Spreads with runners to fill gaps. Dwarf form of Breeze® flax lily; mat-forming and weed-suppressing with blue flowers

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $8.65. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/dianella-baby-breeze.html
• The Plant Cellar: Pot; From $12.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/dianella-baby-breeze/

Westringia fruticosa ‘WES04’ PBR Trade Name Grey Box™

Award-winning dwarf coastal rosemary forming a perfect compact ball of silvery-grey foliage with white flowers; requires no clipping

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $7.45. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/westringia-grey-box.html
• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $6.90. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/grey-box

Westringia fruticosa ‘WES05’ PBR Trade Name Mundi™

Low-growing trailing Westringia forming a dense groundcover; ideal for slopes and banks; hardy and drought tolerant

• The Plant Cellar: Forestry tube or pot; From $12.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/mundi-westringia-fruticosa-wes05/

Liriope muscari ‘LIRTP’ PBR Trade Name Amethyst™ 

Richly coloured foliage with brilliant purple flower spikes

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $8.00. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/liriope-amethyst.html

Liriope muscari ‘LIRF’ PBR Trade Name Isabella® 

Lawn-alternative lily turf; mow once a year; suited to sun or shade

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $7.95. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/liriope-isabella.html
• The Plant Cellar: Pot; From $9.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/liriope-isabella/

Liriope muscari ‘LIRJ’ PBR Trade Name Just Right® 

Hardy, consistent rich-green lily turf; easy care and drought tolerant

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $6.15. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/liriope-just-right.html
• The Plant Cellar: Pot; From $5.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/liriope-just-right/

Lomandra labill. ‘LM600’ PBR Trade Name Evergreen Baby™

Dense compact Lomandra with fine foliage; hardy and tolerant of drought and wet soil (non-humid regions preferred)

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; Out of stock. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/lomandra-evergreen-baby.html
• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $6.95. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/evergreen-baby

Lomandra hystrix ‘LHBYF’ PBR Trade Name Katie Belles™

Tall Lomandra longifolia with graceful weeping foliage and large fragrant flower spikes; ideal feature or mass planting

• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $7.50. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/katie-belles

Lomandra longifolia ‘LM360’ PBR Trade Name Lady Tanika®

Dwarf form of Tanika; neat clumping green foliage; sterile and disease-resistant

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $7.95. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/lomandra-lady-tanika.html
• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $8.90. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/lady-tanika-lomandra-longifolia

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘LM380’ PBR Trade Name Shara Blue™

Blue-green version of Shara; compact erosion-control habit; resilient in exposed or wet sites

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $7.95. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/lomandra-shara-blue.html
• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $7.90. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/shara-blue-lomandra-pbr

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘ABU7’ PBR Trade Name Shara™

Compact Lomandra with very fine leaves; ideal for erosion control and humid or wet soils

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; Out of stock. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/lomandra-shara.html
• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $6.85. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/shara

Lomandra hystrix ‘LHWP’ PBR Trade Name Tropic Cascade™

Mid-sized Lomandra hystrix with weeping deep-green foliage and fragrant yellow flowers; suits wet or dry soils

• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $7.50. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/tropic-cascade
• Plants in a Box: Plant pack; Varies. https://plantsinabox.com.au/products/lomandra-hystrix-tropic-cascade-pbr-plant-pack

Cenchrus purpurascens ‘PA300’ Trade Name Nafray®

Non‑invasive native grass with fine texture; drought tolerant and showy plumes

• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $6.95. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/nafray
• The Plant Cellar: Pot; $15.90. https://theplantcellar.com.au/product/nafray-pennisetum/

Rhaphiolepis Cosmic Pink™

Dwarf Indian Hawthorn with profuse pink flowers and hardy evergreen foliage; ideal for hedges or foundation plantings

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $6.15. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/rhaphiolepis-cosmic-pink.html

Rhaphiolepis Cosmic White™

Improved Indian Hawthorn with large pure-white flowers and disease-resistant foliage

• Australian Plants Online: Tubestock; $6.15. https://www.australianplantsonline.com.au/rhaphiolepis-cosmic-white.html

Zoysia native hybrid ‘ZOY01’ PBR Trade Name Ozbreed Zen Grass®

Remarkably resilient in periodic flooding through trials in NSW, included in this list for lawn areas that get a bit boggy from time to time. Fine, dense native turf grass; low mounding habit and very low maintenance (1-2 mows per year); ideal lawn alternative

• The Plant Hub: 50 mm tube; $6.50. https://theplanthub.com.au/products/zen-grass

Buyer takeaway

For bioswales that function both during storms and in dry periods, choose plants with proven tolerance to wet feet and drought. These options establish quickly and tolerate wide fluctuations in moisture without constant intervention.