Participating nurseries
The following nurseries provide free native plants under Brisbane City Council's Free Native Plants Program.
If you wish to claim your plants from one of these retail nurseries you will need to collect a Free Native Plants voucher prior to visiting the nursery.
To collect your 2 free native plants voucher, just present your paid rates notice from the current financial year at any Council Regional Business Centre, library or ward office.
Residential rates notices are not accepted at participating nurseries in exchange for free native plants.
Retail nursery participants
Christmas and New Year closures
For the opening hours of participating nurseries during the Christmas / New Year period, visit their website or phone them directly.
| Region | Nursery | Address | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | City Farm Nursery (open Tuesday-Sunday) | Northey Street City Farm, 16 Victoria Street, Windsor | 07 3857 8774 |
| South | Crossacres Garden Centre (open Tuesday-Sunday) | 58 Crossacres Street, Doolandella | CrossacresGarden@gmail.com |
| East | B4C Sustainability Centre (open Monday-Friday) | Corner of Wright Street and 1358 Old Cleveland Road, Carindale (access via 21 Wright Street) | 07 3398 8003 |
| East | Daly’s Native Plants (open Monday-Saturday) | 57 Weedon Street West, Mansfield | 07 3349 0807 |
| West | Paten Park Native Nursery (open Tuesday-Sunday) | 57 Paten Road, The Gap | 07 3300 6304 |
Council collection points
Downfall Creek Bushland Centre and Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre are additional collection points for free native plants. Residential ratepayers can present their paid rates notice from the current financial year in exchange for 2 free plants.
Christmas and New Year closures
During the Christmas / New Year period, Council's collection points will be closed on the following dates:
- Downfall Creek Bushland Centre - closed from 20 December 2024, reopening 7 January 2025
- Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre and Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre - closed from 23 December 2024, reopening 4 January 2025.
| Region | Council collection point | Address | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| North | Downfall Creek Bushland Centre (open Tuesday to Friday) | 815 Rode Road, Chermside West | 07 3407 2400 |
North | Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre | 31 Paperbark Drive, Boondall | 07 3403 1490 |
| South | Karawatha Forest Discovery Centre (open Tuesday to Sunday) | 149 Acacia Road, Karawatha | 07 3178 0330 |
View the list of native plant species available for residents. Not all species are available at every nursery and some plants are subject to seasonal availability.
Planting your free plants
To help you establish your new native plants, watch our video below or watch it on Council's YouTube channel.
Video transcript
This is a transcript for the How to plant your free native plants video.
Hi, I’m Annette McFarlane for Brisbane City Council’s Free Native Plants program. I’m going to show you the simple steps to help you get your native plants off to a great start.
Now hopefully you’ve done a bit of pre-planning and worked out what you want your native to do, where it’s going, and you have selected the right species for the job.
- Plant as soon as you can after bringing your native plant home
- Dig the hole twice as large as the container the plant comes in
- If the soil is dry like it is here, water the hole with some liquid seaweed or fertiliser
- Gently remove the plant from its container, there should be no need to tease the roots
- Place it into the hole at the right level, backfill and firm
- If you have some compost it always helps to use it when you plant
- Make sure to mulch around the plant
- Water well until the plant’s established, that’s usually for the next two-to-three months
- Once it is established feed with a good-quality native fertiliser to help your plant really grow strongly.
So there you go. With just a little care and attention up front your plant has the best chance of getting established and give you benefits for years to come.
There’s a variety of natives available through the program including ground covers, flowering container plants, tufting grasses, vines, butterfly-attractors, screens and of course iconic Australian features trees.
For more on natives and the free plants program visit Council’s website.