If you're looking for a native shrub that provides visual drama all year round, the Wild Rose is worth a look. It has an upright habit with soft grey-green leaves and showy flowers between late autumn and spring. The flowers dangle like little pom-poms and consist of a central cluster of red stamens surrounded by soft, papery, pinkish-red bracts.

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.

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.

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.