PLANNING OPTIONS
TALLER SUBTROPICALS
Clumping palms such as lady palm (Rhapis
excelsa), sugar cane palm (Dypsis baronii), cluster palm (Chamaedorea costaricana), dwarf umbrella tree (Schefflera arboricola), fairy bamboo (Drepanostachyum falcatum) or similar bamboo,
Chinese lantern (Abutilon).
MEDIUM-HEIGHT SUBTROPICALS
Ctenanthe species, aspidistra, shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet), blue ginger (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora),
Japanese laurel (Aucuba japonica), Luculia grandiflora, vireya rhododendron, coffee plant
(Coffea arabica), gardenia, clivia, crinum lilies, hippeastrum, tractor seat plant (Ligularia reniformis).
LOW SUBTROPICALS (FRONT OF BORDER)
Impatiens species, Dianella ‘Tasred’, Lomandra ‘Evergreen Baby’, Liriope species, mondo grass,
Philodendron ‘Xanadu’.
ENTRANCE GARDEN
Plant sun-loving species with taller plants at the back. Try bird of paradise (Strelitzia sp), tibouchina, hibiscus, dwarf Australian frangipani
(Hymenosporum flavum), rain lilies (Zephyranthes),
Dianella ‘Little Jess’, black mondo grass.
NOTE Most of the plants listed here are suitable for the conditions of this particular site, which is warm and sunny. These plant suggestions are a guide only. Check them out at your local nursery and ask about their growth rate, height and spread, and whether they’re suitable for your garden’s conditions.