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Australian Wildflowers and Hackable Natives: The Secret to Saving Money
When it comes to landscaping in the harsh climates of Australia, the secret to long-lived, low-cost plant maintenance often lies beneath the surface. What’s happening underground – the roots and rhizomes – can make the difference between a plant bouncing back from a stressful event or not.
Some Australian plants thrive with minimal intervention, and benefit from a hard prune every few years to give them a new lease on life. By choosing the right plants, we can save time, effort, and money while enjoying vibrant, low-maintenance landscapes.
Unlocking Underground Resilience
Labour costs for maintaining gardens have skyrocketed, making machine-maintained plants more beneficial than ever compared with time-intensive hand-manicured plants. With robust underground growth, they’re able to bounce back quickly even after harsh treatment or poor care.
If you’ve been hesitant about hacking back your plants, knowing which ones can handle it will give you the confidence to prune away.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a list of the hardiest Australian plants that can tolerate such punishment. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as looking at the species level, as different varieties of the same species vary wildly in their performance, so we’ll be focusing on particular cultivated varieties.
Saving Money with Strappy Leaf Plants
Sturdy perennial strappy leaf plants can be a lifesaver for cost-sensitive projects compared with turfgrass, manicured hedges and annuals, which require much more maintenance.
These versatile plants not only look fantastic but are also incredibly resilient. Take Lady Tanika® Lomandra, for example. After being hacked right down, it regrows quickly, maintaining its lush, healthy appearance.
Another favourite is Baby Breeze™ Dianella, which also thrives after being slashed with a brush cutter or tractor slasher. Whether trimmed neatly with hedge trimmers or roughly hacked with a brushcutter, such sturdy strappy plants bounce back effortlessly.
However, not all strappy plants are so resilient. Many lomandras and dianellas are fussy with the height they can tolerate being pruned to, and will experience dieback at the slightest sign of stress, or may fail altogether when pruned hard.
It’s All About What’s Underground
The sprawling rhizomes and roots of the plants mentioned in this article are more efficient at storing energy and nutrients, allowing plants to endure extreme conditions and regenerate quickly after pruning.
Wildflowers such as Aussie Reflection™ Chrysocephalum and Pink Fusion™ Scaevola can be cut back after flowering and continue thriving thrive for years.
Slashing vs. Coppicing vs. Pollarding
There are three types of pruning cuts that hackable plants are particularly suited for, which make life much easier for maintenance crews.
Slashing generally refers to brushcutting or mowing vegetation, usually strappy plants and herbaceous dicots, but this method can be useful for dicots with thin or herbaceous stems when a metal blade head is attached to a brushcutter.
Coppicing refers to cutting woody plants at the base, generally between 5-30cm above the ground. Some experts recommend using a diagonal cut to prevent water pooling on the wound. When performed correctly on an appropriate plant, coppicing encourages lots of epicormic growth and a bushy plant a few months after pruning.
Individual sprouts can then be pruned back to their source within a year if you wish to formatively prune for a particular shape. This is an extreme form of pruning, and some plants struggle to recover as easily from coppicing as they do from pollarding.
Pollarding is similar to coppicing in that it’s a type of hard, non-selective heading cut but is done a bit higher, often between 1-3m. Branches are cut back to stubs, which is not a pruning method often recommended by arborists, but can nevertheless yield great results as long as you’ve chosen appropriate plants.
You can then selectively thin out new branches within a year to help guide the plant’s growth response if desired, or leave it to do its thing for a few more years.
There’s an art to pruning, particularly with regards to methods like long-term pollarding, but pretty much anyone can slash or coppice the right plant without too much trouble.
The Ozbreed Hackables Revolution
Modern breeding techniques have given rise to what we like to call ‘hackable’ plants – varieties that can be cut much lower than traditional vegetation and still recover beautifully. Here’s a list of hackable plants that thrive in neglect, and seem to love being punished every few years by being cut hard.
Woody Shrubs and Groundcovers (Coppice or Pollard)
- Rhagodia spinescens ‘SAB01’ PBR Trade Name Aussie Flat Bush™
- Rhagodia spinescens ‘SAB02’ PBR Intended Trade Name Aussie Hedge Bush™
- Melaleuca armillaris MELA01’ PBR Trade Name Space Saver™
- Eremophila spp ‘EREM01’ PBR Intended Trade Name Thriver™
- Pinnacle™ Syzygium australe ‘AATS’ PBR
- Sublime™ Acmena smithii ‘DOW30’ PBR
- Sweeper® Waterhousea floribunda ‘DOW20’ PBR
- Straight and Narrow™ Syzygium australe ‘SAN01’ PBR Intended
- Better John™ Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ1’ PBR
- Candy Burst™ Callistemon spp ‘CNU06’ PBR
- Fluro Burst™ Callistemon spp ‘CNU19’ PBR
- Green John™ Callistemon viminalis ‘LJ23’ PBR
- Icy Burst™ Callistemon spp ‘CNU01’ PBR
- Macarthur™ Callistemon viminalis ‘LC01’ PBR
- Slim™Callistemon viminalis ‘CV01’ PBR
- Snow Burst™ Callistemon spp ‘CNU07’ PBR
- Sweet Burst™ Callistemon spp ‘CNU15’ PBR
- Hibbertia scandens ‘HBS01′ PBR Trade Name Groundswell™
- Hibbertia scandens ‘HBS02’ PBR Intended Trade Name Straightup™
Herbaceous Shrubs and Groundcovers (Preserve Older Hardwood)
- Aussie Reflection™ Chrysocephalum apiculatum ‘CAP07’ PBR
- Aussie Rambler™ Carpobrotus glaucescens ‘CAR10’ PBR
- Pink Fusion™ Scaevola humilis ‘PFS200’ PBR
- Purple Fusion™ Scaevola humilis ‘PFS100’ PBR
- Meema™ Hardenbergia violacea ‘HB1’ PBR
- Pandorea jasminoides ‘PJ01’ PBR Trade Name Ozbreed Flat White™
Woody (Not Suited for Hard Pruning – Cut Softwood, Leave Hardwood)
- Eremophila glabra prostrate ‘EREM1’ PBR Trade Name Blue Horizon™
- Myoporum insulare ‘MYIN01′ PBR Intended Trade Name Ground Hug™
- Cherry Cluster™ Grevillea rhyolitica x juniperina ‘TWD01’ PBR
- Crimson Villea™ Grevillea rosmarinifolia ‘H16’ PBR
- Gold Cluster™ Grevillea juniperina ‘H22’ PBR
Strappy Plants and Grasses (Slash 5-10cm above ground)
- Dianella ‘DCNC3’ PBR Intended Trade Name Baby Breeze™
- Breeze® Dianella caerulea ‘DCNC0’ PBR
- Dianella caerulea ‘DCMP02’ PBR Intended Trade Name Little Jess™ NEW IMPROVED
- Lucia™ Dianella caerulea ‘DC101’ PBR
- Tasred® Dianella tasmanica ‘TR20’ PBR
- Dianella spp ‘DIAN04’ PBR Intended Trade name Summer Rev™
- Clarity Blue™ Dianella hybrid ‘DP401’ PBR
- Emerald Arch® Dianella tasmanica ‘DT23’ PBR
- Little Jess™ Dianella caerulea ‘DCMP01’ PBR Old varitety
- Little Rev™ Dianella revoluta‘ DR5000’ PBR
- Revelation® Dianella revoluta‘ DRG04’ PBR
- Wyeena® Dianella tasmanica‘ TAS300’ PBR
- Lomandra labill ‘LM600’ PBR Trade Name Evergreen Baby™
- Lomandra Fluviatilis ‘LM380’ PBR Trade Name Shara Blue™
- Lomandra ‘LM301’ PBR Trade Name Grass Tree 310™
- Lomandra ‘LM360’ PBR Trade Name Lady Tanika®
- Great White™ Lomandra longifolia ‘MURU’ PBR
- Lucky Stripe™ Lomandra hystrix‘ LMV200’ PBR
- Variegated Tanika™ Lomandra longifolia ‘NPW3’
- Katie Belles™ Lomandra hystrix ‘LHBYF’ PBR
- Lomandra longifolia ‘Katrinus Deluxe’ PBR
- Nyalla® Lomandra longifolia ‘LM400’
- Shara™ Lomandra fluviatilis ‘ABU7’ PBR
- Tanika® Lomandra longifolia ‘LM300’
- Tropic Cascade™ Lomandra hystrix ‘LHWP’ PBR
- Wingarra® Lomandra confertifolia ‘SIR5’ PBR
- Zoysia native hybrid ‘ZOY01’ PBR Trade Name Ozbreed Zen Grass®
- Poa spp. ‘POL11’ PBR Trade Name Rustic™
- Poa spp. ‘POL12’ PBR Trade Name Eskdale Blue™
- Kingsdale™ Poa poiformis ‘PP500’
- Cream Lea® Pennisetum alopecuroides
- Cenchrus purpurascens ‘PA300’ Trade Name Nafray®
- Cenchrus purpurascens ‘PA400’ PBR Trade Name Purple Lea®
- Pennstripe™ Pennisetum alopecuroides ‘PAV300’ PBR
- Anigozanthos hybrid ‘Amber Velvet’
- Everlasting Gold™Anigozanthos hybrid ‘KP02’
- Everlasting Mega Gold™Anigozanthos hybrid ‘KP03
- Anigozanthos hybrid ‘Gold Velvet’ PBR
- ‘Regal Velvet’ Anigozanthos hybrid
- RUBY VELVET™ Anigozanthos hybrid
A Specialist Plant Worth Watching
Among this league of tough performers, Ground Hug™ Myoprorum insulare takes things to a new level. Crowned Specialist Plant of the Year 2025 by Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria (NGIV), Ground Hug™ Myoporum is an ultra-low maintenance living mulch.
This creeping Australian plant barely needs trimming at all, staying naturally low and compact at just 20cm tall after a decade.
Its performance is unparalleled for those seeking an even lower-maintenance option; the only pruning needed is once it completely covers the entire space desired, as it will continue to spread.
A New Generation of Improved Plants
If you’re still using the same plants that you were a decade ago, it might be time to open up your plant palette for varieties with better breeding.
Recent breeding advances have also made existing favourites even better. The new improved Little Jess™ Dianella, for instance, is a standout among Dianella caerulea varieties. It cuts back lower than its predecessor and regains its lush growth more efficiently.
The Key to Low Maintenance and Savings
Choosing plants with robust underground systems and proven cutback resilience is the way forward. Whether you’re pruning with a mower, brushcutter, or hedge trimmer, these Aussie natives are designed to rebound with exceptional reliability.
By focusing on resilience at the root level, you’ll enjoy thriving landscapes that need far less hands-on care. Save money, work smarter, and design landscapes that last like never before.
This material is protected by copyright. Except for use in landscape plans and fair dealing for private study, criticism, or review under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Direct enquiries to Ozbreed Green Life Pty Ltd.
The views expressed may be personal and not official policy. Plants are natural products and may die for various reasons. Ozbreed believes the information is correct at publishing but does not guarantee accuracy or accept liability for inaccuracies or photo colour discrepancies. Images are illustrative and may not reflect the actual product’s size, colour, or appearance.
All information is for general guidance and not a substitute for professional advice. Ozbreed makes no warranties, express or implied, regarding the fitness or suitability of any plant or product for a particular purpose. Plant performance may vary based on regional climate, soil type, and other conditions. Users should independently verify the suitability of plants, products, and advice, consulting local experts to determine the best choices for their location.
Some plants may cause allergic reactions or require specific care. Users should research potential allergies, toxicity, or safety concerns before selecting or planting products. Review technical specifications to ensure products or plants meet your requirements. Ozbreed is not liable for how information is used.
Ozbreed is not responsible for the content or accuracy of third-party websites or resources linked on this site. Links are for convenience only and do not imply endorsement. Information is subject to change without notice. Ozbreed reserves the right to update or modify content as new information becomes available.
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