Native garden inspiration

Whether you live on the coast or in the hills, discover native plants suitable for your local area, inspired by the thriving gardens at several of our sites around South Australia.

Different plant species require certain soil nutrients, climates and watering levels, amongst other factors, to thrive.

The native gardens surrounding some of our depots and wastewater treatment plants provide perfect examples of trees, shrubs, groundcovers and wildflowers that have been carefully selected to complement these varied conditions.

Where to buy: Visit the Green Adelaide website for a list of nurseries that stock native plants.

Gumnut Garden (Residential)

The Gumnut Garden by Oxigen is a bold reimagining of a residential city garden that delivers layered beauty with less water.

Gumnut Garden represents an adventurous trial in the use of a broad selection of native arid-land species, including several fascinating dwarf eucalypts combined with native wildflowers in a contemporary garden setting.

Water conservation and climate resilience drove many of the design elements including soil preparation, infiltration trenches, plant selection and succession planting.

Soft grey and green foliage, ornate gumnuts and delicate wildflowers are artfully combined with a network of paths and untreated materials to create a unique garden aesthetic that is distinctly South Australian in character.

Bird baths and garden pools scattered amongst the foliage create a leafy micro-climate that provides a welcoming habitat for both people and wildlife.

Click on the headings below to see the species lists.

Awards: 2025 AILA - SA Water For Life Award, 2025 AILA SA Award of Excellence for Gardens

Woodside Depot

More than 190 locally sourced native plants can be found at our Woodside Depot, showcasing a lush range of natives that are indigenous to the Adelaide Hills. The layered plantings of groundcovers, sedges, shrubs and trees were designed in partnership with local specialists Mark Thomas with aftercare and pruning by Amanda Pearce.

The garden features 30 species of local native flora, carefully selected for their visual appeal and adaptation to the area’s acidic loam soils and cool winter conditions. Some of the many species to feature in the garden include the Notched Sedge, Slender Mint, Long Purple-flag, Smooth Correa and Hill Indigo.

1. Angled Lobelia (Lobelia anceps) - mat
2. Slender Mint (Mentha diemenica) – herb
3. Notched Sedge (Carex bichenoviana) – sedge
4. Yellow-anther Flax-lily (Dianella longifolia) – sedge
5. Long Purple-flag (Patersonia occidentalis) – sedge
6. Round-leaf Wattle (Acacia acinacea) – shrub
7. Heath Grevillea (Grevillea lavandulacea) – shrub
8. Clasping Goodenia (Goodenia amplexans) – shrub
9. Austral Indigo (Indigofera australis) – shrub

Kadina Depot

The once dusty frontage to our Kadina Depot has been given a boost with a beautiful native landscape garden. The space demonstrates climate-adapted gardening that celebrates regional biodiversity, laid out in three garden styles – small courtyard, shady woodland and semi-arid.

We designed the garden using 34 species of local native plants, which were carefully selected for their heat tolerance and adaptation to the area’s alkaline soils. Some of the species to keep an eye out for include the Mallee Blueflower, Austral Bugle, Bluebells and Sturt’s Desert Rose.

The landscape work was done in partnership with David Sloper, the Australian Plants Society Northern Yorke Group and local Aboriginal business Stone Environmental.

1. Desert Senna (Senna artemisioides ssp petiolaris) - medium shrub
2. Sweet Bursaria (Bursaria spinosa) - large shrub
3. Drooping Sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) - small tree
4. Pink velvet bush (Lasiopetalum behri) - medium shrub
5. (Dampiera rosmarinifolia) - spreading herb
6. Common wallaby grass (Rytidosperma caespitosum) - grass
7. Narrow leaf hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa ssp. angustissima) - large shrub

Port Pirie Depot

We are developing a layered native garden at our Port Pirie Depot, comprising of ground cover, shrubs and small trees, all sourced through the Port Augusta Arid Lands Botanic Garden.

Using plants native to this region ensures they will thrive in their surroundings, limiting impact from the local hot and dry environment.

Drip-irrigation will be used during warmer months to optimise plant performance, however ground cover species are an example of a living mulch that retains moisture in the soil, supporting the surrounding plants and reducing their reliance on water.

The garden will also feature tight pockets of seasonal colour that can be heavily pruned back in summer when the landscape is dry.

The diverse range of species being planted supports biodiversity outcomes and invites native birds and bees into the urban garden.

The garden will reach semi-maturity in late 2023 and achieve full maturity in around five years’ time.

1. Drooping She-oak (Allocasuarina verticillata) - tree
2. Native Apricot (Pittosporum angustifolium) – small tree
3. Weeooka (Eremophila oppositifolia) – tall shrub
4. Spiny Saltbush (Rhagodia spinescens) – low shrub
5. Turnbull's Smooth Correa (Correa glabra var. turnbullii) – low shrub
6. Common Everlasting (Chrysocephalum apiculatum) – herb
7. Clustered Everlasting (Chrysocephalum semipapposum) – herb
8. Round Pig-face (Disphyma crassifolium) – mat
9. Creeping Boobialla (Myoporum parvifolium) – mat
10. Prostrate Emu-Bush (Eremophila glabra) ‘Roseworthy’ – mat

Pycnosorus globusus also found in the Port Pirie Depot

Where to buy: Visit the Northern and Yorke Landscape SA website for a list of nurseries that stock native plants.