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Best plants for wet areas in Australian gardens, and where to buy them online

Best plants for wet areas in Australian gardens, and where to buy them online

Wet areas are not always obvious until plants fail. Low points, blocked drainage, and compacted soil all create conditions where water lingers. Especially when clay dominates the texture and there is little organic matter or living organisms in the soil.

Don’t worry! These growing environments are actually not difficult at all to grow in; it’s just that your palette of available plants has shrunk significantly, with only varieties that can tolerate these conditions being available to you. This guide will give you a list of Australian and exotic plants that landscape architects regularly specify for high profile rain gardens and neglected roadside bioswales alike.

Signs you need wet-tolerant plants

  • Soil stays damp days after rain
  • Water pools after storms, even if you need to dig down a few cm to find the pooling
  • Plants yellow or rot at the crown

Plants that tolerate wet soil

Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ1’ PBR Trade Name Better John™

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

Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ23’ PBR Trade Name Green John™ 

Green John

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

Callistemon viminalis ‘LC01’ PBR Trade Name Macarthur™ 

Slim

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

Callistemon viminalis ‘CV01’ PBR Trade Name Slim™

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

Dianella caerulea ‘DCNC3’ PBR Trade Name Baby Breeze™

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

Westringia fruticosa ‘WES04’ PBR Trade Name Grey Box™

Grey Box

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

Westringia fruticosa ‘WES05’ PBR Trade Name Mundi™

Mundi

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

Liriope muscari ‘LIRTP’ PBR Trade Name Amethyst™ 

Amethyst

Richly coloured foliage with brilliant purple flower spikes

Liriope muscari ‘LIRF’ PBR Trade Name Isabella® 

Isabella

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

Liriope muscari ‘LIRJ’ PBR Trade Name Just Right® 

Just Right

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

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

Evergreen Baby

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

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

Lomandra longifolia ‘LM360’ PBR Trade Name Lady Tanika®

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

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘LM380’ PBR Trade Name Shara Blue™

Shara Blue

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

Lomandra fluviatilis ‘ABU7’ PBR Trade Name Shara™

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

Lomandra hystrix ‘LHWP’ PBR Trade Name Tropic Cascade™

Tropic Cascade

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

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

Rhaphiolepis Cosmic Pink™

Cosmic Pink

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

Rhaphiolepis Cosmic White™
Cosmic White

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

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

Buyer takeaway

If the area stays wet for days rather than hours, avoid drought-only plants and choose species that evolved with seasonal moisture. A bit of drought tolerance does go a long way, though, because often these areas not only lack drainage but they also lack irrigation, so plants must stay strong throughout all seasons. All plants above are both wet and dry tolerant and do not require babysitting.

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