To celebrate the 134th Arbor Day, Council is offering eligible schools the opportunity to request native plants for planting on their school grounds. Every plant adds to our city’s urban forest, supports our unique wildlife and makes Brisbane cleaner, greener and more sustainable.
For Arbor Day 2024, Brisbane schools are eligible to receive:
- primary schools – up to 50 free native plants
- secondary schools – up to 50 free native plants
- special schools – up to 50 free native plants.
Groundcovers
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|
| Cut-leafed daisy (Brachyscome multifida) | Hardy eye-catching ground cover to 150 millimetres with purple daisy flowers throughout the year. Best grown in full sun. Especially effective in rockeries, mass plantings, pots, hanging baskets and borders. | Bees, lizards |
| Creeping boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) | Hardy prostrate groundcover that grows to one metre. Purple and white flowers during the summer months. An excellent spreading groundcover for a sunny well-drained position. Suitable in pots or containers. | Bees, lizards |
| Native violet (Viola hederacea) | Attractive dense groundcover that grows to 15 centimetres suitable for damp shady areas. Small, round, light green leaves with violet flowers throughout the year. Ideal for rockeries, mass plantings, pots and hanging baskets. | Lizards, frogs |
Tufting plants and grasses
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|
| Blue flax (Dianella sp.) | Hardy plant with long, strappy leaves that grows to 45 centimetres. Blue flowers on branched spikes appear in spring. Bright blue berries occur after flowering. Prefers a sunny position in well-drained soil. | Birds, lizards |
| Knobby club rush (Ficinia nodosa) | Tough, fast-growing, spreading, tufting grass with upright, dark green foliage up to one metre. Grows best in a full sun position. Brownish flower heads are produced on spikes throughout the year. Great plant for water features, ponds and effective in mass planting or containers | Birds, frogs, lizards |
| Mat rush (Lomandra sp.) | Deep green, glossy, narrow strap leaves to one metre. Small yellow-cream flowers in spring and summer. Grow in a full sun to partial shade position. | Frogs, lizards |
Climbers
| Species | Description and growing requirement | Attracts |
|---|
| Guinea vine (Hibbertia scandens) | A vigorous twiner with glossy, dark green leaves and large, golden yellow flowers over spring and summer. Grows to 1.5 metres and makes an excellent screening plant on walls or fences. Prefers well-drained soil. Grow in full sun to partial shade in an open position. Suitable for tubs and containers or as a groundcover. | Birds |
| Bower vine (Pandorea jasminoides) | A hardy, vigorous, evergreen twining plant over 4 metres+ with spectacular floral display. Flowers are pale pink with a deep pink throat and appear from spring through to late summer. Thrives in a full sun to partial shade position with good drainage. Best grown as a screen on a fence or trellis. Also great in large pots. | Butterflies, bees, insects |
| Grape ivy (Cissus rhombifolia 'Ellen Danica') | An attractive, fast growing dense climber with large shiny green ‘grape-like’ leaves. Great for hanging baskets in a bright indoor position, or on a trellis in a shaded area in the garden. Plant in well drained soil and water regularly. | |
Small shrubs - 0.5 metres to two meters
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|
| Coastal rosemary (Westringia sp.) | Hardy, small, fast-growing, evergreen shrub that grows to 1m². Long flowering and suitable as a hedge or screening plant or for low maintenance gardens, exposed sites and coastal gardens. Suitable for container planting. | Birds, butterflies, insects |
| Tea tree (Leptospermum sp.) | Attractive small shrub ranging in size from 80 centimetres up to two metres. Showy pink or white flowers in spring and autumn. Prefers moist well-drained soil in full sun or light shade. A useful feature plant for rockeries or over retaining walls. | Insects, bees |
| Palm lily (Cordyline sp.) | Hardy and beautiful strappy foliage plant that is available in a variety of colours. Small creamy white or pale pink flowers during late spring to summer. Best grown in a full sun to part shade position in the garden or in a large container. Prefers moist well-drained soil and regular watering. | Insects |
| Thyme honey myrtle (Melaleuca thymifolia) | Small hardy shrub to 1m². Mauve claw type flowers occur in clusters and are borne during summer. Grows best in full sun with good drainage. Suitable for large pots or containers. | Insects |
Medium shrubs - two to five metres
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|
| Swamp banksia (Banksia robur) | Hardy, evergreen shrub to two metres with bold flowing spikes in a variety of single colours. Flowers appear from autumn through to spring. Plant in an open, sunny position in well-drained soil. To encourage flower production and thicker foliage, cut flowering spikes and use in a floral display. | Birds, bees, butterflies, insects |
| Bottlebrush (Callistemon ‘Captain Cook’) | Hardy, woody shrub that grows up to five metres that produces beautiful blooms in a variety of single colours in spring and summer and sometimes again in autumn. Plant in a moist, well-drained, sunny position. Regularly prune to encourage bushier growth and increased flower production. Bottlebrushes make excellent screening plants and are quick growers. | Birds, insects |
| Lillypilly (Syzygium sp.) | Hardy evergreen plants to five metres with glossy, green leaves with fluffy, pom-pom, white flowers in spring and summer followed by red berries. Prefers a sunny position with well-drained soil. Lillypillies make excellent screens, windbreaks and hedges and can be pruned to size and shape. | Birds, bees, flying foxes |
Shade and feature trees - over five metres
| Species | Description and growing requirements | Attracts |
|---|
| Golden penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) | An attractive specimen tree up to eight metres. Showy, dense cluster of golden yellow flowers appear from summer to winter. Plant in full sun to part shade in well-drained soil. Suitable as a hedge, windbreak, screen, or feature tree. | Birds |
| Tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides) | Attractive evergreen shade tree with rounded canopy. Grows to 8 metres. Green-yellow flowers are produced in autumn followed by orange fruits in winter. Plant in a full sun to partial shade position in organic rich soil. Ideal as a shade or specimen tree. | Birds, bees, insects |
| Tulipwood (Harpulia pendula) | A hardy, fast-growing, evergreen tree that grows up to 10 metres with attractive, pale green foliage. Large sprays of light green-yellow, slightly fragrant flowers appear in summer followed by orange fruit. Requires open sunny position in a light to medium soil type. Excellent shade tree. | Birds, bees |