Modern Clumping Architectural Plants

Good strappy leaf plants make the best clumping architectural plants. The better ones stay evergreen all year, even through a regular drought. Severe droughts may brown them, but they will return to green after rain. A good one should also be able to stay evergreen in frosts, and not only able to cope with dry, but also too much rain.

Good strappy leaf plants have many benefits. They are unbelievably strong when it comes to preventing erosion. They look great all year round and they require pruning every few years at the most. Planted at the right density, they are great at outcompeting weeds. Varieties of strappy leaf plants that are considered good establish reasonably quickly and are not fussy. They are great for mass planting on roadsides or any type of landscaped garden, but look just as good in high profile raised gardens or planter boxes, or as a feature.

Some of the better strappy leaf plants include Lomandra longifolia, Lomandra hystrix and Lomandra fluviatilis. Not all strappy leaf plants are good though… Lomandra confertifolia types die easily in many situations. Lomandra confertifolia occur naturally in shaded forests, usually in dryer aspects, so they cannot handle the wet or hot exposed sites well.

As with most plants, certain ones will grow better in set climates. For example, Tanika® Lomandra is the biggest selling and most successful landscape plant in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia, but does not do well in humid parts of Queensland. In Queensland, Lomandra hystrix types or Shara™ Lomandra are used instead.

See below for the best architectural clumping plants from Ozbreed along with the advised planting rates.