Native plants

The right species, grown on Bundjalung Country, planted at the right time and looked after until they can look after themselves.

Open Spaces Collective plants native species in public landscapes using stock grown by the collective’s nurseries on Bundjalung Country. We match species to each site’s soil, water and vegetation community, and we carry the establishment period so plantings survive past handover.

Two nurseries, one of them on Bundjalung land

Most landscape contracts buy plants from whichever wholesale nursery has the stock. Ours come from inside the collective. Aralumbin Nursery at Dungay is growing stock now. A second nursery will be designed and built by DICE Contracting at Namabunda Farm, the 29-hectare property the Bundjalung Tribal Society owns near Alstonville.

Namabunda Farm is already a place where Bundjalung Elders share knowledge of plants and Country. Growing public-landscape stock there puts more of the value of each planting with an Aboriginal organisation, and gives trainees a nursery to learn in.

Because we talk to the growers directly, we can plan local provenance, hard-to-find species or staged supply over a long program, rather than hoping it is on the lot.

Aralumbin Nursery’s ownership, and the Namabunda nursery’s build timing. Nothing here claims Aralumbin is Aboriginal owned.

Matching plants to the ground

A species list on a drawing is a starting point. Before we order, we check it against what the site will actually give the plants: soil type and compaction, how water moves across the site, sun and wind, and the vegetation community the site belongs to. Where we think a species will struggle, we say so and suggest an alternative for the designer to approve.

Establishment

Tubestock planted into good soil in autumn has a far better chance than advanced stock planted into compacted fill in January. We program planting for the right season where the job allows, prepare and ameliorate the soil, mulch, and water through establishment. Losses are replaced, and survival is reported.

Common questions

Where does Open Spaces Collective source its native plants?

From Aralumbin Nursery at Dungay, which is operating now, and from a nursery being built at Namabunda Farm, the Bundjalung Tribal Society property near Alstonville.

Can you supply local-provenance plants?

Yes, with lead time. The nursery can grow stock to order from seed collected in the project’s own catchment. Allow several months for tubestock and longer for advanced trees.

What happens if plants die after planting?

We carry an establishment period on every planting contract. During it we water, weed and replace losses, and report survival to the client.

An indicative palette

These are species we expect to plant often on coastal and Sydney basin sites. They are here to show how we think about a planting, not as a fixed list.

Indicative planting schedule
Code	Botanical name	Common name	Form	Typical height	Where we use it
Trees
Cor mac	Corymbia maculata	Spotted gum	Tree	20–30 m	Street and park trees, large-scale shade
Ang cos	Angophora costata	Sydney red gum	Tree	15–25 m	Feature trees on sandstone soils
Ban int	Banksia integrifolia	Coast banksia	Tree	6–15 m	Coastal parks, windbreaks, bird habitat
Ban ser	Banksia serrata	Old man banksia	Small tree	3–8 m	Sandstone reserves, habitat planting
Shrubs
Aca lon	Acacia longifolia	Sydney golden wattle	Shrub	3–6 m	Fast screening, nitrogen fixing, revegetation
Wes fru	Westringia fruticosa	Coastal rosemary	Shrub	1–2 m	Low hedging, exposed and coastal sites
Cal spp	Callistemon spp.	Bottlebrush	Shrub	1.5–4 m	Swales and damp ground, nectar for birds
Cor ref	Correa reflexa	Native fuchsia	Small shrub	0.5–1.5 m	Shaded understorey, winter flowers
Grasses, strappy plants and groundcovers
Lom lon	Lomandra longifolia	Spiny-headed mat-rush	Tufting perennial	0.6–1 m	Batters, verges, bioretention edges
Dia cae	Dianella caerulea	Blue flax lily	Strappy perennial	0.5–0.9 m	Understorey, mass planting under trees
The tri	Themeda triandra	Kangaroo grass	Tussock grass	0.5–1 m	Grassland restoration, low-mow areas
Poa lab	Poa labillardierei	River tussock	Tussock grass	0.6–1.2 m	Creeklines, swales, wetland margins
Xer bra	Xerochrysum bracteatum	Golden everlasting	Short-lived perennial	0.3–0.8 m	Meadows, seasonal colour, pollinators
Car gla	Carpobrotus glaucescens	Pigface	Succulent groundcover	0.1–0.2 m	Coastal batters, erosion control
Ani fla	Anigozanthos flavidus	Tall kangaroo paw	Clumping perennial	1–2 m in flower	Feature beds only: a Western Australian species

Spiny-headed mat-rush, Lomandra longifolia

Planning a planting?

Send us the species list and the program. We will tell you what the nursery can grow, and when it needs to start.

Start a conversation