In the world of Australian native plants, few things command attention quite like the Swamp Lily (Crinum pedunculatum). While its common name might suggest it is strictly for the boggy corners of the garden, this architectural plant is one of the most versatile and resilient lilies you can grow.

If you’ve spent any time admiring contemporary landscape design, chances are you’ve already encountered the upright silhouette of Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’. I recently saw it at two open gardens and was reminded of its usefulness as a vertical structural element in naturalistic plantings.

Woolly bush is a wonderfully textural shrub that is a favourite of mine for sensory and children’s gardens. It’s soft needles and greyish-green foliage make it equally useful as a feature plant or to fade into the background planted en masse as an informal screen.

Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are, in my opinion, the quintessential ornamental edible plant. They quickly cover a trellis or fence, put on a show of bright red flowers, and reward you with nutritious beans.

Alyogyne hueglii are wonderfully versatile, resilient native shrubs. Their evergreen foliage and long flowering season mean you’ll get year-round interest, whether you pop them into a mixed border or let them shine as standalone feature plants.

In its native habitat in arid Australia, this low-growing perennial erupts into masses of feathery mauve flowers after spring rains, and continues flowering for most of the year. It’s best suited to dryer climates in temperate, arid and dry tropical regions; growing well in rockeries and containers with a good free-draining potting mix.

This is my favourite salvia and one of my favourite perennials, being long-flowering from late summer through to winter and easy to maintain with gorgeous colour.

Zinnias are well-suited to our warming Australian climate, providing bursts of colour and attracting beneficial insects.