Hoya Australis
Waxflower
Hoya australis
A lovely Australian native plant is the Hoya australis, commonly known as waxflower.
Baptisia australis, or blue false indigo is a native American beauty. In fact, Europeans used to pay Americans to grow it, for the dye they made from the blue flowers. That's why it's called False Indigo.
Cordyline Australis
Cordyline Australis will grow to around 3m and makes a great tall plant for waterwise gardens. There are number of varieties becoming available in nurseries, with interesting foliage colour.
Baptisia australis, one of the parents of 'Purple Smoke', has thrice-divided, cloverlike leaves; the foliage forms a rounded mound out of which rise bright blue-flowering racemes.
Baptisia australis
Here are some well-behaved perennials that (for me) don't spread, don't need staking, don't have pest problems, and are long lived: ...
Cordyline australis 'Purpurea Group'
Musa basjoo
Trachycarpus fortunei
Agave americana
Phormium 'Maori Chief' ...
Name: Baptisia australis
Zones: 3-8
Picked by: The Better Homes and Gardens garden group editor in chief and BHG.com garden editor ...
Baptisia australis
Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum
Begonia x tuberhybrida pendulous cultivars
Begonia x tuberhybrida upright cultivars
Belamcanda chinensis
Bergenia cordifolia
Boltonia asteroides
Brassica oleracea var acephala ...
Probably the best known is Baptisia australis, which is also the cold hardiest (Zones 3-9). It has upright racemes of pea-like flowers that are a rich indigo blue.
Swedish ivy (Plectranthus australis): The white flower spikes of Swedish ivy are attractive, but they're not an appreciated feature of this foliage favorite.
Another member of the pea family, false blue indigo (Baptisia australis) graces the garden with blue tones from both its leaves and flowers. Its cloverlike leaves are bluegreen, each with three leaflets.
Plectranthus australis
Durable, spreading plant that occasionally grows to 8" tall. Nice as a hanging plant. Glossy green foliage with scalloped edges, sprays of violet & white flowers. Needs some sun each day, and moist soil. Hardy in zones 9-11.
Gardeners have long appreciated false indigo, both the blue-flowered (Baptisia australis) and white-flowered (B. alba) kinds of these hardy perennials.
Creeping Charlie: Plectranthus australis is edible and roots easily in water. Also known as Swedish Begonia and Swedish Ivy. Not to be confused with Ground Ivy (Creeping Jenny). My grow page is here.
Examples are Schefflera actinophylla (Australian umbrella tree) and Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper).
Leaf Arrangements on Stem
Alternate - one leaf at each node, as in Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (hibiscus), Brunfelsia australis ...
Growing Advice: Plant with ample elbow room in a spot where you won't have to move it, because it develops a deep taproot.
Prize Picks: While the blue of Baptisia australis is vivid and beautiful, also consider Baptisia alba, ...
Spare the seedheads of ornamental grasses, purple coneflowers (Echinacea pallida and purpurea), sedums, black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia fulgida) and false indigo (Baptisia australis) during fall cleanup.
 See also: Austral, Plant, Flower, Water, Soil
  
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