7 SA native plants that are perfect for an Aussie Christmas

As Christmas draws near, we’re flooded with images of exotic Christmas plants. Pine trees, holly, mistletoe and poinsettia.

It's time for a rethink!

With our Australian summer Christmas, we don't need to look far for festive flowers and foliage.

Check out these South Australian beauties and have yourself a merry local Christmas!

1. Sturt’s desert pea

Big, bold and bright, Sturt’s desert pea (Swainsona formosa) is the floral emblem of South Australia. It makes a gorgeous alternative to poinsettia, the red-leafed Mexican plant that so many of us have given and received as Christmas gifts.

Many plant nurseries now sell Sturt’s desert peas in bloom around Christmas time. 

It's well-suited to pots so long as it has free-draining potting mix and plenty of sunshine. 

Water sparingly onto the soil, not the plant.

It's quite hard to replicate the plant's very specific desert growing conditions, so don't be disappointed if it dies off after flowering. 

Just enjoy those spectacular Sturt's desert pea flowers while they last!

2. Bottlebrush (Callistemon)

Bottlebrush plants are adorned with bright, festive blooms from spring to early summer. 

Fresh-cut flowers bring splashy red and green colour to your table. 

Potted young plants make great gifts that can later be planted in the garden to provide a feast for nectar-loving birds and insects. 

Just make sure you choose a variety that will grow to a size suited to your recipient's garden.

Scarlet bottlebrush (Callistemon rugulosus) and Flinders Ranges bottlebrush (Callistemon teretifolius) are ideal, as they're both native to SA and won't grow too large.

3. Callitris pines

Also known as native cypress, these pines grow naturally in South Australia and other states. 

Look for two SA-native varieties that make good Aussie Christmas trees: Callitris glaucophylla (white cypress pine) and Callitris gracillis (slender cypress pine). 

They both tend to grow as a single trunk in the classic conical pine tree shape.

If you've visited the Flinders Ranges, you've probably seen the white cypress growing on rocky hillsides. 

Its strong timber was used by early white settlers for many purposes, including 'pug and pine' walls of logs and mud.

The slender cypress is found more commonly on the Eyre Peninsula and Murraylands.

A small Callitris can be kept in a pot and brought indoors during the festive season. 

If it outgrows that purpose after a few years, it can make a very hardy and attractive evergreen addition to your garden. 

You'll need a bit of space; they can grow several metres wide and up to 15 - 20m tall under the right conditions.

4. Cross-leaved honey-myrtle (Melaleuca decussata)

This attractive large bush bears pretty purple flowers around Christmas time. 

With a soft and dense bushy growth habit, it can be trimmed to shape and is a useful plant for hedging and screening. 

The flowers will attract bees, butterflies and birds to your garden.

Melaleuca decussata grows commonly in the south of our state.

It's adaptable to various soils and likes a moderate rainfall, so well worth a try if you're not in an arid zone.

5. Holly-leaf grevillea

South Australia's native holly-leaf grevillea, grevillia ilicifolia, has spiky leaves reminiscent of the common English or European holly plant.

Grow this and you'll have the ideal replacement for use in wreaths and table decorations that would normally use common English holly.
 
Please don't plant common holly - it's an environmental weed in South Australia!

Grevillea ilicifolia grows into a small bush up to about 1.5m or can sometimes take on a low, spreading form.

It bears small clusters of red flowers in spring, attracting birds and insects.

6. South Australian Christmas bush (Bursaria spinosa)

Dreaming of a white Christmas? Look no further than South Australia's own Christmas bush, sweet bursaria, (Bursaria spinosa). 

This branching shrub looks fairly unassuming most of the year. 

But as Christmas approaches, it heralds the season by bursting with showy clusters of creamy-white blossoms. 

Birds and insects, including butterflies, flock to the sweet bursaria for its nectar. 

Plant this one for its flowers and the native visitors!

7. Mistletoe

The origin of the Christmas tradition of kissing under mistletoe is a bit of a mystery, but seems to go back at least couple of hundred years in England.

Quite a few species of mistletoe are native to South Australia. 

However, you won't find it in a pot at your local plant nursery. 

It's semi-parasitic, meaning it can only be found growing on another plant.

So, how can you just 'happen' to find yourself and a loved one under some mistletoe this Christmas? 

We suggest you organise a fun date to a national park near you! 

Go for a walk and see what you can spot. Look out for bushy growths that might have a different leaf shape and colour to the rest of the tree.

To find out more about our native mistletoe varieties, have a look at this very informative article about native mistletoe by our friends at Green Adelaide, including a how-to if you want to try propagating on a host tree at home.

Seek out Australian Christmas plants that are suitable for gardens at  State Flora   and other native plant nurseries. 

If you'd like to browse a range of plants suitable for your area of the state, try the online Botanic Gardens of South Australia Plant Selector.