How to design an Australian native garden

Key overview: How to design an Australian native garden

Here’s how Bunnings Workshop community member Kayne’s careful planning paid off to create interest points.

• Start with design. Kayne first step was to make a sketch of the site, outlining his overall design.
• Collect what you need. He sourced three secondhand ponds and mended them using a fibreglass repair kit.
• Work with existing elements. A boundary wall was partly disguised with several snake plants (Sansevieria trifasciata), sculptural grass trees (Xanthorrhoea glauca) and a spill of ‘Cousin It’ (Casuarina glaucus).
• Landscape and plant. Low gabion walls were built to divide the garden and driveway, and softened with a sprawl of low-maintenance pigface (Carpobrotus glaucescens).
• Add detail. Kayne placed potted plants, such as the bee-attracting lotus (or parrot’s beak plant), on top of the recycled jetty pylons.

Who designed this Australian native garden?

Bunnings Workshop community member Kayne (@KanoLaLa). He lives here with his wife, their three grown children and their dog, Lucky. This garden space was his first from-scratch landscaping project and a major learning curve, but the result looks so good, passers-by have asked if they can hire him.

His best advice for D.I.Y.ers? “Re-use or incorporate reclaimed materials for a unique design. It’s great to see what you can create from recycled things.”

Tip: Always wear the appropriate safety equipment (safety glasses, gloves, ear muffs and a mask, for example) and always follow the instructions for the product or equipment.

What is the inspiration behind this native garden design?

Front gardens can tend to the formulaic. But with his new house built towards the rear of the block in Marino Rocks, Adelaide’s south, Kayne had space to play. The initial goal was a buffer between house and road but as he poured his creative energy and new landscaping nous into the space, it became much more:

• Creating an experience. As well as looking good, it has winding paths leading further in, inventive features that surprise and delight, and layers of native plants to entice local fauna.
• Adding unique pre-loved treasures. The bulk of the work took a few weeks of solid labour, but the project began some years prior while the house was being built, with keen treasure hunter Kayne collecting various items for future use, including from online marketplaces. “The challenge with using a lot of salvaged items, I guess, is to not have it look too junky,” he says.
• Adapting to the local climate. Kayne, a finalist in the Best Landscaping category of our 2025 Australia’s Best Backyards search, also took inspiration from his neighbourhood, admiring the lovingly tended gardens and taking note of what caught his eye. “This was all new to me. I’ve planted stuff before – I’d just grab what I liked, put it in the ground and hope it worked,” he says. “But this time, I had a blank canvas, so I could really think about what I wanted to achieve.” The answer was a hardy garden that would thrive in the coastal clifftop location.
• Using a colour scheme. Colour was important, with Kayne determined to stick to a palette of reds, yellows and oranges. An existing crimson bottlebrush (Callistemon spp) sets the tone, along with kangaroo paw (Anigozanthos spp), red-flowering gum (Corymbia ficifolia) and yellow buttons (Chrysocephalum apiculatum).

How we can help you choose native plants for your garden

His plan for a robust, wildlife-filled garden led Kayne towards a palette of mostly native plants, guided by Jess, a Bunnings Team Member in the garden centre at his local Bunnings store. “She was so passionate and so helpful,” says Kayne. “Natives never really excited me, but once I started exploring them, they’re actually incredible with their shapes and colours.” One of the few exceptions is a frangipani, which shows Kayne’s passion for re-use. “I salvaged that from a demolition. It was a 60-year-old frangipani, so I couldn’t bear to see it go in the trash.”

How to add creative touches to your garden

Many of the garden’s features are pre-loved objects, re-invented with a creative twist. “Pretty much everything in that garden, other than drainage and lights, is recycled,” says Kayne. The space is framed by a low gabion wall, built from solid cages bought secondhand. “They looked so ugly and I was like, ‘What have I done?’ But, filled with rocks, they look amazing.”

The coastal location gets a nod with a trio of jetty pylons. “My friend is a marine scientist and he came across these jetty pylons from a wharf that was being demolished,” says Kayne. Cut into three staggered lengths and set upright with plants spilling down the sides, they enjoy a new life as a sculptural feature. A series of three ponds, found secondhand online and now fully restored, creates a magnet for wildlife (including Lucky the dog) and people. “It’s nice to sit out there on a rock with a cup of tea and watch the goldfish. And the fountain takes away a bit of the street noise, too.”

Keep in mind…

• Always check with your local authority if watering restrictions apply in your area, and adjust timer settings to suit.
• Before installing a pond or water feature, check your local authority’s safety regulations and guidelines. Always closely supervise children around any body of water.
• Wear gloves and a mask when handling mulch, compost and potting mix.
• Take care when selecting your plants as some can be poisonous to children and pets, and check their suitability for your region, as some may be classified as weeds in certain states and territories.
• Store all garden chemicals and products out of reach of children and pets.

Keen to add some serenity to your backyard?

Check out our article on how to create a water feature.

Photo credit: Kayne Ensten.